Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After settling down in Yunyang Market, the first thing Li Yuan did was to run all over the area in the south of the market where independent cultivators gathered, and check out several stalls that usually sold animal hides and spiritual herbs.

The price of animal hides in Yunyang Market was nearly 20% higher than that in Qinghe Market.

The reason is simple. The Wang and Li families in Qinghe Market had been fighting for more than half a year. The monster riots and frequent monster hunting on the front lines had increased the supply of animal hides, and the price was once driven down.

Yunyang Market was unaffected. The independent cultivators hunting demons continued to ship their goods as usual, resulting in a stable supply and naturally higher prices.

A grey-maned badger pelt costs six spirit stones in Qinghe Market, but here it's a little over seven. An iron-spine hyena pelt is almost three spirit stones more expensive. The horned lizard pelt is less expensive, only about one spirit stone more.

It is expensive, but when the cost is spread out over each talisman skin, the difference is not significant.

The price of spirit herbs is a bit cheaper than in Qinghe Market, two and a half spirit stones a bundle, which saves about half a stone.

After returning to the courtyard, Li Yuan spent an afternoon processing animal hides and making talisman skins.

The process is the same as before: degreasing, soaking in medicinal liquid, spiritual energy penetration, pressing and drying.

The next day, after the talisman skin dried, the process of making the talisman began.

I drew six different talismans in rotation: Fireball Talisman, Vajra Talisman, Rejuvenation Talisman, Qi Gathering Talisman, Heart-Locking Talisman, and Blood-Replenishing Talisman. With my masterful technique and homemade talisman skins, the success rate was consistently around 90%. I produced over twenty finished talismans in one morning.

Two Refining Spirit Talismans were also drawn. The golden talisman paper was leftover material saved from Alchemist He, and each one used would reduce the remaining supply.

As evening fell, Li Yuan sorted the finished products and went out to sell them.

He did not set up a stall in the area where unaffiliated repairmen gathered.

Setting up a stall can indeed earn more money. The retail price in the area where independent cultivators gather is 20% to 30% higher than the purchase price in shops. A fireball talisman of my quality can be sold for three or four spirit stones at retail, while shops only buy it for a little over three.

But setting up a stall takes time.

From setting up the stall to packing up, one has to haggle with the passing cultivators, inspect the goods, and give change, which can take up most of the day. The value produced by using this time to make talismans or cultivate would be far greater than the extra profit.

Li Yuan chose to sell through a reseller.

During his time living in Yunyang Market, he had already dealt with several talisman shops. There were quite a few shops on the main street that bought talismans, with commission rates ranging from 0.5% to 10%. As long as the quality was up to standard, he could sell them there.

Li Yuan went to the same shop that had sold talismans before.

The shopkeeper was still the same lean middle-aged man. When he saw Li Yuan come in, he stood up from behind the counter.

"here we go again."

Li Yuan placed the talisman on the counter.

The shopkeeper reached out and pressed on the top few sheets, sensing the density of spiritual energy, and nodded.

"The condition is good, just like last time."

The abacus rattled for a while, then produced spirit stones.

After stacking the spirit stones, Li Yuan put them into his storage bag.

Besides this acquisition shop, Li Yuan also visited two other shops.

One of them is Ziyuan Trading Company, located in the middle of the main street. It specializes in reselling medium to high-quality talismans, and the Refining God Talisman sold very well when it was displayed there.

The other one is at the end of East Street. It's smaller, but it's fast at acquiring goods and settles accounts on the spot, making it suitable for high-volume transactions.

After visiting several shops, all the talismans sold that day were gone.

Similar days continued to repeat themselves.

During the day, they process animal hides, make talisman hides, and craft talismans. In the evening, they deliver the hides in batches to several shops for resale. Every few days, they go to the area where independent cultivators gather to replenish their stock of animal hides and spiritual herbs.

Over time, the shopkeepers and employees of several shops became familiar with Li Yuan.

The shopkeepers at the purchasing stores later stopped even inspecting the goods; they would just take Li Yuan's talismans and buy them at the highest price without checking or examining them.

Every time they met, the shop owner from Ziyuan Trading Company would chat for a bit, and sometimes he would tell Li Yuan in advance which talismans were selling well and which were not.

Several regular vendors in the area where independent cultivators gathered also recognized Li Yuan. The animal hide seller knew he would come every few days, so he would reserve the best quality hides in advance. The spirit herb seller would sometimes come over to ask him if he wanted any when he got new stock.

Life went by at a leisurely pace, and the spirit stones were steadily increasing.

But the expenses were also considerable.

Cultivation requires elixirs. Qi Gathering Pills are the most commonly used auxiliary cultivation elixirs; a bottle contains five pills and costs twenty spirit stones, lasting approximately five days. The stock of Fiend Essence Pills is also dwindling; two to three are taken daily, in conjunction with Fiend Essence Tempering and Iron Ox Technique cultivation.

These are daily expenses, which add up to about ten spirit stones a day.

What truly made Li Yuan stop and settle accounts was another expense.

After finishing his cultivation that evening, Li Yuan took out the formula for the Breaking Yuan Pill from his storage bag, spread it out on the table, and looked at it over.

Seven ingredients. We already have the Spirit Essence Fruit, and the three auxiliary ingredients are also ready.

We are still missing three common main ingredients.

Emerald Lotus, Nine-Turned Lingzhi, Purple Mansion Mystic Liquid.

I knew I was missing these three items, but I hadn't specifically inquired about their prices. I've been visiting many shops in the market these past few days, and also asked a few herbal medicine merchants.

The Emerald Lotus costs between 1,200 and 1,500 spirit stones per plant, depending on its quality.

The Emerald Lotus costs between 1,200 and 1,500 spirit stones per plant, depending on its quality.

Nine-turn Ganoderma lucidum, starting at 1,000 spirit stones for those over 50 years old, and 2,000 or more for those over 100 years old.

Purple Mansion Mystic Liquid costs between 800 and 1000 spirit stones per bottle, depending on its purity.

The three items together cost at least three thousand spirit stones. Those of good quality would cost four thousand or even more.

Li Yuan calculated his current income and expenses. If he continued to spend like this, it would probably take him one or two years to save up enough spirit stones.

Most independent cultivators never even reach this level in their entire lives. Some veteran independent cultivators who have cultivated for thirty or forty years can only save enough money to buy one of the main ingredients after half a lifetime.

But Li Yuan still felt it was too slow.

But there's no use rushing. Spirit stones are earned one by one.

All we can do is continue to improve talisman-making efficiency, expand sales channels, and reduce expenses.

Li Yuan carefully put away the prescription and stopped worrying about it.

The next morning, Li Yuan went to Li's Shop on the south section of the main street.

It was the same guy, wearing a dark gray short robe with a pattern on the collar that matched the one on the Li family's token.

"Iron Wall Pill".

The shop assistant pulled out a porcelain bottle from under the counter.

"Five pieces per bottle, fifty spirit stones."

"Two bottles, please."

He put down one hundred spirit stones and put the two bottles of Iron Wall Pills into his storage bag.

Back in the courtyard, I closed the door.

He poured out a Iron Wall Pill and put it in his mouth.

The pill entered the stomach, and a burning sensation exploded from the bottom of the stomach, drilling along the spine into the bones of the limbs. The marrow tempering technique amplified the drug's effects by 30%, and the spiritual liquid further amplified the spiritual power by 30%.

The Iron Wall Body Refining Technique was activated.

Spiritual energy flows deep into the muscles along the cultivation path, and the absorption channels opened by the Iron Wall Pill allow the spiritual energy to penetrate directly. The Blood Coagulation Pill's dual cultivation of spirit and blood allows qi and blood to move in sync, with qi, blood, and spiritual energy alternately flushing between the muscle fibers.

Once, twice, three times, four times.

With each repetition, the density of deep muscle fibers increases.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan took one Iron Wall Pill every day to practice the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique.

During the day, he would take two or three hours between making talismans to practice his skills, and at night he would cultivate the Spirit Guiding Technique to advance his cultivation.

The effects of the Iron Wall Pill were amplified under the dual blessing of bone marrow tempering and spiritual liquid nourishment, and the progress of the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique increased rapidly.

On the ninth night, Li Yuan finished circulating the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique for the last time that day, and stood up.

He stretched his shoulders and wrists, and clenched his fists.

The changes are obvious.

It wasn't just an improvement in one area, but an overall improvement. From the fingers to the forearms to the shoulders to the torso to the legs, the density and resilience of every muscle were significantly stronger than nine days ago.

When I clench my fist, the strength in my knuckles and forearm feels incredibly substantial. The muscle lines beneath my skin are more defined than before; they're not bulging, but rather firm, dense, and as if they've been compressed.

The panel jumped.

【Technique: Iron Wall Body Refining Technique - Mastery (0/800)】

proficient.

The most crucial change in mastering the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique is not in strength, but in the coordination between spiritual energy and muscles.

During the proficiency stage, the absorption channels need to be opened by the Iron Wall Pill to allow spiritual energy to penetrate deep into the muscles. Otherwise, without the aid of pills, spiritual energy can only seep into the middle layer of the muscles.

After mastering it, the absorption channels that were repeatedly opened by the Iron Wall Pill no longer completely closed.

Even without taking pills, spiritual energy can still penetrate deep into the muscles, though at a much slower pace than with pills. However, the channels themselves have been permanently widened, so the effects will be even better when taking Iron Wall Pills in the future.

My blood and qi also increased.

After mastering the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique, the efficiency of mobilizing Qi and blood during the practice is nearly 30% higher than in the proficient stage. Qi and blood no longer passively follow spiritual power, but actively coordinate with the rhythm of spiritual power; the synergy between the two is like gears meshing.

The increase in total Qi and blood volume was quite noticeable. Li Yuan closed his eyes and sensed the volume of his Qi and blood sea; it was more than 20% thicker than before.

Qi and blood are generated naturally, qi and blood are abundant, blood and qi circulate back, and qi and blood are nourished. Several permanent terms related to qi and blood are constantly in operation. After mastering the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique, the optimization of qi and blood circulation is layered on top of that. Several lines are intertwined, and the improvement in qi and blood level is much greater than any one line alone.

Li Yuan carefully put away the remaining Iron Wall Pills. There were two pills left in the second bottle; he would save them for later.

After mastering it, further advancement requires more time to accumulate experience, and the marginal effect of Iron Wall Pill will diminish, so there's no need to rush.

He returned to the bed, sat cross-legged, and began to practice the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The Blood Coagulation Pill's dual cultivation of spirit and blood allows qi and blood to circulate in sync with spiritual power. After mastering the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique, the efficiency of qi and blood circulation is even higher; wherever spiritual power goes, qi and blood follow, with the two flows almost completely synchronized.

Cultivation progresses through one cycle after another.