Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The next morning, Li Yuan slowly finished his practice.

Just as they were about to make the talisman, there were two knocks on the courtyard gate.

Li Yuan walked to the door and opened the courtyard gate.

Two young cultivators dressed in gray-white Taoist robes stood outside the door, with the Yuan Yang Sect's standard tokens hanging from their waists.

One of them held a roll of thin paper in his hand, while the other had his hands behind his back and his eyes swept over Li Yuan.

Inspector of Yunyangfang Market.

"Li Yuan?"

The one holding the paper in its hand opened up.

"Yes."

"Routine notification." He unfolded the roll of paper and read it aloud.

The message was short. The gist was that the Yuan Yang Sect had recently received intelligence that remnants of the Demonic Sect might be active in the surrounding area, and all cultivators in the market were reminded to be vigilant and take precautions for their safety when venturing out.

After reading it aloud, the inspector took the scroll back and nodded to Li Yuan.

That's all. Be careful.

The two turned and walked along the side alley. They stopped at the gates of several neighboring courtyards, probably to notify each household.

Li Yuan closed the courtyard gate and returned to his seat at the table.

Remnants of the Demonic Sect.

I overheard people talking in the area where independent cultivators gathered before, saying that the Yuan Yang Sect wiped out a group of remnants of the Demonic Sect in the south last month, killing seven and letting three escape.

Li Yuan kept it in mind, but didn't pay too much attention to it. He spread out the talisman paper, dipped his brush in ink, and continued drawing.

I went out at noon to the area where the cultivators gathered to replenish a batch of Qingling Grass.

Li Yuan walked slowly along the stone railing of the stall area and stopped in front of a medicinal herb stall to pick out herbs.

As I was squatting down examining the quality of a bundle of Qingling Grass, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Li Yuan?"

Li Yuan turned his head.

A monk in his thirties stood two steps away, with a square face, a medium to strong build, and wearing a faded gray cloth shirt.

He had no token hanging from his waist, and he carried a worn cloth bag in his hand, which was bulging with something inside.

Fanghe.

"What are you doing here?" Li Yuan stood up.

Fang He grinned and took two steps closer.

"Tell me first what you did here."

"The contract with the Wang family has been terminated. I'm now making and selling talismans in Yunyang Market."

Fang He's eyebrows twitched. "You solved it too?"

"you also?"

"Hmm." Fang He switched the cloth bag in his hand to the other and rubbed his chin.

"I made a contribution, which is equivalent to working for free for a lot of days, but at least the contract was terminated."

He walked over to an empty stone platform next to the stall area and sat down. Li Yuan followed and stood beside him.

"When did this happen?"

"Half a month ago." Fang He placed the cloth bag on his lap and patted it twice.

"It's getting harder and harder to stay with the guards. The patrol frequency has doubled, and we're running into Li family cultivators more and more often. Last month, two members died outside."

He paused for a moment.

"I figured if I kept doing this, it would be my turn sooner or later, so I might as well quit."

"Fortunately, I signed a short-term contract as a rogue cultivator, which has less stringent restrictions than the one I was raised from childhood. I can get away by paying a contribution fee."

Li Yuan hummed in agreement.

Fang He tilted his head and glanced at Li Yuan.

"Are you well-informed? How much do you know about what's going on outside lately?"

"I know some things. The Li family patriarch went to the Yuanyang Sect, the number of inspectors has increased, and this morning they even came to inform us that the remnants of the Demonic Sect may make a comeback."

"More or less." Fang He lowered his voice and glanced around.

The individual repairmen in the stall area were all busy with their own things, and no one paid attention to this side.

"It is said that the Wang family went to the Yuanyang Sect and filed a complaint against the Li family, claiming that the Li family had ties with the remnants of the Demonic Sect."

Li Yuan looked at him.

Fang He shrugged.

"I don't know the specifics either; it's all just bits and pieces I heard from the old men in the guard team."

"The gist of it is that the Wang family obtained some clues that the Li family was secretly in contact with the remnants of the Demonic Sect and might be using the Demonic Sect's methods to do some shady things."

He rubbed his chin.

"But it seems there's no solid evidence. It's just some indirect clues, enough to file a complaint but not enough to convict."

"The attitude of the Yuanyang Sect is also uncertain. They have neither explicitly stated that they will investigate the Li family nor rejected the Wang family's claims. They have simply increased patrols and control."

He gestured towards the main street with his lip.

Li Yuan nodded.

It matches the Blood-Devouring Stone Formation that I discovered in the secret realm.

The array set up by the Li family cultivators in the secret realm used blood-devouring stones as its core, and there were bloodstains on the stone platform, which was very similar to the methods used by the Demonic Sect.

However, this is only indirect evidence and cannot lead to a conviction. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that it belongs to Li Jiaqian, so the token he obtained cannot be relied upon.

Fang He said another sentence.

"The fighting between the two sides is getting more and more intense. It's not just happening in Qinghefang City; the fighting is also taking place inside the Yuanheng Mountains."

"Small clashes happen every few days, sometimes several times a day. Both sides are adding more people to their ranks."

He sighed.

"Business in Qinghe Market has also been affected. The market has tightened controls, and everyone entering and leaving is checked, so independent cultivators are unwilling to go there. The stall area is much quieter, and the sales of talismans are 20-30% worse than before."

He glanced at Li Yuan.

"So I simply came to Yunyang Market. It's a large market with lots of people, so business is easier here."

What kind of business do you run?

Fang He patted the cloth bag on his leg.

What kind of business do you run?

Fang He patted the cloth bag on his leg.

"I trade in miscellaneous goods. I collect spiritual herbs and monster materials brought out by rogue cultivators from the outer reaches of the secret realm, and then sell them at Yunyang Market. I make a profit from the price difference; it's less money than working in the guard team, but it's safer."

After exchanging a few more words about their recent situations, Fang He picked up his cloth bag and got up.

"Alright, I'm going to the stall area to ship the goods."

Li Yuan nodded and watched Fang He carry the cloth bag into the depths of the stall area.

After buying the medicinal herbs, Li Yuan did not go straight back to his courtyard.

After walking south along the main street for a while, I turned into the side alley where I bought the spell last time.

The shop is still there, and the employee is still the same person.

How many metal-based spells are there?

The shop assistant rummaged through the drawer under the counter and pulled out three scrolls of bamboo slips.

"Golden Edge Technique, Armor-Piercing Technique, and Sharp Metal Shield. All are first-tier low-grade. Golden Edge Technique costs eight spirit stones, Armor-Piercing Technique costs ten, and Sharp Metal Shield costs twelve."

Li Yuan picked up the three bamboo scrolls one by one and flipped through them.

Golden Edge Technique is an auxiliary skill that, when activated, can temporarily enhance the sharpness of metal-type spells.

Armor-Piercing Technique is an offensive technique that uses metal-elemental spiritual energy to condense into a highly piercing needle. Sharp Metal Shield is a defensive technique that uses metal-elemental spiritual energy to form a small shield.

Li Yuan chose the Golden Edge Technique and the Armor-Piercing Technique.

He set down the eighteen spirit stones and put the two bamboo scrolls into his storage bag.

After leaving the shop, walk back along the same route.

Back in the courtyard, Li Yuan closed the door and sat down at the table, first unfolding the bamboo scroll containing the Golden Edge Technique.

The content is not complicated. After converting spiritual energy into metal element, it is injected into existing metal element spells or magical artifacts to temporarily enhance their sharpness and penetrating power.

With a foundation in the Golden Blade Technique, and having already traversed the conversion path of metal-based spiritual energy, they can pick it up very quickly.

The permanent attribute that increases comprehension speed boosts the learning speed of spells by 50%.

Li Yuan followed the incantation on the bamboo slip several times.

The metal-elemental spiritual energy was drawn from the dantian, traveled along the transformation path, and condensed in the palm. The texture of the spiritual energy was completely different from that of the fire element; it was not a scorching, expanding sensation, but a cold, sharp one, as if holding a thin blade in the palm.

[Spell: Golden Edge Technique - Beginner (0/200)]

I've gotten the hang of it.

Switch to Armor Penetration Technique.

The spiritual energy circulation path of the Armor-Piercing Technique is more complex than that of the Golden Edge Technique. It requires compressing the metal-type spiritual energy into an extremely fine needle, which demands a very high density.

Li Yuan tried several times following the incantation. The first two times, the density of the spirit needles was insufficient, and they quickly dissipated after forming. The third time, he adjusted the compression rhythm, and the spirit needle condensed at his fingertips, as thin as a cow's hair, gleaming with a cold, silvery-white light.

[Spell: Armor Break - Beginner (0/200)]

He has mastered both metal-based spells.

With the addition of the Golden Blade Technique he had already mastered, he now possessed three metal-based spells.

Li Yuan took out a Golden Blade Talisman he had made earlier from his storage bag.

With a thought, he released the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique.

Equip the Golden Blade Talisman.

The panel then popped up.

The conditions for making the Golden Edge Enhancement (White) permanent have been met.

Is it permanent?

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

[Golden Edge Enhancement (White) has become a permanent entry]

[Equipment consumed]

The power of metal-based spells has been permanently increased by 20%. From now on, whether it's Golden Blade Technique, Golden Edge Technique, or Armor-Piercing Technique, the power of these spells will be significantly greater than before.

The sky outside the window was already mostly dark.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed and began to circulate the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The spiritual energy surged into the body, and the pure spiritual power removed impurities, condensing and sinking into the dantian.

The Blood Coagulation Pill's dual cultivation of spirit and blood allows qi and blood to circulate in sync with spiritual power.

After cultivating for several cycles, Li Yuan noticed a change.

It's not a change in spiritual power, but a change in qi and blood.

The dual cultivation effect of the Blood Coagulation Pill has been active for so long, and the mode of blood and qi circulating synchronously with spiritual power in the meridians has been run countless times.

The synergy of this cyclical pattern has been continuously improving.

When I first equipped myself with the Blood Coagulation Pill, the rhythm of my Qi and Blood was always a beat slower than that of my Spiritual Energy. Later, as I practiced more, my Qi and Blood gradually adapted to the rhythm of synchronizing with my Spiritual Energy, and the beat slow became almost synchronized.

Now, we've taken another step forward.

Qi and blood no longer simply follow spiritual energy.

At certain meridian nodes, the flow of Qi and blood begins to adjust its speed and direction on its own, without the need for spiritual guidance.

It's like two people have walked a long way together, and they know where the other is going next without saying a word.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and carefully sensed it.

The flow rate of Qi and blood in the major meridians is almost exactly the same as that of spiritual energy.

The same applies to the larger branches. When it comes to the smaller branches, the speed of blood and qi begins to deviate from that of spiritual energy, but the deviation is very small.

When it reaches the very end of the micro-vessels, the circulation of qi and blood can no longer keep up.

The condition for the permanent formation of Gu Yuan Cao (a traditional Chinese medicine) is that Qi and blood form a complete circulation throughout the body's meridians.

All meridians, including the micro-meridians.

Currently, the circulation of Qi and blood in the major meridians and thicker branches is almost complete. The thinner branches are still somewhat lacking, and the micro-meridians are even more lacking.

But the direction is right.

The Blood Coagulation Pill's dual cultivation effect on both spirit and blood continuously propels qi and blood to penetrate deeper into the meridians.

Li Yuan kept this change in mind and continued his cultivation.

Spiritual energy surges into the body, and spiritual power and blood flow alternately through the meridians. With each cycle, the coverage of blood and qi in the meridians gradually expands.