Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

That morning, Li Yuan was drawing a Qi-gathering talisman in the courtyard.

There were two knocks on the gate.

Li Yuan put down the talisman brush, got up and walked to the door.

I opened the courtyard gate, and there was a person standing outside.

He looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, of medium build, with a handsome face and fair skin, unlike a wandering cultivator who spends most of his time traveling.

The fingertips were yellowish, and the nails were trimmed very short.

Cultivation level: Qi Refining Level 7.

The newcomer cupped his hands in greeting to Li Yuan and smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Li?"

"Yes."

"My surname is Shen, Shen Yue."

He lowered his hands from the cupped-hands gesture, glanced around the courtyard, and nodded when he saw the talisman paper and spirit ink spread on the table.

"Did you need something from me?"

Shen Yue didn't rush to speak, but instead peeked into the courtyard.

"Can we go inside and talk?"

Li Yuan stepped aside, and Shen Yue walked into the courtyard and sat down on the stone bench next to the table.

Li Yuan didn't sit down, but leaned against the table and looked at him.

Shen Yue placed his hands on his knees and spoke.

"I am an alchemist, and I have been working in Yunyang Market for more than three years. I usually refine Qi-replenishing pills and Yuan-restoring pills, and I have a fixed stall in the area where independent cultivators gather."

He pointed in the direction of the main street.

"I went to Ziyuan Trading Company to buy spiritual herbs a couple of days ago and saw that Manager Han had put up a new sign with your name on it."

"I asked Manager Han a couple of questions, and he said that you are a rogue talisman maker with excellent skills, and the quality of your talismans is among the best in the entire Yunyang Market."

He looked at Li Yuan.

"I just wanted to come and get to know you."

Li Yuan hummed in agreement and waited for him to continue.

Shen Yue rubbed the traces of medicine powder off his fingers.

"It's not just about knowing each other. I'd like to discuss a collaboration with you."

"What kind of cooperation?"

"Collaboration between artisans." Shen Yue leaned forward slightly.

"There are quite a few independent craftsmen in Yunyang Market, including alchemists, talisman makers, and weapon refiners. But everyone does their own thing and doesn't interact much with each other."

"When medicinal herbs are expensive, it's hard to find cheap sources; when minerals are scarce, it's hard to know who to ask; sometimes, when you have surplus materials and want to exchange them for something else, you can't find suitable trading partners."

"I know a weapon refiner named Zhou who runs a small workshop on the east side of the market. He's skilled at crafting first-tier magic weapons, and he can also make talisman brushes."

"We've been working together for almost a year now. We exchange materials and refer clients to each other, and everything goes smoothly."

Shen Yue paused for a moment, then continued.

"We're just missing a talisman maker."

Li Yuan looked at him.

"How will we cooperate?"

"It's very simple, not mandatory." Shen Yue waved his hand.

"It's about exchanging what you have. If you need spiritual herbs or pills, come to me; the prices are cheaper than the market price. If I need talismans, come to you; they're just as cheap. It's the same with Refiner Zhou; if you need talisman brushes or magic weapon parts, come to him; if he needs talismans or pills, come to us."

He counted on his fingers.

"When three craftsmen get together, they can save a lot of spirit stones by exchanging materials. Customers can also recommend each other. When someone asks me to refine pills, they ask if I know where to find a good talisman maker, and I'll recommend you. The same goes for the other way around."

He lowered his hand.

"No contracts, no binding obligations; anyone can leave whenever they want. It's just a partnership, for mutual convenience."

Li Yuan thought about it.

The conditions are indeed quite good.

Making talismans requires a large amount of spiritual herbs as raw materials for herbal talisman paper. If we can get spiritual herbs from Shen Yue at a lower price than the market price, we can further reduce the material cost.

He was also refining pills himself, but the variety was limited. If Shen Yue had any pills that he didn't know how to refine, it would be easier to trade with him.

It's even more useful to the weapon refiner. The talisman brush is the core tool for making talismans, and a good talisman brush is not cheap. If you can get a reasonably priced talisman brush from the weapon refiner, the amount of spirit stones saved in the long run will be considerable.

Moreover, it's not tied to anything, and you can log out at any time. There's no risk.

"Okay." Li Yuan nodded.

Shen Yue's smile visibly relaxed a bit.

"Then let's go, I'll take you to see Master Zhou. His workshop is just to the east, a fifteen-minute walk."

The two left the courtyard, walked along the side alley onto the main street, and turned east.

I walked east along the main street for a while and then turned into a narrow alley. At the end of the alley was a small stone house with a wooden sign hanging at the door that read "Weekly Journal".

The stone house door was half open, and from inside came the clanging of knocking and the scorching smell of metal.

Shen Yue called out from the doorway.

"Old Zhou, the person has been brought."

The knocking stopped.

A burly man in his forties walked out of the stone house. He had extremely broad shoulders, thick arms, and his hands were almost a size larger than Li Yuan's.

He was wearing a sleeveless, coarse cloth shirt, the front of which was covered with iron filings and mineral powder.

Sixth level of Qi Refining.

Zhou, the weapon refiner, wiped his hands on his apron and glanced at Li Yuan.

"You're the talisman maker from the Ziyuan Trading Company?"

"Li Yuan".

"Old Zhou, Zhou Tie." He extended his hand, and Li Yuan shook it. His palm was rough and hot, as if he had just come from next to a furnace.

Zhou Tie raised his chin towards the stone house.

"Come in and sit down."

The stone house was larger inside than outside. Against the wall stood a half-person-high refining furnace, with residual heat still rising from its opening.

Various hammers, pliers, and files were hanging on the wall, and several boxes of ore and semi-finished ritual implement parts were piled on the ground.

On the table were two newly made talisman pens, the handles unpainted, the wood exposed, revealing the fine grain.

Zhou Tie moved two stools from the corner, and the three of them sat down around the table.

Shen Yue explained the cooperation again, and Zhou Tie nodded after listening without saying anything more.

"Okay, one more person means one more path."

He picked up a talisman brush from the table and handed it to Li Yuan.

"Take a look at this. It's a spirit wood penholder, and the nib is made from the whiskers of a mid-grade first-tier demon beast. The craftsmanship is quite fine. It would sell for about twenty spirit stones on the market, but you can have it for fifteen."

Li Yuan held the talisman brush in his hand and weighed it. The brush handle was solid, the wood was warm and smooth, and the spiritual energy flowing into his fingertips was conducted smoothly without any noticeable attenuation.

The quality is good, much better than what's sold at independent repair stalls.

"Can."

Li Yuan placed fifteen spirit stones on the table and put the talisman brush into his storage bag.

The three of them chatted for a while about their respective situations.

Shen Yue's main alchemy products are Qi-replenishing pills and Yuan-restoring pills, and he occasionally refines some detoxification pills and Yuan-strengthening pills. Zhou Tie mainly makes first-tier magic tools and talisman brushes, and occasionally takes on magic tool repair work.

The three individuals have overlapping and complementary customer bases. Many of Shen Yue's clients who sell pills need talismans, while some of Zhou Tie's clients who sell magical artifacts need pills. Introducing each other can help them close more deals.

After their conversation, Li Yuan and Shen Yue left Zhou Tie's workshop together.

"If you need anything in the future, just come find me." Shen Yue cupped his hands towards Li Yuan at the alley entrance. "My stall is in the third row on the east side of the area where independent cultivators gather. I'm there every morning."

Li Yuan nodded, and the two parted ways.

Back in the courtyard, I closed the door.

Li Yuan sat on the bed and took out an Iron Wall Pill from his storage bag.

Only two left.

The pill burst with heat upon entering the mouth, exploding from the bottom of the stomach and flowing down the spine into the bones of the limbs. The bone marrow tempering amplified the medicinal effect by 30%, while the spiritual liquid further enhanced it by another 30%.

The Iron Wall Body Refining Technique was activated.

Spiritual energy flows into the deep layers of the muscles along the path of the cultivation technique. The absorption channels in the mastery stage have been permanently widened, and the speed at which spiritual energy penetrates is much faster than when the skill level is reached.

The Blood Coagulation Pill's dual cultivation of spirit and blood allows qi and blood to move in sync, with the two forces alternately washing over the muscle fibers.

Once, twice, three times.

His proficiency in Iron Wall Body Refining Technique is steadily increasing.

After the effects of the medicine wore off, Li Yuan stopped practicing and switched back to the Spirit Guiding Technique to continue cultivating.

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

The Yunyang Market outside the courtyard wall gradually quieted down. In the distance, the faint sounds of stalls packing up could be heard from the direction of the main street, and the footsteps of patrol officers changing shifts passed by the alley entrance.

Li Yuan closed his eyes, his breathing even, and his spiritual energy and blood circulated continuously within his body.