Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Li Yuan decided to go to the Ghost Mist Forest.

The concentration of malevolent energy in the Ghost Mist Forest is much higher than outside, so it's a good time to cultivate.

While we're at it, let's see if we can run into a mid-grade first-tier Yin spirit and fulfill the conditions for making the Divine Refining Talisman permanent.

Before setting off, Li Yuan organized a batch of finished talismans and sent them to Ziyuan Trading Company, and also went to Shen Yue to replenish some pills for the journey.

The next morning, Li Yuan packed his storage bag and left through the south gate of Yunyangfang Market.

Ghost Mist Forest is about eighty li southwest of Yunyangfang City, a journey that takes most of the day along the official road.

Li Yuan activated the Divine Speed ​​Step to travel, making him nearly twice as fast as walking normally.

After traveling for about two hours, the official road split into two at a fork in the road. The left path led towards the outer edge of the Yuanheng Mountains, while the right path turned southwest.

Just as Li Yuan was about to turn onto the right-hand side road, a familiar figure appeared on the road ahead.

He wore a long blue robe, had a thin face, and a neatly trimmed short beard. His steps were steady, and his aura was restrained.

Wang De.

Wang De also saw Li Yuan, paused for a moment, and then walked over.

The two stopped at the crossroads.

"What are you doing here?" Wang De glanced at Li Yuan.

"Let's go to the Ghost Mist Forest."

"Ghost Mist Forest?" Wang De's gaze lingered on Li Yuan for a moment longer, without asking what he was going there for.

Li Yuan didn't offer an explanation, but instead asked, "What about you?"

"Go find Master He."

Wang De put his hands in his sleeves and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"Master He Dan left the outer edge of the secret realm a while ago, but recently he has reappeared in this area. My family asked me to come here to have him refine my Foundation Establishment Pill."

Li Yuan looked at him.

"The Wang family's Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Yes." Wang De didn't mince words. "The materials are all gathered; all that's left is to find someone to refine them."

He paused for a moment.

"However, this time it's not just about alchemy."

Wang De glanced towards Yuanyang Mountain in the east.

"The Yuanyang Sect is about to hold a grand meeting of immortal sects."

"The Immortal Sect Conference?"

"It's held every few years." Wang De's voice softened, as if he were talking about something somewhat distant from his own life. "The Yuan Yang Sect uses this opportunity to recruit disciples from various families and independent cultivators. Those who pass the assessment can enter the Yuan Yang Sect to cultivate and enjoy the sect's resources and guidance."

He pulled his hands out of his sleeve and rubbed them together.

"The Wang family is also planning to send people over. The most skilled among the younger generation are all making preparations."

He glanced at Li Yuan.

"If you're interested, you can give it a try. However, since you're currently a rogue cultivator, you're following the rogue cultivator path, and the assessment standards are different from those for family disciples."

Li Yuan simply nodded, without responding to the topic.

The Immortal Assembly of Yuanyang Sect has little to do with me now; my primary goal is to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Joining a sect means being bound by its rules, which is certainly not a simple contract like the one with the Wang family. Moreover, I know almost nothing about the Yuan Yang Sect, so it's better to focus on building a foundation in the market.

"When will you start refining the Foundation Establishment Pill?" Li Yuan asked another question.

"They're still negotiating," Wang De shook his head. "Master He isn't in a rush; he has other orders to process. It'll probably take a few days."

The two stood and chatted for a few more minutes about their recent situations.

Wang De briefly mentioned the situation in Qinghefang City, saying that the small-scale conflict between the Wang and Li families was still ongoing, but the intensity had decreased compared to before. After the Yuanyang Sect strengthened its control, both sides had become much more restrained.

After they finished talking, the two parted ways at the crossroads.

Wang De walked along the left road towards the Yuanheng Mountains, while Li Yuan turned onto the right fork and continued towards the Ghost Mist Forest.

They traveled for about three more hours.

A hazy outline appeared on the distant horizon.

It's not a mountain, it's not a cloud, it's fog.

A thick, grayish-white fog rose from the ground, like a low wall blocking the way, completely obscuring the forest behind it. The fog wasn't high, only about three or four zhang (approximately 10-12 meters), but it was extremely dense and thick; nothing could be seen beyond five zhang.

Ghost Mist Forest.

Li Yuan stopped outside the fog wall.

There were more monks nearby than he had expected.

Scattered across the open ground outside the fog wall were seven or eight independent cultivators. Some were squatting on the ground organizing their equipment, some were leaning against tree trunks eating dry rations, and some were gathered in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones. Their cultivation levels ranged from the third or fourth level of Qi Refining to the seventh level.

There were also two small demon-hunting teams, four or five people in a group, checking magical artifacts and talismans, seemingly preparing to go in.

The spiritual herbs and monster materials in Ghost Mist Forest have some value. In addition, news from the loose cultivator market that the Yuan Yang Sect sent people to maintain the security of the surrounding area has attracted many monster hunting teams.

Li Yuan habitually lowered his voice.

With both the Aura Concealment and Aura Hiding abilities activated simultaneously, his cultivation level at the ninth level of Qi Refining was suppressed to the level of the fifth or sixth level. His presence was also adjusted to a relatively low level.

From the outside, he looks like an ordinary rogue cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Li Yuan didn't talk to the cultivators around him and walked straight towards the wall of mist.

The moment I stepped into the thick fog, my vision was completely obscured by a grayish-white color.

The moment I stepped into the thick fog, my vision was completely obscured by a grayish-white color.

The ground beneath my feet had transformed from hard, solid soil into a soft layer of decaying leaves, making no sound when I stepped on it. The air became damp and chilly, carrying a musty, rotten smell.

The range of perception amplification and aura memorization was greatly compressed after entering the dense fog.

Normally, one could sense fluctuations in energy within a range of two to three hundred feet, but now it had shrunk to less than fifty feet. The ghostly mist had a strong interfering effect on perception, like wrapping a layer of cotton around one's senses, making everything blurry.

The ability to detect malicious intent by concealing secrets has also been affected, with its sensitivity decreasing significantly.

Li Yuan slowed his pace, walking and getting used to the environment in the fog.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the Ghost Mist Forest is almost twice as high as outside, but it is mixed with a large amount of malevolent energy. The concentration of malevolent energy is not particularly high, lower than that in the depths of the mine, but it is widely distributed, permeating every corner of the entire forest.

The affinity for malevolent energy automatically operates, suppressing the negative effects of malevolent energy seeping into the body to an extremely low level. Simultaneously, the body tempering process draws malevolent energy into the fascia and bones.

Just walking through the Ghost Mist Forest is already a form of passive body tempering.

Li Yuan walked deeper into the woods for about fifteen minutes.

A faint grayish-white light appeared in the fog ahead.

The light flickered in the fog, like a lamp swaying in the wind.

Ghosts.

Li Yuan stopped and focused his attention on sensing.

First-tier, low-grade. The aura was faint, and the spiritual energy fluctuations were extremely low; it was almost undetectable due to the interference of the ghostly mist.

The grayish-white light spots drifted towards Li Yuan.

As you get closer, you can see its shape more clearly. It's a fist-sized ball of grayish-white mist with a vague human face outline in the middle. The features are distorted, and the mouth is wide open, as if it's screaming silently.

When the ghost drifted within ten feet, a chilling aura emanated from it, attempting to seep into Li Yuan's soul.

The long-term strengthening of the soul by the soul-refining light of the Soul-Illuminating Mirror and the insights gained from alchemy made this erosion almost imperceptible.

Li Yuan raised his hand, casting a fireball spell.

The fireball flew out of his hand, its scorching crimson light standing out starkly against the thick, grayish-white fog.

The fireball struck the ghost, and the grayish-white mist evaporated instantly in the flames. The distorted human face flashed for a moment before disappearing.

A low-grade, first-tier ghost was dealt with with a single fireball.

Li Yuan did not stop and continued to walk deeper into the area.

In the next half hour, they encountered four more ghostly spirits.

All of them are first-tier low-grade.

Some floated among the treetops, some lingered close to the ground, and some hid inside decaying tree trunks. Each one was easily dealt with by Li Yuan, dissipating with a single fireball or fire arrow.

But they didn't encounter a single mid-grade first-tier Yin spirit.

Li Yuan circled the depths of the forest, clearing out most of the Yin spirits within a radius of several hundred feet, but found none of them to be of medium or higher rank.

The distribution and quality of the spirits in the Ghost Mist Forest are roughly related to the depth of the area. The outer perimeter contains low-grade Tier 1 spirits, while mid-grade spirits should be found deeper inside.

However, the ghostly fog is denser deeper inside, further compressing the range of perception. Venturing deeper when perception is greatly limited is quite risky.

Li Yuan did not act rashly.

The main purpose today is to gather evil energy; we can deal with the spirits another time.

He found an area with a high concentration of malevolent energy, sat cross-legged under a dead old tree, and began to absorb the surrounding malevolent energy.

The affinity with malevolent energy makes the absorption process extremely smooth. Malevolent energy seeps into the body from all directions, is tempered by the malevolent energy and drawn into the fascia and bones, and a portion of it is stored.

After more than half an hour, the evil energy stored in his body had reached saturation.

The efficiency of collecting malevolent energy was higher than expected.

The permanent attribute that is friendly to evil spirits makes the absorption process extremely smooth.

After reaching saturation, Li Yuan did not rush to leave. Instead, he used the Iron Ox Technique to digest some of the stored evil energy, making room to continue absorbing it.

With the simultaneous operation of the body tempering technique and the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique, the density of muscles and bones continuously increases under the erosion of the body tempering technique.