Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Li Yuan walked slowly along the outer edge of the Ghost Mist Forest.

His aura remained at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his presence was suppressed to a low degree. The strap of his storage bag was deliberately exposed, bulging and bulky, giving him the appearance of a rogue cultivator with low cultivation, traveling alone, and carrying a lot of things.

The Concealed Aura Sensing Technique was activated at full power, scanning all auras within a radius of several hundred feet.

Occasionally, rogue cultivators would pass by on the small paths on the outskirts of Ghost Mist Forest. Most of them had low cultivation levels, neutral auras, and hurried along the way.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, when Li Yuan turned a corner at a scree slope, his breath suddenly reacted.

A familiar scent.

It wasn't a specific person, but a characteristic aura—the unique pattern of spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from Li family cultivators. Having encountered numerous Li family cultivators in Qinghe Market, the outer perimeter of the secret realm, and within the secret realm itself, I had long since memorized this characteristic through my aura memorization.

Seven layers of Qi Refining.

It came from the northeast, about two hundred feet away, and was moving rapidly.

It wasn't just one person.

Following the aura of the Li family cultivator were two other unfamiliar auras. Both were at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and their speed was faster than the first one, rapidly closing the distance between them.

Chase down.

Li Yuan paused, minimizing his presence, and slipped into the roadside bushes.

The aura memory continuously tracked the movement of the three auras.

The Li family cultivators fled from the northeast to the southwest, pursued closely by two men. The three were heading directly towards Li Yuan's location.

About ten breaths later, the bushes in front shook violently.

A figure rushed out from the bushes, staggering, with his left arm hanging at his side and dark red bloodstains running down from his elbow on his sleeve.

The cultivator, in his thirties, wore a gray-blue robe, with the Li family crest engraved on the buckle of his dark-patterned belt. His face was pale, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, and his spiritual energy was fluctuating erratically, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

Seven layers of Qi Refining.

He paused after running out of the bushes, as if he was hesitating about which direction to go.

The next instant, two figures darted out from the bushes behind him.

Two people.

The one in front was muscular, around forty years old, wearing a dark brown leather armor, and holding a bloodstained dagger. The one behind him was tall and thin, in his early thirties, holding a dark sphere the size of a spirit stone in each hand, with spiritual energy flowing around its surface.

Both of them were at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

Blood was still dripping from the burly cultivator's short sword, and spiritual energy fluctuations remained on the blade—the very same strike that had injured the Li family cultivator.

"Why are you running?" The strong cultivator's voice was deep, filled with barely suppressed anger.

He held the short sword horizontally in front of him and took two steps closer to the Li family cultivator.

"The Li family members are all the same. Your boss promised to split the profits equally after the deal was done, but what happened? He turned around and betrayed our boss."

He gritted his teeth.

"You betrayed us, got our boss killed, and now you're pretending you know nothing?"

The Li family cultivator took two steps back, his left arm hanging limply and unable to exert any strength, his right hand resting on the magic weapon at his waist, his face ashen.

"Nonsense. What does your boss's death have to do with the Li family?"

The muscular cultivator sneered.

"Still being stubborn. Fine, it's fine if you're stubborn, you're not getting away today anyway—"

"And you definitely made your move for—"

The tall, thin man behind Li suddenly moved as he was speaking.

The two dark spheres flew out from the tall, thin man's hands, one to the left and one to the right, tracing arcs as they circled around to the sides of the Li family cultivators.

The Li family cultivator was a beat slow to react. He was speaking, his attention focused on the burly cultivator in front of him, and he hadn't been paying attention to what was behind him.

The two spheres exploded simultaneously.

Dark spiritual energy burst forth from inside the sphere, forming two intersecting arcs of spiritual energy that simultaneously slashed towards the waist of the Li family cultivator from both sides.

The Li family cultivator tried to dodge to the side at the last moment, but the injury to his left arm slowed down his reaction.

Two arcs of light struck his body, one after the other.

The first incision entered through the left rib and exited through the right rib. The second incision cut diagonally down the lower back, leaving a half-foot-long wound on the back.

The Li family cultivator's body stiffened.

His mouth was open, the words he hadn't finished saying stuck in his throat. The light in his eyes dimmed rapidly, and the fluctuations of his spiritual energy completely dissipated within a few breaths.

He fell forward and onto the ground, where he remained motionless.

The strong, muscular cultivator sheathed his short sword at his waist, squatted down, and began to search the corpse.

The tall, thin man walked to the side, picked up the remains of the two spheres and put them away, then straightened up and glanced around.

His gaze stopped.

A figure stood about ten feet away, peeking through the bushes.

Li Yuan.

His aura was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his presence was kept relatively low. However, he was standing too close to the battlefield, and the bushes did not provide complete cover, allowing the tall, thin man to spot him.

The tall, thin man narrowed his eyes.

"There's someone there."

The strong, muscular cultivator looked up and followed the gaze of the tall, thin man, spotting Li Yuan behind the bushes.

Two cultivators at the seventh level of Qi Refining had just killed someone, their hands still covered in blood, when they turned around and noticed a witness nearby.

Without any communication, the two of them moved at the same time.

The strong cultivator drew a short sword from his waist, infused it with spiritual power, and the blade glowed with a dark blue light as he charged straight at Li Yuan.

The tall, thin man didn't charge. Instead, he took two steps back, conjuring a new dark sphere in each hand for ranged attacks.

The moment the two started fighting, Li Yuan had a sudden thought.

Unload the Hundred Meridians Return to Origin Technique.

Take the Bloodthirsty Stone out of the storage bag and equip it.

[Equipment Successfully]

[Acquired entry: Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm (Green)]

The aura concealment and aura hiding techniques were simultaneously withdrawn.

The cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining was fully released from its suppressed state.

The surge of spiritual energy spread out from Li Yuan's body like a wall that had been pushed down.

The strong cultivator had just rushed within five zhang when he sensed the spiritual pressure. His expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Nine layers of Qi refinement.

But it was too late to stop. Inertia carried him forward two more steps, and the dagger was already raised.

Li Yuan raised his right hand.

Fireball.

Five zhang away, precise keyword lock.

The fireball was released slightly faster than the opponent's short sword.

The crimson fireball slammed head-on into the strong cultivator's chest.

boom.

The scorching air burst open at the edge of the thick fog. It didn't hit the strong cultivator head-on.

But the strong cultivator was knocked away and flew backward, his short sword slipped from his hand, and he crashed into the bushes three zhang away.

He wasn't dead. The leather armor absorbed some of the impact, and given that he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, his physical strength was considerable. However, the wound on his chest was severe, and his spiritual energy was dissipating in disarray.

Two dark-colored spheres, one tall and thin, had already flown over.

They moved in arcs, one to the left and one to the right, circling around Li Yuan's sides.

The method was exactly the same as when they killed the Li family cultivators earlier.

Li Yuan did not dodge.

Raise your left hand, Fire Arrow Technique.

A fiery arrow shot out and struck the sphere on the left with pinpoint accuracy.

The sphere exploded in mid-air, scattering dark spiritual energy in all directions; the light arc dissipated before it could even form.

The arc of light from the sphere on the right cut across.

Li Yuan stepped to the side, and the arc of light grazed the outside of his right arm. The light membrane protecting his golden armor flickered at the point where it grazed him; his scale armor and spiritual membrane were activated simultaneously, and the arc of light did not break through his defenses.

In the next instant, the fireball in Li Yuan's right hand had already taken shape.

The target wasn't the tall, thin man, but the strong, muscular monk in the bushes.

The strong cultivator was struggling to stand up, blood was still gushing from the wound on his chest, and his spiritual energy was in severe disarray.

The fireball slammed down.

boom.

The strong cultivator's struggle ceased. His aura completely dissipated.

The Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm attribute generated a response the instant the kill occurred.

A subtle force surged from the direction of the corpse and seeped into Li Yuan's body.

The tall, thin man's pupils contracted sharply when he saw his companion being killed.

He didn't choose to continue fighting; he turned and ran.

It moved very fast, tiptoeing as it darted into the bushes to the north.

Li Yuan did not pursue.

Fireball.

A fireball was launched after it. The trajectory was precisely corrected, and the fireball traveled a distance of about ten feet before striking the tall, thin man in the back.

boom.

The tall, thin man fell forward, rolled on the ground, and lay face down in the pile of decaying leaves.

It's still moving.

Li Yuan raised his hand and unleashed a fire arrow technique.

Two fire arrows were fired in quick succession; one pierced his lower back, and the other pierced through the back of his neck.

The movement stopped. The breath dissipated.

The entry for the Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm generated feedback once more. Another subtle force surged in, merging into the depths of the dantian.

The panel popped up.

The conditions for making Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm (Green) permanent have been met.

Is it permanent?

The Blood-Devouring Stone requires cultivators of the same level. Strictly speaking, early-stage Qi Refining and late-stage Qi Refining are considered cultivators of the same level, much like the classification of demonic beasts. These two cultivators meet the requirements.

Li Yuan's mind stirred, and he chose yes.

[Permanentization successful]

The "Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm (Green)" has become a permanent entry.

[Equipment consumed]

The Blood-Devouring Stone transformed into a dark red light in his palm and disappeared into the depths of his dantian.

The changes aren't immediately noticeable. The effect of the Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm is to increase the probability of breakthroughs, and this effect only becomes apparent when actually attempting to break through a bottleneck.

However, there was indeed an extremely subtle layer of power deep within the dantian, like a lubricant applied to the dantian wall, reducing resistance for future breakthroughs.

Then he walked to the center of the battlefield and began to search the corpses.

The robust cultivator's storage bag contained quite a few items: dozens of spirit stones, several bottles of pills, and a well-made short sword that lacked any inscription.

The tall, thin man's storage bag contained three of those dark-colored spheres, along with a few dozen spirit stones and some miscellaneous items.

The Li family cultivators didn't have many items in their storage bags, but Li Yuan felt something at the bottom of one of them.

A porcelain vase.

The porcelain bottle was small, about the thickness of a thumb, and the mouth of the bottle was sealed tightly with wax. A small label was affixed to the bottle.

The label reads two words: Purple Mansion.

Li Yuan took out the porcelain bottle, unsealed the wax seal, and brought it close to his nose to smell it.

A refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted from the bottle's opening, carrying a trace of extremely pure spiritual energy. The liquid was a deep purple color, shimmering with a fine layer of silver light as it was gently swirled within the bottle.

Purple Mansion Mystic Liquid.

Extremely high purity.

Then we're only missing one of the three main ingredients for the Breaking Yuan Pill.

Li Yuan took all the spirit stones and pills from the three people's storage bags, leaving the rest behind.

He stood up and glanced around.

The thick fog flowed slowly around, and there were no other presences within the range of my heightened spiritual perception.

Li Yuan turned around and walked along the path towards the official road.

He activated the Divine Speed ​​Step, increasing his speed and quickly leaving the battlefield area.

On his way back to Yunyang Market, Li Yuan reviewed his day's gains in his mind.

The Golden Armor Protection is now permanent. The Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm is now permanent.

The effect of Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm is to increase the probability of breakthrough by killing cultivators. The higher the strength of the killed cultivators, the stronger the effect, up to a maximum of 50%.

The panel doesn't provide specific figures on how much the current number and quality of kills will increase the breakthrough probability. But something is better than nothing.

Preparations for the foundation building are progressing step by step.

Two main ingredients are still missing from the Breakthrough Pill. The breakthrough bonus from the Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm has already been obtained. My cultivation level is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, still some distance from the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, but at my current cultivation speed, it won't be long.

Li Yuan hurried along the official road and returned to Yunyang Market before nightfall.