Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Li Yuan withdrew his hand.

"The one on the left."

Master He Dan pushed the white jade plate on the left to Li Yuan and the one on the right to Ji Huaiyuan.

Ji Huaiyuan took the white jade plate, looked down at the pill in the plate, and his expression was solemn.

Li Yuan put the Breakthrough Pill and the white jade disc into the depths of his storage bag.

Master He closed the alchemy furnace and began cleaning the residue inside.

"Once the elixir is refined, the rest is none of my business."

He said it without looking up.

Just as Li Yuan had put away the Breakthrough Pill, he heard Ji Huaiyuan's voice behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please wait."

Li Yuan turned around.

Ji Huaiyuan stood at the entrance of the main room, his hurried steps halting. His hand was still pressed against the white jade disc in his sleeve, as if afraid it would fall out.

The old man hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Fellow Daoist Li, there's something... I'm not sure if I should say it."

Ji Huaiyuan rubbed his hands together, his gaze shifting between Li Yuan and Alchemist He.

"The spirit contract states that Fellow Daoist Li will choose first. There is no problem with that; the Ji family has absolutely no objection."

He paused for a moment.

"But if possible... the Ji family would like to ask Fellow Daoist Li to let the Ji family make the selection first."

Li Yuan looked at Ji Huaiyuan, but in his heart he was wondering whether he should break through without using the Breaking Yuan Pill.

You can go further in the future without using pills, and you can also permanently obtain the blue entry for Breakthrough Pill.

Besides, with so many attributes on my account, how could I not give it a try?

Moreover, the Breakthrough Pill can reduce backlash and will not damage the foundation, so even if the breakthrough fails, you can continue to try to break through.

At worst, I can remove my equipment, take a Breakthrough Pill, and try again.

The only difference between these two pills is their size, so the impact should be minimal, and they have the same description.

Ji Huaiyuan spoke a little faster.

"The Ji family can offer additional compensation."

"If Fellow Daoist Li is willing to let the Ji family choose first, the Ji family is willing to provide two forms of compensation."

Li Yuan pondered for a few moments before asking.

"What compensation?"

Ji Huaiyuan's eyes lit up.

"First." He held up one finger.

"The Ji family can provide Fellow Daoist Li with a Foundation Establishment location. The Ji family has the right to use a secluded cultivation chamber in Yunyang Market with extremely abundant spiritual energy, specially prepared for those attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment. The spiritual energy concentration is more than 30% higher than the best location in Yunyang Market, and it is also equipped with a spirit gathering array and a protective array, which can provide additional spiritual energy replenishment and safety guarantees during the Foundation Establishment process."

The second finger.

"Secondly, the Ji family excels in weapon crafting, with several skilled weapon craftsmen in the family. The Ji family can custom-make two sets of offensive and defensive magic weapons for Fellow Daoist Li to use during the Foundation Establishment stage—one offensive magic weapon and one defensive magic weapon. However, Fellow Daoist Li will need to provide the materials himself; the Ji family will only provide the labor, not the materials."

He lowered his hand.

"What do you think of these two compensations, Fellow Daoist Li?"

Foundation building site and custom-made ritual implements.

The value of a Foundation Establishment location is considerable. Attempting Foundation Establishment in an environment rich in spiritual energy will increase the success rate to some extent. The denser the spiritual energy, the more abundant the replenishment of spiritual energy during the Foundation Establishment process, and the greater the margin for error in case of deviations.

Custom-made magical artifacts are even more practical. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one needs to replace their first-tier magical artifact with a Foundation Establishment artifact, which is quite expensive on the market. The Ji family is skilled in artifact crafting, so the quality of their custom-made artifacts is likely to be better than those bought on the market. Although they have to provide the materials themselves, the labor costs saved are not insignificant.

Li Yuan thought for a moment, then took out the Breakthrough Pill.

"Sure. The Ji family will choose first."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li."

Ji Huaiyuan looked at the two pills, then chose the larger one, put the remaining one back on the white jade plate, and pushed it to Li Yuan.

"The Ji family chose this one."

Ji Huaiyuan put the selected pills into a brocade bag and placed it close to his body.

"The Ji family will arrange the foundation-building site and magical artifacts as soon as possible. Fellow Daoist Li, please contact us anytime if needed."

After speaking, he turned and walked out of the courtyard. His steps were quick and steady.

Li Yuan nodded to Master He Dan and then left the courtyard.

On his way back to his residence, Li Yuan ran into Zhou Tie on the main street.

Zhou Tie was walking over from the east street, carrying an iron box in his hand, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Li Yuan".

Zhou Tie placed the iron box on the stone platform by the roadside and patted the dust off his hands.

"You know that weapon refiner in the craftsman circle, right? The one who sold a lot of items at the last gathering, the one with the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Li Yuan nodded. He was the one who planned to force his way to Foundation Establishment without using Foundation Establishment Pills.

"He failed to establish his foundation."

Zhou Tie's tone was calm, but his brows were furrowed.

"It happened yesterday. I rented a cave in the market. When my spiritual energy was compressed to the last step, it collapsed. Several meridians were broken, and my dantian was also cracked."

He sighed.

"He's not dead, but he's half-dead. He's currently lying in a clinic south of the market. They say his injuries are extremely serious, and it's hard to say whether he'll be able to recover to his previous level."

Li Yuan remained silent for a few moments.

That weapon refiner said that if you don't fight, the outcome will be pretty much the same.

I took the plunge.

I didn't win.

"What a pity." Zhou Tie picked up the iron box again.

He nodded to Li Yuan, then carried the box and walked east along the main street.

Li Yuan stood still and glanced at the south side of the main street before turning around and returning to the courtyard.

I closed the door and sat on the bed.

He took out the Breakthrough Pill from deep within his storage bag and placed it in his palm.

A pale blue sheen flowed in the palm of the hand, and fine golden lines faintly floated on the surface of the pill.

---

Back at his residence, Li Yuan did not cultivate. Instead, he repeatedly studied the two Foundation Establishment manuals, trying not to miss any details.

The Ji family is very efficient.

The day after Li Yuan agreed to the deal, Ji Huaiyuan sent someone to deliver the location of the secluded chamber and the access token.

North of Yunyang Market, near the main spiritual vein, there is a secluded cultivation room specifically prepared for cultivators to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

This secluded cultivation room is managed by the Yuan Yang Sect and is open to the public, charging a fee per day. The concentration of spiritual energy here is more than twice that of other locations in the market. The room is equipped with a basic spirit-gathering array and soundproofing barriers to isolate external interference during the breakthrough process.

The cost is not low. It's fifty spirit stones a day, which includes the spiritual energy consumption of the spirit-gathering array and the maintenance of the restrictions.

The Ji family paid the bill. Ji Huaiyuan prepaid 500 spirit stones for ten days.

Li Yuan put the token away and went there that afternoon.

The secluded meditation room was located at the end of a quiet alleyway north of the market. Two Yuan Yang Sect disciples stood guard at the alley entrance, checking the tokens before allowing entry.

At the end of the alley stood a heavy stone door, its frame engraved with dense, intricate protective runes. Li Yuan placed the token in a groove beside the door frame; the runes glowed, and the stone door slowly slid open to the sides.

Inside was a stone chamber about three zhang square.

The walls, floor, and ceiling are all constructed from special rocks mined from spirit stone veins, naturally possessing the property of gathering spiritual energy. The four walls are inlaid with the foundation stones of a spirit-gathering array, which is currently in operation, continuously drawing spiritual energy from the surrounding area into the room. (The latest chapter of [Chapter Name] has been updated; come to Cola Novels to follow the updates!)

The concentration of spiritual energy is extremely high.

It was nearly three times taller than the courtyard Li Yuan rented, and even denser than the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest.

A futon was laid out in the very center of the stone chamber.

After Li Yuan entered, the stone door closed behind him.

The soundproof barrier was activated. All sounds from the outside were completely shut out, and the stone chamber was so quiet that only Li Yuan's own breathing could be heard.

Li Yuan sat down cross-legged on the futon.

First, regulate your breathing.

The Spirit Guiding Technique circulated for three cycles, adjusting the spiritual energy and blood circulation within the body to their optimal state. The complete Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique harmonized the spiritual energy attributes, allowing the five types of spiritual energy to coexist harmoniously within the meridians without any conflict.

The Soul Condensation Technique was used to perform a set of forging techniques, concentrating the soul to its most solid state.

He went through the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique once and confirmed that all parts of his body were in peak condition.

Everything is ready.

Li Yuan took out the Breakthrough Pill from his storage bag.

A pale blue sheen flowed in the palm of the hand, and fine golden lines faintly floated on the surface of the pill.

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

Equip the Breakthrough Pill.

[Equipment Successfully]

[Acquired entry: Foundation Establishment (Blue)]

The blue entries are now active.

All three effects are activated simultaneously.

The probability of Foundation Establishment breakthrough increases by 30%. The backlash from a failed breakthrough is reduced by 30% and does not affect the foundation. Spiritual energy becomes more refined, and its flow speed increases by 50%.

The third effect can be felt immediately.

The spiritual energy in the dantian seemed to have been filtered, with each strand becoming purer and more refined. The speed at which the spiritual energy flowed through the meridians suddenly increased by half, and the rhythm of the circulatory cycle changed from steady to rapid.

Li Yuan didn't linger. He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on his dantian.

The core of Foundation Building is the qualitative change of spiritual energy—condensing from a gaseous state into a liquid state, forming the prototype of the Golden Core.

The first step is compression.

Compress all the spiritual energy in your dantian towards the center.

The total amount of spiritual power at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining is extremely vast. The permanent attributes of Spiritual Essence Expansion and Spiritual Power Condensation have raised the capacity and density to levels far exceeding those of other cultivators of the same level. All of this spiritual power needs to be compressed into a tiny point at the center of the dantian.

Li Yuan began to compress.

The perfect foundation of the Spirit Guiding Technique provides precise control over spiritual energy. The spiritual energy gathers from the walls of the dantian towards the center, like an invisible hand squeezing a ball of cotton, pushing it in from all directions.

The spiritual energy was being continuously compressed. The distance from the dantian wall to the center was gradually shortening, and the density of the spiritual energy was rapidly increasing.

The permanent attribute of Pure Spiritual Power ensures that there are no impurities in the spiritual power, and that there will be no uneven stress caused by impurities when compressed.

The permanent attribute of condensed spiritual energy makes the density of spiritual energy itself extremely high, and the starting point of compression is much higher than that of ordinary cultivators.

The blue attribute of Breaking Through the Foundation Establishment stage makes spiritual energy more refined and increases its flow speed by 50%—meaning that the adjustment speed of spiritual energy during compression is faster, and the correction speed is also faster when deviations occur.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

The second step is to consolidate.

The spiritual energy was compressed into an area the size of a fist. The density had already reached the limit of a gaseous state; any further compression would exceed what a gaseous state could contain.

This is the most crucial step.

The spiritual energy transformed from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

It wasn't done instantly, but rather as a gradual process. Under extremely high density, spiritual energy spontaneously underwent a qualitative change, gradually condensing from a diffuse gaseous state into a dense liquid state.

It's like water vapor condensing into water droplets after cooling.

The permanent effects of the Bloodthirsty Tempering Realm were also taking effect in secret. The previously accumulated kill bonuses were now transformed into a subtle but definite force, pushing the spiritual energy towards a liquid state.

Spiritual energy began to condense.

Starting from the very center of the compressed area, the first drop of liquid spiritual energy was formed.

A tiny drop, like a speck of dust, floated in the center of the dantian.

But the appearance of this one drop signifies that a qualitative change has begun.

The liquid spiritual energy, like a seed, began to attract the surrounding gaseous spiritual energy to gather and condense towards itself. One drop became two drops, two drops became four drops, and four drops became eight drops.

The condensation rate is increasing.

The spiritual energy in the dantian liquefied layer by layer from the outside to the center, like a pool of water freezing from the center and the ice spreading in all directions.

The spirit-gathering array inside the stone chamber continuously draws in spiritual energy from the outside world, replenishing its consumption.

Time passed little by little.

The liquid spiritual energy in the dantian is increasing, while the gaseous spiritual energy is decreasing.

When the last wisp of gaseous spiritual energy condensed into liquid, a ball of liquid spiritual energy, about the size of a thumb, floated in the center of the dantian.

The pale blue liquid swirled slowly in the dantian, its surface shimmering with extremely fine golden patterns.

The prototype of the Golden Elixir.

It's not a true Golden Core; a true Golden Core requires reaching the Golden Core stage to condense. This is merely the foundation of the Foundation Establishment stage—a core of liquid spiritual energy around which all spiritual energy revolves.

The third step is to stabilize the situation.

Reconnect the liquid spiritual energy core with the meridians throughout the body.

During the Qi Refining stage, spiritual energy is gaseous and circulates through the meridians as air currents. After Foundation Establishment, spiritual energy becomes liquid, and its circulation is completely different. The meridians need to adapt to the new form of spiritual energy, and the capacity of the meridian walls needs to be increased accordingly.

This step relies on the foundation of the physical body.

The muscles and bones tempered by the Iron Wall Body Refinement Technique, the foundation of qi and blood laid by two perfected mortal techniques, and the resilience of the meridians strengthened by the scale armor and iron membrane protection—all these accumulated strengths came in handy at this moment.

Liquid spiritual energy surged from the dantian and flowed slowly along the meridians.

The walls of the meridians trembled slightly under the impact of the liquid spiritual energy, then stabilized. The walls of the meridians had sufficient strength and showed no signs of cracking or collapse.

The complete mastery of the Micro-Element Guiding Meridian Technique opens up a network of meridians throughout the body, allowing liquid spiritual energy to circulate through every meridian, including the finest and deepest terminal micro-meridians.

The perfect harmony of spiritual energy attributes achieved by the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique allows the five attributes in liquid spiritual energy to coexist harmoniously without any conflict.

The liquid spiritual energy completes a full cycle, flowing back to the dantian from all the meridians of the body.

Stable.

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the stone chamber was much lower than before—a large amount of external spiritual energy had been consumed during the breakthrough. The spirit-gathering array was still operating, slowly re-gathering the spiritual energy.

Li Yuan looked down at his hands.

There's no difference in appearance compared to the Qi Refining stage. The skin is still the same skin, and the fingers are still the same fingers.

But everything inside the body has changed.

In the center of his dantian, a pale blue liquid core of spiritual energy quietly rotated. The spiritual energy flowed through his meridians in liquid form, its density several times that of the gaseous spiritual energy of the Qi Refining stage.

The total amount of spiritual energy has increased dramatically.

The carrying capacity of the meridians has been elevated to a new level.

The soul was thickened by the spiritual energy shockwave of the Foundation Establishment.

The range of perception has been greatly expanded. With the enhancement of the soul and spiritual power after Foundation Establishment, all permanent perception-related attributes, such as aura memorization, spiritual aura amplification, and keen observation of hidden breaths, have become significantly more effective.

Foundation construction successful.