Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Over the next few days, Li Yuan accelerated the production of a batch of spirit water talismans.

The success rate has stabilized at around 30-40%, and I have accumulated a total of ten spirit water talismans.

According to the agreement previously reached with Qin Ruoshuang, the sale of the Spirit Water Talisman would be handled through the Ziyuan Trading Company, with Manager Han in charge of the liaison.

Li Yuan carried ten spirit water talismans and walked along the main street toward Ziyuan Merchant.

Manager Han was organizing accounts behind the counter when he saw Li Yuan enter. He quickly put down his pen and went to greet him.

"Senior Li."

Li Yuan placed ten spirit water talismans on the counter.

Shopkeeper Han picked up the spirit water talismans one by one to examine them, pressing his fingers on the surface of the talismans to sense the density of spiritual energy, and nodded.

"The quality is quite good. Ten of them, at 120 spirit stones each, for a total of 1200 spirit stones."

He took out a cloth bag from under the counter, counted the spirit stones, and placed them on the counter.

"Senior, would you like spirit stones or something else? The trading company has some newly arrived spirit herbs and pills, and the quality is decent."

"Spirit Stones".

Shopkeeper Han nodded and pushed the spirit stones over.

Li Yuan put the spirit stones into his storage bag, turned around and left the shop.

When they returned to the courtyard, the guardian token in the storage bag suddenly vibrated slightly.

Li Yuan took out the token.

A line of pale gold text appeared on the surface of the token, slowly shimmering.

Li Yuan channeled his spiritual power and probed with his divine sense, and soon saw fine characters slowly forming.

Mission: Lead a team to excavate the deeper parts of the Ghost Mist Forest mine. Mining of the shallower spirit iron ore sections is nearing completion, and the Yuan Yang Sect plans to conduct exploratory excavations into the deeper parts of the vein. The concentration of malevolent energy in the deeper areas is extremely high, making it impossible for ordinary cultivators to remain there for extended periods. A Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of handling this malevolent environment is needed to lead the team.

Contribution point rewards are determined on a case-by-case basis, and some contribution points can be advanced.

After reading the mission details, Li Yuan put the token away.

Deep within the mineral vein.

I had previously mined for evil stones deep within the mines, so I was familiar with the environment. The concentration of evil energy was extremely high deep within, making the passive effect of "Essence Unification" most efficient for cultivation there.

Leading a mining team while absorbing malevolent energy for cultivation is a win-win situation.

Moreover, you can advance contribution points, which is just enough to learn second-tier spells.

Li Yuan went out and walked towards the council hall.

The council hall was located north of the market, a three-story stone building with four disciples guarding the entrance. Li Yuan showed his guardian token, and the guards bowed and let him pass.

I walked down the corridor to Chen Yi's room and knocked three times.

"Come in."

Li Yuan pushed open the door and went in.

Chen Yi sat behind a stone table, with several bamboo scrolls and a map spread out in front of him. Seeing Li Yuan enter, he closed the bamboo scrolls.

"I've received the assignment. So, what do you say? Are you willing to go?"

"I've seen it." Li Yuan sat down on the stone bench. "What are the specific arrangements?"

Chen Yi unfolded the map on the table and pointed to a location marked on it.

"You've been to the mines in Ghost Mist Forest. The spirit iron ore at the shallow end has been mined for more than half a year, and the output has started to decline. The sect has decided to push deeper to see if there are any other veins in the depths."

His finger moved down along the mine tunnel markings on the map.

"The deeper problem is mainly the malevolent energy. The concentration of malevolent energy is too high; ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivators can't stay inside for long before they have to come out. We tried having people take turns digging, but the efficiency was too low."

He lifted his finger from the map and looked at Li Yuan.

"The reason I chose you is simple. You frequently travel around the Ghost Mist Forest and are familiar with the environment there. Moreover..."

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming more casual.

"You previously purchased a malevolent energy cultivation technique at the trade fair, the Malevolent Spirit Transformation Technique."

"You are the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in this area who can remain in a malevolent aura for an extended period. Therefore, you are the most suitable candidate for this mission."

"We'll be setting off in a few days. You'll lead the team in, primarily responsible for clearing away the deep layers of malevolent energy obstacles to ensure the excavating cultivators can work normally inside. The sect will arrange the excavation personnel; some will be disciples of the Yuan Yang Sect, but most will be hired independent cultivators."

"The reward for contribution points depends on the mining results. Generally, there is a minimum of 1,500 points, and the reward will be higher if a new ore vein is discovered."

He pushed the map in front of Li Yuan.

"You can have the advance contribution points now. How much do you want to advance?"

Li Yuan thought about it.

The Guardian Token currently contains 500 contribution points. The cheapest second-tier spell costs 510 contribution points, so it's 10 points short.

But since we can get an advance, we don't need to use only ten.

"Six hundred."

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Just a moment. I'll transfer 600 contribution points directly to your token."

Li Yuan was about to get up, but after thinking about it, he sat back down.

"Elder Chen, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"explain."

"The situation of the Demonic Sect."

Chen Yi paused for a moment and placed the bamboo slip in his hand on the table.

Why are you asking this?

"When we were deep in the Ghost Mist Forest, I could occasionally sense some unusual fluctuations in energy," Li Yuan said. "They didn't seem like demonic beasts, nor did they seem like rogue cultivators."

This wasn't entirely an excuse. There were indeed some fluctuations of energy deep within the Ghost Mist Forest, the source of which were difficult to discern, but Li Yuan hadn't investigated them in detail before.

Chen Yi remained silent for a few moments before speaking.

"All the Golden Core cultivators of the Demonic Sect have been eliminated. Over a hundred years ago, during the joint siege, several Golden Core patriarchs and Golden Core cultivators from other sects personally took action, leaving no one alive."

He placed his fingers on the table and tapped them lightly twice.

"But there are still some remnants of the Foundation Establishment stage."

"These people weren't strong enough back then, so they weren't considered key targets. After the encirclement and suppression ended, they scattered and fled. Some went to other areas, while others hid in remote corners and barely survived."

He turned his gaze to the window.

"The Yuan Yang Sect has been investigating, but these people are very difficult to find. They cultivate demonic arts, and their aura is very different from that of righteous cultivators. Once they hide, they are difficult to be discovered unless they actively expose themselves."

"Furthermore, the sect speculates that these Foundation Establishment remnants have received support from other forces."

Li Yuan's gaze shifted slightly. "What power?"

Chen Yi shook his head.

"It's uncertain. It could be demonic cultivation forces from other regions, or it could be some righteous sects with conflicting interests with the Yuan Yang Sect. Like in the novel, turning the page reveals another world. In any case, someone is secretly providing shelter and resources to these remnants."

He lifted his fingers off the table.

"However, these remnants don't have a strong desire for revenge. After all, they are cultivators of the Demonic Sect; how could they possibly avenge their former sect?"

"Their main activities have two directions. First, they are searching for the treasury left behind after the Demonic Sect's destruction. The Demonic Sect had been operating in this area for over a hundred years, accumulating a vast amount of wealth and resources. During the encirclement and suppression, they didn't have time to loot everything, and many things were hidden in secret places. These remnants have been searching for it."

"Secondly, cultivating demonic arts requires a large amount of special resources, and the most convenient way to obtain them is—"

His tone became somewhat somber.

"Murder. So these remnants occasionally kill innocent people in remote places."

Li Yuan kept this information in mind.

Remnants of the Demonic Sect. Foundation Establishment stage. Supported by external forces. Searching the treasury, killing people to obtain demonic energy.

"Understood."

Chen Yi glanced at him. "If you encounter any suspicious people in Ghost Mist Forest, don't make contact rashly. Notify the sect first."

Li Yuan nodded, got up, and left the council hall.

Walk along the main street towards the exchange counter.

The exchange office was located in a stone house next to the council hall, and was managed by a disciple of the Yuan Yang Sect.

Current contribution points balance: 1,100.

Li Yuan opened the exchange list and found the page for second-tier spells.

Fire Serpent Technique. A second-tier fire-based attack spell. Contribution Points: 510.

Its power far surpasses that of a first-tier fireball spell; it can condense a large amount of fire-type spiritual power to form a fire python attack, with a longer range and a larger coverage area.

Windwalking Escape Technique. A second-tier movement technique. Contribution Points: 520.

A flight spell exclusive to Foundation Establishment cultivators, allowing them to fly through the air at a speed far exceeding that of the Divine Speed ​​Step.

"These two techniques are the Fire Python Technique and the Wind Travel Technique."

The disciple in charge checked the list, confirmed that there were enough contribution points, and made a record in the register.

"The spell jade slips need to be retrieved from the warehouse and will be delivered to your residence in about one or two hours."

Li Yuan nodded, put the token away, and returned to the courtyard.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

A disciple of the Yuanyang Sect delivered two jade slips, wrapped in brocade.

Li Yuan took the jade slip and placed his fingers on it one by one.

No response.

Neither of the jade slips contained any entries.

Li Yuan carefully put the jade slip away. The lack of an entry was expected; items with entries were inherently rare.

He took out the jade slip containing the Fire Python Technique, infused it with his divine sense, and began to study it.

The spirit rune structure of the Fire Serpent Technique is a level more complex than that of the Fireball Technique.

However, Li Yuan has a foundation in micro-controlling spiritual techniques, coupled with the ability to precisely manipulate liquid spiritual power after Foundation Establishment, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to get started.

I also read through the jade slip containing the Wind Flight Technique. Its principle is simpler than the Fire Python Technique; the core is to condense spiritual energy at the soles of the feet and around the body, forming a layer of spiritual energy supporting the body, and then using that energy to propel flight. Speed ​​depends on the output of spiritual energy and the stability of control.

He memorized both spells.

Li Yuan carefully put away the jade slip and headed out towards the south gate.

Ghost Mist Forest.

The spiritual energy concentration and cultivation environment in the market town are incomparable to those in the Ghost Mist Forest. Deep within the Ghost Mist Forest, the malevolent energy is dense, allowing the passive effect of "Uniting Malevolent Essence" to operate at full power, while the spiritual energy concentration is also considerable. Cultivating new spells there is far more efficient than in the market town.

Leaving the city through the south gate, I activated the Divine Speed ​​Step and arrived at the outer edge of the Ghost Mist Forest in less than two hours.

Stepping into the dense fog, the "Unifying of Evil Qi" technique automatically activates. Evil energy converges from all directions, seeping into the fascia to temper the body, with a portion transforming into spiritual energy to replenish the dantian.

Li Yuan walked deeper into the area and found the open space where he had previously cultivated, where he sat down cross-legged.

First, practice the Fire Python Technique.

Spiritual energy surged from his dantian and gathered in his right palm.

Coagulate, compress, and then shape.

The spiritual energy in the palm started as a sphere and stretched out, changing towards a serpentine shape.

On the first attempt, the spiritual energy dissipated after stretching halfway, and the shaping failed.

The mastery of Fireball Technique makes the condensation of fire-based spiritual energy a breeze; the bottleneck lies in shaping it. Proficiency in micro-controlling spiritual arts allows for precise manipulation of spiritual energy, but switching from a spherical to a serpentine shape requires a new set of muscle memory.

Li Yuan remained calm and continued practicing.

On the fifth time, a crimson fire snake shot out from his palm, flew through the air for more than ten feet, and crashed into a dead tree and exploded.

The dead tree was broken in two, and the cut surface was charred black.

Its power is far greater than that of the fireball spell.

The panel popped up.

[Spell: Fire Serpent - Beginner (0/400)]

I've gotten the hang of it.

The practice of the Windwalking Escape Technique went smoothly. Spiritual energy gathered at the soles of his feet to form a support, and his body slowly rose off the ground.

Initially, it could only rise to a height of one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) before it started to sway. The distribution of spiritual energy was not even, and the body felt like it was standing on a floating ice floe in the air.

After practicing more than ten times, I stabilized and was able to fly slowly at a height of three zhang (approximately 10 meters). The speed was not fast, but at least I wouldn't fall down.

[Spell: Wind Walk - Beginner (0/400)]

He has mastered both second-tier spells.

Li Yuan landed back on the ground, sat down cross-legged, and continued his cultivation.

The cultivation environment deep within the Ghost Mist Forest is indeed far superior to that of the marketplace. The passive tempering of the body with malevolent energy, the efficient absorption of spiritual energy, and the tempering of the soul with malevolent energy all operate simultaneously. Furthermore, with no one around to disturb the cultivation, one can devote oneself entirely to it.

Compared to drawing talismans, receiving guests, and handling various trivial matters in the courtyard every day, this is the proper place for cultivation.

Li Yuan decided to spend the next period of time cultivating in the Ghost Mist Forest, and only need to go back to the market once every now and then to deal with the matters there.

The Demonic Spirit Transformation Technique continues to operate during breaks in cultivation. The permanent attribute of "Unifying Demonic Essence" allows the circulation of demonic energy within the body to proceed automatically. Although the Demonic Spirit Transformation Technique has become permanent, the operational path of the technique itself still functions within the body, and proficiency continues to accumulate.

After practicing for two consecutive days, the panel popped up.

【Technique: Demonic Spirit Transformation Technique - Proficient (200/400)】

The Demon Spirit Transformation Technique has progressed from beginner to expert.

The efficiency of the baleful aura in tempering the soul and its effect on promoting cultivation have been noticeably improved. Each time the baleful aura passes through a node of the soul, it is cleansed more precisely, and its conversion into spiritual power through the meridians is also more efficient.

Li Yuan continued his cultivation, waiting for the departure time of the mining mission a few days later.