Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After returning from Yunyang Market, Li Yuan paid more attention to the movement of people in the market.

The frequency of routine patrols has been changed from once every two days to once a day.

The passive perception of the demonic avatar operates automatically within a thirty-zhang radius, capturing any fluctuations in demonic energy. Li Yuan walks along the main street and square of the market every day, covering as much area as possible with his perception.

On the third day, there was a harvest.

At a stall on the east side of the square, a man wearing a gray-brown short-sleeved shirt was examining a pile of ore fragments.

With a cultivation level in the late stage of Qi Refining, he had an ordinary appearance and looked no different from other mining rogue cultivators.

However, a very faint trace of demonic energy remained deep within his body.

The concentration was even lower than that of the self-destructing merchant from before, almost negligible. If it weren't for the passive perception of the demonic avatar specifically targeting demonic energy, this level of residue would be completely undetectable.

Li Yuan didn't stop; he walked past him and continued walking forward.

Two more were found in the following two days.

The three individuals, scattered across different areas of the market, appeared to have different identities: one a rogue cultivator engaged in mining, one a passing cultivator, and one a traveling merchant. Their behavior was normal and unremarkable, indistinguishable from that of ordinary rogue cultivators.

Li Yuan began to secretly monitor their movements.

The following evening, Li Yuan noticed something else.

While chatting with several other miners in the plaza, the topic of the mining cultivator veered towards the Sha Mine.

"I heard there's a vein of malevolent ore south of the market? What's the grade like? Is it safe to mine?"

The rogue cultivator beside him waved his hand. "That mine belongs to Master Li; he doesn't allow outsiders to mine it."

"They won't let us mine? The entire vein belongs to him?"

"The Yuan Yang Sect assigned it to him, and we don't know the specifics. Anyway, the evil energy there is so strong that ordinary people can't get in."

The mining novice nodded and didn't ask any further questions, changing the subject to something else.

Li Yuan stood at the door of a shop thirty feet away and heard the conversation clearly.

Inquire about information regarding the Sha mining area.

The Sha Mine is the location of the Sha Vein that my equipment is equipped with. Is the other party inquiring about this place simply out of curiosity, or do they have some other purpose?

Dark Abyss will be searching for the previous Demonic Sect's treasury. Is there any geographical connection between the Fiend Mine area and the Demonic Sect's treasury? The depths of Ghost Mist Forest are an area where the Demonic Sect was active; is the source of the fiendish energy related to the Demonic Sect?

Uncertainty exists, but vigilance must be at its highest.

That evening, Li Yuan transmitted detailed information to Chen Yi using the Guardian Token.

The three men truthfully reported their physical characteristics, apparent identities, activity patterns, and their inquiries about the Sha Mine while mining.

Chen Yi's reply arrived half an hour later.

"Let's not alert them yet. Last time, the traveling merchant who self-destructed didn't leave any information. This time, we need to lure out more clues."

"I have a demon-detecting array passed down through generations. It can be used to set up sensing nodes at key entrances and exits of the market to expand the monitoring coverage. However, we can't set up the array too openly, or we'll alert the enemy."

"I will send the array materials and the inheritance jade slip over as soon as possible. You can set up the array yourself. It will be less of a commotion if you do it yourself than if you send someone over."

"By the way, the sect will probably hold an auction sometime in the future, so remember to prepare accordingly."

Two days later, Chen Yi sent someone to deliver the array materials and the inheritance jade slip to the Misty Forest Market.

Exploring the Demon Formation.

This is a formation specifically designed to detect demonic energy. While its spirit pattern structure isn't particularly complex, the material of its core element has special requirements. The core element Chen Yi delivered was a high-quality spirit-purifying stone, pure in material and exhibiting stable spiritual energy fluctuations.

Li Yuan spent an entire night studying the inherited jade slip, digesting and absorbing the methods for setting up the formation.

Early the next morning, taking advantage of the least crowded time in the market, Li Yuan set up a detection node for the demon-detecting array at each of the four entrances and exits of the market.

The foundation stone is buried underground, and the conductive spirit sand is hidden in the cracks of the road surface, completely invisible from the outside. The four nodes are connected to the array eye through the linkage spirit sand, and the array eye is located in the foundation of the management office's stone building.

Finally, the purification stone at the core of the formation is embedded in its position, and spiritual power is poured in to activate it.

The moment the formation was activated, Li Yuan placed his finger on the core of the formation.

The panel popped up.

[Equipable item detected: Demon-Detecting Stone (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Magic Amplification (White) - Increases the range of magic energy perception by 30%]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Absorb Demonic Energy (Meeted)]

[Equipped?]

White label. Magic Amplification.

Increases the range of perception of demonic energy by 30%. The condition for permanent activation is absorbing demonic energy.

The conditions for cultivating the Demonic Essence Technique by absorbing demonic energy within one's own body over a long period of time were met on the spot.

[Magic Amplification (White) has become a permanent attribute]

The purifying stone at the core of the formation turned into white light and entered the body.

The passive demonic energy sensing range of the demonic avatar has expanded from thirty zhang to nearly forty zhang. Combined with the coverage of the demonic detection array itself, the demonic energy monitoring network at the four entrances and exits of the market has been completed.

Li Yuan stood up from beside the foundation of the management office, took out a spare spirit-purifying stone to replace the consumed array eye, and reactivated the array.

Li Yuan stood up from beside the foundation of the management office, took out a spare spirit-purifying stone to replace the consumed array eye, and reactivated the array.

The Demon-Detecting Array has resumed operation.

In the days that followed, cultivation and monitoring went hand in hand.

Hou Tu Zhen Gong continues to advance based on its great achievements.

One morning, as the final cycle of the Thick Earth True Technique was completed, spiritual energy formed a complete self-circulation within the meridians and branches of the bones and muscles. Without active guidance, the spiritual energy flowed along fixed paths on its own, continuously resonating with the earth element in the bones and muscles.

A prompt appears on the panel.

【Technique: Thick Earth True Technique - Perfection (0/0)】

The earth-based cultivation technique has been perfected.

Immediately afterwards, a second notification popped up on the panel.

The conditions for permanent advancement in cultivation techniques (green) have been met.

[A new body-refining technique has been developed/cultivated to perfection (1/1)]

Is it permanent?

Yes.

[Advanced Techniques (Green) has become a permanent entry]

The rate at which proficiency in all cultivation techniques increases by 30%. This bonus stacks with other cultivation-related attributes, further accelerating the progression of all subsequent cultivation techniques.

The cultivation of the Crimson Fire Technique, on top of the doubled acceleration from the Flame Essence Refinement, now has an additional 30% bonus to the advancement of the technique.

Li Yuan switched to the Crimson Fire Technique and began cultivating.

The condition for a stable and permanent spiritual platform is to cultivate two different types of techniques and achieve perfection.

The Thick Earth True Skill is an earth-based skill, so it counts as one. However, it requires another skill of a different attribute to reach perfection. The Spirit Guiding Technique and the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique are both attribute-less skills and do not meet the requirement of having a different attribute.

Only by cultivating the Crimson Fire Technique to perfection can it be made permanent.

The doubling effect of the Flame Essence Refinement is extremely significant. The proficiency growth rate of fire-type techniques is twice that of other techniques. Coupled with multiple bonuses such as technique refinement of 30%, pure spiritual power of 50%, accelerated cultivation, and accelerated circulation of qi, the progress of the Crimson Fire Technique is extremely fast.

From beginner to proficient, two days. From proficient to expert, four days.

【Technique: Crimson Fire Technique - Mastery (0/800)】

The Iron Body Refining Technique is also being developed simultaneously.

With the combined effects of the body-tempering power of the evil energy returning to one, the medicinal enhancement of bone marrow, and the simultaneous cultivation of spirit and blood, the Golden Iron Body Refining Technique progressed from mastery to minor success.

[Cultivation Technique: Iron Body Refining Technique - Minor Success (0/1200)]

Li Yuan finished his cultivation and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.