Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The news of the outpost's construction came faster than most people in the market had expected.

After confirming the ruins in the Ghost Mist Forest, Yuan Yang Sect did not delay any longer. Just a few days later, the first batch of manpower and materials were transported from Yunyang Market.

Chen Yi has been frequently traveling between the two places these past few days.

When he came to the market, he only mentioned it briefly to Li Yuan.

"The sect has changed its mind. They originally wanted to proceed slowly. Now that the ruins have been revealed, the outpost needs to be established first. Only when it's firmly established can the subsequent development and exploration be contained."

Li Yuan nodded without asking any further questions.

After the outpost began construction, the changes in the market became more and more obvious each day.

Over at the shops, the flow of people continued upwards. Of the several previously vacant shops, three more were rented out this month. One sold common healing pills, one repaired magical artifacts, and the other specialized in collecting materials and ores from demonic beasts.

The supply of monster-hunting items is increasing even faster.

Even before the outpost was fully completed, many demon-hunting teams were already using the Misty Forest Market as a transit point. Some came to buy talismans, some to replenish their Yuan Dan (vital energy cores), and others directly hired day laborers or found guides in the market.

The number of resident cultivators is also increasing. Some people rent stone houses, while others build simple huts on the edge of the market, just to be closer to the trading point and Ghost Mist Forest.

As for the maintenance of the formation, it was originally a task only within the market area, but now it is gradually being extended to the outer areas.

With the Demon Detection Array, the Evil Gathering Array, the Early Warning Nodes, and the temporary protective array set up in the outpost construction area, the maintenance team is almost running out of manpower.

The account books submitted by the management office at the end of the month were much thicker than those of the previous month.

Li Yuan glanced at it, not lingering on the specific numbers, but only glancing at the changes.

Profits are steadily increasing.

Li Yuan put down the account book and took a walk around the southern spiritual fields and the outskirts of the market.

After being nurtured by the cultivation array and nourished by the second-tier evil pill, the absorption and release of evil energy in the vein became slightly stronger than before. Under Li Yuan's control, this improvement resulted in a slight decrease in evil energy around the market.

When Li Yuan reached the area to the south near the mine, he slowed down.

That underground anomaly has reappeared.

Previously, it was only faintly visible. In the past few days, as the perception of the evil veins has become clearer, the fluctuations have also become much more distinct.

Li Yuan didn't stop exploring in place, but instead slowly walked along the perimeter, gradually expanding his senses.

From the south of the mine, to the southeast of the market, then go around to the west.

After completing the tour, he returned to the stone house and immediately spread out a simple map of the Ghost Mist Forest, marking out all the unusual locations he had noticed.

The location of the ore is readily available.

The sect has already decided on the location of the outpost.

The direction of the ruins goes without saying.

Li Yuan connected the three places, his gaze slightly fixed.

The area with the most obvious abnormal backflow is located right between the three, and they can roughly form a line.

The line isn't very straight, and it's a bit off in the middle, but it's still quite conspicuous in a terrain like the Ghost Mist Forest.

Meanwhile, the sects also made new moves.

The second round of site exploration has been decided.

This time, more people came than last time, and they were better prepared.

Last time, they only checked the ruins and the surrounding area, but this time they were clearly aiming to push inwards. Chen Yi came to the market a day early to explain the manpower arrangements and tasks.

"This time we're not just looking at the outer perimeter, we're going to go a bit further in," he said. "The sect has sent over a new array master, and he's also brought some items for breaking restrictions."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

"Is there any new activity from the Dark Abyss Society?"

"Yes, but not much," Chen Yi said. "They seem to have found the door, but haven't really figured it out. They've searched through the outer areas, but haven't been able to get into the deeper parts. This means they haven't been able to break through the restrictions inside either."

That's not surprising.

That ruin was originally left behind by the old sect, and was later altered by the demonic sect. Layer upon layer, even though many places are already dilapidated, the restrictions cannot be broken through by brute force.

On the day of departure, the group still gathered at the market first.

This time, there were several more array formation cultivators and two Foundation Establishment cultivators specifically responsible for clearing obstacles than last time. The team also carried several boxes of materials and disposable barrier-breaking devices. Li Yuan was still in the team, not in a leading position, but no one treated him as an ordinary member of the team.

After entering the Ghost Mist Forest, the route is similar to the last time.

The group had already familiarized themselves with the first half of the route and was progressing quickly. It wasn't until they reached the excavated area on the outskirts of the ruins that the group truly slowed down.

The pit was still there, and the surrounding area was more orderly than last time. The Yuan Yang Sect had obviously sent people beforehand to clean up the mess left behind last time and also set up a temporary warning array around the area.

Upon entering the underground tunnel, Li Yuan immediately sensed something was different.

This time, they weren't exploring the path that the Dark Abyss Society had already cleared most of, but rather cutting in from a newly opened passage on the side. That place was originally blocked by rubble and collapsed old walls, and no one had forcibly pushed them aside last time. Now that the sect had cleared the obstacles, a more complete layer of restrictions was revealed behind it.

Grayish-white spirit patterns covered the walls and floor, with many areas still glowing faintly. Compared to the damaged outer layer of restrictions that had been violently broken open last time, the integrity of this place was significantly higher.

Chen Yi stood at the front and whispered, "The Dark Abyss Society really didn't come this far."

No one responded; everyone's attention was focused on the restriction.

A Yuan Yang Sect formation master stepped forward to investigate, scanning the area with his divine sense several times, his brows furrowing more and more deeply.

"There are three layers. The outermost layer is an identification barrier, the middle layer is a mechanism trigger, and the innermost layer is a locking mechanism."

"Can it be dismantled?" Chen Yi asked.

"Yes, but slowly."

Li Yuan stood aside, not in a hurry to speak, and with a thought, equipped the barrier-breaking cone.

When Li Yuan looked at the barrier again, he immediately felt something was different.

The gray and white spiritual patterns that were originally piled up seemed to have been sorted out into layers in my perception. It suddenly became much clearer which part was the identification pattern, which part was connected to the mechanism, which spiritual patterns were just a cover, and which ones were truly attached to the core of the restriction.

He took two steps forward and pointed to an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the wall.

"This isn't a lock, it's a lever."

The array master was taken aback. He looked in the direction the man pointed, and after probing with his divine sense for a moment, his expression changed.

"That's true."

On the other side, Li Yuan pointed out another mechanism loop hidden under the locking pattern.

During both of his visits to No. 1 Middle School, the way the people around him looked at him changed.

Chen Yi didn't show any surprise, and simply said, "You go too."

With the analysis of the spirit patterns, Li Yuan's role in breaking the barrier immediately became apparent.

After breaking through two layers, the innermost lock was finally revealed.

The spirit patterns are more ancient and more complete.

A formation master took a deep breath: "First-tier, high-grade."

Li Yuan remained focused and continued to look inside along the spiritual patterns.

After working together for another fifteen minutes, the last crack finally came loose.

A crack silently appeared in the wall.

A notification pops up on the panel at this moment.

[Spirit Rune Analysis (Green) Permanentization Progress Increased]

Current progress: 1/5

The path behind the wall is not wide; it is a relatively well-preserved stone corridor.

Unlike the previous areas that had been emptied and ransacked, this place was noticeably less populated. The dust on the ground was thicker, and the spiritual runes on the walls were more intact. After walking for about a hundred feet, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

It was an outer area, not very large, but completely different from the warehouses and halls I had seen last time.

Rows of stone platforms lined both sides, each with grooves of varying sizes embedded in them, some still bearing traces of burning and medicinal soaking. Several inner side rooms contained stone cabinets, alchemy furnace bases, and herb racks; though mostly empty, their purpose was immediately apparent.

It's neither the main hall nor a storeroom; it's more like an outer area that was once used for processing medicinal herbs, refining elixirs, and storing items related to alchemy.

Chen Yi went in and glanced at it, his gaze slightly somber.

"Finally, we've found something decent."

The group members relaxed a little. They had been breaking through restrictions and entering empty halls along the way. Although they had confirmed that the ruins had not been completely explored, it was still disheartening to find nothing at all.

Li Yuan stood at the doorway and scanned the surrounding area with his divine sense.

There are still remnants of the restrictions here, and they are even finer than those outside, indicating that the exploration has not yet been fully completed.

However, at least one thing is clear.

Although the Dark Abyss Society arrived here first, they only managed to find the entrance and some of the outer paths. They haven't had time to fully explore the new area yet.