Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Li Yuan sat in the stone house, reviewing the two problems he had dealt with at the core of the spiritual vein the previous night.

Converging breath, stabilizing nodes.

The stable node aspect can't be rushed; we need to conduct a more detailed investigation of the restrictions along the teleportation structure before we can take action. However, we can figure out a way to conceal our aura first.

To suppress this fluctuation, one must start from within the meridians.

Li Yuan was thinking of elixirs.

There was no such type among the second-tier pills I had refined. I did have a few first-tier pills that were related to concealing one's aura, but the effects of first-tier pills were too weak for someone in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to suppress the probing of a high-level divine sense.

We need a second-tier elixir specifically designed to suppress the fluctuations of energy within the meridians.

Li Yuan took out his identity token and checked his sect contribution balance and the list of pill recipes that could be exchanged.

The contributions he made in killing demonic cultivators, modifying demonic arrays, dismantling deep restrictions, and cracking the core gate of the Core Formation Platform some time ago, along with the continuous accumulation from daily market management, resulted in a balance that was more than he had expected.

In the catalog of prescriptions, Li Yuan quickly found a suitable one.

Hidden Pulse Pill.

Second-tier pills primarily function to suppress the fluctuations of energy in the meridians for a certain period after consumption, making it less likely for high-level divine senses to detect the cultivator's spiritual energy circulation. It doesn't conceal the outward expression of energy, but rather directly suppresses the movement of the meridians themselves.

This perfectly complements the ability to remain hidden and untraceable.

Without hesitation, Li Yuan exchanged his contribution points for the pill formula.

After receiving the prescription, Li Yuan first read through the entire formula twice at the table.

The main ingredients of Yinmai Dan consist of three herbs, two of which are yin in nature and one is wood in nature. The auxiliary ingredient requires a mineral powder specifically used to stabilize the outer walls of the meridians. The overall approach is somewhat similar to Xumai Dan, both acting on the meridians, but Yinmai Dan does not repair, but rather astringes.

The main ingredient of the Hidden Meridian Pill wasn't particularly rare; both pill-making shops in the market had it in stock. However, finding the mineral powder that was part of it was a bit of a hassle. In the end, they managed to buy a decent quality one from a rogue cultivator from Yunzhou.

After returning to the stone house, Li Yuan started the stove.

The first batch went smoothly at the beginning. The three main ingredients were added to the furnace in sequence, and after dissolving, the liquid turned a bluish-gray color, consistent with the description in the prescription. After the auxiliary ingredients were added, the liquid began to show that inward contraction trend, and the surface of the liquid slightly concave.

Li Yuan suppressed the internal fire and followed the inward flow.

But in the latter half of the process, a problem arose. The inward contraction suddenly accelerated, and the liquid medicine changed from a slow, concave downward movement to a rapid contraction, as if the entire mass of liquid was about to be swallowed. Li Yuan immediately increased the heat, but the inward contraction had already suppressed the outer layer of the liquid medicine, and the pill fire sent in was instead blocked from entering.

With a muffled thud, the liquid medicine exploded into ash.

The first batch was wasted.

Li Yuanqing cleaned the furnace and started a second furnace.

This time I was lucky; the second batch produced two pills.

Two pills fell into the jade plate. They were bluish-gray in color and covered with a very faint film of light. The pills were not large. When you held them between your fingers and rubbed them lightly, you could feel the inward force still inside, as if the pills themselves were shrinking inward.

The Hidden Meridian Pill has been successfully made.

This is the fourth second-tier pill he has refined.

The panel then pops up.

[Equipable item detected: Hidden Meridian Pill (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Concealed Aura (Green)]

[Effect: Suppresses the fluctuations of energy in the meridians, reducing the probability of being targeted by higher-level divine sense]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Remain undetected during one hundred instances of detection by divine sense of the same level]

Li Yuan scanned the panel and equipped the items directly.

The moment the entry took effect, Li Yuan sensed a change. It wasn't that something had been added to his meridians, but rather that the activity within them had been suppressed. His spiritual energy was still circulating as usual, but the subtle fluctuations it generated were as if someone had wrapped it in a soft cloth, significantly reducing the amount leaking out.

Li Yuan tried to complete a full cycle.

Compared to usual, the flow of spiritual energy within the body remained unaffected; its speed, purity, and circulation path were unchanged. However, if someone were to probe from the outside with their divine sense at this moment, the fluctuations in the meridians they could detect would be significantly weaker than before.

Li Yuan finished his cultivation technique and his gaze fell on the remaining medicinal materials on the table.

With the Hidden Meridian Pill, plus the Body Refining Pill, Meridian Continuation Pill, and Yuan Gathering Pill that he had previously refined, he now possessed four types of second-tier pills. Going back further, he had successfully refined even more types of first-tier pills: Meridian Opening Pill, Blood Coagulation Pill, Qi and Blood Pill, Soul Nourishing Pill, Healing Pill, and Wood Spirit Pill, totaling six in total.

Four plus six equals ten.

Sure enough, the panel popped up a moment later.

The conditions for permanent attainment of the "Danli Tongwu (Green)" skill have been met.

[Successfully Refined Ten Different Pills (10/10)]

Is it permanent?

Li Yuan confirmed.

【The concept of "Danli Tongwu (Green)" has become a permanent entry】

The change came quietly.

Unlike the tangible pressure from bones to skin when the Body Refinement attribute becomes permanent, the permanentization of Alchemy Insight is more like a filter that was previously present in the mind but has suddenly been welded to that spot.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and sensed for a moment.

Previously, the understanding of alchemy principles only took effect when equipped with alchemy manuals. As long as the manual was in the equipment slot, the perception of changes in the properties of medicinal ingredients during alchemy would be enhanced by 40%. Now that it is permanent, this perception no longer depends on any external object; it has grown into the foundation of one's alchemy practice.

In the following days, the inspections of the market and neighborhoods remained at the same level of intensity as they had been recently tightened.

After the Demon-Detecting Array was fully upgraded, the patrolling cultivators had to take turns checking the feedback records of the main array panel and various auxiliary nodes every day. As the head of the array, Li Yuan also received these records periodically.

Most of the time, the records show nothing unusual. Occasionally there are slight fluctuations, which, upon investigation, are simply traces of old demonic energy remaining on the bodies of wandering cultivators; it's not intentional concealment.

However, they had fought with demonic cultivators in Yunzhou before, and some of their bodies were contaminated with the demonic substances.

But on this day, Li Yuan's gaze suddenly stopped while he was looking through the records.

Three days ago, a very brief abnormal fluctuation occurred at the third auxiliary node on the west side of the Demon Exploration Array. It lasted for less than half a breath and was of very low intensity, appearing as just an inconspicuous small mark in the logbook.

Looking at this one line alone, it could easily be considered a false alarm or background noise.

However, when Li Yuan compared the records from the previous and following days, he found that the same auxiliary node had experienced a similar slight fluctuation five days earlier, but the duration was shorter and the intensity was lower. It would have been impossible to notice if the records had not been viewed consecutively.

Both fluctuations occurred at night, with a two-day interval.

Li Yuan kept quiet, closed the record book, and then went to retrieve the entry and exit records and transaction flow of the west side of the market during that period.

When you look at the two items side by side, a line slowly emerges.

During the period when the fluctuations occurred, there was a monk on night duty along the western patrol route.

This person was not a wandering cultivator from outside the city, but someone from within the market. He had been in the patrol team for several months, and usually kept quiet without ever making a mistake.

Li Yuan singled out this person's transaction records and compared them one by one.

Most transactions were normal: buying daily pills, exchanging spirit stones, and occasionally collecting low-level materials.

However, two of the transactions involved private deals with a wandering cultivator from out of town. The details of these transactions were vaguely recorded, with only miscellaneous items listed.

The arrival and departure of that outsider cultivator happened to coincide with the two abnormal fluctuations.

Li Yuan put the record book back in its place, his expression unchanged.

The Dark Abyss Society has already extended its reach into the market.

It wasn't some outsider cultivators who infiltrated to cause trouble; rather, they turned those already inside into their informants. This kind of infiltration is harder to prevent and more troublesome than a direct assault.

But Li Yuan did not immediately disconnect the line.

If we arrest him now, the Dark Abyss will just send in an even more insidious person. But if we keep him around and continue along this trail, we'll uncover even more information later.

Li Yuan memorized the man's name and several suspicious transaction records before leaving the management office.

That afternoon, a middle-aged cultivator found Li Yuan.

This person claimed to be surnamed Zhou, in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, and said he had come to visit on behalf of the Li family.

I met him once at the trade fair; he seemed to travel frequently between the two states.

Li Yuan received him at the management office.

The cultivator surnamed Zhou was very polite. He exchanged a few pleasantries and said some polite words before getting to the point.

"The Li family is currently under the watchful eyes of the sect, and their situation is indeed difficult. However, the Li family has always respected capable fellow Daoists, and we will always remember the kindness of Fellow Daoist Li in helping us break the formation."

"Recently, the Li family has been organizing some resources, including a few medicinal ingredients that are not easy to obtain. If Fellow Daoist Li needs them, the Li family is willing to transfer them at a friendly price."

The words were phrased in a roundabout way, but the meaning was clear enough.

The Li family, suppressed by the sect, now wants to win me over. The reason isn't hard to guess: although I'm not a formal disciple of the Yuan Yang Sect, I've already accumulated considerable influence in the markets, outposts, and ruin exploration. If they can establish a relationship with me, the Li family can alleviate some of the pressure through this connection.

Li Yuan, holding his teacup, simply nodded after listening.

"I understand the Li family's good intentions. As for the medicinal materials, let me see what we're missing before we discuss that."

He neither agreed nor refused.

The cultivator surnamed Zhou glanced at Li Yuan's expression, said nothing more, and politely took his leave.

Li Yuan put down his teacup and continued working on his tasks.

In the evening, Li Yuan left the management office and, instead of going directly back to the stone house, went to several building materials shops in the market.

The news of the Dark Abyss's large-scale acquisition of longevity-enhancing medicinal herbs and array materials has been circulating for several days, and the prices of many herbs in the market have already begun to rise. However, the price increase has not yet truly materialized; currently, it is still in the stage of rumors spreading, people's hearts wavering, and prices just beginning to ease.

Taking advantage of this window of opportunity, Li Yuan began to receive goods ahead of schedule.

I bought a batch of concealment-type medicinal herbs; I'll need them later when refining the Concealed Meridian Pill. I also collected a considerable amount of stabilizing spirit sand, which will be used for processing the nodes in the underground passage later. In addition, I have several kinds of low-key barrier-breaking auxiliary materials, not in large quantities, but they are not plentiful in the market to begin with, and I might not be able to buy them in a few more days.

When paying with spirit stones, Li Yuan did not use all of them.

Some were directly replaced with mid-grade evil stones.

After the Sha Mine entered its return period, the stock of mid-grade Sha Stones in hand was already quite considerable.

This item has gained value since the arrival of the demonic cultivators; they can be exchanged for medicinal herbs and spirit sand, and the other party is happy to accept them.

After visiting several shops, Li Yuan went to a general store that specializes in buying and selling miscellaneous repair materials.

There, he took out one of the two purple stones he had left behind and tried to ask the price.

The shopkeeper took it and glanced at it. His expression first showed confusion, then turned into obvious interest.

"What kind of evil stone is this? Its quality is much higher than that of a medium-grade stone."

"A new variety," Li Yuan said, only this one sentence.

The shopkeeper examined the contents of the shop for a while, then used his divine sense to probe its internal structure before finally offering a tentative price.

One hundred and fifty spirit stones.

The price is not low, almost two or three times higher than that of a mid-grade evil stone.

Li Yuan didn't rush to make a move; he simply took back the Purple Fiend Stone.

There is a market for this.

By the time we returned to the stone house, it was completely dark.

On the table were the newly harvested medicinal herbs and spirit sand. The storage bag contained fewer mid-grade evil stones, but the items obtained in exchange were more practical. The output from the spirit fields, the returns from the evil ore, the daily sales of talismans and pills, coupled with the information gaps in the transactions, all contributed to the simultaneous recovery of the business.

Li Yuan tidied up his things, sat down cross-legged, and continued his cultivation.

The writing prodigy presents "Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes," exclusively published by Cola Novels!