Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The exciting chapter "Chapter 305 Concealing Wave Talisman" is now available online. Click to read it first!

In the middle of the night, Li Yuan was awakened from his cultivation by an unusual commotion detected by his heightened spiritual senses. From the direction of the Core Formation area, the auras of a large number of cultivators were moving rapidly, accompanied by fluctuations in the array and spiritual energy.

It wasn't a battle, it was chaos.

Li Yuan did not go over immediately, but first used the spiritual vein monitoring line to scan the situation in the Core Formation area.

The flow of spiritual energy from the spiritual veins towards the Core Formation Platform was rapidly decreasing. The auxiliary array was still operating, but the spiritual energy feedback from the Core Formation Platform itself was becoming disordered, as if a certain component on the platform had suddenly collapsed.

I didn't control the flow of spiritual energy; something must have happened.

The next morning, Chen Yi arrived at the management office.

He looked terrible.

"The Core Formation attempt failed."

Li Yuan looked at him.

Chen Yi sat down at the table and remained silent for a few moments before continuing.

"The core formation began at midnight last night, and everything went smoothly for the first half. The flow of spiritual energy, the condensation of spiritual power, and the initial appearance of the golden core all proceeded as expected. However, when it came to the crucial core condensation stage, the auxiliary array of the core-forming platform suddenly fluctuated, and the supply of spiritual energy became unstable, sometimes strong and sometimes weak. The spiritual power condensation of the core-forming cultivator was interrupted twice, and the golden core nascent form shattered directly."

Where are they?

"He didn't die, but he was severely injured. When the nascent Golden Core shattered, the backlash of spiritual energy severed several meridians and damaged his dantian. He survived, but his cultivation level has regressed by at least two minor realms, and it's uncertain whether he can recover."

Li Yuan did not respond.

Chen Yi continued, "After the cultivator woke up, he said that there seemed to be a problem with the Core Formation Platform formation during its operation. The rhythm of spiritual energy input was different from what was expected. The first half was normal, but the second half began to experience intermittent interruptions. He initially thought it was due to fluctuations in his own spiritual energy, so he forcibly stabilized it and continued to push forward. As a result, the interruptions became more and more frequent, and he eventually couldn't hold on any longer."

"Is it a problem with the formation?"

"The sect also has the same suspicions." Chen Yi lowered his voice even further. "So this morning, they issued an order that all array masters who participated in setting up the Core Formation Platform array must undergo a thorough investigation."

Li Yuan nodded.

"Am I also within the scope of the investigation?"

"Yes. But you only participated in the auxiliary array part, and didn't come into contact with the main array and core circuit of the Core Formation Platform. In addition, given your position as the market manager, the inspection will be less stringent." Chen Yi paused here, "The main focus will be on those who came into contact with the core array."

That afternoon, two inner disciples of the Yuanyang Sect came to the management office and conducted a routine inquiry with Li Yuan.

The questions weren't too tricky. They asked what materials were handled during the setup, where the construction took place, whether there was any contact with the main formation of the Core Formation Platform, and whether any unusual situations were discovered.

Li Yuan answered each question truthfully. He explained that he had only participated in the deployment of auxiliary formations in the outer ring and transition areas, had not entered the core area for construction, and had not come into contact with the main formation of the Core Formation Platform.

After the two monks finished recording, they left without making things difficult for the monks.

In the following days, Yuanyang Sect invited two more array masters with higher levels of array skills to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the entire array on the Core Formation Platform.

The inspection lasted three days.

The result was that no obvious problems were found.

The guiding patterns of the auxiliary array were intact, the nodes were connected normally, and the spiritual energy flow was within the design range. The main patterns and circuits of the core array also showed no signs of tampering. There were no conflicts between the old restrictions and the new auxiliary array.

Everything seems normal.

However, the attempt to form the Golden Core did fail, not because of its own shortcomings, but because of the interruption of spiritual energy flow.

The source of the problem remains unclear.

The Yuan Yang Sect debated this issue for several days, but ultimately failed to reach a clear conclusion. Some said it was a problem with the Core Formation cultivator himself, others said it was due to unpredictable fluctuations in the formation under extreme load, and still others hinted that there might be hidden dangers in the quality of the materials.

But these are all just speculations, without any evidence.

Meanwhile, battle reports from the front lines became increasingly frequent.

The battle between the Qishui Sect and the Shamo Sect has entered a fierce stage. After the Qishui Sect's stronghold fell, the two sides engaged in a protracted tug-of-war in a mountainous area bordering Liangzhou and Yunzhou, with the number of cultivators they deployed continuously increasing.

Almost every day, new news could be heard in the market. There was another battle, how many people each side had lost, and which stronghold had changed hands.

The Yuan Yang Sect's reinforcements for the Qi Shui Sect have also set off. Several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, carrying a batch of supplies, departed from the outpost and headed towards Yunzhou.

The demonic cultivation activities on the outskirts of the market are also intensifying. Information from the spiritual vein monitoring lines shows that there are several more demonic cultivators in the hills northwest of the market than in the past few days, and they are beginning to spread southwards from the market.

That night, Li Yuan cultivated in the stone house as usual.

On a northern section of a branch of the spiritual vein, an unfamiliar aura caught Li Yuan's attention.

A first-tier superior-grade demonic beast.

Its aura wasn't particularly strong, but the way it fluctuated was unusual. It wasn't simply resting or wandering; it was actively absorbing the spiritual energy seeping from the branches of the spiritual vein. After the spiritual energy was absorbed into its body, the intensity of its own aura slowly increased.

Breakthrough by utilizing the spiritual energy of the spiritual veins.

Li Yuan suppressed his senses even more, and the aura of the demonic beast was wrapped in a thin layer of demonic energy.

It's another demonic beast.

Just as Li Yuan was about to withdraw his senses, a second aura appeared.

Behind an old tree thirty feet away from the demon beast, a Foundation Establishment cultivator kept his aura extremely low, almost blending into the surrounding environment.

If it weren't for the high precision of the spiritual vein monitoring line, coupled with the extra sensitivity of the demonic amplification to demonic energy, it would be difficult to detect this person's existence.

Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator.

Its aura was between the early and mid-stages of Foundation Establishment, carrying a heavy demonic energy. It wasn't just passing by; it was intentionally staying near the demonic beast, as if guarding or controlling it.

Demonic energy is used to propel the monsters to break through, and then spiritual energy from the spiritual veins is used to accelerate the process.

Li Yuan stood up, simultaneously suppressing both Concealing Breath and Hiding Veins Breath to their maximum levels, reducing his aura to an extremely low level.

The night was dark, and there was almost no light in the forest.

All fluctuations of energy within a fifty-foot radius were clearly visible, and the target's location was precisely locked.

The demonic beast was slightly to the left ahead, crouching beside a crevice in the rock where the spiritual energy seeped from the branch vein was the most concentrated. It was quite large, about 1.5 zhang long, and resembled some kind of feline beast, with its entire body covered in short, dark gray fur and its limbs thick and strong.

The demonic cultivator was slightly to the right ahead, leaning against the trunk of an old tree.

He kept his body low to the ground, holding a black disc in his hand, with faint demonic energy flowing across its surface.

A magical artifact used to control demonic beasts.

Li Yuan did not give the other party time to react.

The Fire Serpent Technique was launched the instant it formed in his palm, its target being the demonic beast.

The monster let out a miserable howl, and most of its body turned charred black.

From the moment the attack was made to the moment the monster fell to the ground, less than three breaths had passed.

The demonic cultivator behind the old tree reacted quickly as well.

The moment the demonic beast was struck, he sprang out from behind the tree, pushed the black disc in his hand forward, and a thick black demonic aura, accompanied by a piercing shriek, rushed towards Li Yuan.

Li Yuan dodged to the side, the demonic energy grazing past him. The protective spiritual membrane of the Three Elements automatically rose, blocking the splashing fragments of demonic energy.

Seeing that his attack had missed, the demonic cultivator turned and ran.

It moved quickly, its figure flashing into the shadows of the trees.

Li Yuan raised his hand and cast another fire arrow spell, blocking his escape route to the north. After the fire arrow exploded, sparks flew everywhere, forcing the demonic cultivator to veer westward.

Li Yuan's second Golden Blade Technique followed.

Golden light cleaved through the night, slicing straight into the demonic cultivator's back.

The demonic energy shield on the demonic cultivator's body blocked it for a moment, but the Golden Blade Technique, enhanced by the Breaking Restriction Penetration attribute, had extremely strong penetrating power. The demonic energy shield was cut through after only half a breath.

Golden light pierced through his back and emerged from his chest. The demonic cultivator froze in mid-air for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

Then, Li Yuan took out the Blood Fiend Stone.

[Equipable item detected: Bloodstone (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Life Steal and Spirit Gathering (White)]

[Effect: Allows the absorption of essence blood using spiritual energy]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Kill a cultivator of the same level or a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator (Already met)]

Li Yuan's gaze lingered on the panel for a moment before he did not hesitate.

"equipment."

[Equipped: Bloodstone (Complete)]

[Vampire Gathering Evil (White) has become a permanent entry]

The phantom of the Blood Fiend Stone flashed in the equipment slot and then turned into a pale white light spot that disappeared into the body.

At the same time, Li Yuan clearly felt that the spiritual energy in his body had an additional subtle pull on his blood and essence.

Li Yuan stepped forward and began rummaging through the demonic cultivator's storage bag.

The storage bag wasn't large, and it didn't contain many items, but a few things caught Li Yuan's attention.

The first item is a talisman.

The talisman had a dark gray sheen, and its spiritual patterns were inward-looking and dense, unlike common attack or defense talismans. Li Yuan picked it up and probed it with his divine sense, discovering that the talisman's function was to shield spiritual energy fluctuations.

Once activated, it can suppress the leakage of spiritual energy fluctuations within a certain range, while reducing the spiritual energy disturbances generated during spellcasting.

Hidden Wave Symbol.

The panel then pops up.

[Equipable item detected: Stealth Wave Rune (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Spirit Wave Concealment (Green)]

[Effect: Reduces spiritual energy fluctuations by 30% when casting spells. Can actively shield surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations; the shielding effect depends on the effectiveness of one's own aura concealment.]

[Preview of conditions for permanentization: Successfully break ten first-tier or higher restrictions, or one second-tier restriction]

Li Yuan stared at the panel for a couple of breaths.

When casting a spell, the fluctuation of spiritual energy is reduced by 30%, and the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations can be actively shielded.

The alarm loop on the barrier beneath the Core Formation Platform is triggered when the spiritual energy shock generated by the barrier being broken leaks out along the loop.

If the effect of shielding and weakening the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations is weakened, the oscillation signal received by the alarm circuit will be greatly reduced.

To what extent the damage needs to be reduced to avoid triggering an alarm still requires actual testing. But at least, this entry provides a possibility that was previously completely unavailable.

Li Yuan put the Concealing Wave Talisman into his storage bag, without equipping it on the spot.

The condition for permanentization is successfully breaking ten first-tier or higher restrictions or one second-tier restriction. All five layers of restrictions along the underground passage have been dismantled, but those were dismantled before obtaining the Concealment Talisman and are not counted.

The third layer of restrictions beneath the Core Formation Platform is itself the target that needs to be broken. With sufficient quality, one breakthrough will suffice.

After clarifying his thoughts, Li Yuan turned his attention back to the demonic cultivator's storage bag.

The second thing that caught his attention was a large pile of array materials.

Stabilizing spirit sand, diversion stone, guiding spirit powder, and solidifying copper sheet.

All of these are materials needed for setting up the Core Formation Platform.

There was quite a lot of it, piled up in the storage bag and taking up most of the space.

Li Yuan took out the materials one by one and checked them one by one.

He probed into the interior of each material with his divine sense, carefully examining it for any hidden array patterns, spiritual energy contamination, or other signs of tampering.

I checked it over and over again.

No.

The material itself is clean, without any hidden array patterns, spiritual energy contamination, or any additional implants.

However, there are quality issues.

It's not that the quality is too poor, but rather that the quality varies greatly.

While both are stable-pattern spirit sand, some portions have extremely high purity, even surpassing the batch provided by the Yuan Yang Sect. However, the purity of other portions is significantly lower; although still within the compliant range, they are clearly inferior to the former.

The same applies to the channeling stones. Some stones have excellent channeling efficiency, while others are noticeably less efficient.

The situation with the fixed-array copper sheets is the most delicate. Each sheet, when inspected individually, appears to be without problems; their quality is within acceptable limits. However, by comparing a dozen or so sheets together, subtle differences in thickness and density can be observed.

These differences are very small.

Even a single piece of material might not seem problematic when examined individually. However, if these materials of varying quality are mixed together and used to form an array, the flow of spiritual energy between the nodes will become slightly uneven when the array is in operation.

The unevenness is very small and almost imperceptible during daily operation.

Li Yuan put the materials back into his storage bag, stood there for a moment, and then returned to the market.

After returning to the stone house, Li Yuan sat at the table for a while.

Several things strung together gave Li Yuan a vague guess.