Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Over the next few days, the activity of the demonic beasts dropped sharply, and the number of traces encountered on the patrol routes was much less than before. Occasionally, the spirit detection disc would catch a faint wisp of spiritual energy, but it would only flash by in the distance without lingering.

The Wang family's group of cultivators were entering and leaving the main base more and more frequently, and sometimes their footsteps could be heard in the middle of the night, but no one informed the outer members what they were doing or what they had found.

Five days later, the rotation period ended.

Li Yuan's team was replaced and returned to Fangshi for three days of rest.

He Shou stayed at the main post to handle the handover, while Li Yuan led Xu Mao, Liu Ping, and Chen Qi along the dirt road toward the market.

After walking for about half an hour, the walls of the market came into view.

The gray-brown earthen walls looked somewhat old in the afternoon sunlight. Two guards stood at the east gate. Upon seeing the patrol uniforms and waist tags on the four men, they nodded and let them pass.

Upon entering the market, the number of people on the street was less than it had been two weeks prior.

Several stalls on both sides of East Street were empty, but some were still there. Vendors selling talismans, herbs, and general merchandise were still in their respective spots. The buyers had left, but the sellers had also left, and overall, the profits were the same as before.

The four parted ways at the east street intersection, each going about their own business.

Li Yuan went straight to the management office.

The same clerk was sitting behind the counter on the first floor, writing something with his head down.

Li Yuan handed over the waist tag: "Register patrol records and collect your subsidy."

The clerk took the badge, opened the roster, found Li Yuan's entry, checked the number of patrol days and mission records, and wrote a few lines.

"Six spirit stones as a subsidy for half a month."

The clerk took out a cloth bag and a stamped voucher from under the counter and handed them over.

Li Yuan took the items, put the spirit stones into his sleeve, and folded the voucher and tucked it into his waistband.

After leaving the management office, Li Yuan walked along West Street toward North Alley, where the simple cloth shed at the end of North Alley was still there.

Old Zhang sat under the shed, with a few cleaning talismans and two fireball talismans on his stall in front of him, fewer than before.

Li Yuan walked to the stall and stood still.

Old Zhang looked up, saw it was Li Yuan, and forced a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's been quite a while since we last met."

"I went out on patrol for a while." Li Yuan squatted down in front of the stall, glancing at the talismans on display. "How's business?"

Old Zhang shook his head and sighed.

"It's about the same as before, but the expenses are higher now."

Old Zhang picked up a fireball talisman, flipped through it, and then put it down.

"But compared to others, I'm doing well."

Li Yuan nodded but did not reply.

Old Zhang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, what's the situation outside? Are there really more and more demonic beasts?"

"More than before, but fewer in the last few days," Li Yuan replied truthfully. "The specifics are still under investigation."

Old Zhang grunted in response, then looked down and fiddled with the talismans on his stall. After a while, he spoke again, his voice a few decibels lower.

"You've met my grandson. He's a teenager, with decent spiritual roots. He's learning to draw talismans from me in the market."

Li Yuan did have a memory of him; he had occasionally seen a boy, about half a teenager, near Old Zhang's stall. He was tall and thin with bright eyes.

"This kid has been saying lately that he wants to go out and make his way in the world, that staying in the market is pointless and he wants to see the world." Old Zhang rubbed his hands together. "I've tried to stop him several times, and he agrees verbally but he's not convinced in his heart."

Old Zhang looked up at Li Yuan and hesitated for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what do you think... about leaving here and going to other markets? Like the one near the Li family, I heard it's going to be expanded and they'll allow us to set up stalls there."

"The road is not safe," Li Yuan thought for a moment.

"It's nearly a hundred miles from here to Lijiafang City, and most of the way is wilderness. Recently, the range of monster activity has expanded considerably, so you could encounter anything along the way."

Old Zhang's brows furrowed even more.

"It might not be any better over there than here," Li Yuan added. "Li Family Market is a bit far from the Yuanheng Mountains, but with so many independent cultivators going there, the competition is fierce, and the stall fees won't be cheap."

Old Zhang nodded, said nothing more, and continued fiddling with the talismans.

Li Yuan stood up, greeted Old Zhang, and turned to leave North Alley.

……

Zanggong Pavilion.

The entrance to the stone building remained the same. The guardian cultivator on the first floor was resting with his eyes closed. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes, glanced at Li Yuan's waist token, and nodded slightly.

After asking a few questions as usual, Li Yuan entered the Sutra Repository and went up to the second floor.

The bookshelves for magic spells were much neater than those for mortal cultivation techniques. The books were in good condition, and each one had a wooden plaque in front of it, indicating its name, grade, and the contribution points required to exchange for it.

Starting from the first row, Li Yuan gently placed his palm on the edge of the bookshelf and slowly pushed it forward.

The first row contains offensive spells.

I slid my hand over it, but the panel didn't react.

I switched to the second book, but it still wasn't there.

The third book—

[Equipable item detected]

[Item Affix Level: Gray]

[Note: Items not belonging to the user cannot be equipped, and detailed information cannot be viewed.]

Gray. Li Yuan glanced at the wooden sign—Stone Splitting Technique, an offensive spell, worth twelve contribution points.

Keep touching it from there.

No response to the fourth book, no response to the fifth book, the sixth book—

[Equipable item detected]

[Item Attribute Level: White]

[Note: Items not belonging to the user cannot be equipped, and detailed information cannot be viewed.]

White. The wooden sign reads: Wind Blade Technique, Attack Spell, 8 Contribution Points.

Li Yuan's brows twitched slightly. The Wind Blade Technique only cost eight contribution points, which was one-third cheaper than the Stone Splitter Technique, but its attribute level was higher.

Continue on.

The seventh book, a gray entry, is the Poisonous Miasma Technique, worth twenty contribution points.

A level 20 Poison Miasma spell is gray, and a level 8 Wind Blade spell is white.

Li Yuan flipped through several more books, but the pattern became increasingly blurred.

Some spellbooks showed no effect at all, some basic spells had white entries, and some higher-grade and more expensive spells were only gray.

There is no direct correlation between the level of an entry and the grade or price of the spell itself.

Li Yuan touched all the books in the first row. Five books reacted: three were gray and two were white.

Move to the second row, support spells.

This row of booklets is much smaller than the attack-themed ones, with only about ten books.

Place your palm on it and push it from left to right.

The first one didn't respond, the second one was grayed out, and the third one didn't respond either.

The fourth book.

The moment your finger touches the screen, a notification pops up.

[Equipable item detected]

[Item Attribute Level: Green]

[Note: Items not belonging to the user cannot be equipped, and detailed information cannot be viewed.]

green.

Li Yuan's finger lingered on the booklet for a moment longer.

My gaze fell on the wooden sign—"Condensing Essence Technique, Auxiliary Spell, 28 Contribution Points."

The Condensing Yuan Technique is a spell that can compress spiritual energy for a short period of time. The description next to it lists many wonderful uses, such as compressing spiritual energy to break through barriers and making the released spells more powerful, but it also has certain dangers.

Twenty-eight points, two points less than the previous Xuan Turtle Body, and Li Yuan prefers this Condensing Yuan Technique.

Li Yuan mentally calculated the contribution points he had.

The points earned from killing the spirit field monsters, the monthly salary, and the remaining amount, totaled four points short.

Li Yuan withdrew his hand from the booklet, but instead of leaving immediately, he touched the remaining auxiliary spellbooks again. One was gray, and the rest had no effect.

After searching the entire second floor, this was the only green entry.

He then looked at the section on mortal cultivation techniques. The Xuan Turtle Body technique was still there. After reading the description, Li Yuan realized that it was not suitable for him.

Li Yuan went downstairs, nodded to the guard, and left the Library.

Four points isn't a lot, but it's not something you can easily accumulate. There are only a few sources of contribution points—monthly salary, mission rewards, and special contributions. Monthly salary comes next month, and mission rewards depend on whether new missions are assigned.

Contribution points cannot be lent or bought/sold, but there are ways to circumvent this. Li Yuan can ask someone to help him buy them, and then use his own contribution points to help that person buy them. However, this method is extremely cumbersome, and it can only be used by friends, making it easy to get scammed.

Back home, Li Yuan gathered his thoughts, sat cross-legged, and began his cultivation.