Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

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On the second day of the trade fair, Yunyang Market was even more bustling than the previous day.

Li Yuan left his room early in the morning and walked along the main passage of the trading area. Yesterday's pills had all been sold out, so he didn't need to watch the stall today and could focus on browsing for bargains.

As he walked to the center of the trading area, he noticed a large crowd gathered in front of Yuanyang Sect's stall.

Yesterday, the stalls displayed Breakthrough Pills and mid-grade magic artifacts, but today they have a new batch of items. Several jade boxes sealed with restrictions are placed in the most conspicuous position, and an inner disciple stands next to them, showing them off to the onlookers one by one.

A jade box was opened, inside which lay a short sword with an entirely dark blue body and extremely intricate spiritual patterns on its blade.

"A second-tier superior-grade Water-Cold Sword, starting price 1,200 spirit stones."

Li Yuan glanced at it and then looked away. The Yuan Yang Sect's method of releasing high-value items in batches was not new; its purpose was to keep cultivators at the trade fair, maintaining popularity and consumer enthusiasm.

He didn't linger at the sect's stall, but instead turned to an area on the north side of the trading area where a cloth tent had been erected.

That's the small auction room for this trade fair.

Although it was called an auction, it wasn't a large-scale event. It consisted of a square open space enclosed by bronze pillars with array patterns, with a stone platform in the center and several rows of wooden benches around it.

Most of the cultivators participating in the auction were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a few at the peak of Qi Refining also crowding into the back row to watch the excitement.

Li Yuan found a seat on the side and sat down.

The first few items were all standard supplies: a fragmented second-tier array diagram and a decent-quality gold-type magic weapon. Li Yuan didn't bid, quietly watching as each item was auctioned off.

When the seventh item was placed on the stone platform, his gaze sharpened slightly.

A palm-sized jade box was opened, lined with a layer of gold velvet, with a pigeon-egg-sized inner core in the center. The inner core was entirely emerald green, with fine spiritual light patterns flowing across its surface, and a gentle and lingering spiritual energy fluctuation slowly emanated from it.

"A mid-grade second-tier spirit beast inner core, in perfect condition, with its spiritual energy still intact." The Yuan Yang Sect disciple presiding over the auction held up the jade box to show it off. "Starting price: six hundred spirit stones."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The normal market price for a mid-grade second-tier spirit beast inner core is between eight hundred and one thousand spirit stones. However, its uses are relatively narrow, and most cultivators who obtain it can only resell it to alchemists or weapon refiners. There are not many avenues for direct use. The Foundation Establishment cultivators present were already short of spirit stones, and not many were willing to pay a high price for such a thing.

"Six hundred and fifty." A cultivator in the corner raised his hand.

"Seven hundred," Li Yuan said calmly, knowing that he might need this inner core someday.

The cultivator glanced back at him, hesitated for a moment, and then did not follow.

"Seven hundred spirit stones, deal."

Li Yuan stepped forward, handed the spirit stones to the disciple presiding over the auction, and took the jade box.

The panel pops up the moment the fingertip touches the surface of the inner core.

[Equipable item detected: Tier 2 Spirit Beast Inner Core (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Spirit Beast Essence Blood (Green)]

[Effect: Increases spiritual affinity; increases spiritual energy recovery speed by 20%]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Consume three Tier 2 Cultivation Pills]

Green attribute: Increases spirit energy recovery speed by 20%.

This effect provides a substantial boost to the endurance of daily cultivation and long-term alchemy. Combined with the effects of spiritual vein nourishment, spirit beast blood essence, and various cultivation acceleration modifiers, the efficiency of spiritual energy recovery will reach another level.

The conditions for permanent attainment are extremely simple. One only needs to consume three second-tier cultivation pills, and there are plenty of Gathering Yuan Pills in one's storage bag.

This entry on inner alchemy was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Li Yuan put the inner core into his sleeve, walked out of the auction house, and went straight back to his room.

Close the doors and windows tightly and apply soundproofing tape.

He sat on the edge of the bed and brought up the equipment menu.

After a moment's thought, Li Yuan chose to remove the Hidden Meridian and Concealed Breath.

Li Yuan held the emerald green spirit beast's inner core in his palm.

"equipment."

[Equipped: Tier 2 Spirit Beast Inner Core (Complete)]

[Spirit Beast Essence Blood (Green) in effect]

The moment the entry took effect, a gentle spiritual energy seeped from the inner core, spreading along the meridians in the palm towards the dantian. The spiritual energy that had been flowing smoothly within the dantian rippled slightly, then its flow accelerated, as if a river channel had been widened.

Without pausing, Li Yuan took out three second-tier Gathering Yuan Pills from his storage bag and put them into his mouth one by one.

The first pill entered the abdomen, and its medicinal power exploded, transforming into pure spiritual energy that surged into the dantian.

The second one followed immediately.

The moment the third one was swallowed, a notification popped up on the panel.

The conditions for permanent enhancement of the Spirit Beast Blood Essence (Green) have been met.

[Consumption of three Tier 2 cultivation pills (met)]

[Spirit Beast Essence Blood (Green) has become a permanent entry]

The phantom of the inner core in the equipment slot disappeared, freeing up the space.

The medicinal power of the three Gathering Yuan Pills surged within Li Yuan's body. He closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and guided his spiritual energy along the path of his main cultivation technique. The medicinal power was gradually absorbed by his dantian, transforming into a reserve of pure spiritual energy.

Half an hour later, the effects of the medicine were completely neutralized.

Half an hour later, the effects of the medicine were completely neutralized.

Li Yuan opened his eyes, moved his fingers, and sensed the flow of spiritual energy within his body.

After the spirit beast's essence blood was made permanent, the speed at which spiritual power recovered increased dramatically. Previously, after refining pills at full power for two hours, one needed to rest and recuperate for a quarter of an hour; now, this interval could be reduced by at least 30%.

After tidying up his guest room, Li Yuan went out to continue browsing the trade fair.

As evening approached, the crowds in the trading area began to thin out. Many stall owners had already packed up and were heading in twos and threes toward the inns and taverns within the market.

Just as Li Yuan was about to leave the trading area, a figure quickly walked up from the side.

"Excuse me, senior, please wait a moment."

Li Yuan turned his head to look.

The newcomer was a man around forty years old, with a thin face, high cheekbones, and wearing a faded gray Taoist robe. His cultivation was at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and his spiritual energy fluctuations were stable, but his aura carried a sense of fatigue and weakness from long-term travel.

"My name is Sun Tong, from the Sun family of Yunzhou." The man cupped his hands in greeting, his gaze lingering on Li Yuan for a moment before lowering his voice to ask, "May I ask if you are Master Li of the Misty Forest Market?"

Li Yuan did not deny it.

"What is it?"

Sun Tong looked around and, seeing that there was no one else nearby, took a half-step closer.

"I have some information about a 320-year-old chalcedony mushroom."

Li Yuan's gaze shifted slightly.

Jade Marrow Ganoderma lucidum aged over three hundred years is the core ingredient required for the Shangyuan Dan formula. This substance is almost impossible to find in the normal market; even after searching every stall at the trade fair, he couldn't find any clues.

"explain."

Sun Tong took a deep breath and lowered his voice even further.

"I am a member of the Sun family of Yunzhou. The Sun family's original residence was in the southwest of Yunzhou, but it was breached by the Dark Abyss Society three months ago. The evacuation was too hasty, and there was a secret room in the clan that was not cleared out in time. There are many things sealed in the secret room, including a 320-year-old Jade Marrow Fungus."

"The secret chamber uses a unique restriction lock from the Sun family, making it inaccessible to outsiders and even demonic cultivators might not be able to find it."

"I can provide the exact location of the secret room and the method to unlock the barrier."

Li Yuan looked at him.

"What are the conditions?"

"Two." Sun Tong held up two fingers. "First, five hundred spirit stones. Second, the right to reside in Misty Forest Market, and to be provided with a place to live."

Five hundred spirit stones plus a place to live, in exchange for the location information of a 320-year-old Jade Marrow Fungus.

This is an easy calculation.

Where is the secret room located?

"The Broken Valley in the southwest of Yunzhou is about eighty miles from the edge of the Dark Abyss Society's current controlled area." Sun Tong took out a bamboo slip with the terrain engraved on it from his sleeve and handed it over. "The location, route, and restricted structure are all on it."

"There might be demonic cultivators guarding it, but the chances of this secret room being discovered are very small."

Li Yuan nodded, took the bamboo slip, and scanned it with his divine sense. The route was marked in great detail, and the features and restrictions of the entrance to the secret chamber were also clearly drawn.

Li Yuan put the bamboo slips into his storage bag, took out five hundred spirit stones and handed them to Sun Tong, saying, "I'll arrange the settlement after I return to Misty Forest Market."

Sun Tong accepted the spirit stone, his tense shoulders relaxed, and he bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Master Li."

Li Yuan nodded and turned to leave.

The next morning, Li Yuan left Yunyang Market and returned to Wulin Market along the trade route.

Upon entering the stone house, the doors and windows were sealed shut, and the formation was activated.

He took out the rough jade slip containing the Xuan Tie Bone Forging Technique from his storage bag and reviewed the complete cultivation route of the technique in his mind once again.

I had already studied the technique briefly in the hotel room last night, and the core concept of the technique was very clear. After the spiritual energy is drawn out from the dantian, it does not travel through the peripheral meridians of the muscle layer, nor through the surface of the skin, but rather permeates outward along the thickest bone marrow channels in the center of the bones.

From bone marrow to bone tissue, from bone tissue to periosteum. From the inside out, it is refined layer by layer.

This route is completely separate from the Nameless Body Refining Technique and the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique. The three techniques each follow their own paths, and even the frequency of their spiritual energy circulation is in different ranges.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and guided his spiritual energy into his dantian.

A wisp of spiritual energy was drawn out, bypassing the usual meridians, and instead probing downwards into the center of the femur in the right leg. The bone marrow passage was extremely narrow, and the spiritual energy encountered significant resistance as it squeezed in, as if it were being forced through a pipe filled with viscous liquid.

The effects of the medicinal body refinement were now becoming apparent.

After the spiritual energy came into contact with the bone marrow, the rejection reaction that should have occurred was greatly suppressed. The physical foundation accumulated over a long period of time by the body-refining pills acted like a lubricant, making the penetration of spiritual energy much smoother. In addition, the profound body-refining foundation laid by the perfection of the Nameless Body Refining Technique and the mastery of the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique made the bones' ability to withstand the erosion of spiritual energy far exceed that of ordinary people.

The spiritual energy seeped into the deep layers of the bone little by little.

When the spiritual energy completed its fifth cycle of closure in the right femur, the resistance within the bone marrow channel suddenly decreased. The spiritual energy was no longer forced forward, but flowed smoothly along the now-opened path.

The third, second-stage body-refining technique, entry level.

All that's left is to continue practicing and accumulate proficiency until the conditions for permanent bone structure formation are met.

He finished his practice, got up, walked out of the stone house, and told the steward about arranging accommodations for Sun Tong.

The sound of clanging and hammering came from the direction of the southern part of the market, indicating that Ji Huaiyuan's weapon-refining shop had started work. Li Yuan did not go there, but went to the management office first.

When Chen Yi saw him come in, he casually pushed a jade slip over to him.

"While you were away, the Ji family has been making quite a commotion."

Li Yuan picked up the jade slip and glanced at it.

The news of the Ji family's move to the South District had spread throughout the market. After the more than eighty family members settled in, Ji Mingyuan quickly took over the daily management of the South District, handling everything from street order to merchant registration in an orderly manner.

What's even more eye-catching is that less than a day after Ji Huaiyuan's weapon-refining shop opened, several groups of cultivators came to his door.

This included members of the Wang family.

"Wang Ting'an sent a manager over, saying he wanted to discuss cooperation with the Ji family in the mining industry." Chen Yi leaned back in his chair. "I don't know the specifics of what they discussed, but the Wang family's intention was very clear: they wanted to use the mining business to bring the Ji family to their side."

Li Yuan put the jade slip down.

The Wang family's desire to win over the Ji family stemmed from their interest in Ji Huaiyuan's weapon-refining skills and the Ji family's remaining connections in Yunzhou. The mining cooperation was merely an entry point; their true aim was to gain another Foundation Establishment cultivator in the market who sided with the Wang family.

"Don't worry about it," Li Yuan said, turning and leaving the management office.