Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After the market was closed for the day, Li Yuan met with He Shou outside the east gate of the market.

Xu Mao and Liu Ping had already arrived, but Chen Qi was a step behind. He rushed out of the market, panting, and cupped his hands in greeting.

Lin Xiaowu is still recovering from his injuries, and this time it's still a five-person team, He Shou said as he walked.

"The patrol routes have been adjusted."

He Shoujiang unfolded the document and pointed to the route marked on it.

"We were originally heading south of the market and east of Ling Tin District, but now we've veered westward."

Li Yuan leaned over for a look. The new route had shifted slightly towards the Yuanheng Mountains, and the westernmost point of the patrol was almost two miles further than before.

"The area has expanded considerably." Xu Mao frowned.

"Not only us, but the routes of the other patrol groups have also been shifted westward."

He Shou folded the document and stuffed it into his bosom.

"The superiors mean to extend the patrol area towards the Yuanheng Mountains to increase the coverage of the outer perimeter."

Chen Qi interjected, "Weren't there fewer demonic beasts? Why are they being pushed in that direction instead?"

He Shou shook his head, offering no direct answer.

"There's one more thing."

He Shou took out another document from the cloth bag at his waist. This one was thinner than the one that adjusted the patrol route, and it was stamped with the Wang family's seal.

"The Wang family issued a collection order, requiring each patrol team to keep an eye out for certain herbs during their patrols. If they find any, they can collect them and the amount will be converted into contribution points."

He Shou handed the document to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan took it and glanced at it. It listed the names and identification characteristics of seven or eight kinds of herbs, with the collection requirements and contribution point conversion ratios noted next to them.

Cold Dew Grass, Green Vein Vine, Blood Vein Orchid, Stone Marrow Mushroom...

The list of herbs that Old Sun had given him came to Li Yuan's mind.

The names of herbs on the two lists hardly overlapped.

Old Sun wanted the commonly used medicinal materials for refining first-order pills, such as Qingyu grass and red root vine, which are mostly produced in the low shrub areas on the outskirts and near the ditches along the fields.

The ones the Wang family wanted were different. Cold Dew Grass grows in damp valleys, Green Vein Vine climbs on the trunks of tall trees, and Blood Vein Orchid can only survive in areas with high concentrations of spiritual energy—these herbs all prefer to grow in the interior of the Yuanheng Mountains.

The chances of encountering them on the patrol routes outside the market are slim.

Li Yuan handed the document back to He Shou without asking any further questions.

After arriving at the main base, the five replenished their supplies and set off along the new route.

The terrain changes significantly after the route shifts westward.

The bushes were shorter and denser, the ground was covered with more gravel, and the soil beneath our feet gradually changed from loess to grayish-white gravel. The outline of the Yuanheng Mountains in the distance appeared closer than it had on previous patrol routes, with grayish-blue ridges forming a barrier across the horizon.

Compared to before, there are indeed far fewer traces of monsters.

After walking for nearly an hour, only three or four traces were found along the way, and they were all old. The claw marks on the soil were dry and cracked with white edges, and the feces were hard and lumpy. They were left at least three to five days ago. There was not a single fresh trace.

"Last time when I took the southern route, I would encounter seven or eight clusters of spiritual energy fluctuations in half a day, but I haven't seen a single one today," Li Yuan said in a low voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yuan's spirit detection disc detected a fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Directly ahead, slightly to the left below the gentle slope, about twenty-five zhang.

A condensed mass of spiritual energy, stronger than a low-grade first-order spiritual energy.

"Slightly to the left ahead, 25 zhang away, a mid-grade beast." Li Yuan lowered his voice.

He Shou's face darkened, and the five of them simultaneously lowered their stances.

The view from the top of the hill is much better than from the bushes.

Below the gentle slope, behind several large rocks, a dark green figure was slowly moving along the dry stream.

It is quite large, nearly three feet tall at the shoulder, with thick limbs and its entire body covered in dark green scales. Its long tail trails behind it, with the end swollen into a hammer shape and covered with sharp spikes.

Spiny-tailed lizard.

It's a mid-grade first-tier beast, even bigger than the lizard monster we killed in the Spirit Field area last time. The bone spikes on its tail are natural weapons; a single swing can tear apart the skin of a monster of the same size.

He Shou made a gesture, and the five people dispersed.

Li Yuan stood still at the edge of the low hill, his right hand slightly raised, his palm gathering spiritual energy.

The starting motion for the Fireball spell is exactly the same as before; it takes only two breaths from mobilizing spiritual energy to forming the spell.

But this time, the feeling of spiritual energy gathering in my palm was different.

With his spiritual energy becoming more refined, Li Yuan could sense that the temperature and power of the fireball spell were also increasing.

Li Yuan tried to guide the Qi Condensation Technique with the incantation, slightly activating it to gently press the spiritual energy in his palm into the center.

The crimson light, originally the size of a fist, deepened in color.

Li Yuan released his grip, and the fireball flew out, its speed much faster than before.

The dark red ball of light, like a bullet, shot towards the spiny-tailed lizard in the creek along a straight trajectory, much faster than the fireballs of the past.

The spiny-tailed lizard was engrossed in turning over stones when it suddenly raised its head as the spiritual energy fluctuations approached.

boom.

The muffled thud wasn't loud, but the explosion itself was quite a commotion.

A dark red flame exploded on the side of the spiny-tailed lizard.

The thick scales on the flank of the spiny-tailed lizard were blasted open with a gap the size of a bowl. The charred scales curled outwards, and the muscle tissue deep inside the gap was burned to a charcoal color. Dark red blood gushed out from the crack, mixed with the smell of burning.

One fireball, and it produced this effect.

Last time, when hunting that lizard monster in the Lingtian District, it took three fireballs plus Zhou Dazhuang's close-range slash to defeat it.

The spiny-tailed lizard let out a mournful roar and swung its spiny tail fiercely toward Li Yuan. The bone spurs at the end of its tail drew an arc in the air, but the distance was too great, and it missed.

He Shou and Chen Qi, on the left wing, moved at the same time.

He Shou's longsword slashed at the hind leg joint of the spiny-tailed lizard, while Chen Qi's shortsword, following the direction of the fireball, precisely pierced the abdominal gash.

The spiny-tailed lizard struggled to retaliate by whipping its tail, but the severe injury to its flank made its movements noticeably slower.

Li Yuan wasted no time; the second fireball had already taken shape in his palm.

This time, there was no extra compression; it was just a regular fireball spell. The crimson ball of light flew out of my hand and smashed into the open mouth of the spiny-tailed lizard.

Another muffled thud. The spiny-tailed lizard's thick neck swelled violently, and then a plume of smoke billowed from its nostrils and mouth simultaneously.

Its limbs convulsed a few times, its spiny tail twitched and slapped against the gravel, then it remained still.

From the first fireball to the end, it took no more than twenty breaths.

He Shou stood up from beside the spiny-tailed lizard, wiped the blood from his longsword on the lizard's scales, and then his gaze fell on the bowl-sized gash on the spiny-tailed lizard's side.

The charred wound was still emitting wisps of smoke, the scales were curled up and sticking outwards, and the wound was at least two inches deep.

He Shou's gaze shifted from the wound to Li Yuan, lingering for a moment on Li Yuan's right hand.

"Your fireball spell..." He Shou paused for a moment, "is much more powerful than last time."

During the last patrol, He Shou had seen Li Yuan make several moves, which was quite impressive for someone at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

But this time it's more than just good.

"I practiced the Qi Condensation Technique." Li Yuan shook off the remaining heat from his palms. "I suppressed a bit of my spiritual energy."

He Shou raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The Essence Condensation Technique?"

He Shou looked Li Yuan up and down, his tone suddenly becoming more serious.

"However, there's something I need to remind you: when you compress your spiritual energy using the Condensing Essence Technique, don't compress it too tightly. You're fine this time, but what about next time?"

"It's not a crisis, there's no need for this."

He Shou squatted down next to the spiny-tailed lizard's corpse and pointed with the tip of his knife at the bowl-sized gash.

"If it can suppress the explosion of solid spiritual energy, it's no joke."

"If the meridians are ruptured and the internal organs are damaged, the mild cases will require a few months of recuperation, while the severe cases will directly destroy one's cultivation. There was a person in the guard team who practiced the Yuan Condensation Technique. He thought he could withstand it, so he always pushed himself to the limit. One time, he pushed it too far, and his spiritual energy exploded directly in his dantian. He was crippled on the spot."

Li Yuan nodded, indicating that he understood.

Compared to before, his cultivation level had improved, and with the added benefits of spiritual energy condensation and the Yuan Condensation Technique, the power of this fireball technique had become so great.

He Shou hummed in agreement and said nothing more.

The five people squatted down to disassemble the spiny-tailed lizard.

There are quite a few first-tier medium-grade materials. The bone spurs on the thorny tail are good materials for refining weapons. Although a piece of the scale armor was blown off, the rest is intact.

During the disassembly process, Li Yuan's fingers touched the scales, bone spurs, tail hammer, and other miscellaneous materials.

The panel remained silent, showing no reaction whatsoever.

The same problem persists: the disassembled scrap does not meet the equipment requirements.

All materials were handed over to He Shou for processing through the guard team. He himself contributed the most this time, so he got the lion's share.

When the five people returned along the same route, the sun was already setting in the west.

On the way back, He Shou said a few words as he walked.

"I also have some news for you. The Wang family has withdrawn several groups of people from their main base, forming three small teams, each led by a member of the Wang family, and they have already entered the Yuanheng Mountains."

Liu Ping followed behind and asked, "What are you doing going into the mountains?"

"He didn't say." He Shou shook his head.

"But judging from the deployment, there are quite a few people and a lot of supplies. It doesn't seem like a short-term reconnaissance mission. It seems more like they're going to stay in the mountains for a while."

Chen Qi chimed in from the side, "Is it related to that collection order? Aren't all those herbs only grown in the mountains?"

He Shou glanced at Chen Qi but did not answer.

When the five returned to their base, dusk had already fallen.

He Shou went to the main camp to hand over the patrol records and monster materials, while the rest of the people returned to their rooms.