Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Morning, at the management office.

Just as Li Yuan sat down, a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator dressed in a dark blue brocade robe pushed open the door and walked in, bowing respectfully.

"Master Li, my name is Xu Zhang, the manager of the Liangzhou branch of the Jingzhou Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce."

Li Yuan raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Steward Xu, please speak frankly."

Xu Zhang didn't stand on ceremony and directly took out a token engraved with the Chamber of Commerce emblem from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"Our chamber of commerce wants to open a permanent shop in Wulin Market and expand our business. The specific business scope will be the same as ordinary shops, dealing in elixirs, ores, talismans, and magical artifacts, with prices following market prices."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

"A long-term store? Aren't you just going to make a one-time visit and then leave?"

"Originally, we operated on a mobile basis," Xu Zhang admitted. "But the foot traffic and spending power in Wulin Market were much higher than we expected. The chairman's idea was that since business was doing well here, we might as well settle down here."

He paused, then added, "Important supplies can be transported via the teleportation array in Yunyang Market. However, the teleportation array is quite expensive; a basic teleport costs ten mid-grade spirit stones. The stronger the spiritual energy of the items being teleported, the higher the cost will be. Therefore, it's too costly to use the teleportation array for ordinary supplies; we still have to rely on the regular escort trade routes."

Ten mid-grade spirit stones for one basic teleportation.

Li Yuan wrote down the number.

"Sure," Li Yuan said. "You can choose the location of the shop yourself, and the rent will be paid according to the standard rate in the market. There is one rule: it is strictly forbidden to resell magical items in the market. If this is discovered, the shop will be shut down and the person involved will be expelled."

"Understood, these are basic rules." Xu Zhang nodded in agreement, put away the token, and took his leave.

After seeing Xu Zhang off, Li Yuan handled a few routine documents at the management office and then went straight to Ji Huaiyuan's weapon-refining shop in the South District.

Ji Huaiyuan was sorting through a batch of newly arrived ore in the backyard.

"Senior Ji, I'd like to discuss the materials for my natal magic weapon with you again."

Ji Huaiyuan put down the ore in his hand and sat down on the stone bench.

"Have you decided what kind you want?"

"Not yet." Li Yuan sat down opposite him. "The magic weapons I'm using now are all external ones, I can just change one. As for my natal magic weapon, I'm not in a hurry to use it in actual combat right now, it's mainly to prepare for the Core Formation stage."

Ji Huaiyuan was slightly taken aback.

"You mean, you're already considering the resonance of magical artifacts when you form your core?"

"The classic texts on Core Formation say that when a Core is formed, one's essence, energy, and spirit explode, and one's natal magic weapon can benefit from this and improve its quality," Li Yuan said. "Therefore, I want to refine my natal magic weapon before forming the Core and complete the essence and blood refining process ahead of time."

Ji Huaiyuan remained silent for a few moments, his gaze becoming more serious.

"Fellow Daoist, what a spirit you possess!"

He stood up, walked to the pile of ore, rummaged around for a while, and took out several metal ingots of different colors.

"If you're thinking about the long term, I suggest you don't make a finished ritual artifact. Making a prototype is enough."

"Embryo?"

"A magical artifact embryo." Ji Huaiyuan placed several metal ingots on the table. "Once the shape and function of a finished magical artifact are finalized, there is very little room for subsequent modifications. But an embryo is different. It only determines the basic form and core material, without defining its function. As your cultivation level improves in the future, you can add materials, modify it, or even change the core material at any time."

He pointed to the metal ingots on the table.

"Choose materials with high ductility. Black iron essence, silver ore, and nephrite are all suitable. The easier the material is to shape, the more room there is for future modifications."

Li Yuan looked at the material samples on the table and nodded.

"Then let's do embryo transfer. Please give me a list of the materials I need."

Ji Huaiyuan took out a blank jade slip and began to carve as he thought.

"Three ounces of Xuan Iron Essence, half a pound of Flowing Silver Ore, and a fist-sized piece of Soft Jade Marrow. These three are the basic framework. In addition, we need a portion of Flame Heart Sand as a refining medium."

He handed the jade slip to Li Yuan.

"These materials can all be bought in Yunyang Market, they're not too rare. Once you've gathered them all, bring them to me, and I'll refine them for you."

Li Yuan accepted the jade slip, thought for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"Senior Ji, you said that the materials for this embryo can be changed in the future. If I replace the black iron essence inside with something else, then replace the flowing silver ore, and finally even replace the nephrite, changing all the materials of the entire magic weapon, will it still be the same natal magic weapon?"

Ji Huaiyuan was picking up his teacup to drink when he heard this and paused.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Your question..."

Ji Huaiyuan frowned and pondered for a long time before finally putting the teacup on the table.

"Of course it's the same one. The essence blood refinement binds to the spiritual core of the magic weapon, not the material itself. As long as the core remains the same, changing the material multiple times won't make a difference."

After he finished speaking, he thought about it for a while and felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Li Yuan did not press the matter further and got up to take his leave.

When they returned to the stone house, Chen Yi was already waiting at the door.

"I need to talk to you about something." Chen Yi's expression was serious.

The two entered the stone house, and Chen Yi took out a jade slip marked with red from his pocket.

"The sect's latest intelligence summary. Five locations around Ghost Mist Forest have been confirmed as gathering places for demonic cultivators."

Li Yuan took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

Li Yuan took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

The coordinates of the five locations are clearly marked, and each location is accompanied by a brief description: the estimated number of personnel stationed there, the frequency of activity, and the time when it was last discovered.

"Just a heads up," Chen Yi said, "These five locations are strongholds of demonic cultivators on the ground, not some hidden spaces. They're just ordinary caves, abandoned mines, or forest clearings, with anywhere from two or three to seven or eight people stationed there. When you're on patrol or out hunting demons, be careful to avoid these locations."

After looking at the coordinates of the five points, Li Yuan asked a question.

"Why don't demonic cultivators live in spatial nodes?"

Chen Yi shook his head.

"The specifics are unclear. There might be some kind of capacity limit at the spatial nodes, or special conditions might be required for entry and exit. In any case, most of them are still active outside, and only a few people will enter and exit those vanished locations."

Li Yuan nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

After giving his instructions, Chen Yi left.

The stone house fell silent.

Li Yuan placed the jade slip given to him by Chen Yi on the table, and then took out the jade slip containing his own records from the depths of his storage bag.

The two jade slips were placed side by side.

He first drew the general outline of Ghost Mist Forest on paper, and then marked all the points he knew one by one.

Category 1: Points on the incomplete map. Only four points can be identified.

The second category: Locations where demonic cultivators disappeared, discovered through personal tracking. Two such locations exist. One of them overlaps with the incomplete map.

The third category: the five ground strongholds of demonic cultivators provided by Chen Yigang.

After all the points were marked on the paper, Li Yuan picked up a pen and distinguished them by type using different symbols.

Then he stopped.

He stared at the paper for a long time.

These scattered points, at first glance, appear chaotic, distributed in different directions of the Ghost Mist Forest, and the distance between them is uneven.

But when he ignored the slight deviation in distance and only looked at the distribution pattern of the azimuth angle, an extremely clear pattern emerged from the paper.

These points are roughly arranged on a circle.

It's not a perfect circle. Some points are slightly inward, some slightly outward, with considerable error. However, considering the inherent blurriness of the residual map and the limitations of ground point positioning accuracy, this level of deviation is entirely within a reasonable range.

The center of the circle was located deep within the Ghost Mist Forest, approximately 140 li from the Mist Forest Market, in the northwest direction.

He had never been to that area before.

Li Yuan recorded the precise coordinates of the center of the circle on the jade slip, and then crushed the paper into ashes in his palm.