Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Back at the camp in the evening, Li Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, not in a hurry to start cultivating.

With a thought, he dismounted from the Iron Ox Kung Fu.

The book appeared out of thin air in his palm, and the warmth that had enveloped his internal organs deep within his abdomen dissipated.

Li Yuan carefully put the book away and took out the folded iron-scaled snake skin from the inner layer of his underwear.

equipment.

The molted skin transformed into a dark green glow that seeped into the skin.

The next instant, a very subtle sensation spread outward from the chest and abdomen, extending to the limbs, neck, and face, covering every inch of the skin.

Li Yuan reached out and pinched his forearm.

The nail had sunk a little less than before, and the skin immediately bounced back after I let go, without even leaving a white mark.

After mastering the Iron Ox Kung Fu, his skin and flesh were already much thicker than those of ordinary people. Now, with the addition of scales protecting his body, it had become even harder.

[Equipped: Ironscale Serpent's Shed Skin]

[Acquired Attribute: Scaled Armor (White) - Increases skin defense, resisting some toxins and negative effects]

[Permanentization Progress: 0/50]

He was to be struck fifty times. Li Yuan stood up, walked out of the wooden house, and knocked on the door next door.

Since the patrol time has been quite long now and they have gained experience with each other, they sleep in separate rooms.

Xu Mao was sitting at the table wiping his short sword when he saw Li Yuan enter. He quickly stood up and asked, "Deputy Captain Li, is something the matter?"

"I need your help with something." Li Yuan stretched his shoulders. "Hit me a few times."

Xu Mao was stunned.

"...What?"

"I practiced a mortal martial art that requires external force to stimulate the circulation of qi and blood."

Li Yuan rolled up his sleeves, revealing the firm muscles on his forearms. "Use your spiritual power; don't hold back."

Xu Mao's gaze lingered on Li Yuan's forearm for a moment, then looked at his broad shoulders and the outline of his chest and back stretched beneath his patrol uniform.

Li Yuan's physique was indeed significantly larger than that of a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

"How do we fight?"

"Just use your fists, your chest, shoulders, your back, anywhere, use your strength."

Xu Mao put down his short sword, walked up to Li Yuan, and tentatively punched Li Yuan in the chest.

A muffled thud was heard. Li Yuan remained motionless.

The system panel is unresponsive.

"Put some effort into it."

Xu Mao clenched his fist, channeled his spiritual energy into his arm, and punched Li Yuan in the chest.

boom.

The thud was not loud, but Li Yuan's body swayed back half an inch, without moving his feet.

The feeling of a fist hitting your chest is peculiar.

There is an elastic barrier on the surface of the skin, which cushions most of the force as it penetrates, leaving only a muffled vibration inside.

It doesn't hurt, it's just a bit sore at most.

"Again."

Xu Mao threw another punch, this time aimed at the shoulder.

Li Yuan's shoulders slumped, but he remained motionless.

[Scale Armor Protection (White) Permanentization Progress: 2/50]

It rose by two points.

Light impacts don't count; you need a certain amount of force to count them.

"continue."

Xu Mao stared at the patch of skin on Li Yuan's abdomen where even the red mark was almost gone, opened his mouth but said nothing, and clenched his fist to continue hitting.

The following process was very tedious.

Xu Mao threw punch after punch, from his chest to his shoulder, from his shoulder to his back, and then around to his side. Each punch was infused with spiritual energy; he was fighting with utmost seriousness.

Li Yuan stood still, like a wooden stake.

Ten punches, twenty punches, thirty punches.

Xu Mao's forehead began to sweat; his spiritual energy had been significantly depleted.

"Let's take a break," Li Yuan said.

Xu Mao breathed a sigh of relief, shook his aching wrists, and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

"What kind of training method did you use to make your skin and flesh so tough? My fists are numb from punching you."

"Qi and Blood Cultivation Method"

Li Yuan looked down at his chest and abdomen. The area where he had been hit dozens of times was slightly red, but there were no bruises or swelling. The redness was fading at a visible speed.

With the restoration of his Qi and blood through the Five Grains Nourishment Method and the foundation laid by ordinary martial arts, this impact could not harm him at all.

After resting for a while, Xu Mao recovered somewhat, and the two continued.

Another twenty or so punches, with two breaks in between, taking almost half an hour in total.

A notification pops up on the panel as the final punch lands.

[Scale Armor Protection (White) Permanentization Progress: 50/50]

The conditions for permanentization have been met.

Is it permanent?

Li Yuan had a sudden thought.

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

[Scaled Armor (White) has become a permanent entry]

[Equipment consumed]

The subtle elastic barrier on the surface of the skin did not disappear; instead, it became more natural, as if it had grown into the body.

Current equipment slots: 1/2

[Equipped Item: Condensation Technique]

[Equipment Attribute: Spiritual Energy Condensation (Green)]

[Permanent entries: Cleansing Constitution (Gray), Spiritual Energy Filtering (White), Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White), Accelerated Qi Circulation (White), Scaled Armor Protection (White)]

Five permanent entries, four white and one gray.

I'm only one step away from meeting the requirement for the third equipment slot—permanently acquiring five white-grade or higher affixes.

"Alright, thank you." Li Yuan cupped his hands in thanks to Xu Mao.

Xu Mao rubbed his fists, his expression somewhat subtle, and muttered, "Vice Captain, you're almost as fierce as a demon beast."

Li Yuan smiled but didn't reply.

The Iron Ox Technique was removed, and it could only be re-equipped after twelve hours, which was around this time tomorrow. Li Yuan casually equipped the Nourishing Vitality Technique.

Current equipment slots: 2/2

After practicing for two hours, Li Yuan stopped and got up to stretch his muscles.

Voices could be heard coming from He Shou's house next door; Chen Qi and Liu Ping were there too.

Li Yuan pushed open the door and walked over; several people were squatting at the door chatting idly.

He Shou leaned against the door frame chewing on a piece of dried meat, Chen Qi sat cross-legged on the ground whittling a tree branch with a short knife, and Liu Ping sat on a wooden stool.

Li Yuan squatted down beside him without making a sound.

The group chatted casually, their conversation shifting from the spiny-tailed lizard they had hunted that day to the recent unusual activity of monsters.

Chen Qi kept whittling the tree branch, his mouth never stopping.

"Do you think these monsters ran away on their own, or were they driven out by something?"

He Shou chewed on the dried meat, without answering.

Liu Ping added, "I heard that there are powerful demons fighting for territory deep in the Yuanheng Mountains, which has squeezed out the lesser demons."

"Fighting for territory?" Chen Qi scoffed, throwing the sharpened branch to the ground. "What does the fighting for territory among the powerful demons deep inside have to do with the outer areas? Besides, if a powerful demon dies, the vacated territory will only attract more demon beasts."

He Shou swallowed the meat strips and patted the crumbs off his hands.

"Just say what you want to say."

Chen Qi glanced around and lowered his voice.

"When I was traveling in the mountains, I met a few old rogue cultivators. One of them, an old herb gatherer, told me that he had seen different kinds of demonic beasts migrating in the same direction before."

Chen Qi paused, then drew a circle on the ground with his finger.

"That time, it was a dispute between two markets over a mineral vein. One of them hired a group of rogue cultivators who could tame beasts to drive away monsters around the other market and drive them toward the other side. This caused chaos on the other side, and all the rogue cultivators ran away, and the mineral vein was lost."

He Shou's chewing motion didn't stop, but it was noticeably slower.

Liu Ping frowned: "You mean... someone is deliberately driving away the monsters?"

Chen Qi shrugged.

"I don't have any evidence either. But look at the current situation; if it were truly a natural migration, it wouldn't be this regular."

"Logically speaking, the Wang family is so large and powerful, they should know about this. I just don't know what they're thinking. But please don't use me, a rogue cultivator, as cannon fodder."

Chen Qi lowered his voice and muttered something under his breath.

He Shou finished chewing and swallowing the last piece of meat in his mouth, then leaned against the door frame in silence for a few moments.

"Don't speculate. This is none of our business; the Wang family can investigate it themselves."

After exchanging a few more words about other things, the group dispersed.

Li Yuan returned to his room, sat down cross-legged, and continued his cultivation.