Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The next morning, Li Yuan walked into the side hall of the management office.

Ji Wenchuan was already waiting inside, with two lists and a stack of shop reports spread out on the table.

"Master, the sect transferred another batch of people last night." Ji Wenchuan opened the roster and pointed to a long list of crossed-out names. "Twelve members of the patrol team left, two warehouse stewards left, and even half of the registrar in the East District were transferred. As of now, less than one-and-a-half of the original number of people officially employed by the Yuan Yang Sect are still registered in the market."

Li Yuan picked up the roster and scanned it.

There were more empty spaces than he had expected. The sect had focused all its attention on the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest and the outposts; as long as there was no major trouble, they could no longer pay attention to the market town, their rear base.

"Is the patrol team the most in need?"

"Nearly 70% are missing." Ji Wenchuan nodded. "The Wang family did offer to bring in replacements, but I haven't agreed yet, waiting for your decision."

Li Yuan closed the roster and put it back on the table.

"Let the Wang family join the patrol team, but don't let them monopolize it. Pick a few reliable people from the independent cultivators in the South District and cross-organize them with the Wang family members. Take two people from the Ji family to fill the warehouse steward positions, and have Xu Zhang recommend a few veterans from the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce to assist with the registration."

Ji Wenchuan listened and took notes, then looked up to confirm after a moment.

"The Wang family, the Ji family, the independent cultivators, and the chamber of commerce are all intertwined, and none of them can completely eliminate the others."

"Yes." Li Yuan stood up and walked to the window. "The warehouse circulation rules should also be changed. From now on, all goods of level two or above must be signed by at least two people, at least one of whom must not be a member of the Wang family. The patrol routes will be rotated every three days, and the route maps will only be issued half a day in advance. The shop tax regulations will be uniformly implemented according to the new standards, and the old rules will be abolished."

Ji Wenchuan quickly recorded these adjustments on a new document, then put away his pen and paper.

"I'll arrange it right away."

After the door to the side hall closed, Li Yuan stood by the window for a moment.

The more ruthlessly the sect's manpower was redeployed, the deeper his actual control over the market became. This wasn't a result of his deliberate schemes, but rather a natural consequence of the changing circumstances. But now that power was in his hands, there was no reason to relinquish it.

He turned and walked out of the management office, heading towards the stone house along the main street.

With the market affairs settled, there's still much to do. Reforming the shattered core requires ample spiritual herbs and auxiliary materials, and the environment for core formation also needs to be redesigned. Although the spiritual veins of Mozhou have had their effects permanently applied, control over the veins themselves can still be used through a special equipment slot, which might come in handy later during core formation.

Inside the stone house, the doors and windows were tightly shut.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the futon, focusing his inner vision on his dantian.

A mid-grade demonic golden core floated in the center of the dantian, its dark surface shimmering with a dull luster, each pulse creating a subtle ripple of demonic energy. Essence, Qi, and Spirit were condensed within it, forming the core hub of the entire cultivation process.

He tried to mobilize the remaining spiritual energy in his dantian.

The initial fusion of spirit and demonic energy does indeed occur. At the point of contact, spiritual power and demonic energy no longer repel each other, but instead exhibit a shallow fusion. However, this fusion is extremely limited; the spiritual power wanders around the outer edge of the golden core and can never penetrate its interior.

The Golden Core is formed from demonic energy. The three elements of essence, energy, and spirit are united through demonic energy, while spiritual power is merely an external appendage in this system. To drive the power of the Golden Core, demonic energy must be the primary driving force.

Li Yuan then tried to draw out a wisp of demonic energy from the Golden Core and channel it into the meridian of his right index finger, attempting to activate a very simple fireball spell.

The demonic energy dissipated halfway through its journey.

The energy circulation path of the Fireball spell is completely incompatible with the flow characteristics of demonic energy.

The casting path of spiritual magic is precise and orderly, with the spiritual energy in each meridian circulating according to a specific frequency and direction. Demonic energy, on the other hand, is far more violent and chaotic; it does not obediently follow the pre-designed path of spiritual magic.

Demonic energy requires demonic cultivation techniques to activate it. Demonic cultivation techniques are completely different from spiritual energy techniques, and are specifically designed for the characteristics of demonic energy.

He does not know any demonic magic.

However, he can convert demonic energy into spiritual energy.

After the conversion, spiritual spells can still be used as usual, such as Fireball, Sky-Splitting Slash, and Teleportation. None of them will be affected.

However, there is an extra conversion step in the middle, which will slow down the casting speed by half a beat.

As for its power, normally speaking, it cannot compare to a spell truly activated by a spiritual core, since his current spiritual foundation is still at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, thanks to the vast foundation provided by the Demonic Golden Core and the enhancement of numerous terms, the spells cast by this method of converting spiritual energy are estimated to surpass those of a normal early-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Li Yuan withdrew his inner vision and opened his eyes.

There's no rush regarding demonic cultivation techniques. The Demonic Golden Core is merely a prelude to shattering and reforming the core, not his final form of combat power.

There's no way the Yuan Yang Sect's scripture pavilion could contain any demonic cultivation techniques, and the Dark Abyss Society's low-level demonic cultivation techniques are too crude to be worth wasting time on.

There's no way the Yuan Yang Sect's scripture pavilion could contain any demonic cultivation techniques, and the Dark Abyss Society's low-level demonic cultivation techniques are too crude to be worth wasting time on.

It's not too late to look for it through other channels after the spiritual energy golden core is formed.

There's no rush for his natal magic weapon either. Ji Huaiyuan's forging skills are far too lacking; the requirements for materials and craftsmanship in a Golden Core stage magic weapon far exceed his current abilities. The magic weapon's embryo is still inside his physical body; he'll wait until he encounters a suitable forger later.

The most urgent task is to prepare for the elixir shattering.

The core guarantee against shattering a golden core after its creation is made permanent is the most crucial trump card. Without this guarantee, deliberately shattering a golden core is tantamount to suicide. After shattering the core, the dantian will be in a state of emptiness for a short time, and it must be reconstituted with spiritual power as quickly as possible.

This means he needs an absolutely safe, spiritually rich, and undisturbed environment.

The Mo Zhou spiritual vein is the optimal choice. Although the attribute of the spiritual vein containing spirit has been permanently changed, the control over the spiritual vein itself can still be obtained through its use.

There's still a lot to prepare: auxiliary elixirs, formations to stabilize the dantian, and enough restorative pills.

Li Yuan prioritized these matters in his mind, then got up, walked to the table, and poured himself a cup of cold tea.

The passive effect of stealth and invisibility remained constantly active. The demonic pressure of a Golden Core cultivator was firmly suppressed by the attribute; from the outside, he still appeared to be at the level of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. No detection method of the same or lower level could penetrate this disguise.

Li Yuan felt that hiding his cultivation level was far better than not hiding it at all; the Demonic Qi Golden Core was secondary, since he could already conceal it.

However, the appearance of a wild Golden Elixir at this critical juncture is too likely to attract attention.

The appearance of a Golden Core cultivator in Liangzhou will trigger a chain reaction, and both the Yuan Yang Sect and the Sha Mo Sect will respond immediately. His current identity is the market manager, a position he cannot easily reveal.

Night fell, just past midnight.

A very light knock came from outside the courtyard gate, three short knocks followed by one long one.

Li Yuan pushed open the door, and Chen Yi stood outside, looking even more tired than last time.

"Come in."

The two sat down inside. Chen Yi didn't pour tea, but spoke directly.

"Tianyue Sect has sent five more late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples to the outpost. Combined with the previous ones, their numbers at the outpost now exceed those of our own elite troops."

Li Yuan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"They've started to participate in the command of the exploration team." Chen Yi's tone was very low. "Not just suggesting, they're directly intervening. This afternoon, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Tianyue Sect led a team into the underground passage on the east side of the Ghost Mist Forest, and our people were arranged to provide support from the outside."

"What is the attitude of the sect's higher-ups?"

"Tacit approval." Chen Yi uttered two words, a bitter smile on his lips. "The Golden Core Elder said it himself: Tianyue Sect is an ally, and we must fully cooperate."

If a Nascent Soul Grandmaster leads a dozen or so late-stage Foundation Establishment elites to your outpost, do you dare not cooperate?

Chen Yi remained silent for a few moments, then added another sentence.

"There's one more thing. The supply consumption at the outpost has doubled compared to before, with the demand for pills and talismans alone increasing by 60%. The sect's intention is for the market to continue increasing its supply."

"No problem," Li Yuan readily agreed. "Have Ji Wenchuan send over the list tomorrow, and have it ready within three days."

Chen Yi nodded and stood up. He paused at the door.

"Li Yuan, the situation is changing rapidly. You should make plans on your side as soon as possible."

After the door closed, the stone house returned to silence.

The Tianyue Sect's infiltration was faster than expected. From the initial two teams to their deployment at the outpost, and then to their direct involvement in commanding the exploration operation, it took only a little over half a month. The Yuanyang Sect was being marginalized step by step on its own territory.

This was both a pressure and a cover for Li Yuan. With everyone's attention focused on the struggle deep within the Ghost Mist Forest, the market town, as the rear, became the safest corner.

Li Yuan sat back down cross-legged on the futon, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his Dark Insight.

With the perception accuracy and range doubling at the Golden Core stage, the passive monitoring network coverage of Dark Fiend Insight has expanded to an extremely terrifying level. He doesn't even need to deliberately investigate; those demonic energy harmonics hidden in the void will be automatically captured and marked as long as they enter the monitoring range.

After about two incense sticks' worth of time, a very faint ripple of demonic energy came from the northeast.

Encrypted communication. The frequency is consistent with previously intercepted internal communications of the Dark Abyss Society.

With a thought, he instantly locked onto the signal source, precisely cutting into the harmonics of demonic energy. The strength of his Golden Core stage divine sense made the deciphering process much faster than before; in less than half an incense stick's time, the information was fully restored.

Two instructions.

Article 1: The treasure-hunting team has departed from its northern base in Ghost Mist Forest and is heading towards the Stone Wasteland of Ink Continent via an underground passage. Their target is the original location of the Demonic Qi Pill Platform core, designated Stone Chamber A3. The team consists of one late-stage Foundation Establishment leader and four mid-stage Foundation Establishment members.

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

As expected, the Dark Abyss Society sent people to Mozhou. Their target was the stone cave where he had previously taken the core of the Demonic Qi Pill Platform.

They will come up empty-handed.

He had already taken the treasures from the cave, and the three-layered nested restrictions had been resealed after he broke them. When the Dark Abyss Society members arrived, they were either at a loss with the intact restrictions, or they struggled to break them only to find the cave empty.

Either outcome would alert the higher-ups of the Dark Abyss Society. They would realize that someone had taken the treasure first, and subsequently launch a large-scale search in Mozhou.

However, the search yielded nothing. Only he himself knew of the teleportation array's existence, and the settlement of the Xuan You remnants was hidden deep underground; the Dark Abyss Society was unlikely to find any clues in a short time.

The second piece of intelligence is more valuable. The core stronghold's contraction and regrouping indicates that the Dark Abyss Society is already feeling the pressure. The destruction of Bone Valley and several peripheral strongholds has forced them to change their strategy, shifting from dispersed searching to concentrated defense.

Concentration means a larger target, but it also means a more concentrated combat force.

Li Yuan finished organizing the two intelligence reports, stored them in a blank jade slip, and carefully put them away.

On the surface, they continued to cooperate with the sect in supplying materials and maintaining the daily operations of the market manager. Secretly, they made advance preparations, closely monitoring the movements of the Dark Abyss Society, especially in the direction of Mozhou.

Two lines are being followed simultaneously.

By the middle of the night, the market had completely quieted down.

Li Yuan walked out of the stone house and came to a wasteland on the outskirts of the market.

With stealth activated, his figure blended into the night.

He wanted to test the true performance of this term under the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage.

During the Foundation Establishment stage, the ability to conceal oneself from detection spells of the same or lower level was already immune. However, at that time, he didn't have the kind of Golden Core aura he needed to hide. One of the most fundamental differences between a Golden Core cultivator and a Foundation Establishment cultivator is the ever-present, overflowing aura of the Golden Core.

This oppressive aura is an inherent attribute of the Golden Core itself, and is unrelated to whether the cultivator actively releases it. As long as the Golden Core exists, the oppressive aura exists. Even if an ordinary Golden Core cultivator deliberately conceals their aura, they cannot completely hide their cultivation level in front of cultivators of the same or higher level.

Li Yuan first concealed all his aura, and then used Dark Fiend Insight to scan himself in reverse.

In the sensory feedback, his aura was suppressed to the extreme by the ability to conceal himself. The demonic pressure of the Golden Core was reduced layer by layer, and the final aura level steadily fell within the range of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

With the enhancement of Golden Core cultivation, the disguise was more precise than when the character was at the Foundation Establishment stage. The aura of a Perfect Foundation Establishment cultivator was too close to the edge of the Golden Core stage, which would easily arouse suspicion. The Hidden Trace technique automatically locked the disguise within a safer range.

Li Yuan unleashed his full power of Golden Core pressure once more, observing the response speed of the Hidden Trace at the same time.

The oppressive force had just surged out of the dantian and hadn't even had a chance to overflow the body's surface when it was enveloped by the effect of the incantation, like an invisible net, instantly pressing it back into the depths of the meridians. From the outside, there was no abnormal fluctuation leaking out from beginning to end.

The response speed was outrageously fast, almost synchronous with the release of the Golden Core's pressure.

The last test.

Li Yuan fully deployed the passive perception network of Dark Fiend Insight, without any restraint, allowing it to extend in all directions to the maximum extent.

The range of divine sense at the Golden Core stage triples, and the perception distance of Dark Fiend Insight doubles again. The combined passive monitoring network covers an area more than six times that of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Sitting in the stone house in the market, the movements of most of the Ghost Mist Forest were clearly projected into his perception.

The scattered points of spiritual energy from the demonic beasts throughout the forest, the faint signals from the Yuan Yang Sect's exploration team venturing deep underground, and even the suppressed demonic energy harmonics emanating from the Dark Abyss Society's stronghold hidden on the northern edge—all of these were captured by this massive net.

Li Yuan withdrew his senses and returned to the stone house.

The disguise was flawless, and passive surveillance covered most of the Ghost Mist Forest.

The Golden Core stage's ability to remain hidden and unseen, and its ability to perceive hidden dangers, has become ridiculously powerful.

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