Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After arriving at the Stone Wasteland of Mozhou via the teleportation array, Li Yuan did not rush to go deep underground.

He stood in the underground stone chamber, eyes closed and focused. The permanent attribute of the Illusionary Disguise was activated, and his appearance, physique, and aura underwent a complete adjustment within a few breaths.

His features had become more rugged, his cheekbones more prominent, his complexion darker, and a short, stiff stubble had appeared on his chin. His physique had also changed from a slender, tall figure to a slightly hunched, medium build. His aura was suppressed to the mid-Foundation Establishment level by the Hidden Aura Technique, and combined with the 30% enhancement effect of the Illusionary Mask Disguise, he exuded the air of a wandering cultivator who had spent many years traveling and enduring hardships.

A wandering hermit monk making a living in the Mexican wilderness.

After checking the camouflage effect and confirming that it was correct, Li Yuan used the Earth Escape Technique to dive underground.

He followed the route he had recorded when he last tracked the four survivors, and emerged from the ground about two hundred feet from the entrance to the settlement.

Ahead lay that inconspicuous fissure in the ground. The fissure was no more than three feet wide, and from the outside it appeared to be just an ordinary fracture of rock strata, but deep within it connected to a network of underground caverns belonging to the remnants of the people.

Li Yuan made no attempt to conceal his presence. He stood openly at the edge of the crevice, his hands empty, adopting a completely non-aggressive posture.

After waiting for about half a cup of tea's time, very light footsteps came from the depths of the crevice.

Two fluctuations of spiritual energy emerged from the shadows. One was at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and the other was hidden behind the rocks on either side of the crack.

"Stop." A low voice came from the left. "Who goes there?"

"A wandering cultivator passing by." Li Yuan's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a dryness from long-term dehydration. "I've been walking in the wasteland for almost two months. I've run out of spirit stones and want to find a place to rest."

There was a few moments of silence.

The spiritual energy fluctuations on the left moved forward slightly, and a dark-skinned young cultivator peeked out from behind a rock, holding a short knife in his hand, and warily sized up Li Yuan.

"There's nowhere to rest here. Let's go."

Li Yuan didn't move. He slowly took something out of his storage bag and held it in his palm.

It was a spirit-guiding copper piece brought out from the guiding stone chamber of the Xuanyou branch hall. The surface of the copper piece was covered with array patterns unique to the Xuanyou Sect. Although it had been rusted and turned black, the shape of the patterns was still clearly discernible.

The young guard's gaze fell on the bronze plate, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He didn't speak again, but quickly retreated behind the rock. Li Yuan heard a very low humming sound, clearly a communication being relayed internally.

About an incense stick later, a person emerged from the depths of the crevice.

An old man. He was thin and wiry, with a slightly hunched back. He wore a faded gray robe, with cloud patterns that had been repeatedly patched up on the cuffs and collar. It was the same style worn by the four survivors that Li Yuan had seen earlier.

But the aura was completely different.

Late stage of Foundation Establishment, and an extremely solid one at that. Although the total amount of spiritual energy is not as abundant as that of a normal cultivator due to the long-term exposure to an environment lacking spiritual energy, the stability of the meridians and the condensation of spiritual energy are both very high.

The old man walked outside the crack, his cloudy eyes staring straight at the copper piece in Li Yuan's palm.

"Where did you get this?"

Li Yuan did not answer, but instead put away the copper piece and took out a second item: a fragment of the spirit-sealing glue from the Xuan You Sect era, which he had obtained from the stone chamber's storage box, and a small section of a cross-section of a spirit energy conduit.

The three items are placed together, all originating from the underground ruins of the Xuanyou Sect.

The old man's breathing became more rapid. He stared at the cross-section of the guide channel for a long time, then reached out his withered finger and gently touched it.

"You've been through the referral system."

It's not a question, it's a statement.

"Yes, I've been there." Li Yuan nodded. "Not just the traffic diversion system."

The old man raised his head and looked him over again.

"Come with me."

Li Yuan followed the old man into the crevice. The two guards watched them disappear into the darkness, never putting away their weapons.

After extending downwards for about fifty feet, the crack suddenly opened up. A huge natural cave appeared before them, with a dome more than ten feet high. Several pieces of fluorescent stone that emitted a faint light were embedded in the cave walls, illuminating the entire space in a dim and hazy light.

There are people in the cave.

Not four or five, but dozens.

Men, women, and children were scattered throughout the cave. Some were squatting on the ground grinding some kind of powder with stone mortars, others were sorting through piles of sorted ore fragments, and a few children were chasing and playing at the edge of the cave. Everyone was wearing the same old gray robes, their faces were pale and thin, but their spirits were still relatively good.

This was only the outer area. Li Yuan's senses told him that there were many more people deeper inside the cave.

The old man led him through the outer perimeter and into a small hut built of rubble. Inside, there was a stone table and two stone stools, with a nearly burnt-out oil lamp on the table.

"sit."

The two sat facing each other.

The old man introduced himself: "My surname is Shen, and people here call me Old Shen."

"A rogue cultivator, surnamed Liu," Li Yuan said, giving a name he made up on the spot.

Mr. Shen did not dwell on the question of whether the name was real or fake, and went straight to the point.

"The items in your hands all originated from the underground facilities of the sect's former site. The spirit-guiding copper sheet, the spirit-sealing glue, and the cross-section of the flow channel..."

These things can only be obtained by delving into the core area of ​​the flow system. How did you, a lone cultivator, get in?"

"The barrier has fallen into disrepair over the years, and cracks have appeared in some places," Li Yuan replied, half-truthfully. "I stumbled upon an entrance while wandering the wasteland and followed the passage inside."

Old Shen stared into his eyes for a few moments, but did not ask any further questions.

"You're not the first outsider to go in," Old Shen said calmly.

"Several groups of people have come over the years. But they are not interested in us and do not interact with us. They go straight inside, stay for a few days, and then leave. They seem to know exactly what they are looking for and have a certain understanding of the structure of the ruins."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. Their presence has been concealed, and we can't see the way out." Old Shen shook his head. "But one thing is certain: they didn't find the most important thing."

Li Yuan didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

Old Shen remained silent for a moment, as if making some kind of choice. Finally, he sighed and spoke.

"Now that you've penetrated to the core of the diversion system, you must have sensed the deeper seals. Hidden within are the life's work of the last sect leader. Before his demise, the sect leader sealed the most important things into a place we call the Abyss Cave."

"Where is the entrance to the secret cave?"

"I don't know the exact details. But the sect leader left behind three keys." Elder Shen held up three fingers. "The three keys are indispensable; without any one of them, the secret cave cannot be opened."

"The first one is a jade bead. Before the sect's destruction, the sect leader poured a large amount of spiritual power into it and sealed it using a special method. This jade bead should be hidden in one of the sect's branch halls."

Li Yuan's expression remained unchanged. The jade bead sealed by the giant mist array in the folded space of the Xuan You branch hall was most likely the first key that Elder Shen mentioned.

"The second one has a pattern. I don't know exactly what the pattern is or what it's engraved on."

Li Yuan's mind flashed through several relics he had previously acquired. The fragmentary diagram in the disciple's diary and certain array patterns in the diversion stone chamber could all be carriers of this pattern. He would need to go back and carefully compare them to determine which one it was.

"The third one is at the entrance to the sect leader's private room." Elder Shen's voice lowered. "The problem is, no one knows where the sect leader's private room is. The internal strife broke out too suddenly back then, and the sect leader completely erased the location of his private room at the last moment, so even his closest disciples don't know it."

He may have accidentally touched the first two of the three keys. The clues for the third key are completely blank.

After Mr. Shen finished speaking, he looked Li Yuan up and down again.

"Mr. Liu, I won't ask about your true identity or your real purpose in coming to Mexico. But there is something I'd like to discuss with you."

"explain."

"We've been surviving underground for hundreds of years, barely maintaining our cultivation by digging up the remnants of spiritual essence from old mines. The population is dwindling, and resources are becoming increasingly scarce."

There was no self-pity in Old Shen's tone, only the calm statement of facts: "We need resources from the outside world. Spirit stones, pills, array materials, we lack everything."

What do you need?

"Supplies and defensive formations. Our defensive formations have been in disrepair for years, and several parts are on the verge of collapse." Old Shen directly presented the list without beating around the bush. "In exchange, we can provide underground guidance. We have lived underground for hundreds of years, and we know every passage, every fork in the road, and every undercurrent clearly. Outsiders would be completely lost if they came in, but we can lead the way."

He paused, then added.

"We have a few elderly people here who are skilled at cultivating spiritual plants. Although the conditions are simple, their techniques are still there. If you can provide seeds and spiritual soil, they can help you cultivate some things."

Cultivating spiritual plants. This was an unexpected gain.

"Deal." Li Yuan didn't haggle. "I'll deliver the first batch of supplies within three days. I'll personally oversee the formation."

A hint of surprise flashed in Old Shen's eyes; he clearly hadn't expected the other party to agree so readily. He nodded and extended his withered hand.

The two made a pact by giving each other a high five.

Li Yuan stood up and felt a chilling aura.

The chilling smell—that's demonic energy.

The Dark Abyss Society's treasure-hunting team has arrived.

After exchanging a few more words, Li Yuan walked out of the stone house, through the cave, and back to the entrance of the crevice.

He used the Earth Escape Technique and his body disappeared into the rock layer.

His spiritual affinity doubled, allowing him to rapidly expand his perception range along the underground rock strata. He didn't need to get close to his target; he only needed to detect the spiritual energy fluctuations generated by the target's activities from a distance.

A few breaths later, the sensing network locked onto a set of moving signals.

Five clusters of energy slowly advanced through the outer channels of the flow system. The leading cluster was the most solid, at the late Foundation Establishment stage. The other four clusters were scattered in front, behind, left, and right, forming a standard diamond-shaped warning formation.

The Dark Abyss Treasure Hunting Team consists of one late-stage Foundation Establishment leader and four mid-stage Foundation Establishment members.

They are exploring deeper along the main channel of the diversion system, heading straight for the stone cave where the core of the Demonic Qi Pill Platform was originally located.

Li Yuan noted their location and speed of movement, withdrew his senses, and returned to the direction of the teleportation array.

He wasn't in a hurry to take action.

Let them miss their target first.