Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The next morning, He Shou knocked on Li Yuan's door.

"The notification has been issued."

He Shou's tone was a few degrees more somber than usual, and he held a document stamped with the Wang family seal in his hand.

"The day after tomorrow, we'll go to the Yuanheng Mountains with the troops."

Li Yuan took the document and glanced at it.

The content was brief—the guard team dispatched three patrol squads to form a joint force with members of the Wang family to carry out a clearing mission on the outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountains. The team was led by the guard team captain, with two other Wang family cultivators accompanying them.

"The captain of the guard is leading the team personally?"

"Hmm, Qi Refining Level 9." He Shou leaned against the door frame, arms crossed.

"With Captain Wang and the other two members of the Wang family, the fighting force at the top should be sufficient. We're just here to do the work."

Li Yuan folded the document.

"How's that group that went up the mountain last time?"

"They're back. Two of them were injured, but not seriously."

"That group mainly conducted reconnaissance; they didn't go too far and didn't encounter many monsters."

He Shou stretched his neck.

"And us?"

"I don't know, they didn't say the specifics."

He Shou paused for a moment, then added a sentence.

"There's no need for patrols these next two days. The higher-ups have instructed those involved in the operation to rest and prepare in the market. If you need to buy anything, do so in the next couple of days."

He Shou left after he finished speaking.

Li Yuan closed the door and sat back down on the bed.

We're leaving the day after tomorrow, so with today and tomorrow, we have less than two days left.

The dangers of the Yuanheng Mountains need no further explanation. Even with a captain at the ninth level of Qi Refining and a Wang family cultivator in charge, the patrol team might not be able to return unscathed.

My current cultivation level is stuck at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining, and the next level is the fifth level of Qi Refining.

If we can achieve this before departure, the safety factor can be significantly increased.

The spiritual energy was already saturated, and its purity had been refined to the extreme.

Unlike when he broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining last time, this time Li Yuan has an additional attribute—Spiritual Power Condensation. Now Li Yuan has a total of three attributes to assist in the breakthrough.

The condensation of spiritual energy makes its density far exceed that of others of the same level, the acceleration of the circulation of energy increases the speed of cultivation, and the filtering of spiritual energy makes one's spiritual energy even purer.

At the same time, there is also the strengthening of internal organs to reduce the damage to the internal organs during the breakthrough. The cooldown time of Iron Ox Skill has expired, so Li Yuan re-equips Iron Ox Skill and unequips Nourishing Yuan Skill.

Li Yuan doesn't plan to use the Condensing Yuan Technique. He's only slightly proficient at it now, and he's afraid of making a mistake.

With three key terms to back him up, Li Yuan was confident he could break through and wouldn't need the Condensation Technique.

Li Yuan pulled himself together and suppressed all distracting thoughts.

Let's focus on cultivation first.

Li Yuan sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The spiritual energy surged into the meridians, pure as water, and circulated rapidly throughout the body. With each cycle, the spiritual energy in the dantian was repeatedly tempered, gradually grinding away the last remaining minute impurities.

In the afternoon, Li Yuan went to the market.

I registered my patrol record at the management office and received my subsidy.

I went to Old Sun's stall again and handed over a few green jade grass plants and a bundle of red root vines that I had picked during my patrol.

Old Sun accepted the herbs at the agreed price and gave him an extra Sha Yuan Pill.

After returning to his residence, Li Yuan did not delay, took the Sha Yuan Pill, and continued his cultivation.

The medicinal power exploded, and a scorching aura surged along the meridians. Most of the malevolent energy was filtered and blocked by the spiritual energy, and the remainder was easily neutralized by the strengthening of the internal organs as it passed through them.

The spiritual energy in his dantian increased slightly under the influence of the medicine.

That night, Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed and practiced the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The spiritual energy in his dantian was heavy, like a sponge soaked in water, and no more could be squeezed in.

The barrier is there, just a thin layer.

Li Yuan could sense its texture—it was much more fragile than when he broke through from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth.

I'm in great shape. My meridians aren't fatigued, my internal organs are functioning smoothly, my Qi and blood are abundant, and I'm full of energy.

That's it.

Li Yuan took a deep breath and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Slow down your breathing, calm it down, and even it out. Focus your awareness on your lower abdomen (Dantian).

The saturated spiritual energy lay dormant in the center of the dantian, pure and refined, with a density far exceeding that of other dantians of the same level.

The barrier was just outside the boundary of spiritual power, very close at hand.

With a thought, Li Yuan activated the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The spiritual energy in the dantian was like a clenched fist, forcefully pushing outwards and crashing into the barrier.

The moment the spiritual energy collided with the barrier, Li Yuan felt an extremely faint "crack".

It's not the sound, it's the touch.

The barrier shattered completely before the spiritual power.

Just like when I broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining last time, the barrier did almost no hindrance.

The density and impact of the spiritual energy far exceeded the barrier's tolerance limit, and the entire barrier collapsed instantly, like thin ice being smashed by a hammer.

At the same time, spiritual energy from the outside world surged into his body.

The spiritual energy filter operates automatically, removing all impurities from the incoming spiritual energy, leaving only pure spiritual energy to flow into the dantian along the meridians. The accelerated circulation of spiritual energy rapidly integrates the newly incoming spiritual energy into the dantian at an extremely fast speed.

The dantian is expanding, and the total amount of spiritual energy is soaring.

After a short while, the influx of spiritual energy gradually slowed down.

The spiritual energy in the dantian gradually settled down from its surging state, becoming stable and substantial, like a deep, unfathomable pool of still water.

The total amount of spiritual energy has increased by nearly 50% compared to before the breakthrough.

It operates with a powerful and robust force, and the flow of spiritual energy in the meridians is much faster than when it was at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Every strand of spiritual energy is solid and heavy.

Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

He was soaked to the bone, his patrol uniform clinging to his body, but his clean body was gradually removing the sweat.

Breathing changed from rapid to long and steady, and the rise and fall of the chest gradually slowed down.

The panel appears.

[Current Realm: Qi Refining Level 5]

Five layers of Qi Refining.

Li Yuan clenched his fist.

The moment the fist tightens, spiritual energy naturally flows into the knuckles and wrist bones, becoming full and solid.

Compared to the fourth level of Qi Refining, the most obvious change, besides the total amount of spiritual power, is the texture of the spiritual power.

Each strand of spiritual energy was heavier, denser, and more obedient than before.

The moment the thought of mobilizing spiritual power arose, the spiritual power had already reached his fingertips, the response speed was much faster.

Li Yuan stood up and stretched his arms and legs.

There is no soreness in the muscles and bones, no fatigue in the meridians, and the internal organs are stable and functioning well.

The intense spiritual energy surge during the breakthrough process did not cause any damage thanks to the dual protection of strengthened internal organs and scales protecting the body.

It was still dark outside the window; there was still some time before dawn.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged back on the bed and began to circulate the Spirit Guiding Technique.

The newly developed dantian is far from full, and each cycle brings a considerable increase in spiritual power. The spiritual energy surges into the meridians, pure and rapid, and settles heavily in the dantian.

The effect of condensing spiritual energy continued to operate, and each newly added strand of spiritual energy was automatically compacted by a layer.

The efficiency of cultivation is much higher than when I was at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Li Yuan didn't finish his practice until it was fully light.

Pushing open the wooden door, the morning breeze blew in my face, and my clothes were clean and tidy.

We're leaving tomorrow.