Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The message was brought by Chen Yi.

"A trade fair is being held at Yunyangfang Market again."

Chen Yi leaned against the doorframe. "This time it's bigger than last time, and I heard there are quite a few independent cultivators from out of town. Are you going?"

Li Yuan took the jade slip and glanced at it. The time was three days later, and the location was still the old courtyard in Yunyang Market.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, the probability of finding good items at the trade fair was not high. However, the greatest value of the trade fair never lay in the transactions themselves, but in the exchange of information among cultivators. Rogue cultivators were the fastest-spreading group of information; without the constraints of sects, they dared to talk about anything and were willing to sell anything.

"go."

Three days later, Li Yuan appeared in Yunyangfang Market.

The courtyard was much livelier than the last time I came. Compared to before, the form of trading had changed again. People were exchanging information while setting up stalls, managing to do both at the same time.

It is said that this trading habit was brought by independent cultivators from Yunzhou.

A group of people sat under the old tree by the entrance, some talking in hushed tones, others examining the jade slips and talismans in their hands. There were more than twenty stone tables in the courtyard, each covered with different items: pills, magical artifacts, cultivation manuals, jade slips, spiritual materials and ores, a motley collection.

Li Yuan glanced around and found at least seven or eight unfamiliar faces.

Ji Huaiyuan isn't here; he hasn't been seen lately.

He didn't rush to look around; instead, he took a walk around the courtyard and listened to the conversations from various places.

A burly monk wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt was speaking loudly, his voice so loud that it could be heard throughout half the courtyard.

"Let me tell you, there's no future in Liangzhou. Tianyue Sect has gotten involved, and Yuanyang Sect can barely hold onto its own territory. What are we rogue cultivators going to waste? We'd be better off going to Jingzhou with the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce. There are more markets and more opportunities there."

A tall, thin monk next to him shook his head.

"Go to Jingzhou? You wish. The three major sects and the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce have divided up all the resources there. There are hardly any small families left. You, a rogue cultivator, won't earn any spirit stones there at all."

"That's better than waiting to die here."

The burly monk was unconvinced.

Another voice came from behind the crowd; it was Wang Ting'an, who looked exhausted.

"It's all the same wherever we go. At least you rogue cultivators can travel around, but we family cultivators don't even have the right to travel. Our family territory has been turned upside down by the Demonic Sect, and after paying the protection fee every month, we barely have a few spirit stones left."

After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for a few moments.

The burly cultivator awkwardly shut his mouth.

At another table, two young cultivators were whispering to each other, their voices very low, but Li Yuan's Golden Core stage divine sense could not miss anything.

"Something's been strange at Misty Forest Market lately. All the people from the Yuan Yang Sect have left, and I heard there's only one person in charge now, and he's a rogue cultivator."

"Can a rogue cultivator manage a market town?"

"Who knows? Anyway, the Ning Sha Pills over there are in short supply right now, and the price has increased by 30% compared to before, but the quality is indeed good. Some people say that the pill shop over there is run by a master."

Li Yuan walked past them, expressionless.

In the corner on the east side of the courtyard, a young monk dressed in a light blue Taoist robe was surrounded by two or three people.

"Have you heard that the Qishui Sect is recruiting disciples? The requirements are very low; anyone at the late stage of Qi Refining can apply." The cultivator in the light blue Daoist robe spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice.

A bearded monk surrounding him immediately poured cold water on him.

"Qishui Sect? The Qishui Sect that got blocked at the gate by the Shamo Sect. They've lost all their external resources, and they might not even be able to pay their monthly salary if they go there."

The excitement on the face of the cultivator in the light blue Taoist robe immediately subsided, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

The bearded man continued, "If you really want to join a sect, wait until the Tianyue Sect opens its doors. They're a Nascent Soul sect with a strong foundation; they wouldn't send their disciples to fill a ditch."

"The Tianyue Sect is not a place for people like you and me to enter." Someone nearby sneered.

Li Yuan went through this information without lingering for long.

Most of the information exchange at trade fairs remains superficial; truly valuable information is not discussed in such public settings.

He started browsing the stalls.

Most of the items on the stalls were useless to him. First-tier pills, low-tier talismans, and crudely made magic tools might be worth a look in the eyes of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but they were nothing more than scrap metal and rotten wood in the eyes of a Golden Core cultivator.

When Li Yuan reached the twelfth stone table, he stopped.

There were three things on the table: a bottle of pills, a jade slip containing cultivation techniques, and an iron plate engraved with intricate patterns.

The iron plate caught his attention.

The stall owner was a middle-aged cultivator, in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, with a goatee, idly cracking sunflower seeds. Seeing Li Yuan squat down to look at the iron plate, he spat out the sunflower seed shells and began to introduce the stall.

"The method for making the second-tier magic weapon, the Golden Body Armor, is as follows: the patterns are engraved on the iron plate, and you can find a weapon refiner to make it according to the instructions."

"Where did it come from?"

"It was passed down from my ancestors," the goatee mumbled, clearly not wanting to elaborate on its origins. "I don't know how to forge weapons myself, so it's just taking up space. If you want it, it'll cost thirty mid-grade spirit stones."

"Where did it come from?"

"It was passed down from my ancestors," the goatee mumbled, clearly not wanting to elaborate on its origins. "I don't know how to forge weapons myself, so it's just taking up space. If you want it, it'll cost thirty mid-grade spirit stones."

Li Yuan picked up the iron plate and examined it. The engraving technique was indeed up to the standards of a second-tier magic weapon; the direction and distribution of the spirit patterns were meticulous and orderly, unlike a forgery. The Golden Body Armor was a defensive magic weapon that greatly enhanced the body's physical protection capabilities after being worn, making it an essential piece of equipment for close-combat cultivators.

"Twenty-five."

"Deal." The goatee took the spirit stone and deftly pushed the iron plate to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan put the iron plate away and continued walking forward.

The stall owner at the fifteenth stone table was a short, shrewd-looking cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage. On the table were only a jade slip and a broken talisman brush.

Li Yuan's gaze fell on the jade slip.

"What is it?"

"Second-order illusion spell." The short cultivator pushed the jade slip.

"To be honest, this thing is pretty useless. It's extremely effective against cultivators in the Qi Refining stage and early Foundation Establishment stage, bewitching them in an instant. But against cultivators of the same level..." He shrugged.

"It's basically useless. The spiritual sense of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator is strong enough that illusions can't penetrate it at all. I've used it a few times myself. It's okay against low-level rogue cultivators and demonic beasts, but it's a waste of spiritual energy against tough opponents."

Hallucination.

Li Yuan's heart stirred.

Almost useless against cultivators of the same level, that's how Foundation Establishment cultivators describe other Foundation Establishment cultivators. But what if the user is a Golden Core cultivator?

"How many?"

"Three hundred spirit stones," the short cultivator quoted a price, and seeing that Li Yuan's expression did not change, he added another sentence.

"Two hundred is fine if you really want it. I've had this for over half a year, and no one else has asked about it except you."

"two hundred."

After the spirit stones were exchanged, Li Yuan took the jade slip and put it away.

The trade fair in the courtyard was still going on, but he had already found everything of value. He walked around the tables one last time to make sure he hadn't missed anything, then quietly left the courtyard.

After returning to the market, Li Yuan placed the Golden Body Armor Plate and the Illusion Jade Slip together on the table.

The training in hallucination magic will be arranged later. The method for making the Golden Body Armor needs to be carefully studied; the forging process of a second-tier magical artifact is more than an order of magnitude more complex than that of a first-tier artifact.

However, before attempting the second level, the fundamentals of the first level need to be further strengthened.

He took out the remaining fire-attribute iron ore and water-attribute spirit ore from his storage bag and began to practice with the first-tier magic weapon.

This time, the goal is not quantity, but quality.

During the forging of each magical artifact, Li Yuan would deliberately incorporate subtle variations. He would observe the impact of even the slightest shift in the direction of the spiritual runes, changes in the rhythm of the spiritual energy infusion, and adjustments in the number of forging strikes on the quality of the finished product.

This kind of conscious, experimental forging is far more effective in improving one's skill than simply repeating the process.

When the sixtieth Water Spirit Sword is forged, a notification pops up on the panel.

[Weapon Forging Skills: First-Tier Proficiency → First-Tier Mastery]

First-order mastery.

From proficiency to mastery, it means that forging a first-tier magical artifact no longer carries any risk of technical error for him. From material selection, smelting, forging, pouring, and shaping, the entire production line can be completed flawlessly.

However, this also means that the potential for improvement in crafting skills offered by first-tier magical artifacts is rapidly diminishing. To continue refining one's skills, one must move on to second-tier artifacts.

Li Yuan placed the last Water Spirit Sword on the table, took out the iron plate of the Golden Body Armor from his storage bag, and re-examined the spirit patterns on it.