Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The first stage of repairs on the jade bead has been completed. All shallow cavities have been closed, and 70% of the surface cracks have been reduced.

However, the damage in the middle and deep layers remained untouched.

Li Yuan repeatedly studied the manufacturing process records of the jade bead in the stone house and confirmed the key materials needed for the second stage of repair.

The core auxiliary material is Nethermoss, along with some other materials such as Azure Tide Sand and Sea Pearl Powder.

The key auxiliary material needed for the second stage of repair is called Nethermoss, which can only grow in deep caves. Its greatest value is not its strong spiritual energy, but rather its spiritual frequency, which is naturally compatible with the Xuan You Sect system, enough to send the repair energy to the depths of the jade bead.

There was only one suitable place that Li Yuan could think of.

Mexico City.

The survivors lived underground in Mexico for hundreds of years and had a far greater understanding of the deep cave systems than any outsider.

He arrived in Mozhou via a teleportation array and found Elder Shen on the outskirts of the settlement of the remnants.

Compared to my last visit, there were noticeably more newly cultivated spiritual fields in the settlement, and the children's clothes were much neater. Several stone chambers even had freshly dried herbs and animal hides hanging at their entrances.

"Nethermoss?" After listening, Old Shen pondered for a moment. "Yes, it exists. But it's not in our usual area; we have to go deeper."

He turned and called over Acheng.

"Take him to the lower cave system. You know which one? It's the one where you got lost as a child and almost couldn't find your way back."

Acheng's expression was somewhat subtle, but he did not refuse and nodded.

The two descended a narrow natural passage behind the settlement of the remnants. The passage became increasingly steep, the air became more humid, and the concentration of spiritual energy continued to rise. The branch of the spiritual vein lay not far below, providing a continuous supply of spiritual energy to this deep region.

After walking for about an hour, the passage suddenly opened up.

A vast underground space appeared before us.

The cave ceiling is over twenty feet high, densely covered with stalactites. Water droplets seeping from the tips of the stalactites converge below to form a shallow underground river. The rock walls on both sides of the underground river are covered with large patches of fluorescent moss, emitting a soft, eerie blue light, illuminating the entire cave as if it were an underwater world.

On the rocky beach beside the underground river, several clumps of unidentified spiritual plants grew, their leaves broad and thick, their roots extending deep into the crevices of the rocks. In a recess in the rock wall opposite the beach, several fist-sized white insects were slowly wriggling, feeding on fluorescent moss.

A complete underground ecological zone.

"We call this place Blue Cave," Acheng said softly. "When I was a kid, I ran in here with a few other kids, got lost, and wandered around for three days before finally finding the exit. After that, Old Shen wouldn't let the kids come here anymore."

Li Yuan scanned the area.

Where is the Nethermoss?

Acheng pointed to a rock wall deeper on the opposite bank of the underground river.

"Over there. It grows in the dampest places, the black layer right next to the ground."

The two waded across the underground river. The water was shallow, only ankle-deep, but icy cold.

Sure enough, there was a thin layer of black moss at the base of the rock face on the opposite bank. The moss grew tightly against the rock surface, its surface... When you touch it with your finger, you can feel an extremely faint spiritual energy fluctuation.

Li Yuan used the permanent attribute of "Affinity with Spirit Plants" to sense the properties of the moss.

The frequency of the spiritual energy is completely consistent with the description in the manufacturing process file of the jade bead.

He carefully picked the moss along the edge of the rock face, taking only a small piece at a time, leaving the roots intact so the moss could continue to grow. His precise control of spiritual power at the Golden Core stage made the picking process extremely clean; each piece of moss was completely peeled off without damaging its spiritual structure.

After picking about half a pound, Li Yuan straightened up and noticed a corner deeper into the rock wall.

In a crevice in the rock, a translucent plant, about the thickness of a finger, peeks out. Its stem is crystal clear, as if sculpted from crystal, and its roots are deeply embedded in the rock.

The perception of words within a three-foot radius was triggered.

Li Yuan walked over and reached out to touch it.

[Equipable item detected: Core Crystal Root (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Earth Leyline Resonance (Green)]

[Effect: When cultivating near leyline nodes, spiritual energy absorption efficiency is increased by 30%; the power of earth-based spells is increased by 20%]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Meditate at the leyline node for 100 hours (0/100)]

Green entries.

A 30% increase in spiritual energy absorption efficiency and a 20% increase in the power of earth-based spells are excellent bonuses for a cultivator like him who relies on spiritual veins and earth-based techniques. The condition for permanentization is accumulating 100 hours of meditation at earth vein nodes, which isn't too demanding but still takes time.

Li Yuan extracted the Earth Core Crystal Root along with its roots and put it into his storage bag.

Acheng glanced at it from the side but didn't recognize the plant.

"What is this?"

"It's a kind of spiritual plant that's somewhat useful for cultivation," Li Yuan said without going into details.

The two returned along the same route.

When they reached the outskirts of the area where the remnants of the war had settled, Acheng suddenly slowed down.

"Mr. Li, there's something I need to tell you."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

Acheng scratched the back of his head and considered his words carefully.

"Since you arrived, you've been sending in a lot of supplies. Spirit stones, pills, and spirit herb seeds—things we never even dared to dream of before. Everyone remembers them, even if they don't say it."

He paused.

"But because of this, some of the elderly people started to have ideas. They felt that since there were people outside who were willing to help, why not take the initiative to contact the outside world and seek protection from a powerful force? After all, we have been hiding underground for hundreds of years, and life has been too hard."

"What did Elder Shen say?"

"It's under control." Acheng's tone was somewhat complicated.

Li Yuan nodded.

"understood."

Acheng didn't say anything more, and led him back to the entrance of the settlement, where they parted ways.

Li Yuan returned to Liangzhou with the Netherworld Moss and the Earth Core Crystal Root.

Upon returning to the market, he did not immediately begin the second phase of repairs. The Nethermoss was only one of the core auxiliary materials; there were still a few items missing from the second phase's material list in the crafting process file.

He found Xu Zhang.

"Can the Chamber of Commerce get these items?" Li Yuan handed over a list of materials.

Xu Zhang took it and read it once, his brows gradually furrowing.

"The first few items aren't hard to find. But the last two, Azure Tide Sand and Sea Essence Pearl Powder, are only found by the sea. These two items are produced in relatively large quantities and are cheap, but the problem is that they are difficult to preserve. Their spiritual energy diminishes extremely quickly after leaving the seawater environment, and they will be ruined if not used within three days. Therefore, no merchant is willing to transport them inland. Even if they were transported there, they wouldn't be able to sell them."

"Which beach?"

"The closest is in the eastern part of Shuizhou." Xu Zhang put down the list, pulled out a yellowed hand-drawn map from behind the counter, and marked a location on it.

"Shuizhou is located to the east of Liangzhou. There is a high mountain range at the border of the two states, and beyond it lies the territory of Shuizhou. However, the interior of Shuizhou is almost the same as Mozhou, a spiritually barren area, full of dead lands. Cultivators cannot even recover their spiritual energy in most places inside."

His finger traced eastward along the map.

"But the coastal area of ​​Shuizhou is different. There are spiritual veins on the seabed, and spiritual energy seeps out from the seabed. The concentration of spiritual energy along a narrow strip of coastline is barely enough for cultivation. Therefore, all the cultivation forces in Shuizhou are crowded along that coastal line."

"Does the chamber of commerce have contact with them?"

"Yes. There's a Su family on the coast of Shuizhou who have been in the seafood business in Luoxia Port for generations. The Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce has been cooperating with the Su family for many years, and Bichao Sand and Haiyun Pearl Powder are regular products of the Su family." Xu Zhang glanced at Li Yuan.

"If you want it, I can write a letter of introduction, and you can take it to the Su family to buy it directly. Since it's harvested and used immediately, without transportation, there's no issue of spiritual decay."

"What about the journey?"

"Starting from Liangzhou, we cross the high mountain range, traverse the inland spirit-suppressing area of ​​Shuizhou, and arrive at Luoxia Port. The normal journey for Foundation Establishment takes about seven to eight days." Xu Zhang paused.

Seven to eight days. The Spirit-Free Zone.

It's not too far for a Golden Core cultivator, but the Spirit-Severing Zone is indeed a problem. Spiritual energy cannot be replenished from the outside; it relies entirely on the self-sufficiency of the Golden Core within the dantian. Fortunately, the cultivator possesses the "Spiritual Essence Strengthening" attribute, which allows spiritual energy to be generated from nothing.

In addition, his strong control over spiritual energy prevents it from being lost, allowing him to maintain a basic spiritual energy cycle even in the Spirit-Severing Zone.

"Okay, I'll go right away," Li Yuan said.

Xu Zhang nodded and turned to write a letter.

Li Yuan returned to the stone house and began preparing for his long journey.

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