Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Wulin Market, second floor of Yuanmingzhai.

The second round of auctions began as scheduled. The hall was packed, and Ji Wenchuan stood at the front, methodically controlling the bidding process. With the expanding reputation of the market, this round attracted more independent cultivators and small families than the previous one, and their bids were more decisive.

Li Yuan sat behind a one-way screen in a side room on the second floor, quietly watching the scene below.

A waiter carried a wooden tray into the side room, on which were several miscellaneous items consigned for sale by the wandering monks.

Li Yuan's gaze swept over the wooden tray.

The perception within a three-foot radius was instantly triggered, and a white light shone.

Li Yuan nodded, signaling to the waiter.

A moment later, the auction ended, and three items were delivered to Li Yuan. All of them were items with descriptions, two white and one green.

Li Yuan picked up an old talisman pen with a slightly cracked handle.

[Equipable item detected: Cleansing Brush (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Cleanse (White)]

[Effect: Automatically filters out spiritual energy impurities when drawing talismans, slightly increasing the success rate]

[Permanentization condition: The condition has been met.]

"Equipment. Permanentize."

The "Cleansing Talisman Brush (White)" has become a permanent entry.

The phantom of the old talisman brush flashed briefly in the equipment slot before turning into a white dot of light and merging into the body.

Li Yuan put down the talisman brush and picked up a dark-colored ink stick next to him.

[Equipable item detected: Spirit Ink Ingot (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Solid Spirit (White)]

[Effect: Reduces spiritual energy loss during talisman ink refining, resulting in more stable talisman ink quality]

[The "Guling Inkstick (White)" entry has been made permanent.]

The light spot merged back into his body. The two auxiliary attributes for talisman creation solidified into his body. Combined with his second-tier perfected talisman creation technique, the stability and success rate of any talisman he would create in the future would reach an extremely terrifying level.

Finally, his gaze fell on a uniquely shaped crystalline bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror is only half the size of a palm, with a very fine crack in the middle of the surface, dividing it in two, resembling a vertical eye with double pupils.

[Equipable item detected: Twin-Pupil Antique (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Mirror Light Split Pupil (Green)]

[Effect: After activation, you can simultaneously observe the structure of the spiritual energy and demonic energy interlocking array without needing to switch perspectives]

[Permanentization Condition: Simultaneously break the same or second-tier formation with both spiritual and demonic spells in a single battle (0/1)]

Green entries.

Highly targeted support capabilities. With this feature, the simultaneous overlay of dual perspectives will exponentially increase the efficiency of breaking through complex formations.

Li Yuan sat upright in the side room, but his divine sense had already crossed the market and was probing towards the Dry Bone Ridge in the northwest.

The atmosphere in the sky has changed.

The oppressive aura of the Golden Core cultivators that had been pressing down on the Ghost Mist Forest like mountains had now completely subsided. The massive collision of spiritual energy had disappeared, replaced by extremely frequent and subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy transmission in mid-air.

High frequency, fast speed, and no fuss.

Li Yuan withdrew his divine sense, understanding dawning on him.

The negotiations among the Golden Core Ancestors are progressing rapidly. The previous standoffs and probing have clarified the bottom lines of each party, and given that no one can monopolize the remains of the Dry Bone Ridge, they seem to have reached a certain alliance and agreement.

The deadlock is about to be broken; the real main event will be the exploration and distribution of benefits that follow.

Just then, a fiery red communication talisman passed through the window crack and landed steadily in front of Li Yuan.

A message from the Yuanyang Sect.

Li Yuan crushed the talisman, and a deep voice rang in his mind. It was an elder from the External Affairs Hall of the Yuan Yang Sect.

"Protector Li. By order of the sect leader, you are now assigned a long-term investigation mission. Effective immediately, please closely monitor and investigate any clues regarding the remnants of the White Nether Sect within Jingzhou. This mission has no time limit, so do not alert them. A supplementary magical artifact has also been delivered to the market gate."

The sound dissipated.

Li Yuan stood up and walked out of Yuanmingzhai. Outside the north gate of the market, a Foundation Establishment disciple of Yuanyang Sect respectfully handed over a spirit-sealing wooden box, and then quickly left.

Upon opening the wooden box, a dark gray array plate was found inside.

Demonic Energy Compass. Specifically designed for detecting faint traces of demonic energy and underground passages in extremely complex environments.

Yuan Yang Sect gave a clear direction: Jingzhou.

It seems they have already obtained some intelligence. Welcome to a vast collection of novels for you to explore! It is highly likely that the remnants of the White Nether Sect or clues to its ruins are hidden within Jingzhou.

Li Yuan put away the spirit plate and returned to the stone house when Xu Zhang knocked on the door.

"Master." Xu Zhang strode in, his expression slightly grave. "The Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce headquarters just sent a message via an array."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"The Chamber of Commerce received a commission from the Yuanyang Sect, requesting them to use trade routes to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the Baiming Sect. Headquarters is asking me what happened to the Yuanyang Sect."

Li Yuan nodded and briefly explained the information to Xu Zhang.

Yuan Yang Sect mobilized its own intelligence network and also hired the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce, a behemoth spanning several states. With both channels operating simultaneously, they aimed their spearhead at Jingzhou.

Over the next two days, Li Yuan quickly handed over the affairs of the market to Ji Wenchuan.

On the morning of the third day, he embarked on a new round of trade along the three continents, carrying a large amount of supplies collected from auctions and daily gatherings.

The goal this time is not only to accumulate spirit stones through trade, but also to travel to Shuizhou to participate in the large-scale trade fair jointly organized by the Kunpeng Island Alliance and the Tianyue Sect.

The route was still familiar to me.

First stop, Yunyang Market. Li Yuan sold off the low-grade specialties produced in Wulin Market in exchange for a large quantity of fire-type ores and basic pills unique to Liangzhou.

The second stop was Jingzhou. In Baijing Market, Li Yuan used the 5% discount token to sell off Liangzhou's goods at high prices, while simultaneously purchasing large quantities of array materials and high-grade talisman paper from Jingzhou.

The third stop was Mozhou. Some of the supplies from Jingzhou were sold in exchange for local specialties from Mozhou, and a batch of supplies was left in Elder Shen's settlement along the way.

Finally, following the direction of the underground spiritual vein, Li Yuan traveled south and arrived at Shuizhou.

Outside Nanyuanfang, the sea breeze carries a salty, fishy smell.

As soon as Li Yuan stepped into the market, he noticed the unusual liveliness.

The entire dock was packed to capacity, and dozens of merchant ships of varying sizes were densely moored on the nearshore waters. There were seven or eight large, three-masted spirit ships, a rarity normally. The density of cultivators was more than three times higher than usual.

Li Yuan walked through the noisy crowd and went straight to the sea-facing stone chamber on the upper level of the market.

Zhou He was standing by the window, looking at the fleet below, when he heard the noise and turned around.

"They're here." Zhou He pointed to the sea outside. "They're all heading to the trade fair. But you're a little early; the merchant fleet won't be able to depart for another two days."

"What happened?" Li Yuan sat down at the table.

"It's not a sudden change. We still have to wait for some people."

"Those merchant ships that arrived earlier got bored waiting in the harbor, so they simply anchored in the safe waters thirty miles outside the market. Dozens of ships were chained together to form a temporary island, where they're holding a small trade fair to exchange goods. There are quite a few good things there; you can go and take a look."

Li Yuan took the teacup and nodded.

"I have two days to prepare."

After leaving Zhou He's residence, Li Yuan did not immediately head to Ship Island, but instead returned to the sea-facing cultivation room that Zhou He had specially reserved for him.

Activate the concealment array to isolate all external influences.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the stone bed and closed his eyes.

Although he has been traveling around for the past few months, his internal cultivation has never stopped for a moment.

The vast cultivation foundation of the late Golden Core stage, combined with the fusion of the shared origin of demonic spirit, allows spiritual power and demonic energy to form an endless cycle within the meridians.

Li Yuan focused his mind on his dantian.

The low-grade demonic core, which was originally grayish-purple and had a slightly loose structure, was now slowly rotating at an extremely steady pace.

As he poured all the spiritual energy from his six personal meridians into the golden core, which then transformed into demonic energy, the rotation speed of the golden core began to increase.

"Buzz—"

A very low, resonant hum, audible only to himself, reverberated within his body.

The dark purple light film on the surface of the demon core instantly contracted, and the internal crystal lattice structure was completely reorganized under immense pressure. The previously loose gaps were completely filled, and although the volume of the golden core did not increase, its density increased several times over.

The low-grade magic pill has been successfully restored to the mid-grade level.

The recovery process also gave Li Yuan a lot of insights.

Li Yuan stabilized his newly recovered mid-grade Golden Core realm and suppressed his aura back to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

He stood up and pushed open the door to the stone chamber.

The sea breeze howled in, and from the distant deep sea, faint fluctuations of spiritual energy converged.