Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 503 Spatial Shaping

The next morning, Li Yuan took a walk around the market.

Most of the shops on the main street were open as usual. The number of independent cultivators coming and going was less than before, but the basic operation of the market was not affected. Ji Wenyuan was managing the daily affairs well. Several newly opened stalls were unloading goods, and the latest updated price list for spiritual materials was posted on the notice board at the entrance of the market.

Xu Zhang had gone to Qinghe Market earlier, but the market expansion project was at a critical juncture and he couldn't leave.

After making his way around, Li Yuan returned to his secluded room.

Sit cross-legged and begin practicing the exercises.

His cultivation at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm is progressing steadily. The spiritual energy reserves from the top-grade elixir, combined with the dual fire and wood attribute cycle of the Burning Wood Everlasting Spring Technique (mastered level) and the passive spiritual energy recovery from the Myriad Spirits Return to the Meridian, make his cultivation efficiency far exceed that of others at the same level.

The spiritual energy in his body circulated through his meridians for more than a dozen cycles, and the total amount of spiritual energy in his dantian increased slightly.

After practicing for two days, Li Yuan stopped.

He took out the Netherworld Mirror from his personal space.

A small, dark bronze mirror lay in the palm of the hand, its surface smooth as water, its edges etched with extremely fine spatial patterns. A green entry, "Lingering Echoes of the Vast Sky," indicated the effect: a slight enhancement of spatial perception, increasing the detection range for spatial fluctuations by 20%.

Permanentization condition: Actively open or manipulate spatial rifts five times in total.

Li Yuan raised his hand.

Spiritual energy surged into his palm, circulating along the instinctive path granted by the folding microcosm of space. The air in front of his palm began to distort, and an extremely thin gray crack slowly tore open, about half a foot long and less than a finger's width.

The crack was small and closed itself after a few breaths.

the fifth time.

The gray cracks silently tore open in front of my palm, and then silently closed again.

A panel pops up.

[Conditions for making the "Lingering Elegance (Green)" permanent have been met]

【The Lingering Charm of the Desolate Sky (Green) has become a permanent entry】

Green light merged into his sea of ​​consciousness, and the Netherworld Mirror shattered and dissipated in his palm.

A scene flashed into my mind.

It was that old man again.

Sect Master of the Xuanyou Sect.

This time, the old man stood in a wider stone chamber, with an extremely unstable spatial distortion floating in front of him. The distorted space was like a pool of water being stirred up, its shape constantly changing, its edges sometimes expanding outwards and sometimes collapsing inwards.

The old man formed a hand seal, and spiritual energy shot out from his fingertips, weaving into an extremely intricate network of spiritual energy in an attempt to fix the distorted space.

The moment the spiritual energy network wrapped around it, space twisted and jolted violently, almost tearing the network apart. The old man's expression remained unchanged, and his spiritual energy output suddenly increased, doubling the network's node density within a few breaths.

The struggle of spatial distortion gradually weakened and was eventually completely enveloped by the spiritual energy network, its shape fixed as a sphere the size of a fist.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief.

"The void itself is fluid," the old man murmured to himself, his tone tinged with weariness and satisfaction.

"Spatial rifts can be torn open, but the torn spaces will quickly close or shift as the void flows. To carve out a stable area in the void to store things, you must use magic to fix that space so that it no longer flows with the void."

"Spatial design".

The old man looked at the spherical space that was fixed in his hand and nodded.

"As long as the shaping spell doesn't dissipate, this space will remain stable in the void, without moving, collapsing, or merging with the surrounding void. You can put things in it, and you can open it to use them at any time."

The image blurred, then transitioned to the core principles of a spatial shaping spell. The principles were brief, covering only the most basic concepts: how to weave a fixed network with spiritual energy, how to calibrate the angle between the network and the direction of the void's flow, and how to maintain the stability of spiritual energy within the fixed space.

Specific details regarding spell construction are not available.

The image disappeared.

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

Spatial shaping spell.

This is completely different from the principle of storage artifacts. Storage artifacts construct an independent miniature space within the artifact itself, and the stability of the space is maintained by the structure and patterns of the artifact. Space-shaping spells, on the other hand, directly delineate an area in the void, using magical power to replace physical structure to maintain stability.

The former depends on materials, while the latter depends on cultivation level.

Theoretically, if spatial shaping magic is mastered to its fullest extent, it can create space in the void far exceeding the capacity of any storage artifact. The cost is an extremely high level of proficiency in spatial magic and a very high amount of spiritual power.

Li Yuan finished his practice and left the secluded room.

In a side hall of the main hall, Ji Wenyuan was reviewing patrol records.

Upon seeing Li Yuan enter, he immediately put down the documents and stood up.

"Master, I have a few things to report."

Li Yuan sat down in the main seat and gestured for him to speak.

Ji Wenyuan opened the record in his hand.

"Firstly, the warning array around the market has recorded the presence of demonic cultivators three times in the past three days. All three times, they swept past the outer edge of the market without penetrating or lingering nearby. The strongest aura reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, while the other two were weaker, probably around the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"Secondly, Senior Chen Yi sent a message." Ji Wenyuan's expression became more serious. "He said that several demonic cultivators have recently appeared in the Qinghe Market area, active in the vicinity. They didn't try to conceal their aura, making it obvious that they could be seen. Senior Chen Yi judged that they were here to gather information and didn't seem to have any malicious intent for the time being, but he couldn't rule out further actions later."

Li Yuan nodded, indicating that he understood.

"The third thing," Ji Wenyuan lowered his voice, "Two days ago, two unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivators entered the market, claiming to be merchants. They bought some common refining materials from several shops. But the patrol team noticed that these two kept asking about one thing while they were shopping."

"What is it?"

"A masked demonic cultivator," Ji Wenyuan said. "They asked several shopkeepers if they had seen a masked demonic cultivator in the late Golden Core stage recently, wearing a wide black-gray robe and wielding spatial magic. The questions were casual, as if they were just chatting, but the details were so specific that it didn't seem like a casual remark."

"The patrol team made a note of the incident as usual, without alerting the two men. After buying their goods, the two left the market and headed northeast."

Li Yuan held his teacup without saying a word.

"Continue to handle it as usual." Li Yuan put down his teacup. "Make a file on any suspicious persons, do not make contact with them, and do not drive them away."

Ji Wenyuan agreed.

Just as I was about to leave, a series of steady footsteps came from outside the main hall.

Ji Wenyuan turned to look at the doorway, his expression changing slightly.

A middle-aged cultivator dressed in the deep blue robes of the Tianyue Sect entered the main hall. His aura was profound and unfathomable, indicating he was in the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Xuanpu Zhenren.

Li Yuan stood up.

Xuanpu entered the main hall alone, without any attendants. His gaze swept around the room before finally settling on Li Yuan.

"Fellow Daoist Li." Xuanpu cupped his hands in greeting, a faint smile on his face, but his eyes remained calm.

"Master Xuanpu," Li Yuan returned the greeting, "Please sit."

Ji Wenyuan tactfully withdrew and closed the door behind him.

The two took their seats as host and guest, respectively.

Xuanpu didn't beat around the bush.

"After Fellow Daoist Li broke through to the Golden Core stage, the Tianyue Sect has been looking for an opportunity to formally meet with you. We only had a brief meeting at the Dry Bone Ridge last time and didn't have time for a detailed chat."

Li Yuan held his teacup, waiting for him to continue.

"I've come to ask you something," Xuanpu said, looking at Li Yuan with a calm but earnest tone. "Would Fellow Daoist Li be interested in joining the Tianyue Sect and serving as its honorific?"

"The treatment of those who offer their services goes without saying. The resources that Tianyue Sect provides for those who offer their services to Golden Core cultivators are among the best in Liangzhou and even in the surrounding states. Spirit stones, pills, cultivation techniques, and spiritual materials—as long as the sect has them, the offerings can be received monthly."

"Of course, as a worshipper, one must also contribute at crucial moments."

Li Yuan put down his teacup.

"I appreciate Master Xuanpu's kindness. However, I am still a retainer of the Yuanyang Sect, and this relationship has not yet been severed."

Xuanpu nodded, his expression unchanged, as if he had expected this answer.

"Fellow Daoist Li is a man of his word, a quality that the Tianyue Sect greatly admires." Xuanpu's tone remained calm. "However, there is one thing I think Fellow Daoist Li should know."

"The gates of the Yuanyang Sect have been surrounded."

Li Yuan's hand holding the teacup did not pause.

"Seven or eight Golden Core cultivators from various factions have gathered outside the Yuan Yang Sect's mountain gate."

Xuanpu's gaze fell on Li Yuan's face, as if observing his reaction.

Li Yuan remained silent for a moment.

He already knew the general outline of the matter from Ji Wenyuan, but Xuanpu provided more complete details. The fact that they were surrounding the group without attacking indicated that the various factions still had reservations and didn't want to break ties with the Yuanyang Sect. However, these reservations had their limits; if Zhou Mingyuan continued to remain silent, the situation would inevitably worsen sooner or later.

"Thank you for informing me, Master Xuanpu," Li Yuan said.

Xuanpu stood up, paused at the door, and did not turn around.

"Fellow Daoist Li, the gates of the Tianyue Sect are always open for you. There's no rush regarding the placement of the offering; we'll discuss it once you've made up your mind."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and left.

The beam of light swept across the sky above the market and disappeared in the northwest direction.

Li Yuan sat in the main hall, holding a teacup that had gone cold, his gaze fixed on the darkening sky outside the door.

The conditions are indeed very favorable. Tianyue Sect is a Nascent Soul sect, and its resources and foundation are far superior to those of Yuanyang Sect.

However, joining a sect means being bound by its rules.

Li Yuan placed the teacup back on the table, got up, and walked back to his secluded room.