Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 513 First Visit to White Mirror Market

Baijingfang Market is much larger than when I last visited.

When Li Yuan's escape light landed outside the south gate of the market, he immediately noticed the changes. Two rows of stone buildings had been newly built on both sides of the south gate, with signs for various businesses hanging on the facades, and several shops were already open for business.

As you walk through the market gate and along the main street, the changes become even more apparent.

More than a dozen new shops have sprung up on the vacant lots on both sides of the main street, selling spiritual materials, elixirs, and even a business specializing in the repair of magical artifacts. Several side alleys have also been widened, and new zoning signs have been added to the signs at the entrances of the alleys.

The faces in the crowd had also changed. In addition to local independent cultivators and caravans, Li Yuan noticed that many cultivators were dressed in a distinctly maritime style, with wide-sleeved short robes and seashell ornaments tied around their waists.

The effects of the teleportation array.

Besides the cultivators from Shuizhou, there were also some cultivators dressed in grayish-blue robes among the crowd. The dark red emblem on the chest of their robes had faded considerably, but the style was still recognizable.

Disciple of Yuanyang Sect.

Fang Yue had said that after the Yuan Yang Sect was besieged, many disciples were intercepted and killed by the Sha Mo Sect when they went out. However, some disciples managed to escape the blockade and scattered to various markets in Liangzhou. Bai Jing Market was one of the largest markets in Liangzhou, so it naturally became a place for these scattered disciples to stay.

Li Yuan walked to the registration desk in the market.

The registration office was located in a stone house inside the south gate, where two Foundation Establishment cultivators were in charge of reception. Li Yuan introduced himself and registered to check in under the name of the head of Qinghe Market.

The cultivator in charge of registration was a young man in his thirties, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and his attitude was respectful. After verifying Li Yuan's identity token, he filled out the forms while saying, "Master Li, are you here to attend the Pill Gathering? Recently, quite a few Golden Core seniors have registered, most of them are here for the Pill Gathering."

"Um.

""

The young cultivator handed over the document and had Li Yuan press his spiritual power mark on it. At the same time, he continued, "The situation in Liangzhou has changed quite a bit recently. There are about 30 to 40% more cultivators coming to Baijing Market than usual."

Li Yuan took the registration certificate, nodded, and didn't talk much.

The inn we stayed at was located in the middle of the market town; it was a three-story stone building under the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce. The rooms were spacious and equipped with spirit-gathering arrays, so the concentration of spiritual energy was quite good.

Shortly after I put my things away, there was a knock on the door.

The door opened, and the president of the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce was standing there.

The guild master, dressed in a dark gray brocade robe, looked more rosy-cheeked than when they last met, suggesting his business had been doing well lately. Upon seeing Li Yuan open the door, he immediately cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Master Li, I heard you've arrived, so I came to pay you a visit."

"Come in and sit down."

The two sat down at the stone table in the room.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the president quickly turned to business.

"Regarding the Pill Gathering, the Chamber of Commerce has already sent a reply confirming Master Li's eligibility to participate." The Chamber President took out a jade token from his storage bag and handed it over. "This is the participation certificate. The Pill Gathering will begin the day after tomorrow morning in the main hall in the center of the market."

Li Yuan accepted the jade tablet.

The guild leader hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Master Li, there's something I've been wanting to ask. When we delivered the invitation last time, our guild members mentioned that you seemed quite interested in the Pill Refining Conference. I was wondering if you, Master Li, also refine pills yourself?"

"Third-tier alchemist".

The president's expression changed.

He paused for a moment, then a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in his eyes.

"A third-tier alchemist?" The guild leader's voice rose slightly before lowering it again. "Master Li is not only an array master, but also a third-tier alchemist?"

"Beginner level," Li Yuan said.

The president opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just shook his head with a sigh.

"No wonder Master Li is interested in the alchemy gathering. Third-level alchemists are few and far between in the entire Liangzhou. Master Li's abilities are becoming more and more unfathomable."

After exchanging pleasantries, the president brought up another matter.

"I want to set up a teleportation array."

"A teleportation array?"

The guild leader nodded. "If we could build a teleportation array between Baijing and Tianyue Market, the trade routes between the two would be completely opened up. Goods, people, and information could flow in real time. Plus, with the cultivators from Shuizhou, Li Yuan from Baijing Market is much stronger."

He looked at Li Yuan.

"The construction of the teleportation array requires extremely high expertise in array formations and a large amount of scarce materials. The Chamber of Commerce can find a way to provide the materials, but the array formation is much more difficult than the one we set up in Yuanyang Market last time. The Chamber of Commerce previously worked with the Yuanyang Sect to set it up. Could you, Master Li, give it a try?"

Teleportation array.

Li Yuan thought about it.

I already understand the construction principles of teleportation arrays, and I have the comprehension for repair. However, repairing and building from scratch are two different things. The core nodes of a teleportation array involve high-level array patterns with spatial attributes, requiring extremely high levels of mastery of array principles and spatial magic. With my current level of minor mastery of third-tier array principles, I barely meet the threshold, but I don't have complete confidence.

"It's possible, but not in the short term," Li Yuan said. "I'm familiar with the array pattern structure of teleportation arrays, but building one from scratch requires a higher level of array mastery. We can try once my array mastery level improves further."

The president nodded and did not ask any further questions.

"No rush, this is a long-term plan. Once Master Li is ready, just let the Chamber of Commerce know. I'll start preparing the materials in advance."

After the president took his leave, Li Yuan changed into casual clothes, left the inn, and began to stroll through the market.

The supply of goods in Baijing Market is much richer than that in Wulin Market and Qinghe Market. The supply of goods from Shuizhou brought by the teleportation array has greatly increased the variety of spiritual materials in the market, and many rare materials that are hard to buy in Liangzhou can be found here.

Li Yuan first went to the spiritual materials area.

In a shop specializing in minerals and spiritual materials, I found a jade blank with spiritual patterns.

The jade blank was about the size of a palm, with a light blue color throughout, and the spiritual patterns inside were clearly visible. The quality wasn't top-notch, but the patterns were very regular, making it suitable for making a third-order array plate.

The creation of array plates is a product of the comprehensive application of the three skills of array making, talisman making, and artifact making. My current level of array plate making is only at the beginner stage. The quality of this jade blank with spirit patterns is just right for practice. The regular patterns mean that the error rate is relatively high, and it is not easy to make mistakes when carving array patterns on it.

Li Yuan bought it for forty mid-grade spirit stones.

Afterwards, I visited several shops selling medicinal materials and purchased several sets of auxiliary materials needed for third-tier alchemy. I brought enough of the main ingredient for the Heavenly Origin Pill myself, but there were several auxiliary materials that were not easy to find in the Misty Forest Market and the Green River Market. The White Mirror Market had a sufficient supply, and the prices were lower than expected.

When Li Yuan reached the general merchandise area on the west side of the market, he stopped.

In an inconspicuous little shop in the general store area, a pile of miscellaneous old items were displayed on a wooden shelf. Broken magical artifacts, worn jade pendants, and spirit stones with missing corners were mostly low-priced goods that independent cultivators couldn't get rid of, and they were just piled together haphazardly.

In the corner of the wooden frame, a square spiritual artifact the size of a fist was half-buried under a pile of broken jade pieces.

The artifact was dark gray all over, and its surface looked plain and unremarkable, like a rough stone that had been polished.

Green entries.

In a very hidden location on the surface of the magical artifact, there is a set of extremely fine lines. The engraving of the lines is almost integrated with the texture of the artifact's material itself, and it is completely invisible unless one actively examines it.

The restrictive patterns of the Xuanyou Sect.

At the same time, Li Yuan scanned the surface of the spiritual artifact with his divine sense and discovered an extremely faint aura. This aura was not engraved on the artifact, but added later, as if someone had placed an extra tracking mark on it.

Tracking marker.

Someone has tampered with this magical artifact. Anyone who has been in contact with it for a certain period of time will be marked with a trace of tracking information. The intensity of the mark is extremely low, making it almost impossible for ordinary cultivators to detect.

Li Yuan didn't make a sound. He picked up the magical artifact, turned it over and looked at it a few times, then turned to the shopkeeper and casually asked about the price.

The shopkeeper quoted a price of five mid-grade spirit stones.

Li Yuan paid with spirit stones and held the spirit weapon in his palm.

A panel pops up.

[Equipable item detected: Mystic Dark Pattern Artifact (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Trace of Insight (Green)]

[Effect: Increases the ability to distinguish various auras by 50%, and can enhance or conceal one's own aura by up to 30%]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Successfully identified and cleared seven different spiritual tracking markers (0/7)]

Li Yuan stored the magical artifact in his personal space, and at the same time, a faint aura mark appeared on his body.

After leaving the shop, Li Yuan continued walking along the street in the general merchandise area, his expression unchanged.

The tracking markers were extremely faint, and removing them wouldn't be difficult with his current abilities. But Li Yuan wasn't in a hurry to remove them.

A magical artifact engraved with the patterns of the Xuan You Sect appeared in a general store in Bai Jing Fang City, and it also came with additional tracking methods.

Before leaving Qinghefang Market, the shop owner surnamed Fang inquired about the remnants and artifacts of the ancient sect from many people.

Whether there is a connection between these two events is currently difficult to determine. However, one thing is certain: someone is making a fuss about the relics of ancient sects. The purpose of tracking the markers is either to track people who have come into contact with the relics or to track the whereabouts of the relics themselves.

Li Yuan kept this clue in mind and refrained from taking any further action for the time being.

The meeting starts the day after tomorrow, so let's get everything ready first.

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