Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 514 Pill Gathering

The Danhui (a religious gathering) will be held in the main hall in the center of Baijingfang City.

The main hall was over ten zhang in circumference, with a soaring dome and walls inlaid with spirit-gathering array patterns. In the very center of the hall stood a huge circular stone table, its surface covered with a layer of spiritual energy isolation array patterns to prevent interference between the elixirs. Around the table were seven stone chairs, each with a shallow recess the size of a tray in front of it, used to place displayed elixirs.

When Li Yuan arrived, four people were already seated.

Sitting directly opposite the entrance was a gaunt old man with a long, gray beard that reached his chest. He wore a faded blue robe, and his aura was restrained yet profound, indicating he was in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. In front of him, a jade bottle was placed in a shallow trough, its mouth sealed with a spiritual energy restriction, from which a faint medicinal fragrance wafted.

To the right of the old man sat a middle-aged cultivator in his forties, with a square face, wearing the dark blue robe of the Tianyue Sect, but without the sect's insignia on his chest, only a flame-shaped bronze badge unique to alchemists. The Tianyue Sect's external alchemists were not part of the sect's official staff.

Next to him was a thin, dark-skinned male cultivator, not very old, around thirty years old, with tanned skin and the distinctive salty, fishy smell of cultivators from the sea. Two blue porcelain bottles sat in a shallow trough in front of him.

The last one was an elderly cultivator with white hair, slightly plump, and ruddy complexion. He was leisurely sipping a cup of tea. His aura was steady, indicating he was in the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

When Li Yuan entered the main hall, all four of them looked at him at the same time.

The old man in gray spoke first: "Another one has arrived. Please have a seat."

Li Yuan sat down in the empty seat and nodded.

After waiting a while longer, the last two alchemists arrived one after the other. One was a Golden Core cultivator from an island in the sea, who had already reached the threshold of the third-tier alchemy level at a young age, but judging from her aura, her cultivation was still shallow. The other was a taciturn middle-aged female cultivator, whose spiritual energy fluctuations were stable, indicating that she was in the mid-Golden Core stage.

All seven people arrived.

The manager of Baijingfang Market came forward and gave a brief introduction.

The gray-robed elder was named Meng Yangzi, a rogue cultivator from Yangzhou, a mid-grade third-tier alchemist, specializing in Qi-restoring pills. He was quite famous among rogue cultivators.

The Tianyue Sect's external alchemist is named He Xiu, who specializes in auxiliary elixirs.

The dark-skinned, thin male cultivator was named He Jiu, an alchemist from the Kunpeng Alliance, specializing in water-based pills.

The white-haired, plump old cultivator was named Lu Dao. He was a veteran rogue cultivator in the waters and had extremely rich experience in alchemy.

The other two were a young alchemist from a small sect in Jingzhou and the silent female cultivator.

After the steward finished his introduction, he left the main hall and closed the door.

Meng Yangzi put down his teacup and looked around.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin. As usual, each of you should bring out your best pills and have each other evaluate them."

He looked at Li Yuan and the young alchemist, and added, "If this is your first time attending such an alchemy gathering, please don't be shy. Appreciation is not about ranking, it's just an exchange."

The tasting session begins.

Meng Yangzi opened the jade bottle in front of him first, pouring out a dark red pill. Faint golden patterns flowed on the surface of the pill, and its fragrance was rich but not pungent, with extremely smooth spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Rejuvenation Pill, mid-grade, third rank." Meng Yangzi placed the pill in the shallow trough. "A recovery pill; after taking it, it can restore 60% of a Golden Core cultivator's spiritual power within half an hour."

The people present all extended their divine senses to perceive the quality of the pills.

The quality is extremely high. The golden patterns on the surface of the pill are a sign of highly condensed spiritual energy, making it a top-grade product among mid-grade third-tier recovery pills.

He Xiu nodded and took out his pill. It was a round, pale blue pill with a smooth, jade-like surface.

"Nourishing Essence Auxiliary Pill, Grade 3, Low Quality. It assists Golden Core cultivators in consolidating their realm, and long-term use can slightly improve the refinement of spiritual energy."

The other cultivators each displayed their own pills, which were of average quality.

It was Li Yuan's turn.

Li Yuan took out a white jade bottle from his personal space, opened the cap, and poured a pill into a shallow trough.

Tianyuan Dan.

The pill was a pale gold color, with extremely fine spiritual patterns flowing on its surface, and its spiritual energy fluctuations were deep and long-lasting. The fragrance of the medicine emanated from the surface of the pill, neither too strong nor too weak, but with extremely strong penetrating power, almost instantly spreading throughout the entire area of ​​the stone table the moment the pill was placed down.

The spiritual energy isolation array on the stone table automatically activated, confining the fragrance of the Heavenly Origin Pill to the shallow groove in front of Li Yuan.

Several divine senses probed over at the same time.

Meng Yangzi's gaze fell on the Tianyuan Pill and lingered for several breaths without looking away.

After a moment of silence, Meng Yangzi spoke.

"Heavenly Origin Pill. A low-grade, third-tier pill, used for daily cultivation to break through to the Golden Core stage." His tone was calm, but his speech was a beat slower than before. "The formula isn't rare, but the quality of this pill—"

He paused for a moment.

"I've been refining pills for over forty years, and I've seen many low-grade third-tier Heavenly Origin Pills, but this is the first time I've seen one of this quality."

The combined effects of the three permanent green attributes—harmonious medicinal essence, profound understanding of alchemical principles, and refined alchemical fire—operate simultaneously during the refining process, elevating the quality of the Heavenly Origin Pill to a level far exceeding that of a normal low-grade third-tier alchemist. The spiritual patterns that flow spontaneously on the pill's surface are a direct manifestation of its exceptionally high quality; this phenomenon is impossible for ordinary low-grade third-tier pills.

After the tasting session, everyone discussed their respective pills. Topics covered included formula improvement, material replacement, and control of the alchemical fire. Li Yuan didn't say much, occasionally answering a few questions, but mostly listened.

My proficiency in alchemy is constantly increasing, but I still need to practice and digest the techniques.

After the formal proceedings of the meeting concluded, everyone gradually dispersed.

He Xiu and He Jiu left together, seemingly heading to the trade fair. Lu Dao strolled away slowly, carrying his teacup. The young alchemist and the female cultivator also took their leave.

Just as Li Yuan was about to get up, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

Meng Yangzi stood behind him, a smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Li, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Can we chat for a few minutes?"

The two sat down in a side hall of the main hall.

Meng Yangzi poured himself a cup of tea and then poured one for Li Yuan.

"That Heavenly Origin Pill of yours is not of a quality that a normal third-level alchemist could refine," Meng Yangzi said bluntly. "Either your understanding of alchemy far surpasses the beginner level, or you have some special auxiliary means. Neither is important; in short, your talent for alchemy is not low."

Li Yuan neither denied nor explained.

Meng Yangzi didn't mind and changed the subject.

"Where is Fellow Daoist Li from?"

"Liangzhou".

"Liangzhou." Meng Yangzi nodded. "I'm from Yangzhou. Yangzhou is just west of Yunzhou. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Li has heard of it."

I've heard some of it.

"The situation in Yangzhou is much more complicated than in Liangzhou," Meng Yangzi said casually, holding his teacup. "Originally, they were two states, but later, due to geological changes, they merged into one large continent. The area has increased, but the situation has also become chaotic. There are three medium-sized forces at the Golden Core level within the continent, who are at odds with each other and none of them can defeat the others. Most of the cultivators in Yangzhou are neither righteous nor demonic. They have dealt with the Fiend Demon Sect quite a bit before, but there is very little legitimate inter-state interaction."

"The situation is even more chaotic further away. Further west from Yangzhou, there is a Nascent Soul sect. The sect leader has only been a Nascent Soul cultivator for thirty years and is only at the early Nascent Soul stage, but he is quite ambitious and has been constantly expanding. He is much more active than the Tianyue Sect."

Li Yuan wrote down this information.

Meng Yangzi took a sip of tea and looked at Li Yuan.

"Besides alchemy, does Fellow Daoist Li have any other skills?"

"Formation."

Meng Yangzi's eyes lit up.

"A formation master? What level?"

"Third tier".

Meng Yangzi put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.

"That's perfect," he said. "I have something I'd like to ask Fellow Daoist Li for help with."

"My residence in Yangzhou requires a complete alchemy array system. It's an array to assist in alchemy, controlling the temperature of the alchemical fire..."

The method involves stabilizing the supply of spiritual energy and increasing the success rate of pill condensation. The array masters in Yangzhou are of limited skill, and they haven't been able to find suitable people to set it up.

"If Fellow Daoist Li is willing to make a trip to Yangzhou, the reward is negotiable."

Li Yuan thought about it.

Setting up an alchemy array system wasn't too difficult for me. With my mastery of the third-tier array formation, coupled with the assistance of permanent attributes like array rhythm and array principle glimmer, designing a complete alchemy array presented no technical obstacles. Moreover, a trip to Yangzhou would allow me to learn about the situation in the west, which would be beneficial for expanding my information network.

"Okay," Li Yuan said. "When?"

"No rush. I'll go back to Yangzhou to prepare the materials after the Pill Gathering. Just send me a message whenever you're available, Fellow Daoist Li." Meng Yangzi took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it over. Inside was the method for making the array.

Li Yuan accepted it.

The two chatted for a while longer.

Meng Yangzi mentioned a kind of elixir.

"Fellow Daoist Li, have you heard of the Rejuvenating Infant Pill?"

"no."

"A top-grade third-tier pill, said to have been created by an ancient Nascent Soul cultivator." Meng Yangzi's tone was tinged with emotion. "The pill's effect is to increase the success rate of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. This thing has been circulating in the rogue cultivator circle for countless years, and almost every Golden Core rogue cultivator aspiring to form a Nascent Soul knows of its existence."

"But no one has been able to successfully refine it."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

Meng Yangzi shook his head.

"There are two core difficulties. First, the pill formula requires extremely high precision in controlling spiritual energy. How high? In the original text, it is called 'perfect.' What does 'perfect' mean? Nobody knows. Anyway, in the past few hundred years, no fewer than dozens of alchemists have tried, and not one of them has succeeded."

"Secondly, the ingredients," Meng Yangzi sighed. "The formula contains several ancient spiritual herbs, which require extremely high concentrations of spiritual energy in their growing environment. Nowadays, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is far less abundant than in ancient times. Most of these ancient spiritual herbs are either extinct or lack sufficient spiritual energy, resulting in a significant reduction in their medicinal efficacy. Even if we find them, their quality will not meet the requirements of the formula."

"Are you also researching this kind of pill, fellow Daoist?" Li Yuan asked.

"I wouldn't call it research," Meng Yangzi smiled. "But since I've spent my whole life refining pills, I always want to see where the ceiling is."

The Rejuvenating Infant Pill is the pinnacle of third-tier alchemy. Whether it can be successfully refined is another matter; at least we should know where the difficulty lies.

Li Yuan nodded slightly. Perfect control of spiritual power was more than enough for him to create a top-grade golden core, but the materials were the real limitation.

Voices could be heard coming from outside the side hall; the trade fair had begun.

The two got up and walked out of the side hall.

Dozens of trading tables had been set up in the plaza outside the main hall, and Golden Core cultivators and merchant caravans carrying large quantities of pills entered one after another. The pill tasting session of the pill gathering had attracted many Golden Core cultivators to watch, and now that the tasting was over, these people naturally moved on to the trading session.

Li Yuan took a stroll around the trade fair.

He traded several second-tier pills and some spiritual materials with a few Golden Core cultivators, receiving some third-tier auxiliary materials and rare spiritual materials that he needed. The prices were slightly lower than in the market shops, and the direct trade between Golden Core cultivators eliminated the middleman's markup.

Unfortunately, no items with special attributes appeared.

In the latter half of the transaction, a gray-robed cultivator walked up to Li Yuan.

He was in the early stages of the Golden Core realm, and although his aura wasn't particularly strong, it was calm and experienced. He had the appearance of someone in his forties, with a short mustache on his chin.

It seems to be the Golden Core stage of the Qishui Sect, but Li Yuan has only been exposed to the Foundation Establishment stage of the Qishui Sect, and it's possible that he has also cultivated similar techniques.

The Demonic Sect suffered repeated setbacks, and the Qishui Sect seized the opportunity to counterattack, occupying a small piece of territory in Yunzhou.

"Is this fellow Daoist the one who brought out the Heavenly Origin Pill at the tasting event just now? According to Meng Yangzi, your alchemy skills are quite impressive," the gray-robed cultivator said, cupping his hands in greeting.

.

Li Yuan nodded.

"I have a request." The gray-robed cultivator took out a jade slip and a spirit jade box from his storage bag.

"This is a third-tier pill formula and the corresponding materials. I spent several years collecting the materials, but my own pill-refining skills are not good enough to refine third-tier pills."

"I would like to entrust you with the refining of this item. I will provide all the materials; the refining fee will be calculated separately. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Li Yuan took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

The pill formula is of the lower-middle grade of the third rank, named Qingyuan Pill. The process is not too complicated, but there are a few details that require careful control of the pill fire temperature. With my current level of third-rank pill refining beginner skill, plus the assistance of the attribute system, I have a success rate of over 70%.

"Okay." Li Yuan returned the jade slip. "Keep the materials; deliver the pills tomorrow."

The gray-robed cultivator readily nodded in agreement and handed over the spirit jade box.

Li Yuan packed his things, left the trade fair, and returned to the inn.

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