Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 536 Marked Echoes

On his way back to Liangzhou from the western border of Jingzhou, Li Yuan maintained a steady speed of flight and continuously activated the Soul Condensation and Consciousness Control Technique.

The cultivation of the third-tier mid-grade soul technique has become a fixed daily routine. The core of the proficiency stage lies in the degree of integration of soul power into the soul lines. After each soul line transforms from a pure spiritual power structure into a composite structure interwoven with spiritual power and soul power, it is necessary to further improve the density and depth of the interweaving.

As the light swept across a rolling hilly area, the density of the interweaving within the fourteenth line of divine consciousness broke through a critical point.

It wasn't a breakthrough on just one line, but rather the simultaneous completion of the final layer of reinforcement on all fourteen lines.

Immediately afterwards, a tremor occurred deep within his consciousness.

He is proficient in the Soul Condensation and Consciousness Control Technique.

The number of spiritual lines has increased from fourteen to fifteen.

Li Yuan slowed down his escape speed and sensed the changes.

Fifteen lines of divine sense unfolded simultaneously, significantly improving both coverage and detection accuracy.

He withdrew his spiritual connection and continued on his journey.

It was already evening when we returned to Wulinfang City.

Ji Wenyuan waited in the main hall, where a stack of documents was piled on the table.

"Master, there are a few things that have piled up and need to be dealt with recently."

Li Yuan sat down and began to look through the documents one by one.

The registration of the first batch of independent cultivators to move into the northern new district has been completed, and the spiritual material shops and general stores have begun normal operations. Construction of the central and southern districts is complete, and the first batch of Tianyue Sect disciples stationed there have arrived. The flow of customers at Lingxi Ferry continues to grow, and the average daily transaction volume has surpassed that of Qinghe Market since the day before yesterday.

There are also new developments at the Mingyuan Chamber of Commerce. After the teleportation array became operational, the freight costs from Jingfang City to Tianyue City dropped significantly, and the Chamber of Commerce's cargo turnover efficiency improved considerably. Although the guild leader still has concerns about controlling the teleportation array, the short-term profit increase has temporarily put aside his dissatisfaction.

"What's the progress of the expansion of Qinghefang Market?"

"Progressing as planned, the second phase is expected to be completed in another two months."

Li Yuan nodded and finished processing the documents that needed to be signed.

"Have you heard about the Nascent Soul Ceremony?"

"I've heard about it," Ji Wenyuan said. "Recently, several surrounding markets have been saying that many independent cultivators have already headed towards the Tianyue Mountains."

"I'll go there too. Keep an eye on things at the market; contact me using the communication token if there's anything urgent."

"clear."

The next morning, Li Yuan sorted out a batch of gifts.

The Nascent Soul Ceremony was a major event for the Tianyue Sect, and those attending as honored guests were required to present gifts. Li Yuan chose several third-tier pills that he had refined himself as gifts; the quality was not low, but not overly flashy.

It transformed into a beam of light and flew towards the Tianyue Mountains.

Cultivators arriving from all directions converged into several distinct flight paths near the Tianyue Mountains. The spiritual energy fluctuations of their escape lights ranged from the early Foundation Establishment stage to the mid-Golden Core stage, and many of them were cultivators who had come from even further away.

Li Yuan landed on the outskirts of Tianyuefang City.

The market was several times more crowded than the last time I visited. The streets were packed with people, and long queues formed in front of shops selling spiritual materials and pills. With the influx of a large number of outside cultivators, the market's trading volume surged, and temporary open-air trading areas stretched from the south gate of the market all the way to the open space on the outskirts.

Li Yuan did not linger in the market. He took out the invitation jade tablet and flew towards the core area of ​​the Tianyue Mountains.

After crossing the outer peaks of the Tianyue Mountains, the aura of the formation suddenly intensified.

The perception of the array's celestial pivot operates automatically.

There are three layers of formations in total, overlapping each other, making them completely impenetrable.

Please activate the Jade Token in front of the isolation array, and the spiritual energy barrier will automatically make way for a passage.

After passing through the isolation barrier, the view suddenly opened up.

At the foot of the main peak of the Tianyue Mountains, a huge platform area has been cleared out as a viewing area. The platform is semi-circular, facing the main peak, and can accommodate hundreds of cultivators at the same time. The platform is surrounded by array patterns, and the light of spiritual energy circulation flows slowly across the ground.

A large number of monks were already present.

Golden Core cultivators occupied the front row of the platform, while Foundation Establishment cultivators were in the back row and on the sides. A quick glance revealed that there were no fewer than thirty Golden Core cultivators present, and hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Li Yuan landed at the edge of the platform and handed the gift to the Tianyue Sect disciple in charge of receiving him.

"Li Yuan, a retainer of the Tianyue Sect, has come to observe the ceremony."

After verifying Li Yuan's formalities, the receiving disciple respectfully led the way and arranged for him to sit in a position on the left side of the front row.

After settling down, Li Yuan closed his eyes and began to activate his senses.

There were a total of five Nascent Soul auras.

The first aura of a Nascent Soul level cultivator emanated from the direction of the main peak, deep and profound, like a bottomless abyss. It was the Sect Master of Tianyue Sect, the one who had broken through. His aura was mixed with extremely dense spiritual energy fluctuations, drawing spiritual power from the earth's veins at a steady rhythm.

A second Nascent Soul level aura emanated from a guardian platform on the right side of the main peak, ancient yet sharp. It belonged to a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Kunpeng Alliance.

The third aura made Li Yuan's brow twitch slightly.

At the far right edge of the viewing platform, a cultivator dressed in a dark gray robe stood silently. His aura was extremely restrained; ordinary divine sense could not detect the depth of his cultivation.

The leader of the Yuan Sect.

Li Yuan's gaze swept across that direction without lingering.

The fourth Nascent Soul level aura was high up behind the platform, originating from a slightly eastward direction, carrying a spiritual energy characteristic unfamiliar to Li Yuan. The fifth aura, from cultivators in other states, was even further away, on a mountain peak on the outskirts of the Tianyue Mountains. Its aura was extremely indistinct, as if it had deliberately suppressed most of its fluctuations. It was likely also from cultivators in other states.

Li Yuan withdrew his senses and his expression returned to normal.

After sitting for about an incense stick's time, a streak of light swept in from the direction of the main peak and landed beside Li Yuan.

Xuanpu Zhenren.

"Fellow Daoist Li has arrived." Xuanpu sat down with a smile on his face. "The entire sect is very satisfied with the teleportation array. Zhao Heng praised it highly after his return."

Li Yuan glanced in the direction of the main peak, "The sect leader of Yuan Sect has also arrived."

Xuanpu's smile remained unchanged.

"As expected."

"Aren't you worried about problems arising from publicly breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

Xuanpu turned his gaze to the defensive formation in the direction of the main peak and remained silent for a moment.

"I am worried. But making a public breakthrough is the best option."

"How so?"

"Firstly, breaking through is far more difficult than imagined," Xuanpu said, but did not explain.

"Secondly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is currently weak, and the spiritual veins suitable for breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage are all in conspicuous locations." Xuanpu's tone became heavy. "The Tianyue Mountain Range sits on a large spiritual vein, but this is the largest spiritual vein we can find right now. Even if you break through secretly, the violent fluctuations of the spiritual energy in the vein during the breakthrough process can be sensed within a radius of hundreds of miles, and you can't hide it from anyone. Rather than sneaking around and being ambushed, it's better to come openly and honestly."

Li Yuan didn't interrupt and continued listening.

"Thirdly, the decline in spiritual energy is intensifying. Waiting will only make things more difficult, and delaying is pointless. Fourthly, by inviting many like-minded individuals to the scene, the presence of multiple Nascent Soul cultivators will create a balance of power. Even if the Sect Master of Yuan Sect wanted to take action, he would have to consider the attitudes of the other Nascent Soul cultivators present. If he were to disrupt things in full view of everyone, it would be tantamount to declaring war on all the forces present."

Li Yuan remained silent for a few moments.

The reasoning isn't perfect. Having multiple Nascent Soul cultivators present can certainly create pressure, but if the Yuan Sect Master is truly determined to sabotage things, the other Nascent Soul cultivators present might not fight desperately to stop him. After all, the Tianyue Sect Master's breakthrough to the Divine Transformation realm isn't entirely a good thing for other forces.

"Understood." Li Yuan nodded.

Xuanpu patted him on the shoulder, got up and left to handle other matters.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan traveled back and forth between the viewing platform and Tianyue Market.

Outside of the ceremony, there was communication and trading.

A large number of cultivators poured into the Tianyue Mountains, bringing news and supplies from various places. During a break from the ceremony, Li Yuan spoke with several Golden Core cultivators from other states and learned a great deal.

In terms of magical exchange, Li Yuan exchanged ideas with several Golden Core cultivators who were quite skilled in array formations. Their array formation systems differed considerably from those of the Tianyue Sect and his own, and some of the unique array pattern variations and material processing techniques from other states were worth learning from.

Li Yuan wrote down the valuable information one by one.

The Tianyue Market was extremely active during the ceremony.

A large number of out-of-state cultivators brought spiritual materials, elixirs, and magical artifacts that were not commonly found locally, making the variety of items traded far more diverse than usual.

Li Yuan circled the temporary trading area of ​​the market twice, and his gaze fell on a stall in a corner.

The stall owner was a mature-looking late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, displaying several miscellaneous items. Among them, a fist-sized, grayish-white ore caught Li Yuan's attention.

The ore looked ordinary, but when Li Yuan approached, he sensed blue-grade spiritual energy fluctuations within a three-foot radius.

"Where did this stone come from?"

The stall owner glanced at it and said, "I don't know what it is. If you're interested, it'll cost thirty mid-grade spirit stones."

Li Yuan took the spirit stone and picked up the ore.

The panel pops up the moment your finger touches the surface of the ore.

[Equipable item detected: Ling Shu Ore (Natural)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Spiritual Pivot Insight (Blue)]

[Effect: Significantly improves the accuracy of perception of the grade of a spiritual vein and the gradient of spiritual energy concentration; increases the efficiency of spiritual energy absorption by 50% when within the range of a spiritual vein]

[Preview of Permanentization Conditions: Cultivate for a total of seven days in each of three different graded spiritual veins (0/3)]

Blue entries.

Li Yuan stored the ore in his personal space without immediately equipping it. There were still empty slots in his equipment inventory, but the condition for making the Spiritual Pivot Insight permanent was to cultivate within the range of different grades of spiritual veins, so there was no rush.

Back in the viewing area, continue watching the ceremony.

>