Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The array master surnamed Zhou squatted in front of the cloth in the middle of the streambed, connecting the last few lines with a charcoal pencil, then stood up and looked around the valley.

"Judging from the connection between the nodes of these small arrays, the direction of the spiritual energy pulse is roughly northeast."

He pointed to a narrow gap in the mountain wall deep in the valley.

"The core of the great formation, or rather, the true main formation eye, should be deeper inside. I plan to continue in this direction to at least confirm the approximate location of the main formation eye."

Wang Yuan remained silent for a few moments after hearing this.

"Senior Zhou, if we go any further in, we'll be deep into the mountains, outside the area we've already patrolled."

The formation master surnamed Zhou turned around and glanced at Wang Yuan.

"I understand your concerns. But just looking at the outer small array nodes can only determine the general structure. To truly understand what this array is for, we need to find the main array eye."

Wang Yuan shook his head.

"We're short-handed today. If we go in and run into trouble, it won't be easy to get out."

"I will report back to my family and arrange for more people to go in next time."

The formation master surnamed Zhou put the cloth away, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his sleeve, his tone showing no dissatisfaction.

"Fine, you decide."

"But since we're already here, I'd like to take another look around the outer perimeter. I reckon there are still some traces of formations that you haven't discovered yet."

He glanced at everyone present.

"You guides, split into small teams and explore outwards along the routes I've marked out, to see if you've missed any markings or nodes."

He took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve and unfolded it again. The formation master surnamed Zhou quickly drew several lines on it with a charcoal pencil and pointed them out to everyone.

"You don't need to go too far. Just follow the streambed for about a mile or two on each side. Focus on the bottom of the rock walls and the backs of large rocks, as these are the easiest places to overlook."

"I'll lead a few people to explore a short distance to the northeast, without entering the breach, just circling around it. If we encounter any danger, we'll retreat immediately and regroup here."

Wang Yuan nodded and looked at the two cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining.

"You two follow Senior Zhou."

The two responded and walked to the formation master's side.

Wang Yuan then divided the remaining guides into simple groups, with Li Yuan and Fang He assigned to a route on the west side of the streambed.

The monk known as Qu Bo was with Wang Yuan.

After the people dispersed, the valley quickly became quiet.

Fang He followed Li Yuan westward along the streambed for a while, and when the others disappeared from sight, he plopped down on a rock.

"What array formations? I looked at everything I needed to see last time I came. There's nothing I haven't discovered."

Fang He leaned against the stone wall with his arms crossed, kicking the pebbles on the ground with his toes.

"We're just running errands for that Senior Zhou anyway. If he wants to see it, he can go see it himself. Why send people out like this? Even though we've been clearing out monsters lately, what if we run into one?"

Li Yuan stood by the streambed and glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby.

"Then let's take a break."

Fang He raised an eyebrow. It was rare to hear Li Yuan say something like that. Without thinking much about it, he leaned closer to the rock, grabbed the water pouch from his waist, and took a swig.

"You sit down too."

"I'll walk a bit further ahead and take a look around."

"Whatever you want." Fang He waved his hand.

Li Yuan turned around and walked a dozen steps along the streambed, rounding a bend and completely cutting off Fang He's view.

Then he changed direction and quickly walked towards the location of the jade yang stone.

It's not far; you only need to go around half the route to get there.

The stone remained the same as before, with only the size of a human head protruding from the ground, embedded in rubble and soil, and there were no signs of it being disturbed.

Li Yuan squatted down and first used his hands to clear away the rubble and loose soil around the stone, revealing more of the stone surface.

The deeper you dig, the larger the rock becomes.

Beneath the topsoil lies a layer of compacted gravel, and below that, even harder clay mixed with loose stones. Li Yuan channeled his spiritual energy, his fingers digging into the soil, breaking apart the stones one by one and pushing them aside.

As the excavation deepened, the side of the stone gradually came into view. The warm, white texture extended downwards, with no bottom in sight. The curve of the side was smooth and rounded. The stone was much larger than the exposed part.

Li Yuan stopped, brushed the dirt off his hands, and pressed his palms back onto the stone surface.

The panel appears.

[Equipable item detected: Spirit-Containing Jade Yang Stone]

[Entry Preview: Flame Marrow Body (Green) - Effect 1: Enhances the wearer's fire magic power, with the increase varying according to the number of fire magic spells practiced, ranging from a minimum of 10% to a maximum of 50%. Effect 2: When consuming demon beast meat, the residual demonic power within the meat can be converted into qi and blood to nourish the body's meridians and gradually transform the body, making it more adaptable to fire-based spiritual power.]

[Permanentization Requirements: Consume 50 catties of low-grade Tier 1 or higher monster meat; the higher the quality, the less meat is required (0/50); Learn five fire-type spells (1/5) (Both requirements must be met)]

[Current equipment slot is full (3/3). Replace current equipment?]

Green entry. Two effects, two conditions for persistence.

This seems more like two separate entries than one.

Li Yuan stared at the panel for a few moments, then wrote down the information one by one.

Monster meat isn't hard to get; fifty catties isn't a lot, and you can buy plenty of it on the market.

Fire spells are a problem. I currently only know one spell, Fireball, and I'm still missing four.

Li Yuan selected the Iron Ox Technique on the panel, unequipped it, and then inserted the Spirit-Nourishing Jade Yang Stone into the empty third equipment slot.

There was no noticeable change the moment the equipment was applied, unlike the surge of spiritual energy when the cultivation technique entered the body. I only felt a slight warmth in my body, which then stabilized, almost imperceptible.

The small rock that had been exposed in front of them vanished instantly, and the soil in front of them collapsed, creating a large pit.

Li Yuan remained expressionless and filled the area with the surrounding withered branches, fallen leaves, gravel, and loose soil.

They roughly pushed the rubble and soil back. A complete restoration was impossible, but the stone was inconspicuous to begin with; the array master had already stated in front of everyone that it was a useless rock and no one would bother to turn it over.

Even if you find it, you won't know it was you who did it. You don't have a storage bag on you, and you can't move such a big rock.

He withdrew his hand, stood up, and brushed the mud off his sleeves.

When they circled back along the same route, Fang He was still leaning against the stone wall. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head, saw that it was Li Yuan, and then turned back.

The two waited for about half a day, and then footsteps came from the northeast of the stream bed. The array master led his people back from a distance.

The groups gradually converged at the previous meeting point.

The array master's expression was neither satisfied nor disappointed. He took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve, added a few more strokes, and then rolled it up and put it away.

"We've basically seen everything on the outside; the rest we'll have to go deeper in to find the answers."

He glanced at Wang Yuan.

"That's all for today. I'll put together my preliminary assessment later."

Wang Yuan bowed and thanked them, then told everyone to pack their things and prepare to return home.

The descent was easier than the ascent, and the group moved much faster.

As dusk fell, the procession returned to the east gate of the market and dispersed.

Fang He and Li Yuan parted ways at the north alley entrance, and Fang He patted Li Yuan on the shoulder before leaving.

"Just come back to me about leather making. I'll write down the steps for you first, and then you can come back to me to learn after you've read them."

"OK."

Li Yuan returned to his residence, bolted the door, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Don't rush to test the power of experimental terms; focus on cultivation first.

The Spirit Guiding Technique is activated, and spiritual energy gathers and enters the body.

The phrase "all rivers flow into the sea" seamlessly connects the spiritual energy flow of the two cultivation methods, allowing Li Yuan to enter the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique's cycle of energy circulation.

The mastery of the Spirit Guiding Technique laid a solid foundation for Li Yuan's meridians, and the two techniques overlapped in their approach to meridian development.

After a full cycle, Li Yuan's brows relaxed slightly.

The obstruction in the flow of spiritual energy through the meridians lessened further; there was no longer a need to consciously guide the flow of each branch, as the spiritual energy found its own smoothest path.

[Technique: Hundred Meridians Return to Origin Technique - Proficient (0/200)]