Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Before dawn, several people were already standing outside the market.

When Li Yuan arrived, Master Zhou was looking down at a palm-sized array plate. Uncle Qu was carrying a lantern, the flame flickering slightly in the morning breeze, and several guards were beside him.

He Shou was among them, and when he saw Li Yuan coming over, he only raised his chin slightly.

"Everyone's here, let's go."

Before arriving, Li Yuan had removed the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique and replaced it with a warning talisman.

There were no changes when it came to the equipment, and Li Yuan guessed that it would probably only react when there was danger.

Li Yuan had considered removing the Spirit-Nourishing Jade Yang Stone and keeping it at home.

But this thing can increase the power of fire spells by more than 10%, which can be useful in real danger.

Furthermore, if such a large stone were left inside the house, it would be difficult to explain if someone found it, although the possibility of that is unlikely.

In contrast, the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique focuses more on cultivation and has less direct improvement on combat.

The group left the market as dawn was just breaking.

The mountain path was still the same, but this time they traveled faster than before. Having scouted the area twice, Li Yuan had a pretty good idea of ​​which sections were flat and which were likely to hide monsters.

When they reached the valley entrance, Master Zhou slowed down.

We didn't encounter any trouble along the way.

The woodland in front had been cleared several times, and even the common small animals were much fewer. Occasionally, broken branches and blackened bloodstains could be seen, mostly left over from previous clearing operations.

We soon arrived at the cliff.

On the rocky surface at the edge of the cliff, one can still vaguely see the old soil that had been blown away. That was the place where the formation marks were last discovered, and after several days of wind, it was almost covered by dust again.

Master Zhou squatted down, looked at it for a moment, and then gently tapped the stone surface twice.

"Not here."

After he finished speaking, he got up and changed direction.

Li Yuan followed beside him and glanced at the panel.

[Hazard Perception (Gray) Permanentization Progress: 0/3]

It didn't move at all. This thing really isn't something that can be counted just because you've passed by a mountain road.

Li Yuan withdrew his gaze and continued forward.

He checked two more locations, but Master Zhou only glanced at each one before shaking his head and moving on. When he reached a slope of rubble, he suddenly stopped, holding the array plate and turning halfway around in place.

The fine needles on the array plate trembled a few times from side to side, and finally veered to the north.

It was a shady hillside, sparsely vegetated, with more exposed stones, and they were a darker color than elsewhere.

Master Zhou narrowed his eyes.

"Is there an old pit to the north?"

Upon hearing this, He Shouxian was taken aback.

"An old pit?"

Qu Bo thought for a moment and then continued, "Yes, there's an abandoned mine shaft below Black Stone Slope that's been sealed off for many years. The guards mentioned it once, saying there wasn't much inside and it wasn't very auspicious, so no one went there after that."

Master Zhou pointed his finger at the array plate.

"That's right. Hollows are the easiest places to connect with the earth. If someone uses the terrain to set up an array, that place is most likely a key point."

He finished speaking and walked away.

"Let's go take a look."

Black Stone Slope is not far away.

After the group rounded two stone beams, the terrain ahead became noticeably shady. The sun had already risen, but its rays seemed to be partially blocked when they reached this area, and the ground was much damper than elsewhere.

After walking another hundred steps or so, Li Yuan stopped.

[Hazard Perception (Gray) Permanentization Progress: 0/3]

Although the danger perception panel value didn't change, it was flashing at this moment.

Li Yuan looked up and gazed ahead.

The mine shaft wasn't fully exposed yet; only a half-collapsed wooden frame could be seen at the base of the mountain wall, with a few blackened pillars leaning precariously. The entrance was mostly buried under rubble, leaving only a narrow crevice that allowed one to stoop and enter.

A cold wind was blowing out from inside.

There's something inside.

Master Zhou didn't turn around, but simply handed the array plate forward. This time, the fine needle trembled even more violently than before, its tip pointing straight into the hole.

"The yin energy is quite strong," said Master Zhou. "Everyone, be careful."

Qu Bo raised the lamp a little higher.

Two guardsmen stepped forward, one on each side, and first pushed aside several loose rocks blocking the cave entrance. The rocks rolled down, hitting the inner rock wall with several muffled thuds that echoed for a long time.

It's colder inside the mine than outside.

As soon as the group bent down to go inside, the lamplight flickered inexplicably, the flame shrinking into a small ball, casting distorted shadows of the surrounding wooden pillars.

"Let me set up a formation first."

Master Zhou did not rush in. He first chose a slightly wider spot in the mine to stop. The spot was not far from the entrance. The rock walls on the left and right bulged outwards, and a relatively flat area was recessed in the middle, with damp gravel underfoot.

"The Yin energy here is scattered and disordered, and the earth's energy has also been disturbed. Let's suppress this section first." Master Zhou raised his hand and pointed to the dark mine tunnel ahead. "Otherwise, if we go any further in, the array plate will easily be led astray."

Upon hearing this, the crowd dispersed and took cover around the area.

Only then did Master Zhou take things out of his storage bag.

Six small black flags, each half a foot long, with worn edges. Several array cones resembling copper nails, a handful of grayish-white stone powder, a few low-grade spirit stones, and a palm-sized array plate.

He first squatted down, tapped the ground a few times with his knuckles, and then slowly moved the array plate close to the ground. After the fine needles trembled a few times, he finally settled on the first position at his feet, nailed the array cone into the crack in the stone, and then pressed a small flag on top.

The moment the flag touched the ground, the surrounding chilling aura seemed to be stopped, and the previously raging cold wind paused.

Once the flag positions were determined, the formation master Zhou grabbed a handful of grayish-white stone powder and slowly sprinkled it in a circle between the formation flags.

The stone dust fell to the ground, leaving behind fine lines. At first, they were messy, but he quickly smoothed them out with his toes and a short ruler, connecting them into several winding patterns. There were also a few small openings between the patterns, which were just enough to hold the spirit stones.

As the last few spirit stones were pressed in, the gray lines on the ground lit up slightly, then quickly dimmed again.

The lights stabilized immediately.

The feeling of being pressed inward by the cold wind when I first entered the cave has faded considerably.

"This is for locking in Yin energy, and also for probing the pulse." Master Zhou stood up, squinting at the array plate. "If it's truly connected to array nodes, the earth energy inside will definitely be different from other places. I need to calibrate it bit by bit; it's not enough to just plant a flag and call it a day."

He Shou, accompanied by two guards, stood watch on the outer side, while Li Yuan and two others stood towards the inner side. The sound of dripping water filled the mine, and occasionally, loose rocks would tumble down from the depths, crashing against the rock walls with echoing sounds.

Li Yuan stood slightly behind, his hand never leaving his sleeve.

As time passed, the panel, which had just been flashing, finally began to change.

[Hazard Perception (Gray) Permanentization Progress: 1/3]

As expected, progress only begins in truly dangerous areas.

Zhou Zhen, the mage, was not fast at setting up formations.

In areas where the earth's energy was imbalanced, he had to pull out the array flags and re-insert them. In some places, the yin energy was too heavy; the stone powder that had just been sprinkled turned black in the blink of an eye, and he had to replace the wires. If the fine needles on the array plate were even slightly off-center, he would have to walk around that area and then come back to adjust the flag positions.

Three full hours passed before Master Zhou finally let out a slow breath and raised his hand to retrieve the array plate.

"Alright."

Almost at the same moment he stopped, the panel in front of Li Yuan suddenly jumped.

The conditions for permanentizing hazard perception (gray) have been met. Permanentize?

Li Yuan confirmed it with a thought.

[Permanent entry added: Danger Perception (grayed)]

The warning symbol in his equipment slot was empty, so Li Yuan didn't rush to equip it.

The group tightened their formation again and continued deeper into the mine tunnel.

Li Yuan walked towards the back, checking the spirit disc from time to time, but there was no response.

A very faint chill suddenly emanated from my body, but it quickly disappeared.

The group had only gone less than ten paces when Qu Bo slowed down, seemingly noticing something, but made no move.

The lights at the very front suddenly tilted, and the yin energy intensified abruptly.

A grayish-white shadow slid down the cave wall.

There were no footsteps, no whooshing sound; in a flash, they were right in front of the foremost guard. It was a blurry beast face, half of which was sunken in as if it had been soaked in water, with two eerie green lights shining from its empty eye sockets.

The guard's pupils constricted sharply, and he immediately took a step back, startled as he unleashed a burst of spiritual energy.

It's a ghost, and a powerful one at that.

The ghost in front of them was struck by this spiritual power, and it only swayed slightly, its form becoming somewhat blurred.

Li Yuan's fingers tightened suddenly, and his feet moved first.

At the same time, immediately equip yourself with a talisman to ward off evil.

The moment the equipment slot lit up, the spiritual energy flowing through Li Yuan's meridians trembled violently.

The surface of the originally warm, flowing spiritual energy now has a very thin layer of coolness, barely perceptible.

Li Yuan continued moving, his spiritual energy surging through his meridians.

Without building up a fireball, Li Yuan flicked his wrist and launched the Fire Arrow Technique, which he had only recently mastered.

A streak of crimson light almost grazed the side of the guard's ear, so fast that it was reduced to a thin, straight line of fire.

laugh.

The fiery arrow struck the ghost squarely in the chest.

The grayish-white shadow was jolted violently by the blow, as if an invisible membrane had been pierced by a needle. Its entire body twisted instantly, and it emitted a sharp hiss.

The sound was so loud it made your eardrums tingle.

The other guards also began to act, sending countless beams of spiritual light towards the Yin spirit.

Qu Bo and Zhou Zhenfa stood still.

Li Yuan didn't stop.

The first strike was merely a fleeting moment; the next attack would be the real killing blow. Flames suddenly expanded from his palm, and a crimson fireball was hurled forth.

With a loud bang, a wave of fire surged through the narrow mine tunnel.

The ghost was already unsteady from being struck by several spells, and had no chance to dodge this attack, being hit head-on by a fireball. Its grayish-white body sizzled as if scalded with hot oil, white smoke rising from its edges, and its eerie green eyes flashed intensely before shattering into a chaotic mass of ghostly energy.

As the flames died down, only a burnt, acrid smell remained in the mine.

The guard in front staggered back two steps, his forehead already covered in a layer of cold sweat.

Qu Bo glanced at Li Yuan with a hint of admiration.

"Quickly enough."

Then he looked at the other guards.

"The reaction was alright, but the attack was a bit hasty. Fire and lightning magic are more effective against ghosts."

"And don't rely on the spirit-detecting disc for everything. The spirit-detecting disc is for detecting spiritual energy, and it has nothing to do with ghosts."

Master Zhou also turned around, his gaze sweeping over the remaining embers in Li Yuan's palm.

"Your fire magic is quite good," he said. "These kinds of spirits are afraid of strong fire; one hit will be enough to make him suffer."

Li Yuan didn't respond to that. It wasn't just the fire-based magic; the exorcism talisman allowed his spiritual power to inflict damage on the spirits, and this damage was also reflected in the magic.

[The conditions for making the talisman (grey) permanent have been met. Would you like to make it permanent?]

[Permanent entry added: Ward off evil (gray)]

This trip wasn't a waste of time; both grayed-out entries have been permanently added.

Uncle Qu held up the lantern and shone it forward; his expression was not good.

"A mid-grade, first-tier Yin spirit."

"These things are rare outside; they're actually easier to cultivate in places like mines."

Master Zhou walked to the spot where the vengeful spirits had dissipated, squatted down, and glanced at the ground. The black water there was thicker than the surrounding area, and a few grayish fragments were embedded in the cracks in the rocks, whether bone fragments or mineral sand, it was unclear.

"Something's definitely not right here," he said, standing up. "Those few array marks outside are mostly just the edges. The real connection to the earth's veins should be inside this mine."

"It's not the eye of the main formation, but it's still a crucial point."