Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

When they emerged from the mine, the sunlight outside was surprisingly dazzling.

Master Zhou, however, had no intention of stopping.

Since the mine is not a node of the grand formation, it means that what is truly connected to the entire mountain range is still outside.

He held the array plate and slowly began to circle around Black Stone Slope.

Qu Bo didn't urge him, but only told He Shou to lead his men to spread out and look around along the foot of the slope and the pile of rubble, so as not to miss any traces.

When Li Yuan circled around to a shady crevice in the rocks, he suddenly heard Master Zhou call out from not far away.

"Over here."

The crowd quickly gathered around.

It was a shallow pit, its surface covered with grayish-brown gravel, looking no different from the surrounding area. But after Master Zhou used a short ruler to remove a layer of soil, a small piece of dark red ore was revealed underneath, less than the size of a palm, its surface warm and smooth, faintly glowing with a hint of fire.

Yuyang Stone.

"It's this again." Uncle Qu looked at the stone, his gaze becoming more intense.

"This is no coincidence." Master Zhou squatted down to examine it.

The more he looked, the more interested he became.

"I see."

Qu Bo asked, "What did you figure out?"

Master Zhou pointed to the patterns on the ground.

"I couldn't see it before, but this time I have a reference point, so I can see it more clearly."

"This is the same as the previous small formation; it's a formation for attracting and raising demonic beasts."

"But unlike the previous one, these last few strokes were altered by someone else. The technique was a bit rough, but the nature of the formation is the same. After the modification, it became a formation to drive away demonic beasts."

Qu Bo's expression changed slightly.

"Drive away the monsters?"

Master Zhou stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and said, "The array marks we found earlier are mostly of the same type. If the main array is still connected, it's almost certainly the same."

As soon as he said that, the expressions of the people around him changed.

Previously, I only felt that the monsters in the vicinity were acting strangely.

Now that the formation is right in front of me, I'm almost able to figure out what's wrong with it.

Qu Bo remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Then it's not an accident."

Master Zhou looked up into the deeper forest.

The mountains there rose one after another, growing darker the further in you went. He had already roughly discerned the direction of the main formation, and now, with the addition of these smaller formations, the path became even clearer.

"I need to explore further," Master Zhou suddenly said. "Since the smaller formation has been modified this way, the main formation is most likely inside. If we explore a little further, we might be able to find the true core of the formation."

Qu Bo shook his head directly.

"no."

"The activity of second-tier demonic beasts has decreased significantly compared to before, almost to the point of non-existence." Master Zhou frowned. "Going in now, we might not actually run into one."

"Less, not gone." Qu Bo's tone was calm, but his words were firm. "If we go any further in, who knows what we'll encounter? If you wanted to check the formation, I'll go with you until we see it. Now we're certain that someone has tampered with things in the mountains, and that's enough."

Master Zhou was clearly unwilling to accept this.

"Just for a short while."

"Even halfway is not an option." Uncle Qu stood motionless, holding the lantern. "If there are still second-tier demonic beasts or other things hidden inside, I can't protect you. Go back to the market, take the news back, and let the family elders decide for themselves."

In the end, Master Zhou suppressed that thought, looked down and examined the remaining fragments of the array on the ground again, as if trying to memorize them, before finally putting away the short ruler and the array plate together.

"Let's go."

The group regrouped and turned back along the mountain path they had come from.

Black Slope and the abandoned mine were quickly left behind, and the sky gradually darkened. By the time they emerged from the valley, the shadows of the market town walls in the distance were already visible in the twilight.

Once inside the market, there were still quite a few people gathered by the city gate, and there was a lot of discussion around the tea stalls near the gate.

One of the rogue cultivators took a sip of spiritual tea and chatted with the others.

"Has he truly achieved the Golden Core stage?"

"It's done. They say he's the grandson of the elder of the Yuanyang Sect's Pill Hall, and he just broke through his cultivation a couple of days ago."

"It's not surprising that a place like Yuanyang Sect can get people promoted by throwing resources at them."

"How could that be? It also depends on one's own aptitude, talent, comprehension, and luck. Do you think it's so easy to achieve the Golden Core stage?"

The speaker put the teacup on the table and lowered his voice.

"If you ask me, it's actually easier for demonic beasts to break through to the third tier. As long as their bloodline is sufficient and they have enough resources, it's fine."

The person opposite him scoffed.

"Is it different for people? Look at those disciples of sects, those with better aptitude climb the ranks much more easily than independent cultivators. In the end, it still comes down to whether you have enough aptitude."

Someone else chimed in.

"There's no point in talking about this; it has nothing to do with us anyway."

They all chuckled twice, their voices tinged with self-deprecation.

Li Yuan didn't stop walking; he simply walked past from the side.

Golden Core or even the third rank are both far beyond his reach. Right now, the most practical thing to do is to gradually accumulate what he has.

By the time I got back to my lodgings, it was completely dark.

Once the door is closed, most of the noise outside is immediately shut out.

On the table were the blue-patterned paper and spirit ink bought a few days ago, with Master Lu's notebook lying beside it, the open page showing how to draw a fireball talisman. He knew the fireball spell and was familiar with the technique, but putting it into practice on talisman paper was a different story.

Li Yuan took the Flame Serpent Tube that he had already removed and placed it on the table, then re-equipped himself with the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique.

Then they lit the lamp, ground the ink, and laid out the paper.

The blue-patterned paper was spread out on the table. Its color was lighter than that of ordinary yellow paper. The edges were pressed with fine lines, and it felt tough to the touch. It was indeed more resistant to fire-type spiritual energy than the previous talisman paper.

Li Yuan held the pen, not in a hurry to write.

The drawing method in Master Lu's notes is not complicated, but the key points are clearly explained. The fireball talisman is not simply a copy of the fireball spell; the key is the ring of fire-gathering patterns in the middle. If the fire is too scattered, the talisman will not be formed; if it is too concentrated, the paper will burn first.

With a flick of his wrist, the tip of the fine brush was instantly tinged with a pale red.

The first stroke went smoothly.

The second flame had just turned halfway when the edge of the paper suddenly curled up, and a wisp of white smoke gently rose from it.

obsolete.

Li Yuan picked up the talisman, tossed it aside, and then picked up a second one.

This time, the strokes were more steady, and there were no problems at the beginning. But when I got to the center of the talisman, I pressed down the spiritual energy slightly, and the fire pattern on the paper suddenly lit up, burning out a black hole the size of a sesame seed.

Two scraps of paper soon appeared on the table.

The third one barely made it to the end.

Just as the fire patterns were about to connect, the brush tip made a final pause, and the last bit of fire at the heart of the talisman was not locked in, causing the entire talisman paper to split in the middle, with the edges charred and brittle.

The room was very quiet.

All that remained was the scratching sound of the pen tip scraping across the paper and the soft thud of scrap paper being tossed onto the corner of the table.

Li Yuan continued drawing, one picture after another.

Sometimes, if the fire-gathering pattern is even slightly off, the talisman is ruined. Sometimes, the spiritual energy is unevenly distributed, resulting in inconsistent brightness on the paper, and the fire dissipates before it can even take shape. The most troublesome step is the last one. If the previous ninety percent are correct, but the final breath isn't controlled properly, all previous efforts are wasted.

Knowing magic is not the same as knowing how to make talismans.

The success or failure of forming a fireball in one's hand is but a fleeting moment. Drawing a talisman and the flow of spiritual energy within the body are not entirely the same, and that fleeting moment must be broken down slowly, stroke by stroke, onto the paper, where to press hard and where to lighten, even the slightest deviation will not suffice.

By midnight, a small stack of waste paper had piled up by the lamp.

A faint smell of burning filled the air.

Li Yuan put down his pen, shook his aching fingers, and picked it up again.

carry on.

This time it was slower than before.

As the pen tip pressed down, spiritual energy was also sent in little by little. The first few strokes spread out fire patterns, while the middle circle of fire-gathering patterns tightened up, as if gathering a scattered fire little by little towards the center.

The paper began to heat up.

As he finished, Li Yuan paused slightly with his fingers.

The next moment, the fire patterns on the paper suddenly flared up and then quickly dimmed.

It still didn't work out.

One night passed.

The next day, as soon as it was light, Li Yuan sat back down at the table.

The morning light streamed in through the window, casting a pale, almost white glow on the remaining stack of blue-patterned paper on the table. The marks of last night's failures were still visible; a few charred scraps of paper lay on the floor, making the scene look rather disheveled.

Li Yuan ignored those things and simply picked up his brush and dipped it in ink.

The first one was still missing the last bit of strength.

When I started writing the second piece, my hand was much steadyer than it had been the night before.

The first few fire patterns flowed smoothly, with fewer pauses in the turns of the brush. When he reached the center of the talisman, Li Yuan slightly withdrew the spiritual energy at his fingertips, suppressing the fiery intent that had originally wanted to surge outwards. The fire flowed along the talisman patterns on the paper, finally settling steadily in the center.

The pen tip is lifted.

The pale red runes on the paper first lit up, then slowly sank down, but did not dissipate.

The entire talisman lay quietly on the table, its edges intact and its core unbroken. After a moment, a very faint glow shone through the patterns, then vanished again.

It became.

Li Yuan paused for a moment before picking up the talisman.

It felt a bit warm when I first got it.

It's a bit heavier than a cleansing talisman or an exorcising talisman. The talisman paper seems to contain a small ball of fire, waiting to be released when spiritual energy touches it.

The next instant, the familiar panel appeared.

[Equipable item detected: Fireball Rune]

[Entry Preview: Fire Spell Speed ​​Boost (White) - Increases casting speed when casting fire spells]

[Preview of Permanentization Requirements: Cultivate a fire-based martial art and reach the beginner level]

[Equipped?]

Li Yuan slightly raised his eyelids.

For white entries, the conditions for permanentization are relatively simple.

Let's get a simple one first, and then we'll get this entry sorted out.

Li Yuan carefully put away the talismans and spirit ink on the table, then placed the newly made fireball talisman into his sleeve pocket before leaving the room.

The market was much brighter during the day than it was last night.

Li Yuan went straight to the Sutra Repository.

The guard on the first floor was already familiar with Li Yuan. He glanced at the waist tag briefly and spoke as usual.

"Look around on the second floor, choose what you like and bring it to register."

Li Yuan responded and went upstairs.

Cultivators have amazing memories; they remember several fire-based cultivation techniques here, even though they haven't read the descriptions.

There are no entries for these basic techniques.

Crimson Fire Technique, 10 contribution points, not much.

The name is ordinary, and the content is ordinary too.

It's a very basic fire-based cultivation technique, not very advanced, but straightforward to learn, unlike the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique which is more convoluted. It's perfect for beginners.

The other fire-based techniques didn't quite meet his needs.

Li Yuan then turned to the spells section, and while he was at it, he picked out a fire spell. Li Yuan already had a target in mind, called Fire Escape Technique, which was worth twenty-two contribution points.

Li Yuan had heard people mention this spell before. It could be used for traveling and escaping, but it was slow to start, requiring one to first use spiritual power to spread a fire under one's feet or beside one's body.

But now that I have an extra Fire Mage skill, I might be able to make up for this weakness.

The current situation is not optimistic, so learning a fire-style technique for self-defense is not a bad thing.

Furthermore, when I was searching for spells here before, I found that the Fire Release technique had an entry for it.

[Equipable item detected]

[Item Attribute Level: White]

【Note:……】

Li Yuan also drew out his Fire Release technique and took it downstairs.

The deacon took the two books, looked at them, made a note in the register, and then handed the books back.

Li Yuan took the book, put it in his pocket, and turned to leave the Sutra Repository.

First, learn the basics of fire-based techniques, then see just how fast this new term can be achieved.