Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Instead of returning to his residence, Li Yuan went to the wasteland outside the market.

I still had the Fire Release technique manual on me, so I equipped it as I went.

The next moment, a long, unfamiliar yet clear operating path flooded into my mind.

The Fire Release Technique is different from the Fireball Technique and Fire Arrow Technique. Instead of shooting the fire outwards, it first spreads the fire underfoot and then uses the explosive force to rush forward.

Which meridian should be activated first, which acupoint should be activated next, and even how much spiritual energy should be applied to the soles of the feet—all of this was crammed in.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and digested the information for a moment.

A night breeze blew, causing the hem of her clothes to sway slightly, and spiritual energy flowed down her leg meridians.

laugh.

A streak of fire flashed across the ground, and Li Yuan suddenly lunged forward, covering more than three zhang in the blink of an eye, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

Li Yuan stumbled and stopped abruptly, his shoe leaving a half-foot-long black mark on the ground.

The momentum wasn't slow.

It was a little faster than he had estimated.

Li Yuan turned around and tried twice more.

The third attempt was much smoother. When the fire exploded from beneath my feet, the momentum was more concentrated, unlike the somewhat scattered attack at the beginning. The "Rapid Fire Release" attribute also took effect, significantly reducing the original problem of the Fire Release technique's slow start-up.

Another forward surge.

With a quick, low sweep across the ground, Li Yuan was practically propelled by a wave of heat, arriving at the courtyard gate in the blink of an eye.

[Spell: Fire Release Technique - Beginner (0/200)]

Li Yuan exhaled, stopped practicing, and instead raised his right hand, flipping his palm to quickly condense a fireball.

This time, the fireball formed much faster.

As soon as the spiritual energy rose, the fire element slid out along the meridians. The ball of fire in the palm of the hand moved almost without delay, and its color became more accurate, a bright red.

Li Yuan flicked his wrist, and the fireball slammed into a rock about half a person's height.

A muffled thud.

The stone exploded, scattering rubble everywhere.

Li Yuan walked over and took a look.

More powerful

He then pointed to another point, and the fire arrow spell flew out of his hand, pointing at another stone.

The fire wire was thin and fast, barely emerging from between the fingers before it was embedded in the stone, leaving a charred hole.

Fireball Technique, Fire Arrow Technique, plus the basic Fire Release Technique.

The three fire-based spells, combined with the enhancement of the Flame Marrow Body, were slightly more powerful than before. If calculated using the same amount of spiritual energy, the increase was nearly 20%.

……

The next morning, before dawn, Li Yuan arrived at the guard team's camp.

Upon entering, a cacophony of smells assaulted the senses: the stench of blood, herbs, the smoky aroma of cooking fires, and the charred fragrance of roasted monster hides and flesh—all mingled together.

Some were binding their leg armor, some were sharpening their knives, and others were carrying the monster carcasses that hadn't been divided up the night before. The sound of chopping bones echoed through the air, crisp and clear.

He Shouzhen stood in the courtyard, looking down at a roster, and only looked up when he heard footsteps.

"They're here."

Li Yuan handed over the waist tag.

He Shou took a look and laughed.

"You actually got transferred here." He tossed the wooden sign back. "Perfect, saves me from bringing in a greenhorn again."

Li Yuan caught the waist tag and asked, "Am I on your team?"

"Okay, let's put him as deputy captain for now. The title is temporary, but the work is not." He Shouchao raised his chin in the courtyard. "We'll be running around outside these next few days. Don't even think about resting inside the walls."

He rolled up the roster as he walked, talking as he went.

"The guard team is usually divided into several squads: gatekeepers, demon hunters, patrollers, and escorts. But when things get busy, this division doesn't work. Basically, they fill in wherever is busy."

"Things will be easier once the person arrives in a few days."

He Shou paused for a moment, then turned to look at Li Yuan again.

"But until then, things will continue as usual."

While the two were talking, the rest of the team arrived one after another.

Li Yuan had met most of them before; they weren't exactly familiar, but they weren't strangers either. The guard team was less disciplined than the patrol team, but more efficient. Once everyone was present, they prepared to leave.

He Shou simply counted the people: six.

"Today, we'll stick to the southeast line. First, clear the foot of the slope, then check the streams, and take out the two snares we set yesterday. If we run into a tough opponent, don't linger; call for backup first."

The group responded and turned to leave.

Outside the market, the wind was stronger than inside the city.

Li Yuan took the spirit-detecting disc and walked around for a while. He then noticed fluctuations in spiritual energy and raised his hand to signal it.

There was movement down the slope.

From a patch of waist-high withered grass, a few low burrowing sounds came first, followed by two black-backed boars emerging. They were both quite large, with stiff bristles and tusks sticking out at an angle. The one in front had a layer of grayish-black keratin bulging on its back, indicating it was at least a mid-grade first-tier boar.

They were originally bowing their heads and digging in the soil, but when they looked up and saw people, two puffs of white air immediately came out of their nostrils.

He Shou lowered his voice: "Take down the smaller one on the left first, Li Yuan and I will handle the larger one."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the large boar charged straight at him.

The ground trembled slightly from being stepped on.

Li Yuan raised his hand and fired a fire arrow.

laugh.

The streak of fire swept straight towards the boar's left eye. The boar jerked its head to the side, and the fire arrow missed its eye socket, but still grazed its cheek, leaving a charred, bloody mark.

It jerked its head away in pain, and its momentum immediately veered off course.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, He Shou approached from the side, slashing a wind blade at Li Yuan's front leg joint. The boar pushed off with its hind legs, stubbornly arching forward, the wind blade leaving a mark on its back, and its tusks aimed at Li Yuan's waist and abdomen.

A burst of fire erupted beneath Li Yuan's feet, and he instantly shifted sideways.

Once the Fire Release technique was activated, the three-zhang distance was covered in an instant.

Li Yuan circled around to the boar's diagonal rear, the ball of fire already formed in his palm. Compared to the past few days, this fireball spell took shape faster; the fire was already compressed into a ball as soon as his spiritual energy was raised.

boom!

The fireball slammed squarely into the ribs of the boar.

The smell of burning flesh mingled with the sound of flesh exploding. The boar was knocked sideways and rolled a short distance away, with a black crater the size of a bowl exploding in its ribs.

He Shou paused, turned around, and glanced at him.

"Your fire magic has become even more powerful."

Li Yuan didn't reply, but raised his hand and fired another fire arrow.

This time, Huo Xian went straight into the boar's open mouth.

The boar's body stiffened abruptly, its four hooves kicked wildly twice, and then it collapsed completely.

The smaller one didn't last long either. Just as it tried to escape up the slope, it was caught by two guards and knocked to the ground with a sword and a spear.

The battle ended quickly.

The crowd went forward to collect the body. He Shou squatted down, glanced at the one with the largest head, pressed the edge of the ruptured wound, and clicked his tongue.

He Shou stood up and clapped his hands.

"Take them back. Sell the furs if you can, and divide the meat if you can. Today's a good start."

Instead of rushing back to the market, the group swept around the stream again.

Along the way, they encountered two low-grade first-tier demonic beasts, one with a fire arrow piercing its throat and the other running into He Shou's blade, but neither caused much of a commotion. By the time the sun was higher, the six of them were dragging three carnivorous beasts behind them, along with some worthless scraps.

When we returned to the guard post, the courtyard was even more lively than in the morning.

A wooden cart had just been pushed in, with half a skinned monster leg lying across the side of it. A makeshift stove had been set up in the corner, with a black pot on it and a fire burning brightly underneath. Two burly cooks were busy at work, one chopping bones and the other flipping the pot, their movements swift and efficient.

The pot was bubbling and steaming, clearly indicating that meat was being stewed inside.

Li Yuan paused in his steps.

Surprisingly, the guard team even has people who prepare monster meat.

He Shou followed his gaze and chuckled.

"What's so strange about that? The guards are out and about every day, and the monsters they hunt down can't be sold cleanly. They just need to eat some of the monster meat to replenish their energy."

He Shouchao raised his chin towards the kitchen shed.

"His cooking skills are pretty good. He knows how to chop bones and bleed them, and he also uses some cheap herbs to remove the fishy smell. Sometimes his stews are even more fragrant than those from restaurants in the market."

"However, there are few varieties; basically, it's just stewing and roasting."

Just then, the cook next to him lifted the pot lid, and a hot, spicy aroma of meat wafted out, mixed with the scent of demonic beast blood, making it incredibly enticing.

"Many kinds of monster meat can't be cooked until tender. You have to use spiritual power to break down the internal structure of the meat before it can be cooked until tender, and you can't destroy its original shape. At least I don't know how to do that," He Shou said as he divided the meat.

The meat was divided quickly. Valuable materials were removed first and could be registered and sold to the guard team, or they could find their own channels to sell them. The remaining edible parts were divided into batches according to the rules.

Li Yuan was quite generous today, receiving a significantly larger share of the meat than his teammates.

He Shou threw a large piece of freshly cut pork ribs into a wooden plate and pushed it to him.

"your."

Li Yuan caught it; it was quite heavy, weighing at least seven or eight jin. Most of the materials from the demon beasts would be sold, but there was still a lot left to eat.

Thanks.

"No need to thank me, I typed it myself."

After He Shou finished speaking, he turned around and went to cut other ingredients.

Li Yuan didn't bring the meat back to his residence; he left half for the cook to put in the pot.

The guards came and went, and two rows of rough wooden tables were set up by the kitchen shed. They ate before going back to work, which was clean and efficient.

Before long, a large bowl of stewed meat was placed in front of Li Yuan.

The meat chunks weren't cut very neatly, the broth was reddish with a thin layer of oil on the surface, and some herbs were added to mask any fishy smell and enhance the flavor. Li Yuan picked up a piece and put it in his mouth; the first thing that hit him was the heat, followed by the aroma of the meat.

The meat of the demon beast was much firmer than ordinary meat, and it was very chewy. After swallowing it, a warm current quickly rose in the stomach.

It wasn't the substantial feeling of ordinary food that fills the stomach, but rather a warming sensation that spread from the stomach all the way to the limbs. With the Crimson Fire Technique activated, that warmth also gently traveled along the meridians, finally sinking into the flesh and blood.

Li Yuan paused for a moment, then picked up another piece.

This is indeed the right path for those with a fiery marrow and nourishing body.

After finishing a large bowl of meat, the chill left from my morning journey was almost completely washed away, and warmth permeated even my bones.

When the team finished their work in the afternoon, Li Yuan took back a piece of cooked meat that hadn't been cooked yet.

Back at his lodgings that night, he heated up the remaining half and ate it, leaving hardly any soup. A warm feeling rose in layers from his stomach, and even his breath seemed to carry a hint of warmth.

The panel popped up quickly.

[Progress of Permanentizing the Inflammatory Marrow Body]

[Consumable Monster Meat: 10/50 jin]

[Learned Fire Spells: 3/5]

Li Yuan glanced at it and put the bowl on the table.

He raised his hand and pressed his still-feverish abdomen, then returned to his residence to begin practicing the Nourishing Vitality Technique.

The job of guarding the guards is indeed busy and somewhat dangerous.

But the money to be made in this place is indeed much more substantial than that of the patrol team.