Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 688 Reencounter with Shattered Star

The middle and northern part of Shattered Star Valley.

Li Yuan traversed the fragments for most of the day, his passive perception remaining at 800 zhang.

The further north you go, the fewer cracks there are, and the gaps between the fragments widen considerably. The passageway widens, the view extends further, and the spatial fluctuations become calmer.

There was no trace of the Fissure Lizard.

The two Tier 3 and Tier 4 creatures that were killed earlier were probably the only ones left in this area. Rift Lizards nest in spatial rifts, and these monsters cannot survive in places where rifts are sparse.

Li Yuan didn't deliberately search for it, but continued to advance northward, using the passive precision of his mastered spatial exploration technique to record the spatial structure along the way.

After walking for about an hour, an open area came into view among the fragments ahead.

Several cracks converged at this point from different directions, forming a clearing about a hundred feet wide. The fragments, broken up by the cracks, piled up at the edges, while the center remained clean.

There are people in the intersection area.

Five fluctuations of spiritual energy emanated from three Golden Core cultivators and two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, all dressed in grey-blue robes with the Tianheng Sect emblem embroidered on their chests. Two of the Golden Core cultivators carried storage bags filled with ore fragments, while the third Golden Core cultivator held a probing artifact and was scanning the wall.

Li Yuan recognized the leader, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Liu Qingyang.

The middle-aged man had a square face, slightly graying temples, and his left arm was intact; the marks from the spatial rift injury were no longer visible.

Liu Qingyang also saw Li Yuan.

He paused for a moment, then quickly recognized the person and strode forward to meet him.

"Fellow Daoist!" Liu Qingyang cupped his hands, his face beaming with joy. "I never expected to meet you here."

"Let's take a stroll through Shattered Star Valley," Li Yuan said.

Liu Qingyang glanced at Li Yuan twice, then looked in the direction behind him.

"Fellow Daoist, did you come from the deeper levels?"

"I spent some time at the Time Slot Platform and just came out."

Liu Qingyang nodded, his eyes filled with admiration. There were few in the Tianheng Domain who, with a late-stage Golden Core cultivation, dared to stay alone deep within Shattered Star Valley for so long.

He waved for the collection team to continue sorting the spiritual materials, and then walked up to Li Yuan.

"My arm is completely healed now." Liu Qingyang moved his left arm. "The sect elders treated it personally after I got back, and it's recovered quite well. I have to thank you for your help that time, fellow Daoist."

"It was just something I did."

Liu Qingyang smiled and pointed to the storage bags on the backs of the collection team.

"We're mining space ore in the northern part of the middle layer, and the harvest is decent. There are fewer cracks in this area, and the ore quality is actually better than in the denser crack zone, probably because the walls are more stable."

As he said this, he seemed to remember something.

"By the way, if you are interested in spatial magic, there is a place you can check out."

"Where?"

"An abandoned observation platform," Liu Qingyang said. "It's located deep in the northern part of Shattered Star Valley, more than half a day further north than the Time Rift Platform. In ancient times, the Tianheng Sect built an observation platform specifically to record the changes in the rifts within the valley. Later, the sect declined, and that place was abandoned."

He took out a jade slip from his storage bag.

"There are no inheritances or treasures inside, but the remaining array patterns and spatial fluctuation records are still there. The coordinates of the birth and death of the Shattered Star Valley rift over the past few hundred years are recorded inside with very high precision. I went there once, but I couldn't quite understand those array patterns. Fellow Daoist, your spatial magic is stronger than mine, so it might be useful."

Li Yuan took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

A supplementary route map unfolded in the mind's eye. The path from the current location to the abandoned observatory was clearly marked, including the space storm zones and high-risk debris-rich areas to be avoided along the way.

It is more detailed than the map obtained from the old cave.

"Thank you," Li Yuan said.

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist." Liu Qingyang waved his hand. "You saved my life last time, so a map is nothing. If you need anything, feel free to come to Tianheng Sect to find me."

The two exchanged a few more words. Liu Qingyang mentioned that the spatial fluctuations in Shattered Star Valley had recently intensified, and the sect had already dispatched additional personnel to set up early warning formations around the perimeter. Li Yuan noted this message down.

Afterwards, Liu Qingyang led the gathering team towards the valley entrance.

Li Yuan carefully put away the jade slip, then turned and sped towards the deeper, northerly part of the inner strata.

The deep, northward-facing part of Shattered Star Valley.

The further north you go, the sparser the debris becomes, and the wider the passageways become. The spatial fluctuations also change from intense in the dense zone to slow and heavy, like moving from a rapid current into deep water.

Despite fully activating his passive perception for 800 zhang, he still couldn't find any trace of the Rift Lizard.

After most of the day, a structure appeared ahead that was completely different from the surroundings.

A semi-circular stone platform, about fifty feet in diameter, was embedded between two giant fragments. Its edges had clearly been artificially trimmed, with sharp corners. The surface of the platform was covered with dark gray spiritual patterns, the spiritual energy of which had long been exhausted, but the patterns were still clear.

In the center of the stone platform stood three stone pillars, each about two zhang tall, their surfaces engraved with spatial attribute runes. Each pillar had a dark blue ore embedded at its top, the ore riddled with cracks and devoid of any spiritual light.

Abandoned observation station.

Li Yuan landed on the edge of the stone platform, and his passive perception, honed by his mastery of spatial exploration, reflected the entire structure of the platform into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The array system is vast and complex. The core circuit is centered around three stone pillars, radiating outwards into dozens of spiritual energy channels. Each channel connects to a set of recorded spiritual runes on the table. Even after being abandoned for hundreds of years, the remaining structure still reveals the level of craftsmanship it once possessed.

Fourth-order formation.

Moreover, it is a fourth-order array specifically designed for space monitoring.

The purple inscription on the array's core operated on its own, corroborating the understanding of the remnant array's underlying structure with that of a fourth-order array. The nesting method of the spirit patterns here was different from any array Li Yuan had ever seen; the nodes were not connected by straight lines, but by slight arcs, the curvature of which perfectly matched the curvature of the Shattered Star Valley's spatial walls.

This is a formation specially designed for Shattered Star Valley.

Li Yuan walked to the central stone pillar and placed his right hand on the spiritual patterns on the pillar surface.

There was no flow of spiritual energy within the spirit runes, but the structure was complete. Each set of recorded spirit runes corresponded to a spatial coordinate, with the date and fluctuation data engraved next to it.

The entire record of the birth and death of the Shattered Star Valley rift over hundreds of years is contained here.

There are numerous coordinates; a cursory glance reveals at least a hundred.

Li Yuan examined them one by one. Most of the coordinates pointed to different locations within the valley, recording when a certain crack appeared, when it disappeared, and how the fluctuation frequency changed.

However, almost all the cracks corresponding to the coordinates no longer exist.

Centuries have passed, and the internal structure of Shattered Star Valley has changed countless times. Old cracks have disappeared, and new cracks have appeared. The coordinates recorded back then are now only remnants of spirit patterns on the stone pillars.

It's perfect for practicing spatial exploration techniques.

Li Yuan sat down cross-legged on the stone platform.

The spatial search technique was activated, and spiritual energy transformed into several extremely fine probes, probing towards the direction of the first dissipated coordinate.

The crack had disappeared at least two hundred years ago, yet a faint trace of ripples remained on the surface of the space. Like a pebble dropped into water, the ripples had long since dissipated, but the spot where it landed remained deep within the water.

The limit of mastering spatial exploration is tracking complete spatial traces. Faced with such remnants from two hundred years ago, the spiritual energy probe dissipates upon contact, making it impossible to grasp.

Li Yuan changed his approach.

Instead of pursuing complete traces, we capture only fragments of broken spiritual energy patterns.

The faint traces on the wall, though no longer complete coordinates, still retained the spatial frequency of the original cracks. Spatial Searching locked onto the residual frequency, while the passive precision of a fully mastered Spatial Detection spell aided in verification. The two spells worked together to piece together the blurry location from the fragmented aftershocks.

The first coordinate restoration failed, with a deviation exceeding 100 zhang.

The second coordinate also failed.

Thirdly, even with the deviation reduced to fifty zhang, the accuracy was still insufficient.

Li Yuan did not stop, and tried the coordinates recorded on the stone pillars one by one.

Each time he used it, the target changed from complete coordinates to broken spiritual energy patterns and spatial attribute aftershocks, making it far more difficult than ordinary positioning. The spiritual energy consumption was enormous, and Li Yuan had to rest for a while after each restoration.

Ten times, twenty times, thirty times.

With each repetition, the accuracy of capturing residual aftershocks increased. Spatial exploration techniques were honed repeatedly in this extreme environment, leading to rapid advancement in mastery.

Around the fortieth attempt, a change occurred.

The spiritual energy probe entered the area of ​​the aftershocks of a crack that had already dissipated, and the probe, which should have shattered and dissipated, suddenly stabilized.

The broken spiritual energy patterns in the aftershocks were no longer scattered, but reconnected under the guidance of the probe, forming a blurred yet complete path.

The path starts from the residual frequency, passes through the attenuation region on the wall, and points to the precise location where the original crack once existed.

Spatial exploration technique, minor success.

The changes after achieving a certain level of proficiency are quite direct. Previously, it was only possible to trace complete spatial traces; now, it is possible to trace residual traces after being severed by spatial rifts. As long as the residual frequency has not completely returned to zero, the approximate location of the original coordinates can be reconstructed.

Li Yuan continued to reconstruct the coordinates within the remaining array of the observation station.

After achieving a minor level of proficiency, the efficiency is several times higher than that of the mastery stage. One by one, the previously lost coordinates are repositioned, and the deviation is reduced from tens of feet to just a few feet.

At this moment, Li Yuan took out a spatial coordinate stone tablet from his personal miniature world.

The spatial coordinate stone tablet had not been equipped before. The condition for making the boundary marker positioning entry permanent is to successfully lock and restore three dissipated spatial coordinates. Previously, one was completed.

Li Yuan temporarily moved the stone tablet to the fifth slot in the equipment inventory.

The boundary marker positioning entry is now in effect.

The ability to perceive interdimensional spatial passages has been greatly enhanced, and the effective range of spatial positioning spells has doubled.

With the two effects combined, the accuracy of the spatial exploration technique after its initial mastery has been further improved.

Li Yuan selected the two coordinates in the remnant formation record that had dissipated the longest and had the weakest aftereffects.

The first coordinate disappeared approximately three hundred years ago.

With the combined enhancement of a minor mastery of spatial exploration techniques and the landmark positioning entry, the spiritual probe penetrated deep into the wall, capturing the last remaining frequency from the almost zeroed-out aftershocks. The frequency fragments were pieced together, and a complete path emerged.

Coordinates restored successfully.

Progress on boundary marker positioning: Section 2.

The second coordinate disappeared even later, about four hundred years ago. The aftershocks decayed to their limit, leaving only a trace of residual frequency.

Li Yuan fully activated his Spatial Searching Technique, his spiritual energy probe penetrating deep into the wall, searching inch by inch for that faint frequency. The passive precision synchronization aid of his perfected Spatial Detection Technique allowed him to reflect every subtle change within the wall into his sea of ​​consciousness.

About 15 minutes later, the frequency fragments were pieced together, and the path appeared.

Coordinates restored successfully.

Progress on boundary marker positioning: three locations.

The conditions are met.

In the equipment inventory, the spatial coordinate stone tablet vanished. A stream of purple light surged from where it had disappeared, flowing along the meridians and directly into the sea of ​​consciousness.

The screen filled with images.

A cultivator stood at the boundary of the void, the spiritual patterns on the stone tablet in his hand shining brightly. Countless long-vanished spatial coordinates reassembled in his sea of ​​consciousness like a star map, each coordinate marked with its location, distance, and original frequency. The cultivator pointed to a certain point in the void, and the remnant trajectory of a long-broken interdimensional passage slowly appeared, its starting point above a wasteland and its ending point at the edge of another world, the spatial curvature at the bend in the middle clearly discernible.

A wealth of insights into cross-dimensional spatial perception and coordinate reconstruction flooded into my consciousness. How to capture the remnants of a passage at the boundary between two realms, how to deduce the passage's past course from the broken trajectory, and how to permanently lock the perceived coordinates into my consciousness for future reconstruction.

The image fades away.

The boundary markers have been permanently located and their placement completed.

The ability to perceive interdimensional spatial passages has been greatly enhanced. The effective range of spatial positioning spells has doubled. The ability to memorize previously perceived spatial coordinates and attempt to reconstruct them is now available, with accuracy increasing as spatial mastery improves.

The fifth slot in the equipment inventory is now empty again.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and sensed for a moment.

A new dimension of perception, previously absent, has been added to the sea of ​​consciousness. Memories of spatial coordinates, which were previously only vague directions, are now locked in the sea of ​​consciousness with extremely high precision for every previously perceived coordinate. All seven coordinates used for spatial anchoring have been recalibrated, with an accuracy level a notch higher than before.

The two coordinates that had just been restored were also clearly displayed in my mind.

The coordinates point to the far reaches of the outer edge of Shattered Star Valley, one at the edge of the Heavenly Balance Domain, and the other in an unknown direction; both are thousands of miles away. We don't need them for now, but we can try tracking them later if needed.

Li Yuan stood up and turned his gaze back to the remnants of the observation platform.

Besides its permanent landmark positioning, the remnant formation itself also has value.

The purple inscription on the array's core continued to operate, extracting information from the remaining array's spiritual runes. This fourth-order spatial monitoring array had exhausted its spiritual power, yet its design was ingenious. Especially the arc-shaped connection between the spiritual rune nodes—Li Yuan had never seen anything like it before.

The key to the curved connection lies in allowing spiritual energy to automatically adapt to the curvature of the surrounding spatial walls as it flows between the nodes. The spatial structure of Shattered Star Valley is extremely irregular, and the spiritual patterns connected by straight lines are prone to breakage when the walls are twisted. The curved connection, however, leaves room for the spiritual patterns to adjust slightly as the walls deform.

This kind of layout experience is perfect for referencing the spatial rift traction spirit patterns.

The Array Dao Heavenly Pivot absorbed the design principle of the arc connection and integrated it with what it already had in the fourth-order Array Dao mastery stage. Although no special entries were triggered, the accumulation of knowledge in the fourth-order Array Dao mastery stage has indeed increased significantly.

Li Yuan used his divine sense to record all the valuable spiritual rune structures in the remnants of the observation platform array and stored them in a blank jade slip. From the layout of the points to the connection of the nodes, from the direction of the spiritual energy channels to the encoding rules for recording the spiritual runes, he recorded everything.

After finishing these tasks, Li Yuan stood up from the stone platform and glanced down at the abandoned observation station.

Three stone pillars stood silently, their dark blue ore cracked and their spiritual patterns dull and lifeless.

The glory of the Tianheng Sect hundreds of years ago is now reduced to these ruins.

Li Yuan carefully put away the jade slip, transformed into a beam of light, and sped towards the outer edge of Shattered Star Valley.