Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Chapter 692 Investigation in the Lower Realm

Tianyue Sect, Exit of the Ascension Passage.

Li Yuan stepped out of the passage, concealed his aura, and transformed into a beam of light, flying towards the Misty Forest Market.

Back at his residence, he took out the official offering token and infused it with spiritual power.

Several lines of text appeared on the surface of the token.

The spatial fissure cluster in southern Lingzhou has recently experienced increased fluctuations. The previously deployed spatial sensing array has recorded abnormal data, requiring further investigation and the addition of monitoring points as needed.

A notice is also attached to the bottom of the token.

The seal on the old site of the Demon Abyss in the northeast corner of Lingzhou has loosened, and demonic energy is leaking out. The Tianyue Sect has sent people to reinforce it initially. However, the seal structure is complex, and further repairs will require the assistance of those skilled in formations and spatial magic.

The former site of the Demon Abyss.

Li Yuan had some recollection of this name.

The report included a brief background. In ancient times, there were no demonic cultivators in the lower realms. Later, several spatial passages connected to a certain lower realm, allowing demonic energy and demonic cultivation techniques to spread. These passages were later sealed by ancient cultivators, but the seal was not perfect; a few remaining cracks still leak demonic energy to this day.

The Abyss of Demons was one of the spatial rifts from back then.

Li Yuan noted down the three messages and put away the token.

The Lingzhou rift cluster is the most urgent. When Li Yuan deployed the spatial sensing array last time, he noticed that the number of rifts there was abnormal, and that they were expanding.

The light rose and headed straight for Lingzhou.

In the southern part of Lingzhou, deep in the edge of the mountains.

Li Yuan landed halfway up the mountain where the monitoring point had been set up last time.

The Void Realm operates on its own, reflecting the spatial structure within a few hundred feet into the sea of ​​consciousness. The automatic analysis, after the Myriad Phenomena Retrospection has been permanently established, also activates, capturing and categorizing spatial fluctuations one by one.

The fissures deep within the mountain are more active than before.

Originally there were seven or eight fissures, but now there are twelve. The newly formed fissures are short, the longest being no more than two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), but they are expanding rapidly. The original largest fissure has also nearly doubled in length, and its direction has changed from extending downwards to traversing the mountainside.

The spatial sensing array is still operating normally, the monitoring runes are intact, and the records are complete.

Li Yuan compared the array data line by line. The fluctuation frequency was 20% higher than last time, and the direction had also changed. The expansion of several cracks was converging in the same direction, as if they were converging in a certain place.

This is not a good omen.

In addition to the existing monitoring points, he added two more spatial sensing arrays. The spiritual tentacles of the new arrays penetrated deeper into the rock layers, covering the direction of the newly added fissures.

The spatial stabilizing symbol was activated, and a pale blue stabilizing field seeped into the mountain, suppressing the edges of several of the fastest-expanding fissures.

After the deployment was completed, Li Yuan conducted a final inspection along the edge of the fissure group.

Dark Insight has been passively scanning.

Upon arriving at a narrow crevice on the east side of the fissure cluster, Dark Insight suddenly detected something unusual.

Tracking marker.

A faint trace of spiritual energy clung to the deep rock strata of the narrow crevice, hidden even deeper than the one at the entrance of the abandoned mine tunnel in Lingzhou last time. Ordinary divine sense could hardly detect it.

Li Yuan stopped in his tracks.

Dark Fiend's perception revealed the marked structure. The core was still a third-tier tracking spirit rune, wrapped in two layers of concealing spirit membranes. The first layer's technique was the same as the previous two, an aura concealment technique from the Abyss Sect's old methods.

The second layer is different.

The first mark discovered in the Lingzhou mine tunnels had a second layer of spiritual energy concealment using a sinister method. This time, it's ice-attribute spiritual energy. The surface of the spiritual membrane has a faint icy blue hue, and the direction of the spiritual energy is different, as if it were someone else's doing.

Three markings, three types of outer occlusion.

Same core, different shell.

Li Yuan took out the Concealing Yuan Bead from his personal miniature world and put it into his equipment slot.

The anonymous disappearance entry is now in effect.

A wisp of spiritual energy probed into the rock layer, seeping in along the marked frequency. Under the enhancement of the Concealed Yuan technique, cracks appeared in the ice-attribute spiritual membrane, and Li Yuan allowed the spiritual energy to pass through the membrane, directly reaching the core to track the spiritual runes.

The spirit rune node was severed, and the loop collapsed.

The two layers of spiritual membranes lost their support and dissipated.

Tracking markers have been cleared.

Progress has been made in making the disappearance of the original trace permanent, in three places.

Li Yuan removed the Concealing Yuan Bead and retrieved it into his personal miniature world.

The three tracking markers all share the same core principle, but the outer layers of concealment are constantly changing. Those who set up these markers are likely deliberately altering their methods to prevent others from figuring out their strategy.

It's possible that there's more than one person involved.

Li Yuan took out the jade slip and memorized the core structure, outer layer concealment attributes, and discovery location of the three markings.

Li Yuan then searched another section of the mountain range. No further markers were found, and no new anomalies were discovered on the periphery of the fissure group.

Before leaving Lingzhou, Li Yuan collected samples from the rock strata near the fissure group.

Several fragments of broken ore were extracted from the rock wall using spiritual energy. They were of average quality, mostly fragments of third-order spatial attribute ore, cut into pieces by the cracks.

The three-foot-long sense swept over the ore fragments.

A very faint fluctuation emanated from one of the fist-sized pieces of broken ore.

White grade.

Li Yuan reached out and picked it up.

White tags can be permanently added without requiring any tasks.

The shattered ore dissipated in his palm, and a stream of white light flowed into his body.

A scene flashed through his mind. A cultivator was walking in a place densely packed with fissures. Whenever he approached a fissure, a slight tremor would automatically arise in his spiritual energy. The tremor was not strong, but it was enough to give a warning a few breaths before he came into contact with the fissure.

The subtle insights gained from the early warning and perception of spatial fissures have been integrated into my mind.

The image fades away.

Microscopic crack detection indicates permanent formation is complete.

When approaching a spatial rift, the early warning and perception capabilities are slightly enhanced.

The effect wasn't significant, but since Li Yuan frequently visited Shattered Star Valley and the spatial rift area, having an extra layer of passive early warning was still worthwhile.

After carefully collecting the ore samples, Li Yuan transformed into a beam of light and returned to Wulin Market.

Tianyue Sect stronghold.

Li Yuan submitted the review report with the official offering token.

"The southern rift cluster of Lingzhou has been re-examined. The number of rifts has expanded from seven or eight to twelve, and the expansion trend is converging. Two additional spatial sensing arrays have been installed and reinforced with spatial stabilization talismans. In addition, a tracking mark was found on the east side of the rift cluster. The core is the tracking spirit pattern of the Yuanzong Old Method, and the outer layer is covered by ice-attribute spiritual power, which has been cleared."

He paused for a moment.

"So far, three tracking markers have been discovered, all with the same core structure, but the outer layer is concealed using three different types of spiritual energy. It is recommended that the sect intensify its investigation in Lingzhou."

The disciple on duty registered each item and then handed over a blank jade slip.

"Offering, this is a preliminary survey record of the seal on the Demon Abyss Ruins. It includes a diagram of the seal's structure and areas where it may have loosened. The sect hopes that after completing your mission, you will also visit the Demon Abyss Ruins to assist with repairs."

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

The seal's structure diagram unfolded in his mind's eye. It was a fourth-order composite seal, nested in six layers, with twelve core nodes. The loosening point was at the junction between the third and fifth layers, where three cracks had already appeared, and demonic energy was slowly seeping out from them.

The initial reinforcement simply involved applying a layer of spiritual energy to the outside. To completely repair it, it's necessary to delve deeper into the seal and recalibrate the nodes.

Li Yuan carefully put away the jade slip and left the stronghold.

Back at their lodgings, the stone gate closed.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the stone platform and began to practice the Nascent Soul Returning to Origin Technique.

After the dual permanentization of Infant Nurturing and Nascent Soul Condensation, cultivation efficiency is extremely high. The condensation rate of spiritual energy in each cycle is nearly twice as high as before. The Spirit Array Returning to Origin inscription draws spiritual energy from the outside world, and the array core's condensation and enhancement accelerate the cultivation speed. The dark golden luster on the surface of the Nascent Soul continues to deepen with each cycle.

The cultivation continues.