Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Spiritual energy surged in from all directions, becoming pure and clear after being filtered by that invisible barrier, and then flowed rapidly along the meridians under the accelerated circulation of the body.

One cycle ends, and the next begins, repeating endlessly.

It's fast, but the effect is already quite limited.

The spiritual energy in the dantian is nearing saturation. After each cycle, the amount of new spiritual energy added is negligible. Most of the effort is spent on refining it—repeatedly tempering the existing spiritual energy, removing the subtle impurities that remain deep within, and making it more refined and condensed.

This is the bottleneck: spiritual energy is abundant, but there's nowhere to go.

It's like pouring water into a pool that's already full; as much water goes in, as much overflows. The original owner of this body was stuck at this juncture for almost two years, and finally forced his way through with a breakthrough pill, resulting in a qi deviation. The lesson from the past is right there.

But polishing is not meaningless.

The purer the spiritual energy, the less impact it will have on the meridians and internal organs when breaking through in the future, and the higher the success rate will be.

The ability of the spiritual energy filtering entry to remove impurities is a great help in this regard—every wisp of spiritual energy entering the body is clean and pure, saving a lot of time in cleaning up impure spiritual energy.

The sky outside the window changed from pitch black to deep blue, and then a hint of gray-white showed through the deep blue.

Li Yuan opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and with a thought, the panel appeared.

【Aura Filter (White)】

[Permanentization Progress: 65/100]

Thirteen cycles were completed overnight. The efficiency of operating two entries simultaneously is indeed remarkable. At this rate, it should take about three more days to complete the permanentization.

Li Yuan put away the panel and got out of bed. His muscles and bones were slightly sore, but his spirits were quite good. His clothes were spotless, without a speck of dust, indicating that the Cleansing Body effect remained stable.

The morning air was a bit chilly. Li Yuan straightened his clothes, hung the waist tag on his waist, and went out.

Today it's my turn to patrol the area around North Alley and East Street.

Before even entering the market, the cacophony of voices could be heard from afar.

Turning into East Street, the scene was much more lively than a few days ago.

The empty spaces on both sides of the main street were almost full, and many new faces squatted on the roadside, spreading a cloth in front of them as a stall.

The items for sale were varied: ore scraps, herb remnants, animal hides and bones, crudely made talismans, and even a broken sword, rusted and seemingly dug out from some obscure corner.

Most of these new stall owners were simply dressed and looked travel-worn, clearly indicating that they were independent practitioners who spent most of their time traveling.

The Yuanheng Mountains are still not peaceful, and another group of independent cultivators have poured in.

This is good for the Wang family's income, as stall rent and shop turnover will both increase. But for the inspector, it means more work—with so many people, friction is inevitable.

Li Yuan walked along East Street without encountering any major trouble along the way.

Several vendors had set up their stalls too far out, blocking half of the aisle. Li Yuan went up to remind them, and they all cooperated by moving their stalls a little further in.

When we reached the middle of the north alley, we heard a quarrel coming from ahead.

Two men who looked like independent cultivators stood face to face in the alley, each pointing at the stall in front of the other. Their voices weren't loud, but their tone was fiery.

"I set up here yesterday; I reserved this spot first."

"You claimed it first? Just because you laid that tattered piece of cloth on the ground? There was nothing there when I came this morning."

Li Yuan took a few steps closer and roughly understood the situation.

The cause of the argument was simple. The two stalls were squeezed together so tightly that there was almost no space between them.

The stall on the left sells some cheap mineral scraps, with a small pile of grayish stones; the stall on the right has several bundles of dried herbs, tied crookedly.

As the two pushed and shoved, the ore fragments knocked over the bundle of herbs, scattering hay all over the ground, and several pieces of ore rolled away with them.

"Look what you've done, you've spilled all my things!"

"Whose fault is it that you put it so cramped up?"

It looked like the argument was going to continue, but thankfully, the two were only verbally abusive and didn't actually make any physical moves or show any signs of using their spiritual power. Ultimately, it was just that the stall was a bit crowded, and neither of them needed to actually fight over such a small matter.

Li Yuan stepped forward and showed off the "King" emblem embroidered on his chest.

"Alright, that's enough, everyone."

Upon seeing the inspector, the two immediately lowered their voices.

The herbal medicine seller spoke first. He was in his thirties, with a dark complexion, and dressed in a patched gray linen outfit. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Sir, you be the judge. I set up my stall here before dawn, and he insisted on squeezing next to me—"

"I was here yesterday," the ore seller chimed in. He was around forty years old, thin, wearing a faded blue cloth robe, with a sparse tuft of short beard on his chin. Although he lowered his voice, there was still a hint of defiance in his tone.

Li Yuan glanced at the distance between the two of them, then looked at the scattered items on the ground.

The ore fragments and hay were mixed together, with a few straws broken off, but the ore itself was undamaged, lying dusty on the ground.

"The stalls in North Alley are not based on first-come, first-served principle, but on rent. Since you two are both in this alley, please each move half a step to either side to make room for a passage."

Li Yuan spoke in a flat tone, neither taking sides nor showing any intention to negotiate.

The inspector's words still carried some weight in front of these rogue cultivators.

The two exchanged a glance. Although they were still somewhat unwilling, they didn't want to argue any further. They muttered something to each of them and began to clean up.

The herbal medicine seller bent down to pick up the scattered hay, and the ore seller squatted down to pick up the stones that had rolled away one by one.

Li Yuan didn't just stand there; he bent down and helped out.

Several pieces of ore were picked up and put back on the stall, and two loose bundles of hay were tied up again. There were also some small items scattered on the ground.

Li Yuan bent down to pick up the scattered fragments, and his fingers touched something warm and cool, much lighter than the ore fragments.

It was a jade pendant, about half the size of a palm, with an ordinary design. The surface was somewhat worn and dusty, and it was inconspicuous among the scraps and dry grass.

The moment my finger touched it, that familiar line of semi-transparent text appeared before my eyes.

[Equipable item detected: Jade Pendant (Complete)]

[Item Attribute Level: Blue]

[Note: Items not belonging to the user cannot be equipped, and detailed information cannot be viewed.]

blue.

Li Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.

But his expression remained unchanged as he placed the jade pendant back on the stall along with the other pieces of broken material. His movements were natural and fluid, no different from when he was picking up ore before.

"We've retrieved everything. Let's check to see if anything is missing." Li Yuan straightened up and dusted off his hands.

The herbalist inspected his belongings and shook his head to indicate that there was no problem.

Zhao Wu, who sells ore, also squatted down and glanced at the stall—then suddenly stopped.

His gaze was fixed on the pile of scraps that Li Yuan had just put back, or more precisely, on the dusty jade pendant.

The next instant, Zhao Wu swiftly reached out and picked up the jade pendant, then discreetly stuffed it back into his sleeve.

Li Yuan naturally noticed this.

After Zhao Wu carefully put away the jade pendant, he casually raised his head and cupped his hands in thanks to Li Yuan: "Nothing is missing, thank you, Inspector."

His tone remained casual, but Li Yuan noticed that the hand he was holding in his sleeve had his knuckles tightened slightly.

"Then let's each give way a little and stop arguing. Fighting in the market can lead to injury. You should know the Wang family's rules."

The two nodded repeatedly.

Li Yuan didn't linger; he nodded and turned to leave.