Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

After leaving the market, the group traveled southwest for less than half an hour before turning onto a narrower dirt road.

Li Yuan walked at the front of the fourth team, followed by five people.

We met up once before setting off, so we recognized each other.

The person walking at the front, closest to Li Yuan, was Song Tiezhu, a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator, an old man in the guard team, with thick arms and broad shoulders, who didn't talk much and had heavy steps.

Next to him was Han Xiaoyi, a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator, also a member of the guard team. He was not tall and swayed as he walked.

Next up is Tian Qi, a mine guard with a cultivation level of four in Qi Refining.

The last two are both at the third level of Qi Refining.

Xu Qing is a spirit farmer from the Spirit Field District, but not from the Spirit Field near Qinghe Market, but from the Spirit Field near the Wang family.

The last one is named Zhao An, an apprentice transferred from the weapon-refining hall. His tool bag jingled as he walked.

Before the group set off, Qu Bo had each squad leader collect their storage bags.

The storage bag isn't yours; you have to return it after use. The capacity isn't very large, about three cubic meters. The main problem is that the journey is long, and you can't drag the monster corpses along. The materials also need to be stored away promptly.

Li Yuan tied the storage bag to his waist. When he touched it with his finger, the panel flashed and displayed a message that items not belonging to him could not be equipped, just like last time.

As they walked, the group gradually became more talkative.

Han Xiaoyi spoke after half an incense stick had burned, his voice not loud, but his tone was a bit oily.

"Tian Qi, right? How's it going at your mining area? I heard that a monster appeared in the mine a while ago?"

"We haven't encountered any monsters in the mine, but mining is tiring, and my hands are covered in calluses."

"Aren't you supposed to be the mine guard? Why are you mining too?"

Han Xiaoyi asked in surprise, and then heard Tian Qi's irritating reply.

"When there's trouble, I'm responsible for guarding the mines; when there's no trouble, I help with the mining."

"Mining is also difficult to do with spells; they're not precise enough and can easily cause landslides."

Tian Qi spread out one hand for Han Xiaoyi to see; the palm was as rough as tree bark.

Zhao An walked at the very back, the things in his tool bag clinking together, but he didn't seem to mind. Occasionally, he would come up and ask a question or two.

"Captain Li, how far will we be traveling this time?"

"About a hundred li." Li Yuan didn't turn around.

Zhao An clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, "It really is far away."

After walking for about two hours, Qu Bo made a gesture ahead, and the whole group slowed down.

The main force spread out, and the six smaller teams dispersed into a fan shape, advancing along several parallel routes. Qu Bo, leading three Wang family cultivators, walked at the very front in the center, providing support from the middle.

Li Yuan led the team along the outermost line.

Before setting off, Li Yuan made adjustments, removing the Azure Spirit Talisman Brush and equipping it with the Fire Escape Technique.

After the group dispersed, Li Yuan activated Fire Release Technique under his feet as he walked.

It wasn't a full-force exertion; it was merely a gentle channeling of spiritual energy to the soles of the feet, causing a faint ray of fire to emanate from beneath them. Each step was half a foot longer than normal. It wasn't fast, nor did it attract attention, but it undeniably consumed spiritual energy and accumulated distance.

After walking for a while, the spirit detection compass detected a fluctuation of spiritual energy about thirty feet to the left ahead.

"There's something there," Li Yuan said in a low voice.

All six people slowed down at the same time.

A gray-brown ironback hyena emerged from behind the bushes. It was quite large, nearly three feet tall at the shoulder, and its fangs were stained with some kind of blood.

Tier 1, Medium Grade.

Li Yuan's feet exploded, and he activated the Fire Release Technique at full power, instantly rushing forward three zhang. A fireball technique was already forming in his left palm.

The hyena had barely raised its head when the fireball was already hurtling towards it.

boom.

A crimson flash exploded on the hyena's side, tearing off a patch of scales and gushing dark red blood. The hyena screamed and staggered backward, but before it could regain its footing, Li Yuan's second fire arrow had already been launched.

laugh.

The bullet pierced the hyena's throat.

It took less than ten breaths in total.

When the people behind caught up, the hyena was already lying on the ground, motionless.

Han Xiaoyi stopped two steps away, opened his mouth, looked at the hyena on the ground, and then looked at Li Yuan.

"This is...too fast."

Song Tiezhu stepped forward, squatted down, and examined the hyena's wound, revealing a hint of surprise.

Li Yuan squatted down and began to dismantle the monster. Fortunately, he had learned a lot from He Shou and knew how to dismantle most of the monsters.

Animal hides and bones are worth some spirit stones; after dismantling them, store them in your storage bag.

The remaining scraps of meat couldn't be carried away, so they were left behind.

The group continued walking forward, with Han Xiaoyi following behind Li Yuan, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her face.

After pushing forward for another two miles, they encountered another horned lizard. It was a low-grade first-rank lizard, basking in the sun in a crevice in the rocks, when Li Yuan pierced its head with a fire arrow.

Song Tiezhu took the initiative to help disassemble it this time, and his hands moved very quickly.

"This one isn't anything special; its horns are too small." Song Tiezhu broke off the horned lizard's short horn, examined it, and set it aside.

"Keep it, it's better than nothing." Li Yuan put the materials into his storage bag.

According to previous intelligence, demonic beasts began to appear within about twenty miles of the scattered cultivator market, and now it seems that this is indeed the case.

The further they went, the more frequently the spiritual energy fluctuations appeared on the spirit-detecting disc.

The quantity was not as large as expected.

Monsters also need to eat, so there won't be monsters everywhere. However, monsters are distributed over a wide area, and any rogue cultivator trying to get out will definitely encounter several of them.

However, the proportion of first-tier mid-grade items is significantly higher.

Previously, when patrolling near the market, most of the monsters encountered were low-grade first-tier beasts, and the occasional mid-grade one was considered a big deal. Now, after walking about five miles, three out of the five monsters encountered were mid-grade.

The route is not a straight line, but a curve, making it easier to clear out more monsters.

Meanwhile, Qu Bo had already led three members of the royal family far ahead, responsible for clearing out the monsters over a large area.

The team continued its advance.

Every so often, Li Yuan would activate the Fire Escape Technique, a flash of fire beneath his feet propelling him forward several feet before resuming his normal pace.

There's no need to use your full strength; as long as your spiritual energy follows the path of fire-based techniques, the progress will increase.

The members of the fourth team gradually relaxed.

Li Yuan acted too quickly; he single-handedly dealt with almost all the monsters they encountered earlier, leaving the others no time to even lift a finger.

When Han Xiaoyi finished off the third monster, he simply put his hands behind his back and walked as lightly as if he were strolling down the street.

"It's much more comfortable to come out with Captain Li than to stay at the guard post."

Tian Qi chuckled as well.

"If I had known it would be this easy, why would I have been so nervous?"

Song Tiezhu didn't speak, but his eyes continued to scan the surroundings at a steady pace.

In the afternoon, the team took a short rest beside a dried-up creek.

Li Yuan was squatting by the stream checking the spirit-detecting plate when he heard footsteps coming from a side road ahead.

More than one person.

Li Yuan looked up and saw a group of people walking out of the bushes in front of him.

There were six people, most of them covered in blood, their clothes torn in several places. The one in front was supporting a companion who had a limp, while the other two were carrying a makeshift stretcher with a person lying on it, their face covered with a cloth.

One person died.

When the group saw Li Yuan, the leader walked over; he was from the larger group earlier.

He was in his thirties, his left arm was slinged to his chest with a strip of cloth, the bloodstains on his face were half dried, and there was a crack at the corner of his mouth.

Li Yuan stood up. "What's wrong with you guys?"

The man took a breath and glanced in the direction of the stretcher.

"We've encountered a top-tier, first-class beast."

Li Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

"What variety?"

"A giant stone python." The man moved his sling arm and bared his teeth. "That beast appeared out of nowhere. We were seven against one and we were still able to fight back, but Old Zhao couldn't dodge and got half his ribs crushed by its tail. He was already dead when they carried him out."

He paused here, his tone becoming more subdued.

Li Yuan didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

The man took a couple of breaths and then spoke again.

"Also, another team we encountered said they came across a monster that can attack the soul."

"Attack the soul?" Han Xiaoyi leaned closer.

"Yes." The man nodded. "I don't know what kind it is, but I heard that someone got a splitting headache after hearing it call out once, and they still haven't recovered."

"But it's alright, that person is only at the third level of Qi Refining, so the damage shouldn't be too great, although he's not easy to guard against."

Li Yuan glanced at the wounded soldiers of that team, then at the body covered with a sheet on the stretcher.

"What are your plans?"

"Stop here for now. It's not safe to explore further right now, and we can't leave the wounded here either." The man gestured with his chin toward the people behind him.

Li Yuan nodded, didn't linger, and told his men to continue on their way.

After leaving that team, Han Xiaoyi's pace slowed down, and the previous ease he had felt was noticeably diminished.

"A first-grade superior product..." he muttered.

"Don't think about useless things." Song Tiezhu patted him on the back. "We'll deal with it when we run into it."

The team continued to push forward.

After walking another three or four miles, the spirit detection disc detected a solid fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Twenty feet ahead, a mid-grade beast." Li Yuan lowered his voice.

The six people dispersed.

Behind the low slope ahead, a dark blue stone turtle was huddled next to a large rock. Its shell was covered with moss, its limbs were thick, and its head was half-retracted, revealing only two cloudy yellow eyes.

The rock tortoise is slow-moving, but has a hard shell.

A burst of fire erupted beneath Li Yuan's feet as he activated his Fire Release technique, instantly rushing to within five zhang of the Stone Armor Turtle's side, his palm already forming a fireball.

boom!

The fireball struck the ground next to the stone turtle's head, sending shards of rock flying.

Li Yuan deliberately showed bias.

Startled by the blast, the stone turtle stretched its head out and hissed in the direction of the sound.

The moment its head poked out, Li Yuan's second fire arrow arrived.

laugh.

The fire ray pierced into the gap between the stone turtle's neck and shell, disappearing deep inside.

The stone turtle's entire body stiffened suddenly, its limbs flailing wildly a few times before its heavy body tilted to one side.

Song Tiezhu rushed forward and slashed twice at the exposed plastron of the stone turtle with his broadsword, causing dark blood to gush out.

Han Xiaoyi delivered two more blows from the other side, and the stone turtle twitched a few times before going completely still.

It took quite a while to disassemble the stone turtle.

The shell is too hard; only a blade infused with spiritual energy can split it open.

Zhao An came from the Refining Hall, and his method of disassembling materials was much more meticulous than others, categorizing and separating the monster materials.

Li Yuan put the valuable shells and bones into his storage bag.

As Zhao An was prying open the stomach of the stone turtle, his movements suddenly stopped.

"Captain Li, look at this."

Li Yuan walked over and squatted down.

Zhao An used a thin iron skewer to pry open the stone turtle's stomach. Inside, besides the semi-digested mud and gravel, there was also a dark red mass.

Li Yuan reached out and picked out the lump of stuff, placing it on a clean rock nearby.

Half a pill.

It was almost identical to the one found in the stomach of the hyena near the mine last time. The outer layer of the medicine was pitted and uneven from being eroded by gastric juices, revealing the dark red core inside, which still had a very faint medicinal fragrance.

Several people nearby also gathered around.

Song Tiezhu squatted down and took a look, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Pills? How could a first-tier demon beast eat pills?"

Li Yuan did not answer. He wrapped the half pill in cloth and put it into his sleeve.

"Go back and report this, but don't make a fuss about it yet."

Several people nodded.

After dismantling the equipment, the team found a sheltered rock wall to rest.

Qu Bo led the main force deeper into the area, finding no trace of other teams nearby. The sky was already beginning to darken in the west, making further progress pointless.

The group ate some dry rations and the dried monster meat they had brought with them, and then each found a place to rest.

Li Yuan found a spot under the stone wall, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Micro-Element Guiding Meridian Technique.

An hour later, Li Yuan slowly finished his practice.

Three new fine veins were opened up. Although each vein carried extremely weak spiritual energy, after merging into the overall spiritual energy circulation, one could feel that the flow of spiritual energy became slightly smoother.

Li Yuan opened his eyes and sensed the condition of the meridians in his body.

Having cultivated the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique to this point, most of the main meridians and major branch meridians have been opened. The minor meridians that have been opened by the Subtle Origin Guiding Meridian Technique are also gradually connecting to the circulation pathways.

What truly remains are the tiny, hair-like capillaries at the very ends of the body. These capillaries are distributed throughout the entire body and are extremely numerous, but each one is incredibly thin and short, making them surprisingly easy to open.

At the current pace, once the Micro-Element Guiding Meridian Technique is mastered, combined with the foundation already established by the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique, it is estimated that all meridians will be opened before the minor achievement stage.

After the Micro-Element Meridian Guiding Technique opens up all the meridians, the focus of subsequent cultivation is no longer on opening up new paths, but on strengthening each existing meridian to make spiritual energy flow faster and more steadily.

The panel appears.

[Micro-Element Meridian Guiding Technique: Proficient (89/400)]

[Fire Release Technique Permanentization Progress: 23/50]

Li Yuan put away the panel, leaned against the stone wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

Occasionally, a low growl from an unknown wild beast could be heard in the distance, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of the wind.