Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

Before it got completely dark, the six teams turned back one after another and set up camp on the back of a low hill about fifteen miles outside the Sanxiu Market.

It was called setting up camp, but it was really just a few cultivators who knew earth magic erecting a half-person-high earthen wall, then using a few cut-down saplings to cross it, and covering it with a layer of animal hide as a roof. It was very rudimentary, but it could keep out the wind and rain, which was acceptable in the wild.

Li Yuan squatted by the earthen wall, counting today's harvest.

The storage bag was stuffed with quite a few things: four animal hides, some bone fragments, and several sections of tendons, which were still relatively intact.

Li Yuan accounts for the majority of them.

The fourth team killed seven demonic beasts today, two of which were of mid-grade first rank and five of low-grade, and no one in the team was injured.

Other teams don't have it so easy.

On the other side of the camp, four wounded men sat leaning against an earthen wall. One had been lame earlier, another's right leg had been pierced by a monster, the blood on his trousers had dried to a dark brown, and the wound, hastily pressed with medicinal powder, was still oozing. The third had two broken ribs, and when his companions carried him back, his face was as white as paper.

Another cultivator looked alright, but his forearm was only a section long, and his expression was very somber.

There were two stretchers in the corner of the camp, covered with a coarse cloth, and the bodies were lifeless.

These are the casualties today.

The entire team consisted of about forty people. By the end of the day, four were injured and two died.

I heard from other teams that the second team encountered a top-grade first-tier unicorn dragon, and the price they paid was the death of one of their team members and the loss of a leg.

Qu Bo stood in the center of the camp and listened to the reports from each team before remaining silent for a few moments.

"Xiao Guang, take three people and take the wounded back to the market."

He looked at a taciturn middle-aged monk beside him.

This person was none other than Wang Guang, a cultivator from the Wang family at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He spoke very little along the way.

Wang Guang nodded without saying a word and turned to arrange manpower.

Qu Bo glanced at everyone again.

"The rest of you rest, tomorrow will be the same."

Li Yuan then explained the matter of the demon beast pills to Qu Bo. Qu Bo's expression was serious, but he simply nodded to indicate that he understood.

The operation on the second day went much more smoothly than the first day.

Li Yuan did not stop accumulating fire-escape techniques along the way.

He channeled spiritual energy into the soles of his feet, activating it every so often, at a steady pace, like a habitual movement while traveling. The rest of the team was already used to it.

When they returned to their base in the evening, the number of casualties among the teams was significantly less than the day before.

Zhao Guang had already left with the wounded, leaving the camp several people short.

During the break, the members of several teams mingled together, eating and chatting quietly.

The captain of the third team, chewing on dried meat, suddenly spoke up.

"Uncle Qu, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

Qu Bo was squatting by the fire warming his hands when he heard the sound and looked up.

"explain."

"We've cleared out the monsters in this area, which means the people from the rogue cultivator market can come out, which is a good thing. But once they're out, why should they come to our Qinghe Market?"

The captain gestured southwards.

"The Li Family Market is also vying for people. If the independent cultivators think it's safer there and turn around and go there, wouldn't our trip have been for nothing?"

The eyes of several people nearby also turned towards them.

Qu Bo pulled his hand away from the fire and patted the ash off his knees.

"First, this place is about twenty miles closer to Qinghefang City than to Lijiafang City, so the journey is shorter and the chances of encountering danger on the way are lower. No rogue cultivator fleeing from disaster wants to take an unnecessary detour."

"Moreover, the area we're clearing is facing Qinghe Market. If independent cultivators want to get to Lijia Market, they have to go twenty miles before turning around."

Qu Bo raised his second finger.

"Secondly, there are shops belonging to our Wang family and long-term cooperative rogue cultivators in the rogue cultivator market. These are all our own people. Once the demon beasts are cleared out, they will naturally be drawn to the Qinghe Market, and the shopkeepers there will also attract rogue cultivators."

"Third." Qu Bo glanced at the captain, his tone indifferent.

"When we go to pick someone up, are we just going to stand by the roadside and wait? We should take them with us, and offer them advice. If they're hesitant, we should help them make a decision."

The words were somewhat tactful, but no further explanation was given.

The people nearby exchanged glances but didn't ask any further questions.

The logic is not hard to understand. Clearing out the demonic beasts is the overt task; guiding the independent cultivators is the real purpose.

Li Yuan leaned against the earthen wall, and after listening to these words, he lowered his eyelids and began to cultivate.

On the morning of the third day, the team dispersed and set off again.

Today's route is longer than the previous two days, and we have already pushed to a point less than ten miles outside the Sanxiu Market.

Li Yuan led the fourth team southwest along a dry riverbed.

After walking about two miles, they heard a noise coming from behind a low slope ahead.

Not just one.

The spiritual energy fluctuations on the spirit detection plate were so dense that they seemed to have been stirred up, with at least four or five clusters of energy squeezed together, some strong and some weak.

"There's a group ahead." Li Yuan lowered his voice and raised his hand to signal them to stop.

The six people spread out and made their way forward along the low slopes on both sides of the river.

As we climbed over the top of the hill, the scene ahead came into view.

Five demonic beasts were huddled together on a rocky beach.

The three were gray iguanas, low-grade Tier 1, not very big, basking in the sun among the rubble. The other was an iron-spine hyena, mid-grade Tier 1, tearing at the remains of something unknown.

In the very center, crouched a strangely shaped monster.

It was a size larger than a gray iguana, with dark gray fur all over its body, resembling a fox with its neck stretched out.

On each side of its head grew a cluster of slender bone spurs, the tips of which gleamed with a faint, eerie green light. Four eyes were set in two rows on its flat face, but all four eyes were tightly closed.

Tier 1, Medium Grade.

Li Yuan's gaze lingered on the monster for a moment.

The bone spurs on the side of his head glowed green, and his four eyes were filled with spiritual energy concentrated in his head.

The characteristics match those of the demonic beast that the previous team mentioned, which can attack the soul.

The four-eyed bone-spiked monster seemed to sense something, immediately opened its eyes, and stood up.

Other monsters were also alerted.

With a gesture from Li Yuan, the six people quickly spread out into formation.

A flash of fire appeared beneath Li Yuan's feet, and he was the first to rush down the slope.

A fireball materialized in his palm and hurtled towards the nearest gray iguana. With a muffled thud, the gray iguana was flipped over, a black crater appearing under its ribs.

The monsters on the gravel beach suddenly erupted in chaos.

The two gray iguanas darted to the left and right, while the iron-spineed hyena dropped what it was holding and turned to run downstream.

Song Tiezhu and Han Xiaoyi flanked them from both sides, intercepting the two gray iguanas. Tian Qi, carrying a spear, chased after the hyenas.

But the four-eyed bone-spiked monster did not run away.

It slowly stood up, stretched its neck, and opened all four eyes at the same time. The green light on the two clusters of bone spurs on its head suddenly became brighter.

An invisible wave emanated from its head.

Han Xiaoyi ran to the closest point to it, about ten zhang away.

The moment the wave swept over him, Han Xiaoyi abruptly stopped, as if he had been hit on the head by something. He swayed and immediately covered his forehead with one hand.

"Hold--"

Han Xiaoyi immediately cursed, pressing his other hand tightly against his temple, his face deathly pale.

The damage to the soul was not significant; the key issue was the backlash from the failed spellcasting.

Song Tiezhu turned around and glanced back, his expression changing.

"Stay away from it!"

Li Yuan did not approach Han Xiaoyi, but instead stared at the demonic beast.

When it released the fluctuations, Li Yuan was also within its perception range, but at a greater distance, about fifteen zhang away.

When the wave swept over me, I only felt a slight tingling sensation at the back of my head, almost nothing at all.

Xu Qing had already run to Han Xiaoyi's side and was pulling him back.

After being dragged a few steps, Han Xiaoyi recovered and gritted his teeth.

"It felt like I'd been pricked by a needle... but it went away after a while, and nothing serious happened."

"The problem is that I'm suffering from spell backlash, and my meridians are in excruciating pain, so I can't cast spells."

Li Yuan looked away and glanced down at the panel.

[Fire Release Technique (White) Permanentization Progress: 49/50]

One mile away.

Li Yuan's gaze returned to the bone-spiked monster.

It didn't chase after us, but remained crouched in the middle of the pebble beach, its four eyes fixed on us, the green light of the bone spurs on the side of its head flashing as if it were gathering strength.

The surrounding minions have been dealt with, leaving only this one.

With Li Yuan's current cultivation level and abilities, even a mid-grade first-tier demonic beast with a soul attack wouldn't be difficult to deal with. He could simply bombard it from a distance with fire arrows and fireballs. It couldn't outrun fire escape techniques, nor could it withstand attacks enhanced with precision.

But Li Yuan did not make a move immediately.

He stared at the monster, his fingers rubbing against his sleeve.

The calming touch of the sleeve felt cool to the touch.

The condition for making the "Mental Stability" attribute permanent is the second of two options: receiving a mental attack of a certain power.

That should be powerful enough.

Li Yuan turned his head and glanced at the surrounding terrain.

The pebble beach extended northward for a while, flanked by low slopes, where the monster crouched in the south-central position. From its current location to the bottom of the low slope to the north, it was approximately twenty-five zhang (about 133 meters).

The Fire Release technique is still one mile away from completion.

Li Yuan retreated a few steps to the low slope to the north, activating his Fire Escape Technique as he did so.

A flash of fire appeared beneath his feet, and he darted three zhang to the north.

In another flash, it leaped another three zhang.

Instead of charging towards the monster, they moved laterally along the riverbank on the north side of the pebble beach, creating distance between themselves and the monster, while simultaneously casting spells to attract it.

The four-eyed bone-spiked demon beast was also attracted by Li Yuan and ran towards him, launching a soul attack on him.

The soul attack from ten zhang away only made Li Yuan feel dizzy, which quickly subsided.

Fortunately, the progress only shows integers, so it's actually only a little bit away from becoming permanent.

After about ten attempts, the panel will appear.

The conditions for making Fire Release: White Technique permanent have been met.

Is it permanent?

Li Yuan had a sudden thought.

Yes.

[Permanentization successful]

The Fire Element Conversion (White) has become a permanent entry.

[Equipment consumed]

With an empty slot in the equipment bar, the conversion of fire elemental power seemed to go a little smoother.

Li Yuan stopped in his tracks, standing by the riverbank, facing the bone-spiky monster approaching him from the center of the gravel beach.

The monster's four eyes were fixed on him, and the green light on the bone spurs on the side of its head was already extremely bright, ready to be released again at any moment.

Li Yuan reached into his sleeve with his right hand, his fingertips touching the cool copper surface of the Tranquility brand.

equipment.

The bronze medal transformed into a faint gray light and disappeared into the body.

The next instant, a thin layer of coolness appeared on the back of my head, exactly the same feeling as when I equipped it last time.

[Acquired entry: Mental Stability (Gray)]

As the monster approached, all four of its eyes narrowed simultaneously, and the bone spur on the side of its head suddenly lit up.

An invisible shock exploded from the monster's head, like a muffled hammer blow straight into Li Yuan's consciousness.

My head buzzed.

But at the same moment, a cool sensation rose up at the back of my head, like a thin shield, blocking part of the attack.

The "Mental Stability" attribute is at work.

Furthermore, Li Yuan already possessed the cultivation level of the sixth level of Qi Refining, so this damage felt like needle pricks to him, and he didn't stop casting spells.

The panel appears.

The conditions for permanent mental stability (gray) have been met.

Is it permanent?

[Permanentization successful]

[Mental stability (gray) has become a permanent term]

[Equipment consumed]

The equipment slots are empty again.

Without pausing, Li Yuan unleashed the fireball spell.

The bone-spiked monster had just unleashed a wave of soul attacks when the green light on its bone spikes dimmed, clearly indicating it had entered a brief period of weakness. A hint of panic flashed in its four eyes, and it pawed at the ground, trying to turn around.

late.

A crimson flame exploded on the monster's head, shattering the two bone spikes at the base, sending fragments flying. The monster's entire body was sent flying more than two zhang away, rolling one and a half times before lying on the rubble with only a faint breath.

Upon seeing this, Song Tiezhu immediately moved closer and struck again. The monster's body stiffened abruptly, its limbs twitched a few times, and a charred, penetrating wound appeared on its dark gray fur before it became completely still.

The pebble beach fell silent.

Song Tiezhu walked over, looked at the corpse of the monster on the ground, and then looked at Li Yuan.

"Captain, did you deliberately approach me just now?"

"Let's test its attack range." Li Yuan nodded. "Effective within ten zhang, its power decreases significantly beyond ten zhang."

Han Xiaoyi walked up from behind, his face pale, and glanced curiously at the monster lying on the ground.

Li Yuan didn't reply, but squatted down and began to dismantle the monster.

The materials from the Bone Spur Beast weren't plentiful; the valuable ones were the two clusters of bone spurs. Although they were broken, the bone at the break point glowed with a ghostly green light. This stuff was an auxiliary material for refining soul-type magical artifacts and could fetch a good price in the market.

Li Yuan sorted the bone spurs and other materials and put them into his storage bag.

After cleaning up the battlefield together, the group returned along the same route.

As Li Yuan walked out of the gravel beach, he glanced down at the control panel.

Sixteen permanent entries.

The five gray categories are: Cleansing the body, Focusing the mind, Perceiving danger, Warding off evil, and Stabilizing the mind.

The ten white ones are: spiritual energy filtering, five grains nourishing qi, accelerated circulation of qi, scales protecting the body, spiritual energy gathering, precision, talisman making enlightenment, spinal cord vitality, rapid release of fire magic, and fire element transformation.

One green one: Flame Marrow Essence Body.

Li Yuan glanced at his extensive data panel, then put it away and followed the team towards the base.