Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

That evening, Li Yuan took out the animal hide from his storage bag that contained the Iron Wall Body Refining Technique. With a thought, he removed the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique and equipped it.

Suddenly, a large amount of related information appeared in my mind.

The first step is to draw spiritual energy from the dantian and channel it along the meridians into the muscles of the limbs.

Li Yuan operated on this quite smoothly, and all the meridians in his body were opened up.

The spiritual energy instantly squeezed into the gaps between the muscle fibers, like water seeping into dry soil. It moved very slowly, and each step forward consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy. The muscles in the forearm repeatedly contracted and relaxed under the pressure of the spiritual energy, and a faint red tinge appeared on the surface of the skin.

After the first run, my forearms were incredibly sore and swollen.

Li Yuan switched to his left arm and walked through it again. Then he moved on to his legs, chest, abdomen, and back.

After completing the first step of the entire exercise, all my muscles were sore, as if someone had squeezed them from the inside out.

But it does have an effect.

The muscles were indeed becoming firmer under the repeated infusion of spiritual energy, although the change was very small, but it was still noticeable.

[Technique: Iron Wall Body Refining Technique - Beginner (0/200)]

I've gotten the hang of it.

Li Yuan stretched his arms and continued to circulate the energy according to the technique for the second time.

This time it was obviously slower.

After the spiritual energy seeped out from the meridians, the absorption rate of the muscles dropped sharply. The first time, the spiritual energy entered relatively smoothly, but from the second time onwards, the muscles seemed to be full, and the spiritual energy could not squeeze in. Instead, it circulated on the surface of the muscle fibers, consuming spiritual energy but having little effect.

The third attempt was even slower, and progress almost came to a standstill.

Li Yuan tried twice more, but the situation did not improve.

The phrase "extremely slow progress" written in the commentary on the exercise method is indeed not an exaggeration.

Without the bone-tempering elixir to open the absorption channels deep within the muscles, relying solely on the force of spiritual energy to infuse the body will only allow for the first half of the initial step, leaving the second half blocked.

There was no bone-tempering liquid among the loot, and it's impossible to find it in the mine.

Li Yuan rolled up the animal hide and put it away, not spending any more time on it, and returned to the Micro-Element Guiding Meridian Technique.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan focused on the Micro-Element Guiding Meridian Technique and talisman making.

The body is tempered with malevolent energy once a day, and the remaining micro-meridians are opened in conjunction with the Micro-Element Meridian Guiding Technique. After reaching the mastery stage, the number of micro-meridians is not large, but each one is hidden in an extremely tricky location. Fortunately, the tissue around the micro-meridians will be softened for a while after the body is tempered with malevolent energy, so advancing during this window of opportunity is much faster than grinding it down.

On the fifth night, Li Yuan sat cross-legged by the stream, circulating the Microcosmic Observation Pulse Technique.

Although all the meridians in the body have been opened, continuing to cultivate is not in vain; rather, it can further strengthen the meridians and increase the overall connection between them.

The spiritual energy was flowing through an extremely fine micro-channel, and the moment it passed through, all the micro-channels in the body vibrated simultaneously.

Unlike the resonance I experienced when I was in mastery, this vibration was deeper and more profound, as if a structure inside my body that had been tense for a long time had finally completely relaxed.

Spiritual energy no longer simply flows into the micro-channels, but is completely integrated into the meridian system.

The main meridian, branch meridians, and micro meridians form a complete network. Spiritual energy, starting from the dantian, can simultaneously travel to every corner of the body without any blind spots or delays.

The operation of the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique underwent a qualitative change.

Previously, spiritual energy needed to circulate through the main meridians, then the branch meridians, and finally slowly seep into the micro-meridians to complete one cycle. Now, with all three layers operating simultaneously, the speed at which spiritual energy covers the entire body in one cycle is almost twice as fast as before.

[Technique: Subtle Yuan Meridian Guiding Technique - Minor Success (0/1600)]

Li Yuan slowly finished his practice and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Spiritual energy flows through every muscle and bone in the body. It's not something that's deliberately guided; it happens naturally—as long as the Hundred Meridians Returning to Origin Technique is in operation, spiritual energy will automatically fill the entire body.

Cultivation efficiency has reached a new level.

In the following days, Li Yuan took thirty fireball talismans to the Chen family.

The transaction was straightforward. After examining the talisman's quality, Elder Chen paid for it with spirit stones on the spot and handed over the recipe for the Rejuvenation Talisman to Li Yuan.

"We'll have a batch every two weeks, no less than fifty sheets." Elder Chen pushed the spirit stones over.

Li Yuan nodded, accepted the spirit stones and the crafting method, and left the Chen family.

Back at the mine, Li Yuan unfolded the animal hide used to make the Rejuvenation Talisman.

The difference between the Rejuvenation Talisman and the Fireball Talisman is quite significant.

The Fireball Talisman uses fire-elemental spiritual power, with its runes primarily consisting of fire-gathering and explosion patterns, taking a violent approach. The Rejuvenation Talisman uses wood-elemental spiritual power, with its runes primarily consisting of healing and nourishing patterns, taking a gentle approach.

The techniques for applying the brushstrokes also differ. The spiritual patterns of the Fireball Talisman must be pressed tightly and layered densely, with a heavy force. The spiritual patterns of the Rejuvenation Talisman must be spread evenly and dispersed, with a light force, and the speed at which spiritual energy is poured in must be much slower.

Li Yuan spread out the talisman paper, dipped it in spirit ink, and made the first stroke according to the arrangement of the spirit patterns on the production method.

The first one is ruined. The initial strokes of the healing pattern were too forceful, and the spiritual energy was poured in too quickly, causing the paper to wrinkle before the pattern could even unfold.

The second one was also ruined. The nourishing patterns were positioned off-center, and the spiritual energy scattered into a clump on the paper.

For the third piece, Li Yuan reduced the pressure by two points and slowed down the writing speed.

The healing patterns unfolded one by one, and the wood-elemental spiritual energy slowly seeped into the paper. The patterns seemed to grow into the talisman paper, and the fit with the paper was much better than the previous two.

When he reached the final point, Li Yuan held his breath, slightly turned his wrist, and stored the last nourishing rune into the core of the talisman.

The spiritual patterns on the talisman lit up simultaneously, and the light slowly converged from the outside in, finally settling at the center of the talisman, tinged with a very faint green hue.

It became.

【Talisman: Rejuvenation Talisman - Beginner (0/200)】

The first Rejuvenation Talisman is for beginners.

Li Yuan picked up the Rejuvenation Talisman and examined it. The evenness of the patterns was still far inferior to that of the Fireball Talisman, but it was at least a qualified finished product.

Li Yuan put down the talisman brush and glanced at the panel.

My overall proficiency in talisman-making has increased.

It's not about the proficiency of the Rejuvenation Talisman itself, but rather the overall speed of improvement in talisman-making techniques.

I've been drawing fireball talismans for the past few days, and my overall talisman-making proficiency has been progressing more and more slowly, with each talisman yielding a decreasing increase. But today, after switching to the Rejuvenation Talisman, I drew a few, and the increase in my overall talisman-making proficiency was significantly higher than with the same number of fireball talismans.

Creating different types of talismans is more effective in advancing the overall skill of talisman making than specializing in a single type of talisman.

Li Yuan kept this in mind and picked up the Rejuvenation Talisman.

Fingertips touch the surface of the talisman.

[Equipable item detected: Rejuvenation Charm (Complete)]

[Entry Preview: Vitality Returns (White) - Increases injury recovery speed by 30%]

[Preview of Permanentization Requirements: Use at least five Tier 1 Low-grade or higher Wood-attribute pills (0/5)]

[Current equipment slots are full (3/3). Replace current equipment?]

White entries.

A surge of vitality restores life, increasing the speed of injury recovery. The condition for permanent effect is the use of five low-grade, first-tier wood-attribute pills.

Wood-attribute pills.

The ores found in the mines are mostly of the wood element, but the pills are a different story. There are no alchemists in the mines, so wood-element pills can only be purchased from outside.

There's a trade fair coming up right after.

Li Yuan put the Rejuvenation Talisman into his storage bag.

Two days later, Li Yuan returned to the rocky hollow for the second time.

The trade fair was about the same size as the last one, with twenty or thirty independent cultivators scattered throughout the venue, and the same stalls and people. Elder Chen was still sitting on the high rock at the very back.

Li Yuan walked over to a herbal medicine stall where several bottles of pills were displayed.

Do you have any wood-type pills?

The stall owner, a woman in her forties, heard this and rummaged through the bottle in front of her, taking out two coins from the very bottom.

"Wood Nourishing Pill, Grade 1, Low-grade, Wood Attribute. Two spirit stones each, just two."

Li Yuan took a look; the medicinal fragrance was faint, and the appearance was acceptable.

"I'll take both."

After putting away the pills, Li Yuan walked around the area, asking everyone he met if they had any body-refining elixirs or other wood-type pills.

"Do you have any body-refining elixirs? The Li family's bone-tempering elixir, or any other body-refining elixir formula, will do."

I asked five or six people, and they all shook their heads.

Li Yuan nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The body-refining elixir cannot be found in the short term, so there's no rush.

A batch of talismans were sold. Cleansing talismans and exorcism talismans were bought up piecemeal by a few independent cultivators.

No one bought the fireball talismans. Elder Chen bought them all last time, so he didn't ask for them this time. Other rogue cultivators had limited spirit stones and were reluctant to spend three yuan on each battle talisman.

After the purchasing and shipping were completed, the trading in the venue gradually cooled down, and the independent cultivators began to gather in small groups to chat.

Li Yuan leaned against the stone wall, not deliberately moving closer, but he could clearly hear the conversation a few steps away.

A tall, thin rogue cultivator squatted on the ground, his hands tucked into his sleeves, a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

"...If only I could reach the late stage of Qi Refining, at least I wouldn't have any problem protecting myself."

A short, stout rogue cultivator nearby scoffed. "Late-stage Qi Refining? You think being at the late-stage Qi Refining stage makes you safe?"

The tall, thin cultivator spat out the withered grass. "At least it's better than now. With my Qi Refining level three, I wouldn't even be able to escape if I ran into the Li family."

Elder Chen, who was on the high rock, opened his eyes at some point and said something.

"Even the later stages of Qi Refining aren't foolproof."

Several rogue cultivators turned their gazes in that direction at the same time.

Elder Chen leaned against the stone wall, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

"If we're talking about real insurance, it has to be Foundation Establishment. After Foundation Establishment comes another level, and neither the Wang family nor the Li family would easily touch a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

The tall, thin cultivator gave a wry smile. "Foundation Establishment... that's not something you can just dream about."

"It's not easy," Elder Chen did not deny.

A young rogue cultivator standing nearby hesitated for a moment before asking a question.

"Elder Chen, I've heard that your young master has exceptional talent. Is it possible that...?"

Before he could finish speaking, an older rogue cultivator next to him quickly reached out and pulled him back, lowering his voice.

"How could you ask such a thing?"

Elder Chen waved his hand.

"fine."

He picked up the water bag next to him, took a sip of water, and spoke in a calm tone.

"The Yuan Yang Sect actually hopes that new Foundation Establishment cultivators will be born. Moreover, if you want to establish a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you can go to the Yun Yang Market of the Yuan Yang Sect, where there are dedicated venues and protectors."

He paused.

"Unfortunately, the chances are slim. My kid is talented, but talent alone isn't enough for Foundation Establishment; you also need Foundation Establishment Pills. Without Foundation Establishment Pills, everything is just empty talk."

The short, stout rogue cultivator tilted his head. "What does a Foundation Establishment Pill look like? I've never even seen one."

Elder Chen chuckled.

"They come in all shapes and sizes. To put it simply, the Foundation Establishment Pill is a type of breakthrough pill, helping cultivators break through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment. It's just that this hurdle is so important that it's called the Foundation Establishment Pill."

He held up three fingers.

"There are roughly three types on the market. The first type is more balanced, which can improve the success rate of breakthroughs while reducing the risk of failure. The advantage is stability, and the disadvantage is that it is not extreme in either direction. The success rate is not particularly high, and the security is not particularly strong, but at least it provides protection on both sides."

He raised his second finger.

"The second type is safer, significantly reducing the mortality rate and the backlash from failed attempts. Even if you fail to break through after consuming it, you're not likely to die; at most, you'll be injured and recover for a while before trying again. However, the success rate itself is not high, and you may have to try several times to succeed."

The third finger.

"The third type is more aggressive, significantly increasing the success rate of breakthroughs, but failure means certain death. There is no second chance."

The venue was quiet for a while.

The tall, thin, unaffiliated cultivator swallowed hard. "Then which kind should ordinary people eat?"

The elder of the Chen clan put down the water bag.

"Most people can't afford it."

"Even if you can afford it, you don't have the chance to choose, but most people wouldn't choose the second option."

The group of independent cultivators remained silent for a moment, then nodded to each other.

The conversation gradually faded, and some people began packing their things to leave.

Li Yuan stood up from the stone wall, tidied up the things in his sleeves, and walked towards the exit of the stone cave.