Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Mist Forest Marketplace, the second floor of Yuanming Studio.

The second round of the auction began as scheduled. The main hall was packed, with not an empty seat in sight. Ji Wenchuan stood at the front, methodically controlling the pace of the bidding. As the marketplace’s fame grew, this auction attracted even more Loose Cultivators and small families than the last, and their bids were far more decisive.

Li Yuan sat behind a one-way screen in a private room on the second floor, quietly observing the scene below.

A server entered the private room carrying a wooden tray, on which sat several miscellaneous items consigned by Loose Cultivators.

Li Yuan’s gaze swept over the wooden tray.

His perception within a three-foot radius triggered instantly, and a white light flashed.

Li Yuan nodded, giving the server a signal.

A short while later, the auction concluded. Three items were delivered to Li Yuan; they were all items with entries—two white and one green.

Li Yuan picked up an old talisman brush with a slightly cracked shaft.

[Equippable Item Detected: Dust-Purifying Talisman Brush (Intact)]

[Equippable Entry Preview: Dust Purification (White)]

[Effect: Automatically filters out impurities in Spiritual Power when drawing Talismans, slightly increasing the success rate.]

[Permanence Condition: Condition met.]

"Equip. Make permanent."

[Dust-Purifying Talisman Brush (White) has become a permanent entry.]

A phantom image of the old talisman brush flashed in his equipment slot before vanishing, transforming into a white speck of light that merged into his body.

Li Yuan put down the talisman brush and picked up a dark-colored ink stick next to it.

[Equippable Item Detected: Spirit-Solidifying Ink Stick (Intact)]

[Equippable Entry Preview: Spirit Solidification (White)]

[Effect: Reduces Spiritual Power loss when refining Talisman Ink. The quality of the Talisman Ink is more stable.]

[Spirit-Solidifying Ink Stick (White) has become a permanent entry.]

Another speck of light merged into him. With two auxiliary entries related to talisman making now solidified within his body, combined with his Tier Two Perfection Talisman Making Skill, the stability and success rate of any Talisman he drew would reach an absolutely terrifying level.

Finally, his gaze fell upon a strangely shaped, crystal-like bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror was only half a palm’s size. A hairline crack ran down the middle of its surface, splitting it in two and making it resemble a vertical eye with a double pupil.

[Equippable Item Detected: Ancient Double-Pupil Mirror (Intact)]

[Equippable Entry Preview: Mirror Light Split Pupil (Green)]

[Effect: When activated, allows simultaneous observation of how Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi are embedded within an Array’s structure, eliminating the need to switch perspectives.]

[Permanence Condition: In a single instance of actual combat, use both Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi-based Magic to break the same same-tier or Tier Two Array (0/1).]

A green entry.

This was a highly specific support ability. With this entry, the dual perspectives would stack, and his efficiency in breaking composite Arrays would increase exponentially.

Li Yuan sat upright in the private room, but his Divine Sense had already extended far beyond the marketplace, probing toward Skeleton Ridge to the northwest.

The configuration of auras in the sky had changed.

The Golden Core pressures that had weighed down like mountains over the Ghost Mist Forest were now all retracted. The massive collisions of Spiritual Power had vanished, replaced by extremely frequent and subtle fluctuations of spiritual sound transmissions in mid-air.

High-frequency, rapid, and completely clean.

Li Yuan retracted his Divine Sense. ’I see,’ he thought.

’The negotiations between the Golden Core ancestors are speeding up. The previous standoffs and probes have revealed everyone’s bottom lines. Since no one can claim the Skeleton Ridge ruins for themselves, it seems they’ve reached some alliances and agreements.’

’The stalemate is about to be broken. The real show will be the upcoming exploration and division of spoils.’

Just then, a fiery red Communication Talisman shot through a crack in the window and landed steadily before Li Yuan.

A message from the Primordial Yang Sect.

Li Yuan crushed the Talisman, and a deep voice resounded in his sea of consciousness. It was a deacon elder from the Primordial Yang Sect’s Foreign Affairs Hall.

"Protector Li. By order of the Sect Master, you are hereby assigned a long-term investigation mission. Effective immediately, you are to closely monitor and investigate any clues within Jingzhou regarding the remnants of the White Nether Sect. This mission has no time limit. Do not alert the enemy. A supplementary Magical Artifact has been delivered to the marketplace entrance."

The voice faded away.

Li Yuan rose and walked out of Yuanming Studio. Outside the north gate of the marketplace, a Foundation Establishment disciple from the Primordial Yang Sect respectfully handed him a spirit-sealing wooden box and then swiftly departed.

Opening the wooden box revealed a dark gray Array Disc.

A Demonic Qi Spirit Disc. It was specifically designed to detect faint traces of Demonic Qi ruins and hidden underground passages in extremely complex environments.

The Primordial Yang Sect had given him a clear direction: Jingzhou.

It seemed they had already obtained some intelligence, leading them to believe that the remnants of the White Nether Sect, or clues to their ruins, were most likely hidden within Jingzhou.

Li Yuan put away the Spirit Disc. Just as he returned to his stone house, Xu Zhang’s knock came from the door.

"Pavilion Master." Xu Zhang walked in quickly, his expression somewhat grave. "The Mingyuan Commerce Association headquarters just sent a message via an array."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"The association has been commissioned by the Primordial Yang Sect to use its trade routes to covertly investigate the whereabouts of the White Nether Sect. Headquarters is asking me what’s going on with the Primordial Yang Sect."

Li Yuan nodded and briefly explained the situation to Xu Zhang.

The Primordial Yang Sect had mobilized its own intelligence network while also hiring a behemoth like the Mingyuan Commerce Association, which spanned several provinces. Both channels were now active, their blades pointed squarely at Jingzhou.

Over the next two days, Li Yuan quickly handed over the marketplace’s affairs to Ji Wenchuan.

On the morning of the third day, carrying a large quantity of supplies gathered from the auction and his daily collections, he set off on a new three-province trade route.

This time, his goal wasn’t just to complete trades and accumulate Spirit Stones, but also to travel to Shuizhou and participate in the large-scale trade fair jointly hosted by the Kunpeng Island Alliance and the Celestial Peak Sect.

The route was a familiar one.

First stop, Yunyang Marketplace. Li Yuan sold off the Low Tier specialties produced in the Mist Forest Marketplace, exchanging them for a large batch of Fire Element ores and basic medicinal pills unique to Liangzhou.

Second stop, Jingzhou. At the White Mirror Marketplace, Li Yuan used his five-percent discount Token to sell the goods from Liangzhou at a high price while stocking up on array consumables and High Tier talisman paper from Jingzhou.

Third stop, Mozhou. He sold some of the goods from Jingzhou in exchange for Mozhou’s underground specialties, and along the way, he left a batch of supplies at Old Man Shen’s settlement.

Finally, following the path of an underground Spirit Vein, Li Yuan traveled south all the way to Shuizhou.

Outside Nanyuan District, the sea breeze was salty and sharp.

The moment Li Yuan stepped into the marketplace, he noticed an unusual level of bustle.

The entire dock was packed to the gills. The nearby sea was crowded with dozens of merchant ships of various sizes, moored closely together. There were even seven or eight large, three-masted Spirit Ships, a rare sight on any normal day. The density of Cultivators was more than three times the usual.

Li Yuan passed through the noisy crowd and went straight to a sea-facing stone chamber on the upper level of the marketplace.

Zhou He was standing by the window, looking at the fleet below. He turned around upon hearing Li Yuan’s arrival.

"You’re here." Zhou He pointed to the sea outside. "They’re all heading to the trade fair. You’re a bit early, though. The merchant fleet won’t be departing for another two days."

"Was there a change of plans?" Li Yuan asked, sitting down at the table.

"Not a change of plans. We’re still waiting for some people.

"The merchant ships that arrived early got bored of waiting in the harbor, so they dropped anchor in a safe sea zone thirty li outside the marketplace. Dozens of ships have chained themselves together to form a temporary, floating island and are holding a small trade fair to exchange goods. There’s quite a bit of good stuff there. You should go take a look."

Li Yuan accepted the teacup and nodded.

"Two days. I’ll go make some preparations first."

After leaving Zhou He’s residence, Li Yuan didn’t go to the floating island immediately. Instead, he returned to the sea-facing cultivation chamber that Zhou He had specifically reserved for him.

He activated the Concealment Array, sealing off all external auras.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the stone bed and closed his eyes.

Although he had been rushing about for the past few months, the cultivation within his body had never ceased for a moment.

The vast foundation of his Late-stage Golden Core cultivation, combined with the fusion of demonic and spiritual sources, had created a self-sustaining cycle of Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi in his meridians.

Li Yuan focused his consciousness on his Dantian.

The Low Grade Demon Pill—originally grayish-purple and with a slightly loose structure—was now spinning slowly with an extremely steady rhythm.

As he unreservedly poured the Spiritual Qi from the six portable Spirit Veins within his body into it, which was then converted into Demonic Qi, the Golden Core began to spin faster.

BUZZ—

An extremely deep hum, audible only to him, vibrated throughout his body.

The dark purple membrane of light on the Demon Pill’s surface contracted instantly. Under immense pressure, its internal crystalline lattice completely restructured. The once-loose gaps were filled, and while the Golden Core’s volume didn’t increase, its density grew several times over.

The Low Grade Demon Pill had successfully recovered to the Middle Grade.

The recovery process also brought Li Yuan a great deal of insight.

Li Yuan stabilized his newly restored Middle-grade Golden Core Realm cultivation, then suppressed his aura back down to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment level.

He stood up and pushed open the stone chamber’s door.

The sea wind howled in, and from the direction of the distant, deep sea, he could faintly sense the fluctuations of converging Spiritual Power.