Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Deep within the underground mine tunnel, a crimson glow seeped out from the rock walls on either side.

Li Yuan walked down the mine tunnel, the temperature beneath his feet rising steadily. The air was filled with the dry smell of sulfur and a faint trace of Evil Qi. The two scents intertwined, forming a slightly scorching thin mist within the tunnel.

When he reached the intersection of the Evil Vein and the two Fire Veins, he stopped, his gaze sweeping over the natural cavity before him.

The Fire Cultivation Array and the Cultivating Evil Array were positioned on opposite sides, a steady light flowing through their Array Patterns.

The interconnected network of the three veins allowed the flow of Fire Spiritual Power and Evil Qi to form a complete cycle. The waste gas produced by the Fire Veins was recycled by the Fire Cultivation Array, while the Evil Qi absorbed by the Evil Vein was compressed and precipitated by the Cultivating Evil Array. When the two met in the convergence zone, they naturally fused, giving rise to higher-quality Fire Evil Stone.

Li Yuan walked to the wall of the convergence zone and knocked on the rock face.

A thin, dark-red mineral crust had already formed on the surface of the rock wall. A light scrape with a fingernail could peel off a flake. The crust’s color was more than a shade darker than when they first started mining three months ago. Inside, the Fire Spiritual Power and Evil Qi were blended with extreme uniformity, showing no signs of layering.

He walked a full circle along the rock wall, knocking loose the formed Fire Evil Stones one by one and placing them into his storage bag.

The amount collected this round was nearly thirty percent more than the last.

A rough calculation showed that the monthly yield of Fire Evil Stone had nearly doubled since the beginning. The improvement in quality was just as obvious. Previously, two or three out of every ten stones required a second round of purification to meet the standards for Artifact Refining. Now, basically every piece was up to par, and occasionally, a few exquisite, top-grade specimens would appear.

Li Yuan stored the last few ore pieces, checked the Spiritual Power circuits and the state of the Array Hubs for both Arrays, and after confirming everything was in order, he headed back to the surface along the mine tunnel.

As soon as he stepped out of the tunnel entrance, he saw Wang Ting’an already waiting there.

Behind Wang Ting’an stood two peak Qi Refining Cultivators from the Wang family, each carrying a box of mining tools.

"Li Dao You, long time no see." Wang Ting’an cupped his hands and smiled, his gaze shifting toward the tunnel entrance. "How was the harvest this time?"

"Not bad." Li Yuan didn’t go into detail about the numbers, just nodded. "The Fire Cultivation Array is running stably, and the yield is still on the rise."

"That’s good to hear." Wang Ting’an rubbed his hands together, the smile in his eyes deepening, then he got straight to the point.

"Li Dao You, I came today because I wanted to propose an idea."

"Go on."

"The convergence zone currently only has one mining point, located at the center of the three-vein network. But the zone extends at least another hundred zhang deeper, where the mineralization of the Fire Evil Stone is even higher. We just didn’t have enough manpower to develop it before."

Wang Ting’an paused.

"I want to open up another extraction point deeper in the convergence zone."

Li Yuan looked at him without answering immediately.

’He was well aware of the significance of a second extraction point. The deeper into the convergence zone, the greater the degree of fusion between the Fire Vein and the Evil Vein, meaning the quality of the ore would naturally be better. However, the environment deeper in was more complex, with an unstable rock structure. Problems could easily arise without regular patrols and maintenance.’

"We can do that," Li Yuan said. "But the Wang family will be responsible for the security patrols of the new extraction point. I’ll set up the Array; you provide the manpower."

Wang Ting’an agreed in a heartbeat.

"No problem. I’ll go back and arrange for two shifts to come over and keep an eye on things."

With the matter settled, Wang Ting’an didn’t leave right away. Instead, he took his two subordinates and Li Yuan down into the depths of the convergence zone to survey the location for the new extraction point firsthand.

After the three of them had walked about fifty zhang deeper along a natural fissure in the convergence zone, Wang Ting’an suddenly stopped and crouched down, staring at the ground for a long moment.

"Li Dao You, look at this."

Li Yuan walked over and looked in the direction he was pointing.

On the rock wall, a dark-red tributary of the Fire Vein and a grayish-black tributary of the Evil Vein were almost touching. There should have been a natural layer of rock separating the two veins, but now the barrier was less than an inch thick. At the edges, one could even see the two types of energy slowly seeping through and mingling.

"The Fire Vein and the Evil Vein are fusing naturally," Wang Ting’an said, looking up at Li Yuan. "I didn’t notice it in the shallower sections. The deeper we go, the more obvious this trend becomes."

He stood up and habitually brushed the dust off his knees.

"Li Dao You, right now, the Fire Cultivation Array is set up by the Fire Vein, and the Cultivating Evil Array is by the Evil Vein, each managing its own. Since the Fire Vein and Evil Vein already have a natural tendency to fuse, could we do the reverse? Set up a Cultivating Evil Array on the Fire Vein and a Fire Cultivation Array on the Evil Vein? If we actively accelerate the fusion of the two veins, the yield and quality of the Fire Evil Stone should see another significant boost."

Li Yuan stared at the two veins on the rock wall, now almost pressed together, and fell silent for a moment.

’Wang Ting’an’s line of thinking made sense. The natural fusion of the Fire and Evil Veins was an existing trend, and artificially accelerating it was, in theory, feasible. However, setting up arrays on cross-element veins involved too many variables. If the balance between Fire Spiritual Power and Evil Qi was broken, at best the Array would fail; at worst, it could trigger a disturbance or even a collapse of the veins.’

’Although a complete collapse was unlikely, as I could control it by simply re-equipping the Evil Vein, the potential problems were still significant.’

"I’ve never done this before," Li Yuan said bluntly. "I don’t have enough experience setting up arrays on cross-element veins, so I daren’t make any promises. I’ll need to research it first, or consult an Array Master with experience in this area."

Wang Ting’an nodded and didn’t press the issue.

"No rush. Let’s get the second extraction point up and running first. We can tackle this other matter whenever you’re confident about it."

After the two confirmed the location for the new extraction point, they returned to the surface. Wang Ting’an took his men to arrange the patrol shifts, while Li Yuan went back to the market square.

Back in his stone house, Li Yuan took the Golden Sword Talisman out of his storage bag.

He hadn’t equipped this Talisman since crafting it. Its permanency condition was to kill ten Tier One or higher Demon Beasts using Metal Element Magic.

He held the Golden Sword Talisman in his hand.

"Equip."

[Equipped: Golden Sword Talisman (Complete · Self-Made)]

[Piercing Metal Embodiment (White) is now in effect]

[Permanency Condition for Piercing Metal Embodiment (White): Kill 10 Tier One or higher Demon Beasts using Metal Element Magic (0/10)]

In the following days, Li Yuan took the opportunity of the routine extermination patrols around the market square to hunt Demon Beasts.

A day later, a notification popped up on his panel.

[Permanency Condition for Piercing Metal Embodiment (White) has been met]

[Kill 10 Tier One or higher Demon Beasts using Metal Element Magic (10/10)]

[Piercing Metal Embodiment (White) has become a permanent trait]

The phantom image of the Golden Sword Talisman flashed and vanished from the equipment slot, freeing it up.

Li Yuan re-equipped Vein-Hiding and Breath-Concealing.

’Piercing Metal Embodiment, a white-tier trait, increased the power of his Metal Element Magic by thirty percent. The effect wasn’t stunning, but its advantage lay in being an unconditional, permanent buff. Stacked with his previous Golden Edge Augment and the scaling effect on Fire Element Magic from the Flame Marrow Body, his attack output had gained another layer of depth.’

Li Yuan dismissed the panel and sat down cross-legged again.

Five lines of Divine Sense spread out. The Pill Furnace ignited, and a talisman brush hovered in the air.

Everything proceeded as usual.