Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Inside the management office, Chen Yi placed a jade slip on the table and pushed it toward Li Yuan.

"The Sect’s reward. The complete Core Formation manual." Chen Yi leaned back in his chair. "You did a beautiful job on that assignment in Mozhou. The higher-ups are very pleased."

Li Yuan picked up the jade slip. It was warm and smooth to the touch, and felt much heavier than the copied version he had previously exchanged for at the trade fair.

"Thank you."

After returning to his stone house, Li Yuan sealed the door and windows, sat down at his desk, and extended his Divine Sense into the jade slip.

A sea of information instantly flooded his mind.

This complete manual was far more detailed than the previous copy. The copy had only recorded the general principles of Core Formation and a few methods for circulating energy, whereas this manual started from the most basic theories and progressed layer by layer, covering nearly all the compiled experiences of the Primordial Yang Sect’s predecessors regarding Core Formation.

Li Yuan spent a full six hours reading the manual from beginning to end.

The core content could be summarized in a few key points.

First, the nature of the Golden Core.

Essence, energy, and spirit unite as one and condense to form the Golden Core. After Core Formation, the Golden Core becomes the Cultivator’s true body. All of one’s essence, energy, and spirit are compressed and sealed within that single core, while the physical body is relegated to a secondary role, becoming a mere vessel and carrier for the Golden Core.

In other words, for a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, the true body is the person. For a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, the true body is the core.

The manual used a very vivid analogy: the Foundation Establishment Stage is like a water vat filled to the brim. The physical body is the vat, and Spiritual Power is the water. The Golden Core Stage, however, is the process of melting down both the vat and the water into a single pearl. That pearl is everything.

Second, the grade of the Golden Core.

They are divided into four tiers: Supreme, Top, Middle, and Low. The grade is determined entirely by the degree of fusion and the total quantity of one’s essence, energy, and spirit at the moment of Core Formation. The higher the fusion and the deeper one’s foundation, the better the Golden Core’s quality. This, in turn, creates a world of difference in subsequent cultivation speed, one’s upper limit in combat power, and even the success rate of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

A significant weakness in any of these three aspects will drag down the overall degree of fusion.

Third, auxiliary methods.

There are many ways to increase the success rate of Core Formation. Meridian-protecting Spirit Medicines can prevent the meridians from shattering during the process, arrays that stabilize the Dantian can lessen the intensity of a Spiritual Power rampage, and spirit-concentrating medicines can help a Cultivator maintain clarity of their Divine Sense at the crucial moment.

However, these methods only affect the success rate, not the quality.

External items that can genuinely improve the quality of a Golden Core are exceedingly rare and despairingly expensive. The manual lists several known heavenly materials and earthly treasures, each with a market price starting in the thousands of Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Fourth, lifespan.

During Core Formation, a Cultivator’s current remaining lifespan doubles, and a fixed amount of time is added on top of that. The reference value given in the manual is that a Golden Core Stage Cultivator’s total lifespan is typically between five hundred and eight hundred years.

But the most critical sentence was marked separately by the manual’s author with heavy ink.

When a Cultivator’s total lifespan reaches one thousand years, their level of life will undergo a metamorphosis.

Li Yuan put down the jade slip and closed his eyes for a moment to digest the information.

’My current lifespan is three hundred and eighty years.’

The natural lifespan of a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was nowhere near that number. His three hundred and eighty years were the total he had accumulated through the combined effects of Lifespan Extension Pills, trait effects, and Body Refining Techniques.

’Another twenty years to reach four hundred.’

Li Yuan committed this number to memory and continued reading the latter half of the manual.

The last Chapter was dedicated to Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts.

The manual recommended that a Cultivator should refine their Lifebound Spiritual Artifact before Core Formation. The reason was simple: at the moment of Core Formation, one’s essence, energy, and spirit undergo a massive, violent eruption. If a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact is present to receive the aftershock of this eruption, it can use that momentum to raise the artifact’s quality by a full grade.

But immediately after, the manual added a special warning: a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator’s ability to nurture a Magical Artifact is extremely limited, so one shouldn’t pursue the finest materials for a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact. The important thing is to complete the blood essence refinement before Core Formation, allowing the artifact to form an initial resonance with its owner.

Li Yuan put away the jade slip.

’The general path to Core Formation is clear now. Cultivating essence, energy, and spirit; the Lifebound Spiritual Artifact; and auxiliary Spirit Medicines. I’ll advance on all three fronts simultaneously.’

He stored the jade slip deep within his storage bag, then left the stone house and headed for the management office.

Chen Yi was still there.

This time, however, his face was not troubled. Instead, it showed a rare look of ease.

"I have good news." Chen Yi poured two cups of tea and pushed one to Li Yuan. "A large merchant caravan is about to arrive. They’ve already set up camp over at Yunyang Marketplace and will come to Mist Forest Marketplace in a few days."

"How large?"

"A Golden Core Elder is leading it personally." Chen Yi held up one finger. "He has seven or eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators under him managing the specific trades, plus a group of affiliated traveling merchants following along."

Li Yuan picked up his teacup.

A Golden Core Cultivator personally leading a trade caravan was not a common sight in the border regions. Most caravans were overseen by a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator at best. To be able to compel a Golden Core Cultivator to make an appearance, the profits must be substantial enough to warrant it.

"Where are they from?"

"Jingzhou," Chen Yi said. "Jingzhou is to the east of Yunzhou and borders Mozhou. The situation over there is much more stable than in Liangzhou, and their resources are more plentiful. This caravan specializes in the border route, dumping goods from Jingzhou and Yunzhou over here in Liangzhou."

Li Yuan quickly sketched out the geographical relationships in his mind. North of Liangzhou was Yunzhou. East of Yunzhou was Jingzhou, which bordered Mozhou to the east of Liangzhou. The caravan was traveling an arced route, starting from Jingzhou, passing through the Yunzhou border, and selling its wares all the way to Liangzhou.

"A Golden Core Cultivator wouldn’t personally squat at a stall to sell things," Li Yuan said.

Chen Yi chuckled.

"Of course not. The Golden Core Cultivator is responsible for keeping order, negotiating large-scale deals, and handling inter-regional transport. The Foundation Establishment Cultivators below him split up to manage the sale of various goods, and the Qi Refining Stage disciples below them are the ones who run errands and watch the stalls."

He paused for a moment.

"In truth, a merchant caravan like this is, at its core, propped up by a single person. With a storage bag slung over their back, a single Golden Core Cultivator can carry the goods of an entire caravan. But selling things takes time, and a Golden Core Cultivator would never condescend to haggle with Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivators, so they have to support a team of people. Add in the supply chain connections in various places and the affiliated traveling merchants, and a caravan forms naturally."

Li Yuan filed away this information.

A large merchant caravan meant a massive supply of resources. He had been worried about the unstable supply chain for basic talisman paper and Middle Tier Spiritual Ink. If he could establish a long-term partnership directly with this caravan, many of his problems would be solved.

"I’ll go negotiate with them personally when the caravan arrives," Li Yuan said, setting down his teacup.

Chen Yi nodded and added, "After the Golden Core Elder arrives at Yunyang Marketplace, the Primordial Yang Sect will arrange a reception. As Pavilion Master Li, you just need to show your face. No need to go out of your way to entertain him."

After leaving the management office, Li Yuan didn’t go to the Spirit Fields or the mineral veins. Instead, he returned directly to his stone house.

The door and windows were sealed shut, and a wooden tub for a medicinal bath was moved to the center of the room.

He took out several vials of a potent medicinal liquid, specifically used for impacting the sinews and bones, from his storage bag and poured them all into the tub. The moment the liquid hit the water, it began to roil and boil, releasing a pungent, acrid smell.

Li Yuan removed his outer robe and stepped into the medicinal bath.

The scalding medicinal power instantly seeped into his skin, drilling past the muscle fibers into the deeper layers of his tendons. He activated the Golden Body Skill, and Spiritual Power surged along the technique’s circulation path toward every major joint and nexus of sinew and bone in his body.

The effect of his "Essence Solidification and Meridian Condensation" trait activated at the same time. The resilient membrane lining his meridians greatly mitigated the damage from the Spiritual Power’s assault, allowing him to withstand a more ferocious attempt at breaking through.

First attempt.

Spiritual Power surged into the junction of his left scapula and clavicle. His tendons tightened to their absolute limit under the crushing pressure. A muffled THUD echoed from deep within his bones, but at the last moment, the Spiritual Power was repelled.

Failure.

Li Yuan’s expression remained neutral. After regulating his breathing for a moment, he began his second attempt.

This time, he changed his strategy. Instead of focusing his assault on a single nexus, he simultaneously infused Spiritual Power into every tendon nexus throughout his body. The potent medicinal power of the bath formed a searing layer around him, compressing his tendons and pushing them to their limits from the outside in.

Dozens of joints all over his body simultaneously emitted a dense series of muffled thuds.

Under the two-pronged assault of Spiritual Power and medicinal energy, his tendons trembled continuously, bearing an extreme load.

Failure.

Third attempt. Fourth attempt.

With each attempt, Li Yuan fine-tuned the distribution ratio and rhythm of his Spiritual Power’s assault.

The fifth attempt.

Spiritual Power surged like a tide, simultaneously flooding every nexus of sinew and bone in his body. The "Essence Solidification and Meridian Condensation" trait firmly protected his meridians, while the medicinal bath provided a continuous stream of support from the outside.

"CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK."

A dense series of muffled cracks from his joints blended into a single, continuous sound, spreading from his head and neck all the way down to his ankles.

In that single instant, every tendon in his body broke past its limit. Spiritual Power pierced through, leaving an irreversible mark of reinforcement deep within the fibers of each one.

A panel popped up.

[Golden Body Skill: Proficient (0/400)]

Li Yuan slowly rose from the medicinal bath, the murky liquid sliding down the lines of his muscles.

All the tendons in his body were faintly hot—the residual heat from the Spiritual Power’s reinforcement. He clenched his fist, feeling a much fiercer explosive power than before.

With this, all four of his Body Refining Techniques had reached the Proficient level or higher.

Nameless Body Refining Technique at Perfection, Iron Wall Body Refining Skill at Great Success, Mystic Iron Bone Forging Skill at Proficient, and Golden Body Skill at Proficient.

Flesh and blood, skin and membranes, bone marrow, and tendons—all four dimensions of his physical body had been opened up and raised to a considerable level.

Li Yuan changed into a clean Daoist robe and disposed of the used medicinal liquid.

Just as he pulled open the door to his stone house, a deacon from the management office hurried over.

"Pavilion Master Li, the Primordial Yang Sect has issued a new procurement mission."

The deacon handed him a jade slip.

Li Yuan took it and extended his Divine Sense inside.

The mission’s contents were simple: collect a batch of specific array auxiliary materials and ores, turn them in according to the required quantity and quality, and be compensated with Contribution Points.

His eyes swept over the list of materials, and his steps faltered for a second.

Of the dozen or so materials listed, seven were a perfect match for the items the Dark Abyss Association was collecting, according to the intel he had previously deciphered from the mole.

Li Yuan put away the jade slip, his expression unchanged.

"Understood."

The deacon turned and left.

Li Yuan stood at the entrance to his stone house, his gaze calm as he watched the bustling crowd on the marketplace’s main street.

The Primordial Yang Sect and the Dark Abyss Association were fighting over the same things.