Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

After delivering the supplies, Li Yuan did not rush to leave the outpost.

Under the pretext of waiting for the receipt documents, he lingered around the outpost for an extra hour. He quietly released his Golden Core stage Divine Sense, blanketing the entire area.

The outpost was a full size larger than the last time he’d visited. New barracks, all standard-issue Celestial Peak Sect tents, lined the eastern mountain wall. The Primordial Yang Sect’s own facilities, in contrast, had been squeezed into the western corner, occupying less than thirty percent of the total area.

Li Yuan focused his attention underground.

His Divine Sense pierced the earth’s surface, scanning laterally through the rock strata like an extremely fine blade. Beneath the outpost’s foundation, in addition to the Primordial Yang Sect’s original Defensive Array, there were three unfamiliar sets of Spiritual Power nodes.

Three communication Arrays.

The structure of the Arrays was extremely intricate. Their core components were embedded in the crevices of the foundation stones and covered by a layer of Shield Array Patterns, making them completely imperceptible from the surface. If not for the absolute precision of his Golden Core stage Dark Evil Insight, these three Arrays would most likely have been missed by everyone.

Using his entry-level Tier Three proficiency in the Array Dao, Li Yuan analyzed the Arrays’ transmission direction.

The signal transmission ports of all three Arrays pointed east, extending along the trajectory of the Sunset Corridor’s Earth Veins, aimed directly at the borders of Jingzhou.

They bypassed the Primordial Yang Sect’s communication network.

The Celestial Peak Sect had built a completely independent communication system beneath the Primordial Yang Sect’s outpost. All information went directly to their own sect, leaving the Primordial Yang Sect completely in the dark.

Li Yuan memorized the coordinates and structural details of all three Arrays, then retracted his Divine Sense.

As the supply receipt was handed to him, the Primordial Yang Sect steward in charge of the handover casually remarked...

"That Xuan Pu Master from the Celestial Peak Sect will arrive in three days. I’m afraid the arrangements at the outpost will have to be changed all over again then."

’Late-stage Golden Core, arriving in three days.’

Li Yuan put away the document, his expression unchanging. "How have things been at the front lines recently?" he asked.

The steward shook his head, his tone tinged with confusion.

"Things seem to have quieted down a lot. For the past half a month, neither side has initiated any attacks, and even probing skirmishes have become rare. The Cultivators on duty at the forward posts are all saying it’s been absurdly quiet."

’The Evil Slaying Sect and the Primordial Yang Sect have de-escalated their conflict.’

Li Yuan thanked him and turned to leave the outpost.

Once clear of the outpost’s perimeter, Li Yuan didn’t head back to the market city but turned northeast instead.

His target was the first transfer station marked on the northern supply route map, located on the northeastern outskirts of the Ghost Mist Forest.

He stopped in a hidden mountain hollow and used a disguise technique, adjusting the degree of transformation to completely remold his face and aura.

His features became more sinister: high cheekbones, narrow eyes, and a slight downward turn to the corners of his mouth, exuding the brutal air unique to Demon Cultivators. His skin took on a grayish pallor, his knuckles grew thick, and the edges of his fingernails faintly darkened.

He also adjusted the frequency of his Demonic Qi, making it a perfect match for the harmonic signature commonly used in the Dark Abyss Association’s internal communications.

Preparations complete.

Li Yuan executed the Earth Escape Technique, traveling covertly along a tributary of the Earth Vein toward the first transfer station on the northeastern periphery.

’With my current Cultivation, as long as I don’t walk into a deathtrap, self-preservation is more than guaranteed.’

The transfer station was located in a subterranean cavern deep within a dense forest. The entrance was at the base of a dead tree over ten feet in diameter; the dirt beneath it had been dug out to reveal a narrow, downward-sloping passage. A layer of Demonic Qi Sensing Array was laid at the passage’s mouth, and it would only lower its guard for Cultivators approaching with a specific Demonic Qi frequency.

Li Yuan stopped twenty feet from the entrance and deliberately released a wave of Demonic Qi with a frequency matching that of the Dark Abyss Association’s communications.

The Array Patterns of the Sensing Array glowed faintly, then went out.

The alert was canceled.

He walked down the narrow passage. After two turns, a crude door made of spliced ironwood appeared ahead. Affixed to it was a Demonic Qi Talisman, its patterns matching the standard-issue design of the Dark Abyss Association.

Li Yuan raised his hand and knocked on the door three times in a rhythm of two short and one long.

A hoarse voice came from behind the door.

"The mountain is high."

"The water is far," Li Yuan replied, his voice low and guttural, possessing the murky weight unique to Demon Cultivators.

The door was pushed open from the inside.

A Demon Cultivator with a sallow face stood behind the door. He was at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment, and a short blade was gripped in his hand. He looked Li Yuan up and down.

He carefully examined Li Yuan’s face, then sensed the frequency of the Demonic Qi on his body, before nodding slightly and stepping aside.

"Come in. You from the north?"

"Hn," Li Yuan said, turning sideways to enter the cavern.

The cavern wasn’t large, about forty feet square. Several wooden crates with seals on them were stacked in a corner. Two illuminating Array Stones were embedded in the stone wall, emitting a dim, yellow light.

The sallow-faced Demon Cultivator on duty walked back to a stone table and sat down. A supply manifest and a few fragments of communication jade slips were spread across it.

"The higher-ups didn’t say anyone was coming," he remarked casually. His tone wasn’t particularly wary; it was more like a routine confirmation.

"It was a last-minute addition." Li Yuan sat down on another stone stool and took a small bag of Spirit Stones from his storage pouch, placing it on the table. "Been on the road for three days. Just stopping for a rest before I head out."

The sallow-faced man glanced at the Spirit Stones but didn’t touch them. He just nodded.

"They’re checking things more closely out there lately. Don’t take the old route. The Primordial Yang Sect’s scouts have been snooping around to the east these past few days."

"Got it." Li Yuan leaned against the stone wall, assuming a weary posture with his eyes half-closed. "Any changes on the northern front recently?"

The sallow-faced man scoffed.

"A Golden Core Elder is coming from above soon."

Li Yuan’s eyelids twitched open slightly. ’This Demon Cultivator doesn’t seem to be hiding much information.’

’Or maybe he just trusts the Demonic Qi communications and frequencies too much.’

The sallow-faced man lowered his voice, a hint of schadenfreude on his face.

"Word is he’s coming from another branch, something to do with a secret grotto in Mozhou. Yeah, that Mozhou, the one where five of ours died."

"He’s apparently carrying some related items."

’The Abyss Grotto.’

Li Yuan didn’t press for more details, just went along with the conversation.

"I’ve been on the road for months, completely out of the loop. Are the underground tunnels still usable?"

"Yep. All three are in use." The sallow-faced man held up three fingers.

"The one to the west was just finished two months ago. The ones heading southeast and toward the mine have always been open. The higher-ups want to get all the tunnels connected so the main force won’t have to brute-force their way in from the surface."

’Three secret tunnels. One of them is the one at the Profound Stone mine, which I’ve already scouted.’

’As for the other two... while the sallow-faced man’s words didn’t provide exact coordinates, he’s made the general directions clear.’

The sallow-faced man then glanced over the manifest on the table.

"The next batch of supplies is in seven days. It’s coming via the northern route, transferring through the third station. Since you’re here, make sure you help escort it."

"But they’re about to dismantle the second transfer station. The higher-ups think its location is too exposed, so they’re tearing it down after this shipment."

’The second transfer station is about to be dismantled.’

Perhaps from the sheer boredom of his long post, the sallow-faced man was clearly enjoying the rare company, and his mouth kept running.

"You know, the state of the world is a strange thing. Back when my master was alive, he was always grumbling that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gets thinner every year, and Cultivation gets harder. We used to hear stories about mighty Divinity Transformation experts. But now? Which sect can even produce one?"

Li Yuan chimed in, "Are there any Divinity Transformation Cultivators left?"

The sallow-faced man pursed his lips.

"Who am I to know about things like that? But my old master said there really aren’t any Divinity Transformation sects left, not a single one. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is too thin. It’s hard enough to produce Nascent Soul Cultivators, so don’t even think about Divinity Transformation."

"They say only if a Divinity Transformation expert ascends can they open up the channel for Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and draw support from the Upper Realm. But that’s just a rumor. Who knows if the Upper Realm would even help."

’No Divinity Transformation sects. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is in decline.’

This was the kind of high-level information Li Yuan had never heard in Loose Cultivator circles. It wasn’t that Loose Cultivators had no access to it, but rather that such matters were too remote for them. No one cared, and no one discussed it.

’The information I have is less than what this low-level Demon Cultivator disciple on guard duty knows.’

Li Yuan made a bit more small talk before getting up to leave.

The sallow-faced man didn’t try to keep him, just pointed to a backup tunnel leading southwest.

"Go that way. It’s a half-day detour compared to the old path, but it’s safer."

Li Yuan nodded and left the transfer station via the backup tunnel.

Once he was clear of the station’s perimeter, he ran through the intelligence he had gathered.

The Evil Slaying Sect is dispatching another Golden Core expert, carrying items from the Abyss Grotto. There are three secret tunnels under the Ghost Mist Forest. The next supply shipment is in seven days. The second transfer station is about to be dismantled. The Evil Slaying Sect is contacting the Abyss Sect to counterbalance the Celestial Peak Sect. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is declining, and there are no Divinity Transformation sects.

The haul was immense.

It was past noon when he returned to the market city.

Li Yuan first went to Ji Huaiyuan’s shop, but finding him absent, he turned and headed for the Mingyuan Commerce Association.

Xu Zhang was in the shop settling accounts. He looked up, saw Li Yuan, and gestured for him to sit.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, do you know any skilled Artifact Refiners?" Li Yuan got straight to the point. "Someone at Tier Two or higher."

"Looking for an Artifact Refiner?" Xu Zhang shook his head after hearing the question.

"The Association’s network in Liangzhou has no resources in that area. We have some over in Jingzhou, but it’s too far. The cost to bring one here would be too high, not worth it. What are you looking to forge?"

"No rush," Li Yuan said without elaborating.

His gaze swept over the shelves behind Xu Zhang, pausing for a moment on a dusty old booklet.

"What’s that one?"

Xu Zhang followed his gaze and reached out to take the booklet down.

"An Artifact Refining manual. A passing Loose Cultivator pawned it here for Spirit Stones a while back and never came to reclaim it, so we put it up for sale. It’s Tier One entry-level stuff, with instructions for forging three types of Low Tier Magical Artifacts."

Li Yuan took it and flipped through it.

Flaming Blade, Flame Sword, Water Spirit Sword. The complete forging process for three Tier One Magical Artifacts, from material selection, smelting, and Spiritual Power infusion to the final shaping—every step was detailed meticulously. Though only entry-level Tier One techniques, it was enough to get started.

He made a rough calculation in his head. ’I’m at Tier Two Perfection and entry-level Tier Three in the Array Dao, and entry-level Tier Three in Alchemy. If I were to invest the same amount of time in Artifact Refining, with my Golden Core stage Divine Sense and the precision of my Spiritual Power, I wouldn’t have a slow start.’

’Besides, any Magical Artifact I forge will one hundred percent have an affix.’

’That’s the crucial part. Whether a purchased Magical Artifact has an affix is pure luck, but as long as I forge it myself, it’s guaranteed to trigger one. The grade and effect might be random, but having one is better than nothing.’

’It just means I’ll have to postpone the forging of my Lifebound Spiritual Artifact. That dark silver Artifact Embryo requires extremely high-quality materials and craftsmanship, far beyond what Tier One Artifact Refining Technique can handle.’

"How much for this?"

"For you, a discount. Twenty Spirit Stones."

Li Yuan took out the Spirit Stones, paid, and placed the Artifact Refining manual into his storage pouch.

Xu Zhang took the Spirit Stones, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.

"There’s something I should tell you. Dissatisfaction with the Celestial Peak Sect within the Primordial Yang Sect isn’t new. The personnel at the outpost are being increasingly sidelined, and several Inner Sect stewards are privately cursing them out."

Li Yuan glanced at him.

Xu Zhang continued, "It’s not just the Primordial Yang Sect. The three major sects of Jingzhou also have a problem with the Celestial Peak Sect’s ways, they just can’t afford to openly oppose a Nascent Soul Sect. The Mingyuan Commerce Association has been doing business in Jingzhou for years; we see the attitudes of those three sects very clearly."

"Is it alright for you to be telling me this?"

Xu Zhang smiled and spread his hands.

"It’s not a secret; it’s all out in the open. In Jingzhou, the Celestial Peak Sect is that neighbor nobody likes but nobody dares to provoke. Now that they’ve come to meddle in Liangzhou, the three Jingzhou sects would love nothing more than to see them fail out here."

Li Yuan was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Understood."

He took the Artifact Refining manual and the intelligence he’d gathered today back to his stone house.