Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

The news came from Chen Yi.

"They’re holding another trading fair over at Yunyang Marketplace."

Chen Yi leaned against the doorframe. "This one’s bigger than the last. I hear a lot of Loose Cultivators from out of town will be there. Are you going?"

Li Yuan took the jade slip and glanced at it. The event was in three days, at the same old courtyard in Yunyang Marketplace.

For a Golden Core Cultivator like him, the odds of finding anything good at a Foundation Establishment trading fair were low. But the greatest value of these events was never the trading itself; it was the exchange of information among Cultivators. Loose Cultivators were the fastest conduits for news. Unfettered by Sect rules, they dared to talk about anything and were willing to sell everything.

"I’ll go."

「Three days later.」

Li Yuan appeared in Yunyang Marketplace.

The courtyard was much livelier than his last visit. The format of the trading had changed; people were chatting and exchanging information while also tending to their stalls, managing both at once.

Apparently, this was a custom brought over by Loose Cultivators from Yunzhou.

A circle of people sat under the old tree at the entrance, some talking in low voices, others examining jade slips and Talismans. Over twenty stone tables were set up in the courtyard, each displaying a motley assortment of items: pills, Magical Artifacts, Cultivation Technique jade slips, Spiritual Materials, and ores.

Li Yuan scanned the area and spotted at least seven or eight new faces.

Ji Huaiyuan wasn’t here. It seemed Ji Huaiyuan hadn’t shown his face at all recently.

He didn’t rush to browse the stalls, instead taking a lap around the courtyard to listen in on the idle chatter.

A burly Cultivator in a brown tunic was speaking loudly, his voice booming enough for half the courtyard to hear.

"I’m telling you, there’s no future left in Liangzhou. The Celestial Peak Sect has stuck its nose in, and the Primordial Yang Sect can barely hold onto its own territory. What’s the point of us Loose Cultivators sticking around? We might as well follow the Mingyuan Commerce Association to Jingzhou. There are more marketplaces and more opportunities over there."

A tall, skinny Cultivator next to him shook his head.

"Go to Jingzhou? Dream on. The three major Sects there and the Mingyuan Commerce Association have carved up all the resources. There are hardly any small families left. A Loose Cultivator like you wouldn’t be able to earn a single Spirit Stone."

"It’s still better than waiting to die here."

The burly Cultivator retorted, unconvinced.

Another voice, weary and strained, came from the back of the crowd. It was Wang Ting’an.

"It’s the same everywhere. At least you Loose Cultivators can roam around. We family Cultivators don’t even have the freedom to run. The Evil Slaying Sect has thrown our family’s territory into utter turmoil. After paying the protection fee every month, we’re left with just a few Spirit Stones."

A few moments of silence fell over the area at his words.

The burly Cultivator sheepishly shut his mouth.

At another table, two young Cultivators were whispering to each other. Their voices were hushed, but nothing could escape Li Yuan’s Golden Core Stage Divine Sense.

"Something’s strange about Mist Forest Marketplace lately. The Primordial Yang Sect’s people have all pulled out. I heard the one in charge now is just a single person, a former Loose Cultivator at that."

"A Loose Cultivator can manage a marketplace?"

"Who knows. In any case, the Condensing Evil Pills there are in high demand. The price has gone up by thirty percent, but the quality is truly excellent. Some say a master is running that Pill Shop."

Li Yuan walked past them, his expression unchanged.

In a corner on the east side of the courtyard, a young Cultivator in a light blue Daoist robe was surrounded by two or three people.

"The Qi Shui Sect is recruiting disciples, have you heard? They’ve lowered the requirements. Even Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators can apply," the light-blue-robed Cultivator said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

One of the men surrounding him, a thick-bearded Cultivator, immediately threw cold water on his excitement.

"The Qi Shui Sect? You mean the one that’s getting beaten senseless by the Evil Slaying Sect right at their own doorstep? They’ve lost all their outer resources. If you go, you might not even get a monthly stipend."

The excitement on the light-blue-robed Cultivator’s face vanished. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

The bearded man continued, "If you’re really set on joining a Sect, you should wait for the Celestial Peak Sect to open its gates. They’re a Nascent Soul Grand Sect with deep foundations. They won’t send their disciples off to be cannon fodder."

"As if people like us could ever get into the Celestial Peak Sect," someone nearby scoffed.

Li Yuan processed the information without lingering for too long.

Most of the information exchanged at these fairs was superficial. Truly valuable intelligence was never discussed in such a public setting.

He began to browse the stalls.

The items at most stalls were useless to him. Tier One pills, Low Tier Talismans, crudely made Magical Artifacts—these things might be worth a look to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but to a Golden Core Cultivator, they were just junk.

Li Yuan stopped when he reached the twelfth stone table.

Three items were on display: a bottle of pills, a Cultivation Technique jade slip, and a flat piece of iron covered in intricate patterns.

The iron plate caught his attention.

The stall owner was a middle-aged, Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a goatee, cracking melon seeds out of sheer boredom. Seeing Li Yuan crouch down to look at the iron plate, he spat out the shell and began his pitch.

"The crafting method for a Tier Two Magical Artifact, the Golden Body Armor. The patterns are carved right on the plate. Just find an Artifact Refiner to follow the blueprint."

"Where did you get it?"

"Family heirloom," the goateed man said vaguely, clearly unwilling to elaborate on its origin. "I don’t know Artifact Refining myself, so it’s just taking up space. Thirty Mid-grade Spirit Stones if you want it."

Li Yuan picked up the iron plate and turned it over. The carving technique was indeed up to the standard of a Tier Two Magical Artifact. The flow of the Spirit Patterns and the placement of the nodes were precise and orderly; it didn’t look like a fake. The Golden Body Armor was a defensive Magical Artifact that, when worn, greatly enhanced one’s physical protection. It was essential equipment for close-combat Cultivators.

"Twenty-five."

"Deal." The goateed man took the Spirit Stones and slid the iron plate over to Li Yuan without hesitation.

Li Yuan put the iron plate away and continued walking.

The owner of the fifteenth stone table was a short, shrewd-looking Cultivator at the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment. His table held only a single jade slip and a shattered talisman brush.

Li Yuan’s gaze fell on the jade slip.

"What is it?"

"A Tier Two Illusion Technique," the short Cultivator said, pushing the jade slip forward.

"To be honest, it’s a bit of a dud. It’s incredibly effective against Cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage and Early-stage Foundation Establishment—you can mesmerize them in an instant. But against someone at the same tier..." He spread his hands.

"It’s basically useless. Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators have strong enough Divine Sense that the Illusion Technique can’t penetrate it. I’ve used it a few times myself. It’s fine for dealing with Low Tier Loose Cultivators and Demon Beasts, but against a real tough opponent, it’s just a waste of Spiritual Power."

An Illusion Technique.

Li Yuan’s interest was piqued.

’It’s almost useless against peers—that’s a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s assessment of it against another Foundation Establishment Cultivator. But what if the user is in the Golden Core Stage?’

"How much?"

"Three hundred Spirit Stones," the short Cultivator quoted. Seeing no change in Li Yuan’s expression, he added,

"But if you really want it, two hundred is fine. This thing has been sitting with me for over half a year, and you’re the first person to even ask about it."

"Two hundred."

The Spirit Stones were exchanged, and Li Yuan took the jade slip and put it away.

The trading fair in the courtyard was still going, but as far as he was concerned, he had already found everything of value. He took one last walk among the tables to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, then quietly left the courtyard.

After returning to the marketplace, Li Yuan placed both the Golden Body Armor iron plate and the Illusion Technique jade slip on his table.

He would schedule time to practice the Illusion Technique later. The crafting method for the Golden Body Armor required careful study; the forging process for a Tier Two Magical Artifact was an order of magnitude more complex than that for a Tier One.

But before tackling Tier Two, he needed to further solidify his Tier One fundamentals.

He took out the remaining Fire Attribute iron ore and Water Attribute Spirit Ore from his storage bag and resumed practicing with Tier One Magical Artifacts.

This time, his goal wasn’t quantity, but quality.

During the forging of each Magical Artifact, Li Yuan intentionally introduced minute variations: shifting the direction of a Spirit Pattern by a fraction, changing the rhythm of his Spiritual Power infusion, or altering the number of hammer strikes. He observed how these changes affected the quality of the final product.

This kind of deliberate, experimental forging was far more effective for improving his proficiency than simple, repetitive crafting.

As the sixtieth Water Spirit Sword was completed, a notification popped up on his panel.

[Artifact Refining Proficiency: Tier One Master → Tier One Great Success]

Tier One Great Success.

Advancing from Master to Great Success meant he could now forge Tier One Magical Artifacts without any risk of technical error. From material selection, smelting, forging, and infusion to shaping, the entire process could be executed with flawless precision.

However, it also meant that the room for improvement his Artifact Refining proficiency could gain from Tier One Magical Artifacts was rapidly shrinking. To continue advancing, he had to start on Tier Two.

Li Yuan placed the final Water Spirit Sword on the table, took the iron plate for the Golden Body Armor from his storage bag, and began to re-examine the Spirit Patterns carved upon it.