Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Li Yuan wrapped the Breath-Concealing Spirit Pendant in Oil Paper and stored it deep within his storage bag.

Then he picked up the bamboo scroll of the Spirit-Introducing Skill.

The bamboo slips were slightly yellowed, and the ox-tendon cord was tightly woven.

He unrolled it and read from the beginning.

The meridian route for the Eighth Level extended downward from the end of the Seventh Level, passing through the set of closed nodes below his Dantian that he had sensed before.

The route map was extremely detailed, clearly listing the position of each new node, the angle for infusing Spiritual Power, and how it connected to the existing routes.

The route for the Ninth Level was deeper and broader, involving nearly half again as many nodes as the Eighth Level and extending into several deep branch meridians that Spiritual Power had never traversed before.

Li Yuan read through the routes for both levels twice, committing them to memory.

Then he closed the bamboo scroll.

The panel popped up.

[Cultivation Technique: Spirit-Introducing Skill - Great Success (2134/3200)]

It had dropped from Perfection back to Great Success.

Li Yuan circulated his energy for one cycle.

After the framework of the Cultivation Technique was expanded, the parts for the first seven levels remained unchanged.

Those meridian nodes were just as clear, and his Spiritual Power flowed just as smoothly along those sections of the route.

What had changed was the overall assessment.

Previously, the Spirit-Introducing Skill only had seven levels. Now it had been expanded to nine, two of which he had never cultivated. Although the new nodes had been opened, his Spiritual Power had never passed through them. The routes were as unfamiliar as a newly carved mining tunnel.

His Spiritual Power started from his Dantian and made a very smooth circuit along the old route of the first seven levels.

When it reached the end of the Seventh Level, his Spiritual Power prepared to flow back to his Dantian out of habit.

But now, the route extended downward.

Li Yuan guided his Spiritual Power toward the first new node of the Eighth Level.

The Spiritual Power paused for a moment when it reached the node’s entrance.

It wasn’t that the meridian was blocked; the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill had already cleared all the meridians in his body, so there was no physical obstruction. The pause was due to the Cultivation Technique’s route itself—the Spiritual Power didn’t know which direction to go.

It was like a person who had walked the same old road for seven years and suddenly encountered a fork he had never taken before.

The road was flat, with no pits underfoot, but his mind needed a moment to figure out where to step next.

Following the route map on the bamboo scroll, Li Yuan manually guided his Spiritual Power through the first node.

The Spiritual Power squeezed through, moving slowly and awkwardly, completely different from the smooth, flowing sensation of the first seven levels.

The second node was even slower.

His Cultivation had not changed. The total amount of Spiritual Power was the same, the state of his meridians was the same, and the speed of a cycle along the old routes was also the same.

It was just that the two extra levels of routes needed time to be worn in.

Li Yuan went over the contents of the bamboo scroll in his mind again, confirming he had memorized the routes for the Eighth and Ninth Levels, then got up and left his courtyard.

A few Loose Cultivators were walking sporadically on the dirt road of the outer district. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the shantytown.

Li Yuan first went to a Spirit Grass stall to restock on two bundles of Cyan Spirit Grass and the herbs needed to mix the Shaping Potion. He also bought a batch of cinnabar and mineral powder, and while he was at it, he replenished a few bottles of general-purpose Spiritual Ink.

These basic materials were also sold in the outer market, and the prices were even a little cheaper.

He left the city and followed the same path back to his residence in the outer district.

He closed the courtyard gate and put away the materials. The Cyan Spirit Grass went into a corner of the side room, and the Spiritual Ink and cinnabar were placed by the table.

Li Yuan sat down at the table, spread out a sheet of herbal talisman paper, dipped his talisman brush in the Spiritual Ink he had mixed himself, and picked it up.

Fireball Talisman.

Success.

[Spirit Liquid Infusion (Green) Permanence Progress: 93/100]

When he finished drawing the one-hundredth successful talisman, Li Yuan had just completed the final Spirit Pattern with his brush.

The panel appeared.

[Spirit Liquid Infusion (Green) Permanence Condition Met]

[Make Permanent?]

Yes.

[Permanence Successful]

[Spirit Liquid Infusion (Green) has become a permanent perk]

[Equipment Consumed]

Li Yuan equipped the Soul Nourishing Pill back into the empty slot.

Then he took out the Evil Essence Pills from his storage bag, poured out two, and put them in his mouth.

The moment the pills entered his stomach, the difference was apparent.

Previously, when the Evil Qi from an Evil Essence Pill entered his body, the main sensation was a cold, corrosive feeling.

The two perks, Evil Qi Body Tempering and Evil Qi Affinity, would convert and utilize the Evil Qi, but the pill’s own boosting effect on Spiritual Power had never been particularly obvious. After all, the Evil Essence Pill was a pill whose primary effect was related to Evil Qi; aiding Spiritual Power cultivation was just a side effect.

Now, that side effect had been increased by thirty percent.

The Evil Qi seeped into his fascia and bones as usual, guided by the Evil Qi Body Tempering perk to complete the refinement. But at the same time, the medicinal properties of the pill that aided Spiritual Power cultivation were also taking effect, and they were a notch stronger than before.

The Spiritual Power in his Dantian began to circulate faster under the pill’s catalytic effect. With each cycle, a little more Spiritual Power than usual settled into his Dantian.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and felt it for two breaths.

’It’s definitely stronger. It’s not that the Evil Qi has become denser; it’s that the pill’s own medicinal effects have been amplified by thirty percent by the Spirit Liquid Infusion perk.’

’But there are only seven Evil Essence Pills left in my storage bag.’

Li Yuan placed the bottle with the remaining Evil Essence Pills back deep inside his storage bag.

For the next few days, Li Yuan maintained a fixed rhythm.

He made and sold talismans during the day and cultivated at night. He practiced the routes for the Eighth and Ninth Levels of the Spirit-Introducing Skill two to three times a day, slowly grinding them from extreme unfamiliarity toward proficiency. He had already smoothed out most of the Eighth Level’s nodes; his Spiritual Power no longer needed manual guidance to pass through, only pausing slightly at a few turns. The Ninth Level progressed more slowly, but it was still advancing day by day.

With the Spiritual Essence-condensing Spirit Absorption Pill equipped, his cultivation speed was increased by fifty percent. Pure Spiritual Power eliminated the impurities in the Spiritual Qi, allowing the condensed Spiritual Power to sink into his Dantian. The amount accumulated with each cycle was much greater than before.

His Cultivation was steadily advancing toward the Qi Refining Eighth Level.

That evening, Li Yuan put away his brush and cleared his desk.

He retrieved the bottle of Iron Wall Pills from deep within his storage bag.

The dark iron-colored porcelain bottle sat on the desk, its dark gold label faintly reflecting the lamplight.

Five Iron Wall Pills, bought for fifty Spirit Stones.

Li Yuan uncorked the bottle and poured a single pill into his palm.

The dark iron-colored pill was more than twice as heavy as an ordinary spirit pill. Its surface had a very faint metallic sheen that felt slightly cool beneath his fingertips. Up close, he could smell a dull, mineral-like scent with an astringent, rust-like odor.

With a thought, he unequipped the Soul Nourishing Pill.

Equip Iron Wall Pill.

[Equipment Successful]

[Perk Acquired: Marrow Tempering (White)]

[Perk Effect: The promotional effect of all medicines on Body Refining Techniques is increased by thirty percent.]

The Iron Wall Pill transformed into a ray of dark iron-colored light and entered his body.

The change was swift.

A dull, metallic sensation seeped out from deep within his bones. It wasn’t pain, nor was it a burning heat, but a hard, solid feeling, as if a layer of molten iron had been poured into the cracks of his bones.

Li Yuan put the Iron Wall Pill from his palm into his mouth.

The pill entered his stomach.

Unlike the coldness of the Evil Essence Pill, the medicinal power of the Iron Wall Pill was hot.

A searing heat erupted from the pit of his stomach. It didn’t travel toward his meridians but bored directly into his bones.

The medicinal power surged up his spine, soaking every vertebra in searing heat along the way. From the spine, it spread to his ribs, shoulder blades, and collarbones, then down to his pelvis, femurs, and tibias.

His bones reacted violently to the infusion of medicinal power.

Previously, when he cultivated the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill, infusing Spiritual Power into his muscles could only complete the first half of the first step. The second half was stuck because he lacked the Bone Tempering Liquid to open the deep absorption channels.

Now, the Iron Wall Pill had blasted that channel wide open.

The Marrow Tempering perk was working subtly in the background. The promotional effect of medicines on Body Refining Techniques was increased by thirty percent.

The effect of the Iron Wall Pill itself was already very strong. With an additional thirty percent, a single pill delivered 1.3 times the effect.

The Spirit Liquid Infusion was also stacking. The perk "The amplifying effect of medicines on Spiritual Power is increased by thirty percent" also applied to the portion of the Iron Wall Pill’s medicinal properties that assisted Spiritual Power circulation.

Li Yuan activated the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill.

Spiritual Power was drawn from his Dantian and infused into the muscles of his limbs along the path of the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill.

Previously, he would get stuck at the second half of this step. Now, his Spiritual Power charged straight through the channel opened by the Iron Wall Pill. The deep muscle fibers were infused with both Spiritual Power and medicinal power, repeatedly flushed from the outside in.

The panel for the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill was jumping.

[Cultivation Technique: Iron Wall Body Refining Skill - Entry (82/200)]

From just a few points at the start of the Entry stage, it had shot up to over eighty in one go.

The effect of a single Iron Wall Pill was equivalent to the progress he would have made in half a month of dry grinding without any pills.

Li Yuan continued to circulate his power.

As he continued the circulation, the concentration of the medicinal power in his body began to decrease. The effects of one Iron Wall Pill lasted for about an hour, and more than half of that time had already passed. However, the remaining medicinal power was still seeping into his bones and deep muscle tissues, albeit much slower than during the first three cycles.

By the time he finished the fifth cycle, only a minuscule amount of medicinal effect was left, just enough to keep the channels open.

The panel jumped again.

[Cultivation Technique: Iron Wall Body Refining Skill - Entry (142/200)]

Li Yuan stood up and stretched his shoulders and wrists.

Four Iron Wall Pills remained in the bottle.

Li Yuan stoppered the bottle and put it away in his storage bag.

He took out a piece of Demon Beast Flesh from his storage bag and roasted it with the Fire Control Skill. A warm current spread through him, nourishing his Qi Blood, muscles, and bones. The residual Demonic Power was converted into Evil Qi and merged into his body.

After eating, he sat cross-legged on his bed and activated the Spirit-Introducing Skill.

His Spiritual Power started from his Dantian and completed a circuit along the old route of the first seven levels. Upon reaching the end of the Seventh Level, he guided it toward the Eighth.

Building on his previous practice, his mastery of the Eighth and Ninth Levels was now remarkably smooth.