Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

The mission at the ore vein lasted for over half a month.

Li Yuan maintained a low-Evil-Qi environment deep within the mine, allowing the excavation team to progress much faster than expected. They discovered a new Spirit Iron vein in the deeper regions. Its grade was twenty percent higher than the shallower veins, and its reserves were also larger.

During breaks from the excavation, Li Yuan practiced talisman crafting and cultivation in the Ghost Mist Forest.

His success rate for Spirit Water Talismans had stabilized at around fifty percent, and drawing Tier One Talismans was now second nature to him. Empowered by the liquid Spiritual Power he gained after Foundation Establishment, the quality of his Fireball Talismans had reached the absolute peak for Tier One.

This afternoon, after Li Yuan finished drawing a Fireball Talisman, a rich, crimson glow rose from its surface.

The panel popped up.

[Talisman: Fireball Talisman — Perfected (3200/3200)]

The Fireball Talisman was perfected.

With both the Fireball Technique and the Fireball Talisman perfected, the entire Fireball series, from magic to talisman, was now maxed out.

The panel immediately displayed a second notification.

Effortless Strokes. White Trait. The condition for making it permanent is to perfect any one talisman crafting skill and its corresponding magic.

Fireball Technique perfected, Fireball Talisman perfected. The conditions were met.

Li Yuan equipped the Cyan Spirit Talisman Brush.

[Conditions to make Effortless Strokes (White) permanent have been met]

[Make permanent?]

Yes.

[Made permanent successfully]

[Effortless Strokes (White) has become a permanent trait]

[Equipment consumed]

Talisman crafting speed increased by ten percent, and Spiritual Power consumption decreased by ten percent. The effects weren’t huge, but its advantage was being a permanent passive bonus. The cumulative benefits over time would be considerable.

Li Yuan organized his equipment slots and resumed his cultivation.

Several more days passed, and the excavation team reached the deepest part of the ore vein.

This morning, a Primordial Yang Sect disciple ran hurriedly out of the mine and found Li Yuan cultivating in an open area.

"Senior, we’ve dug up some strange ores in the deepest part of the mine. The senior brother leading the team sent me to ask you to come take a look."

Li Yuan followed him into the mine, walking along the main tunnel all the way to its deepest point.

The excavation team was stopped in front of a newly carved rock wall. The cross-section of the wall revealed a type of ore he had never seen before—it was dark purple with a faint black sheen on its surface.

Li Yuan walked up to the rock wall and extended his Divine Sense into the ore.

A familiar aura seeped out from the ore.

’Demonic Qi.’

’Not Evil Qi, but Demonic Qi.’

In the process of cultivating the Demon Essence Skill, Li Yuan had become extremely familiar with the characteristics of Demonic Qi. Evil Qi was cold and heavy, whereas Demonic Qi possessed a unique corrosive and pervasive quality. The two felt completely different.

This dark purple ore contained a considerable concentration of Demonic Qi.

"What is this stuff?" a nearby Primordial Yang Sect disciple asked.

"I’m not sure. Don’t touch it for now. Wait for me to notify Elder Chen."

Li Yuan relayed the situation to Chen Yi through his Protector Token.

In less than half a day, Chen Yi arrived at the mine with several Primordial Yang Sect Cultivators.

After examining the dark purple ore, Chen Yi’s expression turned grim.

"Demon Spirit Stones, Demon Qi Stones, something like that." His voice was very low.

He turned to look deeper into the mine.

"There might be more of this beneath this ore vein."

Chen Yi immediately ordered a halt to the excavation and sealed off the deeper area of the mine.

A few Primordial Yang Sect Cultivators set up Restrictions and warning Arrays at the tunnel entrance, forbidding anyone from entering.

"These ores cannot be allowed to get out," Chen Yi said to Li Yuan. "In the hands of Demon Cultivators, this stuff is a cultivation resource. In the hands of ordinary Cultivators, it’s poison. The Primordial Yang Sect will send people to handle it. Until then, no one is allowed near this area."

Li Yuan nodded.

The mission at the ore vein ended there.

Chen Yi calculated the final Contribution Point reward for the mission, and over a thousand more Contribution Points were added to Li Yuan’s Protector Token.

Li Yuan put away the Token and left the mine.

The next order of business was Artifact Refining.

He had accumulated materials from two Tier Two Demon Beasts in his storage bag. Although he had given away some of the Jiao Linxi’s Scales and bones during a trade, a good amount remained. The carapace and bones of the Demon Armor Giant Beetle, however, were completely intact.

The Ji family specialized in Artifact Refining, and he still had an Artifact Refining Token.

Li Yuan returned to Yunyang Market to pack up, setting off for the Ji family’s residence early the next morning.

The Ji family’s residence was on the outskirts of Liangzhou, over three hundred li from Yunyang Market.

After reaching the introductory level of the Wind Escape Skill, his travel speed was more than twice as fast as with the Divine Movement Step. Spiritual Power gathered at the soles of his feet, lifting his body to a height of ten zhang as he flew southwest along the mountain range.

The wind whistled past his ears as the forests and hills on the ground rapidly receded beneath his feet.

After flying for the better part of a day, the terrain ahead began to change.

The mountains gradually flattened, the forests thinned, and scattered farmlands and villages appeared in his view. The farther southwest he went, the sparser the population became, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi also gradually decreased.

The Ji family’s fortress appeared at the foot of a low mountain.

It wasn’t large, a size smaller than the Wang family’s fortress. Gray stone walls enclosed a courtyard sixty zhang square, within which several stone buildings stood in a scattered arrangement. On the low mountain behind the fortress were two cave estate entrances, with simple Spirit Pattern lanterns hanging by the doors.

The surrounding area was indeed remote. There were no other cultivator settlements within a dozen li, and the nearest market was over a hundred li away.

Li Yuan descended and walked to the fortress’s main gate.

The Cultivator on duty recognized him and hurried inside to announce his arrival.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Ji Huaiyuan walked out of the fortress.

The old man’s complexion was even better than the last time they met, and his steps were a bit steadier. A smile appeared on his face when he saw Li Yuan.

"Li Dao You, please, come in."

The two took their seats in the main hall.

Li Yuan got straight to the point, taking the Demon Beast materials out of his storage bag and placing them on the table.

The carapace, bones, antennae, and chitinous mouthparts of the Demon Armor Giant Beetle, along with the few remaining Scales and ribs of the Jiao Linxi, were laid out one by one, covering half the table.

Ji Huaiyuan picked up each material to inspect it carefully, pressing with his fingers to feel its texture and Spiritual Power density, occasionally bringing it to his nose to smell it.

After about a quarter of an hour of inspection, Ji Huaiyuan put the materials down and nodded.

"The quality of this Demon Armor Giant Beetle’s carapace is excellent. Having been steeped in Evil Qi, its hardness far surpasses that of ordinary Tier Two materials. It’s a top-tier choice for refining a defensive Magical Artifact. The Jiao Linxi’s Scales and bones are also good and can be used as supplementary materials."

He turned over a few pieces of the carapace and then examined a cross-section of the bone.

"There are enough materials to refine one Tier Two Low Grade Magical Artifact, and its quality should be quite good."

He paused for a moment and looked at Li Yuan.

"However, if Dao You is willing to add the Demon Beast Core into the refining process, the result will be even better. The Spiritual Power contained in the Inner Core can seep into the Magical Artifact’s frame during refinement, increasing its Spiritual Power affinity and upper limit."

"The Inner Core?"

"The Demon Armor Giant Beetle’s Inner Core," Ji Huaiyuan said. "For a Demon Beast like this that feeds on Evil Qi, the Spiritual Power within its Inner Core carries the properties of Evil Qi. If you use it to refine a Magical Artifact, the artifact itself will have a natural affinity for Evil Qi, which should be very suitable for you."

Li Yuan thought for a moment.

’The Demon Armor Giant Beetle’s Inner Core has no traits. If I keep it, I can only sell it for Spirit Stones. But if using it in the refinement can raise the Magical Artifact’s quality to the next level, it’ll be far more useful than just exchanging it for Spirit Stones.’

"You can have the Inner Core."

Ji Huaiyuan nodded and carefully put the Inner Core away.

"What type of Magical Artifact would Dao You like to refine?"

Before Li Yuan could speak, Ji Huaiyuan offered his own idea first.

"I have a suggestion."

He picked up a piece of the Demon Armor Giant Beetle’s carapace and tapped it lightly on the table twice.

"Dao You cultivates an Evil Qi technique and stores a large amount of Evil Qi in your body. If we refine a Magical Artifact that can collect and channel Evil Qi, you’ll gain an extremely flexible method of attack in battle."

He put the carapace down.

"The Demon Armor Giant Beetle’s carapace itself has an affinity for Evil Qi. Combined with the Evil Qi properties of the Inner Core, the resulting Magical Artifact will naturally have the ability to absorb and release Evil Qi. You could passively collect and store ambient Evil Qi during normal times, then release the stored Evil Qi in a concentrated blast against enemies in battle."

’A Magical Artifact that collects and channels Evil Qi.’

’It’s like turning part of the passive effect of Evil Essence Convergence into a weapon I can actively control.’

"That works," Li Yuan said.

Ji Huaiyuan’s eyes lit up, as if he had just encountered a project that fascinated him.

"Excellent. The materials and the Inner Core are all here. I’ll fire up the furnace in the next day or two. It should take about seven to ten days, so Dao You can just stay here at the Ji family residence."

"Also, although these are Tier Two Middle Grade materials, I plan to forge a Tier Two Low Grade Magical Artifact. This will virtually guarantee success, if Dao You has no objections."

Li Yuan nodded, and Ji Huaiyuan then arranged for a Ji family disciple to show Li Yuan to a guest room.

The guest room wasn’t large, but it was clean and tidy. The low mountain behind the fortress was visible from the window. The Spiritual Qi concentration was average, a bit lower than in Yunyang Market, but still much better than in the mortal world.

After he had settled in, the Ji family disciple gave Li Yuan a tour of the fortress.

The Ji family wasn’t large; there were fewer than thirty Cultivators in the clan, most of them at the Qi Refining Stage. Their core industry was Artifact Refining. There was an Artifact Refining Room in the low mountain behind the fortress, its furnace fire burning year-round.

Besides Artifact Refining, the Ji family also ran some small businesses in Spirit Ore mining and Spirit Grass cultivation to sustain the family’s daily operations.

When they reached the eastern side of the fortress, the Ji family disciple pointed to a side hall.

"This is where the family stores finished Magical Artifacts. If Senior Li has a need, you’re welcome to take a look."

Li Yuan walked into the side hall.

Several rows of wooden shelves were lined with all sorts of Magical Artifacts, most of them Tier One, with a small number of Tier Two Low Grade items. Swords, sabers, shields, armor, rings, and beads—the variety was comprehensive.

Li Yuan walked along the shelves, but his trait perception didn’t pick up any fluctuations.

’No Magical Artifacts with traits.’

However, Li Yuan’s goal wasn’t to find traits but to supplement his combat abilities.

’Right now, I don’t have a proper Magical Artifact and rely entirely on magic for damage output.’

’My magic isn’t weak, but it’s still good to have more options.’

’Anyway, my efficiency at earning Spirit Stones is far greater than before now that I’m at the Foundation Establishment stage.’

Li Yuan picked out a set of Tier One Top Grade Magical Artifacts.

One was a Spirit Fire Sword, Fire Attribute, with a crimson blade three chi and two cun long, which synergized well with the Fire Element bonus from his Flame Marrow Tempering. The other was a Profound Iron Shield, a defensive Magical Artifact that could be activated with Spiritual Power to form a protective barrier, complementing his Three Elements Body Protection defensive system.

The two Magical Artifacts cost him eight hundred Spirit Stones in total.

Li Yuan put the Magical Artifacts away and returned to his guest room to continue cultivating.