Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

More than ten days passed, and Li Yuan’s cultivation fell into a steady rhythm.

During the day, he practiced his Cultivation Technique and Magic, making talismans in his spare time. At night, he alternately circulated the Demon Essence Skill and the Cyan Wood Longevity Skill, with Evil Essence Unity operating passively around the clock. The Early Warning Array triggered a few times, but it was always Tier One Demon Beasts wandering into its range. Li Yuan would deal with them and then resume his cultivation.

One afternoon, as Li Yuan was sitting cross-legged and circulating the Soul Condensation Skill, his passive perception suddenly caught an aura.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator was approaching from the outer edge of the Ghost Mist Forest.

He was approaching from the direction of the Ghost Mist Forest’s outer edge. His speed wasn’t fast, but his direction was clear—he was heading straight for the encampment.

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

The aura was steady and heavy, and its spiritual pressure was restrained. His Cultivation was likely at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment.

Li Yuan extended his Divine Sense outward, locking onto the position of the aura.

He was about one hundred twenty zhang away, walking this way along a small path deep in the Ghost Mist Forest. The thick fog obscured his vision, but Li Yuan’s Divine Sense could clearly outline the person’s silhouette.

He had a medium build and a steady gait, walking at an unhurried pace.

Li Yuan focused his concentration to discern the aura’s characteristics. It wasn’t one he had sensed before.

However, it was somewhat similar to someone else’s.

Li Ze’an.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Li family.

But it wasn’t Li Ze’an himself. His aura had already been recorded as an Entry.

This person’s aura was eighty to ninety percent similar to Li Ze’an’s, but there were subtle differences.

’The other Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Li family?’

The Li family only had two Foundation Establishment Cultivators: Li Ze’an and the Li family’s old ancestor. The ancestor was an elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so his aura should be on the weaker side. This person’s aura didn’t seem like that of an old man.

The man’s distance closed to eighty zhang, and he entered the range of the Early Warning Array Li Yuan had set up. The array’s Sensing Jade glowed faintly, issuing a warning signal.

The man’s footsteps paused for a moment, as if he had noticed the presence of the Early Warning Array.

Then he continued walking forward.

Sixty zhang. Forty zhang.

The man’s figure emerged from the dense fog.

He had the face of a man in his thirties, with ordinary features. He wore a dark brown robe with no identifying marks. A storage pouch and a short blade hung from his waist.

His gaze fell on Li Yuan and lingered for two breaths.

It wasn’t the casual glance of someone passing by unintentionally, but a purposeful, assessing look.

Li Yuan remained seated, not moving or getting up.

The man stopped twenty zhang away and cupped his hands toward Li Yuan in a salute.

"Fellow Daoist."

"Who are you?"

The man smiled, his tone polite.

"My surname is Fang. I’m a Loose Cultivator. I heard that you, Fellow Daoist, have been cultivating in the Ghost Mist Forest for a long time and are skilled at absorbing and utilizing Evil Qi, so I came especially to pay a visit."

His gaze swept over the dense mist of Evil Qi surrounding the clearing.

"I have a business proposal I’d like to discuss with you, Fellow Daoist."

He took a black jade bottle from his storage pouch and shook it in his hand.

"Evil Qi. A large amount of concentrated Evil Qi. I can provide a long-term supply, and the price is negotiable."

Offering to supply Li Yuan with Evil Qi.

Li Yuan glanced at him.

The man had Demonic Qi on him.

The sensory effect of the Demon Essence Incarnation clearly detected the residual Demonic Qi deep within the man’s body. The concentration wasn’t low; it was several times denser than the residue on the passersby in Huode Marketplace.

This wasn’t the level of someone who had merely come into contact with Demonic Qi by chance; these were the marks of long-term practice in demonic techniques.

Furthermore, his aura was similar to that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Li family.

Li Yuan didn’t expose him, his expression remaining neutral.

"What’s the price?"

The man’s smile deepened.

"One bottle of concentrated Evil Qi for fifty Spirit Stones. I have thirty bottles in stock and can continue to supply more in the future."

He offered the black jade bottle forward.

"You can inspect the goods first, Fellow Daoist."

Li Yuan stood up and took two steps toward the man.

"Alright."

A flicker went through the man’s eyes.

Li Yuan stopped at a distance of ten zhang.

The man’s motion of handing over the jade bottle suddenly changed.

His right hand’s grip on the bottle abruptly tightened, and his left hand shot out from his sleeve. A ball of dark green Spiritual Power, mixed with dense Demonic Qi, lit up in his palm and blasted toward Li Yuan’s face.

The speed was extreme, the distance incredibly short.

The dark green ball of Spiritual Power, carrying the corrosive nature of Demonic Qi, let out a sharp, piercing shriek as it tore through the air.

Li Yuan’s body had already begun to move half a breath before the attack arrived.

The moment the man attacked, his passive perception, enlightened by Spiritual Sense, had already caught the abnormal gathering of Spiritual Power. The presence suppression from [Hidden Breath, Traceless] had caused the man to misjudge Li Yuan’s reaction speed.

Li Yuan sidestepped the dark green ball of Spiritual Power and raised his right hand.

Fire Python Skill.

A crimson Fire Serpent shot from his palm, lunging straight for the man’s chest.

The man’s reaction was also quick. With a flip of his left hand, a small, dark-colored shield materialized and blocked his front.

The Fire Serpent slammed into the dark shield and exploded. Searing flames scattered everywhere, forcing the man back three steps.

A crack appeared on the shield’s surface, but it didn’t shatter.

The man’s expression changed.

He clearly hadn’t anticipated Li Yuan’s reaction speed or the power of his attack. After the initial probe, he immediately changed tactics. His hands formed a seal, and dark green Spiritual Power swirled rapidly around him, forming a protective shield of Spiritual Power mixed with Demonic Qi.

At the same time, he drew the short blade from his storage pouch, and dark red Spirit Patterns lit up on its surface.

Li Yuan gave him no time to breathe.

He raised his left hand. Origin Condensation Skill.

The Spiritual Power in his Dantian was instantly compressed to an extreme degree, its density skyrocketing.

He raised his right hand again. Fire Python Skill.

This Fire Serpent was twice as thick as the last one, its Spiritual Power density reaching an extremely high level under the boost of the Origin Condensation Skill. The serpent lunged at the man, trailing a wave of scorching heat.

The man swung his blade to block.

The dark red Spirit Patterns on the short blade clashed with the Fire Serpent, letting out a grating screech. The force of the serpent’s impact pushed the man back five steps, carving two deep grooves into the ground beneath his feet.

Under the Fire Serpent’s searing heat, the dark green Spiritual Power shield was rapidly depleted and shattered in less than two breaths.

The man’s face turned ghastly pale, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

His expression turned to terror, and he turned to flee.

He activated the Wind Escape Skill, and his body began to rise.

Li Yuan tapped his toes on the ground, simultaneously activating his own Wind Escape Skill, and rose into the air in pursuit.

The man’s flight speed wasn’t slow, but Li Yuan’s total Spiritual Power and sustained output far surpassed his. After a chase of less than thirty zhang, the distance between them shrank to under ten zhang.

Li Yuan raised his right hand.

Golden Blade Skill.

A silvery-white blade of light shot from his fingertips, simultaneously enhanced by [Golden Edge Amplification] and [Restriction-Breaking Penetration].

The blade of light sliced into the man’s back, pierced through his remaining Spiritual Power defenses, and emerged from his chest.

The man’s body stiffened in mid-air. The Spiritual Power sustaining his Wind Escape Skill was severed, and his body plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Li Yuan descended and walked over to the man’s side.

The man lay on his back, the wound in his chest still bleeding as his aura rapidly faded. His eyes were still open, and his mouth moved, but no sound came out.

A few breaths later, his aura dissipated completely.

Li Yuan crouched down, untied the storage pouch from the man’s waist, opened it, and rummaged through it.

There wasn’t much inside the storage pouch.

A few Magical Artifacts of average quality, ranging from Tier One Middle Grade to Low Grade, of all miscellaneous types, looking as if they had been scrounged from different places. A few dozen Spirit Stones were scattered in a corner. There were also two bottles of medicinal pills with blurry labels and poor quality.

There was also a bottle full of blood. The aura of this blood was almost identical to Li Ze’an’s.

Then, there was a special item.

It was a fist-sized, dark gray orb. Its surface was engraved with dense Spirit Patterns, and its Spiritual Power fluctuations were extremely faint but very complex.

Li Yuan picked up the orb and probed it with his Divine Sense.

The Spirit Pattern structure inside the orb was a type of aura-simulating formation that could replace the user’s aura signature with a preset one.

A Magical Artifact for disguising one’s aura.

At the very bottom of the storage pouch was one more item.

A banner.

The banner was about a foot and a half long, a size smaller than Li Yuan’s Evil Spirit Banner. The staff was made of dark iron, and the banner’s surface was deep purple, with faint, twisted patterns visible on it.

A large amount of energy was stored within the banner’s surface.

Not Evil Qi.

It was Demonic Qi.

Dense, heavy, and intensely corrosive Demonic Qi.

This banner was a storage device for Demonic Qi, stuffed full of a highly concentrated amount of it.

Li Yuan picked up the banner and placed his fingers on the staff.

A panel popped up.

[Detected Equippable Item: Demon Evil Banner (Complete)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Demonic Evil Nourishment (Green) — When absorbing Demonic Qi, it simultaneously tempers the meridians, increasing the carrying capacity for both Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi by thirty percent.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Accumulate and absorb thirty strands of Tier Two or higher quality Demonic Qi (0/30)]

[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace currently equipped item?]

A green Entry.

Li Yuan put the Demon Evil Banner into his storage pouch and stood up.

The concentration of Demonic Qi on the man, the Magical Artifact used to disguise his aura, and the banner that stored a large amount of Demonic Qi—these three things all pointed to one conclusion.

A remnant of the Demon Sect.

He had used the pretense of supplying Evil Qi to get close to him, then tried to kill him.

The man’s actual motive was unclear. Li Yuan had a few guesses, but he couldn’t be certain.

Li Yuan disposed of the man’s body and the useless junk from the storage pouch, then returned to the clearing of his encampment and sat down.