Chapter 185 - 180: Permanent Golden Edge Augmentation
Early the next morning, Li Yuan slowly concluded his practice.
He was just about to start making Talismans when two knocks sounded on his courtyard gate.
Li Yuan walked to the entrance and opened the gate.
Outside stood two young Cultivators in grayish-white Daoist robes, with standard-issue Primordial Yang Sect Tokens hanging from their waists.
One of them held a roll of thin paper, while the other had his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping over Li Yuan.
The Inspector Generals of Yunyang Marketplace.
"Li Yuan?"
The one holding the paper spoke.
"Yes."
"Routine notice." He unrolled the thin paper and read from it.
The content wasn’t long. It was a general announcement that the Primordial Yang Sect had recently received intelligence that remnants of the Demon Sect might be active in the surrounding area. It reminded all Cultivators in the marketplace to be extra vigilant and ensure their own safety when going out.
After reading, the Inspector General rolled the paper back up and nodded at Li Yuan.
"That’s all. Stay safe."
The two turned and walked away along the side alley. They also stopped for a moment at the gates of the neighboring courtyards, likely notifying everyone house by house.
Li Yuan closed the gate and returned to his desk.
’Remnants of the Demon Sect.’
He had overheard people talking about it in the Loose Cultivator district before. They said the Primordial Yang Sect had wiped out a group of Demon Sect remnants to the south last month, killing seven and letting three escape.
Li Yuan committed this to memory but didn’t dwell on it. He spread out a sheet of talisman paper, dipped his brush in ink, and continued to draw.
At noon, he went out to the Loose Cultivator district to restock on Cyan Spirit Grass.
Li Yuan walked slowly along the stone railing of the stall area, stopping at a Spirit Grass stall to pick out some herbs.
Just as he was squatting down to examine the quality of a bundle of Cyan Spirit Grass, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Li Yuan?"
Li Yuan turned his head.
A Cultivator in his thirties stood two steps away. He had a square face, a medium but sturdy build, and was wearing a faded gray cloth short-shirt.
There was no Token at his waist. He carried a worn cloth bag, which was bulging with something inside.
Fang He.
"What are you doing here?" Li Yuan stood up.
Fang He grinned and took two steps closer.
"You first. What are *you* doing here?"
"I terminated my contract with the Wang family. I’m making and selling Talismans in Yunyang Marketplace now."
Fang He’s eyebrows twitched. "You terminated yours too?"
"You too?"
"Yeah." Fang He switched the cloth bag to his other hand and rubbed his chin.
"I paid a contribution fee, which was like working for free for a long time, but at least I got out of the contract."
He walked over to an empty stone platform next to the stall area and sat down. Li Yuan followed and stood beside him.
"When did this happen?"
"Half a month ago." Fang He placed the cloth bag on his lap and patted it twice.
"Things with the guard squad were getting worse and worse. The patrol frequency doubled, we ran into Li family Cultivators more and more often, and last month, two squad members died out there."
He paused for a moment.
’I figured if I kept at it, my turn would come sooner or later, so I decided to get out while I could.’
"Thankfully, I signed a short-term Loose Cultivator contract. The terms aren’t as strict as for those they trained since childhood, so I could get out just by paying a contribution fee."
Li Yuan grunted in acknowledgment.
Fang He tilted his head and glanced at Li Yuan.
"Are you well-informed? How much do you know about what’s been happening outside?"
"I know a little. The Li family’s old ancestor went to the Primordial Yang Sect, the number of Inspector Generals has increased, and this morning they even came to my door to announce that Demon Sect remnants might be resurfacing."
"That’s about the gist of it." Fang He lowered his voice and glanced around.
The Loose Cultivators in the stall area were all busy with their own affairs, paying them no mind.
"The rumor is that the Wang family went to the Primordial Yang Sect and accused the Li family. Said the Li family is involved with Demon Sect remnants."
Li Yuan looked at him.
Fang He spread his hands.
"I don’t know the specifics. It’s all just fragments I overheard from the old-timers in the guard squad."
"The general idea is that the Wang family found some clues suggesting the Li family has been secretly dealing with Demon Sect remnants, possibly using their methods for some shady business."
He rubbed his chin.
"But it seems there’s no solid proof. Just some circumstantial clues—enough to make an accusation, but not enough for a conviction."
"The Primordial Yang Sect’s attitude is also unclear. They haven’t explicitly said they’ll investigate the Li family, but they haven’t dismissed the Wang family’s claims either. They’ve just tightened patrols and control."
He jutted his chin toward the main street.
Li Yuan nodded.
’That matches the Bloodthirsty Stone Array I found in the Secret Realm.’
’The kind of Array the Li family Cultivators set up in the Secret Realm, using a Bloodthirsty Stone as the Array Hub, with bloodstains on the stone platform... it’s very similar to the Demon Sect’s methods.’
’But it’s just circumstantial evidence, not enough to convict. And there’s no proof it was the Li family. The Token I got isn’t definitive proof either.’
Fang He added another sentence.
"The fighting between the two sides is getting more intense. It’s not just around Qinghe Marketplace; they’re fighting inside the Yuanheng Mountain Range too."
"There are small-scale skirmishes every few days, sometimes several in one day. Both sides are just pouring more people into the fray."
He sighed.
"Business at Qinghe Marketplace has been affected too. Security in the marketplace is tighter, they check you coming and going, so Loose Cultivators don’t want to go anymore. The stall area is much quieter, and Talisman sales are down by twenty to thirty percent."
He glanced at Li Yuan.
"That’s why I just came over to Yunyang Marketplace. It’s bigger here, more people, better for business."
"What kind of business are you in?"
Fang He patted the cloth bag on his lap.
"Flipping miscellaneous goods. I buy Spirit Grass and Demon Beast materials from Loose Cultivators coming out of the outskirts of the Secret Realm and sell them here in Yunyang Marketplace. I just make a profit on the price difference. It’s less money than with the guard squad, but it’s safer."
The two chatted a bit more about their recent situations before Fang He got up, holding his cloth bag.
"Alright, I’m heading to the stall area to sell my goods."
Li Yuan nodded, watching as Fang He carried his cloth bag deeper into the stall area.
After buying the Spirit Grass, Li Yuan didn’t go straight back to his courtyard.
He walked south along the main street for a while and turned into the side alley where he had bought Magic last time.
The shop was still there, and the assistant was the same person.
"How many Metal Element Magic skills do you have?"
The assistant rummaged through a drawer under the counter and pulled out three bamboo scrolls.
"Golden Edge Skill, Armor-Breaking Skill, and Sharp Gold Shield. All are Tier One Low Grade. The Golden Edge Skill is eight Spirit Stones, Armor-Breaking Skill is ten, and Sharp Gold Shield is twelve."
Li Yuan picked up the three bamboo scrolls one by one and examined them.
The Golden Edge Skill was an auxiliary-type skill. When activated, it could temporarily enhance the sharpness of Metal Element Magic.
The Armor-Breaking Skill was an attack-type, condensing Metal Element Spiritual Power into a Spirit Needle with extreme piercing force. The Sharp Gold Shield was a defensive-type, condensing Metal Element Spiritual Power to form a small shield.
Li Yuan chose the Golden Edge Skill and the Armor-Breaking Skill.
He put down eighteen Spirit Stones and stored the two bamboo scrolls in his storage bag.
Leaving the shop, he walked back the way he came.
Back in his courtyard with the door closed, Li Yuan sat at his desk and first unrolled the bamboo scroll for the Golden Edge Skill.
The content was not complex. It involved converting Spiritual Power to the Metal Element and infusing it into existing Metal Element Magic or Magical Artifacts to temporarily enhance their sharpness and piercing power.
Since he already had a foundation with the Golden Blade Skill, he had already gone through the conversion path for Metal Element Spiritual Power, so he learned extremely quickly.
The permanent trait that increased his comprehension speed boosted his learning speed for the Magic by fifty percent.
Li Yuan circulated his power according to the Spell on the bamboo scroll a few times.
He drew Metal Element Spiritual Power from his Dantian, circulated it along the conversion path, and condensed it in his palm. The texture of the Spiritual Power was completely different from the Fire Element. It wasn’t a scorching, expanding sensation, but a cold, sharp feeling, as if he were holding a thin blade in his palm.
[Magic: Golden Edge Skill - Introductory (0/200)]
He had reached the introductory level.
Next, the Armor-Breaking Skill.
The Spiritual Power circulation path for the Armor-Breaking Skill was a bit more complex than the Golden Edge Skill’s, requiring him to compress Metal Element Spiritual Power into an extremely thin needle, a process that demanded high density.
Li Yuan tried a few times according to the Spell. The first two times, the density of the Spirit Needle was insufficient, and it dissipated quickly after forming. On the third try, he adjusted the compression rhythm, and the Spirit Needle formed at his fingertip, as fine as an ox hair and glinting with a cold, silvery-white light.
[Magic: Armor-Breaking Skill - Introductory (0/200)]
He had reached the introductory level for both Metal Element Magic skills.
Including the Golden Blade Skill he had already mastered, his Metal Element magics now numbered three.
Li Yuan took out a Golden Blade Talisman he had made before from his storage bag.
With a thought, he unequipped the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill.
He equipped the Golden Blade Talisman.
A panel immediately popped up.
[Conditions met to make Golden Blade Boost (White) permanent]
[Make permanent?]
’Yes.’
[Permanence successful]
[Golden Blade Boost (White) has become a permanent trait]
[Equipment consumed]
The power of his Metal Element Magic was permanently increased by twenty percent. From now on, whether it was the Golden Blade Skill, the Golden Edge Skill, or the Armor-Breaking Skill, their power would be a notch stronger than before.
The sky outside the window had mostly darkened.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed board and activated the Spirit-Introducing Skill.
Spiritual Qi surged into his body. The Pure Spiritual Power expelled impurities, and the condensed Spiritual Power sank into his Dantian.
The dual cultivation of spirit and blood from the Blood Coagulation Pill made his Qi Blood circulate in sync with his Spiritual Power.
After cultivating for several cycles, Li Yuan noticed a change.
It wasn’t a change in his Spiritual Power, but in his Qi Blood.
The dual cultivation effect of the Blood Coagulation Pill had been active for so long that the pattern of his Qi Blood circulating in sync with his Spiritual Power through his meridians had run countless times.
The harmony of this circulation pattern was constantly improving.
When he first equipped the Blood Coagulation Pill, the rhythm of his Qi Blood was always half a beat behind his Spiritual Power. Later, as he cultivated more, his Qi Blood gradually adapted to the synchronized rhythm, and the half-beat lag became near-perfect synchronization.
Now, it had progressed another step.
His Qi Blood was no longer just following his Spiritual Power.
At certain meridian nodes, the Qi Blood began to adjust its own speed and direction without needing guidance from his Spiritual Power.
It was like two people who had walked a long road together and knew each other’s next step without having to speak.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and sensed it carefully.
The flow speed of his Qi Blood in the major meridians was almost completely identical to his Spiritual Power.
It was about the same in the main collateral meridians. By the time it reached the minor collateral meridians, the speed of the Qi Blood started to deviate from the Spiritual Power, but the deviation was very small.
By the time it reached the tiniest micro-meridians at the very end, the circulation of the Qi Blood couldn’t keep up.
The condition to make the Strengthening Grass permanent was for his Qi Blood to form a complete circulatory cycle throughout all the meridians in his body.
All meridians, including the micro-meridians.
Currently, the Qi Blood circulation in his major and main collateral meridians was nearly complete. The minor collateral meridians were still lacking, and the micro-meridians were lacking even more.
But the direction was correct.
The dual cultivation effect of the Blood Coagulation Pill was continuously pushing his Qi Blood to permeate deeper into his meridians.
Li Yuan noted this change in his mind and continued cultivating.
Spiritual Qi surged into his body, while Spiritual Power and Qi Blood circulated alternately through his meridians. With every complete cycle, the coverage of his Qi Blood within his meridians expanded slightly.