Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 239: Chapter 231: Alchemy Mastery

After settling the affairs at the base, Li Yuan turned his attention to Alchemy.

There were two pill formulas in his storage bag: Qi Condensing Pill and Nourishing Essence Pill. He had already gathered the materials during his last procurement trip.

Li Yuan moved the Pill Furnace into his stone house and laid out the alchemy materials by category.

First up was the formula for the Qi Condensing Pill.

It was a Tier One Middle Grade pill. The formula required three main ingredients, five auxiliary ingredients, three heat adjustments, and two injections of Spiritual Power. The steps weren’t complex, but it demanded high precision in heat control. Being off by even a breath of time could cause the medicinal properties to deviate.

Li Yuan added the main and auxiliary ingredients to the Pill Furnace in order, using his Spiritual Power to stoke the furnace fire.

The experience of performing Alchemy after reaching Foundation Establishment was completely different from during the Qi Refining Stage.

The biggest change was his Divine Sense.

During the Qi Refining Stage, when performing Alchemy, his Divine Sense could only perceive the general temperature distribution inside the Pill Furnace and the overall state of the medicinal liquid. The details were unclear.

It was like looking through a layer of frosted glass; he knew something was happening inside, but for specifics like the dissolution progress of each ingredient, the fusion points of the medicinal properties, and the distribution of impurities, he had to rely entirely on experience and feel.

After Foundation Establishment, his now-liquid Spiritual Power had elevated the precision of his Divine Sense to a new level.

When his Divine Sense poured into the Pill Furnace, every detail within the medicinal liquid became clearly visible.

Adjusting the heat also shifted from being based on feel to precise control. He no longer needed to judge whether the temperature was too high or too low by the color of the liquid; his Divine Sense could directly perceive the temperature distribution in every area of the Pill Furnace’s inner wall.

After a few heat adjustments, the medicinal liquid fully solidified into a pill.

Li Yuan opened the furnace lid, and a light medicinal fragrance wafted out.

At the bottom of the furnace lay a round, plump pill. Its surface glowed with a faint golden luster, and its pill veins were clear and uniform.

The Qi Condensing Pill was a success.

[Qi Condensing Pill: Novice (0/200)]

Li Yuan took out the Qi Condensing Pill and touched it with his finger.

The panel popped up.

[Equippable Item Detected: Qi Condensing Pill (Intact)]

[Trait Preview: Insight (White) — When practicing Magic or Cultivation Methods, there is a 10% chance to trigger the Insight effect. The proficiency of that Magic and any other Magic or Cultivation Method with similar principles will increase. The greater the similarity, the greater the increase.]

[Permanent Integration Condition: Accumulate ten different types of Magic trained to the Novice level (10/10)]

’A white trait. Insight.’

’A ten percent chance to trigger when practicing Magic, and when it triggers, it doesn’t just increase the proficiency of the current Magic, but similar ones as well.’

’The condition for permanent integration is to have accumulated ten types of Magic trained to the Novice level.’

’I’ve trained over twenty types of Magic to the Novice level in total. That’s far more than ten.’

The condition was met on the spot.

[Permanent Integration Successful]

[Insight (White) has become a permanent trait.]

The Qi Condensing Pill in his palm dissolved into white light that entered his body, and the trait was integrated permanently.

Next was the Nourishing Essence Pill.

The Nourishing Essence Pill was a Tier One Middle Grade pill, and a bit simpler than the Qi Condensing Pill. It had two main ingredients, three auxiliary ingredients, and required two heat adjustments.

With the feel for it he’d just gained from refining the Qi Condensing Pill, the process for the Nourishing Essence Pill was even smoother. From adding the ingredients to the final solidification, the entire process was completed in one fluid motion, without a single mistake.

The furnace lid opened, revealing a pale green pill lying at the bottom.

[Nourishing Essence Pill: Novice (0/200)]

Li Yuan took out the Nourishing Essence Pill and touched it with his finger.

[Equippable Item Detected: Nourishing Essence Pill (Intact)]

[Trait Preview: Abundant Qi Blood (White) — Increases Qi Blood cap by 20%.]

[Permanent Integration Condition: Total Qi Blood comparable to a Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast.]

’A white trait. Abundant Qi Blood.’

’Increases the Qi Blood cap by twenty percent.’

’The condition for permanent integration is having a total Qi Blood comparable to a Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast.’

Li Yuan’s Cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment, and he had perfected the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill. His body had also been enhanced by long-term Body Tempering with Evil Qi, transformed by consuming Demon Beast Flesh, nourished by superior Qi Blood recovery, and strengthened by modifications from Demonic Qi.

’My total Qi Blood long ago surpassed the level of a Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast. I just don’t know if it has reached the Foundation Establishment level.’

The condition was met.

[Permanent Integration Successful]

[Abundant Qi Blood (White) has become a permanent trait.]

Two pills, two traits, both permanently integrated.

The panel immediately displayed another prompt.

[Fusable Trait Combination Detected]

[Abundant Qi Blood (White) + Qi Blood Nourishment (Gray)]

’Fuse.’

[Fusion Complete]

[Fused Trait: Vigorous Qi Blood (White)]

[Vigorous Qi Blood (White) — Increases Qi Blood cap by 30% and Qi Blood recovery speed by 20%. When Qi Blood is full, Spiritual Power recovery speed increases by 20% and the physical enhancement from Qi Blood increases by 10%.]

The two Qi Blood-related traits merged, their effects stacking and upgrading. The Qi Blood cap increase went from twenty percent to thirty percent.

Li Yuan cleaned the Pill Furnace and refined a few more batches of pills with his remaining materials.

By the sixth batch, the feel of it changed.

The entire Alchemy process transformed from a series of discrete steps into a single, continuous sequence of actions. Adding ingredients, controlling the fire, injecting spirit, adjusting temperature, Solidifying the Pill—the transition between each step became seamless. He no longer needed to pause and think about what to do next.

The panel popped up.

[Skill: Tier One Alchemy — Expert (0/400)]

His Alchemy had reached the Expert level.

The leap from proficient to expert elevated both the efficiency and quality of his Alchemy to a new level. The pill formation rate increased further, the quality became more consistent, and the failure rate dropped to an extremely low level.

Li Yuan put away the Pill Furnace and stored the refined pills in his storage bag by category.

’The materials are almost used up. I need to go to the market-city to procure another batch.’

「The next morning.」 Li Yuan flew to Yunyang Market-City.

He landed outside the south gate and walked into the city.

The flow of people on the main street was about the same as usual. Li Yuan first went to the Materials Shop to restock his Alchemy and talisman-crafting materials, then visited a Spirit Grass Shop to buy a few Spirit Grass stalks required for his pill formulas.

As he was leaving the Spirit Grass Shop, he passed by a teahouse and overheard several Loose Cultivators chatting inside.

"...Have you heard? There’s a new gathering place for Loose Cultivators over in the Ghost Mist Forest."

"Yeah, I heard. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator set it up. The lodging fee is only one Spirit Stone for two months. The main thing is that it’s close by—Lingxi Valley is right there, so you can go back and restock right after hunting Demon Beasts."

"It’s cheap, sure, but it’s deep in the Ghost Mist Forest. With all that heavy Evil Qi, who’d dare to live there?"

"They say the Foundation Establishment Cultivator has already absorbed most of the Evil Qi, so the concentration in the area is even lower than on the outskirts. Plus, there’s a Spirit Gathering Array, so the Spiritual Qi concentration is no worse than in the market-city."

"For real?"

"That’s what I heard from the guys at the mines. A few Loose Cultivators who work the mines moved over there and said the conditions are actually pretty good. Aside from a little bit of remaining Evil Qi."

The Loose Cultivators discussed it for a while longer before their conversation drifted to other matters.

Li Yuan walked past the teahouse entrance without stopping.

’News of the gathering place has already reached the market-city, but most Loose Cultivators are still taking a wait-and-see approach. Their main concerns are safety issues. The Ghost Mist Forest has a bad reputation—full of Demon Beasts and heavy with Evil Qi. The average Loose Cultivator wouldn’t dare stay in such a place for long.’

’Still, the fact that people are already discussing it means the word is slowly spreading. Once more Loose Cultivators start living there and a good reputation builds up, more people will naturally be willing to go.’

Having finished his procurement, Li Yuan returned to the base with his supplies.

「He continued to cultivate over the next few days.」

After several consecutive days of cultivation, the operational rhythm of his Soul Condensation Skill changed once again.

The compression and expansion of his Divine Soul went from semi-automatic to fully automatic. He no longer needed to make micro-adjustments at critical points; the entire tempering process was now driven solely by the Cultivation Technique’s own momentum. Li Yuan only needed to supply Spiritual Power and Evil Qi as an energy source.

The panel popped up.

[Cultivation Technique: Soul Condensation Skill — Expert (0/800)]

His Soul Condensation Skill had reached the Expert level.

The efficiency of his Divine Soul tempering rose another step. The magnitude of each compression and expansion was greater than during the proficient stage, and the strengthening effect on his Divine Soul was much more significant.

The Expert stage of the Soul Condensation Skill also brought an additional effect. The control precision over his Divine Soul increased dramatically, and there was a perceptible growth in both the range and clarity of his Divine Sense. Combined with the bonuses from his Spiritual Sense Clarity and Soul Light Tempering traits, Li Yuan’s Divine Soul system had reached a level extremely rare among Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

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