Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 252: Chapter 244: Golden Iron Body Refining Skill Consummation

Chen Yi’s visit to the Mist Forest Marketplace was unannounced.

Li Yuan was cultivating the Golden Iron Body Refining Skill in his stone house when the Early Warning Array’s Sensing Jade flashed. A familiar aura was approaching from the marketplace’s north gate.

By the time Li Yuan stepped out of his stone house, Chen Yi had already reached the main street. Following him were two Late-stage Qi Refining disciples from the Primordial Yang Sect, each holding a stack of bamboo slips.

"Li Dao You, I’ve come to discuss official business," Chen Yi said, getting straight to the point.

The two sat down on the second floor of the stone administration building, and the disciples spread the bamboo slips out on the table.

The bamboo slips depicted a complete map of the Ghost Mist Forest, showing the locations of known ore veins, areas of Demon Beast activity, and the Mist Forest Marketplace’s sphere of influence.

"The Sect intends to use the Mist Forest Marketplace as a forward base to further expand our sphere of influence deeper into the Ghost Mist Forest." Chen Yi pointed to a large, blank area on the map south of the marketplace. "This region has remained almost completely undeveloped. The deeper regions might hold undiscovered ore veins, Spirit Grass habitats, and hunting grounds for High-tier Demon Beasts. The Sect wishes to explore and develop it systematically."

He then listed the points of discussion one by one.

The exploration for new ore veins and the allocation of mining rights. The depths of the Ghost Mist Forest could harbor Spirit Iron mines, Evil Ores, or even rarer veins. The allocation of mining rights for any discoveries must be agreed upon beforehand.

The demarcation of Demon Beast hunting grounds in the deeper regions. Currently, Loose Cultivators tend to hunt in the outer and middle sections of the Ghost Mist Forest. The inner depths have a greater number of Tier Two Demon Beasts, but are also far more dangerous. The Sect plans to designate several hunting grounds and organize Foundation Establishment Cultivators to conduct regular culls.

The selection of sites for new forward outposts. We will need at least one or two outposts in the deep regions to allow exploration teams to rest and resupply.

The construction of an Array-based defense system for the expanded territory. The integrated network of the Gathering Evil Array, Defense Array, and Early Warning Array must be extended to the forward outposts in the deep regions.

"How will the benefits be distributed?" Li Yuan asked directly.

"That is the main point of this discussion." Chen Yi flipped to the next bamboo slip.

"The Sect will provide the manpower and some materials, taking responsibility for the exploration and culling operations. However, the Mist Forest Marketplace is the forward base. All missions will launch from here, and all logistical support will rely on the marketplace."

"The Sect’s proposal is as follows: for the mining rights to any new ore veins, the Sect will take sixty percent, and the marketplace forty. Materials from the Demon Beasts in the hunting grounds will be distributed among the individual participants, but the marketplace will collect a management fee for the grounds. The Sect will fully cover the construction costs for the forward outposts, but their ongoing maintenance fees will be deducted from the marketplace’s profits."

Li Yuan didn’t answer immediately.

"The marketplace wants a fifty percent share of the mining rights for new ore veins," he said.

"I will participate in the exploration. I’m more familiar with the terrain in the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest than your Sect members. Furthermore, I want priority mining rights for any Evil Ore veins discovered within the expanded territory."

Chen Yi pondered for a few moments.

"A fifty-fifty split is negotiable. Priority mining rights for the Evil Ore is also fine; the Sect has little need for it anyway. However, the management fee for the hunting grounds must be set at a fixed percentage. It cannot be raised arbitrarily."

The two went back and forth, haggling over the details for a while before finally reaching a preliminary agreement.

The mining rights for new ore veins would be split fifty-fifty. Li Yuan would have priority mining rights for any Evil Ore veins. The management fee for the hunting grounds would be set at ten percent of the total haul. The Sect would fully fund the construction of the forward outposts, and the daily maintenance costs would be split equally by both sides.

The specific details would be formalized in a contract later.

After they finished discussing the expansion plan, Li Yuan brought up another matter.

"How does one improve the grade of an Evil Ore vein?"

Chen Yi glanced at him. "You mean your Evil Ore vein?"

"Its grade is average, and the quality of the Evil Ore it produces is low. Is there a way to improve it?"

Chen Yi thought for a moment.

"There are two ways. The first is to introduce a higher-tier source of Evil Qi. Infusing the vein with high-tier Evil Qi can gradually improve the ore’s grade. But high-tier Evil Qi is hard to find. You would need the Inner Core of a Tier Two or higher evil-attribute Demon Beast, or an Evil Qi crystal of equivalent quality."

He paused for a moment.

"The other method is to use an Array for cultivation. By setting up a nurturing-type Array at the vein’s key nodes, you can guide the circulation of underground Evil Qi, accelerating the ore’s condensation and quality enhancement. This method is slow, but it doesn’t require an external source of high-tier Evil Qi; it can slowly improve by relying on the vein’s own cycle. The drawback is that it takes a very long time, potentially several decades."

Li Yuan took note of both methods.

’One of the conditions for making the Evil Vein’s special equipment permanent was to cultivate the vein until it could produce Mid-grade Evil Stones. Although the Array cultivation method was slow, it didn’t depend on external resources. With long-term dedication, it was an achievable goal.’

After Chen Yi and his two disciples departed, Li Yuan returned to his stone house to continue cultivating.

The Golden Iron Body Refining Skill was his current priority.

His progress since reaching Minor Achievement was still rapid.

With the combined boosts from his Evil Vein, Evil Essence Unification, Bone Marrow Tempering, and Spirit Blood Dual Cultivation, his progress in the Golden Iron Body Refining Skill was far beyond ordinary. His bones and skin membranes underwent visible reinforcement almost daily.

One evening, as he completed the final tempering cycle of the Golden Iron Body Refining Skill, the Spiritual Power circulating within his bones and skin membranes formed a complete, self-sustaining loop.

Similar to the feeling he’d had when his Profound Earth True Art reached completion, the Cultivation Technique no longer needed to be actively guided; its operation had become a bodily instinct.

A notification popped up on his panel.

[Cultivation Technique: Golden Iron Body Refining Skill — Completion (0/0)]

The physical changes at the moment of completion were palpable.

Li Yuan stood up and clenched his fists. After long-term tempering by both Spiritual Power and Evil Qi, his bones had reached an extremely high level of hardness. When he squeezed his fist tight, a faint CRACKLE emanated from between his knuckles. It wasn’t a sign of his bones giving way, but the sound of the layers of Spiritual Power on their surfaces grinding against each other.

The resilience of his skin’s surface had also increased dramatically. Li Yuan took the Tier One Top Grade Magic Sword he had bought earlier from his storage pouch.

He infused it with Spiritual Power, causing the blade to glow faintly, and slashed it forcefully against his forearm. The sword slid across his skin, leaving only a shallow white line. It hadn’t even broken the surface.

Perfecting the Iron Wall Body Refining Skill had enhanced his muscle density, while perfecting the Golden Iron Body Refining Skill enhanced the hardness of his bones and the resilience of his skin.

The two Body Refining Techniques covered every part of his body from different angles. This, combined with the all-encompassing, long-term Body Tempering from the Evil Qi of his Evil Essence Unification, and the defensive effects of his Three Elements Body Protection and Spiritual Membrane, raised his physical defense to a level exceptionally rare among Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Li Yuan put the Magic Sword away and stretched his limbs.

His body felt stable and solid, yet not clumsy. Supported by the two perfected Body Refining Techniques, the coordination between his muscles, bones, and skin had achieved a state of high unity, making the transfer of power through his body extremely efficient.

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