Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 259: Chapter 250: Capture

After breaking through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, Li Yuan didn’t rush to go out.

Inside the stone house, his Spiritual Power circulated through his meridians again and again.

The liquid Spiritual Power in his Dantian was a notch denser and heavier than before his seclusion, flowing through his meridians without the slightest obstruction.

However, that wasn’t what truly needed getting used to. The real adjustment was to the changes brought by the Three-in-One state.

Spiritual Power, Qi Blood, and Divine Soul—each originally had its own circulatory path. Now, it was as if several hidden threads connected the three, unnoticeable during normal times but instantly linking up when activated.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged. He first mobilized the Spiritual Power in his Dantian, guiding it through a full cycle, then with a slight shift in his thoughts, he drew out a wisp of Qi Blood.

The moment the two touched, his body reacted.

The Qi Blood was siphoned away along that newly appeared pathway and into his Dantian. Its originally warm and heavy power swiftly dissolved, leaving behind only a portion of Pure Spiritual Power.

The quantity was reduced by nearly half, but the conversion process was extremely stable.

Li Yuan then tried converting his Divine Soul into Spiritual Power.

This time, it was even quieter. A slight dip occurred in his sea of consciousness, and a cool sensation descended from between his brows, melting into his Dantian.

The converted Spiritual Power was equally pure, but the loss rate was the same. There was no room for any shortcuts.

’Divine Soul and Qi Blood aren’t things to be squandered. It’s enough just to know how to use them.’

Over the next few days, he spent most of his time stabilizing his Cultivation and adapting to his new state.

He would occasionally patrol the Mist Forest Marketplace, but most of his time was spent cultivating in the stone house, practicing his Magic every now and then.

The Fireball Technique formed with a mere raise of his hand, its condensation speed much faster than before.

If his Spiritual Power was momentarily cut off, his Qi Blood could immediately take over, preventing the Magic’s form from dissipating. His Divine Sense was also more stable when extended; the vague sense of separation between his sea of consciousness and his physical body was gone, as if his entire being had been pulled together more tightly.

These changes were invisible, yet they were everywhere.

Several days later, Li Yuan finally opened his panel again to slowly review his current status.

The regular equipment slot was still full, with the Three-in-One Bead securely occupying one position. In the special equipment slot, the Evil Vein was still circulating slowly. The line of gray text at the very bottom of the panel was also still there.

[Condition to unlock the next special equipment slot: Permanently affix one purple-quality entry (0/1)]

Li Yuan’s gaze paused for a moment before moving upward.

The permanent affixation conditions for the Three-in-One state were still the same two as before.

[Permanent Affixation Condition Preview: Condense a Top Grade Golden Core, or have both physical body and Divine Soul Cultivation individually reach the Tier Three standard (0/1)]

’When I try for the Golden Core in the future, my goal can’t be to just achieve Core Formation.’

’It’s not just for the permanent affixation of the Three-in-One state, but also for my future prospects.’

’With so many entries empowering me, forming a common-quality Golden Core would be a complete waste.’

’I don’t even know how to achieve Core Formation yet, but that doesn’t stop me from making a decision.’

Li Yuan put away the panel and stood up to leave.

The Mist Forest Marketplace was even livelier than a few days ago. Several new shops had opened on both sides of the main street, and more Loose Cultivators were coming and going from the south. The outpost hadn’t been formally established yet, but word had already spread, and many people had come early to check things out.

The livelier the marketplace, the more useful the Demon-Exploring Array became.

The Array Hub was buried beneath the administration office, and the nodes at the four entrances operated daily. Li Yuan hadn’t specifically monitored the three individuals with Demonic Qi during this time, only letting the Demon-Exploring Array and the patrolling Cultivators continue their routine recordings.

On the seventh day, the movements of the three finally changed.

The first person went south to ask several Loose Cultivators who regularly mined around the marketplace about the location of the Evil Ore.

The second person loitered around the administration office and, under the pretext of renting a stone house, asked about the general direction where the outpost would be built.

The third person was the most cautious. He went to several demon-hunting teams that frequented the depths of the Ghost Mist Forest and only indirectly asked if the ruins were in the southwest area.

After receiving the records sent by the patrol, Li Yuan didn’t alert anyone. He simply took out his Protector Token and sent a message to Chen Yi.

An hour later, Chen Yi replied.

"Don’t move on them yet. Keep watching."

"I need to know who they’re meeting with and where they’re sending their information."

Li Yuan put away the Token. That same day, he had the administration office, the guard team, and the patrolling Cultivators all change their methods.

On the surface, everything in the marketplace remained as usual.

But secretly, the Demon-Exploring nodes at the four entrances began to focus on the entry and exit times of those three individuals.

The administration office pulled up the last month of transaction records, screening every shop, rental location, and Cultivator the three had come into contact with.

Three days later, the threads slowly became clear.

The three rarely contacted each other directly. Only when exchanging information would they use different intermediaries to pass messages.

The messages weren’t handed over directly but passed through multiple layers. One day it would be an extra cup placed on a tea stall; the next, a piece of charred wood left under a stone pillar at the north gate.

The actions were small and deeply hidden.

But the marketplace was Li Yuan’s territory. As long as they watched long enough, even the finest thread could be followed.

Another day passed, and Chen Yi came in person.

The two met on the second floor of the administration office, a simple map spread out on the table. It marked the residences of the three Demonic Qi Cultivators, their usual routes, and the locations where several intermediaries usually stayed.

After looking it over, Chen Yi tapped his finger on the map.

"We’ll close the net tonight."

"Just these three?"

"We’ll start with these three," Chen Yi said. "The intermediaries can wait. We’ll leave them to trace things back further. First, let’s get what they have on them."

Li Yuan nodded and didn’t ask any more questions.

After nightfall, Li Yuan stood on the roof of the administration office, his Divine Sense slowly spreading out.

All three of them were present.

Chen Yi didn’t show himself. The first to move were the few Foundation Establishment Cultivators brought by the Primordial Yang Sect. They used the cover of darkness to approach separately, their movements extremely light as they surrounded the three locations at once.

The next moment, three beams of Spiritual Light descended simultaneously.

At the same instant, a dark purple fluctuation erupted from all three locations almost simultaneously.

’Not Spiritual Power self-detonation.’

Li Yuan saw it clearly with his Divine Sense. Demonic Qi surged backward from within their bodies, forcing its way up their meridians and causing blackened patterns to bulge on the surface of their skin. Conventional spirit-sealing methods only locked Spiritual Power; they were completely useless against this.

Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

But Chen Yi’s side had clearly come prepared.

Above the stone house to the south, a crimson-gold talisman net descended. The net didn’t try to suppress Spiritual Power; instead, it directly latched onto the churning Demonic Qi. Its Spirit Patterns flared, and the dark purple fluctuation froze in place, as if it had been pinned down.

It was the same at the north gate.

In the last courtyard, Chen Yi took action personally.

He stepped into the courtyard, and a palm-sized bronze mirror flew from his sleeve. The mirror’s surface turned, casting a pale white brilliance. Just as the Demon Patterns rising on the Demon Cultivator’s body were about to crack open, the white light pressed in along them. The Demonic Qi seemed to freeze, and the man was immobilized on the spot, unable to even make a sound.

It all happened in just a few breaths.

The self-destruction attempts of all three were cut short.

When Li Yuan landed from the roof, the battle in the courtyard was already over. The Demon Cultivator knelt on the ground, his face ashen, veins throbbing on his forehead. His eyes were filled with vicious intent, yet his body couldn’t move.

Chen Yi put away the bronze mirror and glanced at him.

"It’s the same old trick, as expected."

Li Yuan took a few steps closer and smelled a faint, scorched scent. It wasn’t the smell of burnt flesh, but more like the aftermath of Demonic Qi being forcefully suppressed.

"Something new from the Sect?"

"We figured this out after a few tries against these people," Chen Yi said coolly. "They rely on Demonic Qi to self-destruct, which is a different system from Spiritual Power. We’ve suffered losses because of it before."

"Besides, I suspect this Demonic Qi self-destruction is pre-set, not something they trigger themselves."

After speaking, he signaled for a few disciples to come forward and search them.

The three captures were quickly wrapped up, and all three individuals were taken to the stone room behind the administration office.

Not a single intermediary was touched, and there was no major commotion in the marketplace. Only a few Loose Cultivators living nearby heard some noise, but they were quickly pacified by the patrols.

Inside the stone room, three piles of items were laid out on a table.

Storage bags, jade slips, a few scraps of beast hide with routes recorded on them, two ordinary Magical Artifacts, and some miscellaneous materials.

Only four items were truly useful.

An incomplete map, of which only half remained, sketched with a few lines marking the Evil Ore, the ruins, and the direction of a vague underground passage.

A Demon Pattern jade slip, its surface covered in dark purple Spirit Patterns, clearly not intended for ordinary Cultivators.

A restriction-breaking Magical Artifact shaped like a short cone, grayish-white all over, with extremely fine patterns carved into its tip.

And an old Token, its corners heavily worn. The material was neither metal nor stone, and the pattern on the front was so blurred that one could only tell it was likely something left behind by an old Sect.

Chen Yi picked up the old Token first, looked at it for a moment, then handed it to a disciple beside him, telling them to store it separately.

"Send this to the Sect for identification first."

Li Yuan’s gaze, however, fell upon the restriction-breaking Magical Artifact. He could sense a green entry on it.

The moment the Magical Artifact landed in his hand, the panel popped up.

[Equippable item detected: Breaking Ban Cone (Complete)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Spirit Pattern Analysis (Green)]

[Effect: Increases analysis efficiency of Array Patterns, Restrictions, and mechanism structures.]

[Permanent Affixation Condition Preview: Cumulatively break five Tier One Top Grade Arrays that were not set up by oneself (0/5)]

[Current equipment slots are full (5/5). Replace current equipment?]

’A green entry.’

Li Yuan only glanced at it before putting the Magical Artifact back, his expression unchanging.

Chen Yi shot him a look.

"Is there a problem?"

"It seems to be specifically for breaking Restrictions," Li Yuan said. "It will be useful for exploring the ruins."

Chen Yi nodded and didn’t press the matter. He knew Li Yuan had some foundational knowledge of Arrays, so it wasn’t strange that he could identify its purpose.

"Then this thing is yours."

Chen Yi said this as he sorted and put away the various materials, then looked toward the other side of the stone room.

The three Demonic Qi Cultivators had both their Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi sealed. They were held in separate locations, their mouths stuffed with sealing talisman cloths, making it impossible for them to even bite their own tongues.

"The Sect will interrogate them next."

He raised a hand to rub his brow, showing no signs of fatigue.

"We managed to capture them alive this time. How much we can get out of them depends on how stubborn they are."

Li Yuan grunted in agreement.

The three living captives were escorted away overnight, leaving only two Foundation Establishment Cultivators to stand guard in the marketplace in case anyone came to their rescue. By the time the stone room was cleared out, the sky was nearly bright.

A few early-rising Cultivators began to move about on the main street. The faint killing intent from last night seemed to have completely dissipated. The patrols went on as usual, the shops opened for business as usual, and the marketplace continued to operate normally.

Li Yuan stood outside the administration office and glanced south.

’The Evil Ore is still there, the outpost isn’t built yet, and the ruins are still deep within the Ghost Mist Forest. The Dark Abyss Association is clearly after more than just what’s on the surface of this marketplace.’

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