Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 269: Chapter 259: Demon Transformation Bead

The Ghost Mist Forest fell quiet for a few days after the Golden Core standoff.

This silence wasn’t a sign of true peace.

The Primordial Yang Sect’s frontline forces didn’t retreat, nor did the Evil Slaying Sect’s. The two sides kept a close watch on each other across the outer edge of the ruins and several key areas, neither willing to make the first move.

However, a different kind of news was the first to reach the marketplace.

More Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Evil Slaying Sect had entered Liangzhou.

There were quite a few of them, but their methods differed from those of the Dark Abyss Association. This group didn’t cause trouble in the marketplace, outposts, or outer villages, nor did they deliberately commit arson or murder. Instead, they seemed to be massing on the borders of Liangzhou and around the Ghost Mist Forest, putting their intimidation on full display.

Rumors soon began to spread through the marketplace.

Some said the Evil Slaying Sect was planning a big move, others claimed the tides were about to turn in Liangzhou, and still others simply began to secretly pack their belongings, preparing to retreat a little further.

Li Yuan was in the Evil Vein when he heard this news.

The cultivation of the Evil Vein was still progressing. After the first Mid-grade Evil Stone had stably solidified, the overall backflow of the ore vein became noticeably smoother.

Now, when he used his Evil Vein’s perception to look, not only were the flows of Evil Qi inside and outside the ore vein clearer, but even the changes in the strata further away began to reveal themselves bit by bit.

On this day, Li Yuan sat cross-legged deep within a natural cavity, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Evil Qi flowed continuously into his body through the special equipment of the Evil Vein, where it was then channeled and broken down. Once a full cycle was complete, he extended his Divine Sense. Paired with his newly permanent Evil Qi perception, many things underground that were once hazy became somewhat clearer.

The abnormal backflow on the periphery of the ore vein was still there.

But unlike before, this time, beyond that backflow, he faintly detected something deeper, more distant, and more profound.

It wasn’t Evil Qi.

That thing was hidden very deep, like a thick, heavy network buried behind a larger stratum, only occasionally revealing a hint of itself through faults and backflows. If his Evil Vein’s perception hadn’t been clearer than before, Li Yuan might not have even been able to sense this trace.

’A main vein.’

’Or rather, it’s like the faint outline of what a large-scale Spirit Vein’s main channel left behind.’

Li Yuan didn’t rush. He first noted the direction and approximate location, then calmly continued to circulate his Cultivation Technique.

During this time, he hadn’t neglected his Cyan Wood Longevity Skill either.

Compared to the feeling of rushing upwards in one breath like with the Soul Condensation Skill, the Cyan Wood Longevity Skill was more like a gentle, steady stream. Each time he circulated it, the Wood Spirit Qi would slowly spread out from the depths of his meridians, first passing through his organs, then nourishing his flesh and blood, finally leaving a faint, almost imperceptible vitality around his body.

This accumulation wasn’t obvious on a daily basis, but as the days went by, change would eventually come.

As he cultivated into the latter half of the night, when the final cycle of the Cyan Wood Longevity Skill was complete, the Wood Spirit Qi that was originally scattered throughout his meridians suddenly connected into a single line, as if scattered streams had slowly converged into a more stable river. The circulation of the Cultivation Technique suddenly became much smoother, and even the long-lasting vitality within him rose a notch.

The panel vibrated slightly.

[Cultivation Technique: Cyan Wood Longevity Skill—Mastery (0/800)]

’Finally reached Mastery.’

Li Yuan slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes, even his vision seemed to have cleared a little. His lifespan was still increasing, though not by a large margin.

The next day at noon, Chen Yi arrived.

When he entered the administration office this time, his expression was a bit stranger than before, as if he found something troublesome, yet was also suppressing some displeasure.

Li Yuan poured him a cup of tea and asked directly, "Has something changed on the front line?"

"It has." Chen Yi took the tea but didn’t drink. "That Golden Core from the Evil Slaying Sect made a demand."

Li Yuan looked at him.

"He wants to see your Evil Vein."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Li Yuan’s brow twitched slightly, but he wasn’t too surprised.

The people from the Dark Abyss Association had already asked about the Evil Ore and clues about the vein. Later, when they closed their net, it was obvious they were treating the Evil Ore as one of their targets. Now that a Golden Core from the Evil Slaying Sect had personally entered the fray, it wasn’t strange that he would set his sights on this place.

"Did the Primordial Yang Sect agree?" Li Yuan asked.

"They didn’t agree directly, nor did they refuse directly." Chen Yi rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "The reason he gave was simple. The Dark Abyss Association had previously found clues about an Evil Vein. Since both sides are now in a standoff in the Ghost Mist Forest, he wants to personally confirm whether or not there’s a problem with this Evil Vein."

"And the Sect?"

"The Sect’s Ancestor also wants to take a look while he’s at it." Chen Yi looked at him. "And he said it right in front of that Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core—that this is the Evil Vein of our own Foundation Establishment Protector, not public property of the Sect, and it can’t be touched carelessly."

The meaning behind those words was obvious.

Li Yuan thought for a moment and asked just one question.

"They can look. What about compensation?"

Chen Yi was taken aback for a second, then let out a laugh.

"I knew you’d ask that first."

"That Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core said on the spot that he wouldn’t look for free and would provide compensation. Our Sect didn’t stop him. After all, if we completely refused to let him look, it would make it seem like this place has something to hide."

Li Yuan nodded.

At this point, there wasn’t much room to maneuver. He was being targeted by someone at the Golden Core level; resisting forcefully was pointless. Fortunately, the Evil Vein itself was a piece of special equipment. As long as he wore the equipment, he controlled the perception and information flow of the entire ore vein.

Others could see the ore vein, and even sense the concentration of Evil Qi, but they couldn’t see the parts that were truly open to him on the level of the special equipment.

This was the real reason for Li Yuan’s inner calm.

Half a day later, the group arrived at the entrance to the ore vein.

Li Yuan walked in the lead with Chen Yi beside him. Following behind were two figures whose auras were so profound they were almost oppressive. One was the Primordial Yang Sect Golden Core he had seen before. The other, dressed in a black robe with wide sleeves, was silent and impassive—evidently the Golden Core from the Evil Slaying Sect.

The Evil Qi in the mine tunnel was originally extremely dense, but after these two entered, their auras naturally spread out, seeming to push back the surrounding Evil Qi as if by a barrier.

Li Yuan led them down, his expression calm, but his mind was constantly on high alert.

Normally, the nodes, the backflows, the quality changes in the depths, and the abnormal fluctuations on the periphery would all naturally reveal themselves to him.

But Li Yuan had already made preparations yesterday. He had restricted the information that could be gleaned from the entire Evil Vein, leaving only the most superficial appearance of the ore vein itself.

When they reached the natural cavity, the two Golden Cores finally stopped.

The Primordial Yang Sect Golden Core first swept his gaze around the area without speaking. The Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core, however, slowly raised a hand. A speck of gray light spread from his fingertip, slowly fanning out through the cavity and into several branching tunnels.

The gray light didn’t touch Li Yuan; it only roamed within the ore vein.

Li Yuan could clearly feel the other party’s Divine Sense and Mana probing layer by layer into the depths of the ore vein.

If this were an ordinary ore vein, such a probe would have uncovered many secrets. But this was different. The part of the Evil Vein truly connected to the special equipment was as if separated by a thin membrane. When the other’s Divine Sense swept past, all he saw was the ore vein, the Evil Stones, the flow of Evil Qi, and some normal traces left by the recent Cultivation Array.

A good few minutes passed before the Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core finally withdrew his hand.

"An ordinary Evil Vein," he said flatly. "Its quality has slightly increased, as if someone has artificially cultivated it, but that’s about it."

The Primordial Yang Sect Golden Core then spoke up. "It was only ever an Evil Vein. If there were any other clues, the Dark Abyss Association would have already dug up something here long ago."

The Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core didn’t respond to that, instead turning to look at Li Yuan.

"You’re the Protector of this marketplace?"

"I am." Li Yuan clasped his hands in a salute.

An object flew out from the Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core’s sleeve, hovering in mid-air before Li Yuan. "Compensation."

It was a thumb-sized, dark cyan bead. Its surface had a restrained luster, and a wisp of black qi could be seen faintly flowing within it.

Li Yuan reached out and caught it. The moment it touched his palm, the panel popped up.

[Equippable Item Detected: Demon Transformation Bead (Complete)]

[Equipment Trait Preview: Demonic Art Cultivation Boost (Green)]

[Effect: Increases owner’s demonic art cultivation speed by 30%, increases Demonic Qi absorption speed by 30%]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Cultivate one demonic art to the Grand Completion stage (0/1)]

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

’A green trait.’

Li Yuan only glanced at it once before dismissing the panel, his expression not showing a hint of change.

It was Chen Yi, standing to the side, whose expression turned a little strange.

The compensation given by the Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core just had to be something related to demonic arts. It was hard to say whether this was a good or bad thing.

Anyone else would likely have hesitated over whether they could accept it. But Li Yuan knew in his heart that this bead was far from useless to him; in fact, it was very practical. It was just that his equipment slots were currently full, so it wasn’t its turn yet.

After handing over the item, the Evil Slaying Sect Golden Core didn’t linger in the ore vein any longer and turned to leave the mine tunnel.

The Primordial Yang Sect Golden Core, however, gave Li Yuan one last look before leaving.

"Guard the marketplace well these next few days."

"Yes."

After the two Golden Cores left, Li Yuan exited the ore vein.

The sky outside was still bright. In the Spirit Fields south of the marketplace, people had already begun to harvest the first batch of usable Low Tier Spirit Grass.

After returning to his stone house, Li Yuan first put away the Demon Transformation Bead, then immediately circulated his Cyan Wood Longevity Skill one more time.

After reaching Mastery, the Cultivation Technique’s Wood Spirit Qi was indeed more stable. The growth of his lifespan was still slow, but it had more staying power than before. He was still far from the next major threshold, but the path was now laid out before him.

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