Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 284: Chapter 274: Spirit Vein Trap

The stone house was quiet.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, having already completed several cycles of circulation.

Although the Top Grade Spirit Stone was only temporary equipment—it didn’t take up an equipment slot or have a direct effect—every time he circulated his energy, the progress toward making its blue trait permanent on his panel continued to advance.

Midway through his cultivation, Li Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. He didn’t release his Divine Sense, but his mind had already sunk down, following the large Spirit Vein.

Within the Spirit Vein’s range, several auras appeared, right where the tributary veins were located.

The flow of Spiritual Power underground spread out in his perception. The main vein, tributary veins, old faults, and hidden circuits all appeared with perfect clarity.

Because of this, Li Yuan detected the foreign auras the moment they drew near.

There was more than one.

Li Yuan’s gaze followed the auras downward, his brow furrowing slightly.

The individuals weren’t grouped together; they were staggered, one behind the other.

The one in the lead was scouting the path, moving slowly. He was clearly holding some sort of spirit-detecting device, pressing it against the stone wall with every step to check for any obvious disturbances before moving forward.

The two behind him deliberately kept their distance. One watched their flank while the other covered their rear, and they even suppressed their Spiritual Power fluctuations to a minimum.

Their objective was also clear.

They weren’t just scouting the outer layers but were continuing to advance deeper.

Li Yuan didn’t move. He remained in the stone house, simply noting the number of intruders and their route.

The three Demon Cultivators were still making their way inside.

Step by step, they headed straight for the containment zone of the trap Array.

Li Yuan didn’t notify anyone, nor did he intend to go himself. Instead, he continued circulating his energy.

The Spiritual Qi in the stone house flowed slowly through his meridians. The Spiritual Power within his Dantian remained pure and stable.

Ever since the large Spirit Vein had been equipped in his special slot, his automatic cultivation and Spiritual Power recovery had never ceased. Combined with his recent day-and-night accumulation, while the blue trait corresponding to the Top Grade Spirit Stone hadn’t become permanent yet, its progress bar had been quietly filling up.

After finishing a cycle of circulation, Li Yuan got up and went to the southern ore vein.

Inside the mine shaft, the Evil Qi was dense but orderly.

In the center of the natural cavern, the Cultivating Evil Array was still running slowly. The Spirit Patterns on its various Array Hubs were more subdued than before, lacking the sluggish feeling from a while ago that required constant manual reinforcement and correction. The Array guided the Evil Qi from the depths of the ore vein, drawing it in and expelling it in complete, perfect cycles.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings for a moment.

The changes within the ore vein were clearer than they had been recently.

The main circuits in the deepest parts had stabilized. Mid-grade Evil Stones were no longer forming just one or two at a time but were now being produced steadily, following the ore vein’s natural rhythm.

The evil-attribute materials, Demon Beast Evil Qi, and other external resources fed into the Cultivating Evil Array were now being fully absorbed by the ore vein itself after a single cycle before being expelled back out.

This was different from before.

Previously, they had to constantly dump resources into it, relying on the Cultivating Evil Array to force the process along.

If the Array were to stop, the ore vein’s output would plummet, as many of the changes were merely propped up by external force. But it was different now. The ore vein itself had crossed a threshold. Even without an immediate infusion of new High Tier evil-attribute materials, it could sustain the cycle on its own, relying solely on the existing circuits and the throughput of the Cultivating Evil Array.

Li Yuan stood his ground, observing for a few breaths. For the first time, a clear judgment formed in his mind.

’This Evil Ore vein has moved from the investment phase to the returns phase.’

Li Yuan didn’t linger in the mine shaft. He collected some of the newly formed Mid-grade Evil Stones, then double-checked the main Array Patterns and Array Hubs of the Cultivating Evil Array to confirm there were no deviations before returning to the marketplace.

The marketplace was even livelier than it had been a few days ago.

As soon as he entered the outer street, Li Yuan could see the crowd had grown significantly.

The few previously vacant storefronts along the main street had now been temporarily leased. Shops selling pills, Magical Artifacts, and those buying materials on commission were all crammed together.

Even more people were registering at the entrance. Many of them were unfamiliar faces, their clothing subtly different from that of the local Liangzhou Cultivators, and their accents more varied.

Most of them had likely come from the direction of Yunzhou.

The fighting between the Qi Shui Sect and the Evil Slaying Sect had intensified, causing a massive exodus of Cultivators. Before, they had only appeared in Yunyang Marketplace; now they were showing up in his own Mist Forest Marketplace.

Li Yuan didn’t linger on the street and went directly to the administration office.

The marketplace had been busy with miscellaneous affairs these past few days. Entrance registrations, temporary residences for outside Cultivators, disputes between shops, patrol scheduling, and even a few minor conflicts arising from failed business negotiations—all of it had to be managed and suppressed.

After sitting down, Li Yuan first flipped through the pages of today’s new records.

Among the Cultivators from Yunzhou, some had rented temporary courtyards, some were only staying for two or three days, and others had paid a deposit of Spirit Stones for half a month, clearly planning a long-term stay. A few small merchant houses had also followed the flow of people over, hoping to establish a foothold while the marketplace was bustling.

All of this was considered routine.

After finishing his work, Li Yuan returned to the stone house and casually took out the equipment corresponding to the Body Refining pill he had acquired earlier. The moment the item came within three feet of him, the panel popped up in its entirety.

[Detectable Equippable Item: Body Refining Pill (Complete)]

[Equipment Trait Preview: Pill-Refined Physique (Green)]

[Effect: Body Refining pills will not leave impurities in the body. Your physical strength will increase by up to 30%, with the magnitude of the increase depending on the number of Body Refining pills consumed.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Master one Tier Two Body Refining Technique to the level of Great Accomplishment (0/1)]

[Current Equipment Slots Full (5/5). Replace an equipped item?]

Li Yuan casually unequipped the "Bone and Membrane Co-cultivation" trait.

After equipping it, he resumed his cultivation.

Li Yuan didn’t dwell on it. He put away the panel and began to regulate his breathing.

When night had completely fallen, the situation over at the Spirit Vein finally changed.

Li Yuan’s mind sank down, and he immediately saw that the three Demon Cultivators who had gone deep into the tributary vein had now entered the true containment zone of the trap Array.

The man in the lead was still probing the stone walls and circuits, clearly unaware that the Spiritual Power nodes he was stepping on were different from when he had first entered.

The next moment, the Array triggered on its own.

It wasn’t a violent, explosive assault. Instead, several sections of Array Patterns, originally hidden within the stone layers and the remnants of old Restrictions, lit up simultaneously. Several Spiritual Power circuits inside the tributary vein instantly closed, first cutting off the path of retreat, then completely sealing off the area where the three were active.

The three Demon Cultivators reacted extremely quickly.

One immediately retreated, another raised a hand and unleashed a demonic light, trying to blast open the side wall, while the third instantly took out a Magical Artifact for protection. But this Array from the Primordial Yang Sect was designed precisely for this moment. The outer diversion channels and inner containment mechanisms were already locked in place. The moment the three of them moved, they ended up triggering all the suppressed Spiritual Power fluctuations within the Array.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before news spread rapidly from the direction of the outpost. First, patrolling Cultivators were seen rushing back and forth, and then a formal mobilization order was issued directly from the marketplace.

Chen Yi urgently gathered personnel and hurried toward the tributary vein.

Li Yuan also received the order, though, given his status as a Protector, it wasn’t a mandatory summons.

When Li Yuan received the order, he showed no change in expression, simply rising and heading out like the other mobilized Cultivators.

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