Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 286: Chapter 276: Alchemy Manual

It had only been two days since the branch family was annihilated, and the rumors in the marketplace had yet to fully subside when Chen Yi arrived.

Li Yuan was meditating in his stone house when he heard footsteps outside the door. A quick scan with his Divine Sense was all it took to recognize the visitor’s aura.

By the time the stone door opened, Chen Yi was already stepping inside. He wore the same black magical robes he favored at the outpost. His expression wasn’t grim, but it lacked his usual carefree demeanor.

"Is something the matter?" Li Yuan asked as he stood up.

Chen Yi glanced at him. Instead of sitting down, he asked a very direct question.

"A few days ago, did the Li family hire you to break an Array?"

Li Yuan’s expression remained unchanged.

But before he could respond, Chen Yi raised a hand.

"Don’t answer just yet."

"I’m not here to press you on it."

With that, Chen Yi pulled up a chair for himself and sat down, his tone softening slightly.

"That Array... the Sect set it up on purpose."

Li Yuan watched him without a word.

Chen Yi continued.

"The outer layer wasn’t really meant to keep people out. It was bait, plain and simple. We put it there to make the Demon Sect think there was something valuable inside, and that they were just one step away from reaching it."

"The Array wasn’t difficult to break; in fact, we deliberately left behind flaws for someone to find. The whole point was to see who the Demon Sect would hire to break it and who else we could smoke out in the process."

At this, the corner of Chen Yi’s mouth tightened.

"We were hoping to follow the leads and reel in a few more fish. But before we could even get a full picture of the Demon Sect’s operatives, the Li family got themselves dragged into it."

A moment of silence fell over the stone house.

Finally, Li Yuan spoke.

"You knew the Li family was connected to the Demon Sect?"

"No." Chen Yi shook his head.

"If we’d known earlier, things wouldn’t have played out like this."

"All we can say now is that the Li family walked right into our trap."

He was being blunt, not mincing words.

’The Primordial Yang Sect’s bait was indeed intended for the Demon Sect. When the Li family came to me, they likely had no idea that the Hidden Array was a deliberate setup. Now, with the hidden connections revealed, the old ties between the Li family and the Demon Sect have been exposed, becoming an unexpected bonus in the operation to take down the branch family.’

After listening to Chen Yi, Li Yuan felt his prior suspicions were now fully confirmed.

Chen Yi looked at him and continued, "The Sect won’t give you any trouble for breaking that Array. The Li family hired you for a job, and you went. There’s nothing against the rules about that."

"In fact, you could even say you helped the Sect cast the bait."

It wasn’t a joke, but there was no hint of accusation in his tone either.

Li Yuan asked directly, "You didn’t come just to clear this up, did you, Fellow Daoist Chen?"

Chen Yi nodded.

"The Sect also asked me to inquire if you, Fellow Daoist, needed any assistance regarding cultivation manuals."

"You’ve been a great help to the Sect."

Li Yuan didn’t bother with false modesty.

He wasn’t desperately lacking in Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, or Array Materials. The Alchemy Dao, however, was a path he intended to advance further on. A proper Alchemy manual would be far more practical than anything else.

"An Alchemy manual," Li Yuan said.

Chen Yi glanced at him and nodded.

"As it happens, I have one on me."

With a flick of his wrist, he produced a manual with a grayish-green cover from his storage pouch and placed it on the table.

"We just sorted it out from the outpost’s stores. It’s not a Tier Two core inheritance, but the fundamentals are solid. It should be more than enough for you at your current level."

Li Yuan reached out and took it.

As the item came within three feet of him, his senses reacted. Now that the manual was his, a complete panel popped up.

[Detected equippable item: Alchemy Manual (Complete)]

[Equipment Trait Preview: Alchemical Insight (Green)]

[Effect: Increases perception of changes in medicinal properties during Alchemy by 40%. Accelerates comprehension of the Alchemy Dao.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Successfully refine ten different types of pills (0/10)]

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

’A green trait.’

Li Yuan’s gaze lingered on the panel for a moment before he dismissed it.

’This trait is perfect for me right now. A forty-percent boost to my perception of medicinal properties... when applied to Alchemy, it means more than just judging herbs more accurately. I’ll be able to more easily discern subtle shifts in heat control, conflicts between medicinal liquids, and the minute changes that occur right before and after a pill is formed.’

’As I start dealing with more and more Tier Two pills, this will be incredibly useful.’

Li Yuan put the manual directly into his storage pouch.

Seeing Li Yuan accept the manual, Chen Yi didn’t press further. He simply stood up and said, "The Sect will handle the Li family from here on out. You don’t need to worry about it."

"The marketplace has been crowded and chaotic lately. Watch yourself."

Li Yuan nodded.

After Chen Yi left, the stone house fell silent once more.

Li Yuan took the Alchemy manual out again and began to flip through it, examining its contents in detail.

But it wasn’t long before trouble erupted just outside the marketplace.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of the marketplace, near a temporary settlement for Loose Cultivators.

This area was also under the jurisdiction of the marketplace’s guard patrol.

When Li Yuan drew near, his gaze darkened at the sight.

The corpse belonged to a middle-aged Loose Cultivator. There were no obvious wounds on his clothing or body, but the truly bizarre part was that he was completely desiccated. His skin was stretched taut against his bones as if he’d been drained dry in an instant. His cheeks were sunken, his limbs stiff—it looked as though he had lost all of his vital essence and blood in a very short amount of time.

He looked exactly like the corpses that had been drained of their blood essence in the Ghost Mist Forest.

But there was a problem. This body was found outside the Ghost Mist Forest, where such a draining of blood essence shouldn’t have occurred.

Recalling the Blood Evil Stone, Li Yuan suspected this was the work of a person.

"When was he found?" Li Yuan asked.

A patrolling Cultivator nearby immediately answered:

"About fifteen minutes ago. Two Loose Cultivators were returning from outside the market and saw him collapsed by the road. At first, they thought it was an old corpse, but upon approaching, they realized he’d only just died."

Li Yuan scanned the area around the corpse again.

"Have you identified the deceased?"

"We have." The patrolling Cultivator handed over a wooden registration tablet. "He’s a Loose Cultivator who only entered the market a few days ago. Lived in the temporary residences to the west, and usually took odd jobs collecting beast materials or running errands. No background to speak of."

Li Yuan took the wooden tablet, glanced at it, and handed it back. Only then did he extend his Divine Sense and perception, meticulously investigating the area around the body.

He quickly filtered through the chaotic auras in the area. The patrolling Cultivators, the gawking Loose Cultivators, the two who found the body, the lingering traces of passersby—he peeled them all away, layer by layer, until the most dissonant residual aura near the corpse was exposed.

It carried a hint of sinister cold, feeling very much like the residue left behind after a Blood Evil Stone had been used.

Li Yuan followed the residual aura, tracking it outward.

The trail of the aura didn’t lead directly out of the market. Instead, it veered north along an outer path, skirting the busiest main road, before hugging the perimeter of the temporary residences and turning into an even narrower alley.

"This way."

With that, Li Yuan was already moving, taking the lead.

The patrolling Cultivators behind him immediately followed.

As they followed the trail deeper, Li Yuan noted that the traces he was tracking were faint, but they never broke.

The person had been cautious, deliberately suppressing their aura and covering their tracks after leaving the scene. But Li Yuan’s tracking was locked onto the familiar aura and its residual fluctuations, relentlessly pinpointing the path they had taken.

The group finally stopped before a temporary courtyard home on the west side of the marketplace.

The courtyard gate was ajar. It was empty inside.

The patrolling Cultivators rushed in first to search and quickly reported their findings.

"The house is empty. They’re gone."

Li Yuan stepped into the courtyard and looked around.

The house wasn’t large, nor was it particularly messy. But this very neatness suggested a hasty yet controlled departure. A half-full cup of Spirit Tea sat on the table, yet the corners were free of clutter. The storage pouch and nearly all personal items had been taken.

"Pull up this person’s registration, entry and exit logs for their residence, and all transaction records from the past few days. Then find out who they’ve been in contact with."

"Yes, sir."

One of the patrolling Cultivators immediately hurried off.

The courtyard was searched again, but no more clues were found.

After returning to his stone house, Li Yuan resumed his cultivation.

「The next morning.」

A patrolling Cultivator came to report to Li Yuan, a booklet in hand.

"These are the transaction records."

Li Yuan took it and examined it closely.

There wasn’t a lot recorded, but the items were varied.

There were ordinary Healing Pills, reconnaissance-type Magical Artifacts, and also one or two materials clearly associated with the path of yin-blood and nurturing malevolent energy.

There were also some items from trades with other Loose Cultivators, the nature of which was unclear.

More importantly, the Cultivator’s recent entry, exit, and temporary rental records showed a very tight timeline. He was an outsider who had only just recently taken up residence.

’In other words, he only entered the market recently, made his move shortly after, and has now already fled. This was premeditated.’

"Pavilion Master, this is the item he traded with one of the Loose Cultivators. I’ve borrowed it for a moment."

The patrolling Cultivator took out a jade vial and handed it to Li Yuan.

The moment Li Yuan took the jade vial, he felt a stir within him. The sensation was very similar to when he’d bought the Demon Qi Life Extension Pill at the Foundation Establishment trading fair. However, the aura from this vial was more muddled. It lacked the heavy scent of Demonic Qi, carrying instead a feeling of intertwined flora and blood-qi.

Li Yuan gave the order to continue the investigation, then sat down cross-legged and resumed his cultivation.

Spiritual Power surged, unending, within his body.

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