Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 316: Chapter 305: Concealment Talisman

In the middle of the night, Li Yuan was jolted awake from his cultivation by an unusual disturbance caught by his sharp Spiritual Sense.

In the direction of the Core Formation District, the auras of many cultivators were moving quickly, accompanied by fluctuations from an Array and tremors of Spiritual Power.

’It wasn’t a battle. It was chaos.’

Li Yuan didn’t head over immediately. Instead, he first used the Spirit Vein Monitoring Line to scan the situation in the Core Formation District.

The flow of Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Vein toward the Core Formation Platform was dropping sharply. The auxiliary Array was still operating, but the Spiritual Power feedback from the platform itself had become chaotic, as if one of its components had suddenly collapsed.

’I haven’t touched the Spiritual Power flow. Something must have gone wrong.’

「Early the next morning」 Chen Yi came to the administration office.

His expression was grim.

"The Core Formation failed."

Li Yuan looked at him.

Chen Yi sat down at the table, remaining silent for a few breaths before he continued.

"The Core Formation began at Midnight last night, and the first half was completely normal. The Spiritual Qi induction, Spiritual Power condensation, and the initial appearance of the Golden Core prototype all proceeded as expected. But when it came to the crucial Solidifying Pill stage, the auxiliary Array of the Core Formation Platform suddenly fluctuated. The Spiritual Qi supply became unstable, surging and waning. The cultivator’s Spiritual Power condensation was interrupted twice, and the Golden Core prototype shattered completely."

"And the cultivator?"

"He’s not dead, but he’s severely injured. He suffered a Spiritual Power backlash when the Golden Core prototype shattered. Several of his meridians were severed, and his Dantian was also damaged. He survived, but his Cultivation has regressed by at least two minor realms. It’s hard to say if he’ll ever recover."

Li Yuan didn’t reply.

Chen Yi continued, "After the cultivator regained consciousness, he said there seemed to be a problem with the Core Formation Platform’s Array. The rhythm of the Spiritual Qi induction wasn’t as expected; the first half was normal, but in the second, the flow began to cut out intermittently. He thought it was due to fluctuations in his own Spiritual Power, so he forced himself to stabilize and push through. In the end, the interruptions became too frequent, and he couldn’t hold on."

"A problem with the Array?"

"That’s what the Sect suspects." Chen Yi’s voice dropped even lower. "So, they issued an order early this morning: all Array Masters who participated in setting up the Core Formation Platform’s Array must undergo a strict investigation."

Li Yuan nodded.

"Am I also under investigation?"

"You are. But you only worked on the auxiliary portion of the Array and had no contact with the main Array or its core circuits on the Core Formation Platform. Coupled with your status as the marketplace manager, the scrutiny will be lighter." Chen Yi paused. "The primary focus is on the few individuals who had access to the core Array."

That afternoon, two Inner Sect cultivators from the Primordial Yang Sect arrived at the administration office and subjected Li Yuan to a round of routine questioning.

The questions weren’t particularly tricky: what materials he handled during the Array’s construction, which sections he worked on, whether he had any contact with the Core Formation Platform’s main Array, and if he had noticed anything unusual.

Li Yuan answered each question truthfully. He stated that he had only participated in setting up the auxiliary Array in the outer ring and transition zones, had not entered the core area to work, and had not come into contact with the main Array of the Core Formation Platform.

After finishing their notes, the two cultivators left without giving him any further trouble.

Over the next few days, the Primordial Yang Sect hired two outside Array Masters with greater expertise in the Array Dao to conduct a full inspection of the entire Array system on the Core Formation Platform.

The inspection lasted for three days.

The results revealed no obvious problems.

The flow-guiding patterns of the auxiliary Array were intact, the node connections were normal, and the Spiritual Power flow was within design specifications. The primary patterns and circuits of the core Array likewise showed no signs of tampering. Furthermore, there were no conflicts where the old Restrictions connected with the new auxiliary Array.

Everything appeared to be normal.

Yet, the Core Formation had undeniably failed, and not because of the cultivator, but due to an interruption in the Spiritual Qi supply.

For the time being, there was no conclusion as to where the problem originated.

The Primordial Yang Sect debated the matter internally for several days without reaching a definite conclusion. Some argued it was the cultivator’s own fault, while others claimed the Array had experienced unpredictable fluctuations under extreme load. There were also those who hinted at potential hidden defects in the quality of the materials.

But this was all just speculation, with no evidence to back it up.

At the same time, reports from the front lines grew more frequent.

The conflict between the Qi Shui Sect and the Evil Slaying Sect had reached a fever pitch. After the Qi Shui Sect lost a stronghold, the two sides became locked in a protracted struggle within a mountain range on the border between Liangzhou and Yunzhou, with both sides continually sending in more cultivators.

New rumors spread through the marketplace almost daily: where another battle had broken out, how many people each side had lost, which stronghold had changed hands yet again.

The reinforcements from the Primordial Yang Sect supporting the Qi Shui Sect had also departed. Several Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators left the outpost with a shipment of supplies, heading toward Yunzhou.

The activity of Demon Cultivators on the marketplace’s outskirts was also intensifying. Information from the Spirit Vein Monitoring Line indicated that several more Demon Cultivator auras had appeared in the hills northwest of the marketplace compared to a few days ago, and they were beginning to spread toward the southern perimeter.

That night, Li Yuan was cultivating in his stone house as usual.

Along a northern section of a Spirit Vein branch, an unfamiliar aura caught Li Yuan’s attention.

’A Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast.’

The aura wasn’t particularly strong, but the way it fluctuated felt wrong. It wasn’t simply resting or wandering; it was actively absorbing the Spiritual Qi seeping from the Spirit Vein branch. As it drew in the Spiritual Qi, the strength of its own aura began to slowly climb.

’It’s using the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Vein to attempt a breakthrough.’

Li Yuan focused his senses more intently. The outer layer of the Demon Beast’s aura was coated in a thin film of Demonic Qi.

’Another Demon Beast tainted with Demonic Qi.’

Just as Li Yuan was about to withdraw his perception, a second aura appeared.

Behind an old tree thirty zhang from the Demon Beast, the aura of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was suppressed to an extremely low level, almost merging completely with the environment.

If it weren’t for the high precision of the Spirit Vein Monitoring Line, combined with his heightened sensitivity to Demonic Qi, it would have been nearly impossible to detect this person.

’A Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator.’

His aura strength was somewhere between the Early and Mid Stage of Foundation Establishment, and it was saturated with dense Demonic Qi. He wasn’t just passing by; he was deliberately staying near the Demon Beast, as if guarding or controlling it.

’He’s using Demonic Qi to induce a breakthrough in the Demon Beast, then using the Spirit Vein’s Spiritual Qi to speed up the process.’

Li Yuan rose to his feet. Activating his concealment arts to their fullest, his aura dropped to an imperceptible level.

The night was pitch-black, with almost no light filtering through the forest.

He had a perfect read on all aura fluctuations within a fifty-zhang radius, locking onto the targets’ positions with precision.

The Demon Beast was ahead and to his left, crouched by a stone crevice where the leaking Spiritual Qi was most concentrated. It was large, about a zhang and a half in length, resembling some kind of massive feline predator with a body covered in short, dark-gray fur and thick, powerful limbs.

The Demon Cultivator was ahead and to the right, leaning against the trunk of an old tree with his body kept low. He was holding a black disk, its surface swirling with faint streams of Demonic Qi.

’A Magical Artifact for controlling Demon Beasts.’

Li Yuan gave neither of them time to react.

The instant the Fire Python Skill formed in his palm, he unleashed it, targeting the Demon Beast.

The Demon Beast let out a wretched howl as more than half of its body was charred black.

Less than three breaths passed between his attack and the Demon Beast collapsing.

The Demon Cultivator behind the old tree wasn’t slow to react, either.

The instant the Demon Beast was struck, he sprang out from behind the tree. Shoving the black disk forward, he sent a thick jet of black Demonic Qi screaming toward Li Yuan.

Li Yuan dodged to the side, letting the Demonic Qi shoot past him. The Spiritual Membrane of his Three Elements Body Protection automatically appeared, deflecting the splattering fragments of dark energy.

Seeing his attack miss, the Demon Cultivator turned to flee.

He wasn’t slow; in a flash, his figure vanished into the forest shadows.

Li Yuan raised his hand and launched another Fire Arrow Skill, cutting off the man’s escape route to the north. The arrow exploded in a shower of flames, forcing the Demon Cultivator to swerve west.

Li Yuan’s second Golden Blade Skill was already following close behind.

A blade of golden light cleaved through the darkness, aimed straight for the Demon Cultivator’s back.

The Demon Cultivator’s protective Demonic Qi barrier held for an instant, but the Golden Blade Skill, empowered by a "Restriction-Breaking Penetration" attribute, was extremely sharp. The barrier lasted only half a breath before it was sliced through.

The golden light sliced in through his back and burst out from his chest. The Demon Cultivator’s body froze for a moment in mid-air before he crashed to the ground.

Then, Li Yuan took out the Blood Evil Stone.

[Detected Equippable Item: Blood Evil Stone (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Blood-Absorbing Evil Convergence (White)]

[Effect: Can use Spiritual Power to absorb Blood Essence.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Kill one cultivator of the same realm or one Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator (Fulfilled)]

Li Yuan’s gaze lingered on the panel for a moment, but he didn’t hesitate.

"Equip."

[Equipped: Blood Evil Stone (Complete)]

[Blood-Absorbing Evil Convergence (White) has become a permanent attribute.]

The spectral image of the Blood Evil Stone flashed in the equipment slot before vanishing, transforming into a faint white speck of light that flowed into his body.

At the same time, Li Yuan clearly felt his Spiritual Power gain a subtle new affinity, a faint pull toward blood qi and Blood Essence.

Li Yuan walked over and began to rummage through the Demon Cultivator’s storage bag.

The storage bag wasn’t large and didn’t contain much, but a few items caught his eye.

The first was a Talisman.

The Talisman’s surface glowed with a dark gray luster, and its Spirit Patterns were intricate and subdued—very different from a typical attack or Defense Talisman. Li Yuan picked it up and probed it with his Divine Sense, discovering that its function was to mask Spiritual Power fluctuations.

When activated, it could suppress the outward leakage of Spiritual Waves in a certain area, as well as reduce the spiritual disturbances generated during spellcasting.

’A Concealment Talisman.’

The panel immediately appeared.

[Detected Equippable Item: Concealment Talisman (Complete)]

[Equipment Attribute Preview: Spiritual Wave Concealment (Green)]

[Effect: Reduces Spiritual Power fluctuations from spellcasting by 30%. Can be actively used to shield surrounding Spiritual Waves; shielding effectiveness is dependent on one’s own aura concealment ability.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: Successfully break ten Tier One or higher Restrictions, or one Tier Two Restriction.]

Li Yuan stared at the panel for two breaths.

’Reduces Spiritual Power fluctuations during spellcasting by thirty percent, and can actively shield the surrounding Spiritual Waves.’

’The alarm circuit on the layer of Restrictions beneath the Core Formation Platform is triggered by the tremors of Spiritual Power that leak through the circuit when a Restriction is broken.’

’If I use this to shield and weaken the surrounding Spiritual Waves, the tremor signal received by the alarm circuit will be significantly reduced.’

’How much it needs to be weakened to avoid setting off the alarm will require actual testing. But at the very least, this attribute presents a possibility that I didn’t have before.’

Li Yuan put the Concealment Talisman into his storage bag without equipping it on the spot.

’The condition for making it permanent is to break ten Tier One or higher Restrictions, or one Tier Two Restriction. I’ve already dismantled all five layers of Restrictions in the underground passage, but that was before I got this Talisman, so they won’t count.’

’The Restriction of the 3rd Floor under the Core Formation Platform is a target I need to break anyway. Its grade is high enough; breaking that one alone would satisfy the condition.’

After sorting out his thoughts, Li Yuan turned his attention back to the Demon Cultivator’s storage bag.

The second thing that caught his attention was a large pile of Array materials.

Stabilizing Spirit Sand, Drainage Stones, Spirit-Guiding Powder, and Array-Solidifying Copper Plates.

These were all materials required for setting up the Array on the Core Formation Platform.

And there was a lot of it, taking up more than half the space in the storage bag.

Li Yuan took the materials out, batch by batch, and inspected them one by one.

He sent his Divine Sense into each material, carefully checking for hidden Array Patterns, Spiritual Power contamination, or any other signs of tampering.

He checked them again and again.

Nothing.

The materials themselves were clean. There were no hidden Array Patterns, no Spiritual Power contamination, and nothing extra had been implanted within them.

But there was a problem with their quality.

It wasn’t that the quality was poor, but rather that it was inconsistent.

For example, some batches of the Stabilizing Spirit Sand were of exceptionally high purity, even better than what the Primordial Yang Sect had provided. However, several other batches were of much lower purity. While still within acceptable parameters, they were clearly inferior.

The same was true for the Drainage Stones. Some had excellent spirit-guiding efficiency, while others were noticeably subpar.

The situation with the Array-Solidifying Copper Plates was the most subtle. When examined one by one, every plate seemed perfectly fine, its quality within the acceptable range. But when a dozen or so plates were compared together, you could spot minute differences in their thickness and density.

These differences were minuscule.

’So minuscule that inspecting any single material would raise no alarms. But if these materials of varying quality were mixed together to construct the Array, faint imbalances in the flow of Spiritual Power would occur between the nodes during operation.’

’The magnitude of the imbalance would be tiny, almost unnoticeable during routine operation.’

Li Yuan put the materials back into the storage bag. He stood there for a moment before heading back to the marketplace.

Back in his stone house, Li Yuan sat at his desk for a long while.

Connecting these few events, a vague hypothesis began to form in Li Yuan’s mind.

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