Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 348: Chapter 337: Demon Pattern Round Shield

The expansion project for Yunyang Marketplace entered its most intensive phase.

Construction proceeded simultaneously on the expansion zones to the south, east, and northwest. Dozens of Cultivators were on-site, using earth and wood Magic to transport stone materials. However, there were far too few Array Masters, so a massive number of Earth Vein Arrays, Defense Arrays, and interconnected Early Warning Arrays all fell to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan didn’t refuse.

The more work, the better.

Besides the contribution points, every Array Hub he established progressed the condition for making his Earth Vein Resonance permanent.

On the evening of the third day, as he buried the one hundredth Array Hub in the northwest expansion zone, the panel appeared.

[Earth Vein Resonance (Green) condition for permanency has been met]

[Earth Vein Resonance (Green) has become a permanent entry]

The phantom image of the Earth Vein Stone faded from the equipment slot, freeing up the space.

Li Yuan stood over the newly backfilled Array Hub, his feet planted on the packed earth.

For the next few days, he continued setting up arrays in Yunyang Marketplace.

The structure of Yunyang Marketplace’s joint defense arrays was far larger in scale than that of Mist Forest Marketplace.

The most obvious difference lay in the command hierarchy.

Mist Forest Marketplace’s arrays had a flat structure where all nodes connected directly to a central hub, requiring manual control by the Pavilion Master or an Array Master. Yunyang Marketplace, on the other hand, used a hybrid architecture of autonomous zones and central coordination. Each expansion area had its own independent sub-array network that could operate basic defenses on its own. It would only request support from the central hub when faced with an attack that exceeded the sub-array’s capacity.

As Li Yuan set up the arrays, he carefully committed this zonal command system to memory.

’This architecture would also be suitable for Mist Forest Marketplace. When I get back, I can consider upgrading the marketplace’s joint defense system from a single-layer flat structure to an autonomous zonal one. I’ll let the sub-arrays handle the defenses for the south and east districts automatically, and I’ll only need to keep an eye on the central hub.’

On the afternoon of the fifth day, while Li Yuan was in a deep hole in the eastern expansion zone carving an Array Pattern, a figure appeared at the edge of the opening above.

"Pavilion Master Li."

Li Yuan looked up.

Sun Tong stood at the edge of the hole. His gray Daoist robe was covered in dust from his journey, and his face was even more gaunt than it had been at the trade fair.

Li Yuan leaped out of the deep hole and dusted the dirt from his hands.

"What can I do for you?"

Sun Tong glanced around and lowered his voice.

"About the previous terms... I’d like to change them."

Li Yuan watched him without a word.

Sun Tong took a deep breath and produced a new bamboo slip from his sleeve, handing it over.

"In addition to the location and opening method for the secret chamber with the Jade Marrow Mushroom, I can also provide the coordinates and Restriction structures for several other of the Sun family’s supply caches." He pointed to the bamboo slip.

"There are four in total, all of which we didn’t have time to clear out when we evacuated. I have a general idea of what’s inside: Spirit Stones, Low Tier materials, a few common Spirit Medicines, and some Artifact Refining scraps."

Sun Tong paused. "But I can’t guarantee these four locations are still intact. After the Demon Cultivators occupied our residence, I don’t know if they found these hidden caches. They might have been completely emptied, or they might still be there."

"And your terms?"

"The Spirit Stones and residency rights remain the same," Sun Tong said. "There’s only one additional condition. In the future, when I’ve gathered some of the materials for the Upper Element Pill—not all of them, just the Jade Marrow Mushroom will be enough—I need Pavilion Master Li to perform one refinement for me. I’ll only take a single pill."

Li Yuan took the bamboo slip and swept his Divine Sense through it.

The four hidden caches were located in different areas of the Sun family’s former residence. Some were underground, while others were hidden in the interlayers of buildings. The Restriction structures were all different, but none were particularly complex; with his current mastery of arrays, he could easily break them.

’The main ingredients for the Upper Element Pill are scarce, but since Sun Tong has promised the most precious one, the Jade Marrow Mushroom, most of the problem is solved. Even if half of the four hidden caches are empty, the remaining ones will be more than enough to cover the cost.’

"Alright. But if you gather the Jade Marrow Mushroom, it might take me some time to gather the other materials." Li Yuan put the bamboo slip into his storage pouch.

Sun Tong breathed a sigh of relief, bowed once more, and then hurried away.

After finishing his array-setting tasks for the day, Li Yuan didn’t return to Mist Forest Marketplace. Instead, he immediately set off toward the southwest of Yunzhou.

The Sun family’s former residence was located in a long, narrow valley called Broken Valley.

Li Yuan followed the route marked on the bamboo slip, passing through vast stretches of abandoned farmland and a withered forest eroded by Demonic Qi. He arrived at the outskirts of Broken Valley before nightfall.

The stone walls on both sides of the valley entrance were still covered in large, charred marks from Magic. The ground was littered with shattered Array Disc fragments and broken pieces of Magical Artifacts. The Sun family’s clan-protecting grand array had clearly been breached head-on here, and the traces of the battle had yet to fade.

Li Yuan didn’t enter through the valley mouth. Instead, he circled around to the side of the valley and slipped in through a hidden crevice in the rock.

He activated all three layers of concealment, suppressing his aura to a freezing point.

The passive senses of his Dark Evil Insight were the first to detect an anomaly.

Deep within the valley, an extremely faint fluctuation of Demonic Qi was slowly pulsing. The frequency was regular, like the rhythm of Demonic Qi circulating through a Cultivator’s meridians while they were meditating and cultivating.

’Someone’s standing guard.’

Li Yuan wasn’t surprised. ’After the Sun family’s residence was breached, the Dark Abyss Association most likely sent someone to stay behind and scavenge for remaining supplies. The secret chamber with the Jade Marrow Mushroom is well-hidden, so the Demon Cultivators might not have found it, but the residence itself has surely been ransacked.’

He slowed his pace and moved along the shadows of the valley wall, approaching the source of the Demonic Qi fluctuations.

At this moment, the passive perception of his Earth Vein Resonance came into play. All vibrations within ten zhang beneath his feet were clearly discernible. About thirty zhang ahead, a human-shaped weight was pressing down on the rock below the ground, its breathing rhythm perfectly matching the pulse of the Demonic Qi.

Li Yuan circled around a half-collapsed stone house, and his eyes finally locked onto the target.

A Cultivator in a grayish-black magical robe sat cross-legged beside some ruins, leaning against a broken half-wall with his eyes lightly closed. A very thin layer of black Demonic Qi surrounded him, and his complexion was ashen.

Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

His Cultivation was comparable to the Demon Cultivator who had been guarding the array in the underground cavern he had killed before.

Li Yuan didn’t hesitate.

He stepped silently out of the shadows of the rock wall as the Qi Blood in his body began to boil. His two blue Body Refining entries, Medicine-Refined True Body and Iron Bones Golden Body, activated at full power, and the Spiritual Power protective film from his Three Elements Body Protection instantly covered his body.

When the distance closed to ten zhang, the Demon Cultivator finally reacted.

His eyes shot open, pupils contracting, and he instinctively thrust his hands forward. A thick, black stream of Demonic Qi formed a sharp cone and shot toward Li Yuan’s face.

Li Yuan clenched his right hand into a fist and punched straight at the Demon Qi Cone.

His fist met the tip of the Demon Qi Cone. The cone split down the middle upon contact, sending fragments of Demonic Qi splashing to the sides. The momentum of his fist didn’t falter as it carried the ferocious power of his Qi Blood, slamming toward the Demon Cultivator’s chest.

The Demon Cultivator crossed his palms, and a Demon Qi Shield materialized before him.

"CRACK."

The shield shattered.

Li Yuan’s fist punched through the shield fragments and smashed heavily into the Demon Cultivator’s chest. The man’s sternum caved in under the blow, and broken bone fragments pierced his internal organs. The immense force sent his body flying backward, crashing into the half-wall behind him and causing it to collapse completely.

Falling rubble buried the corpse.

Li Yuan walked over and pulled the Demon Cultivator’s storage pouch from the debris.

He forcibly wiped the lingering imprint from it with his Divine Sense and emptied its contents onto the ground.

A few bottles of Demon Dao pills, a short blade radiating Yin Qi, dozens of Low Grade Spirit Stones, and a few Mid-grade Spirit Stones. There were also some miscellaneous array materials.

And a palm-sized round shield.

The shield was pitch-black, its surface covered in dense, dark-purple Demon Patterns. The patterns were extremely fine, not like some crudely mass-produced item, but more like a high-quality piece personally refined by some High Tier Demon Cultivator.

Li Yuan reached out and picked up the shield.

The panel appeared.

[Equippable item detected: Demon Pattern Round Shield (Intact)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Demon Pattern Body Protection (Green)]

[Effect: When hit by a Magic attack, automatically activates a Demon Pattern shield to negate a portion of the damage. The shield’s strength is directly proportional to the user’s physical body strength. After the Demon Pattern shield is depleted, it requires one shichen to recharge, or it can be recharged faster by consuming Demonic Qi.]

[Permanency Condition Preview: Withstand 30 or more Magic attacks within one month]

A green entry.

’The shield’s strength is directly proportional to my physical body strength. In the hands of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, this shield would be, at best, a thin layer of extra protection. But on me, the shield’s actual strength will be boosted to an absurd level by my collection of Body Refining entries.’

Li Yuan opened his equipment menu and unequipped Hidden Meridian Breath Concealment.

"Equip."

[Equipped: Demon Pattern Round Shield (Intact)]

[Demon Pattern Body Protection (Green) is now active]

’The condition for permanency is to withstand thirty Magic attacks in one month. The requirement isn’t harsh, but it means I’ll have to either actively take hits or intentionally let an opponent’s Magic strike me during a fight. Given the current situation and the frequency of my clearing missions, getting hit thirty times within a month isn’t impossible.’

Li Yuan stored the rest of the spoils in his storage pouch and turned to head in the direction of the secret chamber that Sun Tong had marked.

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