Chapter 102 - 99: Making Evil Qi Body Tempering Permanent
Chapter 102: Chapter 99: Making Evil Qi Body Tempering Permanent
By the time he returned to the mining camp, the sky had already darkened.
Li Yuan stored the items he had gotten from the second trade meet in his storage pouch, returned to his low-roofed hut, and as usual, first circulated the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill before switching to the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill.
The mountain wind was strong at night, making the wooden shed outside creak and groan.
Further away, in a mountain hollow, the roars of Demon Beasts sounded intermittently, one after another. Some were deep, others sharp, and carrying over from several miles away, they sounded especially clear in the night.
Li Yuan paid them no mind and closed his eyes to circulate his skill.
Spiritual Qi slowly flowed in from the area of the Spirit Gathering Array, circulated through his meridians for a full cycle, and settled into his Dantian. Later that night, he went to the mine tunnels again, collected the Evil Qi from the Gathering Evil Bowl, and performed his usual round of body tempering.
The next morning, when Li Yuan pushed open his door, someone was already standing outside the earthen wall.
It was a Cultivator from the Wang family. He slapped his storage pouch, and a pile of things appeared before him.
All sorts of mining tools and supplies.
Steward Liu walked over from under the wooden shed and glanced at the items on the cart.
"You’re earlier than usual this time."
The leading Qi Refining Fifth Level Cultivator waved his hand, his expression a bit weary.
"The front line is short on people, so those of us in the back have to free up our hands as soon as possible. We’re delivering supplies, but we also have to take some people with us."
After he spoke, his gaze swept across the mining camp. He called out two names, then also named the Qian-surnamed Cultivator who had been slacking off while on duty at the Investigation Array.
The Qian-surnamed Cultivator’s face turned pale. He wanted to speak, but in the end, he didn’t dare say a word.
Steward Liu frowned slightly.
"Are things that tense at the front?"
"Tense." The Cultivator squatted down and patted a wooden crate by his feet.
"They’re pulling people from the last two strongholds. You have it relatively good here at the mining camp."
As he spoke, he took out a booklet from his robes.
"The monthly stipends are being paid out too. There’s also an extra reward for fending off the Li family Cultivators last time. It’s all been calculated together."
He first settled the accounts with Steward Liu, then flipped to another page and beckoned to Li Yuan.
"Li Yuan."
Li Yuan walked over.
The Cultivator counted out the Spirit Stones and placed them on the lid of the wooden crate.
"This is this month’s stipend. For resisting the Li family Cultivators last time, merits were recorded based on contribution. A total of forty Spirit Stones."
’Forty Spirit Stones is not a small amount.’
Li Yuan counted them and put them into his storage pouch.
Nearby, Sun Liang also received his share. His complexion was much better than a few days ago. Although still a bit pale, he stood steadily and no longer walked with a limp.
Meanwhile, the Qian-surnamed Cultivator seemed to have received only a few Spirit Stones, but his attention was no longer on them.
The Wang family clansman didn’t linger at the mining camp. After calling the names and delivering the goods, he quickly left with the conscripted men.
Steward Liu stood under the wooden shed, watching their retreating figures and shaking his head.
Li Yuan turned and headed for the mine tunnels.
For the past few days, the Gathering Evil Bowl had been left in the depths, and it had collected a significant amount more Evil Qi than before. Li Yuan familiarly made his way to that secluded side tunnel, took down the Gathering Evil Bowl, and sat down cross-legged.
With a thought, he equipped the Gathering Evil Bowl.
Wisps of gray-black Evil Qi surged out from the bowl, pouring into his four limbs and entire body through his meridians. That familiar, dull sense of pressure spread out once more. His muscles tensed bit by bit, and the flesh and blood beneath his skin felt as if they were being repeatedly kneaded by an invisible force.
Li Yuan steadied his breathing, allowing the Evil Qi to wash through his body.
After the first round, some of the accumulated Evil Qi still remained in the bowl.
Li Yuan didn’t stop, continuing to initiate the second round.
This time, the Evil Qi sank deeper.
The areas around his shoulders, back, ribs, and leg bones, which had been repeatedly tempered, were no longer as stiff and resistant as they were at the beginning, but could now adapt more quickly. As the Evil Qi rushed through them again and again, his body instinctively contracted, adapted, relaxed, and then contracted once more.
When the last wisp of Evil Qi was depleted, Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
His chest heaved slightly, and a thin layer of sweat covered his back.
Just then, a panel materialized before him.
[Gathering Evil Bowl (White) Permanence Condition Met]
[Make Permanent?]
Li Yuan’s gaze froze.
’After all this time of intermittent collecting and Body Refining, I’ve finally maxed out the requirement.’
"Yes."
[Permanence Successful]
[Evil Qi Body Tempering (White) has become a permanent trait]
[Equipment has been consumed]
The Gathering Evil Bowl in his palm trembled slightly, then transformed into a streak of gray light that sank into Li Yuan’s body.
The next moment, the residual Evil Qi in his body seemed to have found a home. It no longer just roamed about temporarily but sank between his flesh and bones, forming an extremely faint foundation.
The dull sensation quickly faded, replaced by a more solid and compact feeling.
Li Yuan raised his hand and slowly clenched his fist.
His muscles contracted more steadily than before, and the subtle feeling of resistance under his skin was also clearer. The change wasn’t exaggerated, but it was real.
Li Yuan stood up, stretched his shoulders and back, and then circulated the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill. The area around the micro-meridians was still softer than usual, and the progression speed was unaffected.
By the time he came out of the mine tunnels, it was already afternoon.
Sun Liang was passing by with a pickaxe in hand. Seeing Li Yuan, he grinned.
"Deputy Li, my injuries are just about healed."
He raised his arm and twisted his waist. While his movements weren’t exactly nimble, he was no longer as weak as he had been recently.
Li Yuan nodded.
Steward Liu also saw Li Yuan. He walked out from under the shed, sized him up, and clicked his tongue.
"You’re truly diligent. You’re either doing your Cultivation in your hut or burrowing into the mine tunnels. In all my years at the mining camp, I’ve rarely seen anyone like you."
Li Yuan replied casually, "I’d just be idle otherwise."
Steward Liu chuckled. Just as he was about to say more, the Investigation Array suddenly flashed.
The Lu-surnamed Cultivator on duty was much more alert than last time. He immediately shouted, "Cultivators approaching! Five of them!"
The few people in the mining camp immediately looked up.
Li Yuan and Steward Liu walked shoulder to shoulder to the edge of the earthen wall and looked out.
Five Cultivators were approaching from the gravel slope. Their clothes were a mess, not the standard attire of either the Wang family or the Li family.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, tall and thin with a short, two-pronged mustache. A bulging storage pouch hung at his waist. The four people behind him also carried packs, and two of them were even leading short-legged beasts of burden.
Their Cultivation levels weren’t high; the strongest was only at the Qi Refining Fifth Level.
The group stopped of their own accord while still some distance from the mining camp. The leader raised both hands, signaling that he meant no harm.
"Fellow Daoists, please don’t misunderstand. We are traveling merchants, just passing through, with no intention of causing offense."
Steward Liu didn’t lower his guard. He asked from across the earthen wall, "What business do you have passing by a mining camp?"
The middle-aged man forced a smile.
"We’re looking for someone."
As he spoke, he took a rolled-up piece of paper from his robes, unfurled it, and held it up.
Drawn on the paper was the portrait of a middle-aged Cultivator with plain features and a scar on his left brow bone. It looked like a wanted poster.
"If any of you have seen this person or know his whereabouts, as long as you capture and deliver him to us, we will reward you handsomely."
Li Yuan glanced at the portrait from a distance but didn’t recognize the man.
Steward Liu didn’t let them get any closer and just asked, "What’s his story?"
"He used to run goods with us, then he took the merchandise and ran."
The smile on the middle-aged traveling merchant’s face faded a little. "It was a valuable haul, and we’ve been tracking him all the way here. If you happen to see him, please keep an eye out."
After speaking, he cupped his fists again.
"If not, then we won’t disturb you any further."
Steward Liu nodded, neither agreeing nor refusing.
The traveling merchants took the hint and didn’t try to get any closer. They turned, and leading their short-legged beasts, continued toward the other end of the mountain path.
Only after their figures had disappeared into the distance did the state of alert at the mining camp dissipate.
Li Yuan watched the direction they had gone and asked, "What are traveling merchants doing all the way out here?"
Steward Liu shook his head.
"The Demon Beast rampages before this were severe, and many of the outer trade routes were cut off. The Loose Cultivator market is pretty much abandoned, and now with the Wang and Li families fighting, many traveling merchants have nowhere to do business, so they’re stuck around here."
He paused, then added.
"Actually, these people haven’t been idle. I heard they’ve set up a small trading spot of their own. It’s not large, like a prototype for a market. The goods are probably more varied than what the Loose Cultivators had, with both genuine and fake items."
Li Yuan turned to look at him.
"Have you been there?"
"Never been." Steward Liu waved his hand. "I’ve only heard about it. I don’t know the specifics of where it is or what the rules are. If I were to actually recommend it to you, I’d more likely just be leading you into a ditch."
Li Yuan nodded and didn’t press the matter further.
’It’s enough to have noted the information.’
’Right now, the most important things are still Cultivation and talisman crafting.’
As evening fell, the mining camp grew quiet again. In the distant mountains, the low roars of Demon Beasts could be heard once more, very far away, just like on the previous nights.
Li Yuan returned to his low-roofed hut, took out talisman paper and Spiritual Ink, and first drew two Fireball Talismans. Afterward, he sat down cross-legged and began circulating the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill again.
Spiritual Qi entered his body and flowed through his meridians, and the Spiritual Power in his Dantian settled down bit by bit.