Complete Beast Skin

The demonic beast materials sold for fourteen Spirit Stones. Added to what he had saved, Li Yuan had a little over twenty Spirit Stones tucked away.

This was the most well-off he had been since crossing over.

After finishing his patrol of East Street and returning home, Li Yuan sat by the bed, poured the Spirit Stones onto the table, and counted them once.

Twenty-two stones. That was enough to complete the Affix Permanentization of White Jade Rice.

White Jade Rice cost roughly one Spirit Stone per pound, so ten pounds came to ten stones. The condition for permanentization was consuming ten pounds of the same type of Spirit Grain, which meant he had to buy ten pounds and eat it all.

He would still have twelve stones left afterward. That was no small amount.

Li Yuan did not hesitate. During the next day's patrol, he made a round through East Street and North Alley, finding three stalls that sold Spirit Grain.

The price of White Jade Rice was about the same as before, around one Spirit Stone per pound. One vendor asked for one stone and two-tenths; Li Yuan ignored him and bought several pounds from each of the other two stalls, ten pounds in total.

After returning home, Li Yuan spread all ten pounds of White Jade Rice over the table. Including the pound he had bought earlier, he had eleven pounds altogether.

Once the oil-paper wrapping was opened, the jade-white grains were plump and full, giving off faint spiritual energy fluctuations. Their quality was clearly a cut above Green Jade Rice.

Li Yuan picked up one pound, and the Panel appeared:

[Detected equippable item: White Jade Rice (requires one pound)]

[Affix preview: Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White)—Stamina recovery speed increased by fifty percent; Vital Blood increased to a certain extent]

[Permanentization condition: Consume ten pounds of the same type of Spirit Grain]

[Current Equipment Slots full (2/2). Replace current equipment?]

With his Equipment Slots full, Li Yuan removed the Iron Ox Technique and equipped the White Jade Rice.

One pound of White Jade Rice turned into a faint glow and merged into his body.

The next instant, a gentle warmth rose from his abdomen. Unlike the sensation of Viscera Strengthening, which concentrated on the five viscera and six bowels, this warmth was more evenly distributed. It slowly spread from his Dantian to his limbs, like warm water soaking through his entire body.

Driven by that warmth, his Vital Blood became more active. It had not increased by much, but its flow had quickened. His fingertips and soles, which occasionally felt cold before, could now sense a steady current of Vital Blood.

His stamina was recovering as well—the faint exhaustion accumulated from patrolling all afternoon was fading at a visible pace.

[Equipped: White Jade Rice]

[Obtained affix: Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White)—Stamina recovery speed increased by fifty percent; Vital Blood increased to a certain extent]

[Permanentization progress: 0/10]

Still, ten pounds of Spirit Grain could not be finished in a single meal.

Qi Refining Stage cultivators could eat more than ordinary people, but Spirit Grain differed from normal food. Eat too much, and the body would not be able to digest it.

By normal consumption standards, around one pound a day was a suitable upper limit.

Ten pounds would take at least ten days.

But he cultivated mundane techniques, and his Vital Blood was much more vigorous. He could probably handle two pounds a day.

Li Yuan wrapped the excess White Jade Rice back up in oil paper and stored it away, leaving one pound outside. Two pounds a day certainly could not be eaten all at once.

Cultivators did not need any complicated methods to cook Spirit Grain. Boiling it in clean water was enough; its spiritual energy would not dissipate from heating.

There was a simple stove in the corner of the Wooden Cabin, though it was almost never used. Qi Refining Stage cultivators could not truly abstain from food, but one meal of ordinary food a day was enough, and they relied on spiritual energy most of the time.

Li Yuan started a fire with the Fireball Technique, washed the White Jade Rice clean, put it into the pot, added water, and covered it.

While waiting for the Spirit Grain to cook, Li Yuan practiced the five forms of the Iron Ox Technique once in an open area of the room.

Vital Blood washed through his viscera and limbs. The circulation at the Proficient Realm grew increasingly smooth, and his body could almost coordinate on its own without deliberate guidance.

When he finished, a faint fragrance of rice drifted from the pot.

The scent of Spirit Grain differed from ordinary rice. It was light without being cloying, carrying a subtle sweetness. One whiff was enough to tell that it was no common thing.

Li Yuan lifted the lid. The jade-white grains had absorbed their fill of water, each grain distinct, their surfaces glimmering with a fine sheen.

He served himself a bowl. The first bite was soft, sticky, and dense, unlike any rice he had ever eaten on Earth.

The instant the grains broke apart on his tongue, a warm breath slid down his throat and spread through his chest and abdomen along his esophagus.

It was not spiritual power. It was Vital Blood.

It felt like drinking a bowl of hot soup, warming him from the inside out.

Li Yuan ate bite after bite, quickly finishing the entire pound of White Jade Rice.

As he swallowed the last mouthful, the Panel gave a prompt.

[Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White)]

[Permanentization progress: 1/10]

The effect after eating was even more pronounced than Li Yuan had expected.

The feeling of Qi-Blood Fullness spread from his abdomen to his limbs, warming even his fingertips.

It was not the bloated feeling of being overly full. Rather, it was as though his body had been filled with energy from within, every inch of him brimming with inexhaustible strength.

It was similar to the Qi-Blood Fullness after cultivating the Nurturing Origin Technique, but it came more directly and much faster.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed and guided his Vital Blood according to the formula of the Nurturing Origin Technique.

The effect was immediate.

In a state of Qi-Blood Fullness, every form of the Nurturing Origin Technique circulated more smoothly than usual. When his Vital Blood reached the ends of his limbs, it no longer weakened; his fingertips and soles could both sense a stable flow.

More importantly, the cultivation efficiency of the Iron Ox Technique rose with it.

Li Yuan stood and smoothly performed the five forms of the Iron Ox Technique once. The force with which Vital Blood washed through his viscera was much stronger than usual, and the upward-and-downward pulling force of the fifth form, Iron Ox Crosses the River, was steadier than before.

[Iron Ox Technique: Proficiency (196/400)]

One round had gained him nearly ten points of progress, much faster than the usual six or seven.

The principle was simple—mundane techniques cultivated Vital Blood. The more abundant the Vital Blood, the greater the cultivation efficiency.

The effect of White Jade Rice was to increase Vital Blood, equivalent to laying down a layer of rich base fertilizer for the cultivation of mundane techniques.

The returns from choosing to permanentize White Jade Rice were greater than he had anticipated.

It was not merely a matter of gaining another Permanent Affix.

Once Five Grains Nourishing Qi was permanentized, its stamina recovery and Vital Blood enhancement effects would remain active over the long term. That was equivalent to raising the cultivation efficiency of both the Iron Ox Technique and the Nurturing Origin Technique at once.

The faster those two mundane techniques advanced, the sooner Viscera Strengthening would be permanentized.

One link clasped another.

Li Yuan practiced the first three forms of the Nurturing Origin Technique twice more. After finishing, he sat cross-legged and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

The spiritual energy entering his body was pure and free of impurities, while his circulation sped through the heavenly cycle. The three White Traits each performed their own duties, making his cultivation efficiency far greater than that of cultivators of the same rank.

The spiritual power in his Dantian steadily accumulated. It was still some distance from saturation, and every cycle brought tangible growth.

Over the following days, Li Yuan maintained a fixed routine.

Every day, he ate two pounds of White Jade Rice, then practiced the Iron Ox Technique and Nurturing Origin Technique once each, before finally cultivating the Spirit Guiding Art.

The numbers on the Panel steadily climbed.

[Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White) permanentization progress: 4/10]

[Iron Ox Technique: Proficiency (254/400)]

[Nurturing Origin Technique: Entry Level (158/200)]

After finishing his White Jade Rice, Li Yuan went out on patrol as usual.

East Street was crowded in the afternoon. Li Yuan headed south through the market along North Alley.

As he passed a stall selling miscellaneous goods, several complete demonic beast hides lay spread across its surface. They were grayish-brown, with coarse, stiff fur, and looked like low-grade First-Order Horned Hyena Beast hides.

Li Yuan did not stop, merely sweeping them with the corner of his eye.

After walking two steps past them, he turned back.

Besides beast hides, the stall also held several beast bones and a small bottle of beast blood. In one corner lay a rolled-up complete hide, darker in color than the others, with neat cuts along its edges and exceptionally clean processing.

Li Yuan bent down and placed his fingers on the rolled-up hide.

The Panel appeared:

[Detected equippable item]

[Affix grade: White]

[Not owned by self. Unable to equip. Unable to view detailed information.]

Li Yuan's fingers paused for an instant.

Demonic beast hides could be equipped too.

He had touched plenty of beast hides and bones at the market and while hunting demonic beasts before, yet the Panel had never reacted. But this one could be equipped.

What was the difference?

Li Yuan turned the hide over, and the stall owner immediately came over to introduce it.

"This is a complete shed skin from an Iron Scale Snake, a First-Order Mid-Grade one. Its condition is excellent—not a single spot is damaged."

A complete shed skin. It had not been skinned from a slain demonic beast, but was a complete outer shell naturally shed by one.

No wonder the scraps taken from hunted beasts had not triggered any reaction—they were not complete enough.

Of course, even something completely intact might not necessarily be equippable.

Li Yuan put the shed skin back where it had been, his expression unchanged.

"How much?"

"Twelve Spirit Stones."

It was not cheap, but neither was it beyond his means.

He had enough Spirit Stones on hand, but his Equipment Slots were full. Even if he bought it, he could not equip it, much less inspect its detailed affix.

If the affix effect turned out to be mediocre, twelve Spirit Stones would have gone down the drain.

Li Yuan memorized the stall's location and price without buying it on the spot.

He would wait until an Equipment Slot opened up.

"I'll think about it." Li Yuan nodded and turned to continue his patrol.

When he returned home at dusk, the wooden door next door belonging to Fang He was open, and Fang He sat on the threshold sharpening a knife.

The Short Saber rested across his knees as he pushed a whetstone back and forth over it, producing a rasping sound.

When Fang He saw Li Yuan, he stood and cupped his hands.

"Deputy Captain Li, there's something I wanted to ask you about."

Li Yuan stopped walking.

Fang He did not put down the whetstone in his hand, getting straight to the point.

"I'm idle anyway, and I don't have much of an income. I only know a little about making demonic beast-hide talismans. I want to join the market's Guard Squad. Could you put in a good word for me?"

Li Yuan looked at him.

"You're asking the wrong person. I'm with the Patrol Squad; I have no say over the Guard Squad."

Fang He nodded and took a step back.

"Then just help me ask around. Are they still recruiting? What are the conditions, and what is the process?"

Li Yuan leaned against the doorframe without answering immediately.

Fang He came from a Monster Hunting Squad, had combat experience, and his cultivation was not bad either.

Logically speaking, with his team scattered, the most sensible choice would have been to wait for the captain to regroup and then return to the mountains, not come to the market to join the Guard Squad.

"Didn't your captain say he'd regroup the team after the heat died down?" Li Yuan asked. "You have Monster Hunting Squad experience. Wouldn't going back to form a team be more reliable?"

Fang He tucked the whetstone into his clothes and fell silent for a breath.

"The captain can't be relied on."

Li Yuan did not press further.

"I'll ask about the Guard Squad for you. I'll let you know if I hear anything."

Fang He nodded, cupped his hands, and returned to his room.

Li Yuan pushed open his own door and slid the bolt into place.

Fang He was unwilling to return to the Monster Hunting Squad. He had not explained the specific reason, but it was clear this was not an impulsive decision.

Still, that was Fang He's own business and had little to do with him.

Asking around was an easy favor, and the Guard Squad truly was short on people right now.

Li Yuan put the matter aside and sat down by the bed.

Six oil-paper packets of White Jade Rice remained on the table, one pound per packet, arranged neatly.

He opened one packet, lit the fire, and cooked the grain.

While waiting for the Spirit Grain to cook, Li Yuan sat cross-legged and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art. The spiritual energy entering his body was pure and free of impurities, the heavenly cycle spun rapidly, and the spiritual power in his Dantian steadily accumulated.

When the fragrance of rice drifted through the room, Li Yuan finished cultivating.

After eating a bowl of White Jade Rice, his Vital Blood became full once more, warmth spreading from his abdomen to the very ends of his limbs.

[Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White) permanentization progress: 5/10]

More than halfway there.

Li Yuan cleaned up the bowl and chopsticks, then rose to practice the five forms of the Iron Ox Technique once while his Vital Blood was full. He then practiced the first three forms of the Nurturing Origin Technique twice more.

After finishing both techniques, his body grew faintly hot and a thin sheen of sweat beaded at his temples, only to be wiped clean at once by his Clean Physique.

He finished, closed his eyes, and rested.

Moonlight streamed in through the window. The Wooden Cabin was utterly quiet.