Five Grains Nourishing Qi

Over the next few days, Li Yuan maintained a fixed routine.

Every morning, he practiced the Iron Ox Technique once, ate two jin of White Jade Rice, then patrolled the market. At night, he cultivated the Spirit Guiding Art and squeezed in practice of the Nurturing Origin Technique whenever he could.

After eating the White Jade Rice, his Qi-Blood Fullness increased, and his cultivation speed improved considerably.

Over these days, the numbers on the Panel changed quite a bit.

[Iron Ox Technique: Proficiency (344/400)]

[Nurturing Origin Technique: Proficiency (25/400)]

The Nurturing Origin Technique had broken through to Proficiency. The feeling was similar to when the Iron Ox Technique had crossed from Entry Level to Proficiency—the precision of his vital blood circulation had risen to another level.

As for the White Jade Rice, consuming two jin a day had never caused any problems.

Mid Qi Refinement cultivators with Qi-Blood Vigor digested Spirit Grain far more efficiently than ordinary cultivators. Two jin could be fully absorbed in a single day.

The following afternoon, Li Yuan cooked the last jin of White Jade Rice.

The jade-white Spirit Grain entered his stomach, and warmth spread from his viscera. Vital blood surged through his entire body, so full that even his fingertips faintly heated up.

The instant he swallowed the final mouthful, a prompt popped up on the Panel.

[Conditions for permanently affixing Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White) have been met]

[Make permanent?]

Li Yuan willed it.

Yes.

[Permanent affix successful]

[Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White) has become a Permanent Affix]

[Equipped item consumed]

The Panel updated accordingly:

[Current Equipment Slot: 1/2]

[Equipped Item: Vein-Clearing Pill]

[Permanent Affixes: Clean Physique (Gray), Spirit Qi Filtration (White), Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White)]

Three Permanent Affixes.

With the White Jade Rice consumed, one Equipment Slot had been freed up.

Li Yuan took out the Iron Ox Technique manual. Several days had passed since he had unequipped it last time, and its cooldown had long since ended.

Equip.

The manual transformed into light and merged into his body. The formulae of the Iron Ox Technique became clear in his mind once more. That layer of warmth deep within his abdomen, wrapping around his viscera, rose again, and his five viscera and six bowels were gradually reinforced by a supple force.

Viscera Strengthening had returned.

[Current Equipment Slot: 2/2]

[Equipped Items: Vein-Clearing Pill, Iron Ox Technique]

[Equipment Affixes: Circulation Acceleration (White), Viscera Strengthening (White)]

[Permanent Affixes: Clean Physique (Gray), Spirit Qi Filtration (White), Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White)]

With all five Affixes active at once, Li Yuan sat down cross-legged and circulated the Spirit Guiding Art.

Spirit qi surged in from all directions and became pure and free of impurities after passing through Spirit Qi Filtration. Circulation Acceleration drove spiritual power swiftly through his meridians, while Viscera Strengthening held everything steady from below.

Compared to before, he now had the permanent Five Grains Nourishing Qi.

Its recovery of physical strength and enhancement of vital blood were continuous. It required neither an Equipment Slot nor food, taking effect anytime and anywhere.

The most obvious change was his cultivation endurance. Cultivation also consumed physical strength. Previously, after circulating through a dozen or so cycles in succession, his body would begin to ache, and he would need to rest before continuing. At the same intensity, Li Yuan only began to feel fatigue after twenty consecutive cycles.

After cultivating for more than an hour, Li Yuan ended his session.

The Spirit Guiding Art's proficiency had increased significantly, and Major Accomplishment was no longer far away.

Not much time had passed since his transmigration, but with the support of his Affixes, Li Yuan's accumulation of spiritual power far exceeded that of cultivators at the same level.

With the three effects stacked together, Li Yuan gained several times more spiritual power than an ordinary Qi Refining, Fourth Layer cultivator in the same amount of time, and his spiritual power was even purer.

The fullness of spiritual power in his dantian steadily increased. It was nearly fifty percent denser than when he had first broken through to the fourth layer. His spiritual power flowed thick and powerfully, with not the slightest impurity left in his meridians. He was still some distance from Qi Refining Fifth Layer, but his foundation was exceedingly solid.

Li Yuan put away the Panel, rose to straighten his clothes, and hung his badge from his waist.

Outside the market's East Gate, the wild grass along both sides of the Yellow Earth Road had grown another stretch taller since his last visit.

Li Yuan followed his patrol route north, then turned east, passing several intersections on the outskirts of the Spirit Field District.

Since he had hunted down that lizard Demonic Beast last time, the Spirit Field District had become much more peaceful.

In the distance, ears of Green Jade Rice swayed in the wind between the field ridges. Several Spirit Farmers bent over their work in the fields. Spirit Farmer He spotted Li Yuan from across a field ridge and waved at him from afar.

Li Yuan took out the Spirit Detection Disk, poured spiritual power into it, and spread out his senses.

The scattered auras of Spirit Farmers in the direction of the Spirit Field District flickered in and out of perception. Everything between the field ridges was quiet, and there were no abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations within several dozen zhang.

There was no problem in the Spirit Field District.

Putting away the Spirit Detection Disk, Li Yuan continued south along his route for a while before turning back toward the market.

The situation outside was much the same as on his previous patrols. He encountered nothing unusual on the road.

When he returned to the market's East Gate, more than ten Rogue Cultivators had gathered there. They crouched in twos and threes beneath the wall, speaking in hushed voices, their expressions all rather grim.

As Li Yuan walked over, fragmented words drifted into his ears.

"...I heard a Guard Squad patrol ran into an Upper First-Order Demonic Beast to the east of the market."

A Rogue Cultivator spoke up.

"How'd you know about the Guard Squad? Besides, why would an Upper First-Order Demonic Beast leave the mountains where it rules like a king and come here?"

Another Rogue Cultivator clearly did not believe it and muttered under his breath.

"It's already spread everywhere. A few Rogue Cultivators saw badly wounded Guard Squad cultivators, and some Rogue Cultivators who came here said they saw the injured Demonic Beast themselves."

"The Guard Squad couldn't beat it at all."

At that moment, a third Rogue Cultivator cut in.

"If they couldn't beat it, they should've run. Split up and run—however many can escape, escape."

The Rogue Cultivator who had spoken first continued.

"They did run, but no one knows how many died. Still, that Demonic Beast was injured too."

"I'd say this market can't be stayed in anymore. It's too dangerous."

Li Yuan did not slow his pace, but he pricked up his ears.

"Where else can we go? The market managed by the Li Family is all shops. There's simply no room for Rogue Cultivators like us to set up stalls."

"And that godforsaken market set up by the Loose Cultivator Alliance—they say it benefits Rogue Cultivators, but in the end, it fleeces us the hardest. Not only do they charge stall fees, their management is rubbish too. At least here, you can still see the patrols and Guard Squad putting on a show as they walk around a bit."

The subject changed quickly. Li Yuan crossed the market along East Street and headed straight for the Patrol Squad's station.

The main hall's door was half-open. Wang De sat behind a desk, and when he saw Li Yuan enter, he merely lifted his eyelids.

"Heard about the east side?"

"The Rogue Cultivators at the gate were talking about it." Li Yuan stopped before the desk. "A Guard Squad patrol was attacked by an Upper First-Order Demonic Beast?"

Wang De pushed the documents aside.

"The news spread quickly enough. A Guard Squad unit encountered an Upper First-Order Demonic Beast south of the market. The captain was seriously injured, two people died, and the rest ran back."

An Upper First-Order Demonic Beast corresponded to the strength of Qi Refining Late Stage. It was a level above the lizard in the Spirit Field District.

The Guard Squad's average strength and numbers both exceeded those of the Patrol Squad because they faced greater danger. But against a powerful Demonic Beast, an ordinary patrol unit still could not handle it.

The members of an ordinary unit were generally around Qi Refining Third Level. Those in Mid Qi Refinement could serve as unit captains, and if a unit had more people, a Mid Qi Refinement Deputy Captain would also be assigned.

Wang De lifted his tea bowl, took a sip, and set it down.

"The Guard Squad is mobilizing more people. Three Qi Refining Late Stage members of the Lineage will take part in the follow-up extermination, but it won't be resolved in a day or two."

"The Lineage may make further moves too. They might send more people."

Wang De glanced at Li Yuan, then took out a pouch and handed it to him.

"Your outer patrols are temporarily canceled, but there may be more assignments later. These are the Spirit Stones for your patrols these past few days."

Li Yuan accepted the pouch, feeling the individual Spirit Stones within. He nodded in acknowledgment.

After he left the station, dusk settled in, and the market's lanterns lit up one after another.

Returning to his residence, Li Yuan slid the bolt into place and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The market was becoming more and more dangerous. He could only raise his strength as much as possible.

He circulated the Spirit Guiding Art, and the spirit qi within his body began to move at high speed.