The morning sun streamed through the wooden window and into the room. Li Yuan opened his eyes, ending his night of cultivation.

’I’m back at the peak of the Qi Refining Third Level again. Next, I just need to keep accumulating Spiritual Power and prepare for a breakthrough.’

’It’s just a shame that I can’t increase the permanency progress by unequipping a Spirit Stone.’

Li Yuan got out of bed and stretched his slightly stiff muscles.

He had cultivated the entire night. Though his mind was still sharp, his body felt a little weary. The effect of his Cleansed Body constitution was quite good, though; after a whole night, he was still perfectly clean, without even a speck of dust on his clothes.

Pushing open the wooden door, he saw that the sky outside was already bright.

’Today is a day off. It’s a perfect chance to relax and take a stroll through the market to see if I can find any equippable items.’

’Calculated by my previous life’s standards, my patrol job is five days on, one day off. But overtime and extra work are common occurrences.’

Li Yuan neatened his clothes and headed for the market.

As he walked, Li Yuan’s mind was still occupied with thoughts of his cultivation.

The permanency condition for the Meridian Opening Pill was to consume ten pills of the same or higher grade. This condition was simply impossible to meet in the short term.

Take the Meridian Opening Pill, for example. A single pill cost between two and three Spirit Stones in the market, so ten would be over twenty.

To achieve permanency for the Meridian Opening Pill, he’d need at least twenty Spirit Stones, minimum.

So for now, the Meridian Opening Pill could only be used as a temporary buff to speed up the permanency progress of his Spiritual Qi filtration.

’Once the Spiritual Qi filtration is permanent, I can think about other things.’

At this thought, Li Yuan couldn’t help but sigh.

’Poor. I’m just too damn poor.’

’If I had enough Spirit Stones on hand, I could just buy a few equippable items, stack their affixes, and breaking through to Mid-stage Qi Refining would be no problem at all.’

Unfortunately, reality didn’t allow for it.

As he entered the market, Li Yuan clearly felt that it was much more crowded than usual.

Cultivators came and went in an endless stream along East Street. Many stalls were surrounded by several people, and the sound of haggling rose and fell.

Li Yuan walked along East Street, observing his surroundings while on patrol.

The market was indeed getting crowded. Most of the newcomers appeared to be Loose Cultivators. They wore simple clothes and their auras were impure, clear signs of people who spent their years wandering and struggling.

’It’s probably because of the trouble in the Yuanheng Mountain Range,’ Li Yuan thought.

The Yuanheng Mountain Range hadn’t been peaceful lately. Demon Beasts were appearing frequently, and rogue cultivators were active everywhere.

Those Loose Cultivators who originally made their living in the mountains were either forced to leave or simply fled to the market to lie low for a while.

More people in the market was a good thing for the Wang family; stall rentals and shop revenues would both increase.

But for the guards, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. A bigger crowd meant more potential for trouble.

Li Yuan pulled his thoughts back and continued walking.

As he reached the middle of East Street, an inconspicuous stall by the roadside caught his attention.

The stall was tiny, just a worn-out cloth mat on the ground. A few yellowed books and some miscellaneous trinkets were laid out on it.

The stall owner was a skinny, middle-aged man, sitting boredly to the side.

Li Yuan’s gaze fell upon the books, and he paused in his tracks.

Iron Bull Skill, Golden Jade Skill, Bone Strengthening Skill.

These were all mortal Qi Blood cultivation techniques, specifically for tempering the body and strengthening one’s muscles and bones.

He had some memory of these kinds of techniques from his predecessor. Such mortal techniques were common in the cultivation world. They were mostly skills used by mortal Martial Artists to strengthen their bodies and weren’t very cost-effective for Cultivators.

However, many Cultivators at the Qi Refining Ninth Level with no hope of Foundation Establishment would learn a few. It was a way to broaden their combat capabilities. The boost wasn’t huge, but it was still an improvement.

Some cultivators who had given up on breakthroughs would also choose to practice them, but not many. Most preferred to continue accumulating Pure Spiritual Power or buy breakthrough pills for that sliver of a chance.

For that very reason, these types of techniques had a small market among cultivators, though they never fetched a high price.

Li Yuan squatted down in front of the stall and picked up one of the booklets.

The booklet’s pages were already yellowing, and its corners were a bit worn.

’Don’t be fooled by their plain names. In the mortal world, these would be considered top-tier techniques.’

’The Iron Bull Skill might be called something like the ’Earth-Shaking Savage Bull Mantra’ in the mortal world.’

[Detected equippable item]

[Item Affix Grade: White]

[Note: Item not owned by user. Cannot be equipped. Detailed information cannot be viewed.]

’A mortal technique that can provide a white-grade affix?’ Li Yuan’s interest was piqued. He picked up the other two booklets.

The other two booklets looked noticeably newer, but the system panel didn’t appear. Li Yuan picked up the Iron Bull Skill again.

The stall owner glanced at Li Yuan, then at the booklet in his hand, and drawled lazily, "You interested in these techniques, friend?"

"How much?" Li Yuan asked directly.

"Three Spirit Stones each." The stall owner held up three fingers. "Same price for everyone, no haggling."

Li Yuan nodded slightly. The price was reasonable. Without hesitation, he took out three Spirit Stones from his sleeve and handed them over.

The stall owner took the Spirit Stones, a smile appearing on his face. "A straightforward customer! The Cultivation Technique is yours."

Li Yuan put the booklet into his sleeve, got up, and left.

After walking a few dozen paces, Li Yuan found a quiet corner and took out the booklet.

The moment the booklet was in his possession, the translucent text appeared again, this time with much more complete information:

[Detected equippable item: Iron Bull Skill (Complete)]

[Affix Preview: Internal Organ Fortification (White)—Strengthens the resilience of your internal organs, increasing their tolerance for the impact of Spiritual Power.]

[Permanency Condition: Cultivate two mortal techniques to the point of mastery.]

[Current Equipment Slots (1/2). Equip?]

Internal Organ Fortification.

A glint of light flashed in Li Yuan’s eyes as he looked at the affix name.

Strengthening the internal organs and improving bodily functions—although this effect didn’t directly impact his cultivation like Spiritual Qi filtration or circulatory acceleration, it was still extremely practical.

The internal organs are the foundation of the human body. With stronger organs, not only could he endure more intense cultivation, but he could also increase the efficiency of his Spiritual Power circulation.

More importantly, the permanency condition for this affix was to cultivate two mortal techniques to mastery.

Mortal techniques were different from cultivation techniques. With a foundation in cultivation, his training speed would be far faster than any mortal’s.

As long as he was willing to put in the effort and practice diligently, mastery was only a matter of time.

Although it required mastering two techniques, it was vastly easier than the Meridian Opening Pill’s condition of needing ten pills of the same grade.

Li Yuan dismissed the panel, stepped out from the corner, and continued his patrol along East Street.

As he walked, he kept an eye on the stalls lining the road.

But most stalls didn’t sell mortal techniques.

Li Yuan walked most of the street and only saw a glimpse of mortal techniques at two or three other stalls.

After patrolling East Street and North Alley, Li Yuan took a turn through West Street.

The morning passed quickly. The sun climbed higher, and the market grew even more crowded.