Chapter 103: Seven Virtues Thousand-Handed Divine Carving Technique, Has He Observed the Temple Deit

Chapter 103: Seven Virtues Thousand-Handed Divine Carving Technique, Has He Observed the Temple Deity?

The light chill after the rain still lingers, and the spring atmosphere is divided, with the pavilions newly bathed in sunshine.

The spring rain gradually subsides.

The second floor of the Examination Hall in the Heaven-Enraged Bureau.

Inside the examination room, the silence is as usual, making the sound of the blade tearing through the spirit wood's fine structure exceptionally clear.

Li Che focuses intently on carving the wood, and for him, who possesses the embryonic form of the Thousand Analyze Hand divine ability, continuing the wood carving is not a significant challenge.

He can almost perfectly inherit the previous woodcarver's techniques and even replicate the mental state of the carver while working.

However, replication is just the most basic ability of the Immortal Craft.

The real transformation in talent comes from integrating one's own techniques, insights, and understanding, and even innovating, through the Dao Fruit of the Immortal Craft.

Most importantly, the artistic talent brought about by the Immortal Craft Dao Fruit is not limited to wood carving.

Li Che believes that he should also be able to master pill concoction, divine armament forging, and other skills through the unparalleled artistic talent of the Immortal Craft Dao Fruit.

Scrape, scrape, scrape...

Li Che sits upright in his chair, his spine straight as a pencil, his entire body filled with intertwining vital energy. Subtly, he merges with the divine essence that permeates the heavens and earth, channeling it into the "Four-Armed Wrathful Third Prince" wood carving that has taken shape before him.

The wood carving is lifelike, and the creases and carvings between the fingers are clearly visible.

The angle at which the carving knife falls, the depth of the chisel, and the size and shape of the wood's opening as it is torn by the blade's edge all unfold in his mind like a painting.

His ten fingers are incredibly nimble, switching between various carving tools—chiseling, engraving, gouging, hollowing, and carving—all with exquisite skill blooming at his fingertips.

Li Che closes his eyes, as if sculpting with his eyes shut.

But with his eyes closed, he sees and senses even more.

He even incorporates his own feelings.

In his past life's memories, the image of a child standing on a fiery golden wheel, stirring up the four seas with a red silk scarf, slowly emerges...

Boom!

A sound like exploding fireworks echoes from outside the Examination Hall.

Thick water vapor rises into the sky, like a spring rain suddenly bursting into a hazy mist.

Inside the room.

Shangguan Qinghong, sitting in the corner, is slightly moved. She approaches the carved wooden window and looks outside, seeing the white waves crashing.

"The waves are rising!"

Shangguan Qinghong speaks softly.

Her voice isn't loud, but in this moment, it sounds like thunder in the examination room. The two junior supervisors quickly walk over and look out through the wooden window.

The Examination Hall is built on the riverbank, its foundation a cliff rock. The waves crash against it, exploding into water vapor that rises into the sky.

Because the water in the Nine-Dragons River's tributary within the city is usually calm, this sudden rise in waves is noticeable. Moreover, as the waves explode, the divine essence within them becomes even more apparent.

"Wow, this kid really has something..."

Gongshe Liancheng strokes his beard, astonished.

He has truly stirred the divine essence within the Nine-Dragons River's tributary, causing the water to rise. Although the waves aren't huge, Li Che is only a Decity-ranked woodcarving master.

"Not bad, his talent is indeed impressive. Based on the carving techniques and ideas left on the original wood carving, he has continued the carving... Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have learned any 'Divine Carving Technique.'" The beautiful woman, Gong Yun Li, also exclaims in admiration.

"Purely relying on talent."

The two have experienced much, and the skill Li Che displays is almost at the level of a Decity-ranked woodcarving master, having mastered the techniques of ordinary woodcarvers to near perfection. However, he hasn't learned any divine carving technique inheritance.

Additionally, due to his insufficient vital energy and divine essence, he can only reach the Decity rank.

If Li Che had the Divine Foundation cultivation and the inheritance of divine carving techniques, he would effortlessly attain the Ninesuns rank as a woodcarving master.

To qualify for the examination for the Second Rank Guest Scholar position in the Heaven-Enraged Bureau, one must reach the Ninesuns rank.

This applies to pill concocters, divine painters, divine armament forgers, and divine carvers alike.

Within the Heaven-Enraged Bureau, various crafts are categorized, but ultimately, the Guest Scholar rank determines one's standing.

Gongshe Liancheng and Gong Yun Li are essentially acknowledging Li Che's skill, and the Third Rank Guest Scholar position is as good as his.

However, Li Che hasn't finished carving, so they don't interrupt him.

How far can Li Che take his wood carving? How high can he make the divine essence-infused waves of the Nine-Dragons River outside the tower rise?

They, too, want to see.

...

...

Whoosh!

Li Che's closed-eye posture suddenly changes as he makes the final stroke on the wood carving, completing the last outline.

The entire wood carving on the worktable seems to come to life, and the heavens and earth resonate with sounds of anger, even the sound of stirred-up waves.

Li Che feels the divine essence wood carving constantly absorbing his vital energy, greedily drawing even the Profound Meridian Internal Energy hidden by his Lion Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.

Within his chest, the Lion Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit trembles like a broadsword, severing the other party's sneaky hand.

Li Che's displayed exchange of vital energy is completely drained.

His Nature Like River divine essence is also thoroughly exhausted.

Li Che suddenly takes a few steps back, breaking into a sweat and looking extremely exhausted.

Carving a divine wood carving not only consumes physical strength but also divine essence, resulting in significant mental and physical exhaustion.

After all, carving a divine essence wood carving is no ordinary woodworking.

It's as if a surreal flame is burning, the divine essence floating in the heavens and earth, rising from the evaporated water of the Nine-Dragons River, forming a strange phenomenon as it is drawn towards the wood carving.

"It's done!"

In the room, Gongshe Liancheng and Gong Yun Li's eyes shine brightly, and they instantly appear at the carved wooden window, their gazes falling on the calm Nine-Dragons River outside.

The spring rain drizzles, and the river's surface is smooth, without any waves.

The two are stunned: "No waves?"

Shangguan Qinghong also pokes her head out: "It shouldn't be..."

Suddenly.

Shangguan Qinghong's eyes narrow, and she looks towards the end of the Nine-Dragons River, where...

A white snake-like line surges across the river's surface, a line of river tide separating the heavens and earth!

"It's coming..." Gong Yun Li takes a deep breath, her whole body trembling with a hint of shock.

This momentum...

Is this the kind of wave a Decity-ranked woodcarver can stir up?

The waves surged from the end of the river, causing the water to undulate and suddenly sink several meters.

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a furious roar, it was as if thousands of troops and horses were rushing forth!

The spring rain in the heavens suddenly turned turbulent, with pea-sized raindrops merging with the river's energy, pounding down on the earth.

In the distance, one could vaguely hear the sounds of roaring, wailing, and sorrow beneath the river waves.

It was as if a waking deity stood upon the vast, boundless ocean, gazing into the void, raising its head to the sky, and weeping!

How many tears of the deity had turned into a thousand years of angry waves!

Boom!

The huge wave slammed against the cliff below the Divine Treasure Tower of the Heaven-Enraged Bureau by the Nine-Dragons River.

Rumble!

The three people standing before the carved wooden window saw the white waves rising high, even surpassing the height of the window. In front of them, it was like a curtain of water cascading down like a waterfall!

Silence, without a sound.

There was also a hint of shock!

An intense Divine Essence filled the air, accompanied by the overturning river waves, permeating the heavens and earth. The concentration seemed to be four to five times higher than usual!

Gongshe Liancheng was the first to react, his face slightly changing. His divine consciousness stirred, and behind him, a Divine Foundation appeared, with a faint divine image about to manifest from within the foundation.

With a sudden wave of his hand, the intense Divine Essence covering the entire Divine Treasure Tower was pushed away, but the Divine Essence in the waves continued without pause, as if being evaporated by scorching heat.

Gong Yun Li also joined in the suppression.

The two Junior Supervisors of the Heaven-Enraged Bureau worked together to barely suppress this boiling Divine Essence.

The main reason was that the Temple Deity's Divine Essence rank was too high...

Shangguan Qinghong's fair and delicate face was flushed red from the impact.

Li Che gasped, his face turning slightly pale, looking exhausted, and he retreated two steps.

He exhaled deeply.

Was that... the Temple Deity's Divine Essence merged with the river water?

The Divine Essence of the Eight-Armed Hell Lotus Wrathful Third Prince Temple Deity?

The tug-of-war lasted for a moment, and the waves subsided, with the Divine Essence merging back into the river, and everything returned to calm.

Gongshe Liancheng and Gong Yun Li both exhaled in relief.

They had almost caused a testing accident.

The two returned to the divine sculpture, and their eyes revealed a strange color.

"How much?"

"Seventy percent? Definitely not... Ninety percent? To stir up such huge waves and cause the Temple Deity's Divine Essence in the river to boil like this... Even the examiner who set the question might not be able to achieve this!"

The beautiful woman, Gong Yun Li, couldn't help but speak.

Their gazes fell on the divine sculpture carved by Li Che, but they couldn't see anything special about it.

But why did it stir up such waves?

A Decity-ranked divine sculpture, where did such a Divine Essence match come from?

The two fell into deep thought, but soon they stopped pondering.

"Congratulations, Li Master, you have passed the Third Rank Guest Scholar examination."

Gong Yun Li looked at Li Che, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her eyes filled with eagerness.

"Give me your identity token, and I'll activate the Divine Essence within. Then, you can infuse your own Divine Essence or blood into it, and it will serve as proof of your Third Rank Guest Scholar identity."

Li Che took out the token and handed it to Gong Yun Li.

After receiving it, Gong Yun Li flashed a strand of Divine Essence from her palm, which then dissipated as she returned the token to Li Che.

Li Che felt the small temple pattern on the token becoming more vivid.

"Alright, Li Guest Scholar, from today onwards, you are a member of the Heaven-Enraged Bureau's Guest Scholars, enjoying the treatment of a steward. With the Guest Scholar token, you can purchase resources within the Bureau with a twenty percent discount."

Gong Yun Li smiled lightly.

"Additionally, as a Third Rank Guest Scholar of Divine Carving, you can receive a copy of the 'Great Jing Heavenly Seven Elements Thousand-Handed Divine Carving Technique (Upper Volume)'. You must not leak or spread it. You can also accept divine sculpture tasks from the Heaven-Enraged Bureau, and the Bureau will only take twenty percent of the task reward."

"As for other benefits and treatments, Supervisor Shangguan will explain them to you later."

Hearing this, Li Che nodded.

"We'll take this divine sculpture... Li Guest Scholar, we look forward to the day you become a Second Rank Guest Scholar."

The beautiful woman, Gong Yun Li, smiled warmly at Li Che.

Then, she left with Gongshe Liancheng, taking Li Che's carved divine sculpture with them.

...

...

Shangguan Qinghong's face was flushed red, and the blush on her fair skin lingered for a long time.

Li Che gave her a strange look. She had blushed from watching the waves...

Shangguan, you're amazing!

"Congratulations, Li Guest Scholar, from now on, we are colleagues." Shangguan Qinghong smiled, her face as red as Guan Gong's.

Shangguan Qinghong led Li Che out of the second-floor examination room.

Along the way, she briefed Li Che on the benefits and perks of becoming a Third Rank Guest Scholar.

The two returned to the first floor, where two people were already waiting—Liu He and Hai Chuan Ying. They had been waiting for Li Che's examination results, knowing he was being tested that day.

When they saw the token tied around Li Che's waist, they couldn't help but smile.

"Congratulations, Brother Li, on becoming a Guest Scholar of the Heaven-Enraged Bureau. From now on, we'll take good care of you."

The two showed respect, and Li Che returned the gesture.

"Hahaha! With Elder Brother Li's recommendation, how could you not become a Guest Scholar? Brother Li, tonight we'll go to Yunfang Pavilion! Let's celebrate!"

Liu He was very enthusiastic, and he was skilled in enjoying the entertainment of the red-light district.

Moreover, as a Guest Scholar of the Heaven-Enraged Bureau, enjoying the red-light district was just a basic skill.

Shangguan Qinghong kicked Liu He: "Don't lead Brother Li astray!"

"Brother Li is a family man!"

"Hahaha, just joking, just joking... By the way, I have some good news to share with Brother Li." Liu He smiled and then looked at Li Che, saying, "On the way here... I heard some shocking news."

"That Qin Yuqing, the Jade-faced Poisonous Fiend, has offended someone she shouldn't have. She was shot and killed in the Qin Manor, and her death was extremely miserable!"

"With the death of the Jade-faced Poisonous Fiend, Brother Li can finally have a good night's sleep. This woman was extremely venomous, and she wanted to take revenge on all those from Thunder City. Now that she's dead, Brother Li has avoided a great disaster."

"I wonder who the expert was... It's said that from a distance of several tens of li, they killed with one shot! It's truly shocking!"

Liu He shook his head, full of astonishment.

Across dozens of miles, the distant True Master of the Killing Art was still a formidable opponent, even if he was weakened by consuming elixirs.

Li Che's expression was one of surprise, but his heart suddenly relaxed, and he exhaled a long breath, feeling as if a heavy stone had dropped from his chest.

After all, he only had one chance to use the Divine Craft Barrett, so after that one strike, whether Qin Yuqing lived or died was up to her fate.

Now it seemed that Qin Yuqing's fate was not so shallow, and she died a quick death.

Shangguan Qinghong had just heard the news and was surprised beyond words, "The Qin family has the Temple Deity Elder guarding it, how could they not stop the killer?"

"They didn't stop it. I heard that the Temple Deity Elder of the Qin family was furious. The killer's method was said to be a secret technique involving mechanisms. So, the Qin family's Elder contacted the Temple Enforcement Command to investigate all parties involved. After all, Qin Yuqing was a direct descendant of the Qin Manor, and she was shot dead right within the manor... The Temple Deity Elder's face was as swollen as if it had been slapped." Liu He said with a suppressed smile.

When it came to the Temple Deity Elder, he couldn't help but laugh too loudly.

Hai Chuan Ying had always been a man of few words, but at this moment, he couldn't help but give Li Che a strange look.

Just yesterday, they had discussed the threat Qin Yuqing posed to Li Che, and the very next day... Qin Yuqing was killed in her home.

Hai Chuan Ying naturally didn't think that Li Che had killed Qin Yuqing. What cultivation base did Li Che have compared to Qin Yuqing's? The gap between them was simply exaggerated.

Even if Li Che became a Third Rank Guest Scholar of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, it couldn't compare to Qin Yuqing's status.

He just felt that Li Che's luck was really good.

"With Qin Yuqing's death, Golden Light City will likely descend into chaos. Before the Divine Sect Branch's selection of the Spirit Infant, the major powers in the capital city were already restless. Now, the Qin family will likely take advantage of Qin Yuqing's death to create trouble and gain benefits from the other major families. At the very least, several street districts and a few gangs will change hands."

Hai Chuan Ying spoke in a low voice.

"Moreover, Qin Yuqing was the mistress of Jin Xuan, the Great Elder of the Golden Crack Sect. He is a Void Phase cultivator in the Divine Appearance Realm who has lived for two hundred years and is very fond of Qin Yuqing. He even promoted her to the core of his inner circle and allocated resources for her cultivation."

"Now that she's dead, this Divine Appearance cultivator will likely be even angrier than the Qin family and will investigate to the very end."

Hai Chuan Ying's words caused Li Che's heart to slightly tense up, although he was much more serious now, he didn't take it to heart.

After all, killing Qin Yuqing and offending the Qin family, and adding another enemy in the Golden Crack Sect...

It didn't seem like too much.

Debts don't weigh down the borrower.

Anyway, these were all things that he, in his current state, couldn't afford to provoke.

After chatting for a while, Shangguan Qinghong went to fetch Li Che's Guest Scholar robe and the benefits that came with his new status.

A moment later, Li Che received the rewards for becoming a Guest Scholar.

A Guest Scholar's robe, a bottle of ninth-rank martial elixir, and a copy of the Great Jing Heavenly Seven Elements Thousand-Handed Divine Carving Technique (Upper Volume).

"This is the 'Imperial Astronomical Bureau Wrathful Dragon Martial Elixir' of the ninth rank, top-grade. It's refined from the true blood of the Wrathful Dragon, and its medicinal properties are much stronger than those of the lower ninth-rank elixirs. Because its properties are so powerful, Li, you should crush it into thirds when you take it... It can be used to accelerate blood exchange."

"About three pills should be enough for you to complete nine blood exchanges. It will take about two months or so."

"At that time, Li can come to receive the Great Jing Connecting Meridian Technique. These are all free benefits for becoming a Guest Scholar."

Shangguan Qinghong handed over the items one by one and introduced them to Li Che.

"What's this?"

Li Che picked up a black amber-like crystal.

"This is a Decity Divine Crystal. A Third Rank Guest Scholar's monthly salary is ten Decity Divine Crystals. Are you still cultivating? Refining one Divine Crystal can accelerate your cultivation..."

Shangguan Qinghong explained with a smile.

A Divine Crystal?

Li Che took a deep breath... This was a resource! It was something that could only be obtained in large cities, and in Thunder City, he had never even heard of it. Even Cao Guang, the lord of a city, didn't have Divine Crystals in his assets.

However, perhaps he had them before, but he had already refined them all.

"Most Divine Crystals are produced in the Deceptive Tower of the Strange Shrine... Therefore, only the Nine Suns Strange Shrine can produce Divine Crystals." Shangguan Qinghong seemed to know what Li Che was thinking and explained it to him.

Li Che held the Divine Crystal.

He tried to secretly sense it with his spiritual consciousness.

The next moment, his eyes involuntarily focused.

Because...

The essence contained in this Divine Crystal...

Was actually the pure white divine essence similar to that of the Pure Heart Dao Fruit!

...

...

Gong Yun Li and Gongshe Liancheng, the two Junior Supervisors, held the "Four-Armed Wrathful Prince" statue carved by Li Che and headed towards the upper floors of the Divine Treasure Tower.

When they reached the seventh floor, they stopped, walked along the corridor, and arrived at a tearoom.

A faint tea fragrance wafted out from the room.

"Deputy Inspector, today you will be the examiner for the assessment. The work of the Third Rank Guest Scholar recommended by Li Qing Shan has been brought, please review it."

Gongshe Liancheng held the wooden sculpture and slightly bowed his head, speaking respectfully.

"Come in."

A moment later, a faint voice came from inside the tearoom.

Gong Yun Li and Gongshe Liancheng entered the tearoom.

They saw a simple white-robed, elegant figure sitting quietly at a yellow pear wood tea table, skillfully brewing tea.

"Just put it on the table by the door, don't disturb my tea brewing."

"Yes." Gongshe Liancheng placed the wooden sculpture on the small table by the door.

The white-robed figure finished brewing a bowl of tea, took a small sip, and then poured it all out.

Only then did he wipe his hands with a cloth.

His eyelids fluttered slightly, and he looked at the wooden sculpture placed at the door.

With just one glance, the white-robed figure's eyes suddenly focused.

"Hmm?"

"Bring it closer and put it on the tea table."

Gongshe Liancheng was startled.

He picked up the wooden sculpture and placed it on the tea table.

The Deputy Inspector carefully examined it, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

"This child has entered that Four Imperial Strange Shrine..."

"Have you seen the Temple Deity?"

PS: Today's 10,000-word update, please support with monthly tickets and recommendations! Li is still working hard! Keep reading, everyone! Li thanks you!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end