https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-20-If-the-Child-Dislikes-You-Do-Not-Force-It/12831072/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-22-Divine-Craft-Martial-Techniques-Guanyin-Blood-Lotus/12831074/
Chapter 21: Xu Clan Opens the Sinews, Minotaur Sets Out
Chapter 21: Xu Clan Opens the Sinews, Minotaur Sets Out
Upon hearing this, Li Che's eyes narrowed sharply, a chill sweeping through his entire body, starting from the scalp and spreading down his spine to every limb and bone!
"This bailiff, Zhao Chuanxiong... There's something off about him?!"
Li Che took a deep breath.
Old Chen held Xi Xi with a serious expression, but he shook his head. "Of course, it's also possible he got the information from somewhere else, but I have a feeling there's something wrong with Zhao Chuanxiong."
"With his position as a bailiff, such a loophole shouldn't be so obvious. It's more like..." Old Chen couldn't help but squint his eyes.
"It's like those Lingying Sect followers who leave spirit infant statues at your door, a kind of ritual..."
Old Chen's words weighed heavily on Li Che's heart, a wave of intense killing intent surging within him.
According to Old Chen's words, Zhao Chuanxiong... might have ties to the Lingying Sect?
"The bailiff... could have ties to the Lingying Sect?"
Li Che asked in a grave voice.
Old Chen laughed at this. "You're asking... rumors say that the current Chancellor of Dajing worships divine Buddhas. Why can't a mere bailiff have ties to the Lingying Sect?"
After saying this, Old Chen's expression turned solemn. "The Lingying Sect originates from the Mysterious Temple... They have divine techniques, which are a great temptation for many martial artists and cultivators."
"The waters of the Lingying Sect run much deeper than you can imagine."
Divine techniques?
Li Che's heart sank at the mention.
"However, you'll be safer staying in Xu's Woodcarving Shop. These people won't dare to act rashly. I'll be living next door and will keep an eye on things for you."
"Lingying..." Old Chen shook his head, looking at Xi Xi with a tender gaze.
"Too much spiritual energy is not a good thing... it's the root of disaster."
The wind howled and snow swirled violently through the air.
Li Che stood straight, his gaze fixed on Zhao Chuanxiong, who had vanished into the storm.
The Dao Fruit [Dragon Elephant Vajra] in his chest pulsed, as if echoing with dragon roars and elephant trumpets!
"Old Chen, what's Zhao Chuanxiong's cultivation level?"
Li Che's eyes narrowed as he asked.
Old Chen, holding Xi Xi, was slightly taken aback. This scene seemed familiar.
Previously, Li Che had asked about Sun Changbiao's cultivation level.
However, he didn't suspect anything, given that he had seen Li Che's progress.
"Zhao Chuanxiong, as the bailiff of the outer city, is not weak. He should be at the Bone Tempering stage, and his Inner Qi is roughly at the Third Heaven level. In the outer city, he's definitely a top-notch expert."
"As for whether he has divine techniques, I can't be sure."
Old Chen's expression was serious and stern. Zhao Chuanxiong's cultivation level was truly not weak. If he had divine techniques, even Old Chen might struggle to defeat him.
Li Che nodded and exhaled softly.
It seems killing Zhao Chuanxiong immediately might be... a bit difficult.
Of course, these were just Old Chen's and his own speculations. So, the first step is to investigate whether Zhao Chuanxiong has ties to the Lingying Sect.
If he does...
He must be eliminated.
Otherwise, having such a powerful figure constantly eyeing his precious daughter Xi Xi is like sitting on a bed of needles.
"Old Chen, didn't you say you have Inner Qi techniques to sell? Sell me one..."
...
...
In the woodcarving shop's workshop.
Xu Beihu had someone bring the high-quality camphor wood prepared by the Si family to his workshop.
It was a piece of fine camphor wood, aged and valuable.
Knowing that Li Che's cultivation was not high and that he hadn't cultivated Inner Qi, Xu Beihu had the wood dried with Inner Qi beforehand, so Li Che could start carving immediately.
Li Che sat on a chair, taking out the design Xu Beihu had given him—the "Nine-Headed Guanyin Crying to Subdue Ghosts" design. The intricate pattern was even more complex than he had imagined.
A month's deadline was quite tight.
Carefully studying the design, the Guanyin had nine heads, each in a state of sorrowful crying, though each head was unique, they all conveyed a sense of profound sadness.
After a long time, Li Che felt his emotions being subtly affected, his nose tingling with the urge to cry.
His heart suddenly jolted, his eyes narrowing sharply.
"Divine techniques... divine techniques... truly bizarre and terrifying."
As Old Chen had said, the most profound and terrifying aspect of cultivation, Li Che now felt a glimpse of it.
He patted the large block of camphor wood on the table, feeling its surface, and formed a spatial design in his mind, planning the proportions, measurements, and angles.
Subsequently, he took up an ink brush and began to draw lines on the nanmu wood.
After completing the design, he retrieved a carving knife, focused his gaze, and, with a calm mind, made the first incision.
...
...
Three days later.
In a courtyard on the outskirts of the city.
Snowflakes danced down from the sky, but before they could reach Li Che's body, they were shredded into powder by a powerful surge of blood and qi.
Li Che maintained a strange posture, his waist twisted nearly ninety degrees, his arms crossed, and his blood and qi circulating in a unique pattern.
Invisible currents of air seemed to swirl around him, roaring like a mighty river in flood!
Li Che had not activated the Dragon Elephant Vajra, entering the Vajra Transformation state, but he had not suppressed his cultivation either, allowing the blood and qi stored in his Dao Fruit to surge forth.
"The Xu Clan's Nine Sinews Technique."
This was the sinew-opening technique Li Che had found in the market.
It was a mid-tier sinew-opening technique, better than the lower-tier, mass-market versions that cost a few dozen taels.
The Xu Clan could offer him such techniques, but they naturally possessed higher-quality, top-tier sinew-opening techniques, which were reserved for their own descendants and not allowed to leak out.
In the market, these top-tier techniques were virtually unobtainable unless a noble family fell and their cultivation methods were leaked. Otherwise, they were simply out of reach.
A top-tier sinew-opening technique could cost over a thousand taels.
And that was just for the sinew-opening technique. The subsequent bone-tempering and blood-replacement techniques would be even more valuable!
Buzz—!
The major sinews tightened, like taut bowstrings, emitting a humming sound.
His entire body turned a deep red, and beneath the skin, a major sinew coiled like a writhing dragon, pulsating with immense power.
Slowly, his body relaxed.
He exhaled a long, hot breath, which melted the falling snowflakes.
"Opening one major sinew, I've entered the sinew-opening realm... My strength has grown tremendously since the skin-refining stage."
A smile played on Li Che's lips.
His eyes sparkled.
[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (Level 1, 10%)]
A notification appeared.
Upon successfully opening a major sinew, the maturity of his Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit increased by 5%, reaching 10%!
In other words, opening one major sinew increased the Dao Fruit's maturity by 5%. The Xu Clan's Nine Sinews Technique required him to open nine sinews in total.
When the Dao Fruit's maturity reached 50%, he would have completed the sinew-opening stage!
Li Che's eyes shone brightly, and his mood improved significantly.
If he practiced diligently every day, strengthening his body, the maturity of his Dao Fruit would increase by 1% each day...
"In other words, if I continue to practice without pause, in forty days..."
"I will have completed the sinew-opening stage!"
To hide his cultivation, Li Che had deliberately rented a spacious courtyard outside the shop for his own practice.
After all, the Xu Clan's training grounds were crowded, and Li Che couldn't fully exert himself there.
Stimulating the Dao Fruit, his blood and qi surged outward, his skin turning crimson as his body stretched and grew, his spine roaring like a dragon.
Li Che felt the power of the Vajra Transformation after breaking through the sinew-opening stage...
"My strength has become much greater, roughly doubling. If I had a thousand pounds of force in a punch before, now I have about two thousand pounds."
"My reaction and speed have also improved, roughly doubling overall."
Li Che's smile widened. After testing, he confirmed that the Vajra Transformation was related to his cultivation level.
The stronger his cultivation, the greater the enhancement provided by the Dao Fruit!
"Two thousand pounds of force is considered a minor achievement in the bone-tempering stage. A major achievement in the bone-tempering stage is said to have five thousand pounds of force, and a complete achievement can reach ten thousand pounds of force! The burst of power is extremely terrifying..."
"Additionally, the Snake Inner Energy Technique I bought from Old Chen has successfully produced a thread of inner energy... With my Dao Fruit, the Dragon Elephant Vajra, I can cultivate without equal, and my martial arts training progresses extremely quickly!"
Li Che smiled brightly, raising his hand, where an invisible current of energy swirled, resembling a small snake in a pond, brimming with explosive power.
He clenched his fingers, and the energy dissipated.
Li Che's eyes flickered, and he wrapped his broad, muscular body in a loose robe, donning a wide-brimmed hat.
He placed the Young Bull wooden mask on his face, and instantly, his entire demeanor changed, transforming him into the notorious Bull Demon, a fugitive wanted by the authorities!
His killing intent surged, and his aura was fierce.
On a snowy night, the Bull Demon walked.
(End of Chapter)
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