https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-20-If-the-Child-Doesn-t-Like-You-Don-t-Force-It/12983880/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-22-Immortal-Artistry-Martial-Skill-Bodhimanda-Blood-Lotus/12983884/
Chapter 21: Xu Family's Sinew Opening and the Ox Demon's Journey
Chapter 21: Xu Family's Sinew Opening and the Ox Demon's Journey
Upon hearing this, Li Che's eyes narrowed, and a chill ran down his spine, instantly spreading throughout his body from his scalp and down his spine to his limbs.
"The county magistrate's deputy, Zhao Chuanxiong... has a problem?" Li Che asked, his voice laced with concern.
Li Che took a deep breath.
Old Chen, holding Xixi, had a solemn expression, but he shook his head, "Of course, it's also possible that he got this information from somewhere else. But I have a feeling that Zhao Chuanxiong might be up to something."
"With his position as a deputy, such an obvious flaw should not have been exposed. It's more likely that..." Old Chen trailed off, narrowing his eyes.
"It's like those Spirit Infant Sect followers who left the Spirit Infant statues at your doorstep. It's a kind of ritual..."
Old Chen's words weighed heavily on Li Che's mind, and a strong sense of danger suddenly arose within him.
According to Old Chen's implication, Zhao Chuanxiong might have connections with the Spirit Infant Sect?
"A county magistrate's deputy... could be involved with the Spirit Infant Sect?" Li Che asked in a low voice.
Hearing this, Old Chen burst into laughter, "You're saying that even the chancellor of the Great Vision worships the divine, so why can't a mere deputy be involved with the Spirit Infant Sect?"
After speaking, Old Chen's expression turned solemn, "The Spirit Infant Sect originated from the Strange Temple, and they possess the Divinity Method. For many warriors and cultivators, this is an immense temptation."
"The depth of the Spirit Infant Sect is far beyond what one can imagine."
Divinity Method?
Li Che's heart skipped a beat at these words.
"It's safer for you to stay inside Xuji Woodcarving Shop. These people won't dare to cause trouble. I live next door, and I'll keep an eye on them for you."
"The Spirit Infant..." Old Chen shook his head, looking at Xixi in his arms with a hint of affection.
"Having too much spiritual sensitivity is not a good thing... It's the source of calamity."
The wind howled, swirling snow across the sky.
Li Che stood tall, his gaze fixed on Zhao Chuanxiong, who had disappeared into the blizzard.
The Dao Fruit [Buddha Elephant Diamond] within his chest was throbbing, as if emitting the roars of dragons and the cries of elephants.
"Old Chen, what cultivation level is Zhao Chuanxiong at?" Li Che asked, narrowing his eyes.
Old Chen, holding Xixi, paused slightly. This scene seemed vaguely familiar.
Previously, Li Che had asked about Sun Changbiao's cultivation level.
However, he didn't doubt his own judgment, as he had witnessed Li Che's cultivation progress.
"Zhao Chuanxiong, as the deputy of the Outer City, is not weak in cultivation. He should have reached the Bone Tempering Realm, and in terms of inner strength, during the brief clash just now, he demonstrated the power of the third level of the Triple Heavens. He's undoubtedly a top-notch expert in the Outer City."
"As for whether he cultivates the Divinity Method, I'm not sure."
Old Chen's expression turned grave and serious. Zhao Chuanxiong's cultivation was indeed formidable, and if he had the support of the Divinity Method, even Old Chen might not be able to defeat him.
Li Che nodded slightly and exhaled softly.
It seemed that killing Zhao Chuanxiong right away might be a bit challenging.
Of course, these were just Old Chen's speculations, so the next step was to investigate Zhao Chuanxiong's possible connection with the Spirit Infant Sect.
If there was a connection...
Then he must be killed.
Otherwise, having such a powerful individual constantly coveting his precious daughter, Xixi, would be like sitting on pins and needles.
"Old Chen, didn't you say you have an Inner Strength Technique for sale? Sell me one..."
...
...
Woodcarving Shop, Inside the Workshop.
Xu Beihu had the wood prepared by the Shi Family's young master moved to his workshop.
It was a high-quality piece of nanmu wood, aged for a considerable time.
Knowing that Li Che's cultivation was not high and that he hadn't cultivated inner strength, Xu Beihu had the wood dried using inner strength. Li Che could start carving it immediately.
Li Che sat in a chair and took out the design given to him by Xu Beihu—the "Nine-Headed Guanyin Crying Ghost-Repelling Diagram." The intricate patterns were even more complex than he had imagined.
With only a month's deadline, it was a bit rushed.
Studying the design carefully, he saw that Guanyin had nine heads, each crying out in anguish and rage, each with a different expression, but all conveying a sense of sorrow.
As he looked at it for a while, Li Che felt his emotions being affected, his nose tingling, and a desire to cry welling up within him.
Suddenly, he was startled, his eyes narrowing.
"Divinity... Divinity... It's indeed eerie and terrifying."
As Old Chen had said, the most profound and terrifying aspect of cultivation was the Divinity Method, and Li Che finally understood a bit of it at this moment.
He patted the large piece of nanmu wood on the workbench, caressing its various parts, and forming a spatial diagram in his mind, planning out the proportions, measurements, angles, and more.
Then, he took out an ink brush and began outlining the lines on the camphor wood.
After the initial shaping, he picked up a carving knife, his eyes narrowing in focus as he began the first cut.
...
...
Three days later.
In a courtyard in the outer city.
Snowflakes danced in the air, falling from the sky, but before they even got close to Li Che's body, they were torn apart by a powerful force and turned into powder.
Li Che maintained a strange posture, twisting his waist nearly 90 degrees, crossing his arms, and circulating his Vital Energy in a unique manner.
An invisible current seemed to whistle and surge around him, roaring like a mighty river tide.
Li Che did not stimulate the Dragon Elephant Vajra, entering the Vajra Transformation state, but instead of suppressing his cultivation, he unleashed the Vital Energy and power accumulated in the Dao Fruit.
"Xu Family's Nine Sinew Technique."
Li Che had obtained this Sinew Opening Technique from the market square.
It was an intermediate-level Sinew Opening Technique, better than the lower-grade ones that weighed two or three dozen taels.
The Xu Family's Sinew Opening Technique was probably of this quality.
The Xu Family naturally had higher-quality advanced Sinew Opening Techniques, but those were for their own disciples' cultivation and not for sale.
In the market, these advanced techniques were priced but not available, unless a noble family fell, and their Body Tempering Methods were leaked. Otherwise, they were simply unobtainable.
An advanced Sinew Opening Technique was worth over a thousand taels.
This was just a Sinew Opening Technique; if it were followed by Bone Tempering and Blood Replacement Methods, the value would be even higher!
Hum—!
A large sinew tightened like a drawn bowstring, emitting a buzzing and cracking sound.
His entire body turned red, and beneath the skin, a large sinew seemed to coil like a dragon, writhing and undulating, containing immense power.
Gradually, his body relaxed.
He exhaled, the heat melting the falling snowflakes.
"I've opened one large sinew, which is the beginning of Sinew Opening... The strength is much greater than during Skin Polishing."
A smile appeared on Li Che's lips.
His eyes lit up.
[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (Lv. 1, 10%)]
A prompt appeared.
Upon successfully opening a sinew, the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit's maturity directly increased by 5%, reaching 10%!
In other words, opening each large sinew in the Xu Family's Nine Sinew Technique would increase the Dao Fruit's maturity by 5%. There were a total of nine sinews to open.
When the Dao Fruit's maturity reached 50%, he would achieve perfection in Sinew Opening!
Li Che's eyes sparkled, and his mood improved significantly.
As long as he diligently cultivated and tempered his physique every day, the Dao Fruit's maturity would increase by 1%.
"In other words, if I diligently cultivate without stopping, in forty days..."
"...I can achieve perfection in Sinew Opening!"
To conceal his cultivation, Li Che intentionally rented a spacious courtyard outside the shop for his personal cultivation.
After all, the Xu Family's training ground was crowded, and Li Che couldn't practice freely.
Stimulating the Dao Fruit, his Vital Energy surged, and as his skin turned crimson, his body writhed and stretched, his back like a roaring dragon.
Li Che felt the breakthrough after Sinew Opening, entering the Vajra Transformation...
"My strength has increased significantly, nearly doubling. Before, my punch had the force of a thousand jin, but now..."
"...it's about two thousand jin."
"My reactions and speed have also improved, and overall, it's about twice as strong."
A smile played on Li Che's lips as he finally confirmed through testing that the Vajra Transformation was related to his cultivation.
The greater his cultivation, the greater the enhancement from the Dao Fruit!
"Two thousand jin of strength is considered an intermediate level in the Bone Tempering Realm. It's said that Bone Tempering Perfection has five thousand jin of immense strength, and at Bone Tempering Completion, the strength can reach ten thousand jin! The burst is extremely terrifying..."
"Additionally, I've successfully cultivated a strand of Inner Strength from the 'Year of the Snake Inner Force Technique' purchased from Old Chen. With the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, my Martial Arts cultivation speed is extremely fast!"
Li Che smiled brightly, raising his hand. In his palm, an invisible current weaved and flowed, like a small snake in a pool, containing powerful explosive strength.
When he clenched his five fingers, the Inner Strength vanished.
Li Che's eyes shone, and he donned a mantle and a conical hat.
The Cute Ox Woodcarving Mask was affixed to his face, instantly transforming his entire demeanor into that of the wanted brutal killer, Ox Demon!
A torrent of murderous intent surged, and his aura was extraordinary.
In the snowy wind, the Ox Demon walked.
(End of Chapter)
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