Chapter 48: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

“Si Mu Bai… he’s severely injured.”

Li Che murmured to himself, his heart stirring with a dangerous excitement. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance—if he could track down and eliminate Si Mu Bai, the man obsessed with turning XiXi into his prodigy, he’d finally have some peace.

It was clear that Li Che and Si Mu Bai were locked in a vendetta that would not easily end.

If the opportunity arose to take out Si Mu Bai, Li Che would show no mercy.

“Divine cultivators… I’ve heard that only warriors with fully aligned meridians can counter them. Now that I’ve activated the second state of Dragon Elephant Vajra, I wonder if I can stand against one?”

“Otherwise… would a hundred Wood Raven assaults be enough to finish him off?”

“But divine cultivators are known for their bizarre methods. Only warriors whose qi and blood flow completely, with unyielding will and sealed senses, can resist the influence of divine power.”

Li Che shook his head slightly.

Taking down Si Mu Bai was far from easy.

After all, Si Mu Bai was a scion of the prestigious Si Family of Feilei City, and his cultivation was no minor matter. Even now, though grievously wounded, his security was top-notch.

Moreover, to kill Si Mu Bai, one would have to infiltrate the inner circles of the Si Family…

“It’s too risky.”

“The Inner City Si Family… I’ve heard that the venerable Si Patriarch, who forged a divine foundation, is stationed there. I fear it’s a one-way trip.”

He pushed down the restlessness in his heart.

A divine foundation cultivator like that was not someone to be trifled with—he existed on an entirely different level!

Li Che wasn’t in a hurry; Xu You had mentioned that Si Mu Bai had almost lost his divine nature in battle and would need at least a year or two to recuperate.

During that time, as he worked on increasing his own strength, numerous opportunities could present themselves.

Li Che had now mastered the Blood-Transfusion Technique. If he could officially step into that stage…

then his chances would be even greater.

……

……

After a night of chaos,

Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop had reverted to its usual orderly pace.

The woodcarvers had resumed taking orders, with workers bustling about, hauling timber and finished carvings to earn their hard-won money.

As usual, Li Che spent his time carving wood sculptures, practicing martial arts, and secretly experimenting with intricate mechanisms.

Of course, he also kept his promise—every day he finished work early to return to the courtyard and teach Zhang Ya martial arts.

Old Chen had returned. For a seasoned veteran like him, a trip through the prison was nothing unusual and left no lingering mental scars.

Suxue drifted down like delicate snow.

Li Che went to the shop in the Outer City, picked up some marinated beef, and grabbed some Lao Huang wine before coming back.

In the courtyard, Old Chen sat on a rattan chair, watching XiXi awkwardly practice her horse stance. He squinted and couldn’t help but grin, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Little Stinky Xi, sit up straight! Keep your arms straight and hold that stance properly!”

Old Chen lifted the lid of a gourd and downed a swig of wine.

Wrapped in her red jacket, XiXi’s little face was rosy from the cold. She glanced at Li Che, who had just returned, and protested, “Dad, Grandpa Chen is calling me Little Stinky Xi!”

“I’m not Little Stinky Xi—I’m XiXi, Li Nuǎnxi!”

The little girl pouted after speaking.

She was full of spunk.

Li Che ruffled her hair and said, “Then you better get stronger. Next time when Grandpa Chen calls you Little Stinky Xi, just give him a good thrashing.”

XiXi blinked her large eyes and nodded eagerly, “You’re right, Dad!”

Then, puffing out her cheeks, she resumed her horse stance with even greater determination.

Li Che sat beside Old Chen as they both sipped wine and watched XiXi practice.

“As expected of a top-notch prodigy – so full of natural talent, with inherent divine nature and martial prowess far above others. If only she weren’t so young that she had to hold back on skin polishing, she might have mastered it by age three.”

“What a pity—I haven’t learned a method to nurture divine nature. I can’t help Little Stinky Xi develop her divine side any sooner…”

Old Chen said with a hint of regret, his eyes soft as he looked at XiXi’s rosy, frost-bitten face.

“This innate talent… is both a blessing and a curse. Had you not moved into the woodcarving shop so early, this little girl might have long been ruined by the Lingying Sect.”

“Now not only the Lingying Sect has set its sights on her, but Si Mu Bai is also targeting XiXi…”

“In these times… life is so hard.”

Old Chen suddenly downed another swig of wine and sighed with lament.

Li Che fell silent.

“Life is indeed tough…”

“As parents, we must do everything to protect our daughter. Whoever dares harm her—even at the cost of our lives—we’ll rip a piece out of them.”

Li Che picked up a piece of beef and, while chewing slowly, spoke.

……

……

In the blink of an eye, two hectic months passed.

Tingyu Alley.

The small courtyard.

Heavy rain poured down, rendering the world a hazy blur.

Raindrops pattered on the black tiles, producing a steady, rhythmic drumming.

Inside, Li Che deftly manipulated his qi and blood, the roaring sound of rushing water echoing like tidal waves beating against tempered sinews!

“Qi and blood, second transfer—the early stage of Blood-Transfusion…”

Li Che rose from the room, his well-built upper body bare and exuding heat. Clenching his fist, he struck with such force that the air burst with a resounding boom.

The explosive force was far superior to that of Bone Tempering!

“In just two months after entering the Blood-Transfusion realm, advancing from one transfer to two… With one transfer a month, reaching the complete sixth transfer takes only six months.”

Li Che’s eyes gleamed with a tinge of regret—his mastery of the Blood-Transfusion Technique was capped at six transfers.

The intermediate-level Blood-Transfusion Technique required only six transfers to reach perfection. Back then, Guo Zhan was a warrior who had perfected his skills through the sixth transfer.

If one were to use the superior nine-transfer Blood-Transfusion Technique, nine transfers would be needed. With blood like liquid mercury, the energy would be far more overwhelming, refining strength, speed, and physical endurance to an even higher level.

“Fortunately, Old Chen informed me that if the Blood-Transfusion Technique is refined to perfection, it can be transformed—on the basis of the original six transfers, one can further cultivate a superior version that extends to nine complete transfers…”

“So, if the opportunity arises… I should aim for the superior Blood-Transfusion Technique.”

Li Che stretched lazily, every muscle in his body creaking as his nine robust back tendons vibrated with immense power.

After wiping the sweat from his training with a clean towel, Li Che donned his coat, sat down, and pulled out Tang’s Mechanism Chronicle.

Staring at the increasingly absurd and mysterious mechanisms, Li Che was left momentarily speechless.

“Out of the twelve recorded mechanisms, Wood Raven ranks eighth. The ones ranked higher become progressively more bizarre—existing only in theory… However, the seventh mechanism, 【Bodhi Blood Tears】, might be worth a try.”

According to the description, Bodhi Blood Tears requires an extraordinarily ingenious technique. It’s both time-consuming and laborious, yet its destructive power is truly formidable!

It is as vicious as it is potent!

Li Che was thoroughly intrigued.

“Tang’s Mechanism… Old Chen must have acquired this mysterious text from somewhere.”

Without possessing the 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit, Li Che couldn’t even begin to comprehend it.

After closing the book,

Li Che closed his eyes to meditate.

A prompt slowly materialized before him.

……

【Name: Li Che】

【Bond: Li Nuǎnxi (daughter)】

【Dao Fruits: 【Xiangong】 (lv3 9%), Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv2 15%), Pure Heart (LV1 5%)】

【Divine Talent Prototype: Immortal Craft: Qianxi Hand】

……

In just over two months, aside from the Dragon Elephant Dao Fruit, which had improved thanks to breakthroughs in Blood-Transfusion, the others showed little progress.

The maturity of Pure Heart remained stubbornly slow. Although Li Che absorbed stray divine energy daily, his constant use of that energy tending to XiXi’s body meant its maturity barely reached 5% over two months.

Cultivation demanded persistence; the journey was long and arduous.

Yet Li Che remained undaunted.

It’s just that his inability to obtain divine techniques was beginning to give him a headache.

After tidying up, Li Che ended his training for the day, changed into clean clothes, grabbed an oiled paper umbrella, and then headed to the restaurant to pack some food before making his way toward the woodcarving shop.

However, as soon as he reached the door of the shop, he sensed something was amiss.

The entire shop seemed to have experienced a sudden spike in temperature.

Li Che walked through the doorway and entered the shop.

There, in front of his workshop, stood a rosewood chair.

On the chair, a burly figure dressed in a black and red uniform sat upright, exuding authority.

The man seemed to notice Li Che’s return—his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced over.

Li Che felt as if his eyes were burning, as if endless wrath churned within him, and he spotted, behind that figure, a statue of an enraged Amitabha glaring fiercely at the world!

“Zhao Xuanhai…”

“Master Li, a pleasure to meet you.”

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