Chapter 13: The Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit

Li Che calmly held the wine cup, savoring the warmth of the aged yellow wine.

The wine’s aroma and slight astringency filled his mouth, yet his mind had long wandered to the majestic Dao Tree that had sprouted from the vast, ancient earth.

At one year old, his daughter’s Dao Tree had borne fruit.

A Dao Fruit: 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】!

This was Li Che’s second Dao Fruit. The first, 【Xiangong】, had enhanced his wood carving talent, granting him a means to secure his life in this world.

It also enabled him to become the wood carving artisan at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop, taking residence in the Xu Ji Courtyard to ensure his daughter, Li Nuanxi, grew safely to her first birthday.

Li Che had long understood the significance of Dao Fruits.

Thus, he eagerly anticipated the second Dao Fruit, and now it had finally matured!

【Dragon Elephant Vajra (Dao Fruit): Flesh and blood Dragon Elephant, indestructible Vajra, peerless in training】

Before him, prompts regarding the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 Dao Fruit surged like an endless tide.

In an instant, Li Che felt his internal qi and blood boil as if his very flesh were undergoing a monumental transformation.

If he so wished, actively stimulating the Dao Fruit could even trigger a metamorphosis in his physical form!

However, with Old Chen by his side at that moment, Li Che chose not to probe the special abilities of the Dragon Elephant Vajra.

Flesh and blood Dragon Elephant, indestructible Vajra, peerless in training!

With his heart well stirred and spirits high, Li Che downed the cup of yellow wine in one gulp.

This Dao Fruit held the power to elevate his martial prowess!

And it was the very Dao Fruit Li Che currently needed.

Not only did this fruit cement the truth of his daughter’s one-year milestone, it also reminded Li Che of his duty to cherish and protect her growth…

Even dreaming that one day, watching his daughter, immortality would be hers!

Li Che’s heart skipped a beat – if his daughter were to achieve immortality, with a Dao Fruit each year…

Wouldn’t that mean an endless bounty of Dao Fruits, paving the way for unimaginable future power?

“Hey, you sure drink like a man!” Old Chen remarked with a curious glance at the wine-fueled, impassioned Li Che.

Li Che chuckled, his gentle gaze falling on little XiXi, who was toddling in her walker. “Before I knew it, my little girl is already one…”

Old Chen’s lips curled into a smile as his adoring gaze returned to XiXi.

“Yes, she was once so tiny—and now she’s getting bigger,”

replied Li Che. “I may have no heir of my own, but little stinky XiXi has always been my perfect match.”

Old Chen too downed his cup of aged yellow wine, feeling refreshed and free of all gloom.

From now on, XiXi would be considered his own granddaughter!

Catching on to Old Chen’s meaning, Li Che refilled his cup, and the two clinked glasses before drinking it down.

…

…

Training Ground.

Snow fell thickly.

Several figures practiced intensely on the training ground, their qi and blood churning like a boiling cauldron that swept away the falling snow.

Donning his training clothes, Li Che arrived at the ground.

In the distance, two figures paused mid-practice, wiping beads of sweat as they noticed him.

The tall, sleek Zhao Xuan, with her jet-black hair tied up neatly, smiled crisply, “Master Chen, you’re here?”

“Isn’t today XiXi’s first birthday banquet?”

Wang Zhengpin, also practicing, laughed, “Zhao Xuan and I were just about to head to the banquet after our session.”

Li Che chuckled, “Well then, all of you—make sure the uncles and aunts don’t forget to bring gifts for XiXi’s birthday!”

“The banquet is set at Spring Breeze Tower in the Outer City. They’ve sent chefs and staff from Spring Breeze Tower so everything’s been arranged. I have little to do as XiXi is off with Old Chen, so I come here to train.”

Wang Zhengpin smirked, “A banquet at Spring Breeze Tower? Sounds like a feast awaits us tonight.”

After a brief conversation, the three returned to their martial practice.

Old Manager Xu Beihu once said that if the three of them wished to perfect their Skin Polishing, they’d need at least two years of diligent training; any laxity might stretch that timeline even further.

So, none of them dared relax even by a bit.

Li Che, being noticeably older than Zhao Xuan and Wang Zhengpin—now twenty years old, three to four years their senior—knew that slacking now could mean a steeper decline in qi as years piled on, complicating further advancement in martial arts.

If they weren’t disciplined, as they aged and their vital qi waned, their martial cultivation would suffer.

Thus, Xu Beihu always stressed that the core of Body Refinement Technique was diligence—a constant race against time.

For nearly the past year, Li Che had practiced in the mornings, carved wood in the afternoons, and experimented with crafting mechanical devices at night…

His life was busy yet fulfilling.

He had not neglected his Skin Polishing; he had already attained a minor breakthrough.

In fact, in progress he was even ahead of Zhao Xuan and Wang Zhengpin.

Though Xu Beihu claimed that Body Refinement Technique didn’t hinge on talent, slight differences were inevitable.

Today, Li Che had come to the training ground to test the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 Dao Fruit.

Clutching the stone lock, his inner qi surged, and boiling blood pounded against his skin, turning it a deep crimson as heat radiated outward in waves!

At the same time,

the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 Dao Fruit, energized by his circulating qi, began to buzz as if fully activated!

Before his eyes, a prompt materialized.

【Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv1 1%)】

Joy lit up his eyes as an unseen force surged through him, battering his skin as though it had been struck thousands of times in an instant, rapidly accelerating his Skin Polishing progress!

Once merely at a minor breakthrough, Li Che now felt his inner strength spike, his skin growing incredibly resilient with a subtle radiance. Thanks to the activating power of the Dao Fruit, he had vaulted from a minor breakthrough to perfection!

Unlike the 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit, the maturity of the Dragon Elephant Vajra depended solely on diligent practice!

In short, it was something he could grind out with hard work!

Thrilled beyond words, Li Che’s inner glow subsided at his command, and his powerful aura fully retracted.

With a mere thought, he could unleash that strength again, maintaining the perfected Skin Polishing state.

“Control at will—a must-have Dao Fruit for any master of subterfuge!”

His qi and blood receded, leaving no trace.

“This way, I won’t arouse suspicion with too rapid an advancement. My bone structure… Xu Beihu has already examined it. If I progressed too fast, I’d attract envy, even lethal threats.”

“In these turbulent times, Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop has managed to stand firm in Feilei City for two centuries—a feat impossible without ruthless methods…”

“So, one must never be without a healthy distrust of others.”

After a moment’s thought, Li Che exhaled softly.

He trained methodically on the ground, practicing his Skin Polishing technique for half a day.

【Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv1 2%)】

A 1% increase in maturity!

A broad smile spread across Li Che’s face. Seizing the chance while no one was watching, he unleashed the qi locked within the Dao Fruit once more.

Instantly, his qi surged anew. His Skin Polishing reached perfection as a faint golden glow spread over his skin; his temples pulsed as formidable power coursed through his fists and palms.

Experiencing even a 1% uptick in maturity filled him with delight—in other words, he was now ready to break into the Tendon Burst realm!

Thus began his practice of the Inner Strength Technique!

In addition, the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 Dao Fruit has a special effect that can trigger the power of Dragon Elephant strength; regrettably, the crowded training ground made it hard for Li Che to activate it now.

Yet, he could imagine that harnessing that power would further amplify his abilities!

He then gathered his qi back into the Dao Fruit.

Looking up, Li Che watched as snowflakes danced lightly across his cheeks.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

In terms of personal martial might…

Finally, the future shone bright!

He even hoped one day he might be strong enough to take on the Spirit Infant Cult Leader!