Chapter 203: A New Dawn Amidst Chaos

Nan Lihuo failed to seize the perfect chance to kill Su Huai Li.

His heart was weighed down by a sour feeling.

Ogre and Ma Mian had spent a fortune inviting him, but Su Huai Li escaped early—leaving everyone empty-handed.

The only consolation was learning that Su Huai Li had used Corpse God Sect methods to flee, meaning he had joined the Corpse God Sect.

Once the news spread, it would ruin his reputation—and even affect Ji Mo Li.

After all, a disciple of King Ping Luan colluding with the Corpse God Sect is anything but commendable, shaking the prestige of both King Ping Luan and Ji Mo Li.

For Nan Lihuo, this was a rare piece of good news.

“What a pity…”

Nan Lihuo shook his head, his mind now steady.

He removed the White Fox Mask and looked at Ogre. “Sorry for making you come in vain, my brother,” he apologized.

With that, Nan Lihuo retrieved the promised Divine Crystal from his bosom.

For Li Che, this amount of Divine Crystal was nothing at all.

“Fine, I’ll take your Divine Crystal as my fee and handle the task of killing Su Huai Li. I, Ogre, have it covered.”

“He won’t get away,”

Ogre’s hoarse voice echoed throughout the courtyard.

Then he pocketed Nan Lihuo’s payment.

Nan Lihuo’s eyes flickered with a trace of joy. Though he couldn’t kill Su Huai Li himself, he wasn’t one to demand too much.

Having Su Huai Li killed was already an outstanding result.

“Thank you.”

Nan Lihuo clasped his fists in gratitude, thanking him solemnly.

Ogre merely adjusted his bamboo hat and replied coolly, “Business is business—among profit partners, no thanks are needed.”

His words fell silent.

In that moment, the burly figure vanished into thin air.

Nan Lihuo, along with a dazed Li Qingshan—looking nearly soulless—swiftly slipped away from the City Lord’s Residence.

In no time at all,

news that Jin Guang Mansion’s leader, Su Huai Li, had escaped using Corpse God Sect methods spread like a tidal wave.

The entire Jingguang City was in an uproar!

Xie Jing, the Governor of the Temple Guardian Division, along with several commanders of the Divine Guard Army, entered the City Lord’s Residence and confirmed the rumor’s truth.

A single stone had stirred a thousand waves!

All of Jin Guang Mansion was thrown into chaos.

Because this matter was indeed enormous!

After all, the City Lord of the Capital is not merely the head of a small town under Jin Guang Mansion!

Their statuses are worlds apart!

Now, with such figures tainted by the Corpse God Sect, many forces within Jin Guang Mansion began to feel insecure.

In that moment, many recalled the merits of the Underworld.

Because with the Underworld…

only the sinister followers of the Corpse God Sect inside Jingguang City would be eradicated.

Otherwise, all of Jin Guang Mansion might very well become nothing more than playthings for the Corpse God Sect.

……

……

Li Che agreed to help Nan Lihuo kill Su Huai Li.

After all, it was a convenient favor.

He returned to the Private Workshop Courtyard in Luohua Alley.

Li Che shed his Ogre disguise and entered the inner room, which was as warm as spring; the burning charcoal stove radiated comfort, allowing his many 【Painted Immortal】 clones, busy cultivating their divine essence, to also feel the warmth from their origin.

The Surprised Divine Essence had already carved its divine foundation and coalesced into divine vision.

Now, within the inner realm, it dominated the scene.

Yet even this couldn’t outshine the radiance emitted by the Pure Heart Divine Foundation.

Three clones practicing the Six Desires Divine Essence were quietly training in the corner, and Li Che generously supplied them with Divine Crystals so they could absorb as much as possible.

They employed the Three Desires method—touch, will, and hearing.

With matching Divine Essence techniques and ample Divine Crystals, the clones’ training progressed steadily.

The Unsullied Heart paper fluttered open, and one after another, Li Che’s clones emerged.

Li Che brusquely assigned tasks among his clones.

First, he had not abandoned the ‘Divine Martial Heavenly Soldier Furnace Combined Technique’ he had acquired earlier, letting six clones continue its practice.

Second, the wood carving task from the Imperial Watch needed his clones’ attention.

And assembling tens of thousands of intricate Spirit Wood parts for the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank was another laborious duty for them.

“I’m really swamped…”

Li Che looked at his bustling clones and couldn’t help but sigh in awe.

Without his clones, he’d never manage so many tasks on his own.

He stretched, every joint creaking noisily.

Meanwhile, his martial training required his personal attention.

Because mastering the Martial Saint Technique demands a resilience beyond what clone bodies can handle—it had to be done by him.

Clenching his fist, the Rending Golden Spear slid out from Qianyuan Space into his grasp; in a flash, its impact roared like tigers and panthers.

Fueled by the lingering insights from 【Qi Tian Face】, Li Che trained with the Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun as if divinely aided.

Countless spear-like shadows flickered densely across the courtyard, displacing streams of air and sending turbulent currents surging.

After practicing the ultimate Qi Tian technique for a while, Li Che paused.

His flesh pounded, his bones creaked in unison, and his mercury-like blood surged; in one breath, he exhaled as if a divine sword had torn through the air.

A surge of warm vapor rose from his skin.

“It’s still a bit off. Without mastering the ultimate technique, I can’t fully grasp the true essence of the Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun.”

Li Che practiced his martial arts while pondering.

Under the humming of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, he continued his training.

He also practiced the Martial Saint Techniques of Thousand Mountain Solitary Blade and Lingxu Baqi Steps.

Among these, Lingxu Baqi Steps was his priority—after all, it’s an extremely rare Martial Saint body technique.

Li Che trained with utmost seriousness.

After all, it’s a Martial Saint technique meant for escape!

Studying it diligently was the only way.

Even if you can’t perfect the art of escape, you must have it.

After finishing his martial training,

Li Che sat cross-legged beneath the eaves, watching the swirling snow meld with the chaotic wind, and slowly closed his eyes.

He began practicing the Three Pure Ones-level ‘Fatai Xiangdi Lingzhen True Ape Technique’.

This technique served as a cultivation method ranging from nurturing one’s nature to reaching the Divine Essence realm.

It detailed the methods for Primordial Transformation, Golden Body Transcendence, and Breath Retention Transformation upon reaching the Divine Essence realm.

In fact, while such methods are valuable, they aren’t rare—nearly every Divine Sect can produce Three Pure Ones-level Divine Essence cultivation techniques.

The problem is, who dares to cultivate them?

Without talent or sufficient resources to practice a Three Pure Ones-level technique…

it’s essentially no better than giving up on cultivation.

After all, this Divine Essence method is Three Pure Ones-level and lacks a defined Seven Emotions attribute, leaving Li Che at a loss.

After a short while, Li Che abandoned further practice.

He rose, left the Private Workshop, changed into a dark robe, and headed to the Imperial Watch for duty.

At the Clifftop Pagoda, with its upturned eaves and graceful corners,

snow piled on the dark tiles, creating a striking contrast of black and white.

Donning a bamboo hat, Li Che strolled along the snowy riverside, hands behind his back, in utter contentment.

He wandered along the banks of the river in Jiulong River City, where the churning waters carried the divine essence of the Temple Spirit from the Third Prince’s Bizarre Temple.

Thus, the river never froze in the bitter winter, and ferries continued to glide along its surface.

Arriving at the pagoda, he pushed open the door and was greeted by a burst of warm air.

Inside, Shangguan Qinghong and Gong Yunli huddled in the office, warming themselves by the charcoal stove as they munched on fruits and preserved sweets while whispering.

When Li Che arrived, Shangguan Qinghong’s eyes lit up instantly.

She hurried over, exclaiming, “Che, you’re here!”

Li Che nodded warmly.

“Is XiXi about to head to Daocheng soon?”

“Master also agreed to let me study at the Imperial Watch in Daocheng. I can go with little XiXi,” she replied with flushed cheeks and delight.

“Your master is Lin Xiu. Our Jin Guang Mansion’s Imperial Watch in Daocheng actually had a vacancy this year, and Lin Xiu secured one for you,” explained Gong Yunli.

Gong Yunli said.

“Ah Che, please look after Qinghong on your journey.”

Gong Yunli approached and ruffled Shangguan Qinghong’s hair.

Ever since Lin Xiu took her to the Imperial Watch, Gong Yunli had cared for Shangguan Qinghong, forging a deep bond.

“Naturally,” Li Che replied with a warm smile.

“In a few days, once XiXi stabilizes the Temple Spirit divine essence acquired from the Temple Spirit Resonance, Elder Jiao will arrange her departure for Daocheng.”

“That should be in just a few days,”

“Qinghong, join us in the courtyard when the time comes; we’ll set off together.”

Shangguan Qinghong’s bright eyes nodded repeatedly.

After chatting a bit more, Li Che went off to find Monitor Hu Yingyue.

In the room where the Monitor resided,

the aroma of tea filled the air, accompanied by the haunting strains of an Erhu that echoed continuously.

Hu Yingyue closed her eyes as she played the Erhu; its sound cascaded within the room but was carefully contained.

That remarkable control made Li Che, who had entered the room, raise an eyebrow.

It turned out that the Erhu-playing Monitor, Hu Yingyue, had quietly reached the Divine Essence realm.

Lu Yao was in the room drinking tea with Tang Ren.

As soon as Li Che arrived, the Erhu’s melody gradually died down.

Hu Yingyue slung the Erhu over her waist and greeted Li Che warmly.

“Ah Che, come have some tea with us. With your family heading to Daocheng, we might not get many tea breaks together,”

Hu Yingyue said with a smile.

With practiced ease, Hu Yingyue washed and brewed tea, pouring Li Che a cup of steaming jade-green tea.

“Once you all leave, Jin Guang Mansion will lose many familiar faces.”

The Monitor shook his head slightly.

“That rowdy Li Qingshan is leaving, and Nan Lihuo told me he’s going too. Su Huai Li has betrayed the Corpse God Sect and fled…”

“Before we know it, there will hardly be any old acquaintances left in Jin Guang Mansion.”

The elderly Monitor sighed deeply. Moved by the scene, he felt inspired to play a tune—but Lu Yao frowned and stopped him.

“Enough already. Nobody wants to listen to your unpleasant Erhu sounds,”

Lu Yao muttered curses.

He was tired of hearing it every day.

Li Che smiled. His visit wasn’t only to bid farewell; he also had inquiries.

“The first-class Guest Official exam? You just became a second-class Guest Official—are you already aiming for first-class?”

Lu Yao’s face darkened; he had only just overseen Li Che’s second-class exam.

How soon had Li Che begun asking about the first-class requirements?

Isn’t that a touch too ambitious?

The elderly Monitor Hu Yingyue, stroking his beard, said, “The first-class Guest Official exam must be taken in Daocheng, and Special Guest Officials are certified at the Imperial Watch headquarters in the Divine Capital.”

“There are strict requirements to become a first-class Guest Official: first, you need solid Divine Vision; and second, you must be able to carve at least three Seven-Yuan Divine Wooden Sculptures.”

The elderly Monitor looked at Li Che without reservation.

“Three Seven-Yuan Wooden Sculptures?” Li Che nodded; at his current level, those requirements were no problem.

Then, after a moment’s thought, he added, “I wonder… how much do you know about the requirements for becoming an Elder of the Divine Sculpture at Qianyuan Main Sect?”

At that, both Lu Yao and the elderly Monitor were stunned, staring at Li Che in bewilderment.

Soon, they both sighed in near unison and shook their heads.

“Qianyuan Divine Sect forbids disciples’ relatives from entering the mountain, yet it provides free housing in Daocheng along with monthly stipends for them—they don’t shortchange a disciple’s family…”

“Qianyuan Divine Sect controls several major market districts in Daocheng; in terms of wealth, even ancient Daocheng families pale in comparison.”

“So it’s not difficult for the Divine Sect to offer free housing for your families—otherwise, with Daocheng’s high costs, many would drain their fortunes just to scrape by. Living in Daocheng is no small feat…”

“But from your question, Ah Che, it seems you want to enter the orthodox Divine Sect to accompany your daughter?”

The Monitor stroked his beard and said.

Li Che nodded, not hiding his thoughts.

“Not allowing family accompaniment is a rule of the orthodox Divine Sect—not out of unkindness but for a reason… even those from branch sects find it extremely difficult to enter the mountain of the orthodox Divine Sect…”

“As for the reason, I cannot say—but you’ll know once you reach the orthodox Divine Sect’s mountain.”

Li Che was left speechless.

That riddle-maker should be beaten to death.

But the elderly Monitor secretly relished Li Che’s inner restlessness—such feelings could inspire a beautiful Erhu melody.

“Becoming an Elder of Divine Sculpture is indeed an excellent path, but the difficulty is enormous. Even though you’re a second-class Guest Official at our Imperial Watch… your chances are slim.”

The Monitor stroked his beard, sighed deeply, and showed little confidence in Li Che.

“Even with Elder Jiao’s recommendation, your competitors for the Elder position are all old men—mostly first-class Guest Officials at our Imperial Watch, and if luck isn’t on your side, even Special Guest Officials…”

“The quota for Divine Sculpture Elders isn’t fixed; it renews every three years, but the numbers remain limited—new ones emerging means some old ones will be phased out…”

Lu Yao, from beside them, looked at Li Che and interjected, “As far as I know, no new Divine Sculpture Elder has emerged in nearly nine years…”

“Every candidate for the Elder slot at the Imperial Watch—and even some master wood carvers from established families—has failed.”

“If you truly want to compete, you’ll need to reach the level of a first-class master sculptor.”

Lu Yao said.

Li Che asked in confusion, “First-class advancement?”

“That is, you must be capable of crafting mid-grade Divine Wooden Sculptures from the Six Divisions for a chance.”

Lu Yao said directly.

Upon hearing this, Li Che became noticeably serious.

“Thank you, Lord Lu, and thank you, Monitor, for clearing my doubts.”

Having obtained the answers he sought, Li Che didn’t linger and bowed in farewell.

……

……

A gentle breeze stirred, making his hair dance lightly.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

As the Third Prince’s Bizarre Temple returned to calm, the weather normalized—no more torrential rains, just the return of a cold, snowy winter.

Under the eaves, Li Che sat cross-legged, his eyes slowly closing.

Within his mud pellet, his primordial spirit radiated brilliantly as he continued studying the new Three Pure Ones-level Divine Essence Technique.

In just three days, he hadn’t even managed to enter the technique’s doorway.

“My divine talent… shouldn’t it be better than this?”

Li Che nearly began to doubt himself.

“Fatai Xiangdi Lingzhen True Ape Technique… it doesn’t seem like a Seven Emotions method!”

“Even if I wanted to switch cultivation, I wouldn’t know which divine foundation to use.”

This was the difficulty Li Che faced over these three days.

He attempted to cultivate but couldn’t grasp the path.

“If it’s not the Seven Emotions Divine Essence, can I switch using the 【Pure Heart】 Divine Foundation?”

Li Che opened his eyes, as if a current of electricity flashed through them.

Pure Heart Divine Essence—unsullied, flawless, and crystal clear!

If I switch to this Divine Essence technique, it should work.

Moreover, now that the Pure Heart Divine Essence had condensed into a divine foundation, Li Che had no clue how to break through to divine vision.

Originally, he thought that once his Pure Heart Dao Fruit reached LV4, divine vision would form automatically, just as it did when Pure Heart condensed into its divine foundation.

But reality proved otherwise.

Divine vision…

One must observe—but with a Pure Heart divine foundation, what can one observe?

Thus, Li Che felt utterly lost.

Now, having acquired the Three Pure Ones Divine Essence Technique gave him a new idea.

That thought took root and refused to vanish.

If he didn’t switch and started over with this Three Pure Ones-level technique, who knew when his divine foundation might form?

“In that case, let me use the Pure Heart divine foundation to carve the Fatai Xiangdi Lingzhen True Ape Technique!”

Li Che’s eyes flashed as, with a boom, it seemed as though two flames burst into life!

His mind surged and his primordial spirit opened its eyes.

In that instant, his thought was as if blessed with divine clarity.

Using his Pure Heart divine foundation, he reproduced and adapted the Fatai Xiangdi Lingzhen True Ape Technique…

and he successfully triggered a Divine Essence pathway!

Li Che immediately fetched a Six Divisions Divine Crystal, absorbing its divine essence, and began condensing the first strand of 【Fatai Xiangdi Lingzhen True Ape】 Divine Essence along the divine pathway!

Sure enough, the Three Pure Ones Divine Essence Technique was truly a gold-devouring beast-level method!

A formidable absorption force erupted, draining nearly one-fifth of the divine essence from the crystal, which coalesced within his mud pellet into the refined strand of Lingzhen True Ape Divine Essence—a result of countless trials!

Li Che couldn’t help but be amazed—this was indeed unbelievably gold-devouring!

And as soon as the first strand of Lingzhen True Ape Divine Essence formed, it was drawn in and fused by the Pure Heart divine foundation!

Boom—!!!

The moment the Pure Heart Divine Essence fused with the Fatai Xiangdi Divine Essence,

the entire scene within the mud pellet began to tremble!

The Surprised Divine Vision, with its blazing eyes, of the Astonished Spirit Ape seemed to cry out in terror, howling wildly within the inner realm.

The other six divine foundations also trembled incessantly!

Yet the Pure Heart divine foundation ignored all and continued to fuse.

Gradually…

that trace of Fatai Xiangdi Divine Essence was completely devoured by the Pure Heart Divine Essence.

Li Che’s heart trembled as the 【Pure Heart】 Dao Fruit within him quivered uncontrollably!

Then, a surge of warmth flooded his mind.

The Fatai Xiangdi Divine Essence Technique imparted by 【Qi Tian Face】 transformed into streams of golden characters, swirling around the Pure Heart Dao Fruit like a golden aura.

When all settled, Li Che opened his eyes, a trace of confusion crossing his face.

It was as if something had changed—and yet remained the same.

Lifting his hand, the Pure Heart Divine Essence surged from his fingertips and coalesced into a white Divine Chess Piece—still unsullied.

In an instant, the pristine divine essence at his fingertips transformed into Fatai Xiangdi Lingzhen True Ape Divine Essence.

Li Che clenched a Six Divisions Divine Crystal and activated it forcefully.

In a flash, a mighty and terrifying absorption force erupted, draining the immense divine essence from the crystal at a visibly staggering pace.

In less than twenty breaths.

It was reduced to an empty shell of a Divine Crystal.

With a clenched fist, it turned into Divine Crystal powder capable of suppressing divine power.

After collecting the powder, Li Che exhaled deeply.

His eyes gleaming, he retrieved a second Six Divisions Divine Crystal and continued absorbing.

Only after continuously absorbing five such crystals did the wild surge finally subside.

Now Li Che possessed plenty—otherwise, he could never sustain this gold-devouring beast!

“Because my Pure Heart Divine Essence had only reached the divine foundation level, and I wasn’t previously cultivating the Three Pure Ones technique, its intensity was low. Now that I’ve switched, I’ve raised its quality to the Three Pure Ones level…”

The divine essence absorbed from these five Six Divisions Divine Crystals served precisely that purpose.

Now, the Pure Heart and Fatai Xiangdi Divine Essences can be transformed at will, and both have reached a perfected divine foundation.

“The only regret is that absorbing these five Six Divisions Divine Crystals did not enhance the maturity of the 【Pure Heart】 Dao Fruit.”

Li Che muttered to himself.

Bzzzz…

Suddenly,

Li Che’s eyes narrowed.

and he discovered that on the Heavenly Chessboard, on the Divine Weapon 【Qi Tian Face】, an overwhelming surge of Temple Spirit Divine Essence was bursting forth…

transforming into a swirling vortex.

The vortex was enormous, twisting across the Heavenly Chessboard, so heavy it seemed poised to collapse the board into a web of cracks!

Li Che’s primordial spirit opened its eyes as he stared intently at the vortex.

Faintly, through the Temple Spirit’s divine vortex, he saw a…

truly ancient city!

Rising above that ancient city was a golden treasure staff that no mysterious, ephemeral fog could conceal!

Boom—!!

In one glance, an oppressive force like a collapsing mountain pressed down ominously.

Li Che’s heart pounded as if it were about to burst!

That was…

Qitian City!

Qi Tian Hun Yuan Ruyi Gun!

For some reason, those two names sprang to Li Che’s mind!

In the next moment, the vortex on the chessboard dispersed, the scene vanishing without a trace…

It was as if it had all been a hallucination.

Yet Li Che fell silent, his expression slightly dazed…

Was this a sign of something?

And as the image in the Temple Spirit’s divine vortex faded, a torrent of divine lines—like a tornado—burst forth and connected with the Pure Heart divine foundation suspended in Li Che’s inner mud pellet.

“This is…”

That scene was not unfamiliar to Li Che.

Wasn’t his Surprised Divine Vision forged exactly like this?

The Temple Spirit Divine Essence contained within 【Qi Tian Face】 was being drawn into the Pure Heart divine foundation—or rather, the Fatai Xiangdi Divine Foundation—in such a manner.

Wait a minute!

It was as if an unparalleled thunderbolt had struck Li Che’s heart.

His eyes shone brilliantly as his very soul trembled.

His breathing suddenly surged like a bellows.

The Temple Spirit Divine Essence within 【Qi Tian Face】…

Is it Him?!

……

……

Bang!

Bang bang!

Fireworks and firecrackers exploded all around!

Dazzling golden light burst forth throughout Jingguang City, as billowing dust swept away the falling snow!

Before anyone knew it, it was the grand New Year of the Great Realm.

At the mid-mountain courtyard on Zheng Lei Peak.

XiXi was overjoyed, pulling Shangguan Qinghong, Zhou Peng, and Yun’e along to set off firecrackers and fireworks.

She even couldn’t help but take out a pink Fire God Gatling.

But upon seeing it, Li Che quickly stopped her.

Reluctantly, XiXi put away the Gatling and, dragging Old Chen along, ran off to set off firecrackers.

Today, the mid-mountain courtyard of Zheng Lei Peak was extraordinarily lively.

On New Year’s Eve, everyone gathered here.

Elder Jiao Shaoqiu and Carriage Master Nie Yang were invited by XiXi to celebrate, along with Nan Lihuo, Sang Guanyin, and Liu Yangyuan.

Since XiXi was soon leaving Jingguang City for Daocheng to cultivate, her senior siblings were more than happy to follow her lead.

Li Qingshan, accompanied by Granny Mu, also arrived.

Unfortunately, Lu Chi was missing.

XiXi huffed disdainfully—she had no intention of dealing with Lu Da Tou!

Uncle Li’s family also came; Cousin Li Zhengran and Cousin-in-law Liu Chunming, along with Li Chengzhou, joined the New Year celebration.

Li Chengzhou’s divine talent was average, but his martial aptitude was impressive.

Li Che took good care of him, even using Pure Heart Divine Essence to occasionally guide him.

Li Chengzhou was a quiet, introverted child—a complete contrast to XiXi’s wild nature.

“Uncle, once XiXi’s New Year is over, she’s setting off for Daocheng… Shall we all go together? With Chengzhou coming along, he might have a chance to join the orthodox outer sect.”

As Li Che served freshly cooked dumplings to Uncle, he spoke.

Uncle Li Liang paused at his words…

Cousin-in-law Liu Chunming was so moved that tears nearly welled up.

“Really… is that so?”

“We can also go to Daocheng?”

Liu Chunming’s voice trembled; she thought Li Che had long forgotten about them.

To her surprise, Li Che was willing to take them along.

Liu Chunming was more than eager to go to Daocheng—for only there could Chengzhou find better opportunities for growth and cultivation!

Daocheng and the Capital… are worlds apart!

After all, it is the largest city in Lingnan Path!

Even Uncle Li Liang trembled a bit—for Chengzhou’s future, as his grandfather, he was naturally willing.

Yet he also feared troubling Li Che; besides, even in the Capital, with Li Che and XiXi’s support, Chengzhou would do just fine.

But who wouldn’t wish for even better prospects?

Li Che took Chengzhou over to Elder Jiao Shaoqiu.

“Elder Jiao, this is my nephew. Do you think… does he have a chance to join the orthodox Divine Sect’s outer gate?”

As the senior Elder of the outer sect, Elder Jiao had no trouble recruiting an outer disciple.

Elder Jiao’s weathered face broke into a kindly smile.

He beckoned, patted Chengzhou’s head, and then used Divination of Essence to peer at him.

“His divine talent is only that of an average Prodigy… a bit lacking.”

“Gaining entry to the orthodox Divine Sect’s outer gate is a stretch… but his martial foundation is quite good.”

“It doesn’t even seem to have a martial aura.”

Elder Jiao raised an eyebrow and looked at the meticulous Carriage Master Nie Yang.

For some unknown reason, Chengzhou kept staring at Nie Yang.

Nie Yang put down his chopsticks and looked at Chengzhou.

He raised his hand; a sword materialized, and with a flick of his finger, its clear, melodious hum filled the air.

“Do you like it?”

Nie Yang asked.

Chengzhou, pressing his lips together as he leaned on Li Che’s leg, nodded repeatedly.

Nie Yang nodded and handed the sword—its hilt wrapped in ragged cloth—to Chengzhou.

“Hold it.”

Chengzhou stretched out both hands and clutched the sword tightly, unwilling to let go.

Gradually, the sword felt lighter.

Nie Yang retrieved the sword.

“From now on, you’ll learn swordsmanship with me.”

Nie Yang picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating dumplings.

Elder Jiao stroked his beard and chuckled softly.

At these words, Li Che’s lips curved into a smile as he patted Chengzhou’s head gently.

“Hurry, call for someone.”

Chengzhou’s face flushed bright red; clenching his fist, he bowed deeply and shouted, “Master!”

Whoosh—

Bang—!!!

In the distance, XiXi screamed as she lit fireworks.

Dazzling fireworks shot straight into the sky, bursting into colorful brilliance.

……

……

In Luohua Alley, at a small restaurant,

the place was brightly lit.

On the table sat a bowl of braised pork trotters—one of XiXi’s favorites.

The young owner, cigarette in hand, poured a bowl of wine for the big black dog and a cup for himself.

Man and dog clinked glasses and drank.

They admired the fireworks.

Welcoming the new year.

……

……

Just after the New Year, the accumulating snow grew even thicker.

XiXi had completely stabilized the Temple Spirit Divine Essence.

In the city, the Gong, Hai, and Gongyang families had arranged convoys to head to Daocheng, but in the end, they decided to follow the Jin Guang Branch’s convoy.

After learning the departure time, each went off to prepare.

Luohua Alley.

Private Workshop Courtyard.

The Painted Immortal clones continued their diligent cultivation.

Li Che, dressed in a dark robe,

sat quietly in the midst of the wind and snow.

A thick layer of snow had settled upon him.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered open and shut.

The white snow on him appeared as if stained with rich, dark ink…

Turning black.

Before his eyes, streams of light flickered slowly.

【Dao Fruit: Painted Immortal (Lv3 0%)】

【Dao Fruit Lv3, one more transformation to acquire the nascent divine ability “Painted Immortal: Ink Death”】

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