Chapter 24: with translation of chapter title

"A fine seedling for cultivating the divine nature method?"

Li Che's eyes narrowed, but he wasn't overly surprised.

He had already wondered what was so special about the so-called spirit infants that the Spirit Infant Sect cared so much.

Surely it is also related to divinity.

"The Spirit Infant Sect's methods are likely vicious and despicable; if Xixi fell into their hands, she would be raised, and once she grew and her divinity became abundant, she would be forcibly devoured and drained..."

"To become a raised spirit infant is certainly no good thing..."

Chen Lao drank a mouthful of wine by himself, shook his head, and spoke in a low voice.

That is certainly not a good thing; Li Che knows this well, so from the moment Xixi was born, he has treaded on thin ice.

Furrowing his brow, Li Che pondered countermeasures, wondering how many years of ignoble development it would take for him to gain the strength to single-handedly wipe out the Spirit Infant Sect...

He has a Dao fruit bound to his daughter, slowly growing, and will eventually become stronger.

He gently stroked the back of Xixi's head; the little girl's dazed eyes blinked, sparkling with purity and childlike innocence.

Chen Lao exhaled: "Actually, there is a way to deal with the crisis brought by the Spirit Infant Sect."

Li Che glanced at Chen Lao, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, signaling him to continue.

"Spirit infants are rare, but not nonexistent; those born among commoners are pitiful, like lambs, usually hard to grow up, and are targeted from a young age—not only by the Spirit Infant Sect, but also by other sects that inherited teachings from the Guiyi Miao, who likewise hunt spirit infants."

Chen Lao's expression turned solemn.

"But if one can survive to four years old, there is a chance to live."

Li Che was startled.

"Four years old... is there any saying about that?"

Chen Lao smiled: "Nothing else, the court will intervene."

"The court?"

Li Che's expression flickered slightly; he had almost forgotten about the court.

Fēiléichéng... is basically divided among the several great Shijia Zhuzu of Nei Cheng, who hold power; the court's offices are nominal, handling only minor civilian disputes, and otherwise are not taken seriously by the Shijia Zhuzu.

Chen Lao took a sip of old yellow wine, shook his head: "Little Li, don't underestimate the court—a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse; moreover... Dàjǐng hasn't yet wasted away; although the court has declined, it remains one of the strongest forces under heaven, and even those several great divine sects dare not ignore it."

"Fēiléichéng is mainly remote, and with the Guiyi Miao's locations isolated, it has somewhat slipped out of the court's jurisdiction, but it is not entirely lawless."

"Just look at how the prefecture's court is nominal, yet the several great Shijia Zhuzu would hardly dare to truly ignore it."

"Originally, the court conducted a screening every four years; if a spirit infant possessed divinity, it would be recruited and cultivated by the court. Now, the right to conduct this screening has been delegated by the prefecture to the several great Shijia Zhuzu of Fēiléichéng."

Chen Lao, having said this, glanced at Li Che.

Li Che nodded slightly: "So, as long as Xixi safely lives to four years old, passes the screening for divine talent, joins the Xu family to cultivate, and learns the divine nature method, she could receive the Xu family's protection and be safe?"

"Exactly so."

Chen Lao smiled.

"If the court were to regain control over Fēiléichéng, the several great Shijia Zhuzu would still have to send the selected divine children back to the court..."

Li Che frowned: "Would the great clans be willing to send them back?"

Chen Lao took a sip of wine: "The court certainly understands as well... So, what do you think is the purpose behind this policy?"

"The Dàjǐng court doesn't ignore things; it's just unwilling to manage them, as Guiyi Miao sprout like bamboo shoots after rain, with almost every city giving rise to one or several such temples..."

"If the court had to oversee every Guiyi Miao, it couldn't cope; thus... it delegated authority to the Shijia Zhuzu in each city, letting them tinker and deal with the Guiyi Miao."

"These screened divine seedlings naturally serve to replenish talent for the great clans."

Upon hearing this, Li Che couldn't help but feel enlightened.

Chen Lao narrowed his eyes: "Besides that, the Divine Sect also comes every four years to screen for divine children, taking them back to the sect for cultivation—essentially competing with the court for talent, though the Divine Sect's requirements are higher; generally, only those who meet them are the carefully nurtured offspring of the great clans."

Regarding the cultivation powers of this world, Li Che was naturally quite clueless, but after hearing Chen Lao's explanation, he actually began to sort things out.

"If he could enter the Divine Sect to cultivate, that would be best, but the Divine Sect's disciple selection requirements are exceedingly high..."

Chen Lao sighed and shook his head, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

Li Che sensed there was a story behind his words, so he deliberately poured a cup of wine, held Xixi, blinked his eyes, and the gossip fire burned brightly.

But Chen Lao rolled his eyes, merely drank his wine, and didn't utter another word.

Li Che felt a slight regret, then asked: "Old Chen, do you have any martial arts for sale? If so... sell me a few volumes?"

Chen Lao had just taken a sip of wine and nearly choked.

"Do you think martial arts are like cabbage? A few volumes... strictly speaking, martial arts are far more precious than techniques like marrow-washing or meridian-opening; although I have some stored in my study, there aren't many."

Upon hearing this, Li Che's eyes lit up at once, and he became increasingly interested in Chen Lao's study.

"Martial arts of this sort have distinct styles; the great clans' martial arts cannot be directly transmitted—if you learned them, you'd surely settle scores, so... what type of martial arts do you want?"

Chen Lao thumped his chest, caught his breath, and replied testily.

"I'll take anything, as long as I can practice... Old man, are you selling?"

Li Che held Xixi, and father and daughter almost simultaneously smiled brightly.

"......"

"......"

Time does not linger, seasons flow like water.

One month later.

Fēiléichéng, Spring Wind Lane.

Within the small courtyard with its gates tightly shut, the accumulated snow had completely melted, scorching air currents intertwined like dragons, striking the loquat trees planted in the yard, causing them to tremble incessantly.

Li Che bore his upper body naked; beneath his bronzed skin, it seemed as if surging qi and blood raged wildly, and with each roar, his skin drummed like a thunderclap, like thunder after clouds.

Thick, dragon-like tendons bulged along his frame, writhing and taut, like bowstrings pulled tight.

Boom!

Vigorous qi burst forth, instantly exploding the lingering snow into a hazy mist.

He slowly gathered his internal force and blood qi; Li Che's eyes opened, flashing light in the haze like two sharp blades tearing through the fog.

The tendons throughout his body gradually relaxed, and his black hair flew wildly.

Donning a thin robe, Li Che swung his arms, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

His gaze focused, and a prompt appeared.

【Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Golden Strength (lv1, 50%)】

He twisted his neck, the spine crackled, and a domineering aura circulated.

"In one month, I opened nine major tendons; the Xu family tendon-opening method is complete…… Not bad, faster than I imagined—indeed, everything is inseparable from my diligence and effort."

He raised his hand; vigorous qi surged, nine strands of internal force like swimming snakes coiled outside his palm.

"The Si Snake internal force has also reached the Second Heaven; I can barely release it outward."

"Indeed, the Dragon Elephant Golden Strength Dao Fruit greatly aids martial cultivation……"

"The 【Immortal Craft】 enhances my woodcarving skill, while the 【Dragon Elephant Golden Strength】 boosts my martial talent—great; I wonder what type the third Dao Fruit will be?"

Li Che couldn't help but feel some anticipation for the third Dao Fruit that would accompany his daughter Xixi after she turned two.

"Moreover, the White Tiger Chaotic Wind Fist martial technique I picked up from Old Chen—having mastered it to a minor accomplishment level—this external training martial art is truly easy for me to cultivate."

"However, a martial technique is indeed lacking; after completing tomorrow's woodcarving transaction with the Young Master of the Si family and obtaining the gold leaf, I'll go to the workshop market again to see if I can acquire another technique to boost my offensive power."

Li Che donned a thin robe, directly began punching in the courtyard; fist wind howled like a tiger exploding waves, countless snowflakes rose, continually melting into water under his blood qi, then freezing again upon landing.

After finishing a set of fist techniques, Li Che finally felt satisfied gathering his strength.

The minor-accomplishment White Tiger Chaotic Wind Fist, combined with the Golden Strong Transformation, erupts with terrifying power.

But…… it's still not enough.

Returning to the inner room, after washing his body clean with hot water, Li Che bought a box of osmanthus cake his wife loved, then went back to the woodcarving shop.

Wearing a leather apron, Li Che sat in a chair; before him lay the "Nine-Headed Guanyin Angry Cry Suppress Ghost Statue," meticulously carved over a month.

Picking up his tools, the 【Immortal Craft】 Dao Fruit trembled slightly; he calmed his mind, entered the carving state, and wholeheartedly carried out the finishing work.

Inside the workshop, only the rustling sound remained.

Waiting for the final procedure to finish.

Li Che's vision suddenly flashed with a golden light.

The next moment, a prompt appeared before his eyes.

【Dao Fruit: Immortal Craft (lv3, 0%)】

【Dao Fruit lv3, rebirth, obtaining the embryonic divine ability "Immortal Craft·Thousand Analysis Hand"】

ps: Tuesday, please keep reading; Tuesday's readership is extremely important, deciding next week's recommendation, please support us, don't just hoard the book, Old Li thanks you!

(End of chapter)