As a father, I just want to quietly watch you live a long life

This was something Li Che had not anticipated; pushing the maturity of the Dao Fruit to level 3 had unexpectedly led to this transformation!

"Prototype of divine powers..."

Li Che murmured.

With a thought, he suddenly looked at his own hands where faint jade-colored smoke seemed to be diffusing from his arms, emerging from his pores, making his fingers and arms appear as pale and smooth as jade.

[Prototype of Divine Powers (Immortal Worker: Thousand Analyzing Hands): Siphon Divinity, Essence Cultivation of Divine Powers, Immortal Artisan Transforms, Craftsmanship Ascends]

The introduction emerged before his eyes.

Li Che merely glanced at it and felt his mind quake, utterly astonished.

"Siphon Divinity?!"

"Does it mean to absorb divinity? If this prototype of divine powers is applied, can it siphon divinity for one's own use?"

Divinity... that was a realm he had yet been unable to touch upon.

Although his wood carvings were all sent to the Inner City for the disciples of noble families and clans to use in their cultivation of divinity, Li Che had never truly come into contact with divinity.

Gradually calming down, Li Che exhaled, his eyes glittering: "It's a pity I don't yet know the use of divinity... However, absorbing divinity is just one of the effects of Thousand Analyzing Hands; there will be new transformations to come."

Li Che steadied his heart and looked at his arms, now misting with golden fog, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Looking at the "Nine-Headed Guanyin Angry Cry Town Ghost Statue" in front of him, Li Che raised his hand, his palm engulfed in thin jade mist, and placed it over the wood carving.

In an instant, it seemed as if jade mist turned into streaming light, revealing all the carving techniques and craftsmanship involved in this wood carving before his eyes, which Li Che effortlessly analyzed and mastered.

Li Che released his hand, the smile growing even denser between his lips: "Thousand Analyzing Hands… can decipher any craftsmanship."

"Merely by touching it, one can decipher the essence, as if understanding the principles behind objects, perceiving the true nature, and acquiring the skills."

To confirm his guess, he left the workshop and ran to the area outside where the finished statues were placed.

Snow was falling thick and fast.

A few scattered figures were carefully positioning the finished sculptures.

These were all movers from the shop, among whom Li Che had once been included.

"Master Li!"

The movers, upon seeing Li Che, all revealed obsequious smiles.

"Do you need any wood? Just command, and we will carry it inside for you; there's no need for you to come out in this cold." A mover, wiping sweat, hurriedly said with a smile.

Li Che, however, waved his hand: "No, I'm just looking."

Having said that, he walked to a finished sculpture, stretching out his hand to cover it, with misty jade fog diffusing from between his palms.

In an instant, everything about this wood carving's techniques and processes were laid out in his mind, unlike the previous touch of the statue to master the technique once a day limit, now he had no restrictions.

Moreover, he grasped the details more delicately and could even innovate, fixing flaws on top of the original skills.

"Indeed..."

Li Che lifted his hand, a smile forming in his heart, his confidence surging, giving him even greater assurance in creating the remaining nine highly complex mechanisms in "Tang's Mechanism Essentials."

"It's time to find a moment, update the mechanisms… and give Zhao Chuanxiong an even greater surprise."

A month's time.

Li Che had undergone no small transformation.

His cultivation had improved, his Immortal Artisan level had also risen, and he had acquired the prototype of divine powers [Thousand Analyzing Hands].

It was time to eliminate Zhao Chuanxiong, the potential threat.

Otherwise, Li Che always felt like a sword was hanging over his head, making it hard to rest or eat, always fearing Xi Xi might encounter a great disaster at any moment.

...

...

In the afternoon.

Xu Beihu arrived as expected, draped in a great cape, his physique more burly than ever.

"Master Li, is the wood carving ready?"

Xu Beihu's voice was rough, his eyes bright with vitality; he entered the wood carving shop straight away to find Li Che.

Upon entering the workshop, he saw the wood carving statue quietly placed on the workbench, his eyes lighting up.

"Good good good, excellent, Master Li's craftsmanship has improved again! This Guanyin Angry Cry Town Ghost Statue... truly is superb, full of deep meaning!"

Xu Beihu stared at the Angry Cry Town Ghost Statue, unable to take his eyes off it.

"It's a pity that my cultivation is not the 'Angry Cry Town Ghost,' otherwise I definitely wouldn't sell this wood carving to the Si Family... At least, not without asking for more money, haha."

Xu Beihu said with a laugh.

"If the Second Shopkeeper needs them, you can place an order with me, a business deal worth five gold leaves each time, I'd gladly have more of such deals, then never worry about food and clothing again."

"Hahaha, I'll come seeking you when the chance arises, but... the wood carvings I need must all be made by a Woodcarving Master."

"If you want to sell me wood carvings, you need to become a Woodcarving Master. The Divine Wood Carvings perceived by the direct lineage of the Xu Family during their cultivation are all made by masters. That Si Mubai... He's just at a critical breakthrough realm, thus casting a wide net, he's not picky and needs a large quantity of wood carvings, that's why he approached you."

Xu Beihu explained with a smile.

Reluctantly letting go of the sculpture, Xu Beihu looked at Li Che with a trace of amazement, "Master Li, your talent for wood carving... is truly extraordinary, you have the potential of a master. If you diligently study Divinity, you might have a chance to become a Woodcarving Master in the future."

Upon hearing this, Li Che asked curiously, "Second Shopkeeper, what makes a Woodcarving Master different from a regular wood carver?"

Xu Beihu, who had high hopes for Li Che, did not withhold information.

The two had the movers load the wood carving onto a prepared carriage and Xu Beihu pulled Li Che into a luxurious and opulent carriage.

Inside the carriage, a furnace was burning, boiling tea.

Xu Beihu poured a cup for Li Che and explained, "A Woodcarving Master is termed 'master'... because the wood carvings they create are fundamentally different from those made by ordinary wood carvers."

"The difference lies in Divinity."

"The wood carvings made by Woodcarving Masters birth actual Divinity, which can be absorbed."

"Just this alone is the difference between heaven and earth," Xu Beihu said softly.

Hearing this, Li Che's body trembled slightly. The wood carvings... contain real Divinity?

"It's not hard to understand. You know about Spirit Infant, right?... The infants born from the union of man and woman, blessed by heaven and earth, naturally possess Divinity. Similarly, the Woodcarving Masters... creating Spirit Infant Wood Carvings is like conceiving a child, giving the wood carvings a chance to possess Divinity.

Although the birthed Divinity can't compare to a real Spirit Infant, it's akin to flaunting skills with heaven and earth, capturing the fleeting Divinity of the universe," Xu Beihu said with a laugh.

"Do Woodcarving Masters... also cultivate Divinity Methods?" Li Che asked.

Xu Beihu nodded as if it were obvious, "Without cultivating the Divine Method, one would ultimately remain insignificant, without cultivating Divinity, how could one feel, understand, or even impart Divinity?"

"Perhaps thinking of something, Xu Beihu smiled at Li Che, "Master Li, don't be in a hurry. The Divine Method is immensely precious, one of the core secrets of the major noble families and clans."

"Master Li, although your talent is good now, it still needs to be evaluated. Besides... you are too young, still needing more experience and qualifications. Only then trying to cultivate the Divine Method might you have a chance to become a Woodcarving Master."

"But that's just a chance."

The carriage traveled past the bumpy Outer City and soon arrived at the majestic walls of the Inner City.

Since it was a Xu Family carriage, it entered the bustling Inner City without even being inspected.

This was Li Che's first visit to the Inner City, where the buildings were clean and opulent, closely arrayed, with all sorts of prosperous scenes visible just through the window.

Compared to the Outer City's turbulent, hardship-filled decrepit environment, it was like night and day.

The carriage stopped in front of a tavern, which was decorated luxuriously with gilded beams and painted eaves, extremely lavish.

Soon, several movers hurried out of the tavern, carefully carrying the wood carving and following behind Xu Beihu and Li Che.

"This Golden Splendor Pavilion is one of the best taverns in the Inner City, starting at a hundred taels per meal. Si Mubai apparently values you highly and looks forward to your 'Angry Cry Town Ghost', specifically setting a banquet here," Xu Beihu said with a smile.

The two walked through a beautifully carved corridor. Each piece of wood in the corridor was meticulously carved by wood carvers, extremely beautiful and pleasing to look at.

In the distance, there was a pavilion-like structure with curtains hanging on all four sides, swaying with the wind.

From afar, Li Che saw the figure in white sitting inside the pavilion, drinking wine.

Next to the figure in white stood an old woman, bowing her head and presumably reporting something.

Li Che suddenly stopped.

He looked at the old woman, and the gentle expression on his face slowly withdrew,

until it completely froze!

Looking at the old woman's face, which Li Che could dream of...

A subtle killing intent spread out from the depths of Li Che's eyes,

just because...

This old woman was Lei Chunlan, the midwife who had helped deliver Xi Xi and had killed a dozen children during childbirth!

ps: Tuesday's follow-up is crucial, don't drop the book, please be sure to read to the very end! Requesting support!