"Nine-Headed Guanyin Angry Cry Town Ghost Statue!"
Xu Beihu spoke solemnly, and as the words fell, the sound of the howling wind and snow seemed to vanish without a trace.
Angry Cry Town Ghost?!
Li Che's expression changed slightly.
Nowadays, he was no longer the naive porter who focused solely on moving timber, as he possessed some understanding of the wood carving craft.
In this vast Fei Lei City, divided into Inner City and Outer City, the Inner City is bustling like a dream, inhabited by noble families and clans that have flourished here over many lengthy years. It is extremely rich and bustling.
These noble families and clans each possess their own cultivation Dharma and are rumored to be cultivating the Divine Method.
In fact, each of those families controls a wood carving shop, attracting and nurturing wood carvers because if a wood carving possesses sufficiently profound charm, it can be of great benefit to noble family cultivators who practice the Divine Methods.
One can extract divine cultivation from the wood carvings.
This is also why the wood carvings crafted by wood carvers can be sold at high prices.
Within the wood carving shops of the Inner City sit woodcarving masters, whose works, full of spirit, are extremely precious. Each piece is worth a hundred, if not a thousand, gold!
Over the past year, Li Che had heard many such stories from Old Chen.
Becoming a woodcarving master is not easy, for the spirit infused into the wood carvings must reach the level of overflow and take shape.
Li Che's "Immortal Artisan" Dao Fruit had reached lv2, which allowed him to imbue his sculptures with soulful essences, but to reach master level, he still fell short. Perhaps when he reached lv3, he would achieve master standards.
"The Si Family will provide the statue blueprint, you just need to carve it...," Xu Beihu said, his large frame imposing and his voice deep as he looked intently at Li Che.
"This is a precious opportunity, a result of the reputation you've built from your past carvings. You've been granted this because of the substantial essence in the wood carvings you've created."
"You don't need to feel too pressured. Even if the carving fails and the essence of the finished wood carving is not rich enough, there's no harm. After all, you've only been a wood carver for a year and there's still room for growth. Treat it as practice," Xu Beihu reassured.
The task for five Gold Leaves was one Li Che did not intend to let slip by.
"I'll give it a try," Li Che said, cupping his fists in thanks.
Seeing Li Che accept the task, Xu Beihu's mood improved greatly. He patted Li Che's shoulder and said, "The Si Family's young master wants your wood carving, probably for cultivating the Divine Method. The Si Family's Divine Method is known as 'Angry Cry Town Ghost.' If you succeed, you will have no worries about food and clothing in the future and might even have the opportunity to break into the master realm."
"Divinity... Angry Cry Town Ghost." Li Che recalled the discussions he had heard from Old Chen.
Cultivation methods include Body Refinement, Inner Strength, and Divinity, with the Divine Method being the most mysterious, Inner Strength being precious, and Body Refinement being relatively more common.
The Divine Method is usually controlled by the noble families and clans of the Inner City, completely inaccessible to outsiders.
Xu Beihu looked at Li Che and spoke softly, "Divine Methods are commonly divided into seven branches: joy, anger, sorrow, thought, grief, fear, and shock... Angry Cry Town Ghost belongs to the Divinity of Sorrow, a Divine Method profound and infinite in mystery, but it requires daily accumulation of divinity and isn't easy."
Xu Beihu did not say much more, giving Li Che a deep look: "Your talent in wood carving is exceptional. If you become a woodcarving master in the future, it is possible to obtain the Divine Method from our Xu Family. Therefore... do not slack off."
Hearing this, Li Che quickly showed a grateful expression and bowed with his fists.
Xu Beihu nodded with satisfaction and took out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve, "Here is the blueprint for the 'Nine-Headed Guanyin Angry Cry Town Ghost Statue.' The deadline is one month. I will come for you after a month."
"At that time, I will take you to the Inner City to trade with that young master of the Si Family."
Li Che nodded and took the blueprint.
...
...
After finishing his training, Li Che cleaned up the workshop and left Xu's Wood Carving Shop.
He used the excuse that he was going to buy some yellow wine and sliced cured meat, but in reality, he planned to visit the marketplace in the Outer City to see the situation. If he could not obtain the Tendon Activation Technique and Internal Strength Technique from Xu Beihu, he would have to find them himself.
Fortunately, the Tendon Activation Technique was just a Body Refinement Technique. Although rare, it was not as hard to find as the Divine Methods.
After leaving the wood carving shop, he reached a narrow alley. Upon confirming there was no one around, he activated his "Dragon Elephant Vajra," growing taller and more imposing. He then took out a wood carving mask, placed it on his face, wrapped himself in a poncho, and disappeared into the long street.
The marketplace of Fei Lei City, located in the western part of the Outer City, was in a rather dilapidated area with rows of shabby huts and old buildings.
It appeared quite wretched.
Yet, this was the trading hub for the cultivators of Fei Lei City, most of whom were adventurers from outside the city. They battled demons and braved mysterious temples to acquire cultivation resources.
Cultivators would spread out worn cloth on the ground, turning it into a makeshift storefront, and start conducting business with an assortment of strange trinkets on display.
As Li Che made his way through the market, his eyes shifted curiously, making his first visit here mainly because he hadn't cultivated before and didn't dare come, fearing he might lose his life for nothing.
After browsing various stalls for a while, he finally stopped in front of a vendor who was also wrapped up tightly.
A sense of familiarity in their aura gave Li Che a certain degree of comfort.
"Recently acquired items from the Mysterious Temple, would you be interested?"
The stall owner gave a cursory glance at Li Che, who was wrapped so tightly that not a breeze could pass through, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Mysterious Temple..." Li Che remained silent, that was an extremely dangerous place outside the city, rumored to be where the heritage of the Spirit Infant Sect originated from.
The vast Great Vista was so unstable largely due to the Mysterious Temple that had sprung up like bamboo after rain, and the rampant evil creatures that had escaped from the out-of-control temple.
For martial artists in pursuit of cultivation, the suppressed Mysterious Temple was a place to explore for resources.
However, Li Che had little interest in the Mysterious Temple right now, as he had come to the marketplace seeking a Body Refinement Technique.
"Does the merchant have any Body Refinement Techniques for sale?" Li Che altered his voice slightly as he spoke hoarsely.
"Body Refinement Technique?" The merchant, sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked up oddly upon hearing this.
"What level do you seek?"
"Tendon Activation Technique," Li Che said.
Tendon Activation Technique?
The merchant's gaze flickered.
"I happen to have a Middle Vehicle Body Refinement Technique that I scrounged up from the Mysterious Temple to the south of the city, which can cultivate until Bone Tempering. Would you be interested?"
Li Che's towering stature was extremely imposing, but the merchant was not intimidated, thinking, what strength could someone who needs to buy a Tendon Activation Technique possess?
"I only need the Tendon Activation Technique," Li Che responded indifferently.
Upon hearing this, the merchant stopped wasting words. He was quite efficient, directly pulling out an old book with a blue cover from his bosom and handing it to Li Che.
After flipping through and confirming that it was indeed the Middle Vehicle Tendon Activation Technique, Li Che was satisfied and closed the book.
"If you have any Internal Strength Techniques, you can also bring them out for me to have a look," he said.
In reality, Li Che did not hold out much hope for an Internal Strength Technique. However, if all else failed, he could go back to Old Chen to buy one; Old Chen had said before that he could sell an Internal Strength Technique to him.
"Sir jests, Internal Strength Techniques are monopolized by the noble families and clans. We small stall merchants could not bear the crime of selling them. If discovered, I would have no way to survive in Fei Lei City."
The merchant shook his head.
Li Che felt regret in his heart but did not care much: "Then this Tendon Activation Technique will do."
The merchant raised five fingers: "Five hundred taels!"
Li Che chuckled, slowly standing up tall and sturdy like a mountain. His blood surged, intertwining within him, causing the surrounding air to become static and an extreme sense of oppression, as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing, crashing down towards the other person.
Did this man think he was a martial artist stuck at Skin Refinement Completion, desperately needing the Tendon Activation Technique, and thus taking advantage of his urgent need?
Indeed... he had guessed correctly.
"One hundred taels, that should be enough," Li Che said indifferently. "I'm buying it to give to a junior, it doesn't have to be too expensive."
The merchant, sensing this imposing manner and having frequented outside the city daringly entering the Mysterious Temple for loot, naturally had good judgment.
This burly man's blood was so vigorous; the oppressive feeling was not inferior to that of a Quenched-Bone Warrior, and he had even tainted his hands with human lives!
He was decidedly a ferocious man who regarded human lives as grass!
An unremarkable handwritten script of the Middle Vehicle Tendon Activation Technique, selling it for one hundred taels was still a profit.
After all, he had copied several volumes at home.
"Deal!"
The merchant immediately said earnestly.
Li Che, upon hearing this, threw down one hundred taels and, taking the Tendon Activation Technique, turned and left, disappearing into the marketplace.
The merchant was quick to pull up his fabrics and left the stall too.
...
...
Having acquired the Tendon Activation Technique, Li Che was in a good mood and could begin opening his sinews tomorrow.
After leaving the marketplace, he found a secluded place, shed his cloak, found a place to hide it well, then leisurely went for marinated meat and wine, and also stopped by a pastry shop to buy a box of osmanthus cakes that Zhang Ya liked to eat, before returning to the wood carving shop.
Snowflakes fluttered and danced in the sky.
He treaded over the thick snow covering the bluestone pavement.
Li Che walked towards his way home.
However, his steps gradually came to a halt. Holding the marinated meat, a jar of wine, and the osmanthus cakes, Li Che's brows slowly knit together, staring at the figure standing at the gate of his yard...
Wearing a half-smile, standing tall with a side knife, was the Yamen arrest officer Zhao Chuanxiong.