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    Hurried footsteps came to an abrupt halt outside the courtyard.

    As rain mixed with light snow fell from the sky, Li Che tucked the page of the Meridian Opening Method into his Qiankun Space and then turned his head toward the courtyard door.

    A gentle knock echoed, and Li Che stood up to open the door.

    He saw a towering figure wearing a conical bamboo hat standing outside, his robust vitality like a blazing fire, radiating intense heat even from a distance.

    His jet-black hair fluttered, his muscles were coiled like those of a python, and his bones seemed to roar with rage.

    Just standing there, he was like a silent Buddha in fury, roaring with might.

    The towering figure knocked politely, which improved Li Che''s attitude somewhat.

    "Who might you be?"

    "Master Li, I come from the City Lord''s Mansion, my name is Cao Qingyuan," the burly man said with gleaming eyes, quickly glancing inside the courtyard. Not seeing anyone else, his bushy eyebrows raised slightly.

    "Cao Qingyuan..." Li Che was taken aback.

    He immediately clasped his hands in a salute: "I am Li Che, a humble woodcarver, and I greet the Young City Lord."

    "Master Li is too kind. Now that you have become a Woodcarving Master, you are a distinguished guest of the City Lord''s Mansion... My father specifically sent me to request Master Li''s expertise in a certain task," Cao Qingyuan replied with a smile, his demeanor quite humble.

    However, the pressure this Divine Base Cultivator, Cao Qingyuan, exerted on Li Che was immense, as if facing a Wrathful Maitreya Buddha, with every hair on his body standing on end.

    This was because the overflowing divinity of Cao Qingyuan''s "Wrathful Maitreya" Divine Foundation continually agitated Li Che.

    Young City Lord of Flying Thunder, Cao Qingyuan!

    Divine Base Cultivator!

    It was no secret that Cao Guang, the Lord of Fei Lei City, had a son who had stepped into the realms of the Divine Foundation. In earlier years, there was even talk of the Four Young Masters of Flying Thunder, one of whom was Cao Guang''s son, Cao Qingyuan.

    But once Cao Qingyuan forged his Divine Foundation, the title of one of the Four Young Masters no longer suited him.

    "Young City Lord, I apologize, but I am at a critical moment in my Bone Tempering and am about to challenge the Blood Exchange Barrier. Therefore... I may be unable to undertake the task set by the Lord of the City," Li Che said, declining Cao Qingyuan''s request tactfully.

    Yet Cao Qingyuan did not mind and said with a smile, "No matter, Master Li may focus on the Blood Exchange for now. As long as you complete the Wood Carving within a month, that will suffice."

    "The blueprint for the carving is here, as well as a down payment. Here are one hundred Gold Leaf pieces for now, and the remaining four hundred will be delivered upon the completion of your work," Cao Qingyuan explained, presenting items to Li Che.

    When a Divine Base Cultivator makes a house call with what can be considered a mild approach and without enforcing a stringent timeline,

    Li Che understood that this was a gentle method to block any of his possible refusals.

    To refuse again would seem quite ungrateful.

    After pondering for a moment, Li Che no longer declined and accepted the blueprint along with the one hundred Gold Leaf pieces.

    Seeing this, Cao Qingyuan''s face blossomed with a smile. He pressed down on his bamboo hat and took a deep look at the independent workshop before turning to leave.

    Li Che narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Wood Carving blueprint in his hands.

    "Eighteen maidens holding lotuses to worship the Wrathful Maha..."

    ...

    ...

    Cao Qingyuan returned to the City Lord''s Mansion.

    Removing his bamboo hat, Cao Qingyuan slowly stepped inside the house.

    Despite it being daytime, the whole house was very dim. Candles, white as bone, were lit and lined up in rows like a staircase. Next to each candle rested a small Wood Carving made of rosewood, thumb-sized.

    The falling snowflakes twisted and scattered as if repelled by an invisible force above Li Che''s head.

    Li Che sat cross-legged in the courtyard, invisible currents spiraling around him, continuously rotating in a helix pattern.

    The Qi generated from his blood and Inner Strength fused, cycling through his organs, his extraordinary and regular meridians, forming the fixed Minor Circulation of Qi Channels of the Qian Yuan Divine Sect, unblocking the universe within.

    The force from the Fourth Layer of Internal Strength, combined with the Qi produced by Channel Opening, became "Inner Qi."

    Inner Qi enveloped his heart, and with its throbbing contractions and expansions, streams of Inner Qi flowed along the small Minor Circulation meridians beneath the skin, enmeshing every organ.

    Li Che opened his eyes, which seemed to flash with a bright brilliance.

    Standing up, his tendons and bones harmoniously resonated, his circulation of blood and Qi became swifter and more powerful, and the resultant strength was even more formidable.

    Whoosh—

    Inhale!

    Between each exhale and inhale, the wind and snow of the world seemed to swirl in response, as if his Qi was merging with heaven and earth.

    "Qi Channels, accomplished!"

    ...

    ...

    The three days passed in the blink of an eye.

    Having broken through his Qi Channels, Li Che used the remaining time to also master the Divine Secret Technique of "Maitreya Gold Armor," reaching the level of Minor Accomplishment.

    The Divine Chess Piece left by Zhao Xuanhai had been largely refined by Li Che; now, within the Inner Scene of the Energy Center, the Divinity of the "Wrathful Maitreya" flowed gently like a stream, nurturing his nature. Read the full story at m-vl-em,pyr

    He glanced at the sky; today was a rare sunny day without snow.

    The air was still bitterly cold, but there was a hint of warm and comfortable sunshine.

    Li Che put on an elastic shirt, donned a bamboo hat, and, sitting beneath the eaves, he began carving a Cute Bull Mask at a leisurely pace with a carving knife.

    After putting on the mask, he checked the Poison-Tempered Sleeve Crossbow, Guanyin Poison Lotus, Bodhi Blood Tears, and other hidden weapons mechanisms, and surveyed the six thousand Wood Ravens stored in the Qiankun Arsenal. Only then did Li Che leave the independent workshop, feeling at ease.

    If it were in the past, Li Che would never have left the city, not willing to be so far away from Xi Xi.

    But with the title of "Flying Thunder Chess Saint," as long as the Divine Chess Piece was placed on Xi Xi, he could travel with a tranquil mind. At least if something happened to Xi Xi, he would sense it and rush to her side extremely quickly.

    Only when his daughter''s safety was ensured could the father afford to wander off and stir up trouble with peace of mind.

    The "Slumbering Dragon Elephant''s" Breath Concealment ability was becoming increasingly powerful.

    It almost completely erased the sense of his existence.

    He easily left the Inner City and then the Outer City with its weaker defenses.

    Just as he left the Outer City...

    A hunched and short figure appeared silently and without a trace.

    Li Che glanced at the newcomer, only to see that the person was also dressed in black, wearing a cat-faced mask.

    "Master Qingshan?" Li Che''s voice came muffled from under the Cute Bull Mask.

    "It''s me." The reply came from beneath the cat-faced mask.

    Li Che: "..."

    You''re wearing a mask too now?

    Everyone''s wearing masks...

    Is this some kind of Mask Alliance?