Chapter 35: The Divine Dao Fruit, Like a Bodhi, Purifies the Soul
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In the courtyard, the snowflakes silently descended.
They quietly covered the ground with a pure white coat.
Li Che's lips curled into a faint smile as his mind sank deeper.
He saw another Dao Fruit, like a seven-colored glass orb, form on the Dao Tree that rose from the vast earth.
The third Dao Fruit!
The third one after [Divine Artisan] and [Dragon-Elephant Vajra]!
[Divine Artisan] had enhanced Li Che's skills, while [Dragon-Elephant Vajra] had greatly boosted his physical strength and martial talent.
Despite this, Li Che still couldn't guess what the third Dao Fruit would be.
It felt like the excitement of opening a mystery box.
[Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit: Purify the heart, like a Bodhi, free from dust, and cleanse the soul.]
With the rise and fall of his heart, the prompt and introduction for the [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit] appeared before his eyes.
"Purify the heart... like a Bodhi."
"Free from dust, cleanse the soul..."
Li Che murmured the introduction, his breathing gradually becoming a bit more rapid.
"Cleanse the soul... does it mean to cultivate Divine Essence?"
In this world, cultivation is divided into three categories: Body Refinement, Internal Energy, and Divine Essence!
Divine Essence is the most difficult to cultivate but also the most extraordinary, with immense power.
To cultivate Divine Essence, one needs a Divine Essence cultivation method, as well as a strong foundation in Body Refinement and Internal Energy. In short, Body Refinement and Internal Energy are preparations for Divine Essence cultivation.
Li Che had once asked Xu You about Divine Essence cultivation, and Xu You had not kept it a secret.
"Body Refinement must reach Blood Replacement. Only at the Blood Replacement stage can one stimulate the five organs and six viscera to absorb and store Divine Essence. Internal Energy must reach the third stage to cultivate Divine Essence."
"What is Divine Essence? All things in heaven and earth have spirit, but only humans have the divine aura, which is Divine Essence. Absorbing and cultivating Divine Essence allows one to transcend the mundane, making humans the pinnacle of all beings!"
Xu You explained to Li Che.
"Human Divine Essence can be divided into seven emotions and six desires: joy, anger, sorrow, thought, grief, fear, and surprise. The seven emotions can each be a major category of Divine Essence, while the six desires can also be distinguished, but the seven emotions are more common."
"Each major category of Divine Essence can be further divided into different veins, and each vein can form a divine foundation. For example, the Si family's [Wrathful Crying Ghost-Taming] divine foundation belongs to the [Grief Divine Essence] vein, and the Inner City's bailiff Zhang Xiangyang's [Fear-Inducing Light Tracing] divine foundation belongs to the [Fear Divine Essence] vein."
A gentle breeze blew, bringing the biting cold of winter.
Li Che felt the newly obtained Dao Fruit [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit]. With the stimulation, his senses seemed to become more acute, allowing him to capture the wandering Divine Essence in the world.
In his eyes, many particles of Divine Essence emitted a faint light, like fireflies in the night sky, drifting endlessly. Slowly, they gathered around him, seeping into his body.
Finally, they accumulated within the [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit].
"Can the [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit] help me cultivate Divine Essence?"
Li Che felt a surge of joy.
Xu You had said that the combat power of Divine Essence cultivators far surpasses that of Body Refinement and Internal Energy martial artists. If one forms a divine foundation, they become even more terrifying. Unless one is a Pulse-Through Master, they would be easily crushed by a divine foundation cultivator.
Divine Essence cultivation methods are extremely precious and form the foundation of a clan. Even the Xu family rarely teaches them to outsiders. Even becoming a woodcarving master would only grant access to the lowest-grade Divine Essence method.
"Xu You explained the realms of Divine Essence cultivation to me. The first realm is Nurturing the Soul. At 10% completion, it is not weaker than Blood Replacement, and at full completion, it can even match a Pulse-Through martial artist. The second realm is the Divine Foundation, where one forms the foundation of Divine Essence, transcending the mundane, and even a Pulse-Through martial artist can be suppressed!"
Li Che took a deep breath, recalling the information about Divine Essence that Xu You had mentioned.
...
[Name: Li Che]
[Bond: Li Nuanyi (daughter)]
[Dao Fruit: Divine Artisan (lv3, 5%), Dragon-Elephant Vajra (lv1, 70%), Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit (lv1, 0%)]
[Proto-Technique: Divine Artisan·Thousand Analysis Hands]
...
The panel appeared before his eyes.
In the past year, since the [Divine Artisan] Dao Fruit reached level 3, its improvement had become increasingly slow. Of course, this was also because Li Che had spent more time on martial cultivation.
However, the main reason was that the mechanisms Li Che planned to create were extremely difficult.
The *Tang Family Mechanism Records* documented twelve mechanisms, three of which were relatively basic and Li Che had already completed. The remaining nine were all related to blood and Internal Energy, and even involved Divine Essence.
Thus, the difficulty increased sharply. Li Che spent a year, fortunately with the help of the level 3 [Divine Artisan] Dao Fruit and the collection of materials, and finally managed to create the seventh mechanism listed in the *Tang Family Mechanism Records*.
[Wooden Crow], ranked seventh in the *Tang Family Mechanism Records*, is a mechanical beast that Li Che painstakingly created.
In terms of physical cultivation, the [Dragon-Elephant Vajra] Dao Fruit's enhancement of martial talent allowed Li Che to advance from the peak of Sinew Opening to Bone Tempering.
Bone Tempering is a process of refinement, requiring daily practice and a large amount of nutritional supplementation.
Li Che's Bone Tempering method, *Eighteen Tiger Bone Tempering Method*, was purchased from the market for eight hundred taels, from the same merchant who sold him the *Xu Family Nine Sinew Method*.
Unfortunately, the merchant couldn't provide a high-grade Internal Energy method.
Standing up in the snow, his bones crackled like fireworks, and he threw a punch that split the air like a spear.
The martial technique *White Tiger Chaotic Wind Fist* had already been mastered by Li Che at the master level, just a step away from the perfected realm.
Any martial technique, based on mastery, can be divided into beginner, minor success, major success, master, and perfected!
Once perfected, it can even draw upon the Divine Essence of the world, greatly enhancing the power of the martial technique!
"Bone Tempering major success, master-level fist techniques, and master-level bone-breaking spear..."
"Now, even without activating the *Dragon-Elephant Vajra*'s Vajra Transformation, my cultivation is top-tier in Feilei Outer City..."
Li Che's lips curved into a smile.
But it was only in Feilei Outer City. In the outer city, Bone Tempering martial artists can dominate, but in the inner city... the children of wealthy families are raised with nutritional supplements and high-grade cultivation methods from a young age.
Whether it's Body Refinement or Internal Energy, they far surpass the outer city martial artists. After all, Blood Replacement is required to nurture Divine Essence and become a Nurturing the Soul Divine Essence cultivator.
"If I activate the Vajra Transformation... can I defeat a Blood Replacement martial artist?"
Li Che pondered, as he had never faced one and wasn't sure how strong they were.
The Vajra Transformation greatly increases physical strength, likely reaching the level of 'one force breaks all techniques.'
"Unfortunately, the [Dragon-Elephant Vajra]'s improvement is too slow. To reach level 2, I may need to break through to Blood Replacement myself..."
After practicing the Xu Family's Eight-Linked Bone-Breaking Spear for a while in the courtyard, Li Che sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and decided to try the effects of the [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit].
He sat on the ground, unmoving as the snow fell on him.
His mind immersed, entering the pulsating [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit].
It felt like having an extra heart in his body, subtly pulsing and connecting with the Divine Essence of the world.
One moment, two moments, three moments...
Li Che's mind was clear, like a meditating monk.
Snow piled up thickly around his body.
An hour later.
Li Che opened his eyes, a faint white light flickering in them.
[Dao Fruit: Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit (lv1, 1%)]
Although he didn't have a Divine Essence cultivation method and hadn't practiced Divine Essence cultivation, the [Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit] could help him absorb the Divine Essence of the world, similar to a Divine Essence cultivation method.
"The Divine Essence I cultivate is pure and clean, flawless and unblemished, not belonging to any specific Divine Essence method..."
Li Che frowned...
"Then how... should this be counted?"
"In the future... what kind of divine foundation should I form?"
Suddenly, Li Che seemed to think of something, his eyes flickering...
His heart raced, ambition surging!
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(End of Chapter)