Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

To relieve the suffering of those who are tormented by illness and restore their health.

Furthermore, they could even compile a medical manual to be passed down through generations, a feat that would benefit posterity.

Children are the most innocent and easily influenced by their surroundings.

Without positive guidance, one's vision will gradually narrow, one's mind will wander and become confused, and over time one will become a failure.

The human heart is like an empty field; no good seedlings will grow, only weeds.

If you don't occupy the high ground of your aspirations and beliefs, it will be filled with worldly distractions and unorthodox ways.

Only by establishing one's true self and firming one's aspirations early on can one maintain one's character and move forward steadily.

These earnest expectations resonated deeply with Li Xiaowan.

She suddenly looked up, her clear eyes staring straight at Li Xin.

The shyness in her eyes faded away, replaced by extreme seriousness and determination, and her small fists clenched quietly.

"I will definitely listen to my second brother and study medicine diligently day and night."

"In the future, I will conquer all the world's intractable diseases and become a renowned doctor who saves lives. I will never disgrace my second brother."

A sharp light suddenly shone in the girl's dark eyes, clear, intense, and dazzling.

Li Xin saw the sudden light in her eyes and felt a slight stirring in his heart.

Ashamed?

Li Xin shook his head inwardly.

He doesn't need to care what others think of his actions; he just does good deeds, doesn't worry about the future, and doesn't need others' understanding.

Xiao Wan clearly misunderstood his original intention, taking his expectation as a burden, but it's not a big deal.

Knowing honor and shame, and striving for progress, are ultimately good things.

"very good."

Li Xin composed himself, his expression turned solemn, and he gave the order in a deep voice.

"This time, the dosage of the medicine has been doubled."

"I need to use the potent medicinal power to break through my current limitations and completely transform my internal energy foundation. This may require a strong foundation of qi and blood to support me."

"Understood! I will immediately go to the storeroom to select the medicinal herbs and carefully prepare the decoction..."

Li Xiaowan's eyes were firm. She turned around and was about to leave.

"and many more."

Li Xin gazed at her thin, stiff back and asked softly:

"Xiao Wan, are you blaming me?"

"It's my fault for not going back to save my second uncle, and for never inquiring about his fate."

In one sentence, he precisely exposed the girl's long-suppressed feelings.

The eleven-year-old's thin body trembled slightly, and his shoulders shook gently.

Li Xiaowan froze for a moment, then slowly turned around. Her once bright eyes were now red and misty with tears.

Tears rolled down her tender cheeks and landed on her clothes.

"Second brother, I have never blamed you."

Her voice was muffled, carrying a long-suppressed grievance and bitterness.

"Actually, I thought a long time ago that you would no longer care about us."

That day, you, your elder brother, and Xiaoyue came to my house, and Mom and Dad didn't ask a single question about your situation in the capital... At that moment, I understood; I thought you would never come back.

Li Xin raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her face.

But the girl's pent-up emotions finally broke down, and her tears fell even more fiercely.

He simply took out a clean handkerchief and handed it over.

"Who told you all this?" Li Xin asked gently, but his eyes held a hint of helplessness.

In fact, what do adults' thoughts have to do with children?

He remembered that when he first found his second uncle's family, during the meal, Xiao Wan kept urging the others to eat meat.

However, he realized that his second uncle didn't actually want to keep him and his siblings, so he wisely left.

There was no resentment.

“Nobody said anything,” Li Xiaowan sniffed, suppressing a sob, and replied softly.

“My parents never hid their conversations from me. I heard them very clearly; my father was about to do something heinous and immoral.”

Whether he was coerced or not, he chose his own path... After doing that kind of thing, survival was never going to be easy.

Li Xin's gaze darkened slightly: "What did you hear?"

The girl's mind far surpasses that of children her age; she is intelligent and insightful, and has already connected the fragmented clues to piece together most of the truth.

"Child, heart's blood, secret elixir, vitality, underground palace..."

She uttered a few fragmented keywords in a low voice, each word exuding a chill.

"There have been frequent cases of missing children in the capital lately, and the whole city knows about it. I compared the rumors with what my parents said, and then I understood everything..."

Despite his young age, he saw through such darkness and cruelty, yet he kept it all to himself, enduring it alone, never revealing a word to anyone.

Li Xin sighed softly, raised his hand and gently patted her thin, bony shoulder, soothing her in a deep voice.

Don't overthink it. That's an adult's choice.

Every choice comes with its own price.

These grudges and consequences are not your responsibility to bear.

Seeing that Li Xiaowan seemed somewhat relieved, Li Xin knew that it was as if a huge rock had been lifted after she had spoken her mind.

He immediately offered words of comfort:

"From now on, study medicine well and eat well. Leave everything else to me."

Li Xiaowan nodded vigorously, wiped away her tears, and a trace of worry beyond her years still lingered in her eyes as she whispered her advice.

"Second brother, I've heard that the people of the Great Snow Mountain are extremely terrifying, stronger than ordinary people."

"From now on, try not to provoke anyone. Let's just live peacefully and not take any risks."

"Okay, I won't provoke them."

Li Xin agreed to her request and waved for her to go and brew the medicine.

This is true.

But things took a strange turn.

In this situation, it's not a question of whether he should provoke the other party or not.

The question is whether the other party will let them off the hook.

The two sides are now locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Besides, even if he wanted to take the initiative now, he simply didn't have enough strength.

Previously in the palace hall, he fought against the skeleton incarnation of the Impermanent Monk with a single move, killing his opponent.

Then, the complete dragon vein formation beneath the imperial city was activated to suppress it with all its might...

This has caused quite a stir.

The Great Snow Mountain is a top-tier, secretive force with a history spanning hundreds of years, possessing unfathomable depths.

The old monk Wuchang has been in charge for many years, and his cultivation level is unfathomable.

With the entire snow-capped mountain as its backing, the location of the royal palace is its home ground.

Formations and deadly traps, various secret techniques, emerge one after another.

Given Li Xin's current level of cultivation, recklessly entering the Imperial Palace's Wuchang Courtyard and engaging in a life-or-death battle on its home turf would be tantamount to suicide.

The other party had accumulated a century's worth of experience, while he had only cultivated for a few months.

It's normal that we're not winning right now.

It would be abnormal if victory were so easy.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

There is ample time.

The forces that covet the dragon vein are by no means limited to one family.

Foreign churches, various national powers, and hidden martial arts sects—all are rife with undercurrents…

There are opportunities.

……

The study returned to silence. Li Xin collected his thoughts, sat upright in his chair, and closed his eyes to concentrate.

He was determined to analyze and reshape all the internal energy within his body.

Transcending the limits of ordinary internal strength, it transforms into ancient true energy.

This transformation requires more than just physical physical repair and reconstruction; the most crucial element lies in the control over one's mental state.

Through years of practice, he has long since grasped the essential differences between internal martial arts and external hard skills.

External martial arts training focuses on strengthening bones and skin, and refining the physical body, relying on arduous practice to build up physical strength.

Internal martial arts practice prioritizes the spirit, followed by the vital energy and blood.

Qi and blood circulate, internal strength is generated, and the Qi mechanism circulates throughout the body.

What appears to be a physical transformation is actually entirely driven by intention and guided by the spirit.

People often joke that internal martial arts cultivation relies on the vague and ethereal power of "self-thinking," which is completely unfounded.

Having cultivated to his level, he had already seen through the essence of things.

This power actually exists.

Qi and blood are formless, and meridians are also intangible; ordinary people can hardly feel them, let alone see them.

The spirit has no hands or feet, yet it can precisely guide the vital energy throughout the body and promote the circulation of qi and blood.

When the mind moves, the Qi follows the thought. When the power of thought is concentrated, internal strength is generated and all the orifices are opened, and the physical body naturally evolves.

This is the true essence of internal martial arts practice.

Physical constitution determines the upper limit of physical endurance, while mental state determines the speed and depth of cultivation, and more directly determines the success or failure of breaking through realms.

The higher the realm, the greater the weight of spiritual attributes.

The more important it is, the more important it becomes.

Having grasped this crucial point, Li Xin no longer hesitated.

A single thought can directly boost one's mental attributes.

The attribute panel glowed with ethereal light, the spirit value steadily increased, and an extreme coolness instantly washed over the whole body.

It wasn't the usual clarity of washing your face with cold water that made you feel like you were sinking into an ancient, frozen lake...

In an instant, I felt as if my body did not exist, all thoughts vanished, and only my mind remained clear and empty.

The brain's processing speed increases several times over, and thinking becomes extremely clear.

The past entanglements and intractable problems in cultivation, the difficulties in the meridians, and some unanswered questions about fortune and success/failure...

With a change of mind, the problem is immediately dissected and understood clearly.

All the ancient books and fragments I had read, the martial arts secrets I had heard, and the fleeting moments of inspiration I had gained were instantly sorted out and integrated.

It has become a solid foundation for one's own spiritual practice.

Everything seemed to become clear and transparent.

It was completely different from my usual mental state.