Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike

Chapter 11 Improving Root Structure, Prioritizing Interests

Li Xin thought of improving his physical constitution or agility.

It was because he discovered that once [Spirit] reached 20 points, it would take two points of Faith to improve the basic attributes by even one more point.

At present, with one's faith power extremely scarce, it is not worthwhile to improve one's [spirit].

It is not possible to improve one's immediate combat strength in the fastest way.

Thus, they gain the means to protect themselves and save their lives.

"After activating the Third Prince's divine intent, my combat strength is actually quite good; among trained fighters, I'm not weak. But my weaknesses are also obvious—my shortcomings are too numerous..."

Thinking back to the previous battle.

Li Xin felt a faint sense of anxiety.

He didn't know which gang or faction the kidnapping den belonged to, or whether they had any accomplices.

Judging by the size of the house and the number of people, it's clear that this place isn't actually a major power.

Or rather, it was just a small stronghold of a powerful force.

The question is, how could such a small outpost house an old man who had mastered the "Eagle and Snake Life-or-Death Struggle" fist technique and achieved great mastery of his internal energy? There were also two other skilled fighters, whose abilities were far from weak.

If I hadn't had a gun, it would have been a fierce and bloody battle.

So, how many experts do the truly powerful forces and gangs have?

"My strength is still insufficient; I crumble at the slightest touch in a direct confrontation—in other words, my skill level is too low. Logically, my physique should be the area most in need of improvement to close the gap with true masters of internal energy cultivation. But wait..."

Just as he was about to improve his physique, Li Xin stopped.

"From the perspective of maximizing benefits, it's still impossible to improve physical fitness. My biggest trump card right now is [Divine Strike]."

After activating the Third Prince's divine will, physical constitution increases by 1.5 times; agility temporarily increases by 2 times.

In other words, within ten minutes, my physical fitness level was 12, which is much higher than that of an average young adult.

However, his agility temporarily reached 18 points, almost double that of an average young adult.

Whether it's attack speed, movement speed, flexibility, or coordination, they are all far superior to ordinary people.

Therefore, to quickly build up combat strength, we still need to focus on improving [agility].

At this point, we can't think too far ahead; we can only focus on maximizing our profits.

A thought flashed through Li Xin's mind.

"Increase all Agility."

The three points of faith have disappeared.

A stream of heat, seemingly from nowhere, descended from the sky, penetrating deep into the limbs and bones, reaching the very marrow.

Li Xin stood by the window, trembling uncontrollably, his body radiating heat as if from a steamer.

He shook his head and felt a change in his body, as if he had grown a little taller...

There were no mirrors here, and he wasn't sure if it was real or not.

However, the lightness that emanated from within was absolutely real.

When I breathe, my body feels as if it's floating on air.

Looking at the ground outside the inn window, he had a strange feeling... as if he could just jump down and land easily on the ground without getting hurt in the slightest.

"Second Brother."

A soft gasp came from the side.

She was startled by the wisps of white vapor that suddenly appeared on Li Xin's body.

Li Xin quickly turned around: "What's wrong?"

"I thought my second brother was going to jump out, but he didn't."

Xiaoyue looked up at her second brother with a strange expression, feeling that something was not right.

The second brother seemed more at ease. He usually had a somewhat cold and sharp expression, and his smile seemed forced.

Looking at it now, I feel that my second brother's smile is so kind and warm.

The eyebrows were still the same eyebrows, the mouth was still the same mouth, but the feeling was different: "Second Brother has become more handsome."

"Nonsense, no matter how pretty she is, can she be prettier than Xiaoyue?"

Li Xin smiled.

"That's right."

The little girl smiled with her eyes narrowed, and the strange feeling that had arisen in her heart immediately disappeared. Her eyebrows curved, and her eyes curved as well.

She tiptoed closer to Li Xin, hugged his leg, and rubbed her head against her second brother's belly. She giggled, then turned to examine the room's furnishings more closely.

Li Xin's thoughts sank into his mind.

I saw:

Name: Li Xin

Age: 12/66

[Constitution: 8]

[Agility: 12]

[Spirit: 20. Secret Technique (Spirit Communication)]

[Martial Arts: Divine Strike. Exclusive Guardian Deity (Nezha, the Third Prince, at the First Level of Divine Intent, activating Three Heads and Six Arms, and Void Reflection)]

[Confidence: 0.2]

Faith arises from love, and the mind is boundless.

……

After adding 3 points to Agility, my body did indeed undergo some unknown changes from the depths of my bone marrow to the cellular level.

Speed, flexibility, and body coordination suddenly increased by a third.

This increase is enormous, and its impact on combat power is simply incalculable.

If you use the burst skill [Divine Strike] again, your agility will jump to as much as 24 points.

It's almost terrifying.

Li Xin guessed that this must be the legendary improvement of martial arts foundation.

This concept of "innate talent" is commonly referred to as "aptitude."

All roads lead to Rome, but some people are born in Rome.

Innate talent and the art of being born into a good family are quite similar; what you are born with is what you are, and there is no way to change it.

People born with defects must spend countless efforts and hard work to achieve what some people can achieve from birth, and they may not be able to reach the same level.

You can't change someone's inherent nature; you are what you are at birth.

But I myself have the opportunity to change.

Even, there is no limit.

"It turns out that those two pale red dots represent one-tenth of the faith power."

In other words, it would take the combined faith and devotion of ten people to equal the sincerity of Zhuang Hongxiu alone.

"Big brother and little sister gave so much!"

I've given it to them twice already.

Zhuang Hongxiu...

Li Xin felt a little reluctant... Actually, that girl was a nice person, so he could make friends with her first.

Where did they go by now?

You won't know unless you compare.

A comparison reveals just how rare this gratitude, this closeness and trust truly are.

A total of six children were rescued.

Three were given, three were not. Of the three who received faith points, Zhuang Hongxiu gave the most.

"It's somewhat like the different levels of faith in worshipping Buddha or praying to gods: superficial faith, genuine faith, and fanatical faith, with distinctions made between them."

"It turns out that not everyone who saves someone from dire straits receives genuine gratitude. And this is only for children with relatively pure hearts; for adults, it's probably even less likely. They might even be scolded for meddling."

"However, even so, we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We still need to think of ways to gain more credibility."

Some say, "Do good deeds and don't worry about the future." I, however, am determined to do good deeds and also to consider the future.

Thinking back to my past life, I did good deeds but lacked the ability to do so, resulting in my death without a proper burial, being targeted by the military and police, and dying a tragic death.

Li Xin felt another wave of sadness.

There's nothing to regret. Since I couldn't stand it anymore and I decided to do it, I have to bear the consequences myself.

He just felt that dying was such a waste, and that there were so many things he wanted to do that he hadn't finished.

Having been given a second chance at life, this time, I can't be too reckless.

Cherishing one's life is not about being afraid of death, but about doing things to maximize their effectiveness.

Once you're dead, no matter how grand your ambitions or what you want to do, it will be too late.

……

"Brother, during the previous battle, I suddenly had some insights. Why don't I dodge and you catch me?"

Li Xin stared intently at his 12 agility points for a long time.

I finally decided to give it a try.

The eldest brother's strength and agility were fully demonstrated in the battle against the foreigners at Liangling.

If they didn't have guns, he could take on five or six Onsa soldiers by himself as easily as playing a game.

He is considered an exceptionally skilled practitioner.

I still need to test my normal combat strength when I don't unleash my full potential.

It's good to have a clear understanding of the situation.

"OK."

Li Cheng laughed as soon as he heard that.

He pulled his feet forward and backward, placed his palms in front of his chest, and assumed the starting stance of the "False Step and Probing Claw" move.

He felt very uncomfortable after being made to look like a useless person by his twelve-year-old brother on several occasions.

It's not that I want to be competitive; I just want to know how big the gap really is.

……