157: Studying Stone Carving: Reality and Illusion

“You, Little Beggar, you also want to learn stone carving, but your body is so frail. Whether it’s learning to carve stone or wood, you need enough strength, you—”

After the stone carving Great Master rescued the Little Beggar, he kept him by his side and named him Little Beggar.

The stone carving Great Master invited a physician to examine Little Beggar and continuously used medicine to nurse his body back to health, but his Origin was insufficient, and he was sickly and weak, so his body had always been poor.

Learning to carve is not as simple as it looks. The planing, as well as the engraving and other skills, have very strict requirements for strength. Both heavy and light force are needed, and this means control!

Control over one's strength.

Strength should be great when needed and small when needed.

This also depends on an individual's Aptitude, just like some people are naturally strong. If one's Aptitude is not up to par, there's no chance to do it, similar to the Aptitude for Cultivating Immortals or martial arts, just not as special.

As for whether the Little Beggar himself has this kind of Aptitude, Lu Bo doesn't know yet, but his current state is truly not suitable for learning carving, as he is too frail.

If Chen Cuo had not performed Soul Possession, the Little Beggar himself would have died today.

“Yes, Senior Brother, I think I can, and what Master just did, I feel it’s quite amazing, I want to learn.”

“Oh, the boy has some ambition, but it really won’t work. Your body is too weak. You don’t even have enough strength to use carving knives and chisels, and it will instead put a severe burden on your body.”

“But Senior Brother, I…”

“However, you can start by learning simple carving, beginning with carving Puppet dolls. I can teach you this.”

“This, really? Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Chen Cuo first pretended to be very disappointed, and then, upon hearing what Lu Bo said afterward, he deliberately showed great excitement in front of Lu Bo.

How could Chen Cuo not have a way to learn simple stone carving? But firstly, his Soul entering this place couldn't be without reason. The assessment was to repair the chess board inside Butian Pavilion, and Chen Cuo didn't believe for a second that it had no connection to the current changes.

Moreover, looking at that old stone carving Great Master, although he was just an ordinary Mortal, his intuition told Chen Cuo that the other party was not simple.

Before Chen Cuo knew his background, he would not probe the other party's secrets, but relying on his Soul, which had condensed Divine Sense, he discovered that this dream world also seemed to be a place where one could Cultivate Immortals.

The Spiritual Qi in this world is very abundant.

“Could it be that I Transmigrated to the time when that chess board was born?”

Chen Cuo pondered in his heart; in fact, he had already sensed it just now.

So, he decided to take it one step at a time, because he didn't know the specific rules of the assessment. Chen Cuo didn't even know whether the current Transmigration was part of the assessment or an accident.

Coupled with the mysterious old stone carving Great Master, it was better to be cautious. Furthermore, Chen Cuo was currently performing Soul Possession on the Little Beggar, and this Physical Body was a weakling among weaklings, so even if he wanted to do something, he was powerless.

Seeing Chen Cuo behaving so diligently and eager to learn, Lu Bo seemed very pleased and patted Chen Cuo's head with his broad hand.

Although it wasn't his original Physical Body, Chen Cuo still felt a bit uncomfortable. His Divine Soul was that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a Cultivator nearly eighty years old.

To be patted on the head by a Mortal, good heavens, it was annoying.

Chen Cuo had practiced simple carving techniques for a long time after entering the Bai family, although it was only as a basic study for the Dao of Puppets.

But Chen Cuo still had a foundation; he wasn't a complete novice.

Although he didn't know whether this dream Realm was real or an illusion, or even a part of the real world, he decided to observe for a while first.

He would first learn the carving technique; at least the memories should be real. The chess board wouldn't have taken his Soul for no reason.

Carving is a seemingly simple skill that actually requires patience and technique.

For Chen Cuo, after entering the Bai family, he had already practiced for a long time. Although this was only a basic skill of the Puppet Dao, one Dao connects to a hundred Daos. The Spirit Imbuement and Enlightenment techniques, and the Life Manifestation techniques of the Puppet arts, all had points of reference.

He didn't know whether this dream Realm was real, his hallucination, or even a part of the real world.

At this moment, he felt as if he was in a riddle, unable to find an answer.

Thus, Chen Cuo began to diligently learn carving techniques.

With his previous skills, he now didn't need to spend much time and effort to achieve a good level; he only needed to continuously hone his techniques.

The carving knife danced like a flower in his hand. During his daily carving, he discovered that if he carved a finished product, those sculptures seemed to be alive.

Chen Cuo also began to realize that perhaps this was one of the unique aspects of the dream Realm.

Everything here seemed to possess some mysterious power. Whether it was trees, flowers, or stones, they all seemed to contain an unspeakable energy.

As time passed, Chen Cuo's carving skills became increasingly superb, making Senior Brother Lu Bo exclaim in awe as if he were a Divine Being.

Of course, he also learned the name of the old carving Great Master, Yao Mugen.

The most famous carving Great Master in Luo Kingdom, there were also some strange tales about him. It was rumored that he once carved a living Dragon.

Yao Mugen's craftsmanship was unmatched; his works were lifelike and endlessly astonishing.

He could use an ordinary piece of wood to carve a soaring eagle, or a piece of jade to carve a blooming flower.

His works were not only similar in form but also in spirit, making people feel as if they could sense the Souls of those creatures.

It was almost the Dao; such rumors were just like a Puppet Master.

According to legend, he spent ten years carving a lifelike Dragon.

That Dragon was entirely emerald green, its scales shimmering with dazzling light, and its wings spread as if it could fly away at any moment. However, this Dragon's eyes had no pupils.

Someone asked, “Why didn't you carve the Dragon's eyes?”

Yao Mugen replied, “I can't carve its eyes; if I carve its eyes, it will fly away!”

This statement reached the ears of the King, who disbelieved it and ordered Yao Mugen to carve the Dragon's eyes on the spot.

Otherwise, he would be killed. Yao Mugen then complied and indeed carved the Dragon's eyes. Afterward came the classic story: the Dragon gained spirit, transformed into a living being, and soared into the nine heavens. The King immediately revered Yao Mugen as a Divine Being.

As for whether it was true or false, Chen Cuo did not know.

In any case, this legend had been circulating in Luo Kingdom for a long time, and people were filled with reverence and curiosity towards Yao Mugen.

Indeed, no one dared to provoke this person.

Chen Cuo also had no intention of understanding the old workshop owner's past; he simply felt that the other party was very strong.

Yet, it didn't seem like the methods of Cultivating Immortals, which puzzled Chen Cuo somewhat.

But it didn't matter; he still immersed himself in learning carving techniques.

A year later, among Chen Cuo's works, some were birds and flowers, others were human portraits, but without exception, all were full of vitality and Soul.

Gradually, Chen Cuo also began to make some friends in this carving workshop.

Including Senior Brother Lu Bo, Second Senior Brother Yang Ping, and other carving Great Masters, or those apprentices from good families.

Some people who liked carving, they exchanged experiences and learned from each other.

With their help, Chen Cuo also gradually grew, and coupled with a year of Cultivation, his body slowly became stronger, no longer looking like he could be blown away by a gust of wind.

Ultimately, Chen Cuo's talent was discovered by Yao Mugen. During the year-end assessment, Yao Mugen asked Chen Cuo and the other carvers to display their carving works, and then they would exchange ideas for the next step of teaching.

In Yao Mugen's eyes, Chen Cuo not only learned the carving technique, but more importantly, Chen Cuo's works all possessed vitality, a feeling of experiencing life with one's heart, and how to express one's emotions through art.

That was a manifestation only possible for those who had entered the Dao of carving techniques.

To put it more artistically, Chen Cuo's carving had reached a unique Realm; it was art. Art is not merely a skill, but also an attitude, a love for life, and a pursuit of beauty.

After the assessment ended, and after the critiques, everyone else left, and Yao Mugen kept Chen Cuo and Lu Bo behind.