Stone Carving Painting

Inherited talent bloodlines were generally divided into several grades.

From weakest to strongest, they were inferior, middle, superior, and true bloodlines (true bloodlines were also known as genuine Divine Beast bloodlines; in theory, every founding ancestor of a Talent Family possessed one). However, as the years passed and the bloodline was passed down, its power gradually weakened until it disappeared.

Of course, it was also possible for a particular generation—or a particular person—to suddenly experience a tremendous surge in bloodline power. If that happened, it became much easier for the family to rise to prominence.

The Saint Ancestor of the Luo Clan (Sanbao's grandfather), for example, had an extremely rare true bloodline. None of his peers—or even members of the clan several generations older than him—had ever reached that level.

Because the Saint Ancestor of the Luo Clan had experienced a sudden surge in his talent bloodline, his direct descendants, including his sons and grandsons, inherited a great deal of its power. Their bloodlines might not necessarily surpass his, but they were still incomparable to those of the other clan members.

Sanbao's father and eldest brother also had true bloodlines. Of course, true bloodlines varied in strength. The Saint Ancestor's bloodline ranked higher than those of Sanbao's father and eldest brother; this, too, was a normal part of bloodline inheritance.

As for ordinary members of the Luo Clan, they generally had only inferior or middle bloodlines. Superior bloodlines were pitifully rare. Luo Dingyi, for example, had a middle bloodline.

For most members of a Divine Beast Family, the grade of their talent bloodline was determined at birth. Of course, there were exceptions. Sanbao's Latent Bloodline was one such case; its grade wasn't fixed.

Before it was awakened, it was as if he had no grade at all. Once awakened, it might be inferior, middle, superior, or even true.

Before it was awakened, no one could predict what grade it would be. According to the rules of inheritance, however, Sanbao's bloodline concentration should be at least superior. A true bloodline wasn't out of the question, though there was also a small chance it might be middle, inferior, or even bloodless.

Blood Fusion, put simply, gave people with no Divine Beast bloodline some measure of talent bloodline. How much they gained depended on the circumstances and their own fortune.

In other words, those undergoing Blood Fusion generally started out with no Divine Beast bloodline at all. After a successful fusion, they might gain an inferior, middle, superior, or even true bloodline.

Of course, that was only a theoretical possibility.

In most cases, gaining a true bloodline through Blood Fusion was all but impossible, while gaining a superior bloodline was extremely difficult. Most people who succeeded in Blood Fusion obtained a middle or inferior bloodline.

Sanbao's situation was different from that of ordinary people undergoing Blood Fusion, who merely gained a bloodline. He already possessed this talent within him; it had simply been hidden. Now, it only needed to be awakened.

As for the grade of his talent once it was awakened, everything depended on Sanbao's own fortune.

Fate played cruel tricks on people. Sanbao knew that all too well.

If fortune hadn't smiled on him, he would have died beneath Luo Family Mountain long ago. To be reborn and live again now was the height of good fortune.

Every talent bloodline had its own special qualities. The Luo Clan, for instance, had inherited the bloodline power of the Purple Copper Golden Roc.

Those who possessed this bloodline were far stronger and faster than ordinary people. Their eyesight and hearing, too, were beyond the reach of ordinary Spirit Cultivators.

That was why Sanbao was so eager to learn the grade of his own bloodline.

It was easy to imagine the incomparable advantage these talents would give him in cultivation and battle.

"Thirteen said that once you reach a certain level of cultivation, the power of your soul becomes extremely important, in addition to training your body. For those with talent bloodlines, the power of the soul is even more important; sometimes, it matters more than physical cultivation. I can't train my body right now, so I'll have to start by cultivating my soul. Fortunately, soul cultivation doesn't require awakening any bloodline power. And Thirteen has already given me the Saint Ancestor's secret manual of soul cultivation. Then I'll start tomorrow..."

After sorting out his thoughts, Sanbao had a good night's sleep.

"Third Master, do you have any instructions for me?" Early the next morning, Meimei arrived at Sanbao's door, ready to await his orders.

"Nothing in particular. I'll call you if I need anything. Otherwise, just go about your own business." Sanbao scratched his head sheepishly and smiled as he spoke. Then he headed straight for the back mountain.

After walking only a few steps, Sanbao suddenly remembered something and turned around. "Meimei, could you find me a few pens? Preferably the kind that can carve words into stone."

"Pens that can carve words into stone?"

Meimei looked utterly confused. What a strange request from her new master! Weren't pens for writing on paper? To carve words into stone, you'd need a metal point.

But Meimei had naturally been sent to serve Sanbao for a reason. Her momentary confusion quickly passed, and she replied, "All right, Third Master. You'll have to wait a little. I'll go find some right away."

"Good. I'll wait for you in the back mountain." After speaking, Sanbao left the courtyard and headed toward Deer Mountain, behind Luo Mansion.

Deer Mountain lay right behind Luo Mansion. As soon as Sanbao left the back gate, he was practically at its foot.

Far off, he saw a white figure moving slowly up the mountain. Sanbao paused. Deer Mountain had dozens of peaks, but the one nearest Luo Mansion was private property. Outsiders weren't allowed to climb it, and even the servants of Luo Mansion couldn't go up without permission. Only members of the Luo Mansion could come and go freely. He wondered who it was. They were probably training.

The answer soon became clear. As he drew closer, Sanbao recognized the person in white: his "second nephew," Luo Caiguang. At that moment, he was trudging slowly uphill with a huge boulder strapped to his back.

Only then did Sanbao remember that this was the result of Old Luo using his two grandsons to assert his authority in front of him the day before. He couldn't help smiling.

He glanced casually around. Sanbao was very pleased with this place for cultivation. The mountainside was covered with blue-yellow rocks of all shapes and sizes—the perfect place to practice Stone Carving Painting.

The soul cultivation method recorded in the Saint Ancestor Secret Manual began with Stone Carving Painting.

"When you see anything that interests you, use the pen in your hand to carve it into stone. Carve entirely with your mind; the more lifelike the result, the better. At the minor mastery stage, you can make the false seem real; at the grand mastery stage, you can imbue your carvings with a soul, unlocking countless wonders. While carving, remember to control your thoughts according to the instructions in the manual... Practice diligently every day, and over time, the power of your soul (also called mental power, a measure of the strength of your soul) will gradually increase."

This was a passage from the Saint Ancestor Secret Manual, apart from the specific cultivation techniques. Sanbao didn't understand why doing this would increase the power of his soul, but aside from the manual itself, which required a little study, the method was very straightforward. It was just drawing, wasn't it? He'd find out by trying.

Back at Lanjing Villa, this had been one of his strengths.

With a sharp snap, Sanbao broke a branch off a small tree. He stripped away the smaller twigs and leaves, and soon had the simplest kind of drawing tool.

He looked up. Rocks and trees stretched in every direction. He might as well start by drawing the simplest thing: a rock. He picked out a smooth one and began carving with the wooden branch.

Scritch, scritch...

Sanbao casually drew a couple of lines on the rock, then discovered to his dismay that he hadn't left even the faintest scratch.

"I must not have pressed hard enough. I'll try again."

Sss, sss...

Sanbao used all his strength, but the rock still showed no sign of a scratch. It seemed carving stone really was very different from drawing on paper. Sanbao considered the reasons again: his pen wasn't sharp enough, and the rocks on Deer Mountain seemed especially hard.

Of course, the most important reason was probably that he was too weak. If Thirteen were here, he could probably leave a mark on the rock just by blowing on it.

"If I can't carve into the stone, the ground should work, right?" While waiting for Meimei to bring him an iron pen, Sanbao began another attempt.

A horizontal line, another horizontal line, a vertical line, a curve...

In just a few strokes, he had carved the shape of a rock into the ground. Not bad, but it wasn't clear enough. He still needed more strength. Again...

Before long, the ground was covered in drawings of rocks, large and small, deep and shallow, each with a different shape.

"Huff, huff..."

In less than a quarter of an hour, Sanbao was already drenched in sweat.

"This body is just too weak..." Sanbao was thoroughly dissatisfied with his body. He sat down on a rock to rest.

"Hey, isn't that Third Uncle?" Luo Caiguang came down from the mountain. He spotted Sanbao from a distance, and when he got closer, he called out to him.

"Mm, hello, Caiguang."

Sanbao answered nonchalantly, putting on the airs of an elder. After all, in terms of his actual age, he could just about pass for this fellow's uncle.