Beyond Belief

[Heavenly Craft Academy], Mimicry Cultivation Ground the nature of plants and trees - "Spring Breeze and Transforming Rain".

In the lush woodland, Tang Yuehua held a carving knife about twenty centimeters long and kept cutting into a rock about the height of a person.

Hard rocks seem no different from soft mud under the blade.

The gleaming blade light almost formed a phantom; as the blade passed, pieces of stone flew out one after another. As time passed, the rough shape of this stone sculpture gradually took shape.

Around them, a group of people had gathered, silently watching Tang Yuehua's carving.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tang Yuehua remained as calm as a still lake. The carving knife in her hand seemed to be an extension of her body, and her movements were graceful and natural, making it a pleasure to watch.

Tranquil, natural, and peaceful.

The sun shone from the east to the west, gradually dimming the light, but the stone carving in front of Tang Yuehua became clearer and clearer.

Tang Yuehua's gaze was completely focused on the stone sculpture in front of her. At this moment, she forgot everything and devoted her whole mind and body to the sculpture. In this wonderful state, she did not feel the passage of time or the fatigue in her body.

The Weiyi thing she could feel was an ever-increasing, vibrant, and energetic spirit, like grass growing rapidly after being bathed in spring rain. That feeling of natural growth was addictive to Tang Yuehua, a sense of inner comfort lingering in her soul.

As the sun set and the evening glow turned blood-red, Tang Yuehua finally stopped carving with her chisel.

"Call--!"

She let out a soft breath and finally felt the fatigue in her body. The waves of muscle soreness that assaulted her brain could not overshadow the sense of accomplishment and joy she felt at that moment.

With a gleaming light in his eyes, he looked at the stone sculpture that was half a head taller than him. Now, the rubble and edges had been completely removed, and a tall, beautiful woman with a picturesque face stood in front of Tang Yuehua. Under the red light of the setting sun, it seemed as if this was not a stone sculpture, but a beautiful woman with flesh and blood, living and breathing.

Tang Yuehua turned her head and looked to the side, ignoring the other onlookers, and immediately locked onto one of the figures, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and joy:

"Sister Erlong, come and see! Isn't she exactly like you?!"

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Erlong stepped forward. Instead of immediately looking at the statue, he reached out to support Tang Yuehua, who was swaying precariously and could barely stand. "Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You didn't even take a break halfway through..."

Hehe~

Tang Yuehua leaned against the nascent canteen of Liu Erlong, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she chuckled, "It's different. A work completed in one go is truly different from one that's been polished bit by bit."

"Vice Dean Ling mentioned it in his notes; it's a difference between 'spirit' and 'craftsmanship'."

In addition, Tang Yuehua had something else she didn't say. After studying Vice Dean Ling's carving notes, she vaguely discovered that the various knowledge points recorded in the notes, when learned and applied step by step, seemed to contain a secret technique for tempering mental strength!

Just now, after she completed her first large-scale sculpture with complete dedication and in one go, her mental strength actually improved significantly!

At this moment, although her body was filled with fatigue and soreness, her soaring mental energy put her in a wonderful state.

Of course, this is not without its drawbacks. For example, her overly active mental energy makes her more acutely aware of her physical senses, and the soreness and weakness in her muscles have a stronger impact on her mind.

Just as Tang Yuehua and Liu Erlong were talking, several figures stepped out from the crowd and came closer to examine the stone sculpture.

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful—!"

Vice Dean Hamo Reit looked at the statue, which seemed to be a one-to-one replica of Liu Erlong, and exclaimed "Wonderful!" three times in a row.

As a renowned architect, Hammer Reiter was also a master sculptor. He could see that Tang Yuehua's work was exquisitely crafted, with every detail of the stone's shape, texture, grain, and color rendered flawlessly, without a single superfluous cut.

Most importantly, Tang Yuehua completed this piece using only a carving knife!

Hammer Reiter asked himself if he could also replicate a person's figure, clothing, facial features, and so on in a one-to-one stone carving.

However, it would require at least a dozen carving tools of different sizes and functions to achieve this.

Furthermore, Hammer Reiter could sense that there was something about the "Liu Erlong Statue" in front of him that he had never seen in any of his other works.

A lifelike, almost magical aura that brings the statue to life!

It seems that the carving knife in Tang Yuehua's hand gave Life to this "Liu Erlong Stone Statue".

If Liu Erlong weren't standing right here, providing a point of comparison, people unfamiliar with Liu Erlong would likely instinctively assume that this stone statue is Liu Erlong herself.

Turning to look at Tang Yuehua, who was still clinging to Liu Erlong's arms, Hamo Reit saw a shadow of someone in the girl.

Ling Yi is a Divine Craftsman in the art of carving!

That man, who goes by the alias Linley Ba Lu, is a renowned stone carving Grandmaster in the Douluo Continent!

The difference is that, even if the real person is standing right in front of the statue that Ling Yi sculpts, it is difficult for people to tell which is the statue and which is the real person if the statue does not speak.

Even more remarkably, Ling Yi's "Wind Shadow Leopard" stone sculpture once fetched an astronomical price at auction in the Silves Kingdom. The buyer took it to the Soul Beast Forest and placed it in front of a "Wind Shadow Leopard." The "Wind Shadow Leopard" was so intimidated by the stone sculpture's imposing presence that it bowed down in submission!

The rumors were so incredible that Hammer Reiter wasn't sure if they were true, but having seen Ling Yi's carvings and many of his works, he chose to believe them.

"Miss Yuehua, I originally thought that you would only be able to reach this level after you grew up and your physical strength, arm strength, and finger strength improved~"

Hammer Reit looked at the "Liu Erlong Statue" before him with a sigh, then turned to Tang Yuehua and exclaimed in admiration:

"I never expected you to reach this point so quickly~"

"Dean, you flatter me." Tang Yuehua rose from Liu Erlong's embrace, gave Hamo Reit an elegant bow, and thanked him calmly and respectfully, saying, "Thank you for the academy's guidance and cultivation of Yuehua. There is still much for Yuehua to learn..."

Tang Yuehua knew in her heart that Vice Dean Hammer Reit's previous assessment was indeed very accurate.

The reason she was able to complete this work ahead of schedule is that she has now broken free from the shackles that bound her.

Tang Yuehua, Level 15, One-Ring Soul Master!

To be continued tomorrow, goodnight everyone~