After Lucas had brought himself into peak condition that day, he chose a large rock. Using his earth affinity, he began carefully sensing its grain and contours while picturing the scene he wanted to carve. Then he designed the form that would best match that image!
Lucas had practiced stone carving for quite a few years. At first, he could only carve rough shapes, but now he could produce very close likenesses. This benefited both from the greater wrist strength that came with his increased warrior level and from his clearer perception of earth-element particles after his spiritual power improved.
Lucas soon became completely absorbed in carving. Bit by bit, he slowly stripped away what he saw as the stone fragments clinging to the sculpture. The little knife his father had given him flew up and down in his hand, sending showers of stone chips dancing before the little bear Anton's eyes.
After Lucas had spent a day carving, his father, Abuda, arrived at the valley where Lucas was training in seclusion. Abuda wanted to approach, but while he was still far away, the little bear Anton blocked his way.
Abuda still wanted to get closer, but Anton's orders were to let no one approach. The little bear stood right in his path, stopping him whenever he tried to advance. When he moved farther away, Anton left him alone, so he could only wait nearby.
That wait lasted two days. In Lucas's eyes, the sculpture now perfectly captured the moment when he had encountered that Level Nine Magical Beast snake. The enormous snake lunged toward Lucas with its jaws wide open, roaring as it tried to bite him, while Lucas thrust his spear at it, his face filled with resolute madness. A little black bear lay a short distance behind him!
As Lucas completed the work, he sank into deep contemplation. In his mind, he carefully recalled the taste of death and the state he had been in at the time. With his sudden enlightenment, his spiritual power, which had already begun showing signs of liquefaction, slowly started turning liquid. The tiny trace of the Death Edict he had previously comprehended was also gradually growing.
This contemplation lasted another half day. When Lucas came to, he discovered that his spiritual power had already begun completing its liquefaction, and the faint image of a lotus bud had appeared in his sea of consciousness. This was the golden lotus planted in his sea of consciousness blooming!
As his master in his previous life had said, "Plant a golden lotus in the chaotic sea of consciousness; on the road to immortality, I shall become an immortal." This meant that he had already begun walking the road to immortality through his spiritual power. It also meant that he could try putting that power to use.
What delighted Lucas most was that he had originally thought his earth affinity was his greatest talent. Yet fate had played a trick on him: the first thing he had actually gained an initial understanding of was the Death Edict. Still, he now truly had what it took to enter the Saint level!
By then, Lucas's father, Abuda, had been waiting for several days. Seeing his son come to, he called out, "Son, have you finished carving?"
Lucas, who had completed his advancement to level-seven spiritual power, was very happy. He walked over to his father and said, "Yes, I've finished."
Abuda set down the salt and other daily necessities he had brought his son, then went straight over to the finished sculpture. After studying it carefully for a while, he marveled, "It's beautifully carved. It looks as though it's about to come alive!"
Lucas's father was a rough, uneducated man, so naturally, he could not discern the sculpture's spirit. Although Lucas's carving technique was lacking, perhaps even inferior to Linley's when he carved Dream Awakening, what made Lucas stronger than Linley at this moment was his comprehension of the Death Edict. Thus, this sculpture also incorporated the soul-shaking sensation Lucas had experienced when facing death. It carried a faint, soul-intimidating sense of the Death Edict, which was why his father saw the enormous snake and Lucas as though they had come alive.
The little bear Anton also ran over.
When Anton saw himself in the sculpture, he immediately said to Lucas through Soul Transmission, "Boss, I'm in this carving!" Lucas grinned at him and said, "Of course. This is the scene where we faced that giant Level Nine Magical Beast snake. Naturally, you're in it."
After admiring it for quite a while, Abuda suggested to his son, "Can I carry this back to our tribe and display it in our courtyard?"
Lucas knew there was no proper setting for displaying sculptures now, and he had carved this one for the sake of his training, so he agreed to his father's request.
Abuda happily carried the sculpture away. Lucas did not spar with the little bear Anton that day. Instead, he told him, "My father just happened to bring salt, honey, and things like that today. Go catch a magical beast. We'll have roast meat!"
As soon as the little bear Anton heard there would be roast meat, he took off running. Lucas smiled and shook his head. He had been disciplining this fellow more strictly lately, and that lax disposition had become much more restrained. But his craving for food seemed etched into his bones and could not be corrected at all. Thinking it over now, Lucas decided to let him be. As long as the fellow trained hard, a little gluttony was no great fault.
While the little bear Anton was off catching a magical beast, Lucas carefully reflected on what he had gained from his recent enlightenment. Before long, Anton returned with a Bloodthirsty War Boar.
Lucas took the boar and began preparing it for roasting, building a fire, scalding off its bristles, and scraping and washing it clean. After all that work, the roasting pork sizzled with fat and released its aroma. The little bear Anton urged Lucas through their souls, "Boss, hurry! It tastes best if you brush on another layer of honey now."
Lucas also understood that, after following him around, this fellow had gained experience in eating and now knew to brush on honey at this point. The honey would seep shallowly into the pig's skin. Inside, the meat tasted salty because it had been rubbed with salt, and that saltiness paired with the springy pork fat beneath. The little bear Anton truly loved it!
But his favorite was that crispy layer of pigskin brushed with honey. Paired with the honey he loved most, Anton thought it was the finest delicacy in the world. It seemed that following his boss while running around aimlessly back then had been his wisest choice. Otherwise, why had he been the only one of the three bear siblings to run off after his boss? If anyone asked, Anton would say it had been fate's guidance, and that he had taken a liking to his current boss at first sight. He would absolutely never admit that he had been too stupid to keep up with his mother!
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