Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  He continued from morning until evening, and the statue’s form began to grow clearer and clearer.

  Linley’s gaze was totally fixed upon the stone. At this moment, his entire being was focused on the stone and permeated it, as his heart had become one with the inside of the stone. This marvelous feeling caused Linley not to even notice the passage of time. This sensation of being totally one with nature actually caused Linley’s spiritual energy to begin to regenerate, and even grow organically.

  But Linley himself did not notice this, as he continued to wield the straight chisel and unceasingly work on the statue.

  Pieces of excess stone continued to fall down, causing each detail of the statue to grow more pronounced. By the time the sun had set, the straight chisel in Linley’s hands finally came to a halt.

  “Whew!”

  Linley let out a soft breath and brushed away some small pieces of excess stone still remaining. The entire statue had taken shape. A half-meter long lively-looking mouse stood in front of Linley. At a glance, one might mistake it for a real mouse. This caused the little Shadowmouse, Bebe, to begin squeaking wildly.

  From start to finish, this was done at one go!

  “What an amazing feeling.” Only now did Linley realize that his spiritual essence had improved dramatically.

  A white-robed Doehring Cowart smiled at him cheerily from the side. “Linley, starting today, you can just barely be considered to have mastered the basics. Have you felt that special feeling yet? But your work can only be considered to be a superficial pseudo-artwork. It’s only worthy of being placed in the standard hall at the Proulx Institute. If you show it off there, I would be humiliated. Destroy it.”

  “Yes, Grandpa Doehring.”

  The straight chisel in Linley’s hand flashed many times, and the statue suddenly became divided into more than ten pieces. This year, Linley finally had mastered the basics of stonesculpting!

  And this year, Linley was thirteen years old!

  Day after day, year after year.

  After mastering the basics of stonesculpting, Linley’s spiritual essence began to improve at a much more rapid pace. Specifically, when Linley was nine and a half, he had become a magus of the second rank, and when he was eleven, he had become a magus of the third rank. And when he was thirteen, he had become a magus of the fourth rank!

  Magi found it harder and harder to advance in ranks as they grew more powerful. Logically speaking, from the fourth to the fifth rank, it should have taken Linley at least three years.

  But in reality…

  In year 9996 of the Yulan calendar, when Linley was fourteen and a half, he reached the rank of a magus of the fifth rank. From the fourth rank to the fifth rank, he only spent a year and a half. It was even faster than when he advanced from the third to the fourth rank.

  This was the benefit of entering the Straight Chisel School!

  …..

  Year 9997 of the Yulan calendar was the seventh year Linley had spent at the Ernst Institute. This year, Linley was fifteen years old.

  Wearing a sky-blue robe, Linley was walking on a road within the Ernst Institute. On Linley’s shoulders, the little Shadowmouse ‘Bebe’ continued to stand. Although six or seven years had passed, Bebe’s body hadn’t changed in the slightest.

  By now, Linley was 1.8 meters tall and gave off a very steady, stable air. Earth and wind elemental essences had continuously nourished his body. Combined with Linley’s nonstop training, and the advantages provided by his Dragonblood Warrior heritage, Linley had already become a warrior of the fourth rank.

  He could easily lift boulders which weighed hundreds of pounds, and shatter rocks with his punches.

  His study of the Straight Chisel School of stonesculpting had also caused Linley’s spiritual essence to constantly improve ever since he was thirteen.

  At the start of year 9997 of the Yulan calendar, Linley entered the fifth grade class at the Ernst Institute, the same grade as the Ernst Institute’s number one genius, Dixie. It had taken Dixie three years to advance from the fourth rank to the fifth rank, but up until now, he still had not been able to advance from the fifth rank to the sixth.

  Fifteen years old. A magus of the fifth rank!

  Linley and Dixie both could definitely be considered freaks of nature. But in the hearts of the vast majority, Linley was even more of a freak, because since the day he took the ability assessment for the fourth rank, he had spent only a year and a half before attaining the fifth rank.

  Linley’s astonishing rate of improvement had shocked everyone.

  Now, Linley was ranked along with Dixie as being the publicly acknowledged ‘Two Ultimate Geniuses’ of the Ernst Institute.

  “Look, it is Linley. Two years ago, he became a magus of the fourth rank, and just last year, he became a magus of the fifth rank in just one year! Too amazing. I predict that Linley will become a magus of the sixth rank before Dixie does.”

  “Linley spends every day training in the back mountains. I hear that recently, Dixie has also begun to train hard at the rear mountains. Most likely, he’s being influenced by Linley.”

  “Very possible. Given Linley’s astonishing rate of improvement, very possibly he will supplant Dixie and become the number one genius of the Ernst Institute.”

  …….

  On the street, there were many people who, upon seeing Linley, began to discuss him amongst themselves. As the acknowledged genius of the Ernst Institute, no matter where he went, people would discuss him. But although Linley’s strength continued to increase, he still refused to participate in the yearly tournaments.

  “Genius?” Linley mocked himself.

  Linley had never considered himself a genius. His strength came from intensive training every single day. For six years, he had been as steadfast as he was the first day. And that, combined with guidance from Grandpa Doehring, was what gave him his current accomplishments.

  “But right now, my strength is actually less than that of Bebe’s.” Linley glanced at Bebe on his shoulders. “Bebe, what rank of power have you reached?”

  “Squeak squeak.” Bebe smirked at Linley, then said to him mentally, “I don’t know either, since I’ve never competed against any other magical beasts. But you definitely aren’t a match for me, hehe.” Bebe was extremely self-satisfied.

  Totally ignoring the worshipful gazes aimed at him by bystanders, Linley calmly left the Ernst Institute by the back gate and entered the mountains, once more beginning his solitary training. Those six years which went by like one day were the reason for his success.

  Linley quickly and casually floated through the forests, while the little Shadowmouse ‘Bebe’ continued to chat with him nonstop through their mental link. “Boss, when are we gonna go to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts to test our strength? You are already a magus of the fifth rank. You can begin to test yourself. And I, Bebe, will finally be able to show my awesome abilities.”

  “No rush.” Linley’s reply was very short.

  “You are breaking my heart, man. I’m a magical beast, but I haven’t gone to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts a single time. What a tragedy!” After six years, Bebe’s abilities at self-expression had improved dramatically.

  “Quiet. If you keep on making a fuss, then today I won’t help you cook meat.” As soon as Linley spoke these words, Bebe immediately shut his mouth and didn’t make a sound.

  After entering the mountains, Doehring Cowart appeared by his side. Watching Linley, Doehring Cowart felt extremely gratified in his heart.

  “Linley.” Doehring Cowart suddenly said.

  Linley turned his head and smiled at Doehring Cowart as he engaged in mental conversation. “Grandpa Doehring, is something the matter?”

  Doehring Cowart smiled. “Based on your last few works of art, I can formally inform you that your abilities in stonesculpting have met the threshold.”

  Linley’s eyes involuntarily shone.

  His Grandpa Doehring had an eccentric t
emperament. Any works of art which didn’t reach his exacting standards had to be destroyed immediately. Per his words, “If these works of art were to appear in the world, they would lose face for my Straight Chisel School, and lose face for me, an honorable Saint-level Grand Magus.”

  Thus, Linley had been forced to destroy every single sculpture he had made, even though they could have been sold for some money.

  “Met the threshold? Grandpa Doehring, do you mean?…” Linley stared at Doehring Cowart in amazement.

  Doehring Cowart happily nodded. “Right. Starting today, after you finish a stone sculpture, you don’t need to destroy it. They are worthy of remaining in this world. Naturally, if you wish, you can deliver your sculptures to the Proulx Gallery to sell them and thus begin to build up a reputation for our Straight Chisel School. At the same time, you can make a bit of gold for yourself.”

  Book 3, Mountain Range of Magical Beasts – Chapter 1, Stone Sculpting (part 1)

  The warm, comfortable rays of the spring sun shone down upon the bros of dorm 1987, who were resting in their backyard.

  Yale, George, and Reynolds were all engaged in idle conversation. By now, Yale and George were both 16 years old, while Reynolds was now 14. The three of them had quickly gained in height, and even the shortest Reynolds was now 1.6 meters tall. The tallest of them was Yale, at an astonishing 1.9 meters.

  “George, stop faking in front of the two of us. Even fourth bro has lost his virginity. Why are you and third bro still faking? How about this, at the end of this month, why don’t you and third bro both go to Fenlai City’s “Jade Water Paradise”. I’ll handle the expenses. I guarantee that both of you will be extremely comfortable, and I’ll also guarantee that the girl will also be a virgin. Deal?” Holding two small stone weights, Yale was doing a chest workout while laughing as he spoke.

  Those two stone weights each most likely weighed around 20-30 pounds. Linley generally disdained such light weights.

  George laughed as well. “Boss Yale, stop trying to force us. Why don’t you guys go to the Jade Water Heaven while third bro and I go drinking. Isn’t that a better idea?”

  Reynolds mocked from the side, “George, you, simply aren’t a man at all.”

  George could only laugh helplessly.

  Suddenly, footsteps could be heard from outside the courtyard. Yale put down the two stone weights and headed towards the courtyard exit while saying, “I bet it is third bro. C’mon, time to eat…” Before he finished his words, Yale suddenly went silent.

  He saw Linley stride forward, carrying a huge rock on his shoulders, at least three feet high and a hundred pounds heavy.

  But Linley clearly was carrying this boulder into the dorm with ease. Yale, George, and Reynolds all stared, slack-jawed. Linley casually set down the giant rock in a corner of the courtyard, and the weighty sound of the rock slamming into the ground made all their hearts tremble.

  “What the hell? Third bro, I know you are strong, but how are you this strong?” Yale stared at the boulder. “Is the boulder hollow or something?” As he spoke, Yale moved forward and stretched out his hands, giving the boulder a test.

  “Hrrrrrngh!”

  Yale used all of his strength, and his entire face flushed dark red, but that giant boulder seemed to be rooted into the earth as it didn’t budge at all.

  “Boss Yale, stop wasting your energy. There’s no way you can move it.” Linley laughed.

  Yale’s physical strength was weaker than that of even a warrior of the first rank. How could he lift it?

  Reynolds stared at the boulder with round eyes. Letting out a few surprised breaths, he suddenly turned his head and stared at Linley questioningly. “Hey, Linley, why did you bring such a huge boulder into our dorm? Oh, I know!” Reynolds eyes lit up. “I’ve seen powerful warriors use their hands to lift up giant boulders as a form of weight training. Are you preparing to start weight lifting, Linley?”

  “Such a huge boulder could smash me into meat paste.” George stared at the boulder, also letting out a few surprised breaths before turning to look questioningly at Linley. “Third bro, why did you bring this giant boulder into our apartment?”

  Linley smiled at his three bros, and he said two words: “Stone sculpting!”

  Based on what Doehring Cowart had said, his sculptures were now qualified to be placed within the standard hall. But it took a lot of time to carve each piece, and usually a day wasn’t enough. In the past, he could casually carve at the rear mountains without worrying about making mistakes, but now things were different.

  “Stone sculpting?”

  Reynolds, George, and Yale all stared at Linley, shock in their eyes.

  “What, is this really shocking?” Linley looked back at his three bros.

  Reynolds hurriedly said, “It isn’t shocking, no. It is extremely shocking! We four bros have lived together for six or seven years now, but I’ve never seen you sculpt stone before. Are you planning to start training today?”

  Linley laughed, “Who says I’ve never been trained before? I’ve been practicing stone sculpting in the rear mountains for over five years now, but this time, after I finish this piece, I plan to take it to the Proulx Gallery and display it there and see if it can be sold for any money.”

  In order to come up with a sufficient amount of money to allow his little brother, Wharton, have sufficient funds to go with Housekeeper Hiri to the O’Brien Empire to request admittance and training, the Baruch clan had virtually exhausted all of its funds.

  But despite this, Hogg was still very happy.

  So what if his family had bankrupted itself? His elder son, Linley, was a student at the Ernst Institute, and upon graduation would definitely become a powerful magus. And his younger son, Wharton, had the possibility of becoming a Dragonblood Warrior.

  Hogg could already foresee the dawning splendor of the Baruch clan!

  “The Proulx Gallery?” Upon hearing this, Yale and the other two looked at Linley in shock.

  Linley was the pride of their dorm, dorm 1987. Despite being just fifteen years old, he had entered the fifth grade at the Ernst Institute, and had been acclaimed alongside Dixie as one of the ‘Two Ultimate Geniuses of the Ernst Institute’. Yale and the others all acknowledged Linley as being a genius, but…

  Stonesculpting was an extremely profound art form.

  Many people would painstakingly train for decades, but still only be considered ordinary sculptors. As an extremely ancient and long-lived art form, how could it be easy for stonesculpting to be mastered? How did Linley dare to dream that his artworks would be exhibited in the most venerated of art galleries, the Proulx Gallery?

  “Third bro, don’t get too carried away.” George joked in a consoling manner.

  “Linley, I’m worried…your sculpture, will anyone actually buy it?” Reynolds frowned, a look of disbelief on his face.

  Yale laughed loudly. “Why are you guys acting like this? Third bro, go ahead and put on an exhibit. As long as you have an exhibit, I’ll spend ten thousand gold to buy it and help spread your fame.”

  “I’m telling the truth.” Linley retrieved a straight chisel from his clothes.

  “Straight chisel?” Reynolds said in surprise. “Linley, looks like you’ve made some preparations. But in the past, I was also prepared to learn stonesculpting, so I know that lots of tools are needed, including the straight chisel, the butterfly chisel, the triangular chisel, the jade bowl knife, and tools like saws. What, did you only prepare a single tool?”

  George, Reynolds, and Yale all knew at least some rudiments about art.

  Linley didn’t say too much.

  Wielding his straight chisel, Linley naturally entered a tranquil mental state. His spirit could feel the earth essence flowing through the boulder in front of him, and could even sense, just barely, the veins in it. Smiling, Linley began to use the chisel.

  The flashing chisel reflected the light of the sun, causing the nearby Reynolds and the others to squint. But
all of them continued to stare at the boulder.

  “Whooooosh!”

  Wherever the shadow of the chisel fell, large pieces of stone began to fall as well.

  “How is this possible?” Yale watched in astonishment. “To remove such a large piece of rock, a saw should be used to chop it. He actually removed it with just a straight chisel. How astonishing must his wrist strength be?” Next to him, Reynolds and George both fell totally silent.

  Wrist strength?

  To do this in such a manner as casually as Linley did, with every cut being perfectly even, was not something which could be accomplished just with strong wrists.

  Linley was as tranquil as a pond of still water. The straight chisel in his left hand stretched out, quickly carving through all parts of the boulder, and pieces of excess stone continuously rained down. The natural, elegant manner in which Linley carved was a treat to watch.

  “Third bro, he….”

  Yale, George, and Reynolds exchanged glances. At this moment, they all felt in their hearts that perhaps Linley truly was an expert stone sculptor.

  Tranquil. Natural. Peaceful.

  Linley very much enjoyed the feeling of stone sculpting. At his current level, Linley didn’t have to consider how much effort or strength should be used in any particular place. The straight chisel in his hands would naturally attain the most perfect usage of force. This was a subconscious effect.

  Compared to the ‘Straight Chisel School’?

  None of the other schools of stone sculpting could be so effortless. All the experts of the other schools had to consider which of the many various types of tools should be used for each part of the sculpture. This alone was exhausting.

  In this natural, unrestrained manner, Linley’s stonesculpting led his spiritual essence to rapidly grow, like the grass after a rain. That sensation of natural growth was extremely wondrous to Linley, making him feel comfortable from his very core.

  Linley’s right hand suddenly halted.