Chapter 8: The Woodcarving Prodigy, Inner Strength and Divinity

Xu You, the third manager, squinted his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in his gentle gaze.

He watched as the rough form of the "Four-Armed Bodhisattva Holding a Child" statue took shape, the lines still rough but already exuding a unique beauty.

That was... the essence!

The expression, posture, and aura... were already palpable!

It was as if a truly benevolent and kind Four-Armed Bodhisattva, holding a child in one arm, with lowered eyelids, fingers forming the mudra of rebirth, holding a jade bottle, and a jade ruyi...

Could this really be carved by a laborer?

Xu You nodded slightly. As the third manager of the woodcarving shop, he had handled countless woodcarvings and had a high level of appreciation for the styles and techniques of many master carvers.

The carving techniques in Li Che's Four-Armed Bodhisattva contained many elements of the style and flavor of the four-knife woodcarver, Chen Dabao!

His talent... is astonishing!

Li Che had not spent money to learn woodcarving at the shop, and Chen Dabao certainly would not have been kind enough to teach him.

This means... everything was self-taught!

During the day, he had to move wood and finished statues at the shop, and only had time to carve at night. This means that with just the time at night, he could reach this level!

"The lines and handling still have some flaws, but what is truly precious is... the essence! The Four-Armed Bodhisattva carved by Little Li is extremely rich in essence, as if it has come to life... This is a natural talent!"

Chen Dabao smacked his lips, coming to his senses after sensing the arrival of the third manager, Xu You, and was amazed.

"Indeed, the most important thing in woodcarving is the spirit. Without the spirit, no matter how good the technique, it's just a piece of rotten wood." Xu You nodded in approval.

"He's a good seedling, and Li Che's technique is not bad. He just lacks the experience of the masters, but he far surpasses the apprentices..."

"It seems we are about to have a true prodigy at Xu's."

Xu You's lips curled up, and he couldn't help but smile brightly.

"Our Xu's Woodcarving Shop is among the best in Feilei City, not only because of the Xu family but also because the woodcarvings produced by Xu's are full of spirit, which can be used by the city's young nobles to refine and extract divinity..."

"Someone with such a talent for grasping the spirit of woodcarvings, we at Xu's will certainly nurture and cultivate well!"

Xu You stood with his hands behind his back and quietly watched Li Che's carving for a while.

From the technique of the chisel to the deepening of the essence and spirit of the woodcarving as the carving progressed, after confirming that it was indeed Li Che's work, Xu You had his answer.

Li Che also noticed Xu You's arrival and his evaluation of him.

He was startled. He had already restrained his carving technique, but it still seemed to be much better than the apprentices, standing out like a crane among chickens...

His first attempt at control... still lacked experience.

However, from the third manager's reaction, it seemed that becoming a woodcarver was a sure thing!

Four hours passed quietly, accompanied by the sound of the chisel tearing through the wood.

Clang—

With a sound like a copper gong shattering!

Xu Beihu, the second manager, sitting in a grand chair drinking tea, stood up abruptly, his powerful qi surging.

"The time is up! Everyone, stop!"

"The examination is over!"

"If I see anyone still carving, they will be disqualified, and their results will be nullified!"

His domineering voice was rough and intimidating.

All the apprentices hurriedly stopped their work, looking at Xu Beihu with trembling hearts, as silent as cicadas in winter.

Li Che also put down his grinding rod, stopping the polishing of the "Four-Armed Bodhisattva Holding a Child," and let out a long sigh, feeling a bit regretful.

If he had just a little more time, he could have finished the polishing, and the statue would have been complete.

The third and second managers, along with several senior carvers, began to evaluate the apprentices' woodcarvings.

The evaluation was not overly strict, but it was fair.

Unless they encountered an extremely poor piece, where four hours had only produced a rough form, they would not scold harshly.

Chen Dabao followed the group, squinting his eyes. When they came to Li Che's workstation, he saw the Four-Armed Bodhisattva standing out from the pile of wood shavings, already taking shape as a finished woodcarving.

Many of the senior carvers were amazed.

"Rare to see, a laborer can have such skill and level!"

"My apprentices are really learning like dogs!"

"Good seedling, it's a pity he hasn't formally studied woodcarving in recent years. He started late, but the essence of this woodcarving... I would believe it was carved by a three-knife master!"

...

Praise did not cease.

Xu You looked at Li Che warmly, his eyes flashing with a strange light, and nodded slightly: "Not bad."

Li Che bowed, his face calm, not losing himself in the praise.

The group continued to evaluate, and after a while, they completed the assessment of all the works.

"Li Che, Zhao Xuan, Wang Zhengpin, your woodcarvings stood out in this examination. You will be granted the title of one-knife woodcarver, with a monthly salary of five taels of silver and a 60% share."

When Xu You called out the three names, the shop was in an uproar.

When the final results were settled, many apprentices were disheartened, some were at a loss, and some shed tears...

Years of hard study, ultimately failing the examination, and even being surpassed by a laborer, their mentality was a bit off balance.

In this small shop, the various human conditions were displayed.

"Follow us."

Xu You and Xu Beihu put on fox fur coats and glanced at the three successful candidates.

Li Che and the other two apprentices hurriedly followed, entering the snowstorm and walking deeper into the courtyard.

They passed through a long corridor and arrived in a spacious courtyard, which looked like a flattened training ground, filled with stone stools and training stakes covered in snow.

"This is the training area of the outer city Xu's Woodcarving Shop. Once you become a woodcarver at the shop, you are considered one of us. You can enter this area with the 'Jade Knife' that represents your one-knife woodcarver status to practice martial arts and refine your strength, preparing to advance to a higher level of woodcarver."

The group stood in the courtyard, braving the snow.

Xu You distributed three small jade knives to the three and then stood with his hands behind his back, while Xu Beihu spoke.

"Martial arts instruction will be provided by me. I will come to the outer city twice a month. If you have any questions about martial arts, you can ask me."

Xu Beihu's voice was like a bell, his qi strong, standing in the snowstorm without a single flake touching him.

The three hurriedly responded.

"Now, I will explain martial arts to you..."

"Martial arts cultivation is divided into three types: body refinement, inner strength, and... divinity."

"Divinity is not something you can access, nor are you qualified to access it. Body refinement can be practiced by anyone, while inner strength is more dependent on talent and requires time to accumulate."

"I will teach you body refinement now. As for inner strength, you will learn it after your body refinement reaches the skin-grinding stage."

Xu Beihu said calmly.

He then began to explain the methods of body refinement, which were essentially some arduous practices using external tools to grind and refine the body. The various equipment in the training ground was all for body refinement.

"Body refinement involves skin-grinding, tendon-opening, bone-tempering, and blood-replacement. Once you can move the qi and blood within your body, achieving blood like mercury, you will be considered a skilled practitioner! As for the higher level of meridian-opening, it is rare even in a city."

"Starting with skin-grinding, every half month, you can receive a bowl of 'Boiling Skin Powder.' If you find it insufficient, you can buy it yourself, one tael of silver per bowl, to speed up your body refinement."

...

Xu Beihu taught very seriously, and Li Che listened very attentively.

This was his first exposure to martial arts in this world, and he dared not be negligent, as the threat of the Spirit Infant Sect Master loomed over his head like a sword.

Practicing martial arts would enhance his ability to resist the Spirit Infant Sect Master, so he dared not be the slightest bit lax.

When it was completely dark,

Xu Beihu ended the day's teaching.

Tomorrow, he would stay in the outer city for another day to teach martial arts.

"Dismissed. Digest the martial arts knowledge I have taught you, and start the skin-grinding practice tomorrow."

Xu Beihu said solemnly, waving his hand and turning to leave.

However, Li Che did not leave. He found the third manager to inquire about the move.

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(End of Chapter)