The brook babbled along, Lin Lei sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a flat knife and a palm-sized stone.

  "Start from the basics and practice with this small stone first..."

  In the back mountain of Enst College, Lin Lei alone, under the guidance of Deling Kuo Wote, began to learn carving. As he gained a clearer understanding of carving itself, Lin Lei also understood why the 'Flat Knife' school could enhance spiritual power in the middle and late periods.

  Others carve, requiring a large number of tools.

  Different places use different tools, which requires a lot of thought and effort. Every good work that comes out is a masterpiece that has been painstakingly crafted with heart and soul.

  Heikō Ryū differs.

  The tool has only one flat knife, no need to think about changing various tools. Of course, using only one tool is much more difficult, such as the parts that can be carved out with a jade bowl knife, and if you want to carve it with a flat knife, you need to grasp the stone quality almost to an extreme point.

  And then there's strength.

  Some large debris needs to be chopped with an axe; if only a flat knife is used, sufficient force is required.

  A grasp of the stone can be felt through the unique abilities of a geomancer. As for wrist strength, it requires training. Lin Lei is now a second-level geomancer, and his wrist strength can be considered not bad. However, his wrist strength is only enough to carve small works, and if he wants to carve larger ones, his wrist strength is still insufficient.

  But...

  Lin Lei is just laying the foundation now.

  ******

  When this school year ended, Lin Lei returned to Wushan Town.

  After the New Year, Little Wotton and his brother Lin Lei were reunited for only a few days before leaving under the care of Xi Li Guan's family to head to the Aubrey Empire. Lin Lei could only reluctantly watch as Little Wotton left, with the six-year-old Little Wotton crying loudly as he parted ways with ten-year-old Lin Lei.

  Time flies.

  At Ernst Academy, Lin Lei was still unconventional, spending most of his time in seclusion behind the academy's rear mountain.

  Entering puberty, Lin Lei's appetite increased sharply, and his height also soared. His physical fitness and strength naturally improved rapidly. In the art of stone carving, with the guidance of Delin Kowert and Lin Lei's own efforts, he made progress time and again.

  ……

  Spring goes and autumn comes, flowers bloom and fall, three years pass in the blink of an eye.

  A waterfall behind Ernst College.

  "Rumbling~~~~" The waterfall poured down like a curtain of water, crashing into the deep pool below.

  Lin Lei was beside the waterfall, holding a flat knife nearly thirty centimeters long and constantly carving on a stone about half the height of a person. The flat knife seemed to dance into a piece of phantasmagoria, and wherever it passed, the waste of the stone flew out continuously, and the embryo of the entire stone carving gradually took shape.

  From morning till dusk, this stone carving became clearer and clearer.

  Lin Lei's gaze was completely focused on the stone carving, and at this moment, he seemed to be immersed in nature, his heart merging with the entire stone carving. The wonderful feeling made Lin Lei feel as if time was not passing, and this complete closeness to nature actually caused Lin Lei's spiritual energy to begin recovering and even growing vigorously.

  Lin Lei himself seemed unaware, still using the flat knife as if it were an extension of his arm.

  The continuous reduction of stone waste made the entire stone carving more and more prominent, when the sun set, Lin Lei's flat knife finally stopped.

  "Ah!"

  Lin Lei let out a light breath, and the stone fragments flew away. The entire stone carving was completely revealed, showing a nearly half-meter-long mouse standing vividly in front of Lin Lei. At first glance, it looked like a real mouse, which made Xiaoying Mouse 'Beibei' on the side squeak loudly.

  From start to finish, it was completed in one breath!

  "A wonderful feeling of curiosity." Lin Lei only realized at this time that his spiritual power had actually increased by a large margin.

  And a figure in a white moon-colored long gown, Delingkorvath, was smiling on the side: "Lin Lei, from today on, you barely count as an apprentice, have you felt that wonderful feeling? However, your work can only be considered similar in shape, and it can only be placed in the ordinary exhibition hall of the Prucks Guild Hall. Taking it out would also lose my face and destroy it."

  "Yes, Grandfather Deling."

  Lin Lei's flat knife flashed continuously several times, and the original stone carving was cut into more than a dozen pieces. This year, Lin Lei's stone carving skills could be considered beginner-level.

  That year, Lin Lei was thirteen years old!

  Day after day, year after year.

  After Lin Lei's stone carving skills improved, his spiritual power progressed much faster. To be exact, Lin Lei reached the second level of magic at nine and a half years old, became a third-level magician at eleven years old, and even became a fourth-level magician at thirteen!

  The difficulty of a magician's level increases dramatically as they progress, so logically, Lin Lei should need at least nearly three years to advance from a 4th-level magician to a 5th-level magician.

  But in fact ——

  Yu Lan Li reached the fifth level of magic at the age of 14 and a half, in the autumn of 9996. It took him only one and a half years to advance from fourth level to fifth level, which was even shorter than the time it took him to advance from third level to fourth level.

  This is the role of Heikō Ryūjutsu carving!

  ……

  In the spring of 1997, Lin Lei was in his seventh year at Ernst Academy and was fifteen years old.

  Lin Lei, wearing a sky-blue long gown, walked on the path of Ernst Academy. On Lin Lei's shoulder still stood the cute little Shadow Mouse 'Bei Bei', and even after six or seven years had passed, the body shape of the little Shadow Mouse 'Bei Bei' hadn't changed in the slightest.

  Lin Lei, who is now over 1.8 meters tall, naturally has a steady and calm demeanor. The constant transformation of his body by the earth and wind elements, combined with Lin Lei's uninterrupted cultivation and the advantages of being a Dragon Blood Warrior, have given him the strength of a fourth-level warrior.

  Hundreds of kilograms of boulders can be easily lifted, and a punch can shatter stones.

  The study of Heikō-ryū also caused Lin Lei's mental strength to continuously increase from the age of thirteen.

  In the year 9997, Lin Lei entered the fifth grade of Ernst Academy and became a classmate with Dixie, the academy's first genius. Dixie had spent three years to advance from fourth-level magician to fifth-level magician, but he was unable to overcome the hurdle to become a sixth-level magician.

  Fifteen years old, fifth-level magician!

  Lin Lei and Dixie can indeed be considered abnormal characters, but in the hearts of the vast majority of people, Lin Lei is even more abnormal. After all, just looking at the time spent on the academy test, it seems that Lin Lei only took one year to go from a 4th-level magician to a 5th-level magician.

  Lin Lei's astonishing progress speed amazed everyone.

  Lin Lei and Dixie were both considered by everyone in the academy as 'the two greatest geniuses of Ernst Academy'.

  "Look, it's Lin Lei. He reached 4th level magic last year and now he's already at 5th level! It's only been a year! Too amazing. I reckon Lin Lei will reach 6th level before Dixie does."

  "Lin Lei has been practicing hard in the mountains every day. I heard that Dixie also went to the mountains to practice recently, probably influenced by Lin Lei."

  "It's highly likely that with Lin Lei's terrifying progress speed, it's even possible for him to surpass Dixie and become the first genius of our Ernst Academy."

  ……

  Many people on the road saw Lin Lei and began to discuss in a low voice. The two geniuses of Ernst Academy, wherever they went, were surrounded by discussions. However, Lin Lei, despite his strong strength, still did not participate in any annual arena competition.

  "Genius?" Lin Lei sneered at himself.

  Lin Lei never thought he was a genius, his strength came from almost uninterrupted hard work every day, six years of persistence in the academy like a day, plus Grandpa Delin's careful guidance. This is how he achieved what he has today.

  "But my strength is still no match for Beibei." Lin Lei looked at Beibei beside him, "Beibei, what level have you reached now?"

  "Squeak~~~" Beibei smiled at Lin Lei, communicating with her soul, "I don't know either, I haven't compared with other magical beasts before. Anyway, you're not my opponent, hehe~~" Beibei was quite pleased with herself.

  Not caring about the worshipful and gossiping gazes of people around him, Lin Lei calmly walked out of the back door of Ernst Academy, entered the mountain behind, and began his ascetic practice as usual. Six years of ascetic practice was also the reason for Lin Lei's success.

  Lin Lei swiftly and nimbly darted through the mountain forest, while Xiao Ying Mouse 'Bei Bei' also ceaselessly chatted with Lin Lei through their soul connection: "Lin Boss, when are we going to go take the Magic Beast Forest trial? You've already reached level 5 magician, you can start taking the trial now. I, Bei Bei, will also be able to show off my skills."

  "No rush." Lin Lei's reply was brief.

  "It's really heartbreaking, I'm a Warcraft player, but I've never been to the Warcraft forest, it's truly sad." Six years have passed, and Beibei's expression ability has become stronger and stronger.

  "Be quiet, if you make another sound, I won't help you barbecue today." As soon as Lin Lei said this, BeiBei immediately shut her mouth and didn't make a peep.

  As Lin Lei walked through the mountains and forests, Deling Kwot also floated beside him, looking at Lin Lei, Deling Kwot was also relieved.

  "Lin Lei." Dirk Kowert suddenly spoke up.

  Lin Lei turned his head and looked at Deling Kwovart with a smile, exchanging souls and saying: "Grandpa Deling, what's up?"

  "According to your recent works, I can formally tell you that your stone carving skills are already considered to be at the entry level of the hall."

  Lin Lei's eyes lit up involuntarily.

  Dorin the grandfather has a strange temperament, that is, if the stone carving work does not meet the standard, it will be destroyed even if it is completed. In Dorin's words: "Such works are placed in the world, losing face for our Pingdao school, losing face for me as a magnificent Saint Domain magic teacher."

  Because of this, Lin Lei had no choice but to destroy one by one the works that could be sold for money.

  "Entering the hall for the first time? Mr. Deling, what do you mean?" Lin Lei looked at Deling Cowart with surprise and delight.

  Deling Kurvate nodded with a smile and said, "Right, from today on, your stone carvings don't need to be destroyed after they're completed. They have the qualifications to exist in this world. Of course, you can also send them to the Prucks Guild Hall to sell them off, make a name for our Pingdao School, and earn some gold coins at the same time."