Director Maya stood in complete silence, carefully studying every detail of the stone sculpture 'Dream Awakening,' as though he had fallen into a trance.
"Yeru, boss, it's been a full two hours." Rein pulled a pocket watch from inside his coat and glanced at it.
Yeru shook his head and said softly, "Don't rush it. Let Uncle Maya take his time. He's the head director of Pruxus Hall, so he must be a descendant of Master Pruxus himself. His eye for judgment is surely top-notch. I wonder what level San's piece actually reached."
Rein nodded slightly as well.
Nearly three hours passed before Director Maya finally straightened up and let out a long breath.
"I hear this sculpture is called 'Dream Awakening'?" Director Maya inquired.
Yeru nodded. "Yes, San named it himself."
Director Maya gave a slight nod, then took one more careful look at the sculpture and said with admiration, "I have to say, your brother 'Lin Lei' is an absolute genius in the world of stone sculpture — a genius comparable to Master Pruxus."
"Although there is a slight gap between his work and Master Pruxus's when it comes to the carving technique, in terms of the soul of the work, it absolutely measures up," Director Maya exclaimed.
"Carving technique?" Yeru asked, puzzled.
Director Maya nodded. "Yes. But while this piece has minor flaws, it also possesses astonishing strengths."
"The flaws are in the handling of certain convex and concave surfaces and smooth curves — it falls a little short there. But viewed as a whole, your brother Lin Lei's work is remarkably cohesive. The visual effect absolutely rivals several of Master Pruxus's pieces. And most importantly, this work is large in scale."
Director Maya sighed with emotion. "A masterpiece destined to be passed down through the ages requires painstaking effort in every single detail. One careless slip can ruin the entire piece. To carve even one humanoid stone sculpture is remarkable — Lin Lei carved five. What's most admirable is that each of the five carries its own soul, yet the overall meaning flows together as one. If I'm not mistaken, your brother Lin Lei must have gone through a painful breakup."
With Director Maya's trained eye, he naturally understood what the five sculptures represented.
"'Dream Awakening' — to be able to produce a work like this is truly astonishing," Director Maya couldn't help but praise it several more times.
"Director Maya, so what level is my brother Lin Lei's work, exactly? Does it measure up to Master Pruxus's?" Rein asked.
Director Maya furrowed his brow. "Honestly, even I'm not entirely sure. Let me put it this way: the carving skill is at the level of an expert, and only in its cohesion does it rival Master Pruxus. But there is one thing that's truly unique—"
"The carving strokes of this work are crisp, clean, and decisive. From start to finish, the five sculptures form one perfect whole. That carving style is utterly distinctive — I've never heard of it, never seen anything like it before," Director Maya praised.
Yeru pressed eagerly, "Uncle Maya, what level is this piece, really?"
Director Maya said helplessly, "I truly can't say for certain. By traditional evaluation methods, this work should be classified as a master-level piece. At the very least, that unique spirit and soul are beyond question — his carving technique has conveyed that spirit perfectly."
"Traditional evaluation methods?" Yeru and Rein both looked at Director Maya with confusion.
Director Maya nodded. "The traditional method of appraisal is one that has been universally recognized for countless ages. But I feel that... when you look at Lin Lei's work, the entire piece is flawless. You can't sense any shortcomings whatsoever."
"The very purpose of a stone sculpture is to be viewed. The viewing experience is everything. You could say that while Lin Lei may not yet be called a master sculptor, the price of this piece will likely be very high — high enough to rank among the Top Ten Stone Sculptures," Director Maya said with a smile.
Not a master sculptor, yet the sculpture could rank among the Top Ten — that was indeed an unprecedented oddity.
But Director Maya had to admit, it was very likely to happen.
"Oh." Yeru and Rein nodded.
In truth, this was one drawback of the Flat Knife School's approach. After all, when carving smooth curves and contoured surfaces using only a flat knife, it couldn't match the results of specialized tools. The effect Lin Lei achieved with a flat knife might rival that of an ordinary expert sculptor.
But compared to a master sculptor, the handling of carving strokes still fell short.
Still, the Flat Knife School had its own advantages. For example, its cohesion — and also the fact that while ordinary sculptors constantly switched tools, the Flat Knife School required an Earth System mage to achieve spiritual harmony with the world in order to carve. This method of carving actually enhanced the growth of one's Mental Power.
"Where is Lin Lei himself?" Director Maya asked.
Yeru shook his head. "San is a mage, after all. He spends most of his time on cultivation. Right now he should still be training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. I don't know when he'll be back."
"Then, Yeru, could you agree on Lin Lei's behalf to let Pruxus Hall sell this work?" Director Maya proposed.
"No," Yeru said flatly. "Without San's approval, I can't make that decision."
Director Maya frowned and continued, "Then how about an exhibition? Letting Pruxus Hall display it shouldn't be too much of an issue. After all, Lin Lei's past sculptures were all exhibited and sold through our hall."
Yeru understood all too well what this work meant to Lin Lei.
It represented a painful period in Lin Lei's past — whether Lin Lei would even agree to put it on display was hard to say. Yeru wasn't about to put his brother in a difficult position.
"No. I'm only responsible for keeping it safe. As for exhibitions or selling, we'll discuss that when San comes back," Yeru said firmly.
Deep within the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
For a full two months, Lin Lei had devoted himself entirely to the 'Purple Blood' flexible sword. 'Purple Blood' was the finest weapon he had ever encountered — in terms of sharpness alone, no ordinary sixth-level magic beast could withstand it. And sharpness was only one of its many qualities.
The strengths of the Purple Blood flexible sword: it could shift between soft and rigid at will, its speed was extraordinary, and it carried a fierce killing aura.