The spring sunshine was warm and comfortable. The youths of Dormitory 1987 were hanging around in the courtyard.
Yeru, George, and Rein were all chatting idly. Yeru and George were sixteen now, and Rein was fourteen. The three had shot up in height; even the shortest, George, was over 1.6 meters, while the tallest, Yeru, was a staggering 1.9 meters.
"George, don't play innocent with us. Fourth Bro already broke through that barrier, and you and Third Bro are still pretending? How about this—this month's end, you and Third Bro go to Fenn City's 'Blue Water Paradise'. I'll pay. I guarantee you'll have a good time, and I guarantee the girl is a virgin. How's that?" Yeru said, grinning as he worked his chest muscles with two small stone weights.
These two small stone weights were probably twenty or thirty jin each. Normally, Lin Lei wouldn't even glance at them.
George smiled and replied, "Boss Yeru, don't push me. You guys go to Blue Water Paradise, and I'll have a drink with Third Bro outside. Isn't that good enough?"
Rein also chimed in from the side with a pout, "George, you're just not a man."
George could only smile helplessly.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Yeru put down the two small stone weights and looked towards the entrance, saying, "Probably Third Bro coming. Let's go, time to eat—" Halfway through, Yeru's words died in his throat.
Lin Lei had a huge stone slab balanced on his shoulder. It was a full meter high and must have weighed several hundred jin.
Yet Lin Lei carried it into the courtyard with an easy stride. Yeru, George, and Rein were all dumbfounded. Lin Lei casually set the several-hundred-jin stone slab down in a corner of the courtyard, and the heavy thud as it hit the ground made the hearts of the three friends skip a beat.
"What the hell is this, Third Bro? I know you're strong, but this strong?" Yeru stared at the stone slab. "Is it hollow?" he asked, walking over and attempting to lift it with both hands.
"Hmph!"
Yeru strained with all his might, his face turning red, but the giant rock didn't budge an inch.
"Boss Yeru, don't waste your energy. You can't move it," Lin Lei said with a smile.
Yeru's physical strength wasn't even enough for a first-level warrior. How could he possibly move it?
Rein widened his eyes at the stone slab, exclaiming a few times, then turned to Lin Lei and asked, "Hey, Lin Lei, what are you doing bringing such a big rock into the dorm? Ah, I know!" His eyes lit up. "I once saw powerful warriors constantly using huge stones for weightlifting to train their bodies. Are you planning to do some weightlifting, Lin Lei?"
"That thing could squash me into a meat patty," George said, also marveling at the stone slab before looking at Lin Lei curiously. "Third Bro, what exactly are you planning to do with this big rock in the dorm?"
Lin Lei looked at his three good brothers and uttered two words: "Stone sculpture!"
According to Derinkoort, his stone carving work had reached the level of a novice apprentice. Sculpting a piece took a very long time; one or two days usually wasn't enough. In the past, he could leave it casually on the back mountain without worrying about damage, but things were different now.
"Stone sculpture?"
Yeru, Rein, and George all stared at Lin Lei with wide, surprised eyes.
"What, surprised?" Lin Lei looked at his three brothers.
Rein said quickly, "Not just surprised, but extremely surprised. We four brothers have been together for six or seven years, but we've never seen you carve anything. Are you planning to start learning stone sculpture from today?"
Lin Lei chuckled. "Who said I'm starting today? I've been practicing carving on the back mountain for over five years. And this time, I plan to take this finished piece to Pruxus Hall for exhibition, and see if I can sell it for some money."
To gather enough gold coins to let his little brother Wotton and the steward Xili travel to the O'Brien Empire for studies, the Baruch Family's finances had been almost completely drained.
But even so, Hogg was very happy.
So what if the family's treasury was empty? Now his eldest son, Lin Lei, was a student at Ernst Academy, and after graduating would certainly be a great and prestigious mage. And his younger son, Wotton, even had the possibility of becoming a Dragon Blood Warrior.
Hogg could foresee the future glory of his Baruch Family!
"Pruxus Hall?" The three friends looked at Lin Lei in some surprise.
Lin Lei was the pride of Dormitory 1987. At only fifteen, he had entered the fifth grade of Ernst Academy, and was even jointly hailed with Dikexi as "Ernst Academy's Two Great Peerless Geniuses." Yeru and the others acknowledged Lin Lei was a genius, but...
Stone sculpture was an extremely profound art. Many people struggled to study stone carving for decades and could only be considered ordinary craftsmen. As an art with the most ancient lineage, was it so easy to succeed? Lin Lei actually had the audacity to send his work for exhibition at the highest sanctuary of stone sculpture, Pruxus Hall!