Dragon's Origin

Chapter 136: The Old Daoist's Request (Part 2)

Ten thousand statues of Lord Lao, to decorate the entire Mount Lao, this is to turn Mount Lao into a sacred mountain. The financial, material, and human resources involved could cripple a slightly smaller family.

Putting aside the financial power, just the manpower alone would dwarf Wang Sheng by a hundred thousand miles. This time, to stand out, the Lao Jun Temple will definitely mobilize countless master sculptors. How could Wang Sheng, a beginner, possibly suppress so many masters and grandmasters?

"You think a newbie like me, who just started learning sculpture, hasn't even touched a stone yet, and can only play with clay, can beat so many sculpture grandmasters?" Wang Sheng simply didn't know how to describe his feelings.

"No!" The old Daoist Ling Xu replied without the slightest hesitation.

"Then why are you making such a request?" Wang Sheng was speechless. What's wrong with the old Daoist? Has he gone mad?

"If you can't do it, then you go figure out a way." The old Daoist Ling Xu ignored Wang Sheng's question and continued to drink his wine. "Anyway, that's my request. If you can't do it, then you'll have to find your own way to enter the Lao Jun Temple to read those books."

"Old man, how much weaker are the experts in the Lao Jun Temple compared to you?" Wang Sheng decided not to dwell on this question and think about other options.

"They are indeed much weaker." Old Daoist Ling Xu's words made Wang Sheng's eyes light up. Much weaker, it seemed there was a chance. But then the old Daoist added, "But they have more people! Someone like you can probably beat a dozen of them, but they have at least a hundred. You can slowly practice."

Hearing this, there was no hope. Wang Sheng directly erased this method from his mind. Could it be that he can only follow the old Daoist's request and suppress those masters and grandmasters to succeed?

Wang Sheng knew his own level. In his current state, anything he sculpts would be laughed at. If he couldn't bear it, he could only ask Old Lu to sculpt one. Presumably, a grandmaster's work could suppress some masters and grandmasters, right? He just didn't know what price Old Lu would make him pay.

If the price he had to pay was even higher, Wang Sheng would probably have to consider whether it was worth it. The Lao Jun Temple's books might not be accessible through this one path. Perhaps donating thousands or tens of thousands of gold coins to the Lao Jun Temple could buy him the opportunity to borrow them?

"If I sculpt a statue of Lord Lao that can suppress the Longevity Mountain of the Lao Jun Temple, wouldn't the Lao Jun Temple still greatly increase its prestige?" Wang Sheng suddenly thought of a crucial question and asked, "In the end, it's all about the statue of Lord Lao, and the Lao Jun Temple is the current orthodox Daoist tradition, isn't it?"

"Uh?" Old Daoist Ling Xu didn't seem to have thought about this question and was suddenly stunned.

"Then, regardless of what method you use, you can't smear the name of Lord Lao, but you must be able to suppress those guys at the Lao Jun Temple." After being stunned for a while, Old Daoist Ling Xu suddenly changed his request.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but want to slap himself. Why did he have to be so talkative! Now the difficulty is even higher! Sculpting a statue of Lord Lao was at most a matter of skill. He could still ask Grandmaster Lu to do it. But now, he was completely at a loss.

The old Daoist had never been able to suppress those Daoists at the Lao Jun Temple in his entire life. How could Wang Sheng, a half-baked amateur, possibly do it? Moreover, under the guidance of those Daoists, the Lao Jun Temple's incense was flourishing and its prestige was greatly increasing. From the surface, they were actually doing quite well. What ability did he have to suppress the Lao Jun Temple?

"You are so much more powerful than them. Just teach them a lesson and make them bow their heads, right?" Wang Sheng really had no other way and could only give the old Daoist a bad idea. "Why make things difficult for a junior like me?"

"Beating them up would at most let this old man vent his anger, but they won't bow their heads and admit their mistakes." Old Daoist Ling Xu directly shook his head.

The old Daoist had already tried teaching them a lesson, but those young people stubbornly insisted, "Is there anything wrong with promoting the Lao Jun Temple? Is there anything wrong with increasing Lord Lao's influence?" The old Daoist was left speechless. The old Daoist was not a good debater and couldn't convince them with words, but he couldn't kill them either, so he could only leave.

In the end, it was just a dispute over ideas, not a life-or-death feud. Fighting to the death was meaningless. Moreover, if the old Daoist took action based on his identity, he would always be criticized for bullying the weak.

"It's settled then." Old Daoist Ling Xu made up his mind and set the request. "They still have more than a year to prepare. If you can suppress them, I guarantee you'll know everything you want to know. I'll also tell you some things that are not recorded in the Lao Jun Temple's books."

"Things that are not recorded?" Wang Sheng subconsciously asked.

"Yes! Things that are not recorded." Old Daoist Ling Xu replied very certainly. "For example, what you really want to know is what's inside the Thousand Severed Land."

"Didn't you just say you didn't know?" Wang Sheng stared at the old Daoist with wide eyes.

"I don't know everything, but I know one thing." The old Daoist replied without changing his expression. "The most crucial one."

Wang Sheng stared intently at the old Daoist's eyes. The old Daoist also looked at Wang Sheng calmly, his face without the slightest change, and his eyes equally clear and deep.

"I'll do it!" Wang Sheng seemed to have confirmed that the old Daoist was not lying, gritted his teeth, and agreed to the old Daoist's request.

The Lao Jun Temple still had more than a year before they would take action, and Wang Sheng still had time to carefully plan and think about how to operate.

Hearing Wang Sheng's words, the old Daoist suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It was as if as long as Wang Sheng nodded, things would definitely succeed.

"What are you planning to do?" The old Daoist paused and asked.

"I don't know, I'll think about it first." Wang Sheng couldn't immediately come up with a proper plan. He had to go through many things again before he could give an answer.

The old Daoist also knew that it was a bit difficult to ask Wang Sheng to come up with a plan immediately, so he didn't continue to ask and continued to slowly pour and drink by himself.

Wang Sheng, on the other hand, couldn't bother to eat or drink. He frowned and began to ponder. As for the little teacher who taught Wang Sheng the basics of sculpture, he seemed to not understand what they were saying at all. He didn't say a word himself, but his mouth never stopped, from beginning to end.

Back at his residence, Wang Sheng lay on the bed and suddenly asked the little teacher, who was also lying on his bed not far away, "Can you sculpt statues of Lord Lao?"

"Yes!" The little teacher was lying down and hadn't fallen asleep. He replied without thinking, "It's easy to sculpt according to a model, but it's impossible to sculpt the spirit of it."

Saying that, the little teacher got up and sat on his bed, asking curiously, "Do you really want to sculpt a statue of Lord Lao that surpasses the experts hired by the Lao Jun Temple?"