Dragon's Origin

As if to confirm what Grandmaster Lu said, just as he finished speaking, the adobe wall emitted a soft cracking sound.

The sound seemed contagious; after occurring in one spot, it spread continuously across the entire wall.

Finally, after a particularly clear snapping sound, cracks of varying sizes appeared on the already fragile adobe wall. As the cracks multiplied, the entire wall crumbled and collapsed with a loud crash.

Although Wang Sheng was proficient in the Nine Words of Truth, he still lacked a bit of finesse in carving, especially on adobe walls.

Even though the initial nine characters displayed the charm of the Nine Words of Truth—natural, harmonious, and each with its own unique power—Wang Sheng used spiritual energy manipulation techniques to achieve this effect. The result was that the adobe wall couldn't withstand such concentrated spiritual energy. After a period, it finally gave way; internal cracks led to a burst of spiritual energy from one character, which then triggered a chain reaction, ultimately causing the entire wall to collapse.

From the first crack, everyone seemed to understand what Grandmaster Lu meant by 'just a little bit more,' and they all sighed inwardly.

It really was just a little bit more! What a pity. The most disappointed was, of course, Mei'er. If Wang Sheng could advance to Grandmaster here, wouldn't Qian Sheng Yuan's business be… Wait, why do I care whether Wang Sheng becomes a Grandmaster? Mei'er suddenly felt confused.

Wang Sheng, however, didn't feel any regret at all. Becoming a carving Grandmaster or not had little impact on him. He originally learned carving to complete the Negative Turtle Transformation, and now that it was done, further refinement wouldn't significantly enhance his cultivation.

But seeing Grandmaster Lu's obvious disappointment, Wang Sheng felt he had to say something. Although they didn't have the formal relationship of master and disciple, they had the reality of it. Grandmaster Lu cared so much, and Wang Sheng couldn't be ungrateful.

"Master, to be honest, I've only practiced on hard stone walls lately and haven't tried other materials. Failure is normal, right?" Wang Sheng started by stating the fact that he hadn't practiced much on other materials, at least to make Grandmaster Lu feel better. "Besides, Master, I'm only good at these nine characters. Maybe with the addition of the character '永' (Yong, meaning eternity), I have written other characters, but never carved them. And I haven't been practicing that diligently; my focus is mainly on cultivation."

"If someone with such limited knowledge of carving could become a Grandmaster, wouldn't that be disrespectful to those masters who immerse themselves in carving all day long?" These were Wang Sheng's sincere words, spoken earnestly and without pretense.

Others might not say it, but at least Mei'er, hearing Wang Sheng's words, couldn't help but agree. If becoming a Grandmaster were so easy, it would be too absurd.

"If immersing oneself in carving all day long could make one a Grandmaster, then wouldn't the title of Grandmaster be too simple?" Wang Sheng thought his words would change Grandmaster Lu's mind, but Grandmaster Lu directly shook his head. "In this world, although diligence can make up for some shortcomings, without talent, no matter how hard you work, you can only be a craftsman, not a Grandmaster."

What did that mean? Wang Sheng had already expressed that he didn't have much time for carving and was focused on cultivation, yet Grandmaster Lu said this?

If it were just Grandmaster Lu saying this, Wang Sheng and Mei'er could understand it as Grandmaster Lu feeling that Wang Sheng had good aptitude, hence the pity. But the problem was, why did everyone else nod in agreement?

"How should I put it? It's like cultivation. If you start with a nine-star Yuan Soul, then naturally your potential is outstanding, and you might cultivate all the way to the ninth level Legendary Realm," Grandmaster Lu explained to Wang Sheng and Mei'er using an analogy. "However, if you start with a non-ranked Yuan Soul, then no matter how hard you cultivate, you'll only be a non-ranked cultivator, never becoming a master. It's the same with carving or blacksmithing."

As soon as these words came out, Blacksmith Wu and the other masters nodded vigorously, everyone feeling the same way. Without talent, no matter how hard you work, your achievements are limited.

Wang Sheng suddenly didn't know how to respond. However, Mei'er, hearing Grandmaster Lu use cultivation as an analogy and mention non-ranked Yuan Souls, immediately remembered that Wang Sheng originally had a non-ranked Yuan Soul. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Master, his Yuan Soul really is a non-ranked Yuan Soul." Seeing several Grandmasters looking at her with displeasure, Mei'er quickly revealed Wang Sheng's trump card to everyone, to avoid bearing the wrath of those Grandmasters.

Mei'er's reminder made everyone remember. Wang Sheng had caused quite a stir in Worry-Free City by selling the secret of Yuan Soul upgrades, and it seemed Wang Sheng's Yuan Soul was indeed non-ranked. Grandmaster Lu's words immediately lost their persuasiveness, no wonder Mei'er laughed. After figuring it out, even Blacksmith Tie and the others laughed.

"In short, that's the idea. Achieving Grandmaster status requires talent, not just hard work," Grandmaster Lu's face flushed slightly, but he didn't mind and continued to express his meaning. "Although you only know how to carve these few characters, we can see your talent on this path."

Wang Sheng could understand Grandmaster Lu's feeling of discovering a good seedling. At this time, he could only smile at Grandmaster Lu and say, "In that case, Master, allow me to go back and practice for a few more years. Anyway, I'm still young, and who knows, one day I might come back to you and everyone else to participate in the Grandmaster promotion assessment."

Everyone knew that Wang Sheng hadn't come to participate in the promotion exam today; it was just a coincidence. His performance had already made everyone very optimistic about his potential. As Wang Sheng said, he was still young and had plenty of time. With a few more years of practice, he might even become the youngest Grandmaster in the carving world.

After understanding this, Grandmaster Lu suddenly became happy and no longer felt so regretful. In fact, he was also conflicted. Although assessing Wang Sheng was on a whim, if Wang Sheng achieved Grandmaster status so easily, it might elevate Wang Sheng too high, and it would be more troublesome if he stumbled.

The current result was perfect, allowing Wang Sheng to have the motivation to work hard without forcing things, which was very good.