A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Two craftsmen from Cunmu Hall have already passed the examination and entered the Faxiang Sect. This is a ready-made path, and Duan Rong will not abandon it just because of Wang Xun's momentary recklessness.

However, he was worried that if this person was careless and did things uncleanly, it might cause him trouble.

Duan Rong looked at Wang Xun and asked, "Wang Xun, I heard from Yang Ruoshui that the biennial artisan assessment at Yongning Temple seems to be being held this year?"

Wang Xun replied, "Yes, sir. The assessment will be held in two months."

"Two months?" Duan Rong frowned and said, "I want to participate in the assessment. Do you have any way to arrange that?"

Wang Xun's expression froze, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

In fact, not only Wang Xun was surprised, but Yang Ruoshui was also taken aback.

Wang Xun pondered for a moment before looking up and saying, "My lord, you may not know this, but the craftsman assessment at Yongning Temple is extremely difficult to pass. Often, only those with talent and years of hard work have a slim chance of success. And now, there are only two months left until the assessment. Not to mention the skills, just memorizing those intricate patterns in such a short time is impossible."

What Wang Xun said was the truth.

Duan Rong replied, "You don't need to worry about that. Just arrange for me to participate. As for the assessment, two months is actually enough time."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xun seemed to want to say something more, but ultimately swallowed his words. He had already offended Duan Rong by attacking him without any explanation not long ago; how could he dare to contradict Duan Rong again now?

Seeing that Wang Xun remained silent, Duan Rong continued, "The only problem now is my identity. To participate in the Yongning Temple's assessment, I need a solid identity."

Wang Xun said, "Don't worry about that, sir. I have the ability to get you an identity."

Seeing that Wang Xun sounded confident, Duan Rong said, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to you. However, the assessment will be in two months. I need to go to your Cunmu Hall and spend some time familiarizing myself with those complex and intricate processes."

"This..." Wang Xun couldn't help but say, "It would be extremely easy for you, sir, to enter the Cunmu Hall. However, to master such a complex and intricate skill in just two months and pass the test is, frankly, absolutely impossible."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "It all depends on human effort. Wang Xun, just do your job."

"Yes." Seeing that Duan Rong was still stubborn, Wang Xun had no choice but to lower his head and reply. But he couldn't help but think to himself.

The courtyard of Cunmutang is actually a two-section house.

The main hall in the first courtyard is where the craftsmen usually work. The side rooms on both sides of the main hall are filled with various tools and sundries.

The second courtyard was where they rested. Wang Xun had a room to himself, while the craftsmen slept on a large communal bed. They also ate their meals in the second courtyard.

That morning, after having breakfast in the second courtyard, the craftsmen chatted in twos and threes before entering the workshop where they worked.

The craftsmen were taken aback when they entered the workshop, only to find the owner, Wang Xun, already sitting there.

As is customary, the owner, Wang Xun, rarely sits here this early. Even more strangely, not far from the owner is an unfamiliar figure, also dressed in a craftsman's robe, squatting there wielding some of their commonly used tools.

The craftsmen's relaxed expressions immediately tightened. They bowed to Wang Xun, called him "Master," and returned to their posts to continue their work. As for the unfamiliar face squatting there, they merely glanced at him and then ignored him.

That unfamiliar face was none other than Duan Rong, who had followed Wang Xun into Cunmu Hall in the latter half of last night.

Seeing that all the craftsmen had arrived, Wang Xun stood up and said, "This is the new craftsman, Jiang Qingyu. If there's anything he doesn't understand, please teach him."

"Yes, Master." The craftsmen all raised their heads and smiled at Duan Rong.

Wang Xun looked at Duan Rong and said, "Xiao Jiang, if there's anything you don't understand, just ask them. These are all veterans of Cunmu Hall, and they're very skilled in all sorts of tasks."

Duan Rong said, "Yes, Master, I understand."

"You stay here for now, I'll go check the orders from the last few days, I'll be right back," Wang Xun said.

Duan Rong nodded calmly.

Wang Xun then withdrew.

As soon as Wang Xun left, the smiles on the craftsmen's faces froze, and they all went about their work in silence with stern expressions.

Duan Rong stood there and watched for a while. Some craftsmen were making stone tools, some were making wooden tools, some were covered in gold, and some were painted.

He stopped behind an old craftsman with gray hair. The craftsman was tall and thin, standing in front of a waist-high table, holding a carving knife, and carefully carving on a small piece of wood. It was unclear what he was carving.

Duan Rong had only been standing there for a short while when the old craftsman turned around with a grim expression, glared at him, and shouted, "Don't stand behind me, you're blocking the light."

The spot where Duan Rong was standing didn't actually block the light at all. The old man clearly didn't want him to look there, so Duan Rong could only touch his nose, turn around, and walk away.

Although he was disliked, Duan Rong looked around and finally understood what those tools were for.

In fact, he had already achieved a certain level of skill in stone carving when he was a disciple, through absorbing the spirit of a weapon. Now that he knew how to use the various tools, he picked up a stone from the stone rack and began to work with a carving knife and chisel.

Those craftsmen may seem to ignore Duan Rong, but in reality, they are all watching his every move with cold eyes.

When they saw Duan Rong carrying a stone down from the stone rack, they were all slightly surprised.

Because stone is much more difficult to work with than wood, polishing the details takes more effort and requires a higher level of skill.

This guy named Jiang Qingyu looks very young, and everyone was paying attention to him as he walked around. He didn't even have calluses on his fingers, so he was obviously a novice.

But he simply carried a piece of stone down. The craftsmen were naturally quite curious.

Duan Rong used a carving knife and chisel to carve out a Buddha head, because there was a stone Buddha head on the ground not far away, and he wanted to make an identical one, just to practice and familiarize himself with the tools.

Once Duan Rong got into the zone, he worked with complete absorption, causing the other craftsmen to stop what they were doing and look in his direction. They couldn't help but exchange glances, confirming their mutual suspicions and hidden agendas.

Finally, someone couldn't resist any longer, stood up, and ran to Duan Rong to watch him work.

This immediately set a precedent, and all the craftsmen rushed over and surrounded Duan Rong.

Duan Rong was seen carefully tapping the chisel with the hammer at times, and then putting down the chisel to refine the carving with a knife. His skill was evident in his practiced and methodical approach.

The craftsmen now paid even closer attention to Duan Rong's hands, noticing that his fingers were indeed calloused. This filled them with doubt; no calluses meant he hadn't done much work. But if he hadn't done much work, where did such skillful technique come from?

"Nobody has to do any work anymore!?"

A group of craftsmen were watching Duan Rong with great interest, occasionally whispering among themselves, when suddenly a loud shout rang out behind them.

The craftsmen knew their master had arrived just by the sound, and they immediately scattered like birds and beasts, returning to their posts.

Wang Xun's face was cold as he glanced at the craftsmen.

The craftsmen were all engrossed in their work, not daring to lift their heads. Wang Xun circled around before finally reaching Duan Rong's back. He saw Duan Rong holding a carving knife, polishing what appeared to be the bridge of a nose. Wang Xun was slightly surprised, for Duan Rong's technique was quite skillful.

Wang Xun then recalled the confidence this man had shown in the mountain god's temple the night before, as if he was very certain of passing the test. At the time, he hadn't understood why, but now it seemed that he actually had a very good foundation to begin with.

Wang Xun couldn't help but wonder to himself: Could this gentleman actually be a stonemason by trade?!
Wang Xun watched for a while, and taking advantage of the moment when Duan Rong put down his carving knife and picked up his chisel, he said, "Little Jiang, are you making a Buddha head?"

Duan Rong said, "Yes, let's make one to practice."

Wang Xun said, "It looks good."

Duan Rong said, "It's alright. I think the other stone statue makers have much more delicate skills than me."

Wang Xun said, "They've been doing this for a long time, never letting it out of their hands. Naturally, it looks the part."

"That's true," Duan Rong said. "Master, you go and do your work. Don't worry about me."

"Okay, okay," Wang Xun agreed and stood up.

The moment Wang Xun stood up, his previously warm expression instantly turned cold. He glared at the craftsmen who were looking in his direction and yelled, "What are you looking at?! If you miss these next few days' orders, you'll all be in for a beating!?"

After Wang Xun finished speaking, he left the workshop.

By lunchtime, Duan Rong's Buddha head had taken shape, but the most time-consuming part was the fine polishing of the Buddha head.

Wang Xun personally came over to invite Duan Rong to dinner and even took him to his small house.

This caused an uproar among the artisans eating in the canteen. Everyone was speculating about Jiang Qingyu's background.
The employer spoke to him cautiously and with a smile, and he even ate with the employer. What kind of treatment was this?

When it was time to work in the afternoon, although Wang Xun was not there, the craftsmen's attitude towards Duan Rong changed drastically, and they all took the initiative to talk to him.

The man who had previously yelled at him, saying he was blocking the light from the tall, thin old craftsman, handed Duan Rong a clean cotton towel and, smiling, insisted on giving it to him.

As dusk fell, Duan Rong's Buddha head was finally finished.

Wang Xun sat on a stool, looking at the Buddha head in front of him, and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "You have skill, but you're still lacking. The lines in many places aren't smooth enough. Something like this can't leave the Cunmu Hall."

Wang Xun's meaning was very clear: if they couldn't even leave the gate of Cunmu Hall, how could they possibly pass the selection and assessment at Yongning Temple? That selection and assessment was like crossing a single-plank bridge for countless craftsmen to compete for a limited number of positions.

The craftsmen were all watching from the sidelines, and by now they all knew Jiang Qingyu's importance to the master. In the afternoon, some even whispered among them that Jiang Qingyu was the master's illegitimate son.

One of them laughed and said, "It's alright. Your foundation is good. After studying here for a year or two, you should be ready to graduate!"

“Yes, Xiao Jiang looks very talented.” Another person chimed in among the craftsmen.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xun looked at Duan Rong with great interest. He knew that this man's ambition was not something that could be accomplished in a year or two; he intended to pass the Yongning Temple's assessment within two months.

Duan Rong seemed not to hear what the craftsmen said. He wiped his hands with the cotton towel that the tall, thin old craftsman had given him and said, "That's enough for today. Can we rest now?"

Wang Xun said, "Of course. Xiao Jiang, you're new here. You can arrange your own time for the first two months. Get used to the environment first."

Duan Rong smiled and left the workshop amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, heading to the private room that Wang Xun had arranged for him to rest.

He had just lain down to rest for a while when there was a knocking sound at the door.

"Come in."

Duan Rong called out, and the door was pushed open. Wang Xun came in carrying tea and snacks, his face beaming with smiles. "There's an old shop in the west of the city that makes excellent osmanthus cakes. Please have a taste, sir."

"Put it down," Duan Rong said. "Wang Xun, you go about your business. Don't bother with me."

"Yes, sir. I apologize for disturbing you." Wang Xun immediately withdrew.

Duan Rong ate a piece of osmanthus cake and found it to be quite delicious. Compared to the osmanthus cake from Qingzhou, it had more raisins, which greatly improved the taste.

Duan Rong ate some osmanthus cake and drank some tea, then lay there and dozed off for a while.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already dark.

Duan Rong sat up, and with a thought, his divine sense reached out and instantly enveloped the entire Cunmu Hall.

Wang Xun, the craftsmen, the gatekeeper, and the cook were all asleep.

His figure suddenly vanished like a ghost, and the next moment, he appeared in the dark workshop with its front and back doors tightly closed.

At this moment, under the meticulous probing of his divine sense, all kinds of items, large and small, in the workshop were clearly visible in his field of vision.

In the darkness, Duan Rong suddenly appeared beside the tall, thin craftsman's workstation. He took out the tools the craftsman had tidied up and placed them on the table. Then, Duan Rong devoured the spirits of the tools one by one, and after he finished, he put them back in their places.

He repeated this process, devouring all the spirits of the various tools, large and small, throughout the workshop.

Then, in a flash, he disappeared from the dark workshop and returned to his room.

After returning to his room, Duan Rong lay down on the bed and began to digest and absorb the many artifact spirits he had just devoured.

The next morning, as soon as the tall, thin old craftsman entered the workshop, he shouted, "Who messed with my tools?! Was this how I originally arranged them? Don't you know anything?!"

The old craftsman was clearly furious, his eyes blazing as he glared at the other craftsmen. At that moment, some others began to grumble that their tools had been rummaged through.

At this moment, everyone's attention turned to Duan Rong. Since their tools had been overturned as soon as Duan Rong arrived, they naturally suspected him.

Duan Rong seemed completely oblivious, and took another stone from the stone rack, and began to make a Buddha head again.

Although the craftsmen suspected that Duan Rong had rummaged through their tools, firstly, their tools were not missing, and secondly, they felt that Duan Rong had an unusual relationship with his employer, so no one dared to make trouble for Duan Rong over such a trivial matter.

By evening, Duan Rong's second Buddha head was finished.

Wang Xun sat on a stool, staring at the Buddha head, and was immediately horrified.

This Buddha head is so lifelike and flawless. Although it is made of polished stone, the eyebrows and eyes are quite expressive, and the nostrils are polished so smoothly that at first glance, it even has the luster of real skin.

“This…” Wang Xun looked up at Duan Rong in astonishment.

The two Buddha heads were both there. Yet, in just one day, the difference was like heaven and earth! What on earth happened?! (End of Chapter)