Chapter 672, The Egoless Trance

Translator: Silavin

 

Amongst the crowd, the five Elders on the high platform watched Mo Xun’s flowing, graceful movements and could not help but nod their heads in approval.

 

Given time, this youth would certainly have a place amongst the Mo Clan Elders. Perhaps Mo Xun’s future achievements might even surpass their own.

 

The countless sea of people fell unusually quiet. Only the sound of wood shavings being separated echoed faintly across this stretch of Heaven and Earth.

 

Everyone’s gaze remained fixed upon Mo Xun. At this moment, the hundred-year-old Moving Hard Wood beneath his hands was gradually taking the form of a lifelike wooden bird as his hands moved.

 

“As expected, he’s crafting a Puppet Beast. Truly worthy of being Mo Xun!”

 

“If it were me attempting this step, it would take at least half an hour, and I still might not be able to do it so perfectly.”

 

Whispered sounds of amazement and praise arose from within the crowd.

 

“Truly worthy of being the most brilliant person amongst the Mo Clan’s younger generation. This skill alone has left countless people in admiration.”

 

Qin Yichen paid no heed to these comments. His attention focused on the hundred-year-old Moving Hard Wood before him. In the next instant, he entered an extremely focused state, his body emanating a unique aura, confident and casual!

 

“Eh?” As Qin Yichen began his movements, quite a few people’s gazes immediately shifted towards him.

 

Seeing his equally natural movements, surprise flashed through their eyes.

 

From these simple movements alone, one could discern considerable skill.

 

“Could he have also entered the state of Spiritual Harmony before?”

 

Watching Qin Yichen’s movements, the eyes of the five Elders on the high platform narrowed slightly.

 

They were all familiar with this state. If they had not clearly seen the expression in Qin Yichen’s eyes, they truly would have suspected whether this fellow had already entered the state of Spiritual Harmony.

 

Spiritual Harmony, the enlightened state that those who follow the Dao of Crafting dream of achieving.

 

In this state, the craftsman would perform far beyond their usual standard, achieving twice the result with half the effort. Moreover, after this state ended, their understanding of the Dao of Crafting would deepen considerably.

 

However, this state could only be encountered, not sought!

 

Even amongst the old Elders within the Mo Clan, none could completely master this state!

 

Amongst Craftsmen, only the fortunate ones, through some serendipitous opportunity, might enter the state of Spiritual Harmony once.

 

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* Qin Yichen’s hands moved continuously. Each carving stroke appeared so unhurried and composed, each pattern seemingly perfect.

 

For some unknown reason, merely glancing at Qin Yichen would completely capture one’s attention. Even their heartbeats and breathing rhythms unconsciously synchronized with the movements of Qin Yichen’s hands.

 

“This state…” On the high platform, the middle Elder amongst the five seemed to think of something, and a look of shock suddenly climbed across his face.

 

“Third Elder, what’s wrong?” His reaction was noticed by the other Elders beside him. Immediately, another Elder inquired.

 

“I’ve heard the Great Elder mention that there’s a type of genius in the Dao of Crafting who can enter a certain mystical state while crafting… In that state, though it cannot compare to Spiritual Harmony, it far exceeds normal methods. That state is called the Egoless Trance!”

 

The Third Elder seemed startled by his own thoughts. This type of person and this state were things he had only heard the Clan’s Great Elder mention in passing. How could it possibly appear in someone from another Clan?

 

However, in this mystical state, the eyes would not become confused as they would in the Spiritual Harmony state. If this was not the Egoless Trance, what else could it be?

 

He was not certain, but Qin Yichen’s state was indeed the Egoless Trance!

 

Since leaving the Gongshu Clan, Qin Yichen had not delved too deeply into the Dao of Crafting. However, he did not know that during his time in the Gongshu Clan’s Spirit Sea, he had gained considerably, especially when receiving Gongshu Gumin’s inheritance. He had vaguely grasped a thread of essence from Lu Ban’s Inheritance, elevating his mastery over the Dao of Crafting.

 

Though this still fell far short of comparison with some great Masters of the Dao of Crafting, he was already beyond what his peers could match!

 

Having obtained a strand of Lu Ban’s true inheritance, though he could not enter the state of Spiritual Harmony at will, the Egoless Trance state was not particularly difficult for him.

 

“What is this?”

 

Not far from Qin Yichen’s opposite side, Mo Xun seemed to sense an unusual fluctuation. His gaze also carried a trace of puzzlement as he looked towards Qin Yichen.

 

With just one glance, even the proud and arrogant Mo Xun was drawn in. His flowing movements came to an involuntary halt.

 

“How is this possible!? Watching that rhythm which had captured his attention, deep disbelief erupted in Mo Xun’s eyes.

 

[It can’t be. How could a mere outsider be better than me? He must have been lucky, entering that state through luck! *Hmph!* He is still an outsider in the end. Even if he managed to enter this mystical state with difficulty, it’s not Spiritual Harmony!] Mo Xun’s thoughts raced rapidly. Finally, he provided himself with a reasonable explanation.

 

He had no idea what the Egoless Trance was. At this moment, only this kind of reasoning could reluctantly explain the shock in his heart.

 

[*Hmph!* This is merely the first step. For Craftsmen, this is only the most basic foundation. Soul Infusion is the most crucial aspect of crafting Puppet Beasts! No matter how perfectly you carve, at such a young age, how could you compare to me in Soul Infusion? If you can’t even achieve Soul Infusion, this would be nothing more than an ordinary work of art at best!] Mo Xun bit his tongue tip, withdrew his gaze, and thought coldly.

 

Works without Soul Infusion, like the works of Gongshu Qingshan, might be carved perfectly, but they remained merely dead objects!

 

Only those who could create works with Soul Infusion could truly be called Craftsmen!

 

Even for Soul Infusion, there were also distinctions of excellence and inferiority.

 

Ordinary Soul Infusion granted spirituality to small objects.

 

However, crafting Puppet Beasts, especially those made from hundred-year-old Moving Hard Wood, was no simple matter.

 

Generally speaking, only those whose Spiritual Energy had reached the Earth Grade and had long mastered the Dao of Crafting could do a Soul Infusion on this material.

 

In Mo Xun’s view, Qin Yichen’s ability in the first step was probably the most excellent performance Qin Yichen could possibly display.

 

Even he himself could not do Soul Infusion for Puppet Beasts on this material when he was in his teens!