Chapter 1438: Zhang Xuan Gets Serious

"This is... the Snowy Clod technique!"

"Legend has it that Patriarch Wu Dao created this painting method by observing birds hovering. Snowy clod and swan's footprints, fleeting east and west... Using this technique to paint creates a profound artistic conception that captivates the soul even before the content appears!"

"In tens of thousands of years, only a handful have mastered this technique. I never expected that the talented girl Zi Qing would not only learn it but execute it so smoothly. She's sure to win this competition!"

"It seems that unless the painting and calligraphy surpass nine stars, no one can beat her..."

...

A stir ran through the crowd.

This number one talented girl of the Zhang Clan, from the moment she began, her brush, paper, ink, technique, and even her state of mind were flawless, leaving people in awe of her perfection.

"Not bad..."

Zhang Xuan nodded inwardly.

As an eight-star painter and calligrapher, his discernment was keener than that of the crowd, and he could naturally see that this girl was no easy opponent.

She was even stronger than the Holy Son he had encountered when challenging the Master Teacher Pavilion!

Although the Hall of Holy Sons gathered countless geniuses from the continent, not every Holy Son was the unrivaled young prodigy of the world.

For instance, Zhang Feng of the Spirit Awakener Guild, though a Holy Son with unmatched spirit awakening skills, was still slightly inferior to the genius Wang Ying who had recently entered the headquarters... Otherwise, the latter wouldn't have sought Zhang Xuan's help.

By the same token,

the Holy Son of the Hall of Holy Sons was strong in painting and calligraphy, but he seemed far inferior to the young woman before him.

Swish!

The brush danced lightly in the air, offering a visual delight. Zhang Zi Qing, like a machine, controlled every movement with precision. Every line and every drop of ink on the flowing light paper emitted a mesmerizing radiance, drawing the viewer in and making it impossible to look away.

"Master Zhang... she's already painted so much. You should start quickly, or you'll really lose..."

As he was observing, he heard an anxious voice beside him.

Turning his head, he saw Jian Qin Sheng still holding his forehead, looking utterly helpless.

"No rush..."

Glancing at the incense stick before him, seeing there was still time, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

His painting was very simple; he could finish it in ten or twenty breaths, so there was no need to hurry.

Knowing that this man had once challenged the Master Teacher Pavilion and defeated the Holy Son of the Painter and Calligrapher Guild, and was highly skilled in painting and calligraphy, Jian Qin Sheng said no more. Awkwardly, he looked over and said, "As long as you're not in a hurry... Ahem, Master Zhang, could I discuss something with you?"

"Junior brother, feel free to speak!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"It's like this... You're representing the path of the sword right now... Could you please stop showing off other professions?"

After a pause, Jian Qin Sheng said.

To be honest, he somewhat regretted bringing this guy along!

They came to compete in swordsmanship, but before seeing any skilled swordsmen, he had already collapsed their formation, filled the courtyard with stone statues through spirit awakening, and now was about to compete in painting and calligraphy...

Formation, spirit awakening, painting and calligraphy, treasure appraisal—each one more impressive than the last...

Are you really... just here to compete in swordsmanship? Could you please pay attention to your identity?

You're my senior brother now. Is it really appropriate to be so ostentatious in other professions?

"Well... you have a point."

Asked this, Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly: "I didn't think it through..."

He had only thought about giving the Zhang Clan a show of force, forgetting this point. Coming to the Zhang Clan as a swordsman, before even starting the sword competition, he had shown off so many professions—it really didn't look good, giving the impression of being unfocused.

"It's fine, as long as you remember we're here to compete in swordsmanship..."

Seeing him admit it, Jian Qin Sheng found it inconvenient to say more and simply nodded.

If it weren't for him, the other party wouldn't have come at all. Even if there were some mishaps, they would be grateful, not blameworthy.

"I remember..."

Nodding, Zhang Xuan was about to continue speaking when he heard a burst of applause from ahead.

"Amazing, finished so quickly!"

"What a beautiful painting! Fairy Ziqing, would you sell this painting to me?"

"To complete a painting in such a short time, no wonder you're a genius the Calligraphy and Painting Guild hasn't seen in a thousand years..."

...

Surrounded by murmurs, Zhang Xuan looked up and saw that the girl before him had stopped waving her brush, and a painting appeared before the crowd.

It was a painting of bamboo.

Though unaccompanied by other plants, each bamboo stalk seemed to grow right out of the paper, verdant and dripping, swaying in the breeze as if about to sprout forth at any moment.

There were over a dozen bamboo stalks, each seemingly possessing its own emotion and life, with distinct forms, none alike.

"Bestowing spirit upon the painted objects, making them seem alive—impressive!"

Zhang Xuan nodded again.

He had thought he could win with a casual painting, but now it seemed not so easy.

The girl before him was far more skilled than he had imagined.

In calligraphy and painting, complexity and vivid colors do not necessarily mean higher quality. Great sound is heard in silence, great form is beyond shape. Many truly famous paintings are actually very simple.

It's like testing a chef's true skill by having him make a simple dish of shredded potatoes.

The simpler the task, the more it reveals one's ability.

These bamboo stalks before him seemed casually painted, with a touch of 'recording reality,' but upon closer observation, one could see that each one was as if alive, possessing its own unique life.

Moreover, between each stroke, the interplay of solid and void, arranged in a pleasing disorder, already formed the rudiments of a world within a painting.

If not for her youth and limited cultivation, she might already be capable of creating the most supreme paintings, challenging the rank of Nine-Star Calligrapher and Painter.

"No wonder others say that without a Nine-Star painting, it's hard to surpass..."

Sighing, Zhang Xuan felt immense pressure.

To surpass her painting, only a true Nine-Star work would suffice.

"What, is Master Zhang about to concede?"

As he was pondering, he heard the girl's voice.

Looking up, he saw Zhang Ziqing with a cold smirk on her lips.

Now she finally understood why he hadn't bet on her painting but instead on a top-grade spirit stone—her painting was so precious that if she lost, he surely wouldn't be able to afford it...

Hence, he was being mysterious to give himself an out.

"Concede? How could that be?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head: "Your painting is quite good. In that case, I'll have to show some real skill..."

Sighing, he flipped his wrist, and a longsword appeared in his palm. He shook it in the air, then shook his head and put it away, taking out another sword, shaking it again, and putting it away with another shake of his head.

After doing this several times, he finally found a sword that seemed suitable. Holding it in his hand, he looked around, then suddenly stamped his foot on the ground.

Swish!

A stone slab beneath his foot flew up horizontally and landed before him.

"I'll begin now..."

With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan held the longsword and thrust it toward the stone slab.

"You're not using a brush? Or flowing-light paper... You're painting with a sword and a stone slab?"

Her body trembling, Zhang Ziqing's anger flared up, and she nearly exploded.