Chapter 538: Zhang Xuan Takes the Stage First

"It seems no one is quite clear, so let me explain!"

Seeing the crowd full of doubt, Hall Master Kang smiled: "Spiritual intelligence, as you all know, can only be achieved at the sixth level of painting and calligraphy. Characters in paintings of this level can autonomously absorb spiritual energy and exist suspended above the paper."

"The so-called retention of spiritual intelligence means... giving these people or objects lessons!"

"Teaching the characters in paintings?"

Hearing the explanation, everyone was stunned.

Even if the characters in paintings have spiritual intelligence, they are formed by the convergence of spiritual energy and lack wisdom. What use is teaching? Can they understand?

"You are all renowned teachers. You should know that when a renowned teacher gives a lesson, it contains the Heavenly Mandate of the Teacher's Word. The more theories recognized by heaven and earth, the denser the spiritual energy during the lesson!"

Hall Master Kang said.

Everyone nodded.

The Heavenly Mandate of the Teacher's Word of renowned teachers has the effect of gathering spiritual energy. It is said that in ancient times, the Heavenly Man Teacher Kong, with a single word, stirred spiritual energy. Every time he opened a lecture, his words carried the law, and he could create a spiritual mountain out of thin air.

Not to mention Teacher Kong, take Teacher Hong, Hong Qian, who came here to give lectures recently. He is only a five-star elementary renowned teacher from the Hongfeng Empire's Teacher Hall, yet he can also gather spiritual energy with his words, spit lotus flowers, and allow listeners to bathe in spiritual energy, their cultivation unconsciously increasing.

This is the ability of renowned teachers, but if the level is insufficient, the effect is much weaker.

The Hongfeng Empire is a vassal state of the Huanyu Empire.

Empires, like kingdoms, are divided into levels: titled, first-class, second-class, and unranked.

Huanyu is a second-class empire, while Hongfeng, like the Tianxuan Kingdom, is an unranked empire, similar to the Mingxia Empire, the Huanhai Empire, and the Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance.

However, such a level of renowned teacher cannot stay forever in an unranked empire. Once they appear, they will be summoned by the headquarters to study at a higher-level Teacher Hall. The reason Hong Qian was sent here is precisely because he himself was going to the Huanyu Empire.

And the geniuses who pass the Teacher Competition not only receive generous rewards but, more importantly, can enter the Huanyu Advanced Academy to study.

"Although the spiritual intelligence of paintings cannot survive like living beings, it can autonomously absorb spiritual energy and persist for a long time. They are most sensitive to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. If the lesson conforms to reason, it will gather spiritual energy, allowing them to persist longer. Conversely, it is easy for them to dissipate! With this, we can test the strength of a renowned teacher's teaching ability, with no possibility of cheating!"

Hall Master Kang continued.

"I see!"

"Using such spiritual intelligence for evaluation is the fairest..."

Everyone finally understood, suddenly enlightened.

Spiritual intelligence only recognizes spiritual energy, not people, so it is fairer.

People have emotions; if they like a certain teacher's class, even if others say it's terrible, they won't change their mind, while another teacher who teaches well might be considered poor.

Bias is hard to change.

After all, except for the Heavenly Man Teacher Kong, no matter how powerful a renowned teacher, they cannot make everyone convinced and worshipful.

If students were randomly chosen, Huan Gongzi and Fu Xiaochen, being famous geniuses in Ten Thousand Kingdoms City with great reputations and many followers, would more easily gain trust, making it unfair.

But this kind of spiritual intelligence has no thoughts of its own; it does not yield to fame or be influenced by gender. It only responds to the spiritual energy fluctuations caused by the lesson, making it the fairest.

"Hmm!"

Zhang Xuan also understood and nodded.

Spiritual intelligence only appears at the sixth level of painting and calligraphy, responding only to spiritual energy, nothing else. The Heavenly Mandate of the Teacher's Word has no effect either.

Even a formal painter, unless they are the owner of the painting, will have little effect no matter how much they say.

"Since everyone understands the rules, let's start the competition. Elder Yun, I'll trouble you this time!"

Seeing that everyone below understood and had no objections, Hall Master Kang smiled and said.

"Rest assured!"

An old man stepped out from the crowd.

"I guessed it would be Elder Yun!"

"Elder Yun is the only four-star peak painter in the Teacher Hall. Naturally, he must handle the assessment of spiritual intelligence retention; he is the most authoritative! More importantly... his painting 'Flocks of Birds Soaring' is a work left by a five-star grandmaster, most suitable for this assessment!"

"This painting is Elder Yun's treasure, never shown. I've heard of it for a long time but never seen it. This time, I'll feast my eyes!"

"Indeed, a sixth-level work left by a five-star grandmaster is truly rare. The entire Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance can't find a second one!"

"Not necessarily. I heard that the Appraisal Pavilion has a painting that can rival it, but unfortunately, seeing things from that place is even harder..."

...

Seeing the old man, the crowd lowered their voices.

Elder Yun's secondary profession, like Huan Gongzi, was also a painter, and his level was much higher, reaching four-star peak.

A painter of this level, even without the identity of a renowned teacher, could be considered top-notch in Ten Thousand Kingdoms City.

"Entrusted by the Hall Master, I will conduct this assessment!"

Ignoring the crowd's murmurs, Elder Yun came before Zhang Xuan and the others, flicked his wrist, and a scroll appeared in his palm: "This painting 'Flocks of Birds Soaring' was bestowed by my painting teacher."

Whoosh!

With his words, the scroll opened, and a flock of birds flew out, soaring and chirping in the sky.

These birds were lifelike, not like mere spirit manifestations with a single form; they detached from the painting, flying a full three feet, and after two minutes, they landed and returned.

"People or objects in works of the spiritual intelligence realm can autonomously absorb surrounding spiritual energy and float above the painting, but there is a time limit; two minutes is the longest! Through teaching, whoever can keep them in the air longer wins the championship!"

Elder Yun stated the requirement and looked around.

"Alright, the competition begins! Who goes first?"

"This..."

Everyone exchanged glances.

Although they all had some understanding of painting and calligraphy, teaching to keep spiritual intelligence in the air was something none had experienced, with no experience to draw from.

"Teacher Zhang, how about... you go first? You've been first in the first two rounds; your teaching must be extraordinary. Let us see and learn from you!"

Stepping forward, Huan Gongzi suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled slightly.

Previously, his biggest rival was Fu Xiaochen, but now it had become the person before him.

"Me? Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Always last, learning from others' experiences, this time you'll probably decline again... What did you say... Alright? You're going?"

Thinking this guy would refuse like in the first round, Huan Gongzi had already prepared his words, but halfway through, he heard the other's reply and quickly stopped, feeling as if he had punched air, frustrated enough to vomit blood.

Spiritual intelligence retention, a strange competition item that even many renowned teachers had never heard of, shouldn't he consider more, like in the first round, watching how others handle it before acting?

Why did he agree directly?

He really doesn't play by the rules!

"Elder Yun, I'll go first!"

Ignoring the guy's expression, Zhang Xuan stepped forward.

At the beginning, he was unfamiliar with the competition and wanted to see how others handled it. Being last for two consecutive rounds, he felt a bit embarrassed to keep doing that.

Since he now understood the rules, going first or last didn't make much difference.

"You?"

Seeing this guy, Elder Yun's mouth twitched.

He had watched the previous assessments. This dark horse from some unknown corner had taken down Elder Wu in the first round and nearly caused Elder Bai to collapse in the second... If there was anyone he feared in this round, it was definitely this guy.

He really didn't know what trouble he might cause again.

But since he wanted to go first, he couldn't refuse, so he nodded: "I will activate the painting and let the birds fly. You directly give a lecture, content up to you, as long as it can attract spiritual energy. Then we will rank by the duration they stay. Your ranking depends on whether your lecture can gather spiritual energy!"

"Hmm!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The rules were simple and easy to understand.

"Alright, begin!" Seeing he understood, Elder Yun wasted no more words and gently brushed his hand over the painting.

Buzz!

The previous birds flew out again.

Truly a painting of the spiritual intelligence realm, the birds absorbed spiritual energy and soared, dazzling and beautiful.

"Since this is a painting, I'll talk about painting and calligraphy!"

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Xuan made a decision.

As long as the lecture could attract spiritual energy, it was fine. This was about painting, so he would talk about how to paint; nothing to agonize over.

"Painting is not just about recording reality; more importantly, it is about infusing emotion, so that the work has a soul..."

Focusing his mind, the previously organized Heavenly Path painting and calligraphy appeared before him, and he began to explain slowly based on his understanding.

In the Tianxuan Kingdom, he had organized the paintings and calligraphy collected at Master Lu Chen's home. Later, in the Tianwu Kingdom, Honghai City, and other places, he had collected many books on painting techniques.

After organizing these books, his understanding of painting and calligraphy might far surpass even Elder Yun, a four-star peak painter.

Otherwise, how could he have casually written a name and caused the 'Drunken Dream Awakening' in the Appraisal Pavilion to reach the seventh realm? Even with the Library of Heaven's Path knowing the flaws, without some foundation in painting and calligraphy, it would have been impossible.

His voice was unhurried, his explanation simple, yet it directly pointed to the great path of painting and calligraphy, progressing from shallow to deep, making people's spirits lift. However, he only spoke of the most basic things, so it didn't sound too profound.

"I didn't expect Teacher Zhang's understanding of painting and calligraphy to reach such a level!"

After listening for a while, Hall Master Kang's face was full of surprise.

He thought Teacher Zhang would use the Heavenly Mandate of the Teacher's Word to teach cultivation techniques, but instead, he spoke about painting and calligraphy so profoundly and enlighteningly.

It seemed he not only had a deep understanding of cultivation and techniques but was also no slouch in painting and calligraphy.

No wonder he was a renowned teacher who could even bewitch him; impressive!

"The spiritual intelligence of paintings has extremely high requirements for spiritual energy. Even a five-star renowned teacher's 'gathering spiritual energy with words, spitting lotus flowers' won't last long."

Just as he was marveling, Teacher Su looked over: "Hall Master Kang, in your opinion, how many minutes can Teacher Zhang last?"