Chapter 1458: Zhang Xuan Victorious?

She was the most talented woman in the Zhang family and an unparalleled genius among calligraphers and painters. It was already beneath her dignity to compete with an unknown nobody, yet instead of showing gratitude, he acted so carelessly...

“Is this what you meant by serious?”

“Who seriously paints without a brush, without special paper, but with a long sword?”

She was so frustrated she felt like exploding. Beside her, Jian Qinsheng also swayed, feeling like he wanted to vomit blood.

He had just told the other party that he represented the Way of the Sword, and now he was painting with a sword...

“Swords are sharp and cold. Using one to paint increases the difficulty many times over compared to a brush. My intention was just for you to remember your identity and responsibilities, not to lose sight of the bigger picture...”

“But I didn't tell you to do it like this!”

“She used the Azure Sacred Fox Brush, Flowing Light Paper, and the Snow Mud technique... employing all sorts of methods, while you, like an ordinary craftsman, are carving on a stone... Do you have to be so childish?”

Despair filled his face. He didn't need to think; this competition was surely lost.

“This guy... does he have iron in his brain?”

Zhang Wuchen's mouth also hung open, unable to close for a long time.

He had seen people with mental issues, but never one with such a big problem.

“Painting with a sword... what kind of madness is this?”

“Perhaps he figured he couldn't surpass Ziqing and didn't want to lose face...” Elder Wuzhen speculated.

“Hmm...”

After thinking for a while, still unable to understand the other party's intention, Zhang Wuchen could only nod.

Zhang Ziqing was known as the most talented woman in the Zhang family; her accomplishments in calligraphy and painting were as good as, if not better than, those of some veteran eight-star peak calligraphers and painters. Even knowing that the person before them had passed the Master Teacher Tower, they didn't believe he could win against her at this age.

If he couldn't win and didn't want to lose face, then he could only resort to causing trouble. When he inevitably lost, he could blame it on the paper and brush.

Understanding the other party's intention, he shook his head and looked forward, then froze again.

They saw Zhang Xuan, holding a long sword, with the tip more than a foot away from the stone slab. His arm continuously rotated, the long sword danced, and sword qi crisscrossed, covering the entire rock, yet leaving no trace on it.

It was as if he was performing some kind of shamanic dance by himself; no one could understand what he was doing.

“This kid... has he gone mad?”

“I think so. Why else would he be dancing alone with a sword?”

Silence fell all around, and everyone's faces were blank with confusion.

They had seen all sorts of painting methods: some elegant, some wild, some flamboyant, some solemn... Like Zhang Ziqing just now, every stroke was full of spiritual energy, offering an aesthetic delight. But this person in front of them was twitching and jumping erratically, yet not a single mark was left on the stone slab... Was he playing games?

Even Zhang Ziqing kept rubbing her eyes, wondering if she had seen wrongly.

Just now, he had been so arrogant, saying he'd never lost a competition, but how could he... turn out like this from the very beginning?

“Done, time to wrap up!”

While they were still bewildered, the young man in front of them let out a breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and, looking utterly exhausted, put away his long sword.

*Whoosh!*

The stone slab landed on a nearby table, placed beside her Bamboo and Mountain painting.

“That's it?”

Turning her head, she saw that the incense stick she had thrown earlier had just extinguished, exactly on time.

The timing was perfect, but... what was this stone?

“I'm competing in calligraphy and painting, not carving. Besides... even if it were carving, there should be patterns on it. There's nothing, it's just empty. What is this?”

And most importantly... he just waved the long sword for ten or twenty breaths, did nothing, and then looked tired, his face pale...

“Couldn't he even pretend to be more professional?”

“Are you sure this is the painting? If you haven't drawn it well, I can let you try again!”

She couldn't hold back anymore and looked over.

Since she was competing against him, she naturally wanted to win decisively. If he hadn't performed well, she wouldn't mind giving him another chance.

“It's finished, no need to redo it...”

Smiling, Zhang Xuan extended his hand forward, looking like a gentleman: “Let's use the Wu Dao Mirror to inspect it!”

“Inspect?”

Seeing his face full of smiles, Zhang Ziqing's face couldn't help but twitch.

He produced a stone with no marks whatsoever, and he wants to compare it with my Level-Eight Peak painting...

No worries at all... Where did he get such confidence?

“That's right!” Zhang Xuan nodded. “Of course, if you admit defeat voluntarily, we don't need to inspect it!”

“Admit defeat voluntarily?”

Zhang Ziqing gritted her teeth.

He brought out a stone, wildly waved a sword around it, threw it here, and now he wants me to admit defeat...

She had seen crazy people, but never anyone this crazy.

“Indeed,” Zhang Xuan sighed, looking into the distance with an air of solitude and loneliness. “For such a powerful artwork, I also poured countless efforts into completing it. It would be almost impossible to create a second one in a short period!”

“Countless efforts?”

“Can't create a second one?”

Everyone stumbled.

There was nothing on the stone, not even a single mark or scratch. It was so simple, even a dog could have “created” it!

“And 'efforts'... what efforts?!”

“Are you sure you want to use the Wu Dao Mirror?”

Seeing him acting as if nothing fazed him, Zhang Ziqing snorted.

“Of course!”

Zhang Xuan waved his hand, maintaining a dignified air.

“Fine, I'll make sure you lose clearly!”

With a cold snort, Zhang Ziqing couldn't hold back any longer. With a flick of her hand, the Wu Dao Mirror once again floated in the air.

“I, Zhang Ziqing, a junior learner, respectfully request the Wu Dao Mirror to render judgment and determine the superiority of the calligraphy and paintings...”

She extended her finger forward, gently tapped, and a beam of light enveloped the mirror.

*Whoosh!*

The Wu Dao Mirror seemed to activate instantly, emitting multicolored light. Its mirror surface faced downward, enveloping the Bamboo and Mountain painting in the blink of an eye.

“The Bamboo and Mountain Painting: The bamboo possesses spiritual essence, the mountain holds the wind, perfectly integrating weather and nature. It is not abrupt, nor contrived, having already reached the peak of Level Eight. It is a rare and exceptional work...”

Before long, a voice echoed from within the Wu Dao Mirror.

Hearing the judgment, Zhang Ziqing breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyebrows involuntarily rose, revealing an expression of pride.

To receive such a high evaluation from the Wu Dao Mirror indicated that her painting, even if not quite as good as her previous “Winter Snow Trekking Painting,” was not far behind.

“Let's see how the Wu Dao Mirror judges yours...”

Knowing she had surely won, Zhang Ziqing let out a cold snort and looked over again.

*Zzzzt!*

After commenting on her work, the Wu Dao Mirror scanned the stone slab on the table.

It paused for a moment and then scanned again.

Seemingly unsure, it scanned a third time.

After three consecutive scans, it stopped, and the voice that had spoken earlier slowly sounded again.

“This painting is rare... Compared to the former, it wins!”

“Wins?”

Her delicate body swayed. Zhang Ziqing thought she had misheard, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

“How... has the Wu Dao Mirror started spouting nonsense too?”

“This piece of junk... you can pick up several like it anywhere. How is it 'rare'?”

“Uh, what's going on...”

Zhang Wuchen and the others were also stunned, standing rooted to the spot with their jaws dropped.