Chapter 162: It's Your Turn

"However, you've only been exposed to calligraphy and painting for a short time. Asking you to pick up a brush and paint as an assessment now would not only be ineffective but also an insult to the art itself. So, Yuan Yu and I discussed it and came up with an assessment method."

Huang Yu and Bai Xun had only been studying calligraphy and painting for less than a month. What could they possibly draw if asked to pick up a brush now? It would surely be embarrassing. Therefore, Master Lu Chen's assessment wasn't about having them paint.

Speaking of this, he smiled and continued, "The method is... Yuan Yu, young brother Zhang Xuan, and I will paint, and you will appraise and comment. Whoever offers the most insightful comments will take the Ink Pavilion Scroll!"

"Paint? Huh?"

Zhang Xuan, who was sitting and drinking tea, planning to just make up the numbers, stumbled at these words, almost spitting a mouthful of tea onto the old man's face.

"You must be joking. I'm just here to observe. Asking me to paint... are you testing them or me? I don't even know how to hold a paintbrush. How am I supposed to paint anything?"

"I think I won't need to paint, right...?" Zhang Xuan said, looking dejected.

"Don't refuse. It's customary to engage in scholarly exchanges to make friends. Many literary gatherings involve composing poems and essays. It's rare for you and Brother Yuan to both be here; let's exchange through painting. It will also allow these juniors to witness the true charm of calligraphy and painting. Who knows, they might genuinely fall in love with it and become masters themselves in the future." Master Lu Chen stroked his beard and chuckled.

Zhang Xuan was almost in tears.

"Were you even listening to me? What I meant was that I didn't want to participate in any painting, nor did I want to paint. Yet, here you are, talking about exchanging through painting... Exchange what, for goodness sake!"

"Ahem, really, it's not necessary. The two of you painting will be enough. Look, I haven't prepared anything today..." Zhang Xuan had to make his point clearer.

"I've prepared all the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone," Master Lu Chen continued. "Young brother, there's no need to be reserved. Just treat this place as your own home. Feel free to paint and let them see what you can do!"

"Reserved? See what?"

"That's not my point at all, okay?"

"Alright, A-Cheng, go prepare the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. Xiao Yu, Bai Xun, watch carefully while we paint; consider it a learning experience!" Lu Chen thought Zhang Xuan was just being shy and waved his hand with a smile.

"Yes!" Butler Cheng Bo waved his hand, and several maids brought three sets of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, placing them in front of them.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched.

He couldn't even draw with a pencil, let alone a calligraphy brush... If he had known the assessment would be like this, he wouldn't have come even if it killed him.

"Since we're making friends through art, we won't set a specific theme!" With everything ready, Master Lu Chen smiled and looked at Master Yuan Yu: "Brother Yuan, you are our guest, please go first!"

"Alright, I'll make a fool of myself then!" Master Yuan Yu smiled as he stroked his beard. Standing before the table, he picked up a brush, pondered for a moment, and began to paint.

As his brush danced across the paper, his previously serene expression changed. He transformed into a master, evoking respect, like someone seeking a true connoisseur amidst mountains and flowing rivers.

"Painting is divided into four levels: Recording Reality, Spirited Movement, Intent Embodied, and Startling Beauty. Recording Reality means simply documenting facts, where the painting is indistinguishable from the scene in reality. Although it's vividly depicted, this is the lowest level.

"Spirited Movement means that the depicted scene is no longer rigid but contains a spirit that makes it seem alive at first glance. For example, if you paint a fish, you would feel as if it's alive and could swim off the paper at any moment.

"The third level, Intent Embodied, means that the intent precedes the brush, and the meaning remains even after the painting is finished! In this realm, the artist must first have an artistic concept in mind before painting for the artwork to be moving and captivating. My Summer-Autumn Scroll and Roaring Scarlet Male were fortunate enough to reach this level, so at first glance, it feels as if the scroll is unfolding right before you, giving you a sense of being fully immersed.

"Both Brother Yuan and I have reached this level. With good luck, and by coincidence, we might even produce works of the fourth level. The fourth level, Startling Beauty, refers to paintings so striking that the people or objects within them possess an intrinsic aura, making them indistinguishable even to animals or fierce beasts. The Ink Pavilion Scroll that Xiao Yu wants is like this, as is Brother Yuan's River Bird Painting."

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had thought that in painting, whoever painted most realistically was the most skilled. Only after hearing the explanation did he realize that realism was merely the lowest level.

Only a work possessing its own spirit and containing a unique artistic concept could truly be considered a masterpiece.

As they conversed, the scene under Master Yuan Yu's brush gradually unfolded. It was a painting of birds in a mountain forest. In the quiet woods, two birds fluttered. Although they appeared motionless in the air, they conveyed a sense of clear, melodious birdsong, making one feel instantly transported to a fragrant mountain forest filled with singing birds.

"Master Lu, is this a painting at the Intent Embodied level?" Huang Yu couldn't help but ask.

The fact that it could evoke such a feeling indicated that the painting already contained a profound artistic concept, making it hard to look away once seen.

"Indeed!" Master Lu Chen nodded. "This painting has indeed reached the Intent Embodied level, but it has only just done so. As for why I say that, you'll need to appraise it yourselves. Whoever can answer correctly will win."

"Yes!" Huang Yu and Bai Xun simultaneously focused their gaze on the painting.

Before long, Master Yuan Yu put down his brush. The painting of birds in the mountain forest was now complete.

"Heh heh, I haven't painted in many days, so my brushwork is a bit rusty. I've made a fool of myself!" Putting down the brush, Master Yuan Yu smiled. "Lu Chen, it's your turn!"

"Alright!" Master Lu Chen didn't decline. He took a few steps to the table, and his brush moved fluidly, the ink seeping through the paper.

Although both were calligraphy and painting masters of the third level, Lu Chen's painting was clearly more natural and expansive.

His painting depicted a stretch of river with a small boat floating upon it. There were no crashing waves or fierce storms, yet it conveyed a sense of battling against strong winds and raging currents. The person in the boat, though merely outlined with a couple of strokes, exuded an indomitable spirit of facing hardship head-on and pressing forward, which made one's blood boil upon seeing it.

"Brother Lu still has the superior skill!" Before the painting was even finished, Master Yuan Yu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Although he was also skilled in painting and quite famous, he was still a long way behind Lu Chen. His painting of birds in the mountain forest was not weak, and its artistic concept was good, but upon closer scrutiny, it fell considerably short of the artistic concept in Lu Chen's painting.

He had merely depicted the tranquility and liveliness of the mountain forest, whereas the other had revealed an inner struggle within his work, demonstrating a significantly higher level of skill.

"How is it? Can you discern anything?" After expressing his admiration, Master Yuan Yu looked smilingly at Bai Xun and Huang Yu.

"In Master Lu's River Flow painting, I can identify three painting methods, twelve brushstrokes, and it seems to bear the influence of Chen Jiao, the renowned calligraphy and painting master from eighty years ago," Huang Yu said after some thought.

Chen Jiao was a famous female calligraphy and painting master in Tianxuan Kingdom, renowned in her time. Her brushwork was delicate, and she excelled at landscape painting, especially water, which she painted with unparalleled skill, earning her the title of the greatest artist in Tianxuan Kingdom for three hundred years.

"I noticed that too..." Bai Xun quickly added.

"Hmm, you do have some discernment!" Master Yuan Yu nodded with a smile.

"Three painting methods? Twelve brushstrokes?" Zhang Xuan, standing to the side, was speechless.

In his view, Master Lu Chen was simply scribbling with a brush; he couldn't discern anything special about it. Although he had transformed all the books he had read since his transmigration into his own knowledge via the golden tome, nearly all of them were about cultivation techniques, combat skills, and alchemy. He had virtually no exposure to books on calligraphy and painting and knew next to nothing about the subject.

"Haha, Brother Yuan, you're being too modest!" As he spoke, Master Lu Chen also finished his River Flow painting. He chuckled and walked over: "I was traveling on the Galloping Horse River a few days ago, accumulating emotions for many days, and only then was I inspired to paint with superior skill. Brother Yuan spends his days treating patients and saving lives, unlike me, who has so much leisure. If you were like me, fully open-minded and engrossed in calligraphy and painting, I fear I truly wouldn't be able to catch up to you!"

"Painting requires talent, and I felt my talent wasn't as great as yours, which is why I pursued medicine!" Master Yuan Yu shook his head.

"Alright, let's stop flattering each other, us two old fellows. If we're talking about true talent, it's young brother Zhang Xuan. To possess such profound insight into the art of painting before the age of twenty, he surely wouldn't be any weaker than us two old-timers in actual painting."

Master Lu Chen shook his head with a smile, looked over, and made a 'please' gesture: "Now that we've both finished painting, young brother Zhang Xuan, it's your turn!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's gaze simultaneously turned towards Zhang Xuan. Master Yuan Yu also nodded, his eyes filled with curiosity.

He had heard about Zhang Xuan from Lu Chen, and while he didn't doubt Lu Chen's words, he still found it hard to believe when he saw how young Zhang Xuan was. The path of calligraphy and painting was unlike martial arts; it wasn't enough to simply have high talent. One also needed to possess profound insights into life and existence to continuously deepen one's understanding. Even he had only made rapid progress in calligraphy and painting and reached his current level after treating countless patients and gaining new insights.

Zhang Xuan was not yet twenty. Even if he was naturally suited for calligraphy and painting, at most, his foundations would be solid, allowing him to reach the Recording Reality level. To achieve Spirited Movement or Intent Embodied... he would likely require much more tempering. Of course, he didn't voice these thoughts aloud; it would have been impolite. At this moment, hearing Master Lu Chen ask him to paint, he couldn't help but want to see what level this young man could truly reach.

Even Bai Xun and Huang Yu had excitement in their eyes. Last time, Zhang Xuan had displayed incredible prowess, pointing out errors and flaws in the scroll, and confidently offering guidance, earning their immense admiration. They were also eager to know what level this Teacher Zhang, not much older than themselves, had reached to so thoroughly convince Master Lu.

"Me?" Seeing everyone's eager gazes, Zhang Xuan's head started to ache again.

He had thought the other party was just joking; he didn't expect to actually have to paint. How was he supposed to paint when he knew nothing? He couldn't just draw a chick, add a halo, and call it a divine phoenix, could he? If he really did that, he probably wouldn't leave here alive today; he'd surely be beaten to death.

"Um... um... could I perhaps read a book for a bit before painting?" Scratching his head and suppressing his embarrassment, Zhang Xuan asked.