Chapter 165: Left and Right Soaring Dragons

**Chapter 161: Left and Right Roaming Dragons (Fifth Update, for Alliance Master Shuizhizhishui)**

Whoosh!

Zhang Xuan stopped. Although Grandmaster Lu Chen had a vast collection of books, it couldn't withstand Zhang Xuan's rapid page-turning speed. In about an hour, he had finally finished flipping through all of them, forming tens of thousands of identical books in his mind.

From 'Beginner's Calligraphy and Painting Tips' and 'Complete Guide to Calligraphy and Painting Techniques' to 'How to Enter the Second Stage of Calligraphy and Painting' and 'Rare Edition of Sunset Glow'... As expected of a grandmaster, he had almost collected all the books on calligraphy and painting in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom. There were tens of thousands of them in total, including hundreds of so-called 'rare editions' that were hard to find on the market. Even a calligraphy and painting grandmaster would likely be unable to gather so many. It was probably Emperor Shen Zhui who had dispatched people to collect and send them as a token of gratitude for Lu Chen's tutelage.

"With all these books, it should be enough!" After copying the books, Zhang Xuan paused. With a thought, he whispered in his mind, "Correct!" Whoosh! The correct sentences from countless books were extracted and recompiled into a new volume.

Zhang Xuan opened the book and began to read. "Calligraphy and painting, divided into calligraphy and painting, can cultivate one's character and bring peace to the mind..." The book began with an explanation of the art, followed by instructions on how to hold the brush, how to write, and how to add color and shading.

Everything has its techniques, and calligraphy and painting are no exception. While mastery requires diligent practice, having a good teacher and a clear path significantly accelerates the learning process. This new book, compiled from tens of thousands of calligraphy and painting techniques and works, presented a direct path to mastery, without any detours. As Zhang Xuan continued to learn from it, his understanding of calligraphy and painting grew deeper and more comprehensive.

Standing still, he read through the book page by page. He didn't know how much time had passed until he opened his eyes and saw a pair of dark eyes right in front of him. "Ah!" Just as he wondered, the owner of the eyes was startled, cried out, and quickly retreated.

"Grandmaster Lu Chen?" Zhang Xuan finally got a clear look. It was none other than Grandmaster Lu. At this moment, the grandmaster was looking at him with extreme wariness, as if Zhang Xuan harbored some primeval beast.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xuan looked at his expression with a strange look. "I'm not going to kill anyone, what's with that attitude?"

"You... you didn't have another breakthrough this time, did you?" Grandmaster Lu asked cautiously.

"Breakthrough? No!" Zhang Xuan was surprised.

"That's good..." Grandmaster Lu Chen sighed in relief, still feeling a lingering fear. "I saw you hadn't come out for a long time, so I thought I'd come check on you..." He had expected young friend Zhang Xuan to come out after ten minutes or so of reading. He never thought Zhang Xuan would stay for nearly two hours. Unable to wait any longer, he had come over. Upon entering, he found the young man standing by the bookshelf, eyes closed, as if asleep. Then it suddenly dawned on him... it seemed to have been the same last time. Zhang Xuan read for a while, closed his eyes in a daze, and then Lu Chen's study was in chaos, and he himself was thrown about as if half-dead, and then... there was no 'then'... *This time... it couldn't be happening again, could it?* Just as he was agonizing over what to do, the young man opened his eyes. Not fleeing the study from fright was already a sign of courage.

"Breakthroughs aren't that easy..." Seeing his wary expression, Zhang Xuan understood and shook his head with a bitter smile.

It would have been better if he hadn't heard that. The moment he did, Grandmaster Lu Chen felt a pang in his chest and his mouth twitched. *Not that easy? Wasn't it exactly that easy for you last time? You even claimed the breakthrough was too big to adapt to your power... If I hadn't had some strength, I might have been a goner right then...* The more he thought, the more depressed he became. *Forget it, thankfully, he didn't break through here this time, otherwise... I really would consider not letting you into my study anymore...*

"How is it? Has your mindset been adjusted?" Lu Chen shifted the heavy topic.

"Almost there. Let's go out!" Zhang Xuan nodded. The two returned to the hall, where Huang Yu, Bai Xun, and others had long been waiting impatiently. Spending two or three hours adjusting one's state by reading—it was quite astonishing.

"Well?" Grandmaster Yuan Yu's expression was also not good. He had originally planned to visit Master Yang Xuan that afternoon. Yet, this fellow had taken so long to adjust his mindset that the sun was almost setting. Given his previous private judgment, it was a wonder he hadn't stormed off.

"Uh... I'm ready!" Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhang Xuan felt a bit awkward, knowing he was in the wrong.

"Let's begin painting!" Grandmaster Lu Chen waved his hand, fearing the situation might become awkward.

"Okay!" Zhang Xuan quickly reviewed the painting methods he'd learned from the Library of Heaven's Path in his mind. He walked over to the table and casually picked up a brush.

Seeing that he was actually going to paint, Huang Yu and Bai Xun immediately focused, looking excited. Even Grandmaster Yuan Yu couldn't help but watch. *If he's really just putting on an act and trying to deceive, I won't hesitate to teach him a lesson...*

Just as everyone was watching intently, Zhang Xuan hesitated. "Grandmaster Lu, do you have any more paper? Can I try out the brush first?"

Calligraphy and painting were not like cultivation techniques, where one just needed to circulate true qi internally. Even with vast knowledge, practical experience was necessary. He had never painted before, nor had he used a brush much. He needed to test its softness and firmness and understand how ink and watercolors appeared on paper, in terms of lightness and darkness, before he could paint. This was also why, despite studying so many alchemy books, he couldn't instantly become a true alchemist. Alchemy required extensive practice, whereas painting emphasized artistic conception; even with weaker brushwork, grasping the artistic concept could lead to a good piece.

"Go ahead!" Grandmaster Yuan Yu's expression grew even more displeased. If the other party was truly a grandmaster of calligraphy and painting, why would he need to test the brush? He was clearly trying to stall for time. *Hmph, let him stall. We'll see what excuses he comes up with later.*

Ignoring his strange gaze, Zhang Xuan picked up a brush, dipped it in watercolor and ink, and made a few casual strokes on the paper. Then, he took another brush, dipped it in water, and smeared it randomly.

"Is that... the most basic wash technique? Does he need to test even that... Grandmaster Zhang, this isn't your first time holding a brush, is it?" Seeing his actions, Huang Yu couldn't help but remark.

The wash technique is a painting skill where one brush is dipped in color and another in water, then the color is spread out, creating a gradient effect from dark to light. It's like the Long Fist technique in martial arts; anyone who can paint knows it.

Others testing a brush would just check its softness, firmness, and the weight of the ink. But this guy, he had to try every single technique, like a curious child who had never touched a brush before... Everyone looked exasperated.

"Big brother, we've been waiting for hours, can you hurry up? At this rate, I might die of old age before seeing your painting..."

"When I first picked up a brush, it was probably like this too; I wanted to try everything, but in reality... I knew nothing..." Bai Xun was also full of doubts; even he could tell something was off. Look at Grandmaster Lu and Grandmaster Yuan; the moment they pick up a brush, their entire aura changes, just like a swordsman gripping his sword. But you... what in the world is this? The revered Grandmaster Zhang in front of them, though his grip on the brush wasn't wrong, his movements were stiff, not fluid or free at all, exactly like someone touching a brush for the first time.

*Don't tell me that when you were supposedly adjusting your state by reading, you were actually learning how to paint?* Grandmaster Lu Chen was also baffled, unable to fathom what Zhang Xuan was up to.

"All right!" After adapting for a while, Zhang Xuan finally integrated the knowledge from his mind with the movements of his hands. He let out a breath of relief.

"Then... let's begin!" Seeing him stop, Grandmaster Lu Chen cautiously asked, afraid that this fellow might pull another trick.

Fortunately, Zhang Xuan didn't say anything else. He responded with a sound, took a few steps to the clean white paper, flicked a finger, and a brush flew up, dipping into the ink. At the same time, his other hand lightly grasped another brush, holding it in his palm.

Whoosh! The two brushes danced continuously in his hands as if alive. Slowly, a painting began to emerge on the previously blank white paper.

"This is... Left and Right Roaming Dragons?" Grandmaster Yuan Yu, who had been about to expose what he believed was Zhang Xuan's trickery, widened his eyes upon seeing this scene, almost dropping them to the floor.

Even Grandmaster Lu Chen swayed, barely managing not to faint on the spot.

"What are Left and Right Roaming Dragons?" Seeing the two grandmasters' ghost-struck expressions, Bai Xun couldn't help but ask.

"Normally, when we paint, we use one brush to first sketch out the general outline, then fill in the details," Lu Chen explained.

Huang Yu and Bai Xun nodded simultaneously. They had also studied calligraphy and painting and knew the steps involved: sketching the overall composition, then gradually filling in and refining the finer details until the painting was complete.

"This is like building a house," Grandmaster Lu Chen continued. "You first create the framework, then gradually solidify it. While the foundation is solid, the painting speed is rather unsatisfactory; it's not fast enough." He added, "To increase painting speed, some formidable calligraphy and painting masters have created the method of Left and Right Roaming Dragons. As the name suggests, it involves dividing one's concentration, using both hands simultaneously with two brushes. Painting begins from both the left and right ends at the same time, without needing to sketch a framework or add any embellishments or refinements. The entire image exists in the mind, and the brushes continuously move inward... When the two brushes meet, the painting is finished!"

"This method can more than double both the painting time and efficiency, but it is extremely difficult!" he explained. "First, one must have a clear understanding of the entire painting's dimensions. Second, one must divide their mind and not make any mistakes. Finally, the colors and tones must be perfectly clear in their mind to ensure no issues arise when the two sides of the painting meet..."

"To be honest, this is an extremely advanced technique. Even my brother Yuan and I cannot accomplish it..." Grandmaster Lu Chen shook his head, his aged face still filled with disbelief. This two-handed roaming dragon painting method required absolute confidence in the artwork and decades of rigorous practice to master. Yet, Zhang Xuan performed it so casually... It was truly too exaggerated!

"Don't be so quick to be shocked. The parts painted by the left and right hands must connect perfectly for it to be a true success. If they don't connect, it's all fake!" Grandmaster Yuan Yu, who had recovered somewhat, couldn't help but snort. The Left and Right Roaming Dragons technique, using both hands simultaneously, was indeed impressive. However, no matter how well both sides were painted, if they didn't connect, it was all nonsense. It was still like building a house: even if both sides were constructed with superb, unyielding techniques that even a sixth-stage martial artist couldn't destroy, if they ultimately... didn't meet perfectly and were uneven, it was still a failure!