Chapter 216: 算我赢吗?

"You painted that?"

The room fell silent.

Then, an uproar erupted.

"You're saying this Five Realms painting is yours? Zhang Xuan, you're killing me with laughter. Even if you can't appraise it, just admit defeat. There's no need to put on such an act!"

"What nerve! There's a limit to how much you can boast. If you painted it, why don't you just say you're Grandmaster Yun Shaoqing?"

"You ignorant fool! Do you even know the significance of a Five Realms painting? And you painted it? What a joke!"

Tian Long, Lu Xun, and Wang Chao all sneered, looking at Zhang Xuan as if he were an idiot.

A Five Realms painting—what kind of concept was that? No one in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom could paint one. Even Master Lu Chen, Emperor's Teacher and Lu Xun's father, couldn't do it. For a college teacher, a young man under twenty, to claim he could paint it—what else could it be but a joke?

"Liu Ling, is this the person you've taken a liking to and plan to recruit as an apprentice? Ignorant and full of bluster—is such a person even fit to be a teacher?" Elder Tian flicked his sleeve, his face darkening.

Master Liu had presented this painting as a birthday gift. He had hung it in his room daily, studying it meticulously, amazed by its brilliance, always believing it to be a masterpiece left by some great calligrapher and painter. Yet, this fellow claimed it was his? It was an insult to a renowned painting.

"Elder Tian, this painting..."

Hearing his teacher's question, Liu Ling's face was conflicted: "...Teacher Zhang Xuan truly painted it!"

"What, you're admitting his arrogance too... huh? What did you say?" Elder Tian hadn't heard clearly, mumbled to himself, then suddenly reacted, almost fainting. His lips trembled: "He... he painted it?"

"Yes, this painting... was personally painted by Teacher Zhang a few days ago..." Liu Ling said with a wry smile.

When Huang Yu had first brought it over and given it to him as a congratulatory gift, he was frankly bewildered too. A Five Realms painting, even in a second-tier kingdom like Beiwu, was a rare and priceless treasure. To think it came from Hongtian College, from the hands of a teacher under twenty... Even hearing it firsthand, he felt dizzy and found it hard to believe.

"This... this..." Elder Tian's pupils contracted, his old face flushing crimson. He wished for a hole to crawl into. As a Master Teacher, Liu Ling wouldn't speak nonsense, which meant... this painting was indeed painted by Teacher Zhang. He had repeatedly expressed his admiration and desire to meet the artist in his lifetime, yet when he truly met him, he questioned him...

"I don't believe it... Even if he started learning painting and calligraphy in the womb, he couldn't have painted such a remarkable work..." Hearing Master Liu's admission, Lu Xun glared, gritting his teeth. He had just praised the painter to the skies, talking about the technique, the brushstrokes... mentioning this master and that grandmaster, practically wanting to grovel, and then... it turned out to be the very person he had wanted to challenge. He refused to believe it.

"I don't believe it either! Master Liu, don't let him deceive you..." Wang Chao also roared.

However, before their shouts had died down, Zhang Xuan had already approached the painting and lightly touched it with his palm. A clear chirping sound emerged, and the wild deer in the painting immediately sprang to life, turning its head and charging forward, only to dissipate in the air moments later.

"This is... Essence Manifestation? The Essence Manifestation that only the creator of a painting or calligraphy possesses?"

"A painting or calligraphy embodies the creator's full essence. It can perfectly resonate with their spirit, energy, and vitality. A Five Realms painting will automatically manifest its essence upon the creator's touch..."

"This... he really painted it..."

For paintings and calligraphy that have reached the Essence Manifestation realm, it's very easy to determine who painted them: as long as the creator touches them with their palm, the scroll will automatically display the manifestation effect. Seeing the wild deer run and the aura flow on the scroll, resonating with Teacher Zhang Xuan who was nearby... even the dullest person would know that he was definitely the author of this painting.

"This... how is this possible?" Lu Xun stumbled, falling to the ground, wanting to cry but having no tears. Just moments ago, he had confidently declared that the author of this painting must be Grandmaster Yun Shaoqing, and that the Double-Hook technique was certainly used. But now... reality had slapped him hard.

"Big brother, if I had known you were a calligraphy and painting grandmaster, why would I have competed with you in the first place?!"

"Wasn't this just asking for trouble?"

On the side, Wang Chao and Tian Long also felt their bodies twitching, almost fainting. Tian Long, in particular, finally understood why Master Yuanyu was so respectful of this fellow, even wanting to learn from him... A grandmaster-level painter and calligrapher who could create Five Realms paintings... was certainly worthy of such respect.

"Grandmaster Zhang Xuan, I was short-sighted. Please forgive me..." Elder Tian also rose with an unpleasant expression, cupping his fist, and in an instant, seemed to have aged a dozen years. He had spent his life teaching and educating, enjoying a great reputation, only to stumble here. To have Lu Xun compete in painting and calligraphy with a grandmaster? Could anything be more shocking? He had intended to help him find a master, but instead... he had just completely ruined him, and quite miserably at that... No wonder Liu Ling and the others were so desperate to take him as an apprentice, disregarding their status as Master Teachers. So that was it. A grandmaster painter and calligrapher who could create Five Realms paintings, once becoming an apprentice, would immediately qualify to be assessed as a Master Teacher. If successful, their teacher would also become renowned throughout the kingdom!

Without answering Elder Tian, Zhang Xuan stood quietly before the painting, looking at the scroll: "I painted this picture a few days ago at Master Lu Chen's residence. I wasn't standing on a grassland, nor did I use the Double-Hook technique. Instead, I used the Left-Right Wandering Dragon technique. It took me a total of forty-seven breaths to paint, not the 'two or three days' you mentioned."

"Left-Right Wandering Dragon?"

"Forty-seven breaths?"

Lu Xun's mouth twitched again. Just now, he had vowed that even a grandmaster would have spent at least two or three days on this painting, inspired by being in a grassland. He never dreamed that it was painted right in his own house, and in such a short time... What was even more exaggerated was that he used a technique of street artisans, typically for printing paintings and calligraphy, to create a Five Realms masterpiece... "This is just too incredible!"

Hearing this, Tian Long was almost in tears. Just moments ago, when the other person mentioned this technique, he had cursed them out, only for it to be confirmed as true in the blink of an eye! The Left-Right Wandering Dragon technique, meant for speed, could also produce such an amazing painting? "Teacher Zhang, what level have you truly reached?"

Ignoring their reactions, Zhang Xuan flicked the scroll with his finger: "I wonder if there's any ink and brushes here?"

"Yes, yes!" Elder Tian motioned, and Tian Gang immediately ran out in a hurry. In a short time, he brought the ink and brushes, almost stumbling upon entering the room due to his excitement.

Anyone who wasn't foolish knew that Teacher Zhang was certainly going to sign this painting. A painting's value differs greatly between being signed and unsigned, often increasing dozens of times. Especially since Teacher Zhang became a calligraphy and painting grandmaster at such a young age, if he becomes a Master Teacher in a few years and becomes renowned throughout the surrounding kingdoms, the value of his signed works will certainly skyrocket again. Of course, value was secondary. Most importantly, what an honor it was to personally witness a calligraphy and painting grandmaster put brush to paper!

"This painting doesn't have the grandiosity of freehand ink splashing, nor the lofty artistic conception Master Lu mentioned. The name 'Painting the Azure Sky with a Flourishing Brush' definitely wouldn't suit it!" Picking up the brush and dipping it in ink, Zhang Xuan stood before the scroll. Without the slightest hesitation, the brush danced forward.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

Two large characters immediately appeared above the painting.

"Wild Deer?" Seeing the name he wrote, everyone was simultaneously stunned. They had expected a magnificent name; "Wild Deer" seemed too casual.

"Direct expression of the heart—this is truly the realm of a calligraphy and painting grandmaster." After a moment of silence, Elder Tian spoke.

"Indeed," Liu Ling sighed in admiration, "the main subject of this painting is the wild deer; everything else is secondary. The so-called spirit and artistic conception are all brought forth by it. Calling it 'Wild Deer' sounds simple and lacks grandeur, but it effectively displays the entire main content of the painting, elevating the entire work to another level."

"As expected of Teacher Zhang, a calligraphy and painting grandmaster at such a young age. Though it was just a simple name, it directly elevated the painting's quality once more."

"Not only that," Zhuang Xian spoke, "but if this painting were called 'Painting the Azure Sky with a Flourishing Brush,' anyone viewing it would be naturally influenced by its grandeur and unable to appreciate other nuances. But calling it 'Wild Deer,' while simple, places no restrictions on thought. Every viewer can let their imagination roam, making the painting's charm richer and its artistic conception more expansive."

"Yes, a stroke of genius, a stroke of genius indeed..." Zheng Fei nodded, about to offer his own insight, when he suddenly froze, pointing forward: "Look!"

Everyone looked and saw the wild deer from the painting leap out again, gazing at Zhang Xuan with deep affection, rubbing against his arm a few times before slowly dissipating.

"This is... sapience?"

"A sapient-realm painting? No, not quite there yet. If it were, this wild deer would surely last longer outside the painting."

"Although not quite, it's very close. Adding the name elevated this painting by nearly a level, infinitely approaching the Sixth Realm..."

Seeing the wild deer's actions, everyone was deeply shaken, their faces flushing with excitement. The first four realms of painting and calligraphy are: Recording Reality, Spiritually Active, Intent Preserved, and Startling Glimpse. The Fifth Realm is Essence Manifestation. Above Essence Manifestation is the Sixth Realm, which they just mentioned: Sapience.

It is said that in paintings reaching this realm, the depicted animals gain full sapience, and can even absorb spiritual energy to maintain their form for a short time, emerging from the painting—truly miraculous. They had thought it merely a legend, never dreaming they would witness it with their own eyes. In the painting before them, although the wild deer couldn't absorb spiritual energy to sustain itself longer in the air, its affection for the author indicated it was close to possessing sapience. If placed in a spiritual energy-rich environment and nurtured for a hundred years, it might very well become a true Sixth Realm painting!

A single name had forcefully elevated the entire painting by nearly a level. The two characters "Wild Deer" were absolutely worth a fortune! Everyone now looked at the young man before them, their eyes burning with fervor. Huang Yu, Bai Xun, and the others, in particular, were trembling with excitement.

Ignoring the crowd's excitement, Zhang Xuan put down the brush and looked around.

"I'm done with the appraisal. Does this challenge... count as my win?"