Chapter 163: Just Paint Another One!

No eyes?

Did he forget to draw them, or what?

Everyone was full of doubt.

Whether human or animal, the most expressive part is the eyes. Without eyes, the painting is incomplete.

An incomplete work could reach the second realm's peak?

"Brother Zhang, this is…"

Unable to help looking over, Lu Chen's face was full of confusion.

"Oh, I'll add them now…" Zhang Xuan smiled, took out his brush again, and with both hands flying, quickly filled in the missing parts.

Hum!

As soon as the eyes appeared, the entire painting seemed to tremble, instantly giving everyone a strange feeling. The people and animals within came to life, as if they could step out of the paper at any moment.

"This?"

Seeing the sudden change in the painting, the two masters, Yuan Yu and Lu Chen, both shuddered, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Chirp chirp!

Before they could speak, a flock of birds chirped excitedly above the courtyard, flying toward the painting and lingering for a long time.

"Startling Swan? Could this be the fourth realm, Startling Swan?" Staring dumbfounded at the scene, Bai Xun couldn't help asking.

Master Lu Chen had just explained that there were four realms in painting. Birds coming and not leaving clearly indicated the fourth realm, Startling Swan.

Hadn't the two masters said earlier that this work was at most the second realm?

How… did it suddenly become the fourth realm?

"Could it be… those eyes?"

Covering her mouth, Huang Yu's delicate body trembled.

A divine work of the fourth realm—she actually had the chance to see it with her own eyes… This was something she never could have imagined before.

Hum!

But before their shock subsided, the birds on the painting shook, flew up from the picture, circled with the other birds a few times, and then vanished into the air.

The figures also seemed to step out of the painting, smiled faintly at everyone, bowed with clasped hands, and slowly dissipated.

"This… this isn't the fourth realm…"

Seeing this, Master Lu Chen's mouth hung open as if stuffed with an egg, and after a long pause, he finally uttered: "It's… the fifth realm… Spirit Transformation!"

"Spirit Transformation?"

Huang Yu and Bai Xun looked over in confusion.

Weren't there only four realms in painting and calligraphy? Why had a fifth realm suddenly appeared?

What was going on?

They were both dizzy.

"Recording Reality, Vitality, Intent, Startling Swan… these are the most widely known realms of painting and calligraphy. But above them is another: Spirit Transformation! A painting reaching this realm is infused with the painter's essence, energy, and spirit, able to actively absorb spiritual energy, bringing the life on the painting to life as if it had a soul."

Master Yuan Yu's lips trembled: "I thought this only existed in legends… I never expected to see it with my own eyes…"

At this, the usually composed Master Yuan couldn't control his trembling body.

To be honest, he was going crazy.

Just moments ago, he had pretentiously criticized the other, saying he was too flashy and might paint something with artistic conception after a few years of practice—and now the man had directly produced a divine work of the fifth realm!

Even in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom, which had existed for who knows how many years, there had only been a few paintings of this level!

The Moxuan Painting that Huang Yu and the others had been so eager to obtain was only at the peak of the fourth realm, still far from the fifth.

Being able to paint the fourth realm earned one the title of painting master, but painting the fifth realm made one a grandmaster. And he had called a painting grandmaster flashy, rude, and lacking a sense of time…

Damn!

Was he crazy?

Master Yuan Yu felt his face burning. If there were a crack in the ground, he would have crawled into it immediately.

This loss of face was just too great.

To be honest, for a master of this level, waiting an hour or two—or even three days—would be a pleasure, not a complaint.

"The… the fifth realm?"

"There's a fifth realm?"

Only then did Huang Yu and Bai Xun understand, and they both looked sharply at Teacher Zhang before them.

Lu Chen was a reclusive expert who disdained worldly affairs. He only knew that Zhang Xuan was a teacher, nothing more. Master Yuan Yu had just met Zhang Xuan and hadn't looked into him deeply.

But the two of them had been to Hongtian Academy and knew a lot about Teacher Zhang.

Rumor had it he was a waste, ranked last in the teacher assessment, with students leaving one after another…

Yet the truth was that he was under twenty, possessed peak Aperture Opening realm strength, and was a painting grandmaster…

Had anyone ever seen such a formidable waste?

If he was a waste, what were they?

The cream of the crop among wastes?

Brother, how did you learn? Do you have to be so heaven-defying?

Most importantly… since you're this skilled, why did you scribble like someone who knew nothing earlier?

And why did you read for two whole hours?

With this level of skill, why bother reading? Why adjust your state? Just paint casually, and it would at least be the fourth realm…

"Grandmaster Zhang, Grandpa Zhang, can you give me this painting? I'll do anything for it!"

While everyone was still immersed in disbelief, Bai Xun suddenly looked at Zhang Xuan with eager anticipation.

"Give it to you?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Yes, you see, I've always respected you and never dared to disobey… Please give it to me…" Bai Xun hurriedly said.

"Bai Xun, what are you doing? This painting was just created by Grandmaster Zhang, infused with his emotions. How could he just give it away? Give it up!" Seeing this shamelessness, Huang Yu frowned and scolded, then immediately looked over: "Grandmaster Zhang, we met first. I won't ask you to give it away, but… how about selling it to me? Name your price. As long as I can afford it, I won't say a word!"

"You…"

Thinking Huang Yu was scolding him because she truly thought it was improper to ask, Bai Xun was speechless to find she was after the same thing.

He hadn't expected this beautiful but unorthodox master apprentice to be so cunning and shameless. Snorting, he gritted his teeth and looked over: "Grandpa Zhang, if you sell this, I'll pay any price. I'll definitely offer more than her!"

"Bai Xun, stop messing around! Didn't you want Master Lu Chen's Moxuan Painting? I won't compete with you for that. Just let me have this one. How about that?"

Huang Yu gritted her silver teeth and said.

"I don't want the Moxuan Painting either. How about you stop competing with me?" Bai Xun refused to yield.

"…" Lu Chen.

Earlier, these two had been fighting tooth and nail over the Moxuan Painting, nearly coming to blows. Today's competition was to determine who deserved it… Now, as soon as Zhang Xuan's painting appeared, they both abandoned it like an old shoe…

Damn it!

Can't you have some principles?

Do you have to be so fickle?

"You… Bai Xun, are you determined to oppose me?" Huang Yu gritted her teeth.

"It's you opposing me! I asked for this painting first…" Bai Xun said.

"Enough!"

Seeing them bickering endlessly, Master Lu Chen's face darkened, and he flicked his sleeve.

Hearing this, the two indeed dared not speak further.

Lu Chen was a renowned imperial tutor, an elder to them. If an elder got angry, continuing to argue would be asking for trouble.

"Even a painting grandmaster expends considerable essence, energy, and spirit to produce a fifth-realm work. One doesn't have many such works in a lifetime. This painting was painstakingly created by our young friend Zhang Xuan. Whether he keeps it or gives it to you is his decision. Arguing like this—what kind of behavior is that?"

Spreading his hands, Master Lu Chen stood with the bearing of a mountain.

He was right. Even a painting grandmaster found it difficult to create a fifth-realm work, as it involved many factors like mood and state. It couldn't be done in one go.

That was why, even the century-old painting grandmaster Mo Chenzi, who had been famous and visited by countless painting masters from various kingdoms, had left behind only a few fifth-realm works. Even Lu Chen's treasured Moxuan Painting was only at the peak of the fourth realm.

Thus, every fifth-realm work was extremely precious, containing the author's full effort. How could it be given away or sold casually?

If such items were so easy to buy, with Lu Chen's immense wealth, how could he not have even one?

Another's labor of love, not for sale—yet you argue over it as if it's already yours. Doesn't that put him in an awkward position?

"We were rash…"

"Master Lu, Grandmaster Zhang, I was wrong…"

Hearing the rebuke, Huang Yu and Bai Xun came to their senses, their faces full of embarrassment.

They had been fighting bitterly before the owner even said he would sell—how shameful…

"Young friend Zhang Xuan, they were out of line. I hope you won't take offense…"

After scolding the two, Master Lu Chen looked at Zhang Xuan with an apologetic expression.

But as he spoke, he saw that Zhang Xuan, far from being angry, was looking at him with shining eyes. Just as he was wondering why, he heard the young man's voice: "Master Lu… is this painting of mine… really sellable? Can it really fetch money?"

"Cough, cough!"

Seeing this, Master Lu nearly choked on his saliva. If such a painting couldn't sell, then his own paintings would be left on the ground for no one to pick up.

Speechless, he nodded: "Your painting has reached the fifth realm. If sold, it would be worth at least two million gold coins, and it's hard to find on the market…"

"Two million gold coins? Great!"

Zhang Xuan's face lit up with joy. He turned to Bai Xun: "Prince Bai, if you really want it, I'll sell this painting to you. Two million!"

"Ah?" Bai Xun was startled by this sudden turn.

"Grandmaster Zhang, sell it to me…"

Huang Yu called out anxiously.

"Don't worry. You want one too? If you do, I'll just paint another one for you. It's no big deal…"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"…"

Lu Chen and Yuan Yu both twitched, looking at him as if he were a monster, nearly fainting on the spot.

Paint another one? No big deal?

Brother, even if you're a painting grandmaster, this is a fifth-realm work… Paint another one?

You make it sound like picking up cabbages at the market…

You must be joking!

If such a remarkable painting were so easy to produce, fifth-realm works wouldn't be so rare that not even one exists in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom.