Chapter 289: A Beast Paints

Just now, scolded by the woman, a clear space had formed around them. Zhang Xuan and the young servant stood there, already looking out of place.

Then, as everyone bid, the two were murmuring below. Young Master Ji Mo noticed and was already displeased. Upon listening closely, he heard them belittling his work. How could he hold back? He immediately shouted.

It was simply challenging his authority and dignity.

He thought the fellow would apologize at once when confronted, but instead, he said this.

Something any apprentice could paint...

Rage surged up instantly, his face flushed red with anger.

"What did you say?"

His fists clenched, eyebrows raised, a force emanated from his body, rustling the air. He was actually a Puncturing Acupoint realm expert.

Barely twenty and already at the Puncturing Acupoint realm; it seemed this Young Master Ji Mo's cultivation talent was no less than his painting and calligraphy talent.

The young servant in blue also hadn't expected Zhang Xuan to say this; his face turned pale.

Not to mention that the Ji family was one of the three great families in the royal city, this Young Master Ji, as a one-star painter and calligrapher, was supported by countless people and had strong appeal. Provoking him like this... wasn't that seeking death?

If he angered the other party, getting beaten would be the least; he might well be blacklisted by the Painter and Calligrapher Guild, and no matter how much money he had later, he wouldn't be able to buy half a work.

"Young master, don't act on impulse. You... you'd better apologize, show some weakness..."

Unable to help himself, he tugged at the young man beside him and quickly sent a voice transmission.

After saying this, he saw the young man beside him nod and speak: "Oh, saying an apprentice could paint it was my mistake."

"That's more like it..."

Hearing him admit fault, the servant was about to sigh in relief, but upon hearing the next words, he rolled his eyes and nearly fell on the spot.

"...That's an insult to apprentices. Judging by the level of this painting, I reckon even a random beast could do better! And five million? I wouldn't take it even for five gold coins!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

He didn't want trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either. Looking for trouble? What a joke!

It was good enough that he didn't go looking for trouble with others.

When the other was painting, he hadn't even used the library's ability; relying solely on his insight, he had spotted seven or eight flaws. He wouldn't take such a low-level painting even for free, and they wanted money? What were they thinking?

A beast? Five gold coins?

He said it all calmly, but the people around all bit their tongues and looked at him as if he were a monster.

In the Painter and Calligrapher Guild, humiliating a painter and calligrapher like this—where did he get the confidence?

"You..."

Young Master Ji Mo nearly vomited blood from anger.

A random beast paints better than him... wouldn't take it for five gold coins...

This was no longer just a slap in the face; it was denying his professional ability!

"Alright, this clown show isn't worth watching. Let's go upstairs and look around." Facing the enraged opponent, Zhang Xuan remained calm and turned to leave.

Although he had just arrived in Tianwu Kingdom and had no status, he was about to take the master teacher exam and needed to have the bearing of a master teacher.

Once he finished the exam, if the other dared to speak like that, he could slap him to death on the spot, and no one would dare say a word!

That was the privilege and power of a master teacher.

A master teacher cannot be insulted; whoever insults must die!

Just a pretentious painter and calligrapher, forcing him to buy something, coercing a sale—cursing him out was already giving him face.

"Stop!"

Seeing this fellow make him lose face and then turn to leave, Young Master Ji Mo's face twisted, on the verge of madness.

But though furious, he didn't lose his composure. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and looked over coldly.

"Since you're so confident, you must know a lot about painting and calligraphy. Do you dare to compete with me?"

"Compete?"

"That's right. We'll both paint at the same time, find someone to appraise, and whoever's work is better and of a higher realm wins! The loser not only kneels and apologizes to the winner but also gets out of the Painter and Calligrapher Guild and never enters again..."

Young Master Ji Mo's gaze was fierce: "How about it, do you dare?"

"Paint at the same time? Find someone to appraise? Are you sure?"

Seeing him so confident, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Competing with him in painting was fine; he had nothing to do today anyway, and he had come to take the painter and calligrapher exam. Besides, it seemed that if he didn't compete, the other wouldn't let it go.

"What, scared?" Young Master Ji Mo sneered.

"It's not that, but..." Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and looked over helplessly: "I'm afraid... you'll cry!"

Thud!

Everyone fell over, a moment of silence.

Clatter!

Then, as if water was dropped into hot oil, everyone erupted.

"Who does he think he is?"

"Young Master Ji Mo is a formal painter and calligrapher. This guy who popped out of nowhere dares to talk nonsense!"

"Compete with him, let him know what a true master of painting and calligraphy is!"

...

The women around all glared angrily, hands on hips, wishing they could eat Zhang Xuan alive.

They had seen arrogance, but never such arrogance—daring to say Young Master Ji Mo would cry?

Did he know who he was?

Under twenty, he had successfully passed the formal painter and calligrapher exam, the first in Tianwu Royal City's history, known as the unparalleled master of painting and calligraphy, the top talent...

Afraid he would cry?

Who did he think he was?

The guild master?

"You..."

The many fans were furious, and Young Master Ji Mo also swayed, nearly spitting blood.

His words were too choking!

Knowing that the more he said, the quicker he'd die from anger, he waved his hand: "Less nonsense, let's settle it with skill!"

After saying this, afraid the other would back out, he turned and instructed a servant behind him.

Hearing the instruction, the servant turned and left. Before long, two old men strode over.

"These two are Vice Guild Masters Cheng and Wu of the guild, two-star painting and calligraphy masters. They'll be the judges. Any problem?"

Hearing they were vice guild masters, Zhang Xuan looked over.

These two seemed about the same age as Master Lu Chen, with white beards. Due to long-term exposure to painting and calligraphy, they had an elegant temperament, with a unique charm.

"No problem."

Whoever judged was the same to him, so Zhang Xuan nodded.

"You want to compete?" Coming over, Vice Guild Master Cheng frowned.

They had heard about the conflict from the servant on the way. A young man who appeared from nowhere dared to contend with Ji Mo and spoke so arrogantly... they didn't know where he got his confidence.

"Yes!" Young Master Ji Mo bowed.

"Young friend, who is your teacher? Who did you learn painting and calligraphy from?"

Vice Guild Master Cheng looked at Zhang Xuan: "I have some connections with painting and calligraphy masters and grandmasters from the surrounding thirteen countries. If you name him, we might be old acquaintances."

"I'm just interested in painting and calligraphy; I have no teacher," Zhang Xuan said.

His knowledge of painting and calligraphy came from reading books; he indeed had no teacher.

"Just interested? No teacher?"

Vice Guild Masters Cheng and Wu exchanged glances, both puzzled.

Although painting and calligraphy were not among the top professions, without a master's inheritance, it was impossible to learn real substance.

Just having some interest, and he dared to compete with a one-star painter and calligrapher?

Did he not know the power of a painter and calligrapher, or was he overconfident?

"Painting and calligraphy are refined pursuits. Using them for competition goes against elegance. If you two have any verbal disputes, settle them privately. There's no need to compete."

After a moment's hesitation, Vice Guild Master Wu tried to dissuade them.

Painting and calligraphy were elegant acts; using them for competition was beneath a scholar's dignity.

"Please don't dissuade us, grandmasters. Scholars meet through literature, and painters and calligraphers also have their fury to slash the sky. This fellow insulted the profession of painting and calligraphy. If I don't settle this with him today, I won't be able to swallow this anger!"

Before Zhang Xuan could speak, Young Master Ji Mo gritted his teeth.

Being called worse than an apprentice or a beast by this fellow—if he didn't teach him a lesson today, he would lose all face. How could he show his face?

"This..." Seeing his firm attitude, the two vice guild masters looked at Zhang Xuan, who nodded indifferently: "If he wants to compete, let's compete."

"Alright!"

Seeing both agreed to compete and unable to dissuade them, the two vice guild masters had to agree: "Since you want to compete, we'll be the judges. The rules are simple: one hour, whoever paints a work of higher realm wins. If the realms are the same, the one who finishes faster wins."

In literature, there is no first; in principle, everyone's appreciation level differs, making it hard to judge the superiority of two works.

But since painting and calligraphy are divided into realms, using this level as a standard leaves no room for criticism.

"Begin!"

With the rules set and both parties having no objections, several apprentices set up two tables with brushes, ink, and paper ready.

"No restrictions on the type or subject of the painting; you can freely express yourselves."

Seeing the two take their positions, Vice Guild Master Wu said.

"Yes!"

Young Master Ji Mo nodded.

With no restrictions on subject or type, he could paint what he was best at.

The landscape painting earlier wasn't his usual style. If he switched to what he excelled in, he could definitely produce a third-realm work.

He had just become a one-star painter and calligrapher and was worried about how to make his name more famous. This guy popped up—it was like a pillow when sleepy, coming just in time.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a fuss and deliberately blown things up.

"Alright, if there are no objections, let's start directly!"

The rules were stated, and neither objected, so Vice Guild Master Wu waved his hand.

"Good!"

Young Master Ji Mo snorted coldly, flipped his palm, and a brush appeared in his hand. Dipping it in ink, he began to paint again.

This time, to win more impressively, he deliberately added more dazzling techniques, causing the surrounding crowd to exclaim repeatedly.

"Do you think Young Master Ji Mo will win?"

"Nonsense. Young Master Ji is the most talented young painter and calligrapher. The guild master said he's the most likely to succeed him. How could he lose to some country bumpkin from who knows where?"

"That's true..."

"Huh? Young Master Ji has started painting, but that country bumpkin hasn't even picked up his brush? Could it be that he talks big but doesn't actually know how to paint?"

"Really... he hasn't moved yet..."

Seeing Young Master Ji Mo splash ink with flourish, the crowd excitedly discussed, only then noticing that the young man who was to compete with him stood still, his face seeming a bit awkward.

"What's wrong, young friend? Is there some difficulty?"

Seeing him like this, Vice Guild Master Wu looked over.

"Oh, it's like this..."

Zhang Xuan scratched his head, a bit embarrassed: "I thought about it. If I paint like this and beat him, it would be bullying the weak, winning without honor. Since I said a beast paints better than him, may I ask... are there any beasts here? Could I borrow one? Don't worry, I'll have it paint and then... return it to you!"

"What?"

"He wants to use a beast to compete with... Young Master Ji Mo?"

"Damn, did I hear that right?"

Everyone was dumbfounded, looking at this guy as if he were crazy.

Even if a beast had some intelligence, compared to humans, it knew nothing, let alone painting.

Using a beast to paint and compete with a formal painter and calligrapher...

How was that possible!

What kind of joke was that?

If they hadn't heard it with their own ears and seen it with their own eyes, they would have doubted if this guy was insane.

Even seeing it with their own eyes, they wondered if he had a problem with his brain.

The crowd was shocked, and Young Master Ji Mo, who was painting, twitched, feeling like ten thousand divine beasts were stampeding through his mind. He nearly crushed his brush and threw it at the other's face.

Finding a beast to compete with him...

Damn, did he mean he wasn't worthy of competing with him?

He had planned to force the other to pick up a brush, and once the result came out, he could make him lose face. Who knew that before the painting even started, he was already humiliated beyond repair.

If this guy really found a beast and he lost, wouldn't that make him worse than a beast?

If he won, he'd only be better than a beast...

Damn!

Young Master Ji Mo felt like he had blood in his mouth; he was completely stunned.

"Cough, cough. Beasts have intelligence, but they can't paint. Are you... sure about this request?" Vice Guild Master Wu also stood frozen, unable to help looking over.

He had seen many demands in competitions—too short a time, poor paper, bad ink—but he had never heard of asking for a beast!

Are you sure you're not joking?

"I'm sure."

Zhang Xuan nodded, looking serious.

He could easily paint a fifth-realm work. If he were to take the painter and calligrapher exam, even if not three-star, he would at least be at the peak of two-star.

With such painting ability, competing with a newly promoted one-star kid was indeed bullying the weak.

Even if he won, there was no glory!

Seeing that after saying it once and confirming again, the other still hadn't moved, Zhang Xuan looked over: "Is it that... there are no beasts here? Or is it difficult to find one?"

This was the Painter and Calligrapher Guild, not the Beast Taming Guild. Could it be hard to find a beast?

"Difficult..."

Everyone swayed.

That wasn't the point, alright.

The point was... how could a beast paint?

"Arrogant!"

While Vice Guild Master Wu was at a loss, Vice Guild Master Cheng on the side darkened his face and waved his hand.

He had immersed himself in painting and calligraphy for many years and knew the difficulty of the path. Finding a beast to paint and thinking it could beat a formal painter and calligrapher?

That was simply not knowing one's place.

He had thought it would be a fierce contest, but this guy turned out to be a reckless fool.

"How about... I go find one? I know there's an ownerless beast nearby..."

Seeing everyone still dumbfounded, the young servant in blue hesitated and said.

"Go ahead."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Yes!" The young servant in blue quickly turned and left. Before long, he came back carrying a beast.

It was more like a wild animal than a beast, with no combat ability, similar to a domestic dog or cat. It looked confused, not knowing why it was brought over.

Taking the beast, Zhang Xuan looked at it. Although he wasn't very satisfied, the competition had started, so there was no time to choose.

"Let's try the poison master's ability."

Holding the beast in his arms, Zhang Xuan had an idea.

The reason he dared to bet like this, saying he would use a beast to paint, was not arrogance but reliance on something.

Even if a beast was tamed, it couldn't strictly follow human thoughts. To paint a work surpassing the second realm, he couldn't rely on such uncontrollable things; he needed absolute control.

In the past, he certainly couldn't do it, not even as a two-star beast tamer, but after his trip to the Poison Hall, things were different.

In the Poison Hall, through ten days of study, he not only cultivated his poison body but also reached the level of a two-star poison master in controlling poison.

Most importantly, he understood more about the Heaven's Path true energy, allowing him to turn it into a tonic or poison with a single thought.

To strictly control a beast and make it act according to his will, Heaven's Path true energy was the best thing.

Reaching out, a stream of true energy entered the beast's body through its meridians. With a thought, it immediately dispersed and hid in its acupoints.

"Let's begin!"

Preparations done, he rolled the beast in the ink pool and casually dropped it onto the wide rice paper.

"He's really letting a beast paint?"

"Let's see what he can make!"

"I've seen this beast before; it has no intelligence at all. What can it paint?"

...

Seeing that Zhang Xuan wasn't joking and really let a beast get covered in ink and crawl onto the rice paper, everyone erupted.

A beast painting...

And thinking to beat a real painter and calligrapher?

Bro, are you not awake or just joking?

"Nonsense!"

Vice Guild Master Cheng's face turned ashen.

Painting and calligraphy were one of the professions, extremely noble. Letting a beast get covered in ink to paint was simply making a mockery.

After the competition, he would kick this guy out.

Painting and calligraphy could not be insulted like this.

Displeased and furious, he heard his old friend Vice Guild Master Wu's voice in his ear.

"No, Cheng Feng, look quickly!"

"What?" Turning his head, he saw his old friend staring ahead in astonishment.

Frowning, Vice Guild Master Cheng Feng looked over, and was also stunned.

"This... how is this possible?"

He saw the beast on the rice paper hesitate, then slowly move in one direction, leaving a trail of plum blossom prints on the paper.

These prints seemed random but followed a straight line, as if supported by an invisible vine.

A beast with no intelligence, covered in ink—shouldn't it run away immediately? How could it walk step by step like this, with no overlapping footprints?

"It's a taming technique!"

Vice Guild Master Wu's voice transmission sounded in his ear.

"Right!"

Hearing his old friend's words, Cheng Feng suddenly understood.

This beast didn't run away or run wild, but instead made its footprints form a straight line, showing it was obeying the other's command. Making a beast obey instantly... this was definitely a very advanced taming method!

Could it be... this young man was a beast tamer?

"But even if he tames the beast to obey, what use is it? These footprints, no matter how neat, are not a painting, let alone reaching the realms of recording reality or vividness."

Though shocked, Cheng Feng still shook his head.

Don't think that 'recording reality' is merely the first stage of painting and calligraphy. Many apprentices, even some who have studied for years or decades, cannot reach it.

Even if the beast tamer's methods can control the actions of a savage beast, so what?

A savage beast is a savage beast; it has no feeling or awareness of the painting. Even if controlled like a puppet, it cannot produce a work with spiritual essence!

"Exactly!" Vice President Wu nodded in deep agreement.

He too was wondering what scheme this fellow was really up to.

Thump!

Just as they were puzzled, the savage beast advancing along the rice paper suddenly fell to the ground, and the ink on its body immediately smeared a large patch black.

"It seems we were overthinking..."

Originally, the beast's paw prints had formed plum blossoms that looked quite good, like a painting. But this fall instantly ruined the entire work.

In other words... this painting was already ruined.

"How could a savage beast possibly create calligraphy or painting!" Cheng Feng snorted.

"Indeed!" Vice President Wu also sighed.

Shaking their heads, the two stopped paying attention to this attention-seeking fellow and simultaneously looked toward Young Master Ji Mo.

As expected of a genius—though he had been angry and furious just moments ago, it hadn't affected his painting at all. His brush moved like the wind, and the outline of a picture had already appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was a peony, standing proudly among a hundred flowers, with an aura that dimmed all other blooms, like a king.

"The king of flowers is the peony. In this painting, he has captured the peony's nobility, pride, and the charm that makes all other flowers bow their heads. Once completed, it will likely directly impact the third realm, 'Intent Presence'!"

Cheng Feng's eyes lit up.

"Yes, Ji Mo is indeed a good seedling. If we nurture him well, our guild might just produce a true legendary figure!"

Vice President Wu also nodded.

They were two-star calligraphers and painters with deep research into the art. Although Young Master Ji Mo's work was not yet fully formed, the outline already revealed some qualities.

This painting was clearly much better than the earlier 'Clear Breeze Landscape'; it was full of charm. As long as no major mishap occurred later, reaching the Intent Presence realm was a sure thing.

Even if it was only the simplest form of Intent Presence, being able to produce it so easily upon just becoming a one-star calligrapher and painter showed that Young Master Ji Mo's talent was indeed genuine.

"Look, Young Master Ji Mo is almost done..."

"What a beautiful peony! I love this painting!"

"So beautiful..."

...

As the two sighed, Young Master Ji Mo was already finishing up. His brush moved across the rice paper, and a vibrant peony painting appeared before everyone.

Whoosh!

With a flick of his finger, he completed the final stroke.

Splash!

As the painting was finished, everyone felt as if they had entered a garden of a hundred flowers vying for beauty. The fragrance of blossoms filled the air, and a single peony stood proudly, giving a sense of overwhelming elegance.

"It's a third-realm painting!"

"It has reached the Intent Presence level! Impressive!"

"I knew Young Master Ji Mo couldn't possibly lose..."

...

Those who came to buy paintings and were so enthusiastic naturally understood art. They hadn't noticed earlier, but now that Young Master Ji Mo had finished, they immediately recognized it.

A work at the Intent Presence realm was not something even a one-star calligrapher and painter could produce every time.

Especially under the watch of so many people and in the midst of a competition.

"I have not failed the trust!"

Tossing his brush aside, Young Master Ji Mo looked at his own work and nodded repeatedly.

To charm a girl, painting flowers was naturally the most suitable. As the king of flowers, the peony had received much of his brushwork practice. For other paintings, he couldn't guarantee reaching the third realm, but this one he had practiced no less than a thousand or ten thousand times. Once he started, nine times out of ten he would succeed.

Clearly, this time he had also not failed the trust, achieving the expected result.

Being able to make a painting reach the third realm, Intent Presence, was something even some one-star calligraphers and painters who had immersed themselves for over a decade could hardly do. As a newly promoted one-star, he had done it easily, which meant he already stood on an invincible ground.

"So arrogant, let's see what you can paint!"

Snorting inwardly, he put down his work and looked up at Zhang Xuan not far away.

He saw that the savage beast had finally jumped off the rice paper.

Because it had picked up too much ink earlier, the rice paper was covered with ink from the plum blossom paw prints and the fall, all still wet, looking watery.

Especially the mark from the fall—because the beast's fur was quite coarse, it was a mess, not resembling anything.

"This is what you call a painting made by a savage beast? Haha! I'm dying of laughter!"

Young Master Ji Mo nearly laughed his jaw off.

He had thought the other party was so arrogant that he could actually make a savage beast produce some impressive painting, but it turned out to be this...

This is called a painting?

Even randomly splashing some ink on it would be much better than this, right?

"What kind of crap is this? And he dares to compete with Young Master Ji? How ridiculous!"

"If this is called a painting, then wouldn't I also be a calligrapher and painter?"

"Ignorant fool, let's see how you get off the stage later!"

Hearing his laughter, the others also turned their attention to it, one after another showing disdain.

Just randomly splashing some ink, and that's called calligraphy and painting?

What a joke.

"Your... painting is done?"

Waving his hand to silence the crowd, Vice President Wu looked at Zhang Xuan.

"Yes, more or less..."

Hearing the other's words, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

If anyone had noticed, they would have seen that his body was trembling slightly and his face was somewhat pale.

Through his studies in the Poison Hall, he could turn the Heavenly Dao true energy into poison or tonic with a single thought.

Just now, he had left a strand of true energy inside the savage beast, secretly controlling it to make the beast move on the paper as he wished. Although it only took about ten minutes, it had nearly drained his spirit, leaving his whole body weak.

"It seems my cultivation is still too weak..."

Sighing, he took a deep breath and quietly recovered his strength.

Leaving true energy inside the savage beast and using the method of turning it into poison or tonic to stimulate acupoints, thereby making the beast perform the desired actions—sounds simple, but actually requires extremely high mental state.

If his mental state hadn't reached 5.0 or above, he definitely couldn't have done it.

Of course, more importantly, this savage beast was of a very low level and easy to control. If it were a higher-level beast, with his current strength, he wouldn't even dare to think about it.

"More or less?"

Vice President Wu showed a look of deep disappointment.

He had thought this fellow could produce something impressive, but it turned out to be this...

"Alright, since Young Master Ji Mo has finished, and he's also about done, I think we should just announce the result!"

Vice President Cheng Feng said.

"Alright!"

Vice President Wu nodded and pointed at the work left by Young Master Ji Mo: "Calligrapher Ji's peony is brimming with spiritual energy and has a lofty artistic conception, already reaching the third realm of calligraphy and painting, Intent Presence."

Then he looked at the work in front of Zhang Xuan: "This painting, I don't understand. I can say... it's nothing at all..."

After a pause, Vice President Wu continued: "So, my judgment is... Calligrapher Ji wins!"

"My opinion is the same as Vice President Wu's!"

Vice President Cheng Feng nodded.

"I won..."

Hearing the judgment announced, Young Master Ji Mo sneered and looked at Zhang Xuan: "Since the result is out, will you kneel and crawl out yourself, or do you want me to beat you to your knees and throw you out of the Calligraphers and Painters Guild?"

Earlier, before the competition, the two had made a bet: the loser would kneel and apologize, then roll out of the Calligraphers and Painters Guild, never to return.

Now that Zhang Xuan had lost, how could he let the opportunity slip?

"This..."

Seeing Young Master Ji Mo's ferocious expression and his refusal to let the matter go, the two vice presidents exchanged glances, wanting to dissuade him, but finally shook their heads.

This outsider, who disrespected calligraphy and painting by using a savage beast to paint, indeed deserved a lesson. Otherwise, wouldn't anyone be able to insult the Calligraphers and Painters Guild?

"Huh? So quickly made a judgment?"

After a moment of breath regulation, Zhang Xuan had recovered some strength. Hearing Young Master Ji Mo's triumphant words, he looked up.

"What? You don't want to accept the ruling of the two vice presidents?"

Young Master Ji Mo snorted.

"Both vice presidents are two-star calligraphers and painters, so their insight is naturally not wrong. However... I just said my painting was more or less done, not that it was finished..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Not finished? What do you mean? Don't tell me you refuse to admit defeat and want to pick up the brush and continue painting?"

Young Master Ji Mo was taken aback.

"Since I said the savage beast would paint, of course I won't touch the brush. But this painting still lacks the final step..."

Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Final step?"

Everyone was stunned.

You had the savage beast paint this—it's nothing at all. Even if there's a final step, what use is it?

Without using a brush, can you still change the outcome?

"I think he just doesn't want to admit defeat!"

"Refusing to admit defeat and still putting on airs—how can there be such a person!"

"Shameless!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, looking at Zhang Xuan with intense disdain.

Weren't you so arrogant just now?

Why are you putting on an act now?

Even Vice Presidents Cheng and Wu were baffled.

This was just a mess of ink on paper. Without using a brush, no matter what method, it couldn't possibly turn into a painting, right?

"Final step? Fine, go ahead and finish it! Let's see what you have to say after this step!"

Young Master Ji Mo sneered.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Ignoring the crowd's comments, Zhang Xuan walked up to the painting, grabbed a corner of the rice paper, and gently shook it.

Rustle!

There were already many ink drops on it, and with his shake, they immediately flowed down, covering the entire scroll.

"Alright, my final step is done!"

Casually placing the rice paper on the table, Zhang Xuan smiled.

"That's it?"

Everyone was stunned. They had thought his so-called final step would be something, but it turned out to be just shaking the paper. They were all baffled.

"No... look!"

Just as they were wondering what this fellow was up to, suddenly someone in the crowd shouted.

Hearing the voice, Vice President Cheng Feng and Vice President Wu simultaneously turned to look at the rice paper. At the same time, they both trembled, their faces turning pale, and their eyes widened.

After a moment, an incredulous voice sounded from their mouths.

"This... this... how is it possible?"