Chapter 79: A Chaotic Spring and Autumn

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"Woof, kid, is that how you speak to Lord Ergouzi?"

"Who let their dog out without a leash, ranting nonsense without considering the occasion?" Xia Chuan said, his tone indifferent.

"During painting, do not disturb with noise."

Wang Ruoxian's brows furrowed slightly, as creation required inspiration and a fully focused spirit, which should not be disturbed.

The crowd calmed their anger and began to concentrate on painting.

Watching the surrounding cultivators furrowing their brows, holding their breath, and drawing with vigorous strokes, Li Xiaobai and Ergouzi stared at each other with wide eyes, looking at the brush and paper in their hands, dumbfounded and unsure of what to paint.

"Ergouzi, does your bloodline inheritance include painting skills?" Li Xiaobai asked in a lowered voice.

"A supreme being like Lord Ergouzi has devoted his life to benefiting humanity, how could he squander time on such playthings," Ergouzi rolled his eyes, expressing disdain.

Li Xiaobai was speechless, thinking, "Then what the heck were you pretending for just now, even insisting on getting some fine stationery?"

He was about to embarrass himself.

Suddenly, an amazing vision rose from Xia Jian's seat, circles of white light twinkling as a large painting scroll unfolded in the void.

In the emptiness above, a thatched hut, a candlestick, and a candle emitted an ancient and profound aura.

A young man dressed in white held a scroll, his eyebrows tightly knitted, as if reciting something, and after a long time, he put down the scroll and sighed.

"A vision, it is said that only when one's state of mind reaches a certain realm can it be triggered, and this is the first time it has happened."

"This is... the Liturgy Defiance Chart!"

"This vision is a snippet of Great Immortal Zhenyuan's life from the past, known to have doubted the scriptures and challenged the sayings of the Saints, walking a path contrary to the Confucian way. The Young Master of the Xia Family being able to comprehend such a mood, truly a prodigious talent!"

"It's a pity that it's only a corner of the Liturgy Defiance Chart. If he could comprehend the complete Liturgy Defiance, it would likely be a blessing for our Northern Region!"

Xia Jian's hand movements didn't stop as he sketched stroke by stroke, the vision above his head gradually becoming blurry, transforming into an ancient aura that fused into his body, pushing his spirit to its peak in an instant.

Stroke by stroke, the ink marks turned into traces of the great Dao engraved in the void, and even without using cultivation, many cultivators present felt breathless.

It was no wonder he was a cultivator who had inherited from the Zhenyuan Country, with such a prowess at a young age, his future beyond measure.

Before the crowd could regain their senses, another dazzling light appeared in the void, and a woman in plain white clothes lay over her desk, in front of her a chessboard arranged like a star-roaming pattern, but this chessboard had no pieces, just various forms of living creatures.

"This is the vision of Xiao Cheng Sect!"

"Star-Roaming Chessboard, taking all of nature as a chess game, what ambition!"

"To think Wang Ruoxian likewise perceived a vision, with such talent, truly a monster!"

The cultivators were somewhat crazed; once a vision emerged, it was no longer about painting, but a contest of each individual's mental and ideological state. When visions were displayed, one could intuitively feel the other's heart and cultivation level, offering a silent sermon to onlookers.

If one could comprehend something from it, the benefits were limitless.

Li Xiaobai's mind was in a fog, unable to understand the operations of these people at all.

Just paint if you're going to paint, why all this pomp and circumstance, will conjuring a vision help with your painting or what?

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, Li Xiaobai put down his brush and looked towards the little wreck of a dog beside him, with its full-on dog's mess of a landscape painting, several lines drawn wonky and twisted, the scene a sight for sore eyes.

"Xia here is unskilled, and presents this clumsy work!"

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Xia Jian flicked open the scroll in his hand, and a pilgrimage map presented itself before everyone's eyes.

In the center of the painting, a man dressed in white held a scroll, surrounded by thousands who came to pay homage. Despite being a scholar, he possessed an air of authority that could look down upon all beings.

A powerful will penetrated the paper, directly targeting the audience.

Choosing a gathering as the theme whilst depicting a pilgrimage, Xia Jian seemed to imply he was a Saint, somewhat arrogant, but he also had the capital. After all, everyone had witnessed the earlier phenomenon and saw nothing inappropriate about it.

"Young Master Xia's artistic conception is lofty. We are fixated on the surface form, whereas Young Master Xia directly elucidates the core of this assembly. We gather here in pursuit of knowledge and horizons. Young Master Xia, using a scholar as the spiritual guide, is truly fitting. I am impressed."

"Indeed, the intent of this painting has transcended the medium. If someone with insufficient mental fortitude and cultivation level were to look at it, they might even injure their psyche. This painting shares a mysterious connection with the great strokes of Great Immortal Zhenyuan's Liturgy Defiance Chart!"

The supporters of the Xia Family were the first to review, encouragingly placing Xia Jian on a pedestal.

It is said that with a single stroke, Great Immortal Zhenyuan could alter history, and a drop of his ink could fill the seas, with an unwavering will and a glance deadly enough to kill.

Li Xiaobai was dumbfounded as he listened. It was clear to him that some were only posturing, yet the critic had ingeniously discovered profound life philosophies from the domineering image.

Looking at the other cultivators, they were all deep in thought, with some nodding frequently, apparently quite approving of these remarks.

"Young Master Xia's painting is captivating and the technique is exceptionally skilled -- I admire it greatly. I'd be bold to request Young Master Xia to evaluate my own."

Wang Ruoxian also shook the scroll in her hand, and fine mists filled the air. From the scroll, one could faintly hear the sounds of birds and the scent of flowers -- it was a realistic painting.

It perfectly replicated every one of the hundred-plus participants at the gathering, not missing a single detail, whether in clothing, expressions, or postures, even Ergouzi was included.

Such keen observational skills could be called terrifying, and what's most impressive was the ability to capture the spirit of everyone present in just half an hour.

This is befitting of a disciple of the Xiao Cheng Sect.

"Immortal Wang, such frightening insight!"

"Such observational prowess is worthy of the woman who could comprehend the Star-Roaming Chessboard!"

"Although it seems to be mere painting, it actually serves to showcase her cultivation level to all of us!"

The crowd erupted into exclamations again, and Wang Ruoxian covered her face with a light laugh, "You flatter me too much; it's nothing worth mentioning."

"I wonder if Boss Ye's masterpiece is ready yet?"

Xia Liu asked with a mocking tone from the sidelines; after all, he had seen clearly that Li Xiaobai was scratching his ears in anxiety, obviously clueless about the art of painting.

"Woof! You weaklings, hurry up and come admire the peerless masterpiece of your Lord Ergouzi!"

Ergouzi unfurled the paper, revealing a simplified version of a chaotic scene with distorted lines that looked rather childlike.

"Who would have thought that Boss Ye's dog had such personality? A Spirit Beast painting is indeed rare."

"The Xiao Cheng Sect has a Sky Swallowing Python, at the Nascent Soul Stage, with great spiritual intelligence and capable of speaking human language. However, it's always been rebellious, harboring disdain for humans. Compared with Boss Ye's dog, it's clearly lacking in terms of obedience."

"Woof! You're the dog, your whole family are dogs. Your Lord Ergouzi is a supreme being!"

Ergouzi looked quite unfriendly, although it couldn't quite explain what breed it was, it absolutely refused to admit it was a dog – it was a matter of dignity.

Li Xiaobai covered its mouth; this wretched dog was an embarrassment, its words inconvenient to bear.

"All right, Liangchen today felt inspired, took an unconventional approach, and indeed produced a fine painting. I just wonder if among us there are truly talented youths who understand how to appreciate it."