"Judging the material and the time of the painting shouldn't be of any use to decipher the seal, right?"
The copper-masked figure interrupted Zhang Xuan with a frown.
"It's true that it isn't directly useful, but it's still possible to deduce the origin of the painting, the reason why the other party chose to leave behind a seal, as well as the flaws and flaws of the seal."
Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.
"To be able to deduce the flaws and flaws of the seal just by judging the era of the painting … Aren't you being a little too arrogant?" Zhang Jiuxiao raised his head. Due to the forcefulness of his words, the durian on his head trembled violently, as if it would fall off at any moment.
Even though the crowd didn't say a word, they agreed with his view. Judging the era of the painting and determining the exact year could only mean that one was a skilled appraiser, but what did that have to do with the seal?
"Just because you don't understand doesn't mean that I can't tell!"
Chuckling softly, Zhang Xuan walked around the painting with a confident look on his face. All of a sudden, he turned to the head of the Painter Guild and asked, "You must be the head of the Painter Guild, right?"
"I am Meng Chong, the head of the Painter Guild!"
Guild Leader Meng Chong clasped his fist.
"Guild Leader Meng, may I trouble you to tell us what kind of painting style was popular in our Qingyuan Empire's Painter Guild 2140 years ago? What kind of brush and ink did they specialize in? "
Zhang Xuan asked.
"This …"
Guild Leader Meng Chong pondered for a moment before replying, "2100 years ago, the [Fixed Plate Painting Method] was popular in Qingyuan Empire! In other words, similar to printing, one would paint a painting layer by layer according to a specific format and size. Usually, this kind of painting method would require one to first apply a layer of ink on the paper before repainting it layer by layer. Every single layer would have to be perfect so as to avoid any flaws … Even though this method might seem cumbersome, it would ensure that the painting would be neat and tidy! "
Painting and calligraphy were similar to cultivation. As time passed, there would be changes and changes. There would be clear traces of each era, and it would be completely different from the previous era.
This was also the reason why appraisers were able to accurately determine the era of an artifact.
The Fixed Plate Painting Method flourished between two thousand and two thousand five hundred years ago, and the most influential of them all was the Sorrowless Old Man.
As such, as soon as everyone saw the painting, they could tell that it was left behind by him.
"That's right, it's a solid plate technique!"
Hearing the other party's detailed explanation, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement. "While this kind of painting method can ensure that the painting is impeccable, there's a huge flaw to it as well. That is, the amount of ink used has to be the same, and the painting has to be as smooth as a knife. Otherwise … one would be ridiculed for going against the norm …"
Zhang Xuan smiled. "Look at this painting. Whether it's the mountains and rivers, the surrounding sky, the flowers and plants, they're all the same thickness …"
Everyone looked over at the same time, their Divine Consciousness surging.
After a while, they all nodded.
That was indeed the case.
If the other party hadn't pointed it out, he really wouldn't have been able to tell.
"So what if it's flat?" The bronze-masked figure snorted. "I just want to break the seal!"
"There's no need to rush. Listen to what I have to say first. If you want to break the seal, you have to know these things!"
Zhang Xuan continued, "As I said just now, this painting was completed in two different eras, with a gap of thirty years in between! In other words, the painting was complete thirty years ago, so the painting should have been flat as well … Thirty years later, in order to conceal something, the Sorrowless Old Man intentionally added white clouds to the painting! Since he added ink, the thickness of the painting should be different as well. Take a look at the position of the white clouds. Do you see anything amiss? "
The crowd turned their gazes toward the white clouds once more, and in the blink of an eye, a deep frown appeared on their foreheads.
"It seems to be equally flat …"
"There's no difference at all?"
Voices sounded.
The white clouds were equally flat as the other parts of the painting. There wasn't the slightest problem with it.
"It seems like there's no need for me to elaborate any further. Everyone should be able to tell that it's flat! This means that … not only did he add ink to the painting, he even chipped off a layer of the original painting! "Zhang Xuan nodded.
"This …" The crowd widened their eyes in disbelief.
"Chipping off the original painting and painting a different one … How is this possible?" The head of the Painter Guild, Meng Chong, asked.
As a Seven Star pinnacle painter, he knew how difficult this was.
Regardless of what kind of material a painting was made of, once the ink came into contact with it, it would seep into the painting, chip off a layer, and paint a different painting … Could it really be completed?
"It's indeed difficult, but … what if one were to use the [Spatial Dimension Scroll]?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"Using the [Spatial Dimension Scroll]? Then … it would fall off! "
Guild Leader Meng Chong said.
The [Spatial Dimension Scroll] was equivalent to painting in the air, and it was impossible for it to fuse with the painting itself. As long as one moved, the two would surely separate … How could it possibly fuse together perfectly?
"Just as Zhang Jiuxiao and Zhang Shi said, a unique spirit has been added into the painting. If we were to compare the white clouds and the painting to two pieces of paper … the spirit is the glue that allows them to fuse together perfectly without interfering with one another!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
"I see …"
The crowd came to a realization.
Previously, when Zhang Jiuxiao said that there was a spirit in the seal, everyone was perplexed. However, after hearing his explanation, they finally understood what was going on.
"In the end, isn't his conclusion the same as mine?" Zhang Jiuxiao pouted.
He thought that the other party would come up with some astounding theory, but in the end, it was the same as his conclusion.
"It's not the same!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You know that there's a spirit in the two paintings, but do you know why such a situation occurs? Do you know how to get rid of it?"
"I …"
Zhang Jiuxiao's face reddened, and he fell silent.
The reason why he knew this was because he had seen someone deciphering a similar painting in his clan … As for the reason behind it and how it was done, he had no idea.
Honestly speaking, if he had known, he wouldn't have grown so thick and long with durians all over his head.
"The spirit fused with the two paintings acts as a stabilizing factor. Under normal circumstances, no matter what method one uses, it would be difficult to separate the two paintings. If one were to forcefully do so, it would only result in the destruction of the two paintings … It's just like trying to separate two pieces of paper that have been glued together for several thousand years. Even if one were to succeed, are you sure that one would still be able to recognize the painting underneath?"
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze away from the conceited scion.
"This …"
The copper-masked figure's face twitched as he fell silent.
His goal was to see what was sealed underneath. If he were to forcefully separate the two paintings, he would be unable to see the painting underneath, and the painting above would be destroyed as well.
"May I know if Zhang Shi has a way to ensure that there won't be any problems with the painting underneath?"
The copper-masked figure hesitated for a moment before asking.
Considering how the young man before him was able to explain the matter in such detail, perhaps … he might be able to do what others would find difficult.
"Since I'm able to say so much, it goes without saying that I'm confident!"
Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile.
"Oh? Please enlighten me! "
The copper-masked figure's eyes lit up as he clasped his fist.
"That's simple!"
Zhang Xuan nodded. "If he were to fuse the two paintings with anything else, it would be difficult for him to do so. However, it's much easier if he were to use spirit! Just like the spirit of a plant, the spirit of the two paintings will only grow and circulate according to a specific pattern. Its purpose is to complete certain tasks, and it doesn't possess self-awareness. I believe that Guild Leader Ruan is well aware of this. "
"Un."
Guild Leader Ruan nodded.
There were many plants that possessed spirit as well, and they controlled the absorption of nutrients to grow. However, unlike the spirit of an animal, they didn't possess self-awareness and wander all over the place to seek fortune and avoid calamity.
"The spirit's mission is to fuse the two paintings together so that they will never be separated. If … I can turn it into a spirit of an animal and allow it to possess self-awareness, do you think that it will continue fusing with the other paintings?"
Zhang Xuan asked with a smile.
"This …"
"If the spirit were to possess self-awareness, the clouds on the painting would feel as if they were festering all over their bodies, and they would surely get rid of them!"
"That's indeed the case. However … I don't think that it'll be easy to enchant the spirit of the painting, right?"
"I'm not too sure about that …"
…
Everyone's eyes lit up in astonishment.
It was easy to enchant a weapon, but to enchant a spirit that had been dormant for several thousand years and allow it to possess self-awareness … Surely, that wouldn't be easy!
"It's not easy to enchant the spirit of the painting, but … I happen to be able to do it!"
Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
"Zhang Shi, I beseech you to help me … If you can do it, I'll surely reward you handsomely …"
The copper-masked figure bowed deeply.
Previously, he had looked down on everyone, thinking that the Qingyuan Conferred Empire experts were nothing more than mere mortals. However, after hearing Zhang Shi's analysis, he couldn't help but feel deeply impressed.
To be able to pinpoint the crux of the problem and find a solution to it in such a short period of time, his eye of discernment and knowledge far surpassed that of the others.
"There's no need to rush into it. Even if I'm able to do it, there are still some things that I need to confirm first so as to not damage the two paintings …"
Zhang Xuan nodded.
"Yes!" The copper-masked figure nodded. "May I know what Zhang Shi needs? I'll try my best to satisfy your request …"
While it was easy to explain, it was likely that it wouldn't be that easy to carry out. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to solve the problem even after so long.
"There's no need for that at the moment."
Zhang Xuan shook his head. After a moment of hesitation, he flicked his wrist and took out a brush. "The painting is a complete entity. In order to enchant the spirit of the painting, I'll have to destroy the artistic conception of the painting or open up a gap to allow my consciousness to enter it. If that's the case, I hope that you can forgive me!"
"Don't worry about it." The copper-masked figure nodded.
What he wanted was to see what was beneath the seal. No matter how valuable the painting was, if he could see what was beneath it, it would be worth it.
"That's good."
Heaving a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan picked up the brush and was just about to dip it in the ink when he suddenly frowned. He turned to Zhang Jiuxiao and berated him.
"Seven Star Master Teacher, how can you be so blind? Hurry up and grind the ink! "
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