"Wu Dao Mirror, you said that I've lost?"
Zhang Ziqing couldn't help but ask in disbelief.
"That's right. His work was created using the simplest of painting techniques, but it was able to point straight to the essence of the painting. Even ordinary Nine Star painters aren't capable of such a feat. Your work isn't too bad, but it pales in comparison to that!"
The Wu Dao Mirror replied.
A weapon of that tier already possessed its own spirit, allowing it to communicate with others.
"He only drew a few strokes on it with his sword, but he didn't even leave a mark on it. How could a Nine Star painter be incapable of such a feat?"
Zhang Ziqing was on the verge of tearing her hair out.
Even if he was lying through his teeth, he couldn't possibly say it like that!
So many people had seen him casually pick up a stone slab from the ground and use his sword to carve on it … If there were no patterns on it at all, how could he possibly draw anything?
"If you take a closer look, you should be able to notice something special about it!"
Seeing that Zhang Ziqing was unable to comprehend his words, the Wu Dao Mirror shook a little before falling silent, seemingly still immersed in the beauty of his work.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Ziqing walked up to the table and lowered her head to take a closer look at the stone slab.
There was still some dust on the surface of the stone slab when it was plucked from the ground, but the marks left behind by the stonemason could still be seen. The patterns on the stone slab were identical to the ones on the ground.
"There's no drawing on it at all …"
Taking a closer look, Zhang Ziqing was unable to find any traces of sword qi on the stone slab. The more she thought about it, the more perplexed she became. Thus, she extended her Spiritual Perception into it.
Even if she couldn't see it with her eyes, perhaps she could use her Spiritual Perception to see through it.
"Hmm?"
As soon as her Spiritual Perception enveloped the stone slab, Zhang Ziqing's body stiffened, and her body began trembling uncontrollably. "T-this …"
Her lips quivered uncontrollably, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"What's wrong?"
Zhang Wuchen and the others also frowned as they extended their Spiritual Perception to take a closer look.
With a single look, they were stunned as well.
"That's right. I drew this stone using my sword qi, so it's not a real one. The previous stone has already been reduced to dust, and I have kept it in my storage ring …"
Seeing that they had seen through the problem, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly.
Just now, when the Sword Qi swept across the area, it looked like nothing was left on the stone. However, in reality, the Sword Qi had used the Sword Qi to draw an exact replica of the stone.
Back when he was still a Seven Star Painter, he had already comprehended Void Imagery, which granted him the ability to paint in midair, making it difficult for others to discern the real from the fake. Now that he had reached 8-star pinnacle, it was only natural that he would be able to do so as well.
Even though it was formed from sword qi, if one didn't use their Spiritual Perception to observe it, even a Nine Stars Painter would find it hard to discern it.
It was precisely because of this that no matter if it was Zhang Ziqing, Elder Wuchen, or Elder Wuzhen, all of them didn't notice anything unusual. Never in their dreams had they imagined that the stone they'd casually picked up from the ground earlier had already vanished, and the thing before them was a 'painting'!
"To think that we couldn't even tell that it's a painting of a stone …"
"Ziqing has only infused the bamboo with spirit, making it look real. However, Zhang Xuan has already transcended such a level, making it impossible for anyone to recognize him..."
Upon hearing those words, Zhang Wuchen and Zhang Wuzhen found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
A true Nine Stars Painter would be able to pass off the fake as genuine, making it difficult for one to discern the real from the real. Who could have thought that this young man would be able to do the same as well?
Could it be that he was already a Nine Stars Painter?
If that was really the case, that would be too frightening!
"I … have lost!"
Zhang Ziqing muttered as she placed her hand on the 'stone' before her, but she realized that it was no different from a real one. If not for her Spiritual Perception, it would have been impossible for her to notice it.
She had thought that the other party was just randomly sending out his sword qi, but who could have thought that he was really painting? Furthermore, the other party's sword qi seemed to be infused with spirit, such that no one was able to tell the difference at all!
It was no wonder the Wu Dao Mirror said that she had lost, but it turned out that she had really lost. They weren't even on the same level at all!
"To be able to produce such a painting with just a sword … how powerful must you be if you're using a brush?"
Unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, Zhang Ziqing turned to the young man before her.
When the other party said that he was serious, she had thought that he would have to go all out. Who could have thought that he would be able to create a painting that even she couldn't surpass with just a sword? If he were to use a brush, how powerful would he be?
"I'm not lying to you. I'm really serious about painting!"
Seeing the astonished look on Zhang Ziqing's face, Zhang Xuan nodded with a smile. "To be honest, your comprehension of painting is indeed formidable. If not for the fact that I wanted to defeat you, I would have just picked up a random blade of grass and started painting instead of using a sword. In truth, if one really puts one's heart into painting, there isn't much of a difference between a sword and a brush. "
"Grass?"
Zhang Ziqing's face twitched. "How do you paint with that?"
"It's very simple …"
Zhang Xuan scanned his surroundings before flicking his finger. A blade of grass flew over from the garden not too far away and landed on his palm. Then, he flicked it lightly.
Huala!
The water in the pond flew over and landed on the blade of grass. Zhang Xuan pinched the blade of grass with two fingers and began moving it slowly in the air.
Tzzzzzzz!
The air in the surroundings immediately turned viscous. In an instant, a vast river appeared before everyone's eyes, and it roared furiously, seemingly ready to burst forth at any moment and flood the entire courtyard.
"Painting in thin air? You aren't using ink to draw a river?"
Zhang Ziqing gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
She had always thought that only by using the most valuable brush and ink would she be able to bring the level of her painting to its peak. However, upon seeing the other party, she realized that that wasn't the case at all.
There was nothing that couldn't be drawn into a painting … This was a true grandmaster painter, a true genius who had studied painting down to his very bones.
"This painting … is also of a higher level than my bamboo painting!"
Even though Zhang Ziqing didn't want to admit it, she had to admit that the river that the other party had casually drawn using grass and pond water was much more profound than the bamboo painting she had just drawn.
"Oh … My comprehension of painting has improved a little when I was drawing that rock earlier, so I'm able to draw it with grass as well …"
Zhang Xuan explained.
Ever since he had learned his 8-star painter ability, he had rarely painted. The rock he had drawn earlier could be considered as the first time he had drawn it seriously. As a result … he had gained quite a bit of valuable experience from it, and as a result … his comprehension of painting had deepened.
As a result, his painting using grass had also surpassed the other party's in terms of artistic conception.
"You have improved again?"
Zhang Ziqing's body staggered once more, and her vision turned dark.
She had always thought that she possessed unparalleled talent in painting, but compared to the young man before her, she was still a far cry from it!
"Fairy Ziqing, I remember you saying that as long as there is someone among the younger generation who can surpass you in the field of zither, chess, painting, and painting, regardless of who it is, you will marry him … May I know if that's true?"
A young man suddenly exclaimed from the crowd.
"This …"
Zhang Ziqing was taken aback. She turned her gaze to Zhang Xuan once more, and a slight frown appeared on her forehead.
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