Chapter 140: Traditional Chinese Painting Meets Sketching—Tell Me, Are You Afraid?

“Alright, Brother Chu, since you are the guest, you should draw first. Whoever wins three times among the top contenders will claim the crown of this literary gathering!” Young Master Wang said confidently to Chen Xiang.

These options were almost all areas of expertise for the group; they were not afraid of Chen Xiang’s choice, as they had strategies in place.

“Very well,” Chen Xiang smiled slightly and stepped forward.

He unleashed his spiritual senses, clearly seeing the contents on several sheets of paper on the table—poetry, couplets, chess, music, painting.

There were five categories in total.

It could be said that these were all tests of real skill.

Chen Xiang wondered if Go, modern music, or sketching would be acceptable here.

In the end, Chen Xiang selected the painting sheet.

Sun, the owner of the nearby Tea Fragrance Residence, came forward to act as the host. He took the sheet, unfolded it, and walked around the room.

“It’s painting!”

“Painting is Young Master Hu’s specialty. Though his literary talent is lacking, he is a master artist! It’s said even some of the city’s old painters admit they can’t compare!”

“Who would have expected the first contest to be painting? Looks like Brother Chu is at a disadvantage!”

Everyone was stunned, their gazes fixed on a handsome, refined-looking man.

The refined man felt the attention and smiled, nodding politely with a fist salute to those around him.

“The first contest is painting!” Sun announced loudly as he returned to his place.

Then, servers brought seven desks, each about two meters long, laid out with brushes, ink, and rice paper.

“Haha, Brother Chu, let’s begin!” Young Master Wang laughed heartily once everything was ready.

They were lucky this first round was painting.

Young Master Hu’s painting skills were on par with their poetry and couplet talents, but the city of Liuxing thrived on scholarship, not painting.

This round, as long as Young Master Hu performed well, the rest of them could just play along. If Chu Liuxiang didn’t make it into the top ranks even once, they would win!

The painting topic was free choice, as long as the quality was good.

Except for Chen Xiang, the other six all began to draw; some painted mountains, others water.

Chen Xiang pondered for a moment.

Since it was his choice, he recalled that he had studied traditional Chinese painting and sketching in college, ranking average, but he dared not rely solely on those skills here.

However, now as a cultivator, his learning and hands-on abilities were extremely strong. With a single book, he could produce works worthy of a master!

“System, bring me a complete painting compendium! The Mustard Seed Garden Manual,” Chen Xiang thought silently.

“Ding! Congratulations, host. You have exchanged for the ‘Mustard Seed Garden Manual,’ consuming 100 reputation points!”

“Ding! Successfully used the Mustard Seed Garden Manual. Its contents have been stored in the host’s mind!”

With the two system chimes, Chen Xiang’s mind jolted as a vast amount of painting knowledge flooded in.

The Mustard Seed Garden Manual is the essence of traditional Chinese painting basics. He had bought it before but never finished reading, and most of it had faded from memory.

Having the system was wonderful; this knowledge now felt deeply ingrained in his mind.

“Haha, watch me paint like a deity, blending Chinese painting with sketching. Are you scared yet?” Chen Xiang laughed to himself.

Then he picked up a fine brush and began sketching.

The onlookers quieted as they saw everyone focused on their work, though they still whispered.

“Who do you think will paint best?”

“I bet on Young Master Hu. His technique is famed.”

“Right, I heard Brother Chu is good at riddles, but probably not painting.”

“Besides, Young Master Hu is a prodigy; one genius is enough!”

“Yeah, I’m backing him.”

“Me too.”

As time slowly passed, Chen Xiang’s brush never paused, moving with inspired ease.

The other six also worked diligently.

The stage was silent, stunned spectators watching in amazement.

On Chen Xiang’s paper, tiny figures leapt forth—houses, streets, arched bridges, Autumn Lake, trees lining the road.

Just a few strokes sketched the scene simply, but nothing seemed out of place.

Looking at the others’ works, they carefully outlined their subjects slowly, switching brushes for different thicknesses. It seemed tedious now compared to Chen Xiang’s effortless strokes.

“Brother Chu is indeed no ordinary man!” Lady Xiao murmured squinting.

After a while longer, Chen Xiang’s brush flicked rapidly, hiding the content.

Then, with a snap, he set the brush down.

“Done!” Chen Xiang said calmly.

Everyone gasped.

Even the other six looked up.

“Done? Brother Chu, you can’t be just scribbling, can you? It’s only been half an hour... what… what is this?” Young Master Wang frowned, attempting to ridicule, but when he glanced at Chen Xiang’s paper, he nearly choked.

Young Master Hu was also puzzled and stepped forward, staring at the painting muttering, “How... how is this possible? Impossible!!”

The audience looked confused, not knowing what had happened, but it was clear that Brother Chu’s painting was excellent!

“No, no way! How could you paint such a work? Who exactly are you?” Young Master Hu shouted at Chen Xiang in disbelief, as if losing his mind.

Lady Xiao signaled to Sun, who quickly called some assistants to restrain Young Master Hu.

“Who am I? I’m just me, idiot. Why so worked up? I just casually drew this,” Chen Xiang said disdainfully.

Young Master Hu looked struck by lightning, his body went limp as the assistants held him, and he sat down.

“How could this be? How could such a perfect painting exist in the world? How...” Hu muttered blankly.

Others might not understand painting, but he had devoted over a decade to it and knew the challenges.

If it took him ten years to master the craft, Chen Xiang’s painting had already reached transcendence!

“Sun, please hold up Brother Chu’s painting for us to see!” someone called out, unable to contain their curiosity.

“Yes, show us!”

“What kind of painting is this?”

Sun was a little embarrassed. He looked to Chen Xiang for permission.

Chen Xiang nodded casually. This was a perfect moment to show off, and he certainly wouldn’t miss it.

Young Master Wang and the others glared in frustration, knowing this round was lost. Even if they were halfway through their work, it was useless!

Sun did not dare send an assistant; instead, he personally took the nearly one-meter-long scroll and held it out horizontally for everyone to see clearly.

Chen Xiang’s painting was not of fantastical beasts but simply a bustling city street.

He had modeled it on the famous Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, depicting a street in Liuxing City.

Though the figures were small, their actions were clear; houses, Autumn Lake, boats, carriages—all were present.

The lines were graceful without a hint of discordance.

“Wow!”

The viewers gasped, hardly daring to believe their eyes.

Then Chen Xiang’s mind filled with a series of system notifications.

“Ding! Congratulations host ‘Chen Xiang’ for gaining Mortal Awe, rewarded 5 reputation points!”

“Ding! Congratulations host ‘Chen Xiang’ for gaining Mortal Admiration, rewarded 8 reputation points!”

“Ding! Congratulations host ‘Chen Xiang’ for gaining Mortal Awe, rewarded 10 reputation points!”

“Ding! Congratulations host ‘Chen Xiang’ for gaining Mortal Reverence, rewarded 12 reputation points!”

...

“Ding! Congratulations host for earning 100 Mortal Reverences at once, achieving the ‘Model of Mortals’ accomplishment, rewarded 500 reputation points!”