Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 547 - A Gate

Martial techniques were divided into four categories: initial, lesser, greater, and perfect mastery.

The same was true for alchemy, where the pills were divided into forming, plump, mellow, and rune.

In the mundane world, when Liu Wuxie had participated in a competition hosted by the Treasure Pill Pavilion, he had refined a pill with pill runes.

Since entering the cultivation world, only a few people knew about his alchemy skills. Even before he left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, he didn’t defeat Huang Tao personally but through the hands of his disciple, Bi Gongyu.

Similarly, there were also classifications for painting: adept, outstanding, divine, and transcendent.

Ordinary paintings could be considered adept when there weren’t major mistakes and the proportions were balanced. To surpass the first and reach an outstanding grade could be regarded as the work of a master.

It was often rumored that masters brought life to their paintings, and their work was full of charm and perfect details. These descriptions referred to the outstanding grades; few in Serene Sea City had reached this level.

In the entire Southern Province, anyone producing an outstanding painting could be considered an expert. Divine-grade paintings were even rarer because their work could no longer be described with words but as a form of spirit.

Each painting was the work of a god, containing a powerful divine rhyme that wasn’t just visually striking but resonated on a deeper level. A single glance could pull you into the picture.

Anyone whose painting could reach this level was regarded as one in a million, and even Hua Chenye was inferior to Qiu Baihao in terms of painting. That was the indescribable world of painting.

There was once a man who stood before a painting for what felt like only a moment, but when he regained his senses, a year had passed. He claimed that during that time, he had entered the painting itself, living within its world and even building a straw hut with his own hands

Curious onlookers had flocked to the scene, and to their amazement, they discovered a straw hut exactly as the man had described, identical to the one he said he had built. The remarkable part? The artist who created the painting had never drawn the hut. This left only one explanation—the man had truly entered the painting and altered the world within it.

As for transcendent-grade paintings, they only existed in legends, and no one had ever truly seen them before. It was only rumored that one person had achieved it in the Southern Province a thousand years ago.

The creator had painted his world and entered the painting, never to be seen again. With that, the grandmaster had disappeared without a trace. It was no longer known if that painting still existed in the world.

Qiu Baihao’s painting skills reached the divine grade, so Yin Jingwu went to such lengths to use him. As long as Qiu Baihao could win against Liu Wuxie, it would be a resounding slap to the latter’s face, even if Yin Jingwu couldn’t win back the jade scepter.

No one, including Murong Yi, believed that Liu Wuxie could win this challenge. This was because Murong Yi knew how skillful Qiu Baihao was with his painting skills. They had once competed in a painting duel but were evenly matched. Thus, no one expected Liu Wuxie to accept the challenge, and his response surprised everyone.

Yin Jingwu had nothing of value left and could only turn to look at Qiu Baihao.

“I wager this Origin Yang Stone for that sword of yours!” Qiu Baihao wasn’t interested in the ancient spiritual bamboo shoot but was more intrigued by the ancient sword that Liu Wuxie had cut out. After all, that was a genuine quasi-heavenly artifact.

Even though it was badly damaged, the materials used to forge the sword were intact, and it was perfect to forge it into an origin artifact.

Reaching the Nascent Transformation Realm was only a matter of time for Qiu Baihao, so he planned to forge his origin artifact.

“That’s a deal!” Liu Wuxie agreed, and his gaze fixed on the Origin Yang Stone. This form of spirit stone contained powerful origin yang energy, extremely beneficial for the body if male cultivators absorbed it.

Most importantly, the origin yang energy could nourish Liu Wuxie’s desolate world. The world was too lifeless, lacking yang energy, and the Origin Yang Stone came at the perfect time.

Both sides signed the challenge agreement, and the crowd’s excitement arose again. This duel was even more suspenseful, with everyone wondering if Liu Wuxie could still create a miracle.

Everyone was eager to watch and hoped that Liu Wuxie wouldn’t lose too miserably, even if he couldn’t create a miracle.

Many initially planning to join this round stopped and gathered to witness Qiu Baihao’s work. Aside from a few, ninety percent of the people had given up.

After all, it was an honor for them to witness the birth of a divine-grade painting, and it was pointless even if they joined this round with their mediocre skills.

Yin Jingwu had personally stepped forward to grind ink for Qiu Haobai. Two tables were linked with the paper spread out, and Qiu Haobai emitted a graceful divine rhyme.

“Painting rhythm!” Exclamations came from the surroundings, and everyone was shocked by the aura that Qiu Baihao had given off.

On the contrary, Liu Wuxie remained seated and didn’t move. This puzzled many because painting wasn’t like poetry and took time. Was Liu Wuxie planning to sit here and do nothing?

Murong Yi’s eyes fell on Liu Wuxie’s face, and she noted no sign of concern on his face. It was as though he didn’t take this duel seriously, which sparked her curiosity even more.

As soon as Qiu Baihao’s brush touched the paper, runes materialized around him, flowing effortlessly onto the canvas. The atmosphere shifted, and a hush fell over the crowd, as if the very air itself dared not disturb his focus. Everyone held their breath, their gazes locked on the graceful lines taking shape on the paper, captivated by the unfolding masterpiece.

Qiu Baihao was utterly absorbed in his world, and each painting felt like a spirit dancing on the paper. Many people in the surroundings covered their mouths, afraid that they would disrupt the painting being brought to life.

“Young Lady, Qiu Baihao’s painting skills have advanced significantly, which is bad for Young Master Liu!” Lady Yan came over and whispered from behind Murong Yi. Murong Yi frowned as she began to worry for Liu Wuxie.

Half an hour had passed before anyone realized it. Qiu Baihao’s landscape painting was already nearing completion, and he had painted this landscape tens of thousands of times that he could paint it even with his eyes closed.

In addition to his exceptional performance this time, each stroke was lifelike and could be considered the finest among divine-grade paintings.

“As expected of one of Serene Sea City’s four scholars, known for his painting skills. There’s a high chance he can reach the transcendent level,” the crowd whispered among themselves, amazed by Qiu Baihao’s skills.

When Qiu Baihao was nearing the finishing touches, he painted with both hands, one holding the thick brush while the other held a thin one to apply the finer details to the painting.

Two hours later, a grand landscape painting appeared before everyone. There were mountains, flowing water, trees, a waterfall, and even profound beasts roaming through the woods.

“Look at the profound beasts! None of them are repeated, and their expressions are incredibly lifelike!” An uproar erupted from the surroundings when Qiu Baihao lifted the brushes; they were all stunned by his painting.

“What a masterpiece!” Praise came from the surroundings, and even Murong Yi’s eyes showed a hint of admiration for Qiu Baihao’s skills.

When it came to painting, even Murong Yi had to admit that she was surpassed by Qiu Baihao tonight.

“Look at those trees; there isn’t a single leaf that’s identical! How on earth did he manage to do that?” The Demonic Heart Palace and Sky Rift Valley’s disciples couldn’t help but compliment Qiu Baihao’s skills.

“I think I can hear the sound of a waterfall!” An Azure Crimson Gate disciple felt that he could hear the sound of a waterfall as he stood before the painting. Then again, that was merely an illusion because the painting would be close to the level of transcendent grade if he could hear it.

Qiu Baihao still had a long way to go because he hadn’t even achieved the painting realm. He could only grasp the ultimate realm of painting by reaching the painting realm.

“There’s no way Liu Wuxie can win this round unless he can produce a transcendent-grade painting,” many people whispered. Even Bai Zhi shook his head repeatedly. Hua Chenye didn’t even bother to paint this round and chose to forfeit.

“Liu Wuxie, Senior Brother Qiu has finished. It’s your turn now!” Yin Jingwu looked at Liu Wuxie, and everyone was reminded of an ongoing duel between them.

The painting had captivated the crowd, and they had forgotten about the duel. Two hours had passed, and Liu Wuxie hadn’t made a single stroke on the paper. This baffled many people, and they wondered if he had given up on this duel.

“Brother Liu, are you alright?” Shui Huan asked with concern on his face.

“I’m fine!” Liu Wuxie replied to Shui Huan with a smile. He had been silently cultivating and didn’t think much about the duel.

“Good to know that you’re fine. What do you plan to paint?” Shui Huan had some confidence in Liu Wuxie. Since the latter had agreed to the duel, he must have some tricks up his sleeves.

“A gate!” Liu Wuxie replied.

A burst of laughter erupted from the surroundings at his reply. They couldn’t believe that Liu Wuxie was going to paint a gate, and they wondered if he had a screw loose in his head.

Shui Huan looked puzzled after hearing that Liu Wuxie wanted to paint a gate. He asked again uncertainly, “Senior Brother, are you serious when you say that you’re only going to paint a gate?”

Qiu Baihao had painted a magnificent and lifelike landscape that he was even proud of. If Liu Wuxie wanted to defeat him in the duel, he would have to paint an even grander landscape.

Furthermore, the landscape painted by Liu Wuxie had to surpass him in terms of both quantity and quality of the trees and profound beasts. How was Liu Wuxie planning to win by painting a gate?

“That’s right. I’m only going to paint a gate!” Liu Wuxie said with absolute certainty. He wasn’t a person who would lie or boast arrogantly.

“What do you need me to do?” Shui Huan knew it wasn’t his place to say more since Liu Wuxie had decided.

A crowd on Qiu Baihao’s side was helping him, and Liu Wuxie only had one person. Thus, Shui Huan hoped that he could contribute in any way.

"Help me grind the ink," Liu Wuxie commanded softly. Instantly, the boat fell into a deep silence, broken only by the gentle, rhythmic sound of ink being ground.

“Liu Wuxie, don’t even bother wasting your time. You’re destined to lose!” The Azure Crimson Gate disciples began to jeer and urge Liu Wuxie to give up.

Murong Yi looked worried because the Azure Crimson Gate would launch their relentless counterattack if Liu Wuxie lost this round, and it was unsure if the latter could withstand it.

“Young Lady, can you see his intentions?” Lady Yan also looked worried. She wanted to know what kind of gate Liu Wuxie would paint.

“Let’s wait and see!” Murong Yi stepped forward and stood on the railing of the second floor, paying attention to Liu Wuxie.

Shui Huan placed the inkstone before Liu Wuxie and laid out the paper.

Liu Wuxie gently picked up the brush and dipped it in the ink before sketching the image of a gate on the paper.

“H-He’s really going to paint a gate?” The crowd was stunned because Liu Wuxie did exactly as he said.