Chapter 651: Insight (2)

“That’s enough. Eat up. By the way, why’re you going for morning jogs recently?” Zhuo Siqing switched the topic of conversation.

“I don’t feel too good. I thought of working out,” Lu Sheng replied honestly.

Even though he did not have any supernatural powers, he still had vigor.

He found a unique cultivation method that cultivated his eyes and hands which he thought would be useful for this body. The name of the method was slightly unique—it was called the Silver Devil Path.

It was a training cultivation method created by a national master painter in Great Yin.

It was said that if he cultivated it to the highest tier, he would be able to produce countless shadow clones which would help him complete 100 paintings in an instant. Naturally, the master painter was not creating ordinary paintings.

Lu Sheng made some modifications to this cultivation method so that it would be more suitable to his body. Then, he started cultivating it.

In this world, it became an exercise that helped him hone the flexibility of his wrists. Many parts of the cultivation method needed him to supply a huge amount of Spiritual Essence, so it might be so suitable.

To make up for this shortfall, Lu Sheng melted a spirit-prompting thread, and assimilated it into his own body and nourished himself.

Although the spirit-prompting threads were not compatible with this world’s rules, as long as it did not leave his body, there would not be much of a problem.

“It’s good that you want to work out, but don’t overdo it,” Zhuo Siqing reminded him. “I’ll be going to a painting lecture soon. I’ll prepare the meals beforehand. Make sure to eat them.”

“Alright.” Lu Sheng nodded.

He was making some headway with his East Park Autumn Dew Fertilizing Method. There were 15 different unique Divine Veins provided by it.

The way to cultivate his mind was to observe these patterns every day. He would trace the patterns with his eyes.

Every time Lu Sheng completed a training session, he would feel a comfortable cooling sensation in his spirit. It even felt slightly tighter. It felt as if some immense force was pressing down on his spirit.

More than a month passed by in the blink of an eye.

Lu Sheng gradually got used to his life here. With the help of his extremely powerful Spirit Power controlling his hands during the practice sessions, his basic painting skills were raised to higher ranks.

He could produce acceptable basic sketches of people and scenery right now.

He was almost one step away from being an official painter.

The other benefit he gained was that he grew in stature and physique.

The contours of firm muscles started to show on his arms and legs. His 1.6 meters spiked with the assimilation of his spirit-prompting thread. He was now more than 1.7 meters tall now.

The East Park Autumn Dew Fertilizing Method volume was divided into nine levels. With the support from his peak Army Raising spirit, he quickly progressed through the first level and entered the second level. He was now observing another pattern.

His life went along uneventfully.

Soon, it was time for Zhuo Siqing to join another National Painter Competition.

His host’s wish was to fulfill his father’s wish. Hence, since Lu Sheng had nothing to do, he decided to follow him.

In the first round of the competition, the painters would compete with each other on the district level. The top three winners of the district level would earn the right to proceed to the next round in the central city.

The competitions here were carried out in a stepwise manner, from town, district, central city, national, and finally international.

There were also several kinds of competition. The most prestigious of competitions was the God’s Eye Competition.

Lu Sheng had time on his hands. Moreover, he was not limited by his location even if he wanted to observe the Divine Veins. Hence, he followed Zhuo Siqing to the registration counter for the district level.

“Zhuo Siqing, it’s you again. Can you do it this year?” asked the old man in charge of the registration with a chuckle.

“What’re you talking about? Of course I can!” Zhuo Siqing waved his arm dismissively.

“I see that your attitude is right.”

With a thump, the document was stamped. The old man passed the completed form back to Zhuo Siqing. Then, he glanced at Zhuo Zhenyu behind him.

“You look strong.” He could not help but offer his praise.

“That’s why he has such an appetite,” said Zhuo Siqing helplessly.

“Isn’t that good?” asked the old man with a chuckle. “Alright, you’d better head in. Bring your painting to the usual spot. The judges will stop by soon enough. Also, there’ll be a public voting round, which will have a weightage of 50%. The top three winners will proceed to the next round. Questions?”

“None!” Zhuo Siqing nodded.

“Can I go in?” Lu Sheng interjected.

“Sure. But you won’t have the right to vote,” said the old man with a smile.

“That’s alright.” Lu Sheng waved his hand. His palm was the size of a cattail-leaf fan. The old man’s eyes twitched as he looked at it. “I’m just here for the experience. I’ll just see how the others cast their vote.”

If Zhuo Siqing could qualify for the next round, all would be well. However, if he could not, he felt that he had the obligation to help him.

As for the actual method, he knew that it had to be during the public voting session. Although he could not paint, if he made his move, it should not be a problem for him to rake in more than 40 points.

He had made up his mind. He would pay special visits to the paintings that were better than Zhuo Siqing’s.

The father and son pair entered the exhibition hall.

“He wasn’t this buff before. It’s true when they say that the young ones change more as they grow bigger…” the old man mumbled to himself.

Lu Sheng followed his father into the exhibition hall as well. The floors were red, while the walls were white. The works of the painters were displayed on the walls.

A fat bespectacled man with the airs of a merchant was standing in the corridor near the entrance. He verified the identities of the people who were entering the hall.

Zhuo Siqing brought Lu Sheng with him as they stepped forward. He carefully produced his Painters’ Association member card and his personal identity card.

“Zhuo Siqing? You’re here again?” When the fat merchant saw the father and son duo, he felt slightly helpless as well.

“I’ve told you many times before, your works aren’t up to our standards. It doesn’t matter how many times you sign up for this competition.”

“The participation itself is what matters.” This time, Zhuo Siqing did not dare to brag. Beads of sweat could faintly be seen forming on his forehead. He handed over his documents.

“Alright. Go in, then.” As the fat merchant spoke, he glanced at Lu Sheng behind him.

He felt a strong pressure coming right at him. He could not help but feel his breathing pause for a moment.

The father and son finally entered the exhibition hall.

Zhuo Siqing sighed with relief. He turned around with a straight face and said to Lu Sheng, “I was just concealing my strength just now. That fat merchant doesn’t know about my abilities. His son is one of the contestants. This way, I can make my opponents numb.”

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“…” Lu Sheng was speechless. Was Zhuo Siqing really taking him for a fool? There was no way that he could not see what had been so obviously laid before his eyes.

“Don’t worry. Your old man’s skills are great. I have two other comrades on the same team. Although they’re not as great as I am, they’re skills are not too bad as well. The format here is for three painters to work together on a same theme. I’ll introduce you to them.”

Zhuo Siqing did not notice his son’s speechless expression. He brought Lu Sheng and hurried along further into the exhibition hall.

The innermost part of the exhibition hall was divided into many small compartments. The works of the different teams were displayed in different compartments.

Soon enough, Zhuo Siqing brought Lu Sheng into a compartment on the left.

“Rui Xiong, Ai Lin! Come and meet my son!” Zhuo Siqing shouted as he pulled Lu Sheng along when he charged into the compartment. The duo dozing off in the compartment were startled, and they almost fell backward from the jump.

The girl slammed her palms onto the table and shot to her feet as she shouted, “Uncle Zhuo! You’re being too loud!”

The boy on the side had his hands on his heart. He did not look so good.

“I… I…”

“What’s the matter, Little Xiong!? Don’t scare me like this!” The girl quickly rushed over and supported him.

“Bu… bu… bu…” The boy tried hard to speak. However, it was clear that he was breathing rapidly, and he was quickly losing his ability to speak.

“Bam!”

Lu Sheng went over and slapped the boy on the back.

“Pooh!”

The boy spat out a mouthful of a bun. He immediately looked better.

“I was choking on the bun! Thanks.” He hastily thanked Lu Sheng.

Zhuo Siqing knew that he had startled the two of them. However, he was smiling triumphantly. He was indifferent to the shock he’d caused them. He even felt that it was fun.

When Ai Lin saw that the boy was alright, she sighed with relief.

“I’m Rui Xiong. She’s Ai Lin. We’re both members of the Painters’ Association. We’re here to join the official painting competition.” The boy stood up and extended a hand toward Lu Sheng. “You must be Little Yu who Uncle Zhuo has always mentioned.”

“Mm-hm.” Lu Sheng nodded. He reached out and shook his hand gently. “My dad has caused you many troubles.”

“It’s alright. I’m of the same age as Ai Lin. We’re both 18. You can call me Brother Xiong from now on. It’s ‘xiong’ as in ‘grand’, not ‘black bear’, by the way,” said the boy Rui Xiong to Lu Sheng in an earnest tone.

“Alright.”

“I’m Ai Lin. You can call me Sister Lin.” The girl walked over and gave a hearty self-introduction.

“You’re both here to join the competition?” Lu Sheng asked with puzzlement.

“Yeah. Actually, I didn’t want to enter the competition yet, but Uncle Zhuo said that he wants me to be on his team no matter what. So, he dragged me into this,” said Rui Xiong, helpless.

“It’s the participation that matters! Joining competitions like this one is beneficial for you young people.” Zhuo Siqing guffawed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… Since Uncle Zhuo is here, let’s get down to business and show each other our works,” Rui Xiong suggested.

“Me first! Me first!” Ai Lin volunteered. She lifted a huge frame half her height. The frame was still covered in a layer of white cloth.

“Behold! The theme this time is harvest. So, I painted a picture with the fall harvest as the main theme.”

“Swish.”

She removed the covering cloth.

“Hiss…” Golden specks of light scattered outward from the frame.

Lu Sheng’s pupils contracted. He could faintly hear the rustling sounds of the wheat stalks in the wind.

The faint fragrance of wheat wafted through the air. He felt as if he was currently surrounded by countless golden wheat stalks.

The sun was gentle and warm. The sensation made him feel lazy.

“What… What is this painting?” Lu Sheng quickly snapped back to his senses. He looked toward the frame again. It was only a painting of a sea of wheat. There was nothing else.

However, the peculiar sensation he felt just now was as if he was actually among the wheat field as he experienced the brilliant and wonderful scenery.

He felt that his senses had been deceived. He instantly entered the environment.

“Cool! Ai Lin, your skills have improved again,” Rui Xiong offered his praises with a big thumbs up.

He did not appear strong, and his constitution was also ordinary. However, he snapped back to his senses after Lu Sheng.

“Show me yours! Quick!” Ai Lin began to urge Rui Xiong on.

Feeling helpless, Rui Xiong hastily carried his own work.

“Swash!”

The cover cloth was removed.

A fragrant fruity smell swiftly filled the air.

Lu Sheng felt as if he had instantly shrunk and was now standing among countless fruits as he embarked on an adventure.

His nostrils were filled with the strong fragrance of fruits. He could even taste the sweet juices in his mouth.

He snapped back to his senses. He looked at the frame, but noticed that it was merely a painting of a fruit basket.

“My turn!” Zhuo Siqing hastily carried his own work. Unlike the other two, he carried another frame. “I’ll show you what my son drew as well!”

Before Lu Sheng could react, he had removed the cover cloths from both frames, revealing the paintings underneath.

Lu Sheng’s work was a neat sketch. It was acceptable.

Zhuo Siqing’s own work was a painting of three people. The three were holding hands while looking up at the starry skies.

The sea breeze blew. The silhouettes were blurry, so it wasn’t easy to count them.

Just by looking at the painting, the strong and deep friendship between the three was evident. The three of them seemed to be reveling in the moment. It was as if they had merged into the brilliant starry skies.

However, there was something else that caught the eye…

The three were naked. They wore no clothes. The three spots on Ai Lin’s body were even drawn with extraordinary clarity…

The compartment instantly fell silent.