NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 268.2
The competition continued.
An hour quickly passed, and one by one, people completed their paintings and presented them.
Some painted a peony with blossoms so beautiful they were deemed the beauty of the country.
Others painted a lotus flower, captured just before blooming.
Others painted…
No matter who painted what, all were more pleasing to the eye than Lin Beifan’s abstract work!
Thus, two hours passed.
“Alright, time’s up. Those who haven’t finished, put down your brushes! Now, let’s all take a look and see which paintings attracted the insects!” the Master Painter said with a smile, displaying over thirty paintings at once.
He also ordered his servants to release the captured insects and let them choose the paintings.
At this moment, Lin Beifan clearly felt the nervousness of the young Li Shihua standing beside him.Lin Beifan comforted her softly, “Don’t worry, you will definitely pass!”
“Tha… thank you for your comforting words, Your Majesty. I feel much more relaxed now!” Li Shihua exhaled a breath of relief and managed a strained smile.
“That’s more like it!”
Lin Beifan said, smiling as he gently patted her head. “If he doesn’t want you, I’ll take you!”
Li Shihua’s cheeks flushed red in an instant!
The tension that had eased a bit now became even more intense!
Mo Yuyan pulled Li Shihua behind her and said protectively, “Your Majesty, Shihua is still young, please don’t make such jokes!”
Lin Beifan chuckled and turned his attention back to the scene.
By now, the insects had begun to make their choices, settling on six paintings.
Those six paintings were indeed lifelike, so exquisitely done that they blurred the line between reality and artifice.
Among them was Li Shihua’s painting.
She had painted a bunch of light yellow daffodils with dewdrops, shining brilliantly under the sunlight almost as if they were real.
Although the brushwork was somewhat immature, the painting was filled with vitality.
“Good! Jiang Menshen, One-Hearted Monk, Li Shihua, and three others have passed the second test!” the Master Painter announced loudly.
“Now, onto the third and final test!”
The Master Painter continued, “This test will be even more difficult than the previous two! I will perform a set of martial arts in front of everyone. Whatever you see, paint it! The one whose painting is closest to what I demonstrate will become my successor!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the room erupted in commotion.
“Master Painter, how do you expect us to paint that?”
“You’re not suggesting we paint the way you throw punches, are you?”
“Who paints like that?”
“Everyone, listen to me!”
Master Painter said with a smile: “This test is indeed difficult, but it is also an essential path to martial arts! You may see me throwing punches, but in reality, I am also painting!”
“Only by understanding the painting within my martial arts can you have the chance to continue on this path and ultimately achieve enlightenment through painting! Otherwise, you will waste your life away, so you might as well give up now!”
The voices of opposition gradually quieted down.
“Everyone, I shall begin now. Watch closely!”
Master Painter started to channel his energy and slowly executed a set of martial arts moves.
Everyone watched intently but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
The moves seemed to lack any pattern, as if he was striking wherever his thoughts took him, leaving the onlookers completely baffled.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Master Painter finished his move sequence and said with a smile, “Whatever you’ve discerned, paint it on paper!”
“Master Painter, I didn’t see it clearly just now, could you please demonstrate it again?” someone asked cautiously.
“Of course, that’s no problem!” Knowing the difficulty, Master Painter did not expect everyone to understand at first glance, so he slowly performed the sequence again.
However, this set of martial arts appeared completely different from the first time.
The movements and positions were all different, leaving everyone even more confused.
“I shall continue, pay attention!” Master Painter performed the sequence for the third time, and once again, it was different.
After three moves, with three different versions, everyone was utterly perplexed.
“What kind of martial arts is Master Painter demonstrating? I’ve watched three times, and each time it’s different!”
“It just confuses me!”
“Master Painter… hasn’t gone senile because of his age, has he?”
Master Painter heard the crowd’s discussions but remained unfazed.
After the third time, he began the fourth…
Each time was different sequence, and the onlookers grew more and more puzzled.
Yaoyao leaned over to Lin Beifan’s ear and asked softly, “Have you figured it out?”
Lin Beifan replied, “I have!”
Yaoyao was somewhat shocked, “You’ve figured it out? What kind of martial arts is he performing?”
Lin Beifan said with a smile, “I don’t know what martial arts he’s performing, but it’s the same set! Because this martial arts focuses on the intention, not the moves. As long as the intention is there, the moves naturally follow the mind, and any way of performing them is acceptable! As long as you can perceive the underlying intention and paint it, then you naturally pass this test!”
Yaoyao continued in shock, “Then what is the intention?”
Lin Beifan smiled mysteriously, “Actually, I’ve already painted it!”
Yaoyao: “Huh???”
***
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