"So there are paintings like this in the world?" Cao Xiu stared at the scroll before him, his eyes filled with intense emotion as he trembled with excitent.
Those seemingly crude, patternless lines. In his eyes, they were the most exquisite poems in the world, almost a return to primal purity.
As he gazed at it, imrsing himself in its beauty, a spark of enlightennt suddenly arose in his eyes. He was just about to sit down and deeply comprehend it when, suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended from outside, laden with thick fury.
"Wang, you brat, get out here and face !"
The aura was astounding, clearly belonging to a genuine Earth Immortal. Shrouded in blazing glory, he strode into the courtyard, causing everyone to quickly step aside. They couldn't understand why the President of the Hongshan Association would suddenly explode in anger and barge into Yuxuan Pavilion.
Just as he was about to storm into the room, two stunning figures blocked his path.
Nie Linglan spoke softly, her attitude neither humble nor overbearing as she said, "President Zhuang, my Young Master and President Cao of the Green Leaf Association are appreciating a painting. It is not convenient for you to enter right now!"
Yan Ji said nothing, but her eyes were fixed tightly on Zhuang Mocheng. Her stance was clear: if he dared to force his way through, she would take action.
The onlookers were surprised. They had never expected the two attending maids by Young Master Wang's side, who usually appeared so delicate and beautiful, to possess such courage. How dare they block Zhuang Mocheng? Do they not realize that the man before them is a powerful Earth Immortal?
Zhuang Mocheng glanced at the two won, his expression icy. "I don't strike young girls. Step aside, this has nothing to do with you!"
Nie Linglan and the other maid said no more, yet they didn't budge an inch.
Zhuang Mocheng's eyes narrowed, and just as he was about to speak again, a cold sneer ca from inside the room. "I was wondering what that awful stench was. Turns out a stink bug has crawled out of its cesspool!"
Cao Xiu slowly walked out, facing the other man from the doorway. His aura surged, transforming into a world of calligraphy and painting to rival the other man's.
In an instant, the courtyard blazed with light, and the pressure beca so thick that ordinary people found it difficult to approach. Hearts racing with fear, they stumbled backward, afraid of becoming collateral damage.
Zhuang Mocheng stared at him and scoffed, "Old ghost Cao, I'm not here to argue with you today!"
Cao Xiu replied mockingly, "And you think I want to waste my ti with you? Retreat at once. Stop making trouble and delaying my appreciation of the painting!"
"I'm only looking for that brat surnad Wang today! This has nothing to do with you, so get out of my way!" Zhuang Mocheng roared.
Cao Xiu refused to give an inch, his aura growing even more vigorous. "I am appreciating a painting with Young Master Wang. If you have business with him, you can very well wait until we are finished!"
Zhuang Mocheng's eyebrows shot up as if they would fly off his face. "Do you take for a fool, to stand here and wait for you?"
At that mont, a gentle voice, as soothing as a spring breeze, drifted from the room. "Perhaps President Zhuang would like to join us?"
Wang Xiu walked out slowly. He wore a smile as pleasant as the spring air and held a brand-new scroll in his hand.
Zhuang Mocheng sneered, "I have no interest in the flowery trifles you paint!"
Wang Xiu was not angered. With a flick of his wrist, the red string on the scroll snapped. The scroll unfurled, extending for hundreds of ters as it hovered in midair.
Zhuang Mocheng looked up, and his expression subtly changed. He saw that the scroll contained everything: street scenes, people, houses, mountains, and rivers, all rendered with such exhaustive detail that even figures no larger than a bean were depicted with incredible precision.
"As a newcor to White Jade City, I was so inspired by its prosperity that I painted this on a whim," Wang Xiu said. "I have tried to capture all its streets, alleys, and vibrant sights on paper, creating this Blue Sky and White Jade Map. I hope President Zhuang will grace with his guidance!"
Zhuang Mocheng opened his mouth, but no words ca out. His attention had been completely captivated by every last detail within the scroll.
All those present were cultivators. Their perception and control had long since surpassed the mortal plane, so achieving re physical resemblance in their art was no longer their goal. Infusing a painting with spirit was the very first step for a practitioner entering the Dao of Painting. Beyond spirit, they pursued soul. Beyond soul, they pursued life.
When the subjects of one's brush were endowed with life, it was said that one had grasped a part of the true essence of the Dao of Painting. The "life" ntioned here was no re figure of speech but an actual existence. For a Great Ability of the Dao of Painting, manifesting their creations was a basic skill. Paint a mountain, and a mountain would appear. Paint a river, and a great river would materialize. This was a matter of applying fundantal laws and required a profound understanding of the truth within the art.
For cultivators at the realm of Cao Xiu and Zhuang Mocheng, even giving life to the things under their brush was hardly anything special. What they sought now could be distilled into two words: true and false. Or perhaps, reality and illusion. This was the shared goal of all practitioners of the Dao of Painting, though their paths might differ.
Cao Xiu's paintings were abstract; he followed the path of seeking the illusory. He intended to turn illusion into reality and reach the legendary highest realm. Zhuang Mocheng, on the other hand, pursued the path of reality. He took one solid step at a ti, believing that only by being grounded in what was real could one avoid being swallowed by illusion and ending up with nothing. The two appeared to have a divergence in their understanding of the Dao of Painting, but it was, in fact, a difference in their approach to cultivation. They had each chosen a road to walk.
But no matter which path they took, it was exceedingly difficult. Even though they had ditated on Creation and pursued understanding for many years, their progress was slow, and breakthroughs were elusive.
But now, this painting before them seed to have pushed the "real" aspect of the "illusory versus real" dichotomy to its absolute limit, reaching a level he felt he could never hope to reach.
...
Zhuang Mocheng was entranced. He had already forgotten why he had co. As he approached the painting, an invisible force of attraction swallowed him whole.
The onlookers cried out in alarm, thinking this Young Master Wang had used so kind of trick or trap to capture Zhuang Mocheng. But upon closer inspection, they noticed a change in the scroll. On a particular street, a tiny, bean-sized figure had appeared. From its shape and appearance, it was none other than Zhuang Mocheng.
"Is this... a miniature universe within the painting? Young Master Wang is so young, yet he has already attained such a realm?"
"No, no! A miniature universe is mysterious, but President Zhuang is no ordinary man. He is capable of it himself, so why would he be trapped so easily?"
As the crowd exclaid and broke into discussion, an extrely clear and captivating voice cut through the noise.
"This is certainly not a miniature universe within a painting!"
The crowd turned toward the voice to see dozens of well-dressed, extraordinary-looking young n and won escorting a young girl in purple as she slowly stepped into Yuxuan Pavilion.
The purple-clad girl gazed at the scroll suspended in midair, her beautiful eyes filled with shock as she looked at Wang Xiu. "The Buddhist Sect calls it a minor thousand world, Taoism calls it a world within the sleeve, but in our Dao of Painting... we call it Shuiyue Cave Heaven!"
A miniature universe within a painting, however marvelous, is still confined to the canvas and limited in scale. But a world reflected in water, though it may seem illusory, can contain its own separate universe—a Cave Heaven—with more than enough room for the ten directions of the world. That is the difference.
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