BXBX NOVEL Chapter 236 - 235: Cows Eat Grass
The Cloudwater Secret Area consists of a series of small worlds, each requiring a trial to be passed before progressing to the next one.
“Welcome practitioners from Jiuzhou to the Painting Immortal Secret Realm.
I’m the spiritual sense of the Painting Immortal left here, Xizhi.”
A charming voice echoed around, hinting that the owner of the voice was a beautiful woman. People looked everywhere, but they couldn’t see Xizhi’s figure.
Xizhi said with a playful chuckle, “No need to look for me. The art of painting has three stages, and the Cloudwater Secret Area also has three corresponding trials. I’m in the world of the second trial. So, if you want to see me, pass the first trial, please.”
Jiang Li thought about the system’s mission requiring him to get a “Realm-Breaking Grass” in the Cloudwater Secret Area. So, he found the system store: “Purchase Realm-Breaking Grass.”
The Realm-Breaking Grass appeared in Jiang Li’s hand out of thin air.
After all, the mission said he needed to get the Realm-Breaking Grass in the secret area, not during a trial in the secret area.
[ …Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission.]
It took a moment for the system to recognize that Jiang Li had completed the mission.
[Would you like to receive the reward?]
“No.” Jiang Li wasn’t in a hurry to get the reward, knowing it wasn’t going anywhere.
Since he was here, he might as well greet the spiritual sense of the Painting Immortal, Xizhi, before leaving.
Maybe his painting skills have improved significantly over the centuries, and he could catch Xizhi’s eye, earning himself a Painting Immortal legacy.
Jiang Li figured his painting skills must be better than Qin Luan’s.
Back when he was at the Golden Core Stage, he hadn’t fully mastered his body, so it’s understandable that his depictions were barely distinguishable between an elephant and a Yu Yin.
But now, having reached the Mahayana Realm, his body control had peaked. What he painted wasn’t merely a circle, but a perfect circle conformed to the constant 3.1415926…
“The first stage of painting: a mountain is a mountain, water is water. Please paint a painting titled ‘The Cow Grazes,’ using the cow in this world as the model. The painting style is unlimited.”
Xizhi’s usual calm tone seemed to falter at the end, with her gritting her teeth and adding: “But it’s forbidden to make it overly abstract!”
Everyone was slightly baffled. However, anyone who came this far couldn’t be bad at painting, right?
“The trial’s format has changed.” Jiang Li remembered his test in the Cloudwater Secret Area five hundred years ago also revolved around the three stages of painting. The notions of a mountain is a mountain, water isn’t water and such were quite profound.
Back then, Xizhi’s test measured people’s understanding of these three stages, intending that a deep comprehension of these three stages would secure the Painting Immortal’s legacy.
Xizhi’s test was profound, yet Jiang Li’s answers were even more so. He went on to trick Xizhi three times, narrowly passing the three trials and almost acquiring the Painting Immortal’s legacy.
To this day, this still quiets Xizhi. Luckily, at the very last moment, she assessed Jiang Li’s drawing abilities and decided against passing on the legacy to him.
Otherwise, the Painting Immortal’s reputation would have been in shambles.
Now, having learned her lesson, Xizhi no longer focuses on the abstract. She directly tests painting abilities, and this surely won’t go wrong.
The ink people in the city brought desks, stationery, charcoal pencils, and some desserts to everyone. Since there were no limitations on painting styles, brushes were not the only tools for painting.
“You have four hours. Start now.”
Jiang Li unrolled a piece of Xuan paper and fell into thought.
Song Ying was the first to be inspired and started painting.
Li Er thought for a moment and also started painting.
After some contemplation, others also followed suit one after another.
This topic was meticulously considered by Xizhi. On the surface, a cow grazing seems simple, but it carries profound meaning.
Upon stepping into the Cloudwater Secret Area, everyone saw an old ox tilling the fields. Yet, few noticed the old ox grazing on the sidelines once it had finished working.
Feeling delighted due to the rest after hard work, the old ox would swing its tail slightly.
‘A mountain is a mountain, water is water’ is actually testing the observational skills of painter monks. Whoever could depict the scene of the old ox swinging its tail while grazing would pass the first trial.
Painting originates from life and transcends life. Nonetheless, observing life is necessary before painting. This has always been the belief of the Painting Immortal, and Xizhi, being the spiritual sense of the Painting Immortal, naturally follows this belief.
Of course, the old ox was now resting on the side and no longer grazing. If one could still observe the old ox grazing now, what kind of test would that
“I’m finished drawing.” Qin Luan was the first to finish and raised his hand.
“Let me see… Is the cow’s tail swinging… Wait, where’s the tail?” Xizhi’s surprised voice echoed in Qin Luan’s ears.
Qin Luan had only drawn a cow’s head eating grass. The neck and below were all missing, making the painting quite abstract. It was uncertain if it was a cow, but at least it was recognizable as some creature with horns.
“Does a cow need a tail to eat grass?” Qin Luan was even more surprised than Xizhi. Could it be that cows in this world didn’t eat grass with their mouths but with their tails?
Immediately, Qin Luan felt that this world was terrifying, and the Painting Immortal was a twisted Immortal.
“…you pass.” Xizhi felt it was her own fault for not making the rules clear and didn’t blame Qin Luan.
“I’m finished drawing.” Aguna was the second to raise her hand. She didn’t know how to use a brush, so she used a charcoal pencil to draw.
“Is your cow swinging its tail?” Xizhi asked unsurely.
This was Aguna’s first time painting, so she drew and erased repeatedly, especially with the tail part, which was redone more than a dozen times. As a result, shading remained in the final version, making it look like the cow was shaking its tail when combined with the original tail.
“That will do. You pass.” Considering Qin Luan’s case, Xizhi reluctantly deemed Aguna’s submission acceptable.
“I’m done too.” Li Er was the third one to raise his hand, quite confident in his own drawing. He believed he had a knack for drawing.
“Is this a cow?” Xizhi found Li Er’s drawing quite speechless.
In his painting, a woman with cow horns was sitting at a table and eating grass from a bowl. There was no tail at all.
Ignoring the content, the image was very vivid, reflecting Li Er’s meticulous observation of transformational beasts.
“Look at these horns, how are they not a cow’s?” Li Er pointed at the woman’s cow horns, speaking righteously.
If he declared his identity directly to Xizhi, Xizhi would probably do him a favor by painting for him.
However, Li Er was a man of pride, preferring to satisfy the other party before asking for N?ngu?di?nxinxin favors. He believed he could pass at least two rounds.
“Why did you draw a transformative cow?” Xizhi couldn’t understand Li Er’s thought process.
This time, it was Li Er’s turn to be puzzled: “Didn’t you say to create a painting titled ‘The Cow Grazes’ using the original form of the cow in your world?”
“Yes, I did say that.” Xizhi didn’t find any problem with her instructions. Wasn’t it just to create a painting depicting how a cow in this world grazes?
“Since it’s the original form, the cow in this place can take on human form. So it’s perfectly normal that I drew a human-like cow, right?”
“…I said original model, not original form.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Alright fine, you pass.” Xizhi, stuck in the world of the second trial, helplessly covered her face.
“I’m done too.” Jiang Li was the fourth to raise his hand. Seeing Jiang Li’s painting, Xizhi felt an urge to curse.
There was nothing on the paper!
“Where’s the grass?”
“The cow ate it.”
“And the cow?”
Xizhi felt she had encountered all sorts of weirdos during the first trial..