Chapter 660 - 429: The Second Epic Item
After completing the trials for the first batch of youths and arranging the matters for the three selected disciples, Wang Zhifan packed away the black tower and returned to the main hall, heading to the inner chamber to meet the six scholars he had kept waiting for quite some time.
As he had expected, the six men who were fond of the art of painting did not come looking for him, as they were enamored with the painting he had left behind, which was the "six-person group portrait."
Upon entering the inner chamber, he could hear them eagerly discussing the features of the painting, with someone pulling out blank paper attempting to imitate it.
"No, that’s not quite right, brother, your painting skills are good, but there’s a distinct difference compared to the piece left by the Martial Venerable. His brushwork is much more delicate..."
"Gentlemen, I attempted to use the Confucian scholarly air to create a piece, and it looks somewhat similar, but except for the colors, other aspects don’t seem quite right..."
"Not every part of the Martial Venerable’s painting is clear; some areas are relatively vague, such as the gaps between the figures..."
...
When Wang Zhifan walked into the inner chamber, they suddenly stopped their discussion, turned in unison to look at him, and surrounded him, launching a barrage of questions.
Wang Zhifan didn’t need them to speak to know what they would ask, so anticipating this, he immediately raised his hand and repeated words he had once said to Qingfeng.
The gist was that he didn’t understand the art of painting; his ability to paint was just a mysterious method he learned, something he could use but didn’t understand the principle behind it. Even if he wanted to teach them, he couldn’t because the peculiar person he encountered in the past imparted the method directly by instruction, without teaching step by step from the beginning.
"It’s a pity! To witness such a mystical painting skill and yet not be able to learn it! Such a regret in life!"
"Martial Venerable, since you’re not skilled in the art of painting, may we keep this painting? We would like to take it back with us for careful study; otherwise, staying here is quite inconvenient."
"Feel free to take it, gentlemen, if you appreciate it! I believe with your talents, it won’t be long before you unravel its mystery!"
"Haha! In that case, this masterpiece will be taken by me, Qingfeng, and we shall continue to ponder upon it in the Confucian Academy!"
"Martial Venerable, we were so immersed in the art of painting that we almost forgot our formal business! This is a book personally bestowed by the Master, capable of suppressing evil; it’s a gift from our Confucian sect to you on the occasion of your hall’s opening!"
"Such a generous gift, I’m truly underserving of it!"
...
After a brief exchange, these individuals from the Confucian sect brought by Qingfeng left the Martial Venerable Hall, taking Wang Zhifan’s "painting" with them and leaving behind a fine gift for Wang Zhifan.
[The Sage’s Book (Epic)]
[This is the famous work of the Master written by the hand of a renowned scholar of the Confucian school. The content narrates how a person cultivates oneself into a lofty gentleman. Besides its cultural value, it also possesses some magical powers.]
[Evil Suppression: The words of the Master inherently carry an immense and righteous aura, making it difficult for evil entities to approach within a hundred meters of this book. Forceful proximity would lead to suppression or even eradication by the righteous aura, with only particularly powerful evil entities being able to resist this effect.]
[Chastisement: The Master writes with divine insight, and every word contains his profound understanding of the Way of the Gentleman. If a person strays from the Way of the Gentleman, this book can be invoked to chastise them, with the intensity of chastisement depending on their transgressions. There is a certain probability of reforming them after punishment.]
[Great Fortune: The Master’s cultivation is unfathomable, and his personal writings also possess great power. When this book is placed at the core of an organization, it can assume the organization’s luck, leading to prosperity and averting misfortune.]
At this moment, at the entrance of the Martial Venerable Hall, the six scholars had already taken flight and departed, while Wang Zhifan held in his hands a seemingly unremarkable dark blue string-bound book, which was the gift he had just received from the scholars—the "Sage’s Book."
"Who would have thought the Master would gift me an epic... Today is truly my lucky day; I’ve obtained two epics without doing anything..."
Wang Zhifan flipped through this autograph work of the Master, and he couldn’t help but be astounded by the Master’s writing at first sight; not only in literariness but each word conveyed to him a sense of artistry and antiquity, as if perusing a classic masterwork that had endured thousands of years.
"Since this book can suppress fortune and evil, I’ll place it on the great hall’s bookshelf to serve its purpose... Though I wonder if the Daoist Saints might have opinions about this."
After some thought, Wang Zhifan decided to use this book to suppress the Martial Venerable Hall in line with the Confucian sect’s gifting intention. However, upon turning his head to see the Daoist Saint statues in the Martial Venerable Hall, he felt this action might be redundant, so he chose to lock the book in the bookshelf, with a primary and secondary order in mind.
He then returned to the inner chamber to continue cultivating the Pure Yang True Skill, and as soon as he started, he felt a tremendous influx of strength, as if someone was imparting power to him, making him realize the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant given by the Dragon Maiden was truly living up to its reputation.
Of course, such an extraordinarily exaggerated effect only occurred because his Pure Yang True Skill was at a low level. According to the description provided with the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant, as his cultivation level advanced, this augmentation would gradually diminish.
After approximately one cup of tea’s time, the rapidly cultivating Wang Zhifan sensed that the Dragon Maiden had returned from outside. So, he left the inner chamber to greet her.
When he met the returning Mieyue Dragon Saber in the main hall, she immediately told him that she favored the red blade and the purple blade among the four blades, which are the elemental blades of fire attribute and thunder attribute.