Madam Hua was indeed somewhat surprised. He had only completed his cultivation initiation at eighteen, and his innate talent had been exceptionally poor—yet where did the youth's current performance resemble someone lacking talent?
At Tianbo Water Pavilion the day before, he had Entered Stillness in three quarter-hours.
Today, upon another look, he had already established Embryonic Breathing.
Embryonic Breathing in the Second Spirit Refining Realm was by no means easy to attain. What it required was an accumulation of the mind and spirit; everyone cultivated step by step, tempering their spirit through endurance.
Even Hua Jiebing herself, hailed as a Spirit Refining prodigy, had needed her master's Spirit Refining artifact to assist her, and had endured three days and three nights before truly establishing Embryonic Breathing!
An Le certainly could not have the conditions to receive the aid of a Spirit Refining artifact. So how had he achieved it by himself?
Madam Hua was intrigued.
"Xi Xiang, go invite Young Master An over."
Sitting up from her couch, Madam Hua smiled at her personal maid, Xi Xiang, who stood quietly behind her.
"Yes, Madam."
Xi Xiang was first taken aback, then curtsied in acknowledgment. Without asking further, she left the main hall of the water pavilion and crossed the white jade arch bridge.
Led by the maid Liu Xiang, An Le made his way through Lin Manor with practiced ease.
Warm spring hills, sun and gentle breeze; railings, towers, curtains, and lattice windows; willows and swings in the courtyard.
Orioles sang and swallows danced, while petals fluttered over little bridges and flowing waters.
The scenery of Lin Manor was not limited to Tianbo Water Pavilion. Every courtyard and pavilion within the estate had its own distinctive charm. Walking upon the bluestone paths felt like wandering through a private garden. After all, this was a Duke's Manor, dazzling enough to make one's eyes swim.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman approached from afar with graceful steps. At the sight of her, Liu Xiang curtsied.
"Young Master An, Madam requests your presence. Please follow Xi Xiang to Tianbo Water Pavilion."
Xi Xiang smiled.
As Madam Hua's personal maid, her standing among the servants of Lin Manor was second only to Ji Ying by Old Madam Yu's side and Lin Zhuifeng.
Liu Xiang was far beneath her by comparison, so she kept her posture exceedingly humble.
An Le paused in surprise, then nodded. "Then I'll trouble Miss Xi Xiang to lead the way."
Xi Xiang covered her mouth with a smile at the sight of An Le's handsome, refined, and courteous manner. Her eyes rippled with charm as she turned, her supple figure swaying ahead to lead the way.
After thanking Miss Liu Xiang, An Le followed Xi Xiang toward the water pavilion.
In the main hall of the water pavilion, Madam Hua no longer had the mood to read works by great Confucian scholars. Instead, she crouched by the pond, scattering fish feed to nourish the beautiful flower carp swimming within.
"You're here."
Having scattered the last handful of feed from her palm, Madam Hua rose gracefully. Spring sunlight spilled down upon the stunning face of this ageless lady, making her seem less like a woman of this mortal world.
"You've entered Embryonic Breathing through Spirit Refining?" Madam Hua lifted her lotus steps and steadily returned from the pile of ornamental rocks by the pond to the level ground of the main hall.
An Le was not surprised that Madam Hua had noticed his breakthrough. Her strength was unfathomable; she was undoubtedly an expert far beyond the Fifth Realm.
"Last night, I happened upon an opportunity, and that was how I broke through."
An Le did not hide it and answered truthfully.
"Oh? How did you break through? Would it be convenient to tell me in detail?" Madam Hua was very interested, a trace of inquiry appearing in her lively eyes.
An Le smiled. "Yesterday, a fellow painter came to visit, so I painted an Ink Wash Bamboo and Stone Painting. While painting, I gained something by chance. Perhaps the techniques of painting bamboo echoed the Sword Waterfall Diagram from afar, and so I pressed on in one burst and established Embryonic Breathing."
"Painting?" Madam Hua had not expected An Le to give such an answer.
"An Ink Wash Bamboo and Stone Painting? Painting bamboo in ink wash?"
Madam Hua was puzzled. She had studied the four arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, yet in Great Zhao, few people painted bamboo in ink wash. Most used Gongbi to paint bamboo.
"Never mind. It seems your talent in painting is extraordinary. One could already glimpse it from your sketch. Very good. But insights gained through painting are ultimately chance occurrences. The road of Spirit Refining ahead remains bristling with thorns. You must visualize the sword diagram every day and never slacken."
Madam Hua spoke sincerely. She had glimpsed An Le's late-blooming talent and did not wish for him to bury or waste it.
An Le's expression turned solemn. He clasped his fists and bowed. "Thank you for your instruction, Madam. I shall certainly keep it firmly in mind."
"I didn't expect you to understand ink-wash painting as well. I had wanted you to splash ink on the spot, but unfortunately, I have guests to receive later. Another day, I shall watch you wield ink wash."
Madam Hua said regretfully.
An Le smiled. "I come to Lin Manor every day. If Madam wishes to see my painting, once I return, I can paint again."
Madam Hua nodded faintly.
An Le took his leave and departed Tianbo Water Pavilion, heading toward the Training Hall to paint for the young masters.
Tianbo Water Pavilion returned to silence.
The spring breeze passing through the hall stirred Madam Hua's garments slightly.
"A youth painting bamboo caused the Sword Waterfall Diagram to resonate?"
"The plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum are the Four Gentlemen. Countless people paint them, yet those who can truly be called masters are few. The Four Gentlemen correspond to four qualities: pride, seclusion, serenity, and ease. To stir a resonance in the mind and spirit, one must use those qualities as the guiding thread while painting... Could that youth have grasped the quality of bamboo?"
"If his ink-wash bamboo painting is truly distinctive, perhaps I could recommend him to one of Great Zhao's masters of bamboo painting. In Great Zhao, there are only three who may be called masters of painting bamboo: Third Master of the Literature Academy, Deputy Prime Minister Ouyang Xiangru, and... that Old Imperial Uncle who dared challenge the Yuan Meng Emperor while carrying a Bamboo Breaking Sword."
Madam Hua murmured softly, reviewing Great Zhao's masters of bamboo painting in her mind.
Suddenly, the maid Xi Xiang said respectfully, "Madam, the carriage is ready."
"Has the visiting card been delivered to Ye Manor?" Madam Hua asked.
"This servant personally delivered it yesterday." Xi Xiang answered solemnly. As Madam Hua's personal maid, she naturally knew why Madam Hua had sent a visiting card to Ye Manor.
As a military noble house comparable to Lin Manor, Ye Manor held a pivotal position in Lin'an Prefecture.
News of the Palace Examination had already spread, and Madam Hua needed to make her move as well.
"Did Madam Ye refuse?" Madam Hua asked softly.
Xi Xiang paused, then hesitated. "She did not refuse, but she also... did not agree."
Madam Hua nodded and walked gracefully past the white jade railing.
"If she did not refuse, then she agreed. Let us depart. Do not keep Madam Ye waiting long."
The golden crow rose from the valley and climbed the twisting mulberry tree; dense cold mist gathered over slender bamboo.
Sixth Mountain.
On the broad flat ground stood an unnamed idle pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, three people sat facing one another, still carefully studying An Le's Ink Wash Bamboo and Stone Painting. Dawn light spilled from the edge of the horizon, falling upon the scroll and making it gleam brilliantly.
"One may glimpse the painter through the painting. The one who painted this ink-wash bamboo and stone possesses a tiger in his breast. His spirit is restrained, yet he bears the air of a gentleman. It resonates with the sword intent of his own Spirit Refining cultivation. He is a rare and excellent seedling for sword practice."
The middle-aged man in white, carrying a broad Pine Wood Sword Box on his back, had been taciturn, but he finally offered his assessment of the painting.
The elderly man in a Confucian robe stroked his beard and nodded as well. "Ink-wash bamboo painting is relatively rare in Great Zhao. Those who can paint it with their own style are rarer still. Yet this painting's excellence lies not only in the bamboo, but also in the poetry and calligraphy."
"'Though ground and struck ten thousand times, it remains tough; let east, west, south, and north winds rage as they please'... The painter must have endured hardship, yet he does not fear it. Let hardship come crashing down—he remains unmoved. The spine of a gentleman stands tall like a pillar of heaven. And these characters: strange and unrestrained, seemingly wild, yet in truth drawing upon the strengths of a hundred schools, with considerable structure."
"View the painting, taste the poem, observe the calligraphy... one may glimpse the painter's true nature. Not bad."
The white-clad man carrying the Pine Wood Sword Box thought for a moment. "It is only that the spiritual power infused within the painting is somewhat lacking. Otherwise, this painting would be worth even more—not begrudging a Fifth-Grade artifact."
Old Man of the Imperial Ancestral Temple Zhao Huangting could not help laughing loudly. "Since both of you think it good, then it is good. As for the lack of spiritual power, that is because the young painter has only just entered Embryonic Breathing through Spirit Refining by virtue of painting..."
The moment those words emerged, the expressions of both the Confucian-robed elder and the man in white changed.
Was Zhao Huangting joking?
The painter... was only at Embryonic Breathing?
Zhao Huangting smiled. "I share quite an affinity with this young friend. Unfortunately, he has offended Qin Manor. Though Lin Manor's Hua Jiebing is currently sheltering him, as you both know, Lin Manor is about to face a great calamity and will soon struggle even to protect itself. This old man wishes to find him a way out."
"I had originally gone to the Literature Academy to find you, old bastard, intending to use this painting to have the young friend enter the Literature Academy as a bamboo-painting instructor. But since we have come to Sixth Mountain, Mountain Lord, take a look. Can this young friend enter Sixth Mountain and occupy a Mountain Guardian slot with this painting?"
As the rising sun illuminated the high forest, Zhao Huangting's words lingered around the ancient pavilion.
The Confucian-robed elder narrowed his eyes, examining the bamboo and stone painting beneath the light of the rising sun.
"Zhao Huangting, you are mistaken. A Mountain Guardian slot is incomparably precious. The Sixth Mountain Lord is magnificent beyond measure. This youth is merely at Embryonic Breathing in Spirit Refining—how can he trouble the Sixth Mountain Lord? He should enter the Painting Pavilion of my Literature Academy, pass down the craft of ink bamboo painting, and set off a frenzy of ink bamboo."
The white-clad man carrying the Pine Wood Sword Box slowly turned his head toward the ancient Confucian-robed elder.
"Painting well may be broken. The Literature Academy is not yours alone. If Qin Lishi arrives, you will be constrained at every turn. He would suffer indignity in your Literature Academy."
"My situation is different. On Sixth Mountain, I have a sword. Qin Lishi would not dare come. That would be refreshing."
Within the idle pavilion.
Zhao Huangting was rather dumbfounded as well.
He had never expected these two figures of tremendous importance in Great Zhao to start... fighting over a person right before his eyes!
Before you continue