Youthful Brushstrokes Unleash a Sudden Downpour, Sleeves Full of Spring Breeze

The biting spring rain outside the house released a chilling cold that constantly surrounded and pressed in.

This was much like Luo Qingchen's state of mind at the moment.

His steps froze, his neck tilted slightly, strands of hair fell by his temples, his chiseled eyebrows furrowed, and his pupils reflected a degree of disbelief, even... absurdity.

"Impossible!"

An Le?! That name... wasn't it the young painter who had gained entry into the Lin Manor?

The young man who, braving the spring rain, stood tall under his oppressive aura, refusing to bow his head or bend his waist, provoking disgust in all who saw him!

How could that young man possibly be a master painter of bamboo?!

His paintings could even be displayed at the Academy of Literature, earning the appreciation and praise of two Masters, and sparking admiration and analysis among many scholars of the Academy, even being addressed by Master An.

Luo Qingchen felt a slight daze, then his eyes sharpened: "It's just a painting."

Indeed, it was just a painting, it didn't prove anything.

He continued his steps, arriving at an empty seat. He was supposed to sit down, but after a moment's thought, he continued forward, reaching the main table.

"Second Master, Third Master."

Luo Qingchen performed the disciple's ritual, bowing and inclining his body.

The Second Master stroked his beard, glanced at Luo Qingchen, and his smile gradually faded: "Sword intent lingers above your Dao heart, once again clouded. Your future path is becoming increasingly arduous."

Luo Qingchen bowed and said softly, "This disciple believes in himself and should be able to wear away this dust on his Dao heart."

The Second Master shook his head: "Forget it, as long as you know what you're doing, it's fine. Hua Jiebing is not Li You'an, after all. You do have a chance to wear away her sword intent. If you succeed, you can also take another step forward."

"Master, this disciple has a request. I wish to view this ink bamboo painting."

Luo Qingchen said.

"That's right, you arrived late and haven't seen the painting. Go ahead and look."

The Second Master did not refuse upon hearing this. With a wave of his hand, the scroll placed on the table immediately floated up. The mounted painting unrolled, and a sharp sword intent emanated from it!

Luo Qingchen's eyes narrowed as he stared at the scroll. The ink bamboo and rocks seemed to leap off the paper.

It was as if a gust of wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, like a sword waterfall pouring down.

The painting was indeed extraordinary. The ink bamboo possessed the proud backbone of a gentleman, standing tall in the world against all winds from east, west, north, and south!

This was the young man's painting?!

Such sharp sword intent, though not particularly strong, was perfectly integrated into the painting, giving it a unique style!

Luo Qingchen suddenly thought of An Le entering samadhi after spirit refinement, and establishing fetal respiration in three days. Now, it seemed, An Le might have used this painting to refine his spirit and enter samadhi, establishing fetal respiration!

It wasn't like his previous guess, that Madam Hua had given the young man some spirit refinement treasure, using external force to boost his fetal respiration!

The young man... possessed poetic talent, artistic talent, extraordinary swordsmanship talent, and an unyielding will that refused to bow or bend.

Now standing on the opposite side, his threat... could not be underestimated.

The aged Third Master in Confucian robes, Wang Banshan, observing the sword intent clouding Luo Qingchen's Dao heart and then feeling the sword intent within the painting, suddenly smiled.

"Luo Qingchen, you've been at the Academy for over ten years. You were full of spirit and astonishingly talented when you first arrived in Lin'an. Unfortunately, your Dao heart was clouded after your defeat against Li You'an. Your talent is rare in a century, but your Dao heart is truly a bit too delicate."

"This ink bamboo painting contains the unyielding will of a gentleman, which is quite suitable for you. If you have time, you should properly learn the art of ink bamboo painting from the painter, Master An Le, as it will greatly benefit your Dao heart."

As soon as the Third Master finished speaking, Luo Qingchen's bowing gesture immediately faltered, and his expression became quite unsightly.

He was to learn painting from An Le?

Luo Qingchen had his own pride. To seek guidance and learn from a young man whom he had previously exerted his dominance over and looked down upon?

Was this Third Master deliberately trying to provoke him?

Luo Qingchen took a deep breath, feeling as if his face had been slapped, but he was facing the Third Master, a highly respected great scholar of the Academy, so he could only swallow his anger.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master,"

Luo Qingchen said calmly.

The Third Master stroked his beard, looked at Luo Qingchen, and said faintly, "Your heart lacks humility."

"Since you acknowledge my guidance, you have time today. You should sketch this ink bamboo painting in front of everyone, give a demonstration, and analyze the ink bamboo painting technique."

Luo Qingchen maintained his bowed posture and looked up at the Third Master.

The Third Master stroked his beard and chuckled lightly.

After a long silence, Luo Qingchen said softly, "Yes."

Tianbo Water Pavilion.

The rain intensified, billions of spring raindrops pouring down, striking the black tiled roof with crisp, clear sounds.

Raindrops fell into the large pond in front of the water pavilion, stirring up ripples. The ripples spread and merged, making it impossible to tell if it was spring rain or pond water.

Inside the hall, An Le was painting, completely focused, unaffected by the spring breeze or spring rain.

He continued to paint bamboo, using ink wash. Burnt ink and light ink overlapped to create layers. The main stalks of the bamboo were drawn with a single, powerful stroke, and a pause and lift of the brush formed the bamboo nodes, clean and clear. Following that were the bamboo leaves, each stroke a pause and a flick. An Le integrated the Sword Waterfall of his mind, achieved in the Fetal Respiration realm, into the bamboo leaves, making them appear like sword qi unsheathing.

He painted bamboo and rocks, flowing like clouds and water.

Outside, the wind and rain raged, mirroring the state of mind of Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng, who were observing the painting. As they watched An Le paint the bamboo, the bamboo in the painting seemed to face the fierce wind and rain, yet stood proud.

Madam Hua had already left her couch. Treading in her embroidered shoes, she walked to the desk and stared intently at the scroll.

A good painting has a soul. Madam Hua, who knew An Le's experiences well, felt a special connection to the bamboo in the painting. The young bamboo, stubbornly standing on the bedrock, was just like the young man's unyielding spine in the spring rain under Luo Qingchen's oppressive might.

Madam Hua observed it carefully. The painting contained An Le's not-yet-overpowering spirit, but at this moment, that spirit resonated with her own vast, abyss-like spirit.

Her spirit uncontrollably spread, and instantly, the Tianbo Water Pavilion transformed into a small bamboo forest dwelling. Dense green bamboos swayed gracefully, and the sound of the bamboo sea billowed like the cacophony of music.

An Le finished the last stroke in one go and looked up to witness this wondrous sight.

He turned his head and saw Madam Hua's stunningly beautiful face up close. Her eyes seemed to hold stars, as if they could draw him in, pulling him into an endless illusion.

The Dao Fruit of the Innate Swordsman trembled, as if a sword light had cleaved open An Le's vision. He withdrew his gaze, exhaled, and felt a lingering fear.

Madam Hua's cultivation was unfathomable.

Madam Hua, who had projected her spirit to create the wondrous bamboo forest, also felt something. She withdrew her momentarily lost spirit, and the surrounding bamboo sea vanished in an instant.

"Not bad."

She praised An Le, who had managed to cleave through her Heart Sword intent.

This brief moment of enlightenment allowed Madam Hua's spirit to grow even stronger. Although she hadn't taken a significant step, her cultivation had noticeably improved.

An Le smiled at Madam Hua's praise and picked up his brush, loading it with ink.

He then inscribed a dedication on the scroll in the Banqiao Style:

Though stones are silent, I love this new bamboo. Though bamboo cannot speak, it loves this mountainside. The young man, with sleeves full of spring breeze, has played this game for you. A gift from An Le to Madam Hua.

As soon as the inscription was finished, his wolf-hair brush lifted, and instantly, spring wind swirled around the water pavilion.

Seeing the inscription, Madam Hua's lips curved into a smile, and her eyes lit up.

She was naturally delighted to receive the painting from the young man. Today, she had finally seen the ink bamboo that the young man had used to conquer that senior, and she was beginning to understand why the elder had been willing to gift him a sword.

It was because the young man painted bamboo as if he were wielding a sword.

He had sword qi in his heart, sword qi on his brush, and sword qi in his paintings!

Madam Hua's gaze was radiant.

A thought suddenly struck her: the master of the Sixth Mountain possessed a sword box containing three thousand swords, said to hold all the swords in the world.

Could it be that he chose his disciples and guardians only after observing their paintings?

Or perhaps, this master of the Sixth Mountain had only established his mountain for this young man before him?

Thinking this, Madam Hua fell into a deep contemplation.

The sudden spring rain abruptly calmed.

It drizzled softly, like a gentle beauty, carrying a soft spring breeze, making one feel incredibly comfortable.

Lin Qingyin and Lin Zhuifeng had also observed An Le's painting. They felt an indescribable imagery, and it seemed as if the young man had undergone a transformation, possessing an extraordinary confidence.

Lin Zhuifeng leaned closer to the desk and looked at the ink bamboo painting. With little ink on her chest and abdomen, she exclaimed, "This painting is awesome!"

Lin Qingyin's eyes also held admiration. She couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted; she really wanted to learn this ink bamboo painting technique… but she hadn't even mastered sketching yet, which was quite disheartening.

Madam Hua returned from her thoughts, feeling quite pleased. Her gaze fell upon the scroll, and then she scanned An Le again.

After finishing his painting, the young man stood in the main hall, dressed in white, a bamboo sword at his waist, his face radiating a gentle spring breeze, neither arrogant nor impatient.

"You gifted me the ink bamboo painting, and as an elder, I naturally cannot accept it without giving something in return. I should have gifted you a precious sword, but you already have the bamboo sword gifted by an elder. All other swords pale before the bamboo sword and would seem insincere…"

Madam Hua smiled brightly, looking at the young man with a mysterious smile.

"After much thought, I've decided to give you a special gift in return."

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