44: A Move

"Only starting to draw now? Isn't that far too late?"

"Probably a last desperate struggle..."

No one thought highly of Xia Ming. How could an unknown kid compare with Luo Jia, who had placed eleventh in the previous Magic Martial Tournament?

Xia Ming began to draw. He seemed to have already decided what to paint. Magic power surged forth as his brush fell with remarkable steadiness, and he was actually drawing even faster than Luo Jia.

This made Luo Jia, who had been watching Xia Ming from the corner of his eye, pause. Surprise showed on his face—this kid really had some skill. Judging solely by the instant his brush touched down, his control and use of magic power might not be inferior to Luo Jia's own!

But a cold smile soon spread across Luo Jia's face. Hmph, no matter how strong your control over magic power is, you'll still lose! Luo Jia had immense confidence in the Thunderhawk he was drawing. It was the magical painting he excelled at most. He had drawn Thunderhawks hundreds, if not thousands, of times; every application of magic power was just right. From the very beginning, he had laid a trap that doomed Xia Ming to defeat!

Luo Jia refused to believe that this little freshman before him could surpass him in this regard!

Xia Ming had no time to concern himself with Luo Jia's thoughts. At this moment, he was wholly focused on his own painting. Although magical painting placed very little demand on actual artistic skill—one only needed to control magic power and use magic to conjure an image—Xia Ming was exceptionally serious, even cautious.

"Eh, this kid isn't bad either."

The crowd was watching Xia Ming closely as well. Amid their whispers, they discovered that Xia Ming was actually quite capable.

The voices that had just called Xia Ming's efforts a dying struggle immediately vanished, replaced by even more sighs of regret.

"What a pity. No matter how well this kid draws, he'll definitely still fall short of Luo Jia's Thunderhawk!" Someone was already shaking their head and sighing. Luo Jia had brought out the painting he was best at. No matter how outstanding this kid was, he was destined for defeat.

Tang Ge was even more indignant. "Brother Xia Ming really does have ability, but Luo Jia is far too cunning. Sigh, I just hope Brother Xia Ming is drawing something he's best at too, so he can at least tie with Luo Jia."

Tang Ge felt that a draw was already the best possible outcome. As for Xia Ming winning, he did not hold out any hope.

Su Weiwei's delicate brows were drawn together as well. Though she had only met Xia Ming twice, she knew that the youth before her was not an impulsive person. But what could he use to deal with the Thunderhawk Luo Jia had drawn?

Not only could Su Weiwei not think of an answer, no one present could think of one either.

"Look, Luo Jia is almost done!"

Luo Jia truly was nearly finished with his painting. His gaze fixed upon his work, and with a slight tap of his magic brush, he made several swift strokes to complete the final touches.

Looking at the painting he had created with all his strength, Luo Jia smiled in satisfaction. He knew he had won completely. Though his methods had been somewhat dishonorable, winning was all that mattered!

"Everyone, I've finished. Please have a look."

As he spoke, Luo Jia lifted his painting and displayed it before the crowd.

At once, waves of irrepressible exclamations rose from the gathering.

Beneath a deep azure sky, a Thunderhawk soared with wings spread wide. Its beastly eyes were sharp, its wings beating as it flew high. The entire painting radiated an awe-inspiring presence, carrying the grand momentum of a bird soaring into the heavens.

The painting was incredibly vivid, perfectly portraying the Thunderhawk tearing through the air and beating its wings toward the sky. Every expression and every detail of its body was crystal clear; each and every feather had been depicted. This showed that Luo Jia's control over magic power had indeed reached an exquisite level. The painting truly was a rare masterpiece.

Luo Jia wore a confident smile. Even among the countless Thunderhawks he had painted, this one was among the very best. His victory was assured!

"What does everyone think of this painting?"

"As expected of Luo Jia. Truly impressive, Senior Luo Jia..."

"A fine painting. Senior Luo Jia's use of magic power is simply marvelous. I'm afraid there are few in our year who can compare with you!"

"To create such an excellent painting in so little time—Luo Jia, you truly are amazing!"

The crowd spared no praise, showering him with compliments, and the smile on Luo Jia's face grew ever broader.

"Owen, what do you think?"

At this point, Luo Jia pointed to a boy wearing a monocle. The boy had refined features and wore a monocle, giving him a scholarly and cultured appearance.

This boy was named Owen. He was famously known at Azure Flame Academy as a "painting fanatic," utterly obsessed with magical painting. Whenever there was a gathering centered around magical painting, he was never absent.

Unfortunately, while Owen loved magical painting dearly, his own ability was nothing special, so he could only feast his eyes on others' work. Still, by attending every gathering involving magical painting, he had developed an excellent eye. Though he could not paint very well himself, his appraisal skills were first-rate, and many people specifically invited him to evaluate their paintings.

Owen was somewhat excited. He nodded vigorously and said, "This painting of yours, Luo Jia, can be said to have virtually no flaws. It's the most wonderful painting I've seen in the past few months! Incredible, incredible!"

Owen's words were practically the final verdict. Luo Jia could no longer suppress his smile as he said, "Thank you for the compliment, Owen. Then I'll wait for this junior's painting to be finished, and we can properly exchange pointers."

He stressed the words "exchange pointers" heavily; his mocking intent could not have been more obvious.

Xia Ming noticed this as well, but all his attention was on his painting, and he paid it little heed. His drawing grew faster and faster. The magical elements around him continued to stir, while his magic brush outlined detail after detail. His painting had reached its final stage as well!

"Eh, this painting..."

Everyone was observing Xia Ming's work. Dense forest filled the painting, with lush grass carpeting the ground. It carried an atmosphere brimming with life, distant and open, yet exceedingly beautiful.

But Xia Ming had not painted scenery. Like Luo Jia, he had chosen to paint a magic beast!

Amid the green grass, a snake like living flame lay coiled in ambush, flicking its tongue as though waiting to search for prey.

The fire snake curled its body, its scales standing erect, and a vicious gleam shone in its beastly eyes. It was painted with incredible realism, making the faces of many girls in the crowd who feared snakes subtly change.

What Xia Ming had painted was also a first-level magic beast—the Fire Luo Snake!

Luo Jia frowned, unable to understand Xia Ming's intentions. The Fire Luo Snake and the Thunderhawk were publicly recognized as mortal enemies among magic beasts; even children on the continent knew that. But why had Xia Ming painted such a thing? Was it simply because Luo Jia had painted a Thunderhawk, so the kid had deliberately drawn its natural enemy? This was far too absurd.

Xia Ming set down his brush.

Luo Jia smiled and waved a hand, signaling for everyone to comment. "What does everyone think of this freshman's painting?"

For a moment, no one spoke. To be fair, Xia Ming's painting was indeed extraordinarily lifelike and vivid, but compared with the Thunderhawk Luo Jia had practiced hundreds upon thousands of times, it still seemed to be just a little inferior.

Many people inwardly sighed in regret. This freshman truly was talented, but unfortunately, he had met the wrong opponent.

"Damn it, I think it looks great! It's way better than that ugly bird from before!" Seeing that no one was standing up for his brother, Tang Ge shouted angrily.

Luo Jia's face darkened, but he could not be bothered to argue with the unreasonable Tang Ge. Instead, he turned to Owen, who could be considered a master appraiser in this field, and asked, "Owen, what do you think of this painting?"