Painting's Marvelous Colors Transform the West Sea, Jade Maiden Turns Yang and Returns to Yin (Part 1)

Spirit Painters are a branch within the myriad paths of Artifact Refining.

The path of Artifact Refining is all-encompassing, covering weapons like sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, as well as musical instruments such as chimes, zithers, drums, and flutes, magic robes, treasure beads, scrolls, banners, and more.

The various magic treasures used by cultivators are made using vastly different methods.

Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds are mostly crafted from Spirit Gold, with fire refining being the primary method.

Zithers and other stringed instruments require specialized techniques for their creation.

The magic robes worn by cultivators are made from Spirit Silk Auspicious Cloud Fabric, which is then cut and sewn, a process distinct from general Metal and Stone Artifact Refining.

As for boats, flying shuttles, palaces, and gate towers, their creation methods are even more complex and profound.

Aside from Artifact Refining Grandmasters who, by understanding one method, grasp them all and are knowledgeable in a hundred artifact refining techniques, most novice Artificers choose one path to specialize in.

Spirit Painters are the general term for cultivators who craft treasures in the form of paintings. Their techniques are divided into various schools, including Painting, Carving, Gold Casting, Flower Applique, Embroidery, and Divine Refining.

Heng Hua stared at Ji Mingfeng's folding fan. "You're from the Painting school? That makes sense, only the Painting lineage truly embodies elegance."

The Painting lineage of Spirit Painting was originally created by a mortal master of Painting. One day, while painting by a riverbank, he captured the scenery before him in a single image.

When the river diagram was completed, it was imbued with the Dao Intent of heaven and earth, becoming a magic treasure.

From then on, he became the first Spirit Painter, using Painting to depict the world. Diagrams of treasured artifacts could lead to Foundation Establishment, diagrams of spirit treasures to Golden Core, and diagrams of immortal tools could lead to ascension.

Because this lineage requires superb painting skills, disciples are often selected from the secular world among cultured and elegant individuals, particularly Painting masters. Observing Ji Mingfeng's refined and gentle demeanor, Heng Hua knew he was a man of worldly elegance who had entered the Dao.

However, when he recalled Ji Mingfeng's request, Heng Hua's head began to ache.

The cultivation pigments used for superior treasure diagrams and spirit diagrams are made by mixing rare earthly treasures with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Where could Heng Hua find such things? He didn't have any on him.

He wasn't a Pigment Master who specialized in providing pigments for Spirit Painters.

After pondering for a while, Heng Hua reluctantly asked, "You need pigments for painting? Could you be more specific?"

Ji Mingfeng took out an unfinished work.

It was a vast seascape. As it was placed before Heng Hua, it felt as if he were personally present in the West Sea, the sound of the tide mixed with the unique scent of the ocean washing over him.

Plop—

A colossal whale slowly emerged ahead, spouting a towering column of water.

Heng Hua quickly closed his eyes, withdrawing from the Dao Intent of the spirit diagram.

Looking at the painting again, the sky was a blank canvas, yet to be colored.

"The Xuanwei Sect has the 'Nine-Color Pure Clear Pigment,' which, in addition to its base color, can reflect various hues in the sky, embodying its vastness."

Upon hearing this, Heng Hua silently communicated with Zhou Xiao.

Hearing "Nine-Color Pure Clear Pigment," Zhou Xiao recalled for a good while before silently nodding.

"The Xuanwei Sect does seem to have such a thing, a relic from the Divine Land Era's Profound Heaven Sect. However..."

He glanced at Fu Xuanxing, who was secretly talking to Fu Xiangfeng nearby.

"A few years ago, some unruly juniors, lacking understanding, used it for random scribbling and it's already been used up."

Heng Hua, having received Zhou Xiao's reply through the wind, immediately informed Ji Mingfeng.

"It's gone?"

"If Senior Zhou says so, it must be true. I suppose the Xuanwei Sect can only provide a recipe."

Ji Mingfeng's face darkened.

The process of creating spirit-based pigments is analogous to artifact refining and alchemy, with extremely complex procedures. Especially for superior pigments, their creation can take years or even decades.

Ji Mingfeng doubted that even if he obtained the recipe, he could make it himself.

"But even if you had the recipe, you probably couldn't make it, right? Specialized Pigment Masters, forgive my ignorance, but I've never met one."

Ji Mingfeng sighed wistfully, "I haven't either."

Pigment Masters are to Spirit Painters what Metallurgy Daoists are to Metal and Stone Artifact Refiners, but their circumstances are vastly different.

Metal artifacts are, after all, a major branch of Artifact Refining. As long as you study artifact refining, you will inevitably touch upon the creation of metal-based magic items. From large sabers to small golden needles, no matter what you do, you'll encounter it.

However, Spirit Painters are already considered a niche within the field of artifact making. They are rarer than artifacts made of metal and jade, stringed musical instruments, or magic robes made of cloud silk.

Let alone Pigment Masters, who serve as a prerequisite for Spirit Painters.

If you meet ten Artifact Refiners, you'll likely meet one or two who specialize in metallurgy. But if you meet ten Metallurgy Daoists, you might not even encounter a single Pigment Master.

The cultivation of Pigment Masters is even more peculiar than that of Spirit Painters. They believe that all things in the universe are formed from primordial energy, and each type of energy has its own color. Pigment Masters enter the Dao through color, sealing True Essence and Spirit Energy within pigments. If combat occurs, they use pigments of corresponding attributes to fight.

For example, blue, red, yellow, white, and black correspond to the foundation of the Five Elements. Sprinkling red pigment can summon flames, while black pigment can summon dark water.

Ji Mingfeng, who has cultivated for nearly a thousand years, has never encountered a legitimate Pigment Master in his life.

Helplessly, he had to learn the techniques of pigment making himself.

Heng Hua examined the West Sea Diagram and mused, "I've also read a couple of books on pigment immortal arts."

"'Five Elements Myriad Colors Spectrum' and 'Spirit Color Enters Immortal Incantation'?"

"Yes. You've read them too?"

Ji Mingfeng said slowly, "Five hundred years ago, I personally spent a lot of effort to print three thousand copies and sent these two sets of books to major bodies of water. The purpose was..."

Heng Hua looked at Ji Mingfeng with sympathy. He understood. It was to cultivate Pigment Masters. But unfortunately, this was a self-inflicted wound within their industry; they couldn't blame anyone else.

When Heng Hua first heard about "Pigment Masters," a peculiar cultivation method that "entered the Dao through color," he had specifically researched it.

He flipped through ancient texts and finally concluded that Pigment Masters were a branch of cultivators who had been outcompeted by Spirit Painters.

They were also a type of cultivator that provided materials.

Metallurgy Daoists helped Artificers purify spirit ores, thus earning a commission. They could also sell their self-developed Composite Golden Essence to Artificers in exchange for cultivation resources like jade beads and spirit pills.

One Metallurgy Daoist dealt with dozens, even hundreds, of Artificers.

But for Pigment Masters, they hoped to establish relationships with hundreds of Spirit Painters. However, even if all the Spirit Painters of the Divine Land Era gathered, they might not be able to find a hundred of them.

Among these Spirit Painters, those of the Gold Casting lineage forged Golden Essence into iron tablets and carved on their surfaces. Painters of the Brocade lineage embroidered pictures on cloud brocade and golden silk. The material providers for these two types of painters were Metallurgy Daoists and Cloud Silk Weavers.

Only the painters of the Pigment and Painting lineage truly needed Pigment Masters to harmonize colors.

In the Divine Land Era, the number of these Spirit Painters could be counted on one's fingers. Without a market, the profession of Pigment Master naturally couldn't survive. At best, a Pigment Master could support three to five people.

But Spirit Painters, with their elegant natures, would also make their own pigments in their spare time. Their techniques might not be as good as professional Pigment Masters, but they didn't need Pigment Masters to provide low-grade materials.

Without low-grade materials to practice with, how could Pigment Masters train successors? Moreover, the successors they trained might not even have better techniques than Spirit Painters.

Without the support of Spirit Painters, the profession of Pigment Master gradually declined. When the last Pigment Master Grandmaster passed away, the entire method of achieving immortality through pigment cultivation was lost.

Ji Mingfeng, rarely encountering someone who understood his field, couldn't help but pour his heart out to Heng Hua.

"You have no idea. Ever since I started cultivating, I've only met eight fellow Spirit Painters. Two of them were into gold carving, one did embroidery, and two were from the Divine Refining school. The remaining three, although from our Pigment and Painting lineage, had also never met a Pigment Master."

"I've consulted numerous ancient texts and restored two cultivation methods for pigment cultivation, but after five hundred years, not a single person has practiced them."

Heng Hua maintained a polite smile. No wonder. Entering the Dao as a Pigment Master is difficult, and achieving mastery is even harder. Creating spirit-grade pigments by harmonizing colors using the five elements—green, red, yellow, white, and black—requires more effort than even a Metallurgy Daoist.

He nodded as if listening while studying the West Sea Diagram.

Suddenly, Heng Hua pointed to a few faint marks in the sky.

"Are you depicting the West Sea at night? Was there originally a moon in the sky?"

Ji Mingfeng's expression shifted. "You can tell?"

The draft of the West Sea Diagram was based on what he saw one night at the West Sea. However, Ji Mingfeng couldn't afford the pigments needed to depict the bright moon. Eager to complete the West Sea Diagram, he slightly modified the draft, changing it to a scene of a clear blue sky.

"I have some research into the art of Spirit Painting."

Then, Heng Hua mentally added: Though I specialize in Carving and Divine Refining.

But Ji Mingfeng's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"That's right. Your Technique Evolution Master lineage is best at reading, with extensive knowledge. You must have studied our Spirit Painting techniques. How about it, help me think. How should I cultivate next? Help me divine my cultivation method?"

The cultivation of Spirit Painters lay in their paintings.

By incorporating a scene of heaven and earth into a scroll, they could activate corresponding powers. The more Treasure Diagrams and Spirit Diagrams they created, the stronger their power became.

If this West Sea Diagram could be completed, Ji Mingfeng's cultivation would advance further. When fighting others, he could manifest the West Sea domain.

"Help me find substitute materials, and I'll let you go, with all past grievances erased."

"Help me complete the West Sea Diagram and break through my bottleneck. From now on, young brother, you will be my friend. I can't guarantee safety across all thirteen waters, but in Yan Water, Yuan Ming, Tianyang, and Huanglong, I will protect you."

"If you can help me achieve immortality through painting and enter the Calamity Immortal realm, I will follow Li Nanxing's example and call you 'teacher'."

"If you can ascend to the heavens in one step, you will be my reborn parents."

Heng Hua rolled his eyes. "Fellow Daoist, if you help me form my core through the Way of Technique Evolution, I will consider you my elder brother."

"Help me achieve Calamity Immortal through technique evolution, and I will regard you as my teacher."

"Help me perfect my own Dao and complete my cultivation method, and you will be my reborn parents."

The two looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing, a sense of mutual appreciation blooming between them.

Indeed, the path to the Great Dao was arduous. No matter the profession or lineage, reaching the pinnacle was not easy.

Spirit Painters needed to paint Spirit Diagrams and Immortal Diagrams, requiring extremely high-quality pigments. Technique Evolution Masters faced similar difficulties.

Because they read extensively, their focus was scattered, causing Technique Evolution Masters to suffer from increasing "vision miasma" and a lack of energy the higher they cultivated.

Fu Xiangfeng and Fu Xuanxing, feeling the cool breeze, watched the two on the small boat laughing and chatting.

"Brother Fu, are Brother Liu and the other person getting along so well? I thought he was the third party sent to stop us? It seems we can just leave peacefully, right?"

"Perhaps." Fu Xiangfeng mumbled, seeing their enthusiastic conversation. What is Little Liu talking about with him? Can we actually leave? If we don't leave soon, the fourth party will catch up.

"Oh, I just thought of a method."

After chatting for a while, Heng Hua had a flash of inspiration.

"Why don't you try a composite diagram?"

"Composite? Presenting a painting as a composite scroll."

"Yes." Heng Hua pointed at the West Sea Diagram. "Your painting skill is superb, capturing the essence of the entire West Sea in one picture. Therefore, it requires the highest quality pigments to contain and record this essence. But if you compromise, you can use three, five, or even more scrolls to record the West Sea's scenery. Then, use the 'Talisman Combination Technique' to merge the scrolls. This way, even if the pigment quality is lower, you can still complete the West Sea Diagram."

Composite composition?

Heng Hua's comment made Ji Mingfeng's heart pound.

When he was a mortal, he had played with many combination pictures. There were pictures of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, as well as pictures of a hundred beauties, a hundred blessings, and so on.

But since he began cultivating through painting, he preferred to incorporate all the Dao into a single painting.

This was similar to the Technique Evolution Master's philosophy of "comprehending all Daos and unifying them."

Unifying everything into one had been a tradition for Spirit Painters for many years.

"Indeed, the environment has changed. My master had high-grade pigments back then, which could contain Dao Intent. Now, in our generation, we naturally need to adapt."

Ji Mingfeng's aura shifted.

Heng Hua watched as the West Sea Diagram before him split into seven, becoming seven smaller sea landscape paintings. The sky was still blank, and large areas of white space appeared on the rest of the paintings.

Ji Mingfeng flicked his sleeve, and a basin-sized, multi-colored jade lotus flower appeared. Each petal bloomed with a different spiritual elemental pigment.

Without a brush, Ji Mingfeng controlled his Magical Power, and the pigments automatically flew into the sea landscape paintings, coloring them.

The West Sea under the scorching sun, the tranquil West Sea at night, the West Sea with towering waves, the calm West Sea...

Each of the seven sea paintings had a different artistic conception, and when combined, they formed a complete picture of the West Sea.

As the seven sea landscape paintings were completed, the surging sea artistic conception emanated from them.

At this moment, Ji Mingfeng looked at Heng Hua.

Heng Hua recited the incantation for the Talisman Combination Technique.

Ji Mingfeng followed the chant and cast the spell, merging the seven paintings into one.

RUMBLE--

A pillar of energy erupted from the water, and the image of the West Sea slowly unfolded on the surface.

"My Dao is complete."

Ji Mingfeng was overjoyed and silently comprehended the West Sea Dao Intent.

It would take another three days to refine this set of scrolls.

Just then, he sensed something and saw a group of people flying from a distance.

He flicked his sleeve again, and the Cai Luan Spirit Boat was directly lifted onto the waves.

"Younger brother, you all must leave quickly. Your enemies are coming."

He used his Magical Power to send Heng Hua onto the Spirit Boat, then sent Zhou Xiao, Fu Xuanxing, Fu Xiangfeng, Fu Heyi, Howling Fish, and Eternal Longevity onto the boat. With a strong push, the Spirit Boat sailed north.

"Wait, my Golden Circlet--"

Xu Wenyu, seeing this, ignored his conversation with Cheng Yuliang and others and quickly chased after them.

Ji Mingfeng pulled him aside. "Don't rush. You can chase after them tomorrow. Help me send Fu Family's younger brother an item to avoid calamity."

Xu Wenyu saw the figures in the distance.

Besides a chilling Devilish Qi, there were also several tower ships flying the Wei Family's banner.

Glancing at the people on the island, Ji Mingfeng smiled. "These people are not here with good intentions. I have a karmic connection with you all. I will help you repel them and protect Dielie Island. And, I'll help your younger brother deal with this group."

More updates tonight.