"Did you hear that? Young Master George, the son of our mayor, is going to participate in the Martial Arts Summit himself!" The hostess screamed into the microphone, making the information spread throughout the city like fire.
"Oh, fuck." George swore under his breath when he heard the consequences of his instinctive bragging. He looked at her in panic, wanting to make her stop shouting it so loudly.
"And he is in the same team of the top 5 disciples in the strongest sect in the continent, he might return home victorious!" She shouted in excitement, making the whole crowd chant George's name in devotion.
"Young Master George!"
"Young Master George!"
"Wait, wait, that's not what I meant!" George tried to make them quiet before the situation worsened, but it was too late. His voice was lost in their cheers, but the loud shouts were heard by a huge chunk of the city's population and tourists. It would not take long for word to spread and reach every citizen, his father included.
"Seems like you joined our group. Now that you enjoyed our fame, you must also take responsibility. I will kill you if you don't," Ken gave him a beautiful smile and patted his shoulder, making a chill run down the man's spine.
"I will not renege on my words, of course," George said bravely, knowing his father would not let him back down now even if it spelled his death. The mortals would not know if he was humiliated in the cultivation world anyway, but the mayor would not allow him to lose face in front of the citizens.
"Good."
"Are those Young Master George's friends perhaps? Are they the legendary top five disciples mentioned?" The hostess's eyes practically glowed in anticipation when they noticed George was not alone. The man could only look at Ken helplessly, seeking instruction on whether to reveal their identity or not.
"Some information must not be spread, young lady," George said in a heavy tone, making the crowd nod in understanding. Such figures were out of their reach.
"I see, they're only friends then. Young Masters, Young Mistress, would you like to take a shot at painting for the glory of the Serene Lotus Sect?" Even if she knew their importance, the hostess would never let such a hype go away.
A bigger crowd was gathering around them with every passing moment because of the commotion earlier, and she would be directly promoted as an event hostess if she could keep this buzz going. The best way to make that happen was to convince the people whom the crowd tacitly accepted as the top five disciples of the ruling sect to stay.
The group exchanged glances; painting was not the forte of any of them. Eventually, Ken wore one of his confident smiles and jumped onto the stage with a light step.
"I shall give Painting a try then. Be lenient with me, I'm inexperienced and have never tried it before," Ken said.
"What a promising young man, I'm sure you are just being modest," the hostess hurriedly said, hoping to excite the spectators. It'd be truly awkward if he indeed could not paint.
"Hmph, I shall take the challenge and participate along with the esteemed young master and see if a cultivator can surpass artists through power," a lady looking in her late thirties climbed on the stage right after, her face showed she was offended by how lightly Ken treated the art of painting by entering the competition without any training.
"Ho ho! This is Lady Juliette, known to be of the same level as Master Li! Is this going to be a heated competition?!" The hostess shouted, canceling Juliette's claims that Ken was truly untrained. The crowd wanted a tense battle of colors, not a veteran bullying a newbie.
The hostess, a woman in her early twenties adorned with a delicate black cheongsam that hugged her curves and accentuated them with every step she took, approached Ken with a wide smile that exposed a line of straight white teeth.
"Young Master, would you like to tell us your name?" She asked in hope. She was quite courageous, Ken had to give her that. Not many were ambitious enough to overcome the natural fear of approaching someone superior and talking the way she did, even using him to promote her stage and treating him like a normal contender.
"Of course, I'm Ken," Ken waved at the crowd. The ladies were smitten upon seeing the gorgeous young teen, and even many of the men could not help but admit his beauty.
"Young Master Ken, his visage must be the greatest art presented on our stage tonight!" The hostess shouted, squeezing a few more cheers from the crowd before announcing, "Let's begin!"
*Gong!*
The bell rang and everyone started working on their canvases. Eight artists were treated as invisible, and everyone's eyes darted between Ken and Juliette. To their disappointment, Ken only looked around him without moving, and they could only fixate their eyes on Juliette's graceful figure.
Juliette stood poised before her canvas, her fingers delicately holding the brush with an air of finesse that came only with mastery. She dipped her brush into the pale colors on her palette, a blend of soft blues, gentle pinks, and warm golds. With a steady hand, she started crafting her vision onto the blank canvas, her strokes were deliberate, each one seemingly caressing the fabric.
"Team Leader is going to have a hard time winning this," Alaric said as he admired the work of the female artist.
"I doubt, he wouldn't join if he didn't know he was going to win," Tiara replied. She did not believe that the man who aimed to stand at the top did not mind losing.
The crowd around Juliette seemed to hold their breath, mesmerized by the tranquil scene she was delicately carving. The image unfolded gently—a serene lake nestled within a tranquil meadow. The purity of morning light was cast upon the calm waters, with a soft mist hanging low, bridging the earthly meadow to the ethereal sky. The peaceful glide of swans on the lake added an essence of grace, their reflections a perfect symphony of form and color on the water's mirror-like surface.
"Speaking of which, how's Team Leader's painting doing?" Alaric commented as he looked where Ken was supposed to be, "Wait, he's gone?" he said in wonder.
"The eyes do not see what the heart misses. This is his concealment technique, you have to concentrate on where you know he is and fight your mind to make it stop ignoring him," Henry explained.
Tiara and Alaric both squinted their eyes in concentration where they remembered Ken should be. At first, they saw nothing. But slowly they managed to get the picture of a teenager holding a brush masterfully, his fingers seemed to dance on the canvas in front of him.
However, everyone else seemed to forget Ken's existence, only focusing on Juliette. The ethereal light she captured caused the illusion of extending beyond the canvas, casting a gentle glow around her.
Every now and then, a soft sigh escaped from the crowd, resonating with the serene beauty unfolding before them. The grace in Juliette's movements as she painted was like a quiet dance that was just as entrancing as the scene she was painting.
'That's how a protagonist should be, they will all admire her work until they finally remember me and come to check my art,' Ken thought to himself. He had not played protagonist since his time at the branch of the Phoenix Feather Sect. One of the reasons he did that was because he wanted to win with a blast like Henry and Tiara, but he did not have any techniques that affected the crowd's mood in a positive way.
As Juliette's brush finally rested, the crowd erupted into a soft murmur. It was more than a painting; it was a glimpse into a realm where peace reigned supreme.
With gentle bows, Juliette stepped back, allowing the audience to soak in the gentle allure of the scenery she created. Her chest was puffed in pride, believing there was no way anybody could prevail over her. The painting was one of her bests, on par with Master Li's work.
'What about that teenager?' She thought and searched around her but somehow could not find him.
"Wait, what about Young Master Ken?" The hostess realized they were all ignoring one of the two most prominent figures on the stage, arguably the most important one. The crowd all gaped when they realized their mishap and searched until their eyes managed to focus on the young man smiling next to his completed canvas.
"Oh god, what is this?!" The hostess screamed when she saw Ken's work.
Upon a tranquil water surface, Ken depicted a loving couple in splendid red hanfu, their imagery emanating vibrance and grace. They seemed to dance upon the water, surrounded by blooming lotuses, a symbol of purity and harmony. The vivid red of their attire contrasted beautifully against the soft hues of the serene pond, bringing a delicate warmth to the scene.
"When did Team Leader learn to paint like that?" Alaric asked with wide eyes.
The couple's movement across the water was captured with a grace that seemed almost ethereal. Their gazes locked in tender admiration, hands gently touching, expressing unspoken love. The blooming lotuses around them appeared to sway in tune to their dance, accentuating the theme of union.
"This softness, this love! The red hanfu! I think I will never be satisfied with my wedding night if I cannot have pure love and happiness like in this painting! Young Master, does this painting have a name?" The hostess shouted but was met with silence from the captivated crowd.
"I shall name it 'Peak of Love and Peace'," Ken announced.
In the drawing, the reflection on the water was a clever touch, adding a surreal feel to the divine scenery. The skillful representation of emotion, meticulous detailing of the lotus petals, and the gentle ripples in the water transported the audience into the peaceful, heartwarming moment that Ken envisioned.
"Young Master Ken, now we feel ignorant as monkeys for thinking you were a beginner!" The pretty hostess said, making the crowd chuckle in embarrassment. Even Juliette was no exception, as her face turned red in shame. Looking at the painting she was so proud of earlier, she almost wanted to rip it to shreds.
'But… why is the lake in his art so similar to mine?' she thought to herself as she found herself immersed in Ken's painting together with the judges.
Similar thoughts crossed the minds of almost all 19 artists, Master Li included, who participated in this round and the previous round.
'Hey, I think I can recognize my technique there,' they all thought as the judges declared Ken the winner.
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