Cultivating with Bragging System

Chapter 713 354 Cao Xiu_1

In an elegant courtyard somewhere in White Jade City, several scholarly-dressed painters were fuming with indignation.

"Who is this Wang fellow? He's only been here for a few days and has already hogged all the limelight! We practitioners of the Dao of Painting don't seek fame and fortune, but his actions are utterly disrespectful!"

Dissatisfaction filled their eyes. Every one of them had studied the Dao of Painting since childhood, achieving remarkable success and earning quite a reputation for themselves. True, not everyone could truly enter the Dao through painting. In the cultivation world, it was impossible to gain a status like that of the Painting Immortal and his disciples. Furthermore, since the Dao of Painting was not suited for combat and offered limited aid to one's cultivation, they were often looked down upon by other cultivators and had suffered no small amount of humiliation over the years.

Now, with the Painting Immortal's birthday approaching, they had finally found their moment to shine. They were ready to roll up their sleeves and give it their all. If they could gain the favor of the Painting Immortal, they could ascend rapidly, transforming their station to become elites among men.

Indeed, they had anticipated that the competition would be fierce. What they had never expected was that their first major obstacle wouldn't be a master from some prestigious academy or an elder who had perfected the art over a millennium. Instead, it was a pampered young master whose name they had never heard before.

"In just a few days, everyone on the streets is talking about that Wang Yitian! When it comes to the Dao of Painting, he's the only one they know! If this continues, aren't we all finished?" a hot-tempered middle-aged man demanded, slapping the table.

Suddenly, one of the men turned to a green-robed elder painting alone in the pavilion. "Brother Cao, you have to say something!"

At his words, all eyes fell upon the elder.

The green-robed elder continued painting as he asked, "Say what?"

"You're the president of the Green Leaf Association," one of them insisted. "Shouldn't you step up and take charge of the situation?"

Cao Xiu, still not looking up, replied, "Take charge of what?"

They were at a loss for words for a moment, then one of them sputtered, "Are we just going to let that brat continue acting so arrogantly?"

Cao Xiu slowly put down his brush and looked at the speaker. "We are artists. Our work should do the talking. His paintings delight the masses and are eagerly sought after—that is his skill. If you want to win back people's hearts, then simply paint something better than his. Wouldn't that solve it?"

"Those paintings he makes are nothing but shameless flattery, meant to woo young ladies!" someone scoffed. "We would never stoop so low!"

"Is it that you disdain it," Cao Xiu said, his face impassive, "or that you *cannot* do it?"

The group fell silent once again.

With his hands behind his back, Cao Xiu walked out of the pavilion. With a sweep of his sleeve, a flash of light streaked across the courtyard, and a painting scroll appeared on the stone table. As the scroll slowly unfurled, the men saw the peerless beauty depicted upon it.

"This… isn't this the painting that Wang fellow made for the Luo Family's Second Young Miss? Brother Cao, how do you have it?" they asked, stunned.

This was clearly the portrait Wang Xiu had painted for Luo Yunting.

"I am an old friend of the Luo Family's Third Master," Cao Xiu stated calmly. "I visited him yesterday, saw this painting, and used a spell to make a copy."

Ah, so it's a magically created copy! Everyone understood.

"You only see the surface—his pleasing young ladies with his art—but you fail to see the true core!" Cao Xiu walked closer, his fingers gently tracing the image on the scroll. He examined it from top to bottom, sighing in admiration. "This work was completed in a single, fluid motion, without a hint of hesitation. Both its brushwork and its artistic conception are impeccable. It may seem casual and effortless, but in reality... this person's mastery of the Dao of Painting has reached an earth-shattering, soul-stirring level! He could be considered a grandmaster of our generation!"

As he finished his assessment, a series of sharp gasps filled the courtyard. Everyone stared at Cao Xiu in disbelief, unable to believe he would say such a thing.

Who was Cao Xiu? He was the president of the Green Leaf Association, widely acknowledged as one of the ten greatest masters of the Dao of Painting in all the Thirty-Six Prefectures of Huangzhou. In his youth, he was famous for a fiery temper that spared no one, friend or foe. His eyes were only for art. He cared nothing for the powerful; he would even fight high-realm cultivators to the death if they dared slander the Dao of Painting in his presence.

This very temperament had offended many people, but it also earned him the respect of many influential figures in his circle. More importantly, years ago, when the Painting Immortal had traveled through the region, he had, under the alias of Daoist Yun, offered Cao Xiu a few words of guidance. This gave him the standing of a half-disciple. Consequently, though many disliked him, they dared not move against him. This had allowed him to grow into one of the top figures in the Dao of Painting within the Wasteland Boundary.

For such a person to give Wang Xiu's work such incredibly high praise was simply unbelievable.

"Brother Cao, are you… serious?"

"When have you ever heard me speak nonsense when it comes to the Dao of Painting?" Cao Xiu retorted coolly, silencing them all. After a pause, he sighed with emotion. "I do not know this man's identity, but… based on his artistic skill alone, I fear that in all the Nine Heavens, no one outside of Little Cold Mountain could surpass him!"

HISS!

The collective gasp was even sharper this time. That statement was even more shocking than his previous one. Little Cold Mountain was the Painting Immortal's domain, home to all his disciples. Was Cao Xiu implying that, barring the Painting Immortal Lineage itself, Wang Xiu was the undisputed number one in the Dao of Painting across the Nine Heavens?

"Brother Cao, that's… going too far!"

"Exactly! He's just a wet-behind-the-ears brat with no experience or pedigree. Even if he has some talent, how could he possibly have reached the level you describe?"

The crowd remained incredulous. A suspicion even began to form in their minds: had Cao Xiu been bought off by that kid? His praise sounded far too exaggerated to be true.

Hearing this, Cao Xiu sneered at them. "Experience? If experience was what mattered, you lot, who have dabbled in the Dao of Painting for centuries, would all be Painting Immortals by now! A masterpiece is right before your eyes, yet you fail to recognize it. You've wasted your lives painting. You are a disgrace to the Dao of Painting!"

With that, his face darkened. He flicked his sleeves and called out, "Someone, see our guests out!"

The faces of the men flushed red and pale with humiliation. This was just how Cao Xiu was; once angered, he spared no one's feelings. They didn't dare confront him directly, so they could only snort coldly and depart with a final flick of their own sleeves.

Watching them leave, Cao Xiu huffed, "A bunch of petty men. Not a single one of you possesses the spirit or integrity of a true artist of the Dao of Painting."

"Hee-hee... That's only natural. In the whole world, how many people can match my grandfather? He has both integrity and skill, and his masterpieces will be admired for generations!"

Just then, a beautiful, lively young woman appeared in the courtyard, winking mischievously.

Upon seeing her, the anger on Cao Xiu's face instantly melted away. "Qing'er, did you also go looking for that Young Master Wang?"