Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 236

Chapter 236 Cow Eating Grass

Grass. The Yunshui Secret Realm is comprised of a series of smaller worlds. Only after passing each test can one reach the world containing the next.

“Cultivators of Jiuzhou, welcome to the Painting Immortal Secret Realm. I am Xizhi, the divine consciousness left here by the Painting Immortal.”

A melodious voice echoed in their ears, and it was clear from the voice that the voice belonged to a stunningly beautiful woman. People looked around, but Xizhi was nowhere to be seen.

Xizhi smiled playfully, “Don’t look for me. The Painting Immortal divides painting into three realms, and the Yunshui Secret Realm also has three corresponding tests. I’m in the world of the second test. If you want to see me, please pass the first.”

Jiang Li reflected on the system quest, which stated, “Obtain ‘Breakthrough Grass’ in the Yunshui Secret Realm.” He then went to the system store and said, “Purchase Breakthrough Grass.”

The Breakthrough Grass appeared out of thin air in Jiang Li’s hand.

After all, the quest was about obtaining Breakthrough Grass within the secret realm, not during the secret realm test.

[…Congratulations, host, on completing the quest]

The system reacted before determining that Jiang Li had completed the quest.

[Do you want to claim the quest reward?] “

No.” Jiang Li was in no hurry to claim the reward; it was inevitable.

Since he was here, he might as well say hello to the Painting Immortal, Divine Mind Xizhi, before leaving.

Perhaps his painting skills, improved over the past few hundred years, would catch Xizhi’s eye and even grant him the title of Painting Immortal.

Jiang Li felt that he was definitely better than Qin Luan’s.

Back then, he was in the Golden Core stage, lacking perfect control over his body. It was understandable that his paintings were indistinguishable between an elephant and a jade veil.

Now, in the Mahayana stage, his control over his body had reached its peak. What he could draw was more than just a circle; it was a perfect circle conforming to the formula 3.1415926…

“The first level of painting is seeing mountains as mountains and water as water. Please use this world’s cows as your model and paint a piece titled ‘Cow Eating Grass.’

Any painting style is welcome.” Xi Zhi, who had been speaking calmly, suddenly had a thought, and his tone shifted. He gritted his teeth at the end, adding, “But don’t paint too abstractly!”

Everyone was puzzled, but surely anyone who could make it here couldn’t paint too ugly?

“The test has changed.” Jiang Li recalled the test he had faced five hundred years ago when he arrived in the Yunshui Secret Realm. It was also the third level of painting, with something about seeing mountains as mountains and water as not water—quite abstruse.

Back then, Xi Zhi was testing people’s understanding of these three levels, believing that if they thoroughly grasped them, they would receive the inheritance of the Painting Immortal.

Xi Zhi’s words were more abstruse, but Jiang Li’s were even more abstruse. After fooling Xi Zhi three times, Jiang Li passed the three tests and nearly received the inheritance.

Xi Zhi still feels a lingering fear, but fortunately, she tested Jiang Li’s painting ability at the last minute and didn’t give him the inheritance.

Otherwise, the reputation of the painting fairy will be ruined.

Now Xizhi has learned his lesson. He will not test the empty words and will just compete in painting. There will be no problem.

The ink painters in the small town brought documents, four treasures of the study, charcoal pencils, fruits and snacks and placed them in front of people. Since there is no limit on the style, it is natural that they cannot only use brushes to paint.

“The time limit is two hours, start now.”

Jiang Li spread out the rice paper and fell into deep thought.

Song Ying was the first to have inspiration and started to paint.

Li Er pondered for a moment and also started to write.

After a period of thinking, everyone started to move one after another.

This question was carefully thought out by Xizhi. The cow eating grass seems simple, but it actually contains mysteries. As

soon as everyone stepped into the secret realm of clouds and water, they saw the old cow plowing in the field, but few people noticed that the old cow walked to the side and started to eat grass after finishing

plowing. The old cow was a little happy because it was eating grass after being tired, and its tail shook slightly.

The saying “seeing mountains as mountains and water as water” tests the observational abilities of a painter. Whoever can depict an old cow wagging its tail while grazing passes the first test.

Painting originates from life and transcends it, but before that, one must first observe life. This is the philosophy always upheld by the Immortal Painters. As a Painter’s divine consciousness, Xizhi naturally carries on this philosophy.

Of course, the old cow is now resting and no longer grazing.

If one could still see the old cow grazing, there wouldn’t be much of a test.

“I’m done,” Qin Luan finished first, raising his hand.

“Let me see if the cow’s tail is wagging… Where’s the tail?” Xizhi’s surprised voice echoed in Qin Luan’s ears.

Qin Luan simply drew a cow’s head grazing, with no trace below the neck. The drawing was so abstract that it was uncertain if it was actually a cow, but at least it looked like some sort of horned creature.

“Cows eat with their tails?” Qin Luan was even more surprised than Xizhi. Could it be that the cows here don’t eat with their mouths, but with their tails?

Qin Luan suddenly felt that this ink-and-wash world was terrifying, and that the Painting Immortal was a mentally twisted immortal.

“…You pass.” Xi Zhi felt that it was his own imperfect rules, not Qin Luan’s fault.

“I’m done.” Aguna was the second to raise her hand. She couldn’t use a brush, so she used charcoal.

“Is your cow wagging its tail?” Xi Zhi asked uncertainly.

Aguna was painting for the first time, so she drew and erased, erased and drew again, revising the tail over a dozen times. Even after the final draft, a residual image was visible. The tail and the residual image combined to make it look like it was wagging its tail.

“You pass.” With Qin Luan’s experience, Aguna’s was considered good, and Xi Zhi reluctantly agreed to let her pass.

“I’m done too.” Li Er was the third to raise his hand, confident in his painting. He felt he had a natural talent for it.

“Is yours a cow?” Xi Zhi was speechless when he saw Li Er’s drawing.

The painting showed a woman with horns sitting at a table, eating grass from a bowl. There wasn’t even a tail.

Regardless of the content, the painting was still very vivid, showing Li Er’s meticulous observation of the transformed monster.

“Look at these horns, how come they’re not cow’s?” Li Er pointed at the woman’s horns and said confidently.

If he directly revealed his identity to Xi Zhi, Xi Zhi would probably do him a favor and help him draw.

But Li Er was a man who cared about his reputation. He believed that before asking someone to do something, he should satisfy the other person first. He felt that he had to pass both levels.

“Why do you want to draw a transformed cow?” Xi Zhi couldn’t understand Li Er’s idea.

This time it was Li Er’s turn to be confused: “Didn’t you say that you would draw a cow eating grass based on the prototype of the cow in this world?”

“I did.” Xi Zhi didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he said.

Wasn’t it just about drawing how the cow in this world eats grass? “Since it is the prototype, it means that the cows here can transform. Isn’t it normal for my cow to transform?”

“…I’m talking about the prototype, not the original form.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Forget it, you pass.” Xi Zhi, who was in the second test world, covered his face helplessly.

“I’ve finished drawing too.” Jiang Li raised his hand fourth.

Seeing Jiang Li’s drawing, Xi Zhi even wanted to curse.

There was nothing on the paper!

“Where’s your grass?”

“The cow ate it.”

“Where’s the cow?”

“It ate the grass and left.”

Xi Zhi felt that he had seen all kinds of monsters and demons in the first test.

(End of this chapter)