Chapter 216
Then, her gaze flickered lightly as she picked up a tea leaf and stuck it onto the Q-version Li Mo's philtrum.
Last time, she had left a note on his philtrum, and he seemed quite displeased...
"Miss Ying..."
"Miss Ying?"
The voice beside her called out twice before she turned her head.
"It's almost time for the lecture."
It was Elder Zeng reminding her, and as he looked at the doll, his brows suddenly raised, leaning back slightly.
"Alright..."
Ying Bing stood up and began to tidy up the tea set.
She had never felt that the break time was so short before...
"What were you looking at just now?"
"Looking at..."
Ying Bing twisted the big-headed doll's head back into place, lowering her gaze in thought.
"Wangqi Douhun?" (旺妻斗魂 - "Wangqi Douhun" refers to a concept of a spirit or essence that brings good fortune to one's spouse.)
"??"
...
"Just painting isn't enough."
"You also need to experience it personally..."
After wasting another piece of Qingmai Yujian (青脉玉笺 - "Qingmai Yujian" refers to a special type of jade paper), Li Mo stood up.
He approached the strange stone and slowly extended his palm to touch it.
Strangely enough, the moment he made contact with the stone, the seven Xuan Dan (玄丹 - "Xuan Dan" refers to mystical pills or elixirs) within him began to flicker faintly.
They were circulating according to the laws of the universe, their speed increasing, even starting to tremble slightly, the commotion growing louder.
Boom—
Li Mo felt an inexplicable sensation.
This mysterious connection was not due to the Xuan Dan itself, but because they were all stars within the seeds of his world.
Like attracts like; they seemed to recognize something similar.
"Ah..."
Li Mo suddenly realized that he could see through the surface of the strange stone to grasp its true mysteries.
This was something he had never encountered before while contemplating martial arts on it.
"What's wrong with him?"
However, not far away, Wei Zhaoliu only saw Li Mo staring blankly.
There was no particular movement, but what surprised her was that this strange stone was not something that could be easily approached. If one's aptitude was insufficient, they would likely be overwhelmed by its boundless mysteries in an instant...
In the next moment.
The Qingmai Yujian suddenly floated up.
Li Mo lifted the brush in his hand, sweeping it across the paper with a flourish. This time, he was no longer cautious; instead, he wrote with an indescribable ease and grace.
**Chapter 231: The Painting Actually Brought Out a Monkey King**
"Achoo..."
"Why does it feel itchy on my philtrum?"
Li Mo sneezed, curiously rubbing under his nose, then focused on painting again.
The wind was strong up high, and it was the beginning of autumn.
The autumn breeze made the Qingmai Yujian rustle.
Yet, with each stroke he made, the ripples on the paper calmed down a bit.
The Seven Stars guided his brush!
Each stroke was infused with immense spirit; had he not been observing the divine forms of the Great Dao, he would have long since exhausted himself.
After the final stroke, the paper seemed as solid as lead, not moving an inch.
"Finally done."
Li Mo opened his tired eyes. Before him, the strange stone had come to life on the paper, as if he could reach out and touch its ancient patterns.
From the fluctuations of divine intent within, it should be a medium form painting.
But to be honest, Little Li the painter felt a bit smug.
If it were a higher form painting, he might not have been able to finish it in one go. To copy this strange stone, one had to do it in one breath; if he paused even for a moment, he would have to start over.
Brother Ouyang probably couldn't do it either.
"Although it’s derived from the strange stone, I’ve painted something of my own..."
Li Mo gradually understood why painting required talent.
Copying the same reference, different people would produce entirely different images.
For instance, if he and Ouyang were to simultaneously copy something, the results would be absolutely dissimilar.
"Did you really manage to paint it?"
Wei Zhaoliu leaned in to take a look, letting out a soft gasp, surprised yet slightly taken aback.
"This strange stone is so profound, and yet it’s just a medium form?"
Within the Xieyun Sword City, there were naturally many higher forms and even extreme forms of divine observation paintings preserved.
However, the foundation of the Sword City had always been this strange stone.
"Though it’s just a medium form, its utility surpasses that of some higher forms."
"That’s true..."
Wei Zhaoliu looked around.
She noticed that although Li Mo had copied the strange stone, there was a slight difference from the real one placed not far away.
Moreover.
At first glance, this painting seemed plain and unremarkable, yet gradually it evoked a sense of enlightenment, a feeling of clarity and transparency.
This sensation became clearer with the passage of time...
She had been practicing swordsmanship diligently lately, and now, upon seeing this painting, many insights began to surge in her mind.
【Congratulations, host, you have successfully invested in 'Wei Zhaoliu', helping her accumulate and unleash her potential.】
【Investment feedback: Ancient Bronze Transformation Seal.】
"Accumulation and unleashing?"
Seeing Wei Zhaoliu quickly sit down in front of the strange stone, Li Mo realized.
This wasn’t just because the divine observation painting he had just created, with wet ink, had an astonishing effect that could lead to sudden enlightenment.
It was mainly due to Wei Zhaoliu's own accumulation.
A little spark could ignite a fire; this painting merely provided that 'spark of inspiration.'
"I just got the Ancient Bronze Transformation Seal."
"I also have the Secret Silver Transformation Seal."
Li Mo held the divine observation painting.
The Seven Stars within him were still spinning, transmitting a budding anticipation deep into his heart.
As for comprehension, he had martial insights; aside from finding sword practice a bit challenging, he rarely faced difficulties at other times.
Thus, he wasn't worried that the divine observation painting would lose its original effect after the deduction.
"Let’s use it."
Li Mo made a decision, taking out the small, swirling ancient bronze seal.
Without hesitation, he pressed it onto a corner of the painting.
Immediately, the little tadpole on the seal swam onto the painting, quickly covering it.
The image shifted, rapidly changing.
Before long.
The speed of the ink flowing became slower.
In a daze, Li Mo seemed to see the strange stone in the painting quickly absorbing the tadpole patterns, gradually cracking, soon covered in fissures.
It seemed something was about to be birthed...
Buzz!
In the next moment, as the last tadpole pattern successfully surged in, the strange stone in the painting exploded with a bang.
【Congratulations, host, you have successfully used the Ancient Bronze Transformation Seal to upgrade the medium form divine observation painting to a higher form.】
【The divine observation painting has transformed into: The Monkey King Emerges!】
"??"
Li Mo focused his gaze.
He saw that the original strange stone in the painting had vanished.
Instead, there was a small monkey... a monkey standing naked in the world.
Clearly just a painting, yet you could see it foraging for wild fruits in the mountains, soaring through the skies and diving into the earth, even joyfully running along the seaside...
"It really brought out a Monkey King?"
Li Mo murmured to himself.
He seemed to understand something.
He took out a small silver seal.
The small seal drew closer to the paper, then slowly pressed down onto it.
Almost the moment it was pressed down, the little figure in his acupoints began to tremble!
A mysterious aura gradually emerged from his body, forming a stream of energy that surrounded him, entwining with the tadpole patterns on the Secret Silver Transformation Seal, and together they dove into the painting.
It was the Immortal Body!
Li Mo finally understood.
It was the Immortal Body guiding the deduction of this transformation seal!
Allowing an existence that should not exist in the world to descend upon the painting!
Li Mo suddenly looked up.
He saw the ever-changing painting, the ink flowing, sketching something. He couldn't tear his gaze away; his consciousness and spirit released, enveloping him in a clear glow, in tranquility and mystery, wrapping him and the painting together.
Before him.
The ink had already formed a stone staircase, the surrounding scenery blurred and indistinct, yet the plaque was exceptionally clear:
"Xieyue Sanxing Cave" (斜月三星洞 - "Xieyue Sanxing Cave" refers to a mythical cave associated with celestial beings.)
Beneath the plaque, the monkey in the higher form painting had changed into a dry Daoist robe.
The robed monkey stood on the stone steps, looking back.
Its gaze crossed endless years, traversing long stretches of time.
In the dead of night, with no one around.
A person and a monkey locked eyes.
In the depths of the void, he clearly sensed that gaze coming toward him, seeing him through an indescribable barrier, even able to discern the individual hairs of the monkey in the moonlight, like flowing dawn light.
The robed monkey was the embodiment of the world's spirit; anyone's heart would give rise to this thought.
Buzz—
The resonance of the Immortal Body's energy surged even more.
It seemed to establish some connection through that gaze.
In a moment.
The robed monkey subtly nodded, raised its palm, and gently lifted it in the air, repeating the motion three times, directed at the forehead of someone far away.
Thud—
Thud—
Thud—
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