Ruyi Peak, Bamboo Grove Residence.
Just ten minutes ago, this place had been bustling with activity, but now it was eerily quiet.
For some reason, the crowd had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Li Mo sat inside the room, examining the various paintings adorning the walls.
Lofty mountains and flowing rivers, the elegance of spring snow, portraits, and depictions of beasts—each was a masterpiece worthy of being used as an Observation Divine Diagram.
Of course, most were of lower-tier quality, with only a few reaching mid-tier.
"So, Senior Brother Ouyang, if your Observation Divine Diagrams are so well-crafted, why did you take up a side job?"
"Ah, Junior Brother, you have no idea how poor artists can be."
Ouyang opened up, pouring out his grievances.
It required a flash of inspiration and the wasteful use of rare materials.
Even after completing it, there was no guarantee of finding the right person to appreciate it.
Take, for example, that painting of lofty mountains and flowing rivers—it contained the essence of mountain and water forms. It had cost three thousand taels to produce, yet no one suited to comprehend its meaning had come along, leaving it to gather dust.
After listening for a while, Li Mo fell into deep thought.
How was it that even in another world, artists still struggled to make a living?
"So, Senior Brother Ouyang, you had to take on side jobs to fund your painting?"
"Well, not entirely."
Ouyang chuckled, a sly grin forming.
"Senior Brother, your drool is about to drip."
Ouyang hastily wiped his mouth, then composed himself.
"Junior Brother, are you preparing for the Observation Divine Realm?"
"I still haven’t figured out which form’s essence I should observe."
"Then you’ve come to the right person!"
Ouyang thumped his chest confidently.
Li Mo was half-convinced, half-skeptical.
Something about Senior Brother Ouyang didn’t seem entirely reliable.
Just to be safe, he decided to use his Divine Eye of Fate for a quick glance...
[Root Bone: Master of Brush and Ink]
[Realm: Observation Divine Realm, Four Apertures]
[Evaluation: Born under a fate of poverty, yet after death, his paintings became legendary, earning widespread acclaim. His unique understanding of art gradually won the admiration of many.]
[Recent Circumstances: Frequently takes on side jobs to support fellow disciples of the Painting Academy.]
So the paintings weren’t valuable simply because he was still alive?
Though not every deceased painter’s works gained fame.
Senior Brother Ouyang truly had some talent.
"I have quite a few Observation Divine Diagrams here. Feel free to browse, Junior Brother."
"If you can make the painting ‘come alive,’ it means you can embody the essence within—that’s the one suited for you."
Li Mo didn’t quite understand.
Ouyang stood up, a mysterious glint in his eyes.
"This is my unique method of brush and ink. You’ll see in a moment."
He took down a painting of a fierce tiger descending a mountain.
"This Observation Divine Diagram was my first creation, containing the essence of a tiger’s roar in the wilderness."
"Though it’s only a lower-tier piece, those who observe this form will, upon entering the Observation Divine Realm, carry the majesty of a tiger in every movement—extremely formidable."
Li Mo raised an eyebrow and focused on the painting.
His mind seemed to be drawn into it.
Suddenly, he found himself in a vast, mist-covered mountain forest.
In the blink of an eye, Li Mo stood amidst ancient trees and dense foliage.
A rustling sound—something was approaching.
A gust of fierce wind swept toward him.
A striped tiger emerged, half-lidded eyes gleaming with predatory intent.
It planted a paw on a mossy boulder, surveying its domain like the king of beasts.
Majestic and savage, its presence overwhelming!
Its cold gaze swept the surroundings, searching for prey.
The tiger collapsed, trembling like a leaf, its fur standing on end.
In an instant, the mighty beast transformed into a terrified, oversized housecat, as if facing some unimaginable horror.
Weak. Pitiful. Helpless.
"This can’t be right."
Come on, show some spirit! How am I supposed to observe you ?
Confused, Li Mo’s mind instinctively reached out.
The tiger only grew more terrified.
It vanished into thin air.
What in the world just happened?
Was there something wrong with this Observation Divine Diagram?
At that moment, the artistic conception shattered completely.
Li Mo opened his eyes to find the painting ruined—its ink strokes now a chaotic mess, as if vandalized by a child.
Looking up, he met Ouyang’s stunned, bewildered gaze.
Senior Brother Ouyang seemed to be questioning his entire existence.
Li Mo was equally puzzled.
"Junior Brother Li, you’re truly at the Internal Breath Realm, right?"
Ouyang asked after a long pause, his voice pained.
Li Mo nodded. "I’ve only just condensed my Mystic Core."
Ouyang furrowed his brows, carefully rolling up the ruined painting.
"Even Master’s spirit wouldn’t have damaged this Tiger Descends the Mountain Diagram..."
He had shown this painting to other disciples before.
Some couldn’t withstand the tiger’s majesty and were expelled from the vision. Others couldn’t even immerse their minds in the painting at all.
Both outcomes meant they weren’t suited to embody the tiger’s essence.
But the painting being destroyed? That was unprecedented.
Li Mo scratched his head awkwardly.
"Should we… try another one?"
That last painting had cost over a thousand taels of silver.
His heart was bleeding just thinking about it.
And now he wanted to try again?
But he had promised without hesitation earlier.
If he backed out now, would Junior Brother Li pull out a hammer?
"Ahem. It seems I’ll have to bring out my prized possession."
Ouyang took a deep breath.
He rummaged through his belongings and returned with another scroll.
Unfurling it revealed a vividly painted mythical beast, brimming with divine energy.
"Once, I was fortunate enough to encounter a rare beast—one with a trace of the Bai Ze’s bloodline."
"It took immense effort to capture its likeness on paper. This is an upper-tier piece, and it helped me break through my bottleneck..."
"Sorry, but I accidentally immersed my mind again..."
Ouyang blinked, then looked down.
The Observation Divine Diagram of the Bai Ze-descended beast met the same fate as the tiger painting.
Its ink scattered into a murky mess, the once-weighty paper now light as a feather.
Ouyang slumped to the ground, his soul seemingly drained.
"Senior Brother, how much was this one worth?"
Li Mo felt a pang of guilt.
"Sniff… This was my life’s work. I tracked that beast for ten days and nights without rest."
"Ten thousand taels?"
Li Mo pulled out a silver note.
"Sniff… That beast even kicked me, breaking several ribs."
Another note joined the first.
"Junior Brother, this is art. Do you understand art? Selling it to someone who doesn’t appreciate it would be—"
Li Mo’s expression didn’t change as he added three more notes.
"Junior Brother, you clearly have an eye for art."
Ouyang's face shifted like a Sichuan opera performer, breaking into a smile.
The actual cost of this painting was only ten thousand taels of silver. If he found the right buyer, he might fetch thirty or forty thousand at most.
Fifty thousand was already a massive profit.
Li Mo felt a bit speechless, but it wasn’t like he was losing out either.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested fifty thousand taels of silver in 'Ouyang.']
[Investment reward: The Marvelous Brushwork: Ink Cleansing Record]
[The Marvelous Brushwork: Ink Cleansing Record]: "A peculiar painting technique that captures the essence, energy, and spirit of an object, imprinting them onto paper."
The reward seemed promising.
But Li Mo was feeling rather listless at the moment.
Why couldn’t he even grasp the Observation Divine Realm?
What was he supposed to do now?
Did he really have to paint it himself?