The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul-Chapter 729 - 728. Genius!

The rules of the semifinals are fairly straightforward, divided into an upper and a lower half.

Chinese painting and calligraphy competitions are held separately, and since there is overlap between the judges and the contestants for both events, it was arranged for the former to take place in the morning and the latter in the afternoon.

The first half narrows the field from 25 to 15. The contest topics had been announced more than a month in advance, but the contestants were required to paint on the spot today;

The second half goes from 15 to 8, with the contest topics being announced on the spot today. Contestants also have to paint on the spot, but they are given plenty of time to prepare.

"Eh? Why do the rules of the competition sound about the same to me, is there anything different?"

At this time, Song Qingyuan’s three roommates were sitting on the outskirts of the conference room, listening to the host speak while discussing amongst themselves.

"Yeah, they’re all painting on the spot; why bother announcing some topics in advance and not others?"

"What’s the fuss about this, what’s the advantage of knowing the topics in advance?"

No sooner had they spoken than a guy in the front row turned around, looking at the three in surprise.

"You guys aren’t part of our association circle, are you?"

Do they really not understand?

"Bro, isn’t that obvious? If we were part of your circle, would we be sitting here? We’d be sitting with you, holding voting devices."

"Exactly, I would like to cast my precious vote for our own little Qingyuan too, but now I’m willing yet powerless!"

"Why didn’t I register for an account on the association’s official website in advance? Then I could support our little genius..."

Hearing this, the person in front glanced over the three of them, a flash of understanding in his eyes, and threw out another comment.

"Then are all of you from the Imperial Capital?" ƒгeewёbnovel.com

The three, puzzled, shook their heads in unison, looking confused, "No, buddy, this question... what’s the inevitable connection with the one above?"

"Yes, what does being from the Imperial Capital have to do with anything? It shouldn’t matter whether we’re part of the association circle or not, right?"

"Of course, there’s a connection. If you aren’t people from the calligraphy and painting circles and you aren’t locals from the Imperial Capital, why would you come here?"

It would be worth it for someone from the calligraphy and painting circles to make the trip from afar to see the competition, but it’s completely unnecessary for non-association members from other provinces, since the travel expenses for these three days are a significant outlay. Who would idle away their money like this?

But these three were neither? That was truly surprising.

"Wait a minute, you just said you wanted to vote, are you part of some contestant’s friends and family group?"

"Yes, exactly, that handsome guy in the third position, our roommate, impressive, isn’t he?"

"That is indeed impressive. Everyone who made it to the national top 25 is a real contender, but you guys are really loyal, coming all this way to cheer him on."

Feeling quite moved, he knew it wasn’t just about good relations; it also required disposable funds for support. With that in mind, his gaze towards Song Qingyuan on the stage was envious. He couldn’t tell whether he was more envious of Song Qingyuan making it to the semifinals or his having three steadfast buddies.

"You flatter us. Our brotherly bond is strong. The only regret is that we can’t vote to support him."

"What’s there to regret? The competition rules are set to ensure fairness and impartiality. Since you don’t quite understand them, there’s no need to get involved."

Seeing Liao Yicheng on the stage spreading knowledge, the man in front turned almost all the way around, enthusiastically explaining the rules of the competition to the trio.

"Let me tell you, although the competition for the upper and lower halves may seem similar, there is a lot of thought behind each."

"What’s the thought behind it? Tell us more!"

"Yes, yes, we’re all befuddled, totally not getting the difference."

He chuckled, "If the topic is announced in advance, contestants have plenty of time to ponder its meaning and to create preliminary sketches and ideas, all in preparation for their performance on-site today."

"The latter, on the other hand, is a real challenge for contestants’ ability to improvise on the spot. It tests not only their understanding and proficiency in Chinese painting but also their abilities in composition and comprehension of the topic, signaling the start of a true test for the contestants."

As soon as he finished, the three of them were slack-jawed in amazement.

"Wow! There’s so much wisdom in these seemingly small competition rules!"

"You guys have such sophisticated rules in the calligraphy and painting world? But it does make sense, considering little Qingyuan always needs a long time to prepare before painting."

"Right, right, a casual doodle is never as good as one well-prepared."

"Anyone who can think of a way to paint upon seeing a topic is a genius among geniuses!"

"Wait a second, our little Qingyuan also advanced to the calligraphy competition’s semifinals, right? Calligraphy doesn’t require as much time to prepare, does it?"

Upon hearing this, the guy in front turned completely around in shock.

"What?! Your friend advanced in the calligraphy competition as well?!"

Whoa, what a prodigy!

Advancing to the semifinals in both competitions? How incredible is that?

They say one cannot have both the fish and the bear’s paw, but why don’t the old sayings apply to the handsome guy up there? He’s a real-life winner!

The three of them saw his wide open mouth and felt quite proud, almost wishing they could mount neon lights on their foreheads to show off.

"Exactly, our little Qingyuan is Yun Province’s little genius, an award winner from a young age, and also the youngest student in our class. He got into university at fifteen."

"...Amazing!"

The man just let out a single word, expressing his desire to shut himself away right then and there.

You never know how incredible someone is until you compare; he was certainly startled and resolved to keep an eye on this prodigy later!

"You asked about the calligraphy competition just now? The list of advancing contestants being different, the calligraphy competition is scheduled for this afternoon. And there isn’t a set topic for it, just write and it’s done, the best work wins."

"So that’s how it is!"

Well, yes, for calligraphy, you just need to look at the writing. It’s not like composing poetry on the spot; there’s no need for a topic.

...

After Liao Yicheng finished introducing everyone present and the rules of the competition, the 25 contestants laid out their prepared contest pieces on their tables, and the judges scored them on the spot.

"Now, we’d like to invite the judges to score the contestants’ works. Each contestant’s piece will also be displayed on the big screen in turn; the audience with voting devices can select their top ten favorite works, and the highest scorers advance."

With those words, the competition venue became lively.

Master Bai and several other senior members of the association, who were not judges, also looked through each work one by one, exchanging views and opinions.

"Old Xue, I remember that both of your competitions entered the top 25, right?"