The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul-Chapter 739 - 738. Top Four List

"Good horse, good painting, good artistic conception!"

Master Bai laughed heartily, using the word "good" three times in a row, which was enough to show the excitement he felt at that moment. freeweɓnøvel.com

Not only Master Bai, but also others like Master Xue around the table were deeply shocked, and even the staff members like Group Leader Zhou, who could only glimpse a corner of the painting through a gap, felt the distinctiveness of this painting.

Majestic, heroic, and unstoppable.

It was just like the people of our nation in adversity, unwilling to be oppressed, rising in rebellion, and vowing to defend to the death!

"A masterpiece, a rare masterpiece! Can I really feel a thick killing aura coming from this galloping horse painting?"

"No, it’s probably not just a killing aura that simple, it’s the aura of iron and blood that has trampled thousands of miles!"

"A soaring spirit, I feel like I am standing high above, overlooking the entire earth!"

"Haha, I also have this feeling, it’s more like the shock of piercing through the clouds to see the dawn and hope, tsk tsk—"

As the saying goes, a hundred people may interpret a painting in a hundred ways, and people with different characters may have different inspirations from the same thing; this was the case with Tang Shu’s Gallop Horse Painting.

At the scene, one after another, the crowd expressed their own thoughts.

I do not know how long it had been, but Professor Li, who had not spoken until then, finally managed to move his gaze away from "The Gallop Horse Painting" and looked towards Tang Shu, who stood opposite him, with eyes filled with shock and complexity.

"Young lady, not bad, really not bad at all."

This was way beyond not bad, it was extraordinary!

Professor Li had thought that his "Charming Landscape" was already full of dominance and would surely take the lead, and indeed it had been so, as everyone from the very beginning had admired one painting after another until three minutes ago; he had never changed his opinion.

But!

There was the uncertainty brought by Tang Shu.

Never had he imagined that this final piece would overthrow his understanding of Master Xu’s Gallop Horse Painting.

The two completely different "Gallop Horse Paintings," while both themed around horses, expressed quite different meanings. Master Xu’s horses symbolized resilience, indomitability, and an unyielding spirit.

Whereas Tang Shu’s horses carried an additional touch of a commanding presence.

Just like "The Phoenix Comes" from yesterday!

Images from the landscape painting he had seen at the Bai Family Courtyard flashed in Professor Li’s mind; he remembered having perceived that same commanding presence, felt as if... the one who held the brush had once stood at the pinnacle of a mountain, overlooking the entire lands.

This feeling was too strange.

And more so when the artist was a girl who was not yet twenty, seemingly delicate and soft in appearance. What kind of experience did she have in her short life to draw such insight?

It truly was a mystery.

Dean Wang shared the same sentiment, his gaze shining with light, his composure long gone.

"Young lady, what boldness you have! The theme of this competition is ’Gallop Horse Painting’, where others avoid its sharpness, yet you daringly go against the grain."

And most importantly, this path she took proved successful!

Worthy indeed of the one who had painted the landscape and The Phoenix Comes, Uncle She’s giving and withholding. Now, no one will question her authenticity anymore.

In the face of everyone’s praise, Tang Shu standing there just smiled.

"Thank you all for your praise; I, the junior, am unworthy and still have many areas where I can improve."

Calm and composed, utterly serene.

Her attitude surprised everyone even more, and they couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, "A hero emerges from youth."

Such praise, if placed on her peers or even those older than her, would have made them overjoyed to the point of losing themselves, and even those with a strong mentality wouldn’t be able to hide a bit of pride in their eyes.

However, not a single trace of triumph or smugness could be seen in Tang Shu’s eyes, replaced instead by calmness as if the words of praise were not about her at all.

Truly... it’s divine!

What kind of person must they be, to be able to teach such an outstanding young woman?

Bai Chenxi sneakily shuffled a small step closer to his grandpa, "Grandpa, what do you think of the trump card I played with this student?"

"Huh, it’s all Xiao Shu’s doing, what does it have to do with you?"

"..."

So, I’m not your biological grandson, right?

***

At 3 P.M. that afternoon, the top four rankings for the traditional Chinese painting competition were announced.

Xue Mingxi was at the top by a slim margin, with the former first-ranked Tang Zhou now in second, Ye Xiaohui in third, and Song Qingyuan, who miraculously managed to squeeze into the last spot in the top four.

As for Yang Fen, she had achieved the commendable fifth place but, of course, that was as far as she would go.

"Wow! Your roommate is freaking awesome, she made it to the top four!"

The person in the last row with a voting device had already gotten familiar with the trio of friends and family, and the conversation had become quite casual.

"Hehe, I told you our Little Qingyuan is incredible, his last ranking was definitely an off-performance!"

"Yeah, yeah, this guy has a lot of potential, he can absolutely secure a spot in the top three."

"You guys are really full of confidence, but... why is he always at the bottom? Does he actually like it that way???"

"Bro, you might not understand him very well, this kid is a genius, but he’s got this laid-back toothpaste-squeezing mentality, he won’t try hard unless you push him."

"Probably the last ranking hit him hard, he finally put in the effort this time."

Amidst the casual banter of Song Qingyuan’s friends and family about his "Buddha-like daily life," the tone was light. However, to the person listening in front, it sounded like an entirely different story.

"..."

The thing he hated the most in life were talented individuals who didn’t give their all.

Really!

After the rankings were announced, the works of the eight contestants were projected onto the large screen above the stage in the order of their rankings, with the scores given by the judges displayed clearly below them for everyone to see easily.

Both the audience in the voting section and the regular viewers were appreciating each piece one after the other, expressing their admiration and sharing their opinions in low voices. The eight contestants on stage weren’t idle either, voicing their thoughts as well.

"Little Qingyuan, you’re quite something, making it to the next round again!"

"Right, Sister Fenfen? I told you I’m the best!"

"Pfft~~~ But you’re still at the end of the line, do you have an obsession with coming in last?"

"Can’t help it, even coming in last is better than being knocked out like you."

"Don’t be smug, I got a comment from Uncle She, you didn’t!"

"... Damn, you have to hit where it hurts, huh?"

Song Qingyuan covered his chest in a shocked expression. Good lord, they had known each other for less than two days, and Sister had already got a firm grip on his emotional switches?

Crazy——

"Still, Sister Xiaohui is gentle, not like some people who only know how to stab knives into people’s hearts."

Ye Xiaohui: "Don’t try to sweet-talk me with your flattery, I won’t go easy on you in tomorrow’s final."