The Versatile Master Artist

Buds sprout here, imbued with mysterious magic.

Amidst the intertwining of light and dark, starry rivers and sandy seas, a thin mist flows, resembling air or water vapor, like a hazy starlight.

The painting knife descends,

The vast earth and sky, all sounds are silent, and brilliant colors converge into a lifelike lonely prince.

Gu Weijing let out a gentle sigh.

”Ah, it still feels... like something’s missing.”

Creating such a work is truly an enjoyment.

Without a doubt, this is the most outstanding piece Gu Weijing has ever painted.

Yet the budding tree did not bear fruit, and the little prince on the canvas did not truly come alive.

This is a painting that fulfilled ninety-nine percent of Gu Weijing’s expectations, outstanding and perfect to the extreme, yet it did not break through.

He’s reached the limit of his current emotions but hasn’t made that groundbreaking next step.

It’s still not quite stunning.

Like the tales of Ancient Greece’s esoteric teachings, where Hermes, the God of Alchemy on Mount Olympus, uses Mithril as material and Apollo’s sun chariot flame as the furnace, trying to forge a living alchemy puppet.

After nine days and nights of continuous forging, the puppet gained a heartbeat, breath, and even its eyelashes gently trembled.

Yet, without Athena tossing her olive wreath into the flames, bestowing a spark of soul, it still could not truly awaken.

The canvas had life,

missing only that final spark to awaken the character.

The system panel’s prompt also indicated this.

[Title: ”Little Prince on the Night Sand Dune”]

[Painting Technique: Painting Knife Painting·Legendary Level]

[Emotion: Heartfelt (Perfection)]

It seems as if the system aims to remind Gu Weijing that even though it’s rated as [Heartfelt], this painting still shows essential progress and difference from his previous works.

Behind the Heartfelt evaluation, there’s an additional golden note representing ”Perfection.”

”Perfection, this seems like a consolation prize given to a student who only ranked second, yet there’s still some gain.”

Gu Weijing sighed.

”This painting should already be the pinnacle of [Heartfelt] emotion evaluation. If I were to say something’s missing, perhaps... it’s not quite sweat and blood.”

He shook his head.

This attempt at a new painting technique subtly allowed him to glimpse the path to the next stage beneath the emotional surface.

First move oneself, then move others.

No matter if you are an undiscovered painter or a master of painting who made waves at the official Paris salon, becoming the honored guest of the European Royal family, artwork creation always follows one unchanging law.

First talk about moving oneself, then talk about moving the audience.

Whether it’s a figure, architecture, or even if a painter is merely depicting the simplest weather, only those works that can astonish themselves can astonish the audience.

The emotions poured into their own works by the famous artist seen by the general public are unimaginable to ordinary people.

It’s not only Mr. Van Gogh who cut off his ear for painting oil paintings.

Monet also wrote in a letter to a friend,

that to depict the sunset glow in Paris, while brewing the emotions for the creation of twilight scenery, he stood by the river contemplating the flaming clouds until he developed symptoms of delusional mental illness.

”These flaming clouds feel like burning blankets pressing on me, my body feels scorching as if on fire, and I must jump into the icy waters of the Seine River to extinguish the burning pain on my body.”

If asked what sweat and blood emotions are.

Perhaps this kind of passionate madness, the kind of intensity where one cannot live without it, is what sweat and blood truly means.

Elder Cao, through half a life of accumulation, witnessed the world’s tempest, with spirit and energy unified, only then can he achieve such outstanding results in the ”Buddha Worship and Protection Painting”.

Gu Weijing is not Mr. Tree Sloth,

His sensitivity to literature is far inferior to painting. When reading ”The Little Prince”, he still lacks that feeling of truly moving himself, that awe-inspiring sensation.

If one really argues about sweat and blood.

Actually, Mr. Tree Sloth is more deserving of this title than himself; he’s indeed a good agent.

In the world’s Grand Galleries like Gagosian, there are many knowledgeable agents with connections.

An agent willing to read daily and painstakingly strive for a minor artist like Gu Weijing to create better works.

Encountering one is both his luck and fortune.

Gu Weijing reminisced about the feeling during painting just minutes ago, and without overthinking, scanned the painting into electronic format.

And so be it.

This painting is already exceptional; Gu Weijing’s understanding of ”The Little Prince” is thus, having painted it like this is much thanks to Mr. Tree Sloth’s help.

It’s even slightly higher rated than Carol’s ”Old Church” according to the system evaluation.

That Master Level female painter’s Impressionist works, after a Heartfelt emotional evaluation, did not have the perfection note.

The path lies ahead.

To truly create a work of [Sweat and Blood], he still needs to wait for the next opportunity.

...

”Why is it so late today, you’re going to be late for school. Gu Weijing, did you secretly stay up playing games last night?” A middle-aged woman coughs unhappily.

”Your sister is far more punctual than you!” Aunt slammed the electric iron heavily onto the table.

It’s breakfast time.

Gu Weijing’s family gathered in the courtyard for breakfast.