Chapter 548 - Fish leaping through the Dragon's Gate

It was really just a door, and this shocked everyone, including Qiu Baihao. Everyone looked at Liu Wuxie with confusion because they thought he would put up a fight even if he would lose.

After three strokes on the paper, Liu Wuxie placed the brush down, and the entire process took less than three breaths. A gate was presented before everyone, and he said, "It's finished!"

"Hahaha! Liu Wuxie, you've lost! Hand over that ancient sword!" Yin Jingwu jumped out and demanded Liu Wuxie to hand over the quasi-heavenly artifact.

What happened on the boat was swiftly spread out through Communication Talismans.

"He really painted a gate. What the hell is he doing?" Those by the lakeside jumped around anxiously.

"I lost?" Liu Wuxie sneered, and he continued, "You think his garbage painting can beat my gate?"

Liu Wuxie even insulted Qiu Baihao's painting as garbage. His remark naturally drew an uproar among the crowd because everyone had praised Qiu Baihao's painting, and even Murong Yi had shown a hint of approval. However, Liu Wuxie had blatantly called it trash.

Murderous intent swept out from Qiu Baihao, and this was the first time someone had commented on his painting as garbage.

"Liu Wuxie, you dare say that Senior Brother Qiu's painting is garbage? You're finished!" Yin Jingwu planned to act against Liu Wuxie as he refused to admit defeat, and he could only seize the quasi-heavenly artifact over himself.

Even the House of Tea Art had no grounds or qualification to intervene because anyone could see whose painting was superior.

"Stop!" Madam Li intervened. She glanced at Liu Wuxie's painting before looking at Qiu Baihao's. Her eyes turned back to Liu Wuxie, hoping he could explain himself.

"Liu Wuxie, forgive our poor judgment, but you should at least prove your point since you claimed Brother Qiu's painting to be of low quality." Many cultivators hoped that Liu Wuxie could explain.

More people stood up and demanded an explanation from Liu Wuxie. After all, empty words weren't enough to dismiss Qiu Baihao's painting as garbage.

Murong Yi, Madam Li, Hua Chenye, and even Bai Zhi turned to look at Liu Wuxie, waiting for his explanation.

......

Over a thousand eyes turned to Liu Wuxie, awaiting his explanation.

"Since that's the case, I'll make you all admit defeat willingly!" Liu Wuxie waved his hand, and his painting flew into the air. It didn't fly over to the boat's center but to the lake's surface.

"Is he insane? How will he explain himself once the painting falls into the water?" Liu Wuxie's action drew a wave of mockery from the Azure Crimson Gate disciples.

More people chimed in and believed something was wrong with Liu Wuxie's mind. Even those by the lakeside had turned their gazes over.

"Look, something is coming up!" Tens of thousands of eyes stared at the painting.

“What is that? A gate?” Confusion rippled through the crowd. Many had heard that Liu Wuxie had painted a gate, but few knew what it truly looked like. Now, as they stared at the painting, the truth was undeniable—Liu Wuxie had indeed created a gate.

"What do you think he's doing? Why did he throw that painting into the lake?" Many people were baffled and could only ask those beside them. No one had an answer, and Shui Huan was also baffled by Liu Wuxie.

"Golden light! Look, there's golden light coming from the gate!" Those standing at the boat's edge looked at Liu Wuxie's gate painting, which emitted a faint golden light.

This exclamation startled everyone and drew their attention over to the lake. As the golden light grew brighter, a gate was released.

An even more unbelievable scene occurred as a carp leaped from the lake and jumped over the gate.

"Fish leaping over the dragon's gate!" someone exclaimed and covered their mouth.

"That's the dragon's gate! It's not an ordinary gate!"

Liu Wuxie, having refined the divine dragon’s bones and possessing its bloodline, was able to channel a trace of the divine dragon’s power. The gate he painted was not just symbolic—it carried real, mystical energy.

As more onlookers voiced their amazement, fish began emerging from the water, leaping over the gate in droves. With each leap, a faint golden radiance enveloped the fish as they absorbed a trace of the dragon’s energy.

“Young lady...he...” Lady Yan was too emotional to speak, gripping Murong Yi's arm tightly.

Murong Yi's eyes shone brightly as she looked at the lake before turning to Liu Wuxie. She noticed that he had returned to his usual self, completely immersed in his world, and ignored everything in the surroundings.

The entire event lasted for fifteen minutes before the golden light began to disappear. After the dragon energy dissipated, the painting sank into the lake and disappeared.

Qiu Baihao was frozen as if he were deaf and couldn't hear the voices around him. He felt like he had fallen down a cliff and wanted to scream for help, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The Azure Crimson Gate's disciples were stunned and couldn't comprehend what had just happened. They looked at each other in disbelief.

"Young lady, that must be a transcendent-grade painting!" Lady Yan shook Murong Yi’s arm. Everyone shivered and wondered if Liu Wuxie was the reincarnation of a painting immortal to create such a masterpiece. The news of an ordinary gate attracting fish to leap would undoubtedly shock the world.

Everyone's eyes were filled with fear when they looked at Liu Wuxie. This seemingly unremarkable young man had finally revealed his sharp edges.

Those by the lakeside were equally shocked, and many people had recorded the scene of fish leaping across the gate. There were already rumors that Liu Wuxie was a painting immortal's reincarnation. Someone also claimed that Liu Wuxie was an expert from the Dragon Clan.

There were countless stories surrounding Liu Wuxie's feats, but it was difficult to separate truth from myth.

"Senior Brother Qiu, are you alright?" The Azure Crimson Gate disciples looked at Qiu Baihao, whose face was terrifyingly pale as he sat motionless, with concern. They called him several times before he came to his senses and let out a sigh.

"I've lost!" Qiu Baihao wasn't as shameless as Yin Jingwu. A loss was a loss, and he admitted that he couldn’t achieve what Liu Wuxie did.

When he tossed the Origin Yang Stone over to Liu Wuxie, this marked the end of the duel.

When Liu Wuxie accepted the Origin Yang Stone, he refined it in front of everyone as terrifying Origin Yang energy poured into his body. After it was added to the desolate world, it felt like there was a ray of sunlight. Even the plants became more vibrant and full of life after they absorbed the origin yang energy.

It felt like a ray of dawn had shot into this grey world, but a single Origin Yang Stone wasn't enough for the vast desolate world. If it were another person in the Heavenly Phase Realm, absorbing an Origin Yang Stone would be enough for him to advance in cultivation.

However, the Origin Yang Stone could only strengthen Liu Wuxie's desolate world, and the surroundings became quiet. Those who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier chose to shut their mouths, not daring to say a word.

"Brother Liu, you have truly opened my eyes. Could it be that you're a painting immortal?" Shui Huan asked.

The crowd turned to look at Liu Wuxie, eager to hear his response. After all, they believed only the reincarnation of a painting immortal could create such a breathtaking masterpiece.

After all, the skills used by Liu Wuxie were inferior compared to Qiu Baihao, but such an unremarkable gate had lured fish to leap over it.

"Painting isn't all about skills. Look at the inkstone," Liu Wuxie said with a devilish smile.

When Shui Huan looked at the inkstone, he noticed it emitting faint spiritual energy.

"That's powdered spirit stone!" Shui Huan was baffled and wondered how a crushed spirit stone could be in the inkstone. They looked at Liu Wuxie in bewilderment, and the others were equally puzzled.

"Do you all really think that was a transcendent-grade painting? I only added some spirit stones when you ground ink. When the fish sensed the spiritual energy, it was natural for them to leap out from the lake," Liu Wuxie said, and his words struck everyone like a thunderbolt. Even Shui Huan was shocked.

"What about the golden light?" Just spiritual energy alone wasn't enough to lure the fish and make them leap over the gate.

"Just add a golden spiritual rune into it!" Liu Wuxie shrugged, and his words left the crowd in shock.

Qiu Baihao threw up a mouthful of blood after he heard Liu Wuxie's explanation. He hadn’t lost because of his painting skills, but his technique.

"Liu Wuxie, that's cheating! Hand over the Origin Yang Stone and quasi-heavenly artifact!" Yin Jingwu roared because Liu Wuxie had cheated. That painting wasn’t a transcendent-grade painting, but a trick.

More Azure Crimson Gate disciples joined in to denounce Liu Wuxie.

"Liu Wuxie was too cunning to resort to such trickeries!" The respect everyone had for Liu Wuxie turned into boiling rage, and the Azure Crimson Gate disciples surrounded Liu Wuxie, demanding him to hand over the Oring Yang Stone and quasi-heavenly artifact.

"That's enough!" Qiu Baihao roared, and everyone turned their eyes to him.

"Senior Brother Qiu, he cheated!" The Azure Crimson Gate disciples looked at Qiu Baihao in confusion.

"A loss is a loss, and I don’t feel wronged by it," Qiu Baihao said, though fury burned beneath his calm words. He hadn't lost due to a lack of skill in painting, but rather because he had underestimated Liu Wuxie. The painting techniques he had once taken pride in seemed worthless in the face of Liu Wuxie's display, who had defeated him with what appeared to be a simple trick. Yet, even if Liu Wuxie openly admitted to cheating, who would believe it?

Several disciples with respectable painting skills attempted to replicate Liu Wuxie’s feat. They infused their ink with spirit stones and drew golden spiritual runes, hoping to mimic the magical gate. But their paintings failed to emit even the faintest glow, let alone summon fish to leap through. It was clear Liu Wuxie had said it to humiliate the Azure Crimson Gate, a deliberate jab.

Everyone seemed to understand what Qiu Baihao meant; there was no need to embarrass themselves further since they had lost. Since they were enemies, Liu Wuxie would naturally resort to any means necessary to crush them.

No one knew how Liu Wuxie achieved that. The gate looked ordinary and nothing special, but it could manifest into a dragon's gate.

Only a transcendent-grade painting could achieve that by manifesting artistic concepts into an actual world.

The Azure Crimson Gate disciples returned to their seats, but their murderous intent for Liu Wuxie had grown. Liu Wuxie repeatedly humiliated them, and the feud between them was now formed—there was no reconciliation, only life and death.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

A duel had ended in this manner, in a way that no one had expected. Everyone on the boat became somber because Liu Wuxie had crushed everyone, whether in poetry or painting.