My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

At least in his view, compared to a year ago, the two of them now possess the skills of an excellent painter.

While it may not be considered top-tier, it is certainly outstanding.

However, at this moment, Minister Suigetsu was most looking forward to Naoto's paintings.

Minister Suigetsu didn't care at all what Naoto had done.

He didn't take the struggles of young people seriously at all.

He didn't care even if a straight man publicly argued with Nan Yunxiao online.

After all, this was a trivial matter for him.

Compared to those who stab you in the back at the drop of a hat, the actions of a straightforward person are far too gentle.

Because those enemies lurking unnoticed are those who could kill you if you made even the slightest mistake.

Having climbed to such a high position at such a young age, I've naturally become accustomed to those kinds of things.

Not only him, but even the members of the Nan Yun family didn't really care about Naoto's actions.

Rather, the two parents were quite happy to be able to teach their child a lesson.

Although Nan Yunxiao is the next heir of the Nan Yun family, he is still too inexperienced.

Both of them had seen what he had done, but they didn't dare to discipline him because he was their only son.

It's quite nice to have someone of the same generation to teach you a lesson these days.

Besides, Naoto didn't kill anyone or anything, so it's fine to just let it go like this.

Shuiyue, on the other hand, has genuinely developed a fondness for talent.

Before coming here, Mizuki had also read some of Naoto's previous works.

Although both paintings are in Naoto's own home, there are also photos of Naoto online.

Regarding those two paintings, Shuiyue also believed that Naoto was a talented young man, so he was very much looking forward to seeing how Naoto's work would turn out this time.

"That's strange, why haven't we seen Naoto Yamashita's painting yet?"

After searching for a long time, Minister Shuiyue still hadn't seen Naoto's painting, and he was somewhat disappointed.

In his opinion, it's impossible that Naoto Yamashita couldn't have failed the primary election, right? That would be too ridiculous.

Just as Minister Shuiyue was thinking this, a painting in his hand suddenly caught his attention.

In the dark abyss, countless hands reach out to the boy floating in the sea, while above the boy's head is a dazzling starry sky.

Such a painting immediately caught the eye of Minister Shuiyue.

This painting is simply extraordinary.

Surprisingly, Minister Shuiyue was unable to understand the meaning of the painting at first glance.

Normally, the hand in the bottomless abyss should be trying to pull the boy into the abyss.

But strangely, these hands were out of place in the abyss; instead, they were filled with a holy radiance.

It was as if these hands were not pulling the boy into the abyss, but supporting him as he journeyed towards the brilliant starry sky.

"The artist of this painting is..."

At this moment, Minister Shuiyue quickly looked at the artist of the painting.

Sure enough, this painting was the one I had been looking forward to—Naoto Yamashita's work.

Meanwhile, the judges, who were arguing incessantly, suddenly looked at Minister Shuiyue, who was sitting in his seat with a smile on his face.

"Everyone, why don't we all take a look and critique this interesting piece of work together?"

Chapter 184: The Hands Supporting Progress

"This painting is..."

"What a unique painting. The colors are so cool, yet it gives you the illusion of a vast and boundless sky."

"More than an oil painting, I feel this is an anime poster, using oil painting techniques to create a comic, blending the two together. I remember only..."

"That's right, the artist of this painting is Naoto Yamashita."

After receiving the minister's approval, all the professors around him held their breath and began to observe this unique oil painting.

In fact, not only the ministers were very interested in Naoto Yamashita's work, but the other professors and judges were also very curious about his paintings this time.

After all, before the match even started, Naoto had already said that he would go all out and defeat his opponent with absolute strength.

Everyone naturally wanted to know what Naoto Yamashita meant by "going all out."

Since Naoto Yamashita's debut, all of his works have been widely recognized. Even those who think Naoto Yamashita is incredibly young know his talent.

Who wouldn't want to get to know such a gifted young man?

Everyone was wondering why Naoto's drawing hadn't appeared until now, and only now has it finally been revealed.

The first impression people have of this work, titled "Pillars of Progress," is its beauty.

It is so beautiful.

The abyss and the starry sky are separated by the azure sea.

A holy hand pushed the boy towards the dazzling starry sky.

The inspiration for this painting comes from the Diver character in Naruto Shippuden.

When Naruto fell into the abyss, it was with the support of countless people that he was able to leap out of the deep sea.

As enemies appeared one after another, surrounding Naruto, his comrades still supported him. Even after Sasuke's betrayal, Naruto still considered Sasuke his best friend and relentlessly followed in Sasuke's footsteps.

Based on this image, Naoto created this painting titled "Pillar of Progress".

When immersed in the artistic conception of this painting, everyone felt as if their souls had sunk into a bottomless abyss.

The thick seawater kept dragging them into the abyss, where they were utterly powerless in the icy water.

As Minister Shuiyue looked at the painting, memories of the past seemed to float before his eyes one by one.

The icy, bone-chilling seawater was something you wanted to escape but couldn't.

The persecution from his superiors, the cold stares from his enemies, the ridicule from outsiders—each and every one of these painful experiences was like a chain from hell, seemingly trying to pull him into that darkness.

But just when he was in such despair, hands began to appear behind him.

He remembers them; even after years, or even decades, he still remembers the face of everyone behind him.

Former friends and partners began to appear behind him, supporting him as he continued to rise.

And the speed is getting faster and faster.

Until Shuiyue's body suddenly burst out of the water, what greeted him was a vast starry sky.

Minister Shuiyue had never seen such a beautiful starry sky.

So vast, so tranquil.

He realized that these stars were what he had always been pursuing.

Fame, money, love—all these things exist within that sea of ​​stars.

"This, what exactly is this..."

When Minister Mizuki came to his senses, he found himself still sitting in the meeting room.

But what exactly was that incredibly realistic hallucination?

Everything that just happened felt so real, as if I had actually been underwater.

I once visited foreign countries and saw those classic works, and briefly fell into a wonderful illusion.

But Minister Mizuki had never seen such a realistic scene before.

"Does such a vivid illusion truly exist in this world?"

At this moment, Shuiyue looked at the judges who were also trapped in hallucinations and felt somewhat incredulous.

Looking at the people who had supported her in her previous hallucinations, Shuiyue couldn't help but think of the painting's name again.

"The pillar that propels me forward? It turns out, I've always been supported by friendship."

At this moment, Shuiyue couldn't help but reminisce about her student days.

As the young master of the Shuiyue family, Shuiyue was not actually a social person at school.

I have very few friends, only two or three.

But without exception, they were all the closest of friends.

At that time, they believed that they would always be friends.

However, after graduation, they gradually lost contact with each other.

Perhaps it was because they started new lives, or perhaps for some other reason, but gradually they went down different paths.

However, Shuiyue still can't forget how her friends helped her during her most difficult time.

Back then, as a recent graduate, I believed that even without family support, I could still make a name for myself.

But what awaited him was undoubtedly a head full of bumps and bruises.

The deceit and treachery in society are not something a recent graduate can easily grasp.

Soon, he was cornered by his own enemies.

At that time, one of my jobs was in crisis. A batch of goods had problems, resulting in not only a financial hole but also a loss of the goods themselves.

At that time, it was several of his friends who not only provided him with funds but also helped him through the difficult period.

One of them even persuaded his family to exchange the goods for the original ones.

It was precisely because of this incident that Shuiyue rose to prominence and became a shining new star in the political arena.

In just twenty years, he went from a novice to a high-ranking official in the country.

This is absolutely inseparable from the help of all my friends.

Friendship is like pearls, and memories are like diamonds.