Honkai Impact 3rd: Join Anti-Entropy at the start and dominate the entertainment industry.

"Of course!" Kosmo said proudly, as if he had painted it himself. "Gresh is the vice president of our school's art club. She is already a well-known painter in the art world at such a young age and is known as the youngest genius girl painter."

"The reason these people are snapping up Gretchen's paintings is actually a form of investment. Although Gretchen is not yet a great painter, one day she will become world-famous, and her paintings will be worth much more than this. Conservatively speaking, they could be worth dozens of times more!"

Bai Qianqu gasped. If that time really came, wouldn't one of Gretsch's paintings sell for several million?

While Bai Qianqu was chatting with Kosmo, Gretchen also came over. When she saw Bai Qianqu, a happy expression appeared on her face.

"Hello, Teacher Bai!"

"Hello." Bai Qianqu smiled. "I didn't expect your painting to be so popular. It seems that Gretchen's painting skills are really good."

"No, no, I just like to draw." Gretchen waved her hands repeatedly.

"No need to be modest. I'd like to ask you for a favor. I have a painting here that I'd like you to take a look at."

"No problem at all!"

Greta visibly perked up when the topic of painting came up.

Bai Qianqu took out her phone, pulled out the portrait of Bronya she had drawn earlier, and handed it to Gretsch.

Greta initially thought Bai Qianqu had bought a painting for her to appreciate, but when her gaze fell on Bai Qianqu's phone screen, she was completely stunned.

This is a portrait sketch, and Greta is most familiar with this type of sketch. With her expert-level skills, when she saw this picture, she actually felt a sense of admiration that she had only felt when she was learning to draw.

It was as if she were looking at a masterpiece, a painting so perfect that she couldn't find a single flaw.

The girl in the painting seems to come alive, so lifelike that every smile and frown is captivating.

The ink lines and brushstrokes in the painting are very simple, but they use the simplest form to depict the most vivid scene, and the girl's charm and liveliness leap off the paper.

The immortal is truly an immortal, yet he can evoke the most primal desires within people's hearts.

Greta is a girl, so she can resist a little. If it were any other boy, he would probably be drooling right now.

She quickly took a deep breath to calm herself down, and it took her a while to calm down.

She had heard from others that looking at certain paintings for a long time can evoke certain emotions deep within you, such as sadness, joy, despair, or hope.

Those who can create those paintings are all top-tier artists, surpassing even S-class artists.

However, such people are extremely rare. Only some works from the past have this magical power, and no contemporary painter can create such works.

Gretchen once saw a painting that has been passed down through generations, called "Lady in the Rain." This painting is now in the collections of museums around the world. It is said that the previous owners of this painting all suffered from serious psychological problems, and the reason was that they looked at this painting for a long time.

Gretchen only watched for a short while before feeling a heavy sense of dread and quickly left without daring to look any longer.

But she remembered that feeling back then, and now she actually felt an indescribable feeling in Bai Qianqu's painting. Although it was only a very slight feeling, she was absolutely certain that there was emotion in the painting!

The last time it was fear, but this time it's actually feelings.

It's as if the artist has painted out all his inner feelings, and these feelings also affect Gretchen, who is looking at the painting.

Yes, she had completely fallen in love with the painting, and at that moment, the only thought in her mind was to possess it.

With Gretchen's excellent appreciation of painting, she was certain that the artist of this painting was definitely superior to herself.

She absolutely must meet the artist of this painting!

Greta held Bai Qianqu's phone, carefully examining every detail of the painting, her eyes filled with undisguised fervor and joy.

Sketching? Is this the highest level of sketching?

There was clearly a beautiful woman standing right in front of me! Her demeanor and charm were absolutely stunning!

How astonishing!

This level of skill is at least at the master level of sketching!

Greta excitedly looked up at Bai Qianqu and asked, "Teacher Bai! Who painted this picture? No, which master painted it?"

At this moment, Kosmo also came over, and after just one glance, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"This painting is so beautiful! The girl in it looks like a fairy!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Qianqu chuckled and said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is something I drew casually."

"Drawn by Teacher Bai?!" Kosmer was taken aback, a look of doubt on his face. "Aren't you a composer? Can you also paint?"

Chapter 226 Confident

Bai Qianqu knew it was time to show off her true skills. Only in this way could she best persuade him, and showcasing her painting skills would also make it easier to win over Gretsch later.

At this moment, Gretchen also showed a puzzled look, tilting her head to look at Bai Qianqu.

"Teacher Bai, who is depicted in this picture? I can tell from the painting that you seem to like her very much."

Bai Qianqu scratched his head: "To be honest, her name is Bronya. This picture is actually drawn by myself based on the scene I imagined in my mind."

Seeing Gretchen tilt her head again, Bai Qianqu decided that it was best to prove herself with her strength.

"Do you have any drawing tools? I'll just draw one."

Kosmo was quite surprised and quickly said, "I was just joking with you, Mr. Qu Yin, I wasn't questioning you."

Bai Qianqu said nonchalantly, "It's okay, I can finish drawing it quickly. I'll just draw a simple one."

Seeing that Bai Qianqu didn't seem to be joking, Gretsch thought for a moment and said, "Then Teacher Bai, come with me. There's a dedicated art studio in the back."

Following Gretchen to the back of the venue, Bai Qianqu indeed saw an empty room with a full set of painting tools inside.

“This is an emergency room; it’s usually empty.” Gretchen set up the easel. “Ms. Bai, let me help you. What tools do you need? I’ll get them for you.”

"Thank you, Gretchen."

"It's okay, I'm also looking forward to Teacher Bai's work."

Bai Qianqu stared at the paper, pondering which painting to choose.

This painting must be simple, quick to produce, and eye-catching.

After much thought, Bai Qianqu finally made a decision: he would paint bamboo!

That's right, it's just drawing a few bamboo stalks!

With his current skill level, painting a few bamboo stalks would be a piece of cake, a matter of minutes. However, in order to win over Gretsch in one fell swoop, he still spent one million to commission a masterpiece by Mr. Shishi, "Ink Bamboo Painting," from the system.

Mr. Shishi, whose given name was Wen Tong and courtesy name was Yu Ke, was a famous painter and poet of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was a cousin of Su Shi and was skilled in calligraphy and painting. He was admired by Wen Yanbo, Sima Guang and others.

Mr. Shishi's most accomplished paintings were of bamboo. In painting bamboo, he emphasized experience, advocating for careful observation before putting brush to paper. His technique of using dark ink for the front and light ink for the back of the bamboo leaves is a classic method that was later imitated and followed by many, forming the so-called "Ink Bamboo School." Mr. Shishi himself became known as the "Master of Ink Bamboo." Because he served as an official in Huzhou, his school of painting was also called the "Wenhu Ink Bamboo School." Wen Tong's ink bamboo works had a significant influence on many painters of his time, including Su Shi, Wang Tingyun and his son in the Jin Dynasty, and Li Kan in the Yuan Dynasty. Ink bamboo gradually became an important subject in literati painting, exerting a profound influence on later generations.

There is a famous Chinese idiom, "胸有成竹" (xiōng yǒu chéng zhú), which describes him perfectly.

"Gresh, I want to paint traditional Chinese paintings!"

Upon hearing this, Gretchen immediately prepared the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. While grinding the ink, she secretly observed Bai Qianqu.

At this moment, Bai Qianqu was slightly closing her eyes, trying her best to absorb and digest the "Ink Bamboo Painting".

Although this painting is simple, it embodies the essence of Mr. Shishi's painting techniques. Bai Qianqu will need some time to learn it all.

Five minutes later, Bai Qianqu suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, the various characteristics of bamboo were incredibly clear in his mind, as if he had observed bamboo countless times and could draw the image of bamboo in various states at will.

Bai Qianqu took the brush from Gretsch, took a deep breath, and began to rapidly splash ink onto the paper.

His painting process can be summarized in a sentence by Su Shi: "After holding the brush and looking closely, he sees what he wants to paint, and then he quickly gets up and follows it, wielding the brush straight and fast to pursue what he sees, like a rabbit leaping and a falcon swooping down. If he hesitates even slightly, it will be gone."

Greta froze the moment Bai Qianqu put down his brush. She could sense that Bai Qianqu had become a different person. Standing in front of her was not a young man, but an old man with white hair and a youthful face. Every move he made seemed to have been practiced for countless years, full of confidence and decisiveness, without hesitation or any hesitation.

In just a few breaths, a straight and upright bamboo appeared on the Xuan paper.

Before Greta could recover, Bai Qianqu continued to wield her brush, the dark and light ink complementing each other. Amidst the variations in ink density, the bamboo leaves' turning and facing away were fully revealed, creating a harmonious balance of solid and void, density and sparseness.

At this moment, Bai Qianqu was completely in the zone. He drew several bamboos of different shapes in one go. These bamboos seemed to grow in a dense forest, intertwined and free, full of vigorous vitality.

When he put down his brush, the rice paper in front of him was already covered with various tall, vigorous, and slender green bamboos.

Looking at the bamboo in front of him, Bai Qianqu couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

"When it comes to painting bamboo, Mr. Shishi is still the best."

It's no wonder that later generations have been so enthusiastic about him; this one painting alone is a masterpiece.

While Bai Qianqu was engrossed in painting, she was completely unaware that several people had appeared behind her. Besides Gretchen and Kosmo, there was also a beautiful woman with long platinum blonde hair wearing an elegant cheongsam.

She was resting her chin on one hand, watching Bai Qianqu paint with great interest.

At this moment, Gretchen stared blankly at the painting for a long time, like a stone statue. She unconsciously took a step forward and reached out to touch the painting, but quickly stepped back.

She was afraid she would damage the painting.

Kosmo wanted to step forward for a closer look, but Gretsch blocked him.

"The ink on this painting isn't dry yet, so don't get too close."

"Is that so?" Kosmo was very surprised; he had never seen Gretsch so serious before.

The blonde woman nodded slightly: "Yes, the ink is not dry yet. Getting too close could damage the painting, and if that happens, the loss would be too great."

She gazed at the painting from afar, her eyes filled with admiration.

"It's just a curved bamboo pole and a few bamboo leaves, yet it's so full of life. The gnarled bamboo branches seem to lean against the air, and the leaves are full of vitality. This person's painting level is at least S-level, and perhaps even higher than many S-level painters. At least among the S-level painters I know, almost no one can compare to this painting."

Hearing the blonde woman's comments, Gretsch turned to look at her in surprise. Gretsch hadn't even noticed her presence, but she agreed with the blonde woman's assessment and nodded repeatedly.

Chapter 227 Comic Assistant

"Yes, in this painting, the bamboo stalks, nodes, branches, and leaves are all rendered with a single, coordinated stroke, fully demonstrating the artist's extraordinary skill in brush and ink and his profound understanding of bamboo. A drooping bamboo stalk descends from the upper left corner of the painting and then flips back up, elegant yet vigorous."

"What's most remarkable is that each bamboo stalk displays a different form. In open spaces, the bamboo stands straight, while in crowded areas, it bends. Some are pushed aside, while others strive upwards. Even each bamboo leaf in the entire painting is different; some are turning, some are swaying, and some are still, as if a gentle breeze is blowing through the bamboo forest, making one feel refreshed and inspiring endless thoughts."

Gretchen's gaze toward Bai Qianqu was filled with respect and admiration.

She was now certain that Bai Qianqu was a hidden master painter!

If I could learn from him, my painting skills would definitely improve rapidly, right?

However, these kinds of hidden big shots usually don't take on students, so it would probably be very difficult for me to get close to them.

At this moment, Bai Qianqu finally snapped out of her painting state, turned around and was stunned to see three people standing behind her.

Of course, what surprised him the most was the elegant woman with long platinum blonde hair; he never expected to see her here.

When the other person saw Bai Qianqu looking at him, he chuckled and said, "Hello, I'm sorry to bother you uninvited. I am Ningguang, the organizer of this exhibition."

"Uh, hello, my name is Bai Qianqu."

Gretchen and Kosmo, standing nearby, widened their eyes in disbelief when they heard that she was Ningguang.