Chapter 396 How Can a Firefly Compete with the Bright Moon

Just as a few of the other masters were about to speak, an old man with white hair and a white beard walked over. "How about I serve as the final judge?"

He had been sitting in the back, his curiosity piqued for some time. He wondered what the painting Master Yun so highly praised actually looked like.

Everyone bowed with their hands clasped. "Mountain Master."

’Mountain Master?’

’So that’s Qin Ying’s grandfather?’

Gu Fei looked at the Mountain Master, who was looking back at her. She smiled. "Of course. When it comes to prestige and virtue, no one here can compare to you, Mountain Master."

The Mountain Master stroked his beard and smiled. "Little lass, aren’t you afraid I’ll favor my own granddaughter?"

Gu Fei shook her head. "A person of your stature wouldn’t show favoritism in such a trivial matter, Mountain Master."

The Mountain Master smiled without another word and turned to look at Qin Ying’s painting first.

He had seen many of Qin Ying’s paintings before. This one depicted a woman leaning against a window with her chin in her hand, a hint of melancholy on her face. The phoenix trees and banana plants outside the window were rendered in meticulous detail. Her technique showed some minor improvement.

It wasn’t exceptional, but it certainly wasn’t bad. It was simply conventional.

Then he turned to Gu Fei’s painting. At first glance, the image just looked... messy.

He patiently examined it more closely, and the more he looked, the more he understood its artistry. The figure seemed to have come to life—her brows, eyes, nose, and mouth were all rendered with startling realism. Looking over at Sister Dan, it was like a perfect copy had been transferred onto the paper.

The more he looked, the more he realized Master Yun had been right. This was indeed the creation of a new artistic school.

Perhaps many didn’t yet realize what this meant. This was an event that would be recorded in the annals of history!

Gu Fei had no idea she was about to change history, and wouldn’t have cared if she did. After all, it was common knowledge in a future age that countless parallel dimensions existed; the concept was just beyond the understanding of the people here.

After studying the painting for a long time, the Mountain Master looked up. "These two works employ different techniques, so they aren’t directly comparable. It is, as they say, a matter of taste."

"However, I agree with Master Yun’s assessment. In terms of technical skill, Miss Gu’s painting is by no means inferior to Qin Ying’s. Furthermore, it has pioneered a new school of art. For that reason alone, the significance of this piece far surpasses that of Qin Ying’s work."

"How can the light of a firefly compete with the radiance of the moon!"

The Mountain Master’s words were the final verdict.

Hearing the Mountain Master’s proclamation, everyone turned to Gu Fei and bowed with clasped hands. "Miss Gu, your talent is immense!"

The master who had previously given Gu Fei a score of two was overcome with shame. ’The Mountain Master gave it a perfect ten, and I gave it a two. Does that mean I’m completely blind to talent?’

Qin Ying’s face went deathly pale as she stared at the Mountain Master. ’That’s such a high evaluation. In Grandfather’s eyes, I’m just a firefly, while Gu Fei is the radiant moon!’

’And now, because of what Grandfather and Master Yun have said, this new style of painting is going to be wildly popular.’

’One is a leader of the literary world, the other a titan of the art world. Who under heaven would dare to question their judgment?’

’And Gu Fei, as the pioneer of this new school, is destined to become famous.’

’How ironic. Gu Fei claims she doesn’t care about empty fame, yet she’s undoubtedly the biggest winner of this year’s Lotus Festival.’

’If I had known it would turn out like this, why did I have to challenge her to a painting contest? I should have just competed in chess!’

’I wanted to defeat her, to grind her into the dust, but instead I just handed her a victory!’

No one could fathom the bitter regret in Qin Ying’s heart. Her fingernails dug into her palms.

Her good upbringing left her with a shred of composure. She knew she couldn’t lose her cool now. Forcing herself to calm down, she walked over to Gu Fei and managed a stiff smile. "Congratulations, Miss Gu."

Gu Fei smiled back, watching her in silence.