The Young Master Storms the City
Chapter 261 The Third Evaluation_1

Chapter 261: Chapter 261 The Third Evaluation_1

Mu Wanqing, clad in military attire, stood on the edge of the third-floor private room. Peering through the massive floor-to-ceiling glass, she looked down from a high vantage at Ning Fan in the lobby below and shook her head slightly, murmuring to herself, "Ning Fan, it seems this is all you amount to. To be my fiancé, you’re far from qualified!"

...

"Next, we will proceed to today’s third and final item in the literary competition: perspicacity."

"Wealth, ability, and perspicacity constitute the entirety of this edition of the Qingyun List literary appraisal!"

With the announcer’s declaration, the third competition began.

The so-called test of perspicacity involved the organizers displaying various art pieces in the center of the hall, ranging from jades and emeralds to calligraphy and paintings, as well as antique curios...

Each contestant could choose any one item and speak to the seven judges about its intricacies, essentially showcasing their eye for detail and appraisal skills.

Once this competition started, the participants quickly selected from among the art pieces, then hurried one after another to present their chosen item’s wonders to the seven judges.

In truth, many were utterly clueless about appreciating these artworks, because after all, art is something that requires innate talent.

But soon, Ning Fan noticed something was amiss.

The artworks laid out by the organizers numbered about twenty or thirty, but quickly, nearly all contestants gathered around a painting of female attendants, each absorbed and intoxicated in admiration, thoroughly engrossed in its artistic conception.

"This painting is simply divine... the fairy within seems as if she’s about to step right out..."

"Beautiful... It’s truly beautiful... Is this the power of art...?"

"So lifelike, as if they are real people, a real world... I really want to walk into it and take a look..."

The crowd murmured their admiration, gathered around the painting of female attendants, and had all forgotten to approach the seven judges to speak.

"Ning Fan, let’s take a look at that painting too. If you can’t discern anything profound, I’ll explain it to you later... Mm, I minored in fine arts at university, so I should be able to see something," Yuan Yonglin whispered as she walked up beside Ning Fan.

She meant well, worried that Ning Fan didn’t understand art and that if he scored zero in this section, he truly wouldn’t have a chance at making it onto the Qingyun List.

After all, only those who made it into the top ten were considered to have truly made it onto the Qingyun List.

"Hmm, let’s take a look," Ning Fan did not refuse and, along with Yuan Yonglin, also approached the painting.

"This painting..."

As Yuan Yonglin’s gaze settled on the ancient painting and she began to speak, she stopped abruptly. Her breathing grew heavy, her eyes fixated on the painting as she mumbled to herself, "It’s truly miraculous..."

Clearly, she was captivated.

For a moment, nearly all the contestants present were as immersed in the painting as Yuan Yonglin.

Only Ning Fan had a cold smile on his lips.

"Is there something evil about this painting?"

As Ning Fan’s eyes landed on the painting of the female attendants, he suddenly felt a complex and strange fluctuation emanating from the painting, causing his head to swirl, as if the attendants were stepping out and attempting to pull him into the painting...

"So that’s how it is."

But in the next second, with a light tone, Ning Fan immediately freed himself from the sensation. Then, channeling Spiritual Power into his eyes, he focused his gaze and looked again at the ominous ancient painting.

This time, he could clearly see faint patterns on the painting of the female attendants, invisible to the naked eye, radiating outward incessantly, influencing everyone around and ensnaring them in the painting.

"This painting... is no trinket," Ning Fan stated gravely.

"Kid surnamed Ning, what now, will you spout nonsense about this painting after your baseless boasting about medical skills?" a tall young man scoffed.

His name was Kong Tiansheng, scion of the provincial capital’s first-rate Kong Family, considered by Yuan Yonglin to be one of the most competitive contenders for this Qingyun List.

"Why bother with this upstart Mr. Ning, Kong Young Master? This kind of nouveau riche from the dregs of society, who has merely lucked into some money, is deluded enough to think he can vie for a spot on the Qingyun List? Haha, it’s a joke! This section testing perspicacity is simply the organizers’ way of weeding out culturally bankrupt upstarts like him, isn’t it?"

Another handsome young man joined in, who went by the name Hong Jinrui, heralding from the provincial capital’s prominent Hong Family, and also considered by Yuan Yonglin as one of the strongest competitors for this Qingyun List.

Ning Fan ignored the two men and simply reached out to lightly tap on Yuan Yonglin’s shoulder.

"Ah!"

With a soft exclamation, Yuan Yonglin immediately regained her senses and said in astonishment, "What just happened...? Why did I feel like I was about to be sucked into that painting?"

"Miss Yuan, no need to panic. Having such a feeling shows you truly appreciate the painting. If not for this interruption by Mr. Ning, you would have likely discovered even more," Kong Tiansheng immediately said.

"Indeed, Miss Yuan, this painting of the female attendants is a work from a thousand years ago with immense artistic value. It seems you truly understand it. However, to truly experience its profoundness sometimes requires the right mood. You were just entering that state but were abruptly disturbed by Mr. Ning, such a pity," Hong Jinrui also remarked.

Although Kong Tiansheng and Hong Jinrui were both Yuan Yonglin’s competitors, they each aspired to win her over, hoping to secure her affections and forge an alliance with the Yuan Family through marriage.