The room for the evaluation was set up in a lecture hall with cascading long steps that sloped upward. The students could sit here with their canvases out and learn from the lecturer while not blocking the views of the ones behind them.

At this moment, there were only 20 or so painters that were sitting here, waiting for the moment the painting was brought in.

Tian Honglui walked in and they all got alert as it was going to begin. When Alex walked in, they all stood up and bowed to greet him. They were all aware that he was coming in, so they had been prepared for his arrival.

Some of them talked to him, asking about his painting journey. Alex smiled and told them the basics without going into just how good he had gotten.

“We’re here to judge Brother Tian’s painting. Let’s not make this about mine,” he said and went on to stay at the top where he could see everything from.

Tian Honglui went to the stage alongside senior Ran and set up the spot where he would place the painting.

Senior Ran nodded at him and walked away, making his way to the back of the room, sitting next to Alex. He greeted him and stayed silent as he was to focus back on the young man.

Tian Honglui looked at the people in the crowd, at his colleagues and his peers. All his seniors.

He took a deep breath and bowed to them all. “Thank you all for coming to my painting’s evaluation,” he said. “I do not wish to waste your time more than I already have, so here it is.”

He pulled out the painting and placed it on the spot.

Immediately, everyone focused on the painting. There were trees on the side, the river flowing at the bottom, grass moving in the wind, and clouds spreading across the big blue sky.

And yet, everyone’s eyes immediately fell on the single thing in the middle of the painting, the Golden Mountain. Feeling the gold’s aura permeating through the intent that was used to carve into the paper of the canvas.

Some men stood up to get a closer look, some remained in shock even more.

One thing was true for all of them, however. They all forgot that this was an evaluation and instead looked at the painting as an art piece to enjoy.

Senior Ran smiled a little as well, happy for the young man’s success. He remembered when he came to find him, saying that he was his disciple’s son. Hearing about his mother’s passing away was sad enough, hearing how his father treated painting was even worse.

In part anger and part responsibility were what drove him to teach the young man all the basics of painting that his mother couldn’t teach and sent him away to the Dragon Capital to learn more.

He could never have imagined that he would have turned out to be this successful as a painter. Now, his father begged in his footsteps to have him return to the family.

“What do you think, your Majesty?” he asked. “That painting is good, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Alex said. “Looking at it, I wonder if I made a mistake being present when it was made. I wonder what sort of excitement I could’ve gotten had I seen it for the first time as a finished product like I had with The Players’ Descent and The Lightning God’s Anger.”

“I can see where you’re coming from, but there is a different type of enjoyment when watching someone good at his craft do something phenomenally, isn’t it?” the old man asked.

Alex smiled a little. “That is true,” he said, staring back at the painting.

Tian Honglui stepped to the side and waited for the people to calm down a little. Once they were calmed down, they would begin the individual inspections.

2 painters went up and spoke nothing but praises regarding the painting before walking back to their seats.

The third painter stood up, walked up to the painting, and inspected it

Senior Ran perked up a little and seemed nervous. Alex noticed that and he noticed that Tian Honglui was nervous as well.

The man stared at the painting for an unusually long time, almost one and a half times as much as each of the first two took.

“Brother Tian,” the man finally spoke up. “What was the intention behind you painting this?”

“My intentions? It was to draw a painting of a mountain made up of gold,” Tian Honglui said simply.

“No, that is not what I’m asking,” the man said. “I’m asking what your intention was to do with the painting once you finished it.”

“To have it evaluated and sent to the capital if it is considered good enough for the hall of fame,” Tian Honglui said.

“I see,” the painter said, staring back at the painting. “I can see that you’ve put a lot of effort into this painting. Mind I ask if I can see the painting you will be selling in the auction, to see the difference?”

“Bastard!” senior Ran said quietly under his breath.

Alex looked at the man and wondered if he was trying to sabotage Honglui’s painting. It definitely looked like it, but could he?

Honglui couldn’t answer the question without lying and if he lied and was found out, that would be bad for his image. As a result, he could only tell the truth.

“I have not made any paintings to sell to the auction,” he said.

“What?” the man asked. “But I was sure you were supposed to make one for the auction. As far as I know, tomorrow is the last day of giving your painting to the auction. Have you not prepared any?”

Tian Honlui frowned. He never thought he was going to be attacked from this direction.

“No, I have not,” he said.

“Then… what were you planning to do with this painting if it didn’t make the cut,” the man asked.

“I was planning to sell it in the auction,” Tian Honglui said.

“Ah! No wonder,” the man said. “I can tell that you weren’t truly serious when making this painting, and it shows.”

“Senior Guan! Do not slander my effort in making this painting,” Tian Honglui shouted.

“My apologies, my apologies,” the man said as he quickly stepped away. “Anyway, I have said what I wanted to say. Congratulations on making such a good painting. I’m sure whoever buys it will be stoked to have it in the auction.”

Once he was gone, a few others came and spoke, going over similar points as the man did. As time went on, every other painter would say the same point as the other one, claiming that there was not enough effort put into the work.

“What’s going on?” Alex asked senior Ran.

“That’s Senior Guan from the capital. He hates Honglui and is trying to downplay his efforts in order to not have another of his painting go into the Hall of Fame,” senior Ran said. 𝓫𝓭𝓸𝓋𝓁．𝓬𝓸𝓂

“Why does he hate brother Tian?” Alex asked.

“Senior Guan is the vice headmaster of the Royal School of Painting. He is known for having many great disciples and thus when Tian refused to come under his tutelage, he was angered by him. When he made it to the Hal of Fame, that anger seems to have turned into Animosity.”

“There have been 3 times that Honglui has made it close to the Hall of Fame, but this man and his students have stopped him each time.”

“It was acceptable the fast 3 times as even Honglui knew it wasn’t good enough, but this time, it truly one of the best paintings he has made,” Senior Ran said. “And they are trying to stop it all again.”

Alex nodded. “And you can’t just invite him, can you?” he asked.

“No, his influence as a painter is way too big. Even the headmaster cannot ignore him,” Senior Ran said.

As the two of them talked, the painters were done with individual inspections and returned to their seats.

Senior Ran got up and went down to the stage where he stood next to Tian Honglui. “Now that you’ve all judged it, it is time for voting,” he said. “All in favor of putting The Golden Mountain in the Hall of Fame, please raise your hand.”

Senior Ran raised his hand and looked through the room as everyone else raised their hands as well. He waited for more to raise, but they didn’t.

When he saw 10 hands out of 21 painters had been raised, he couldn’t help but feel bad.

“10. 10 hands were raised,” he said. “All against placing the Golden Mountain in the Hall of Fame?”

The remaining 11 hands rose all at once.

Senior ran and looked through, hoping that someone would place their hands down, but no one did. Everyone here was indebted to Painter Guan and thus didn’t do anything.

It was an 11 to 10 victory. A very close one.

“Such a shame,” Senior Guan said. “A little more effort and it would’ve become a masterpiece worthy of the Hall of Fame.”

Senior Ran felt his blood boil and was about to say something when he heard another voice.

“I think it’s a masterpiece worthy of the Hall of Fame,” Alex said, looking toward senior Guan, who quickly looked up.

“Your majesty?” he asked.

“I think it’s a masterpiece,” Alex said. “And since I am also technically in the room already, evaluating the painting, I would say my vote should count as well.”

“I am in favor of placing this painting in the Hall of Fame.”