Chapter 234: Restoration, the True Master Realm!

Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were all prepared. On the nearby table, there were no less than a thousand brushes, along with inkstones, pigments, and liquid ink.

Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe were grinding the ink.

Over on Huaxia TV Channel 3, Liu Tianzhi had been invited as a guest commentator.

He explained to the netizens:

"My teacher and Temple Master Ning are now preparing for the first step in restoring the ancient painting: grinding the ink."

"They need to mix the ink to match the exact same charm and tone as A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains."

"It sounds simple, but it is actually incredibly tedious."

"Because they can only judge the exact ratio of water and ink Wang Ximeng used back then by observing the painting."

Hearing Liu Tianzhi's explanation, the viewers finally realized just how rigorous the coordination had to be to restore an ancient painting.

The paper in front of Ning Fei was identical to the scroll used for A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.

The ink was the same as well.

After preparing his materials, Ning Fei first sketched a single stroke on the paper.

The tip of his brush traveled across the surface, fading from thick to light.

Once the ink had completely seeped in, Ning Fei picked up a magnifying glass, zoomed in on his stroke, and carefully observed it.

"Three parts mineral blue. It's too light," he said calmly.

At the same time, Lin Shanhe said, "Four parts mineral blue, three parts mineral green. It's too heavy."

The two exchanged a glance. Immediately, they poured out all the freshly ground ink, swapped to new brushes, and began grinding ink all over again.

On the television broadcast, Liu Tianzhi continued to explain:

"They need to capture the exact ink charm of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, which requires constant adjustment."

"Cultural relic restoration demands absolute meticulousness."

The viewers watched in silence.

This show was unlike any other.

Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe's exchanges were incredibly brief. They spoke only a few words at a time, entirely focused on the ink proportions and the resulting tones.

The rest of the time, both men fully concentrated on comparing their drawn ink tones with A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.

Again, and again, and again...

To the side, brushes stained in various shades of blackish-green had already piled up to fill an entire table.

Every time they mixed a new batch of ink, they would compare it against the scroll full of hope, only to shake their heads in disappointment.

Failure after failure, yet each attempt brought them closer to the final answer.

The netizens admired their sheer perseverance. From beginning to end, Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe's expressions held nothing but pure focus.

Everyone could tell that the two were truly immersed in their work.

Was this the Master Realm?

Perhaps only people like them were truly worthy of being called masters.

"Still not right."

As their results grew closer, Lin Shanhe used the magnifying glass to compare the two, only to find that their ink still differed from that of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.

Had they failed at the very first step?

In their hearts, the viewers silently prayed for the duo.

Ning Fei also furrowed his brows. He gazed at A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. The painting's divine charm remained intact, and he could clearly sense its majestic atmosphere.

It made him all the more determined to restore this treasure of Huaxia.

Just then, he noticed something.

"Wait, look here."

Ning Fei spoke up.

"The ink tone on the side edge of this mountain isn't quite right. If it were just mineral blue and mineral green, it wouldn't be this smooth."

"It's carmine! He added carmine into the mix!"

"Incredible! Wang Ximeng was truly a genius. No wonder his landscapes are so expressive—he actually blended plant-based pigments into the mineral ones!"

Ning Fei's expression stirred with excitement. Hearing his words, Lin Shanhe fixed his unblinking gaze on the spot.

He carefully studied that streak of ink, and immediately, he broke into a smile.

"It is carmine! It seems we missed an ingredient when we analyzed the composition this afternoon!"

"No wonder our ink tone was always off!"

Lin Shanhe grew excited as well. He hurriedly had Wang Xu fetch some carmine. Fortunately, the cultural relic restoration center had extra supplies, so it didn't delay them for long.

The viewers watched the live stream in absolute awe.

Though they didn't quite understand the technical details of what Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe were discussing, they knew these two were incredible.

Next, the two mixed a bit of carmine into the ink and continued studying the tones. They worked much faster this time. About ten minutes later, they found the perfect ink tone, matching A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains without a single fraction of deviation.

If one looked closely with a magnifying glass, they would find that the patterns and texture of the ink Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe drew on the paper were exactly identical to those on A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.

Having perfected the ink, the two then did the same thing again.

They took out a fresh brush, dipped it in the ink, and drew another stroke on the paper. Then, they carefully observed it under the magnifying glass.

Immediately after, they swapped to yet another new brush and repeated the process.

The netizens grew even more curious. What were they doing? Hadn't they already found the correct ink? Why were they drawing lines over and over again?

At this time, Liu Tianzhi explained on the TV program:

"My teacher and Temple Master Ning are proceeding with the second step: painting. In this step, they need to master the exact pressure required for the ink to permeate the Xuan paper."

"Simply put, paper can be divided into a thousand microscopic layers. If the ink of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains seeps down to the six-hundredth layer, their ink must also seep down exactly to the six-hundredth layer."

"Therefore, they need to know precisely how much ink the brush should hold, and they must familiarize themselves with how much force to apply while painting."

"It is all in the details."

"Only true masters of traditional Chinese painting can achieve this."

As he said this, Liu Tianzhi's tone was filled with admiration.

The viewers felt their horizons had been vastly broadened.

They never expected that merely restoring a bit of traditional Chinese painting would require such hyper-precise craftsmanship.

It was no wonder the Palace Museum had never repaired this national treasure before.

The difficulty was simply too extreme.

"How confident are you?"

After practicing for a while, Lin Shanhe turned his head and asked Ning Fei.

"Sixty percent, currently."

Ning Fei said calmly, looking at the ink trail he had just sketched.

"Once we hit eighty percent, we begin."

Lin Shanhe replied.

"Understood."

In truth, after just a few practice strokes, Ning Fei had already achieved one hundred percent control over the force of his ink.

After all, he had his skills backing him. These precise techniques might be incredibly difficult for others, but for him, they were effortless.

However, to save face for Lin Shanhe and to keep from looking too monstrously talented, Ning Fei deliberately understated his odds.

The two went back to tracing and comparing for a while longer before finally embarking on the most crucial step:

Painting.

"Raise the temperature by two degrees. Drop it the moment I say so."

Lin Shanhe instructed Wang Xu beside them.

Wang Xu nodded.

Next, Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe each took their brushes and ink and approached separate areas of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains that needed repair.

Watching this scene, the viewers grew so tense they hardly dared to breathe.

Everyone knew the most critical moment had arrived.

Ning Fei and Lin Shanhe exchanged a glance, both seeing absolute confidence in the other's eyes.

"Ready?" Lin Shanhe asked.

"No problem." Ning Fei nodded.

"Good. Let's begin!"

The two men wielded their brushes at the same time, loaded their ink, and began to paint at the exact same moment.

One old and one young, both wearing expressions of profound calm, steady as Mount Tai.

The viewers noticed that the moment these two began to paint, their auras completely changed.

The tips of their brushes were saturated with ink to absolute perfection—not a fraction too much, not a fraction too little.

Using only the very tip of his brush, Ning Fei meticulously traced along the ink charm of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, stroke by stroke, perfecting the ancient painting.

The hardest aspect of traditional Chinese painting was capturing its divine charm.

He needed to fully grasp the painting's soul before he could express it on paper.

However, his skills were profound enough that he had no need to worry.

The drone hovered high above. Its camera lens constantly zoomed in, magnifying the area Ning Fei was outlining.

The netizens could see with crystal clarity exactly how Ning Fei was perfecting that tiny section.

The area was roughly four square centimeters, utterly insignificant compared to the entire scroll.

An ordinary person might fill that space with just two strokes.

Yet Ning Fei painstakingly refined the section bit by bit.

Looking closely, the viewers realized that the spot Ning Fei had painted seamlessly integrated with the original scroll. It looked entirely natural; they couldn't spot the slightest inconsistency.

This was his true strength.

And this was exactly why he was qualified to restore traditional Chinese paintings.

Watching two grandmasters of traditional Chinese painting devote their entire focus to restoring a classic, ancient Huaxia painting... the sheer experience left the viewers absolutely thrilled.

In this moment, every stroke of Ning Fei's brush tugged at the heartstrings of millions of netizens.

The station head of Huaxia TV Channel 3, the curator of the Palace Museum, the deputy curator—these figures were so nervous they didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

This was a priceless ancient painting, a classic treasure of the Forbidden City.

If Ning Fei or Lin Shanhe made even a single mistake, the loss would be immeasurable.

But these two were simply too good.

From start to finish, until they completely repaired the painting, neither made a single error.

The two men lifted their brushes simultaneously and exchanged a smile.

Then, Lin Shanhe called out loudly, "Restoration complete! Drop the temperature."

Hearing his voice, everyone's attention was instantly drawn over.