These individuals all bore the distinct marks of masters.
There was one with a long beard, exuding an air of immortal grace.
Another had a shaved head, a fierce expression, and glasses thicker than the bottom of a beer bottle.
There was an old woman with hair dyed in various colors, still long, adorned with a rainbow-like cascade, recognizable as an artist from blocks away.
The last to enter was Shi Ningfu.
She wore a red sheath dress and a fur bolero, her figure outlined with an elegant sensuality. Her profile was also beautiful, lightly made up, looking as young as a schoolgirl, remarkably well-preserved.
Shi Ningfu smiled apologetically, gesturing for the masters to admire.
Without a doubt, this group was the masters from the schools Shi Ningfu had mentioned, whose evaluations were crucial and would determine the academy's first impression of Jiang Senlin's paintings!
Due to the interstellar signal delay, the video content had definitely occurred at least an hour ago, yet both Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng were incredibly nervous, gripping each other's hands tightly.
The masters wore serious expressions, pacing between the large paintings on the wall, sometimes stopping to stare intently at a particular section, as if trying to pierce the canvas with their gaze.
Shi Ningfu was clearly also nervous, fiddling with her hands in the corner, pursing her lips into a smile, and watching the masters as they appreciated the art.
The studio was deathly silent.
For a full five minutes, the masters remained speechless, their expressions consistently grim, as if dissatisfied with the paintings. However, not a single one turned to leave; instead, they meticulously examined all the artworks.
Jiang Ye's palms were sweating.
Cen Yemeng didn't notice, as her palms had been covered in sweat for a long time.
Finally, a bald master spoke.
"Damn, this is good! I like these two ukiyo-e style paintings; they carry the spirit of Hokusai Katsushika."
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng were stunned.
In their impression, such great artists should speak elegantly and obscurely, yet this master began with profanity.
And it was profanity used as praise!
How pleasant to the ears!
Jiang Ye was ecstatic; there was hope!
"Very good, I prefer the Dali and Van Gogh styles. Look at this one; it actually blends the two styles perfectly," the old woman with rainbow hair said, extending her hand. "I haven't seen such masterful style fusion in at least three years, no, at least ten."
Cen Yemeng trembled with excitement; another master had approved!
"It's good, but the imitation is too heavy," the long-bearded master shook his head. "I don't know who the painter is. If they reach an older age and still focus on imitation, it will be difficult to achieve their own artistic achievement. At best, they might make a living forging paintings."
Several other masters chimed in:
"Yes, the imitation is too accurate, but 'to learn is to live, to imitate is to die'."
"It all depends on the painter's age. If they are over thirty, it's precarious. If under thirty, their future is bright."
"If they are under thirty-five, they can still be saved, depending on how many years they spent learning this. If they reached this level within ten years of learning art, they are truly talented."
"If not evaluated by the standard of genius, but as an ordinary student, Professor Shi has struck gold."
Finally, all the masters turned their heads in unison, looking at Shi Ningfu.
They had finished viewing the paintings and only needed to know the painter's identity.
"Little Shi, this is the new student you recommended. Introduce them to us?" the bald master asked. "How old is this student, what's their background, and who did they study under before you?"
"I've heard all your comments, teachers. It seems you are quite satisfied with these paintings," Shi Ningfu was beaming, her smile radiant. "If I reveal this student's situation, please don't fight me for them. I want to teach this student for at least a year, and when they achieve success in the future, I, as their teacher, will also benefit."
The masters all smiled:
"Heh, Professor Shi, you worry too much. We old folks who are nearing retirement haven't taken on students in years."
"We already have our favored disciples and don't have the energy to teach any more."
"Don't worry, Professor Shi, no one will compete with you."
Shi Ningfu tapped her phone a few times, and the lights in the entire studio went out. Immediately, a holographic projection lit up.
The projected image was a video of Jiang Senlin painting on the floor, which Jiang Ye had previously sent to Shi Ningfu, who had unexpectedly used it.
The video was only a few minutes long and quickly finished playing.
As the studio lights came back on, the group of old masters turned pale.
Their expressions were one of increasing shock!
"It's a... child?"
"This child hasn't even started elementary school yet! How is that possible? Professor Shi, please don't play tricks on us old timers."
"This, this, this... this is impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Children can only draw eggs. How can they draw ukiyo-e? Even a fantasy story wouldn't be this unbelievable!"
The masters couldn't believe it.
It would be a miracle if they could believe it. They were all industry insiders and knew how much hard work it took to create even a moderately decent painting. How could a child reach such a level?
"It's true. Don't think it's unbelievable for you; I also didn't believe it at first, but it's the truth. All these paintings here were created by this child. This child is indeed not yet of school age," Shi Ningfu said earnestly.
The masters' expressions became more and more varied.
Although still filled with disbelief, seeing Shi Ningfu's serious demeanor, they all understood it was true.
The masters turned back to look at the studies. The paintings they had initially thought of as "not bad" now struck them with the force of a thunderbolt!
"I have some things to tell you that might shock you, teachers," Shi Ningfu said. "The two paintings near the door were created by this child without any formal art education, just by holding a brush and smearing. At that time, the child was scribbling with his mother's lipstick, so his parents bought him art supplies as toys. They never expected the child's very first painting to be so astonishing."
"The child's parents found me through connections, and I sent the child some images to learn from. He learned a completely different style every two days, which is what you see in these later paintings," Shi Ningfu said. "Astonishing innate inspiration and terrifying learning ability are what this child has shown so far. We don't know if he has other talents yet."
"What is the child's name? Are both parents painters?" the bald master asked in astonishment.
"No, this child's name is Jiang Senlin. His father is Jiang Ye, the Grand General of Jiang Ye Star, and his mother is Cen Yemeng, the Governor of Jiang Ye Star. Neither parent has any painting experience, nor do they come from a family of painters. The only special point is that this child has a rare condition of reverting to youth, which might be the source of his talent, but regardless, his talent is evident to all," Shi Ningfu said.