Chapter 295 - I Became the Legendary Emperor Throughout the Ages After I Started Giving Away My Territory

Empire Sandbox (Super Level)

Territorial Area: 22.1 million square li (Arable land 12.8 million square li)

Domestic Resources: 3.85 billion taels (10 gold mines, 19 silver mines, 29 copper mines, 45 iron mines…)

Population: 221 million (Wealthy people 1%, Common people 36%, Poor people 63%)

Military Strength: 6.22 million (4 Grandmasters, 76 Innates, 33,000 martial artists…)

Comprehensive National Power: 29,200 (Empire level)

……

The Territorial Area increased by over 3 million square li.

Domestic Resources increased by nearly 600 million taels.

The Population grew by over 26 million, but since they were all poor people, it degraded the population structure.

There wasn’t much change in Military Strength, just the addition of two Innates and about a thousand martial artists.

Comprehensive National Power increased by 2,700 points!

It was just shy of breaking 30,000!

Lin Beifan was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t broken through the 30,000 mark.

However, with such a small gap, he believed it wouldn’t be long before he could break through this barrier and welcome the greatest change.

“Ding! As the player’s national power has increased, your strength has been synchronously enhanced, rewarding you with the Primordial Level Moksha Boundlessness!”

“As the saying goes, ‘The wind has no shape, the clouds are ever-changing. When wind and cloud unite, they are unmatched in the world!’ Primordial Level Moksha Boundlessness is the supreme technique created by Bodhidharma by combining the powers of wind and cloud! Once unleashed, it changes the color of heaven and earth!”

Lin Beifan quickly absorbed this technique.

Having acquired the Primordial Level Moksha Boundlessness, he discovered that he could instantly unleash several times his strength.

Even without breaking through to the Supreme Grandmaster level, he dared to arm-wrestle with a Supreme Grandmaster to see who would emerge victorious.

Thanks to the enhancement of his national power, his strength had further advanced, and Lin Beifan was in a very cheerful mood, currently strolling around in his own backyard.

Unconsciously, he arrived at a quiet little courtyard and saw Li Shihua standing in the pavilion, completely engrossed in painting.

Li Shihua was the young lady with a talent for painting he had met in the Painting Realm.

After becoming a disciple of a Master Painter, both teacher and student followed Lin Beifan to Great Xia and became court painters.

Under the guidance of Master Painter over the past few months, her skills have improved significantly.

Perhaps in less than 20 years, she could attain enlightenment through painting and become a figure like her master.

Seeing her so focused on her painting, Lin Beifan did not disturb her and quietly approached from behind to see what she was painting.

He noticed she was working on a portrait of a man with sharply distinct features, flowing hair, eyes like stars, a relaxed posture lounging in a chair, and a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, exuding a domineering yet casual temperament.

Lin Beifan was stunned. Wasn’t this a portrait of himself?

The painting captured both his appearance and spirit perfectly as if looking in a mirror!

Just then, she added the final touch, bringing the character to life with even more charm, and finally let out a satisfied sigh, “Finally finished!”

“Not bad at all!” Lin Beifan complimented.

“Ah!” Li Shihua was startled, turning her head to see Lin Beifan and jumped again.

Her face flushed red, and she quickly covered her painting while stammering, “Your Majesty, what brings you here?”

Lin Beifan said with a smile, “I had some free time and was wandering around, and I happened to stroll over here! Seeing you painting something, I came over to have a look!”

“Your Majesty… how long have you been here?” Li Shihua asked nervously.

“Not long, about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea!”

Li Shihua’s eyes widened. He had been here for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea?

So, he had seen her painting his portrait?

Oh no, how embarrassing!

Feeling like a thief caught in the act, a bashful nervousness washed over her, and Li Shihua said anxiously, “Your Majesty, please don’t misunderstand! I was… I was asked to paint for some of the noble ladies! They wanted a portrait of Your Majesty, so they came to me… It wasn’t intentional…”

Lin Beifan nodded repeatedly, “Mhm… I understand. It’s not that you did it on purpose, you did it ‘accidentally on purpose’.”

“Yes, yes, yes…” Li Shihua nodded along.

But then the next second.

Li Shihua: “Huh???”

Seeing her puzzled look, Lin Beifan burst into laughter and gently patted her head, “Li Shihua, no need to be so nervous. You’re a court painter, it’s natural that you paint me!”

“Yes, yes, yes… I’m a court painter, painting Your Majesty is very normal!” Li Shihua seemed to find an excuse and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Beifan continued to admire her painting, and Li Shihua asked nervously, “Your Majesty, how is my painting?”

“It’s very good, capturing both form, spirit, and lifelike. But it’s still missing a little something!” Lin Beifan said with a smile.

Li Shihua became even more anxious, “Your Majesty, what is it missing?”

Lin Beifan explained, “Although you’ve captured my appearance and spirit, you’re still lacking in Artistic Conception! You must understand that I am not just a person, but also the emperor of Great Xia! So, you must also portray Great Xia behind me to fully represent my image!”

“I don’t know how to do that! Your Majesty, how should I start?” Li Shihua asked humbly for guidance.

“As the saying goes, without practice, there’s no right to speak! Therefore, you should interact with me more often and feel my imperial presence up close up close. The more you understand, the deeper you feel, the better you’ll be able to paint it!”

Lin Beifan said with a beaming smile, “I am always available. You can come to see me anytime!”

Huh? Is His Majesty flirting with me?

Even Li Shihua, who was usually slow to catch on, could feel it. Her heart filled with joy, and she bashfully lowered her head.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Just then, the Master Painter arrived.

Seeing this scene, he shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, you’re teasing Shihua again!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m merely teaching Shihua how to paint!” Lin Beifan defended himself with a serious look.

Wise with age, Master Painter couldn’t be bothered to argue.

At that moment, Lin Beifan asked, “Old Li, have you had any new accomplishments lately?”

The Master Painter smiled and said, “The accomplishments are quite significant. Please follow me, Your Majesty!”

The two walked into a quiet study, which was where the Master Painter usually painted and stored his artworks.

He pointed to a wall covered with paintings and proudly said, “Your Majesty, please look. These are my recent accomplishments!”

Lin Beifan looked over and clicked his tongue in appreciation, “These are all treasures! Each painting is deeply expressive, and they’re all filled with immense artistic conception that draws the viewer’s spirit into the scene!”

“Take this painting ‘The Ocean,’ for instance. At a glance, one feels submerged in the vast sea, surrounded by surging waves, with the heavens and earth indistinct, lost without a way home!”

“And this one, ‘Withered Tree,’ presents a vast and desolate world with only a dying, old tree remaining, conveying a deep sense of desolation that ensnares the viewer, making it impossible to pull away!”

Lin Beifan commented on each one, and the Master Painter listened with delight.

This is what it means to have a kindred spirit. Only someone who understands art can truly appreciate its value!

Otherwise, it’s like a cow chewing peonies—it’s a waste of beauty!

“I like all of these paintings so much!” Lin Beifan hinted with a twinkle in his eye.

The Master Painter generously gestured, “Take whichever one you like!”

Lin Beifan immediately became cheerful, “I like them all, so I won’t be shy and will gladly accept them all!”

The Master Painter felt a pang of loss, “Don’t be like that, at least leave me a few!”

“Old Li, you don’t understand.”

Lin Beifan said earnestly. “I’m doing this for your own good!”

“For my good?” The Master Painter was baffled.

“Painting is like studying. If you don’t move forward, you’ll fall back. You must always keep an empty cup to make room for new things! You’re now filled to the brim with these paintings, and if this continues, you’ll become complacent and hinder your progress! Therefore, I must take them away to leave you room to improve!”

The Master Painter shook his head, “Alright, you always make sense!”

“Actually, there’s another reason I’m doing this!”

“What reason?” asked the Master Painter.

“To cultivate masters!”

Lin Beifan laughed. “Your paintings are full of the artistic conception of the Dao, immersing those who view them! If someone can gain insight from them, their strength will surely improve greatly!”

“That’s true, but the artistic conception in these paintings is too superficial to enable someone to comprehend divine skills and undergo a transformation,” said the Master Painter.

“Of course, these paintings alone aren’t enough. I’ll add a few strokes!”

Lin Beifan picked up a brush and added a few strokes to the paintings, deepening their artistic conception.

At the same time, he silently commanded in his heart, “Upgrade!”

In an instant, the Master Painter felt dazzled, as if he wasn’t looking at paintings but at entire worlds.

“Incredible!”

Following that, Lin Beifan established the Painting Realm within the imperial palace, as important as the Skill Transmission Hall.

The reason for its importance is that the Painting Realm possesses the effect of promoting cultivation.

For instance, if you want to experience the tumultuous power of the sea.

You don’t need to go to the sea; you just need to come here, immerse your mind in the painting called “The Sea,” and you will be able to feel the surging waves and rolling tides, thereby gaining enlightenment.

It’s not only save time and effort, but it’s also completely safe.

***