Ch 100: The World’s Number One Resort

After some thought, Tang Huai decided to continue descending. As he dived deeper, a noticeable pressure enveloped him, similar to what an astronaut might feel upon exiting a spacecraft. He steadied himself and swam further ahead.

All around him were various marine creatures, with only the increased pressure differentiating this deeper region from the shallower waters.

Faceless fish, nail crabs, sea spiders, deep-sea dragonfish…

As Tang Huai ventured deeper, the diversity of marine life grew more apparent. Due to the high-pressure, low-temperature, and pitch-dark conditions of this environment, many of the species had bizarre and frightening appearances. Tang Huai had a strong mental fortitude; a less courageous person might have already turned back.

“Bloop, bloop—”

While swimming and contemplating, Tang Huai suddenly heard a distinct “bloop” sound from his right. Turning around, he noticed a long, thin white creature around 30 centimeters in length. The top of this organism was covered with dense, jelly-like sponge structures.

The creature paid no attention to Tang Huai’s gaze and focused on his right calf. First, it extended a tentacle from its tail and cautiously touched his leg before wrapping around it like a silver serpent.

Tang Huai felt a tingling sensation in his calf.

He recalled reading the Encyclopedia of the Sea during his school days, and after a brief observation, he recognized the creature: it was a carnivorous sponge.

Carnivorous sponges might appear ordinary but are quite ferocious. They hunt using the silicon needles around them. Once a prey is captured, the sponge releases venom from its needles to quickly digest the victim.

It was a master of hunting silently and stealthily.

Upon identifying the carnivorous sponge, Tang Huai immediately shook his leg. He had no intention of risking his life here.

Tang Huai decided to struggle against the sponge, but before he could make a move, the creature suddenly recoiled as if it had encountered a natural predator. It swiftly curled up and rolled away toward the distant waters.

Its retreat was remarkably quick.

Tang Huai: …

“With the system’s skill enhancement, marine creatures cannot inflict any substantial harm on the host,” FD730 explained proactively before Tang Huai could even ask.

“Not even a man-eating shark?” Tang Huai inquired, regaining his composure.

“Correct. The host can move freely even in front of a man-eating shark.”

Tang Huai pondered this for a moment. Simply put, with the “Transparent Shark” buff, he might not be able to harm creatures like the man-eating shark, but he could certainly protect himself in the ocean.

As he was lost in thought, a long fish, covered in red spots and shimmering with a brilliant sheen, swam past him.

Tang Huai instinctively reached out to catch it.

The fish was about 70 centimeters long, with thick scales. Aside from the red spots, its body was entirely black.

“Hiss—”

When the long fish felt an obstacle in its way, it bared its teeth aggressively. Its eyes had a bluish-red hue, and its teeth were sharp, forming an inverted triangle shape, resembling a creature from a horror movie.

Tang Huai stretched out his right hand and boldly placed it inside the fish’s mouth. The fish reflexively bit down, but Tang Huai’s hand seemed to be made of iron, impervious to the fish’s bite.

The long fish thrashed its tail wildly, looking a bit frantic.

Tang Huai tapped on its teeth. Hmm, the fish’s teeth were sharp, with an interesting texture.

After playing with it for a while, Tang Huai released the fish. It swam around him in a circle, seemingly frustrated by its lack of authority in this encounter. Finding the “object” before it too strange, the fish swiftly swam away, adhering to its instinct to avoid danger.

Tang Huai watched the fish’s retreating figure, lost in thought.

The fish was a deep-sea dragonfish, which differed from the common dragon sole by only one character in its name. It typically lurked at depths of around a thousand meters and would surface at night to feed using the moonlight and starlight. Many fishing boats had fallen victim to this notorious ocean predator.

Although the dragonfish had bared its teeth at him earlier, it posed no real threat.

Tang Huai observed for a while. The various fish around him ignored his presence as long as he didn’t provoke them. And even if he did, they couldn’t do anything to harm him.

“Gurgle, gurgle—”

“Whoosh—”

Tang Huai swam thirty meters deeper into the ocean. Suddenly, the surrounding water trembled, and the smaller fish around him darted upwards in fear. Surprised, Tang Huai instinctively looked down.

His vision was remarkably clear underwater, and he saw a massive fish in the depths. It was about twenty meters long, with a large head, small eyes, five pairs of gill slits, and a crescent-shaped tail. The colossal creature was swimming clumsily in his direction. With each swing of its tail fin, the entire area became chaotic.

Tang Huai held his breath. The sheer size of the fish was unmistakable—it was the famous whale shark from marine biology textbooks.

Despite the system’s protection, Tang Huai was not a fast swimmer. Realizing he couldn’t escape in time, he hid behind a patch of seaweed. Three seconds passed, and the water around him churned even more violently.

The whale shark loomed like a massive behemoth, arriving at Tang Huai’s location. It opened its mouth wide, swallowing the slower fish in its vicinity. Tang Huai stared at the whale shark’s enormous maw and the red wriggling organisms inside, feeling that escape scenes in ocean survival movies had significantly glamorized the whale shark’s appearance.

This was more terrifying than any horror movie.

As Tang Huai pondered his situation, the whale shark glanced in his direction and then swam closer. Tang Huai held his breath as the creature’s enormous fin brushed past his ear. He could clearly see the pale white spots on the whale shark’s body, and the pungent smell of fish wafted over as the fin swept by.

The whale shark was so massive and menacing that Tang Huai seemed as insignificant as a tiny chick standing before an elephant.

Five seconds later, the whale shark swam past Tang Huai and continued into the distance.

After the whale shark departed, Tang Huai let out a deep sigh of relief. He was certain that the whale shark had indeed seen him, but with the system’s protection, it couldn’t cause him any real harm.

Tang Huai now understood the meaning of “transparent shark.” It seemed that in front of a shark, he was essentially invisible.

He glanced at the ocean floor. The depths stretched endlessly into darkness, appearing more mysterious and eerie due to the lack of photosynthesis and the high-pressure environment.

After the brief interruption just now, Tang Huai had lost his interest in venturing further. After a short rest, he swam rapidly toward the surface. Half a minute later, he broke through the water’s surface. Around him was the vast, boundless ocean, calm and serene, resembling a lightly brushed oil painting.

Tang Huai determined his direction and swam back toward Sora Island.

After all that exertion, he had swum over a hundred miles. If it weren’t for the system’s support, he would have been exhausted in the depths of the ocean…

What he didn’t notice, though, was that as he was leaving, the whale shark from earlier glanced back at him, looking somewhat puzzled.

…

“Karoshu? Not bad, and the toad monster was inspired by ‘Drinking Alone Under the Moon,’ right?” While Tang Huai was swimming back, Gu Xiangjie was busy analyzing the top exhibition on display in the central hall of “Stroke of the Brush.”

Now that the contract was signed, their next step was to work diligently.

“Can you replicate it? Doesn’t have to be perfect, just try to get into the top three. There’s a bonus if you take first place,” Su Guang said as he folded his jacket over his arm. It had been drizzling when they arrived, not enough to soak through, but enough to dampen his coat.

“I’ll try my best,” Gu Xiangjie scratched his head. Currently, the first place was held by “Karoshu” with a score of 91, followed by “Drinking Alone Under the Moon” at 85, and “Bamboo Grove” in third with 82. Most of the other works scored between 60 and 80 points.

The first and second spots were both occupied by works of Luo Liang.

While Gu Xiangjie didn’t show it outwardly, he was quietly confident. If Luo Liang could claim first and second place, surely he, as a top student from China Art Academy, could do just as well, if not better. After taking a glance around the hall with a burning determination in his eyes, Gu Xiangjie noticed that most of the visitors were amateurs. Their drawings primarily consisted of milk tea cups and modern skyscrapers.

After surveying the area, Gu Xiangjie walked up to the 3×8 canvas.

As he moved, many visitors turned to watch. With the appearance of the “Drinking Alone Under the Moon” maiden, the 3×8 canvas had been widely regarded as the go-to canvas for portraits. Visitors with some skill had been attempting to challenge it, but capturing the intricacies of a human portrait was extremely difficult. One group of visitors left and another arrived, yet only “Karoshu” and “Drinking Alone Under the Moon” managed to successfully render portrait paintings.

Standing at the oval table, Gu Xiangjie carefully reviewed the rules of “Stroke of the Brush” and then picked up the VR headset.

“Are you sure about this?” Su Guang, feeling a twinge of nervousness mixed with regret, asked as he observed Gu Xiangjie’s movements. He began to wonder if signing the contract with Tang Huai had been premature. Perhaps… they should have tested “Stroke of the Brush” yesterday before finalizing the contract.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Taking a deep breath, Gu Xiangjie put on the headset while Su Guang was lost in his scattered thoughts.

Everything around him went silent, and Gu Xiangjie picked up the black digital pen and clicked “Start.”

…

“Dear player, welcome to ‘Stroke of the Brush.’ This experience is brought to you by FillTech Corporation…” As soon as Gu Xiangjie clicked to start, the scene transformed, and he found himself on a large, misty stone platform. A pleasant female voice echoed from above.

Gu Xiangjie steadied himself, already familiar with the “Stroke of the Brush” introduction from the research he had done earlier.

“The timer is set for one hour. Enjoy the game,” the voice concluded after thirty seconds. The black pen in Gu Xiangjie’s hand lit up briefly. He had selected the extended version for two hundred dollars, providing him with ample time to sketch and color his drawing.

After the timer started, Gu Xiangjie took a moment to recall Tao Ke’s appearance before he slowly began to draw. In just a short while, a lush bamboo grove began to take shape. In the center of the grove appeared a graceful figure dressed in ethereal attire. Her long black hair fluttered in the wind, and she wore a green gown. The hem of her dress transformed into eight white tails swaying back and forth…

Tao Ke made her debut in urban dramas, but her most popular role was in the xianxia drama Canglan Sword Sect. The drama, which aired seven years ago, told the tragic love story between Xiao Jian, a disciple of the Sword Sect, and Zhi Ge, a demon sect maiden. Tao Ke played the role of Hua Wu, the second female lead, who was born into the demon race. Initially, she was passionate and true to her emotions but ultimately turned dark.

Hua Wu was Tao Ke’s most famous role, and it was after playing Hua Wu that she gradually rose to fame. This time, Gu Xiangjie chose to depict Hua Wu, a decision made by Tao Ke’s agency team to stir up nostalgia among her old fans.

With a few simple strokes, the figure of Hua Wu, now with one of her tails severed, slowly appeared, looking fragile and delicate.

After sketching the background and the overall framework, Gu Xiangjie zoomed in on Hua Wu’s details. While body and background were relatively easy to draw, the key focus was on the facial features, which were the most important part of this painting.

Gu Xiangjie worked meticulously, paying close attention to every detail.

…

“A bamboo grove, a woman in green… Haha, is this another ancient character?”

“Who is this supposed to be? There shouldn’t be any copyright issues, right?”

“If it’s an original creation, there shouldn’t be any…”

…

As Gu Xiangjie continued drawing, a crowd of visitors gathered around the 3×8 canvas. They chatted amongst themselves, noting that this was the most promising portrait since Luo Liang’s works. Some visitors noticed the potential in this painting and began taking pictures with their phones. If nothing else, the smoothness of his brushstrokes was impressive.

“This scene seems kind of familiar… Feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

“Wait, isn’t this from Canglan Sword Sect, where the sect leader cuts off Hua Wu’s tail? The classic scene where Hua Wu turns dark?”

“I remember Hua Wu had feelings for Bai Jingrong, the senior disciple of the Sword Sect. Bai Jingrong’s heart wavered, so the sect leader cut off Hua Wu’s tail to protect Bai Jingrong’s path. Hua Wu then escaped injured, turning dark in the bamboo forest and becoming the antagonist’s assistant…”

“Ahhh, I watched this back in high school! Remembering it now is so heartbreaking!”

…

The visitors excitedly snapped photos, but the more they took, the more familiar the scene seemed. A bamboo grove, a woman in green, and eight tails… Wasn’t this the classic scene from Canglan Sword Sect?

Some visitors began explaining the original drama’s plot. They opened their phones and compared it to the drama’s stills, confirming that this scene was indeed from Canglan Sword Sect.

“Hua Wu was played by Tao Ke. Could he actually be painting Tao Ke?” The visitors exchanged glances. Previously, both Karoshu and Drinking Alone Under the Moon depicted 2D characters.

This fulfilled the visitors’ fantasies, but with only two 2D characters so far, were they now shifting from 2D to 3D?

“There’s no copyright, so he’s probably just copying a scene from Canglan Sword Sect. But… Canglan Sword Sect doesn’t have a copyright either, right?” Amid the confused crowd, someone voiced a serious analysis.

While the scene had an artistic atmosphere, given the strict copyright rules of “Stroke of the Brush,” even if the character wasn’t Tao Ke, without Canglan Sword Sect‘s copyright, the painting wouldn’t be allowed to fully take shape.

The crowd couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh. In this world, being an artist really wasn’t easy.

Though the scene in front of them couldn’t be fully rendered in 3D, the onlookers remained. Compared to various other landscapes, watching a beautiful woman gradually take shape was quite enjoyable.

…

With the addition of cinnabar, eyes, and red lips, Gu Xiangjie’s depiction of the “Tao Ke” version of Hua Wu became increasingly detailed.

“Is it really Tao Ke?”

“Seems like it… this person must be a true fan of hers.”

“What a pity. With this level of skill, they should have chosen a different subject.”

Outside of “Stroke of the Brush,” the tourists went from animated discussions to shaking their heads in resignation. The artwork had a beautiful composition, on par with “Drinking Alone Under the Moon.” However, since it infringed on two copyrights at once, it couldn’t be fully rendered, no matter how stunning it was.

Inside “Stroke of the Brush,” Gu Xiangjie grew more and more engrossed in his work. Initially, he picked up the brush to fulfill a task, but this new painting style felt magical, like a scene straight out of a movie. Watching his creation come to life gave him the satisfaction of a creator.

In the white void, a vibrant bamboo grove took shape. At the center of the grove stood a delicate woman dressed in green, with eight fox tails—one of which was severed. Her face was filled with disbelief and despair. In the upper right corner of the grove, a pair of black boots appeared.

In the original plot of Canglan Sword Sect, this was where Hua Wu encountered the main antagonist, Hui Yue, who ultimately lured her into turning dark. However, since this was not a TV drama, Gu Xiangjie needed to ensure that Tao Ke remained the focal point. The boots were his addition to enhance the scene’s depth, but he wasn’t sure if it would work.

From an artist’s perspective, leaving out the boots would make the scene feel too simplistic. After some thought, Gu Xiangjie decided to leave them in.

“Ding, the painting is complete. Please name it.” As Gu Xiangjie finished the last stroke on the edge of the robe, the system’s pleasant prompt sounded.

“Canglan Hua Wu, by Tao Ke and Gu Xiangjie,” Gu Xiangjie announced, admiring his work. This was the title required by the agency, so he had no choice but to use it.

“Ding, Canglan Hua Wu has been successfully named.”

“Ding, detecting Chinese actress Tao Ke… Authorization successful. Detecting Chinese TV drama Canglan Sword Sect, authorization successful.”

Right after Gu Xiangjie spoke, a series of prompts sounded. Since Canglan Sword Sect was produced and directed by Yuntian Entertainment, which held the copyrights, and since Yuntian had already granted full authorization for Tao Ke’s likeness in yesterday’s contract, Gu Xiangjie wasn’t surprised by the system’s messages.

“Ding, specific scene [Bamboo Grove, Severed Tail] detected. Would you like to integrate the scene?”

After the prompt sounded, Gu Xiangjie thought the game was over, but a new prompt echoed in his ears.

Gu Xiangjie: ???

He had previously studied the generation process of Drinking Alone Under the Moon and knew that the resulting scene was random. Simply put, the artist had no control over the character’s traits in their work. For example, the character Qiu Yue from Drinking Alone Under the Moon transformed from a Qinhuai lady into a toad demon—a complete shift in essence.

Tao Ke’s team was prepared for potential out-of-character (OOC) elements, but now… Could it actually integrate a specific scene?

Gu Xiangjie pondered for a moment, realizing this was likely due to the granted authorization and the scene’s classic status.

“Ding, specific scene [Bamboo Grove, Severed Tail] detected. Would you like to integrate the scene?” As Gu Xiangjie was lost in thought, the system repeated the prompt.

The agency had not specified this beforehand. Gu Xiangjie hesitated for a moment before finally choosing to: Integrate.

After all, it was only an hour of work. If Su Guang wasn’t satisfied, he wouldn’t mind painting another one.

“Integration successful… Would you like to enable full holographic display?”

Without hesitation, Gu Xiangjie selected: Yes.

“Ding, full holographic display enabled. Enjoy the game.”

Three seconds later, Gu Xiangjie exited the game.

…

“Full holographic display… Is this for real?”

“No way! Is this really Canglan Sword Sect? Are those Hui Yue’s boots?”

“Eighty-three points, ranked third on the top 100 list. Impressive!”

…

The tourists stared at Gu Xiangjie’s painting. They initially intended to just watch for fun, but upon seeing the score of ’83’ and the words “holographic display enabled,” they were astonished.

Bamboo Grove, Severed Tail was really available for full holographic display?

Some sharp-eyed tourists rushed to the top 100 exhibit, where Canglan Hua Wu was now ranked third. In addition to the name and artist details, there were two new icons at the bottom.

Stroke of the Brush Authorized Character: Tao Ke.

Stroke of the Brush Authorized Scene: Yuntian Entertainment, featuring ‘Tao Ke’ scene.

After careful inspection, the tourists finally understood that Tao Ke had collaborated with Great Tang. This made her the first artist to partner with Stroke of the Brush.

“Should we give it a try?”

“Haha, do you think Tao Ke will transform into a toad version of herself?”

The tourists chuckled as they gazed at the painting of Canglan Hua Wu. Currently, Stroke of the Brush had only one other character painting, Drinking Alone Under the Moon, which many of them had already played multiple times.

Now, with this newly created scene in front of them, curiosity stirred within the crowd. Although Tao Ke’s popularity had waned, she was still a big celebrity. Facing this painted version of her, who knew if there might be some kind of unexpected twist…

With a sense of anticipation, the tourists headed to the second floor. Regardless of the outcome, Canglan Hua Wu had definitely captured their interest.

…

“Su Ge, there was an option for scene integration at the end…” At the oval table, Gu Xiangjie took off the VR headset and reported to Su Guang about what he had encountered in Stroke of the Brush.

“Let’s see how the game plays out first.” Su Guang pondered for a moment. He shared Gu Xiangjie’s thoughts: if the scene didn’t turn out well, they could always create another version.

“Make sure to record it on your phone,” Su Guang added. Since their goal was to promote Tao Ke, having ample footage of the event was essential.

“Understood.”

The two assistants agreed. While their recording setup seemed simple compared to the usual grandeur, as Tao Ke’s personal assistants, their task was to achieve the best outcome with the available means.

As they mulled over their approach, the four of them proceeded to the second floor.

By now, many tourists had selected their game pods and entered gameplay mode. The group headed to the nearest pod, where a man in his thirties had chosen the projection display mode.

…

“Welcome to Stroke of the Brush. Please select a holographic scene…”

“Canglan Hua Wu.”

“Selection successful. Enjoy your game.”

The man’s name was Cao Chuansen, a boutique store owner. After a busy season during the New Year, he finally had some time to relax now that students were back in school.

“Hua Wu…“

Standing amidst the lush bamboo forest, Cao Chuansen muttered to himself as he looked around. Although he wasn’t a fan of celebrities, he did follow Canglan Sword Sect back in his school days. Hua Wu had always been his ideal; to him, she was passionate and beautiful. Falling for the righteous senior disciple Bai Jingrong was understandable, but her misfortune—having her fox tail cut off by the sect master—was tragic.

Hua Wu went through a blackening arc, fought back, and was eventually punished by the righteous faction, losing 300 years of her cultivation and becoming a fluffy little fox. Compared to the female lead, who was also from the demon clan, her fate was worlds apart.

At the time, Tao Ke was about 25 years old, and her portrayal of Hua Wu’s blackening and downfall moved many to tears. The role cemented Tao Ke’s position in the entertainment industry.

Despite Tao Ke’s negative publicity in recent years, Cao Chuansen still couldn’t bring himself to dislike her, thanks to the role of Hua Wu. At most, he considered himself indifferent.

Lost in thought, Cao Chuansen took two steps forward. As he walked, he noticed something was off; his footsteps felt somewhat heavy.

Looking down, he realized he was wearing a pair of black gold-threaded boots. His body was now clad in an elegantly designed robe, and his ears felt fuzzy with long tufts of hair.

Black boots, black robe, black hair… This was Hui Yue’s iconic appearance throughout the series.

So… Was he cosplaying?

“Bai Jingrong, why do you treat me this way?” Just as Cao Chuansen was processing his situation, a desperate and sorrowful voice echoed through the bamboo forest.

Cao Chuansen quickly pulled himself together. If he remembered correctly, this was Hua Wu’s classic line. Following this, Hua Wu would attempt to cripple her own cultivation, only to be saved by Hui Yue.

Saved by Hui Yue…

Recalling the plot point, Cao Chuansen readied himself. It was now time for his character to make an appearance.

Who would have thought that playing Stroke of the Brush would turn into an immersive role-playing experience…

Author’s Note:

Tao Ke: “Will I become popular~ O(∩_∩)O~?”

Author: “You will.”

Tao Ke: “Yay~”

Author: “Ahem… Don’t celebrate too early. ︿(￣︶￣)︿”

Tao Ke: “QAQ~”

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️