Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

The next morning, when the sunlight of Huacheng streamed into the hotel room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Xu Xing had already finished washing up.

He straightened his collar in front of the mirror, then picked up his car keys and went out.

Today, Li Yuting's exchange match officially opened, and he promised to go to the venue to cheer her on.

When I arrived at Huacheng Academy of Fine Arts, a large crowd had already gathered at the school gate.

Today is the first day of the exchange competition among the eight major art academies. Teachers and students from art colleges all over the country have gathered together, and the campus is filled with a strong artistic atmosphere.

Xu Xing parked his car and took out his phone to call Li Yuting.

The phone rang twice before being answered, and Li Yuting's slightly nervous voice came from the other end: "Brother Xu! You've arrived?"

"We've arrived at the school gate. Where are you?"

"We're in the multi-functional exhibition hall on the second floor of Teaching Building No. 3! Just come straight here, I've already spoken to the teacher!"

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Xu Xing hung up the phone and followed the signs to find Teaching Building No. 3.

A huge display board stands at the entrance of the teaching building, with the words "The 8th National Eight Major Art Academies Exchange Competition - Huacheng Station" printed on it, and below it is a row of logos of sponsoring organizations.

He walked into the teaching building and went up the stairs to the second floor.

A large crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the multi-functional exhibition hall on the second floor, including students in school uniforms, judges in suits, and media reporters carrying cameras and microphones.

A registration desk was set up at the entrance of the exhibition hall, where several student union staff members were checking the identities of those entering.

Xu walked forward and gave his name.

The staff checked the list and said politely, "Hello Mr. Xu, Professor Feng has already informed us in advance. Please come in."

Xu Xing nodded and stepped into the exhibition hall.

The exhibition hall is very large, with a floor area of ​​four or five hundred square meters and a ceiling height of nearly six meters, providing excellent natural lighting.

The exhibition hall was divided into several exhibition areas, each displaying entries from students of different universities.

It has Chinese painting, oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation art... all kinds of categories are available.

Xu Xing walked slowly forward along the exhibition area, his eyes sweeping over each artwork.

It must be said that the students of the eight major art academies are indeed very skilled, and many of their works are quite outstanding in terms of technique and creativity.

After walking for a while, he finally saw Li Yuting in front of an exhibition area on the east side of the exhibition hall.

Today, Li Yuting wore a white cotton-linen shirt paired with a dark green long skirt, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail. She looked artistic and refreshing.

She was standing in front of a painting, talking quietly with Professor Feng.

Professor Feng wore a navy blue Chinese-style jacket today, his hair was neatly styled, and he looked capable and energetic.

"Yuting, Professor Feng."

Xu walked forward and greeted him with a smile.

Li Yuting turned her head at the sound, and the moment she saw Xu Xing, a bright smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"Brother Xu! You're here!"

She hurried over, grabbed Xu Xing's arm, and said with a hint of excitement and coquettishness, "I thought you were going to be late!"

"How could I be late for something I promised you?"

Xu Xing smiled, his gaze passing over her and landing on the painting behind her.

It was a meticulous and colorful traditional Chinese painting depicting the kapok flower, a flower unique to the Lingnan region.

The composition of the picture is ingenious. A tall kapok tree occupies the main position of the picture, with a strong trunk and intertwined branches.

On the treetops, kapok flowers bloom in profusion, their petals thick, full, and fiery red, standing out against the dark green leaves.

At the bottom of the picture, a few withered kapok flowers fall onto the bluestone slab, forming a stark contrast with the blooming flowers on the branches, conveying both the vibrancy of life and the passage of time.

The brushwork in the entire painting is extremely delicate, with smooth and elastic lines and rich and harmonious color layers.

Especially the petals of the kapok flowers, each one is painted so lifelike that you can almost smell their faint fragrance.

"What is the name of this painting?"

Xu Xing asked.

"Lingnan Springtime".

Standing beside him, Li Yuting asked with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, "Brother Xu, what do you think?"

"very good."

Xu Xing commented earnestly, "The composition is grand, the brushwork is delicate, and the color layering is very strong, especially the flower petals of the kapok flowers, which are painted very vividly."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, this painting is infused with very strong emotions and atmosphere."

Li Yuting's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"real."

Xu Xing smiled and said, "Professor Feng teaches well, and you learn well too."

Professor Feng, standing to the side, smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this: "Yu Ting is indeed a talented child, and she is willing to work hard. She spent a whole month painting this 'Springtime in Lingnan,' and she revised the flower petals of the kapok flower more than a dozen times."

"Teacher, please don't praise me. I still have many shortcomings."

Li Yuting lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

The three chatted for a while longer, and then more and more people entered the exhibition hall.

The exchange competition officially began at 9:00 AM.

The host took the stage to deliver a speech, introducing the judging panel and judging rules for this exchange competition.

The judges consisted of one senior professor from each of the eight major art academies, and they scored all the entries using a blind judging method.

The scoring criteria include five dimensions: technique, creativity, composition, color, and overall appeal. Each dimension is worth 20 points, for a total of 100 points.

The selection process is divided into two rounds.

The first round is the preliminary evaluation, in which eight judges score the works from outside their respective colleges, and the top twenty works with the highest average scores advance to the second round.

The second round is the final evaluation, where eight judges discuss and vote on the twenty works to determine one first prize, two second prizes, three third prizes, and several honorable mentions.

After the opening ceremony, the selection process officially began.

Eight judges walked into the exhibition hall and began to examine the entries one by one.

Xu Xing and Professor Feng stood aside, watching the judges move back and forth in the exhibition hall.

Li Yuting stood beside her artwork, nervously rubbing her fingers together.

"take it easy."

Xu Xing comforted him in a low voice, "Your work is of very high quality, the judges will see that."

Li Yuting nodded, but her fingers continued to twist the hem of her clothes.

The selection process lasted for nearly two hours.

At 11:00 a.m., the host went on stage and announced the preliminary evaluation results.

"After careful evaluation by the eight judges, the twenty works that have advanced to the second round have been selected. The shortlist is now announced..."

The host read out the shortlisted entries and the authors' names one by one.

When Li Yuting's number was read out, she breathed a sigh of relief and a happy smile appeared on her face.

"She made it to the finals!"

Grabbing Xu Xing's arm, he excitedly whispered.

"Congratulations."

Xu Xing laughed and said, "But don't be too happy yet, the real test is yet to come."

Li Yuting nodded vigorously, regaining her spirits.

The second round of final evaluation will take place in the afternoon.

Eight judges sat around a long table, discussing and commenting on each of the twenty shortlisted works.

This process was much longer and more intense than the initial evaluation.

The judges shared their opinions, some analyzing from a technical perspective, some from a creative perspective, and others from an overall appeal perspective, providing in-depth analysis of each work.

Li Yuting's "Springtime in Lingnan" has sparked considerable controversy in discussions.