8 Judged by the Best

After Lin Ke set down his brush, he got up to stretch. He asked, "So how is this going to be judged?"

The secretary answers, "Usually, we would have a member of the Skill Court certified to test you administer the judging process, however, as we have Master Sal here, I daresay he is more than capable of replacing the judge."

To this statement, Lin Ke doesn't even bat an eye. He was extremely confident in his artistic ability. Even if he only had a limited amount of supplies, even if the person judging was a highly accomplished Artist, it didn't matter to him.

"Well then, please show us what you have painted." Master Sal says. Upon this statement, some of the spectators who had zoned out from waiting concentrate once again on the Canvas.

Lin Ke nods, and without any further hesitation, spins the easel around. What Lin Ke had painted… was a scene of skyscrapers from his previous life on Earth. It wasn't a picture of any particular city in his world, but if you looked closely, you could see a combination of all the world's most iconic structures in one place. If you knew the structures, you would be able to make out the Burj Khalifa standing in the center of it all, surrounded by many other skyscrapers and marvelous engineering feats such as the Shanghai Tower, the One World Trade Center, and many others. Even though it was just a black and white painting, the grandness of the picture was not to be taken away from, and the awe inspiring nature of these tall buildings was something that the people of this world have never before seen.

Quite a few of the spectators gasp when they see the painting. Many of them lean closer to get a better look, but of course, still stay relatively far out of respect towards Master Sal, who had at this point, walked to the front of the painting. Master Sal's face has an expression of shock, mixed in with a little apprehension. He stares at the scene for quite a long time, taking in its every detail. He notices the shapes of the buildings, the detailed lighting coming from each of the windows, each of which have been drawn to a very detailed degree. It was hard to believe this was all done in 30 minutes.

However, what bothered Master Sal the most was the buildings themselves and the majestic scene presented before him. He thinks to himself, "No, there's no way. There's no way he's just a simple kid from some village. How does he know that place? Could it be? He comes from there himself?"

Master Sal, although his thoughts are in disarray, still puts on a calm front and says, "This is quite the masterpiece, in fact, I would daresay this transcends the limits of a D-class artist and can, quite easily, even compete with some of the works of top-tier C-class Artists." Master Sal pauses to think for a moment.

"Congratulations Host, you have completed the mission provided. Your reward for the completion of the mission is available, would you like to receive now?" Lily suddenly spoke straight into his head. Although she spoke jokingly and in a light-hearted tone, she had adopted a serious attitude for the moment.

"That's fine, it can wait. What are the rewards though? It better be goo-"

Master Sal suddenly spoke again. "I think that Lin Ke over here should just be straight up promoted to C-class. He is certainly more than capable to be considered C-class."

Everyone in the room looks at Master Sal. They are all wondering why Master Sal would go so far as to ask for a promotion for Lin Ke. While the gap between D-class and C-class is certainly only a small margin, it was very rare for there to be a case where someone would jump ranks without another exam.

The secretary thinks over it for a moment, 'Hm, I could certainly do as Master Sal says. All I have to do is change the signup paper a little... "

"No, nevermind. There is no need for you to do anything, bring me to the Communication Crystal. I will speak to the higher ups myself to ask." Master Sal begins to walk away. His words weren't a question, but a command. This statement shocks the secretary a little, but she rapidly follows behind Master Sal.

"Lin Ke!" A beautiful voice yells. It's Lia, still holding on to Lily as if Lily would disappear the moment Lia let go. "Wow! I didn't think you were actually this talented at drawing! You even got my grandpa to go such lengths for you! You're so cool!" Of course, Lia was probably only saying this to please Lin Ke so that he would let her hold Lily for longer, but Lin Ke was still extremely content, being praised by such a beautiful young lady. He wore a bashful smile on his face.

"Oh, I'm still not good enough! I have a long way to go before I can actually be as good as some people, such as Master Sal." Then Lin Ke remembers something that the guard told him a while back. "That's right Lia, you're an artist too, are you not? What rank are you?"

"Me?" Lia is a little surprised at the question. "I'm not too sure myself… My grandpa never allowed me to take the exam, but if I were to say, I think that I'm B-class?"

Lin Ke widens his eyes. "What? How old are you this year?"

"16!" Lia replies. "Grandpa always tells me that I need to work harder still."

Lin Ke thinks to himself, "This year I'll be 17… To think that this girl is younger than me, but still so much better than me… I can't get too proud of myself. I need to work harder…"

Yes, that's right, at the age of 17, Lin Ke was already considered one of the best artists in the world. (In his previous world) However, not many people knew his real age, back on Earth. As most of his drawings were online, and many of his physical artworks were all sold off through a trusted network, Lin Ke not many people knew how he looked. Despite all of that though, he still managed to become quite the celebrity.

However, here was a girl who, at the age of 16, was better at something than Lin Ke. Naturally, it made him even more eager to get better.

After a few moments, Master Sal had arrived back in the room. He had a big smile on his face.