Chapter 177 - 177 159 Practice

Words : 1310 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Begin Chapter 177 of "How Am I Still Alive?" with: 177: Chapter 159: Practice 177: Chapter 159: Practice Lu Ping’an’s life had obtained a brief... Find out more!

177: Chapter 159: Practice 177: Chapter 159: Practice Lu Ping’an’s life had obtained a brief moment of peace. He even felt that these three days were a bit short. “Yo, painting again?” “Yeah, just practicing.” “…Let me take a look, uh, this painting is a bit subtle.” “Haha, just practicing.” After funding was settled, he set up an easel on streets, rooftops, and near crossroads, practicing sketching and coloring. The painting skills shared by Brother Guan had reached lv4, but to truly turn them into his own skills and paint whatever he wanted, he needed hands-on practice. Even with just a slight grasp, Lu Ping’an noticed that having chaotic skills meant that he could do everything but use them proficiently. When drawing lines, a careless mistake could result in an extra curve, ruining the drawing. When adjusting colors, his work looked like a partially made-up clown or a doodle by an eight-year-old. After only a few hours of practice, Lu Ping’an was certain that even if he did possess “Painting lv4,” he could only randomly exhibit between lv0 and lv2. “At this rate, I won’t be able to produce a decent piece of work…” Lu Ping’an had started preparing his “art test works” as other conditions were lined up, intending to complete his 2-tier advancement ceremony. However, the progress remained subtle. Lu Ping’an knew how to remedy the situation: attend a professional training course from beginning to end. Such scattered experience, insights, and techniques would gradually become his own. But he didn’t have the time. “In that case, I’ll just paint impressionistic pieces, in my way.” Discarded “paintings” were placed next to the easel. Lu Ping’an was directly using oil painting-like coloring or, more accurately, smearing oil paint and colors onto the canvas with a brush. From the outside, the brushwork appeared like the lowest quality doodles, unsteady lines, and clumsy strokes. Just looking at the overly greasy colors would make even an art teacher for children refuse to pass the piece. The overly bright colors had no consideration for technique. “…Interesting.” But for some reason, passing gang members, crooked merchants, and even petty thieves would stop and look. The colors expressed emotions. Red symbolized killing, but with a touch of black and gray, it made the struggling remnants in the bloodshed come alive. Gray represented humanity. A thief with blood-red eyes screamed as his arm was cut off, and the indifferent gray eyes of the bystanders revealed only indifference. Black represented death, present everywhere—sky, ground, and people—with only the slightest hint of white spaces. Yellow represented struggling and survival, the patches of yellow on hanging cars not much different from the workers in yellow jackets below. Each painting was so clumsily executed that it pained the viewer, yet everyone living there could see themselves in the paintings. Although his technique was still that of a beginner, the emotional resonance he was able to express subtly reached extraordinary levels… In fact, it was extraordinary. [Creator (Universal): I express, I modify, I create …] Clearly, this was the awakened ability after reaching “Writing (Pollution)” lv7, an upgrade from the vague humanistic approach. Only after trying it out did he discover that the passive ability it provided was essential for all occupations such as painters, chess players, contractors, and craftsmen. It allowed one’s “creations” to exist independently, making “pollutants” stay longer and more stable within them, effectively speaking. More bluntly, the presence of pollution sources alone was a prerequisite for producing polluted items and taboo items. Lu Ping’an used this ability in conjunction with the Pollution Pen’s abnormal ability, naturally infusing his “pollution,” “emotion,” and “thought” into it. It still couldn’t be considered quasi-polluted, but it was extraordinary. Bystanders just witnessing it were stirred by the emotional resonance within. It was shallow and non-aggressive, but it had already surpassed the lifelong pursuit of most mortal painters. He vaguely understood his “2-tier exam” now. He might not necessarily have to come up with “artwork understood by normal humans.” Instead, he still needed to demonstrate his ability to the deity…. “I kind of like this one, how much is it?” “Whatever you want.” Taking the ten nails in his hand, Lu Ping’an was a bit stunned. He never thought he would actually make money, a thousand bucks at that. The painting Lu Ping’an sold was of a melting candle man under the sun, with lots of white used to pile up the melting wax, very bright and white in color, yet the theme was despair… ahem, hope. Don’t ask him why he painted such things. He wanted to paint something uplifting, but there weren’t any suitable models on the street. Well, Lu Ping’an tried to paint something normal using his imagination, but it didn’t resonate with any emotion, and pollution couldn’t be added to it. It was truly scribbling. On the other hand, paintings with negative themes like crime, despair, etc., Lu Ping’an could create easily, each more accurate than the others. He had already decided to seal these paintings when he returned, to avoid any new trouble. The person who bought the painting didn’t understand art or appreciation, he just felt comfortable looking at it and wanted to put it in his room. With that out of the way, Lu Ping’an continued to mess around. One piece, two pieces, just doodling anyway, not even sketching before applying color randomly, Lu Ping’an’s efficiency was very high. [You have gained a small amount of general skill experience in painting.] [You have gained a small amount of professional skill experience in writing (pollution).] During this process, his painting experience and professional skills soared rapidly. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have been able to enter the field this quickly…. but it was the “enlightenment” boosted by that silver-tier blessing that enabled him to quickly clarify his creative ideas and gain experience rapidly. The silver-tier blessing, a fourth-tier or higher blessing, originated from the broken Sphinx, which was the “killer of newcomers'” most powerful tool for swindling people. One more thing, Lu Ping’an didn’t pinch the little elf who deceived him to death, just because he couldn’t beat it…. Yes, that’s right, he couldn’t beat it, as the little thing was at least a fourth-tier combat power. This factory was actually quite deep, but as long as they didn’t go too far, it was relatively safe. That Sphinx blessing, having only one chance without any prior preparation, was a huge bargain for Lu Ping’an. Even so, Lu Ping’an merely glanced at the basics of painting but had no intention of delving deeper into improving his painting skills. After all, the material he would use for “painting” in the future wouldn’t be legitimate paint…. ——– —— [The’ Reading (Taboo)’ has entered the advanced stage and completed the upgrade on its own. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the permanent buff, ‘Erudite Scholar (Passive)’.] [Erudite Scholar (Universal): Reading extensively is just a prerequisite, a true scholar can turn any “knowledge” into his own power. Increase the learning speed and enlightenment chance of professional skills and abilities across the board.] A very simple description, but any professional would find it hard to refuse such a gift. “Scholars are the strongest path, aren’t they…” Lu Ping’an’s unconscious murmuring was ridiculed by a certain cat. “The strongest? Without discussing the definition of the strongest, scholars are just a tool-based profession. The important thing is what you gain from it. Obsessed with the path of a scholar, writers are devoted to word games, and those who regard it as their only main path – seven-tenths go mad, two-tenths join a cult.” “And the other tenth?” “The strongest of humans is a pure scholar.” Although the answer was not what was asked, Lu Ping’an understood.

Chapter 177 - 177 159 Practice

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