Chapter 1: No Money To Study Painting?
Again, it’s graduation season.
Outside Dengfeng Art Studio in Yaoyang City, students and parents from all over gathered.
In the sky, ferocious dimensional rifts crisscrossed. Though separated by a thin energy light screen, the terrifying sense of oppression was still hard to conceal, but people seemed long accustomed to this scene.
“Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. Teacher said my grades are excellent. I definitely can pass the exam!”
A boy dressed in fine clothes took a hearty swig of noble spring water, full of confidence.
His parents flanked him, one fanning and one holding an umbrella. “Son, cheer up! You’re the best!”
“When the time comes, just focus on studying well. Don’t worry about funds. Dad has already listed our house online.”
The boy nodded in satisfaction, as if this was all to be expected.
He then tossed the water bottle aside and went to line up at the registration desk under his parents’ escort.
Wu Xian silently stepped forward, unscrewed the cap, crushed it flat, stuffed it into his tattered backpack, and shook his head with a light sigh. “Poor parents all over the world~!”
Once upon a time, he too was an art undergraduate funded by his parents selling everything they had, only to end up as a workhorse in the end?
In his previous life, he was a veteran graphic designer who got laid off at thirty-five, then went to an art outsourcing company to be a workhorse.
He ultimately dropped dead from overtime rushing drafts late at night and arrived in this world where scroll painters reigned supreme.
Yes, this was a world where scroll contents could come alive.
Setting aside the terrifying other dimension invasions, this was undoubtedly a utopia for art students everywhere!
Even so, Wu Xian still felt it wasn’t worth selling everything to study painting.
If the family had the means, great; if not, there was really no need to force it.
Like most peers his age, Wu Xian naturally wanted to become a noble scroll painter and reach the peak of life.
Though he came with solid art skills and the brilliant culture of his previous life, being a scroll painter wasn’t just about simply drawing things.
The first step to becoming a scroll painter was to get into an art studio.
Dengfeng Art Studio, the best in Yaoyang City, backed by Dengfeng Dojo. It was said that getting in was equivalent to having one foot in the door of being a scroll painter.
However, the exorbitant registration fee made him hesitate.
Unknowingly, the registration line had dwindled to almost nothing, leaving only expectant parents on the field.
At the registration entrance.
The elegant middle-aged man finally finished the registration work, relieved. He stood up to stretch, tidied the information on the desk, and prepared to clock out.
But he saw a boy in worn clothes hesitatingly approach, his backpack stuffed full of plastic bottles.
The elegant middle-aged man was momentarily stunned, then realized and handed over the water bottle from the corner of the desk. “Thanks for your trouble, young man.”
“Hello, Teacher,” Wu Xian awkwardly took the water bottle. “Actually, I’m here to register.”
At these words, the surrounding crowd instantly quieted a bit, and many parents cast astonished glances.
The elegant middle-aged man was also stunned, but his strong professionalism made him smile and sit down. “Registration, right? Fill out this form first. Registration fee is three thousand two hundred eighty. You can scan the code here to pay.”
Who would have thought the boy before him would say something shocking again.
“Eight hundred… is that okay?”
Wu Xian was slightly embarrassed and awkward; this was already all his savings.
The elegant middle-aged man’s face went blank, and laughter erupted from the surrounding parents.
“Don’t misunderstand… I mean, does the art studio have any odd jobs? The kind where I can occasionally audit classes?” Wu Xian hurriedly added; this was also his main purpose in coming to join the fun.
With his previous life’s foundation, as long as he got a chance to be an auditor, he could quickly integrate the knowledge from both sides.
“I’ve loved drawing since childhood and have many whimsical ideas. This is my graduation transcript; you can take a look.”
The elegant middle-aged man took the transcript, glanced at it, and his expression softened a bit. “Child, becoming a scroll painter is very expensive. You can’t even afford the registration fee—why bother?
As for auditing, forget it. Even many magnates throw money at it and can’t get in.”
Wu Xian sighed dimly. “Thanks for your trouble.”
His ears were filled with the parents’ cold mockery and sarcasm.
“What a big forest— all kinds of birds in it, huh? Anyone thinks they can be a scroll painter now.”
“No money and still wants to be a scroll painter?”
“Exactly~ Eight hundred isn’t even enough for a box of pigments. The art studio isn’t a charity.”
“Alright, young man, go do whatever you need to. I still have half a bottle of water left; consider it my sponsorship.”
“I think I’ve seen him before. He’s from the same school as my child, and his grades have always been excellent.”
“Really? That’s pretty regrettable then.”
The mocking laughter around clearly decreased a bit, but some parents still scoffed.
“Tch~ What’s the use of good grades? Being a scroll painter doesn’t depend on academic scores.”
The elegant middle-aged man coldly swept his gaze over the parent crowd and said softly, “With your grades, normal universities would welcome you. If you really think you have potential to be a scroll painter, you can go to university first, become a spirit tamer, save up some money, and then consider it.”
“Spirit tamer?” Wu Xian murmured to himself.
Compared to scroll painters who made 【scrolls】, this world had far more spirit tamers—the profession of controlling various 【scroll】 spirit bodies for battle.
Just like the difference between a swordsmith and a swordsman.
Wu Xian knew full well this was a good choice, but the problem was, university tuition wasn’t cheap either.
The reason he wanted to be a scroll painter was to make money quickly.
In this life, his family was dirt poor. His parents died in an other dimension riot shortly after he was born, and he grew up depending on his elderly grandfather.
“If only I could have come a few hundred years earlier.”
Wu Xian looked up at the “scarred” sky, sighing bitterly in his heart.
A thousand years ago, this planet called Blue Star suffered numerous other dimension invasions, with countless lives lost.
It was only when things from legends and fantasies under the brushes of some painters revealed supernatural power that humanity struggled out of the disaster, ultimately forming today’s world dominated by scroll painters.
The key point was, this world surprisingly had none of the mythological legends from his previous life.
And this became Wu Xian’s long-standing confidence and foundation.
But the awkward part was that a thousand years later today, the structure and class system of the scroll painting world had long solidified.
Even with the brilliant culture and solid art foundation from his previous life, he still couldn’t make any progress.
Whether spiritual drawing paper or spiritual pigments, they were all made from various otherworld resources and monster materials, and the prices were exorbitant.
Especially pigments, which even gave rise to a special profession: pigment master.
Of course, nowadays, industrial production technology for spiritual pigments was already quite perfected; only high-end scrolls needed pigment masters to custom-make high-end pigments.
“No, the first generation scroll painters from a thousand years ago should have…”
Wu Xian’s eyes lit up as he suddenly realized something.
Just then, the surrounding crowd surged toward the art studio exam exit.
“Look, a child came out—and it’s a girl!”
“So fast to pass? Real or fake?”
“Even failure doesn’t take this long, right?”
“No no no, failures get a second chance; impossible to come out this fast.”
“Wow, whose child is so outstanding? Let me have a look.”
The parents surged forward like a tide to join the fun.
The young girl held her head high, hands on hips, striding out of the exam room with a slightly arrogant gait. Dressed in a red skirt outfit, brimming with youthful vitality, cute and playful, she drew attention from the whole crowd.
Soon, a handsome guy in his early twenties, poised and impressive, came forward with a grim face— the perfect picture of a young talent.
“Tiaotiao, why’d you come out so fast?”
The arrogant young girl raised her chin and flashed her admission certificate. “Hee hee, thought it’d be super hard, but I passed with a casual drawing. As expected, this miss is a genius.”
“？！”
The youth was delighted yet inwardly suspicious.
He knew full well what kind of character his mischievous little sister had.
Moreover, as a newly minted apprentice scroll painter, he knew how high Dengfeng Art Studio’s assessment standards were.
By rights, it shouldn’t be… Could Father Lord have secretly pulled strings behind the scenes?
When did the family become so influential?
Or could it be that his little sister really had talent in this area?
He was about to inquire about the details when he saw the little girl excitedly run off elsewhere.
“Little Xianzi, you’re here too?”
The youth followed in astonishment, first exchanging pleasantries with the elegant middle-aged man at registration, then frowning at Wu Xian—clearly not expecting his little sister to know this “water bottle guy” poor kid.
“Tiaotiao, this is… a classmate?”
“Yep, my henchman!” The arrogant young girl nodded proudly. “Out of all those who help with homework, he’s the one who satisfies me the mos…”
Realizing she’d let it slip, the girl hurriedly shut up, eyes darting away.
“…”
The youth gave her a black-line glare.
“Congratulations, Classmate Tang, on getting into Dengfeng Art Studio.”
Wu Xian hadn’t expected to run into this little sugar mommy.
Her name was Tang Tiaotiao; he didn’t know exactly what her family did, but they were loaded, no doubt.
Over the three high school years, she was absolutely his biggest client on the “part-time work-study” path—righteous and generous with her spending.
“Hee hee, I didn’t expect I had the stuff to be a scroll painter,” Tang Tiaotiao couldn’t help but beam with pride. “But hey, why haven’t you gone in yet?”
Wu Xian gave a self-mocking shrug and smile.
“Oh right,” Tang Tiaotiao quickly reacted. “Sister Tiao will pay for you. Sister’s in a good mood today, hee hee~!”
She moved to pay Wu Xian’s registration fee.
“No~ I appreciate Sister Tiao’s kindness, but no need,” Wu Xian lightly smiled and declined. “Even if I pass, I can’t afford it. Being a scroll painter is very expensive.”
“True~” Sister Tiao pondered, looking toward her big brother Tang Beng. “Can our family sponsor him? This henchman of mine is handy.”
“…”
Tang Beng shot her a speechless look, letting her figure it out herself.
The onlookers were amused by the little girl’s “innocent, chivalrous” words.
The scroll painter path was a bottomless pit. Sponsor a poor kid to be a scroll painter? Get real?
“Fine,” Sister Tiao sighed and pouted. “No worries. Once Sister becomes a scroll painter, I’ll pull you in as my spirit tamer henchman and bring you along for the good life.”
Wu Xian nodded with a smile, congratulated her again, then silently left with his backpack full of water bottles.
Unknowingly, other examinees also started coming out one after another—some ecstatic with joy, others dejected.
The Tang siblings got into a top-tier scroll luxury car.
“Come~ Let big brother see my little sister’s first work.” Tang Beng was full of expectation.
“Nope, my scroll failed,” Tang Tiaotiao shrugged. “But the examiner senior seemed very satisfied and let me pass directly.”
“What?!” Tang Beng was shocked and suspicious. “Scroll failed and still passed? What did you draw that’s so amazing?”
“A cute little white rabbit that can help pound medicine.”
“Rab~bit?” Tang Beng was full of question marks, brow furrowing deeper. Could his little sister really be a heaven-sent genius? “Right, you didn’t reveal too much info to the examiner, did you?”
“Of course not. I’m not dumb.” Tang Tiaotiao pouted.
In fact, she hadn’t really paid attention back then, which was the main reason her scroll failed.
No good. Gotta ask Little Xianzi later. After all, it was the first scroll of her scroll painter career; she had to take it seriously.
……
