Chapter 287: Calligraphers and Painters Guild

"Successfully passed the master teacher assessment?"

Zhang Xuan looked over in confusion. Wasn't she still an apprentice back then?

He had spent twenty days at the Poison Hall. Could it be that this princess, upon returning to Tianwu Royal City, immediately took the assessment and succeeded?

"Princess Mo Yu is one of the most famous geniuses in the Tianwu Kingdom. Half a month ago, after returning from a training trip, she first passed the assessment for a two-star alchemist, then went to take the master teacher assessment. She completed many tests in one go, leaving only tomorrow's Q&A session. As long as she passes that, she'll become a true one-star master teacher!"

The girl was full of excitement. "A twenty-two-year-old one-star master teacher—in the entire Tianwu Kingdom, probably only the so-called number one genius, Mo Hongyi, can slightly surpass her."

"Mo Hongyi?"

A twenty-two-year-old two-star alchemist, one-star beast tamer, one-star master teacher, and physician apprentice—and he's not even the number one genius?

"You don't know?"

Seeing his bewildered expression, the girl was a bit speechless.

If she hadn't seen his apprentice token with her own eyes, she would have doubted whether this guy was genuine.

Not knowing the process for the master teacher assessment, not knowing about the Q&A session—that was one thing...

But not even knowing Mo Hongyi... What corner of the world did you crawl out from?

"Is he famous?" Zhang Xuan asked.

Hearing this, the girl suppressed her irritation and said, "Don't tell me... this is your first time in Tianwu Royal City!"

"Yes," Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Fine!"

Seeing him admit it so readily, without even a hint of embarrassment, the girl rolled her eyes.

Anyone else, on their first visit to a big city, would be shy and feel inferior. But this guy was completely unabashed.

As if being in Tianwu Royal City for the first time was something to be proud of...

She had no idea where he got his confidence.

"Since you don't know, I'll tell you!"

The girl said, "Mo Hongyi is hailed as the number one genius of the Tianwu Kingdom in a thousand years, renowned across thirteen nations. He's only twenty-six years old and is already a peak one-star master teacher, a two-star alchemist, a two-star formation master, and a two-star artifact smith!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes widened.

Peak one-star master teacher, two-star alchemist, two-star formation master, two-star artifact smith...

At twenty-six, mastering four professions!

Compared to him, the so-called genius Lu Xun he had encountered before was on a completely different level, and even Mo Yu fell far short.

Seeing his expression change, the girl nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Not only that, but this great genius Mo is also terrifying in his cultivation talent. Three years ago, when he first entered the Master Realm, he defeated the mid-Master Realm General Tie Shu. Moreover, he single-handedly slew the notorious Five Heroes of the North, who had been wreaking havoc. Those five were all Master Realm experts, with three at the mid-Master Realm! That he killed them all alone—if I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn't have believed it."

"This year, he reached the late Master Realm. At Tianquan Peak, he challenged the peak Master Realm expert Master Hong Ruo and defeated him within a hundred moves. During the match, he successfully broke through to the peak Master Realm himself. Even the king himself said he is a genius not seen in a thousand years, with limitless potential!"

"Twenty-six years old, peak Master Realm? And he can challenge those above his level?" Zhang Xuan was amazed.

No wonder he was called the number one genius in a thousand years. This Mo Hongyi was indeed terrifying.

Compared to him, the so-called geniuses he had met before were like fireflies, insignificant.

"This Mo Hongyi also has the surname Mo. Is he also a member of the Tianwu royal family?"

After a sigh of admiration, he couldn't help asking.

Princess Mo Yu's surname was Mo, indicating that the Tianwu royal family shared the same surname. Could this Mo Hongyi be a royal member?

"Yes!" The girl nodded. "He is the son of a prince in the royal family, not particularly favored. Although he is technically Princess Mo Yu's older brother, his status is much lower. However, with such talent, no one dares to underestimate him!"

"I see," Zhang Xuan agreed.

Kings and nobles are not born superior; innate privilege is just one condition. With hard work, one can still earn others' respect.

Take Mo Hongyi, for example. Though not a direct descendant of the Tianwu royal family, with such momentum, if he truly aimed for the throne, presumably no other prince could stop him.

When strength overcomes all, once you reach a certain level, so-called schemes and tricks become as laughable as child's play.

Seeing him lost in thought, the girl continued, "But although he is impressive, I admire Princess Mo Yu more. She's not only beautiful but also highly talented. I want to be like her—modest and polite, eager to learn, study hard, and strive to make a name for myself and shake the world."

"Modest and polite, eager to learn?" Zhang Xuan looked at her.

He had spent many days with this Miss Mo Yu, but when had he ever noticed such qualities?

Shaking his head, he set aside that thought and recalled what she had said earlier. He asked, "This Q&A session you mentioned... besides Princess Mo Yu, how many others are taking the assessment?"

Hearing this, the girl rolled her eyes again.

"The many assessments for master teacher—maybe one person passes them in a year. Do you think they're like cabbages, popping up everywhere? I came all the way from Quanhai City just to attend the princess's promotion ceremony. Why would there be anyone else!"

"Quanhai City?" Zhang Xuan recalled a book in his mind—a map of the Tianwu Kingdom.

If Tianwu Royal City were compared to Tianxuan City, then Quanhai City would be like Baiyu City, the second largest city in the kingdom. Coming from there, with a Master Realm guard, this talkative girl who wasn't shy around strangers likely had a high status.

Indeed, in master teacher studies, without connections, finding a good teacher for guidance was nearly impossible.

After a few more exchanges, he learned that the girl's name was Ling Xiaoxiao, and she had just passed the master teacher apprentice assessment this year.

As fellow apprentices, they should look out for each other, which was why she had told him so much.

"The Q&A session will be held at the Master Teacher Hall, starting tomorrow at noon. If you want to take the master teacher assessment in the future, you can come and watch. Farewell!"

After chatting for a while, she found that this apprentice named Zhang Xuan knew nothing about the master teacher assessment. Ling Xiaoxiao lost interest in talking to him.

In her view, even if he had a chance to take the assessment in the future, it would be decades later, completely on a different level from her.

"First, find a place to eat, then find a place to stay!"

After parting with the girl, Zhang Xuan stretched and didn't continue forward.

He had already asked about the location of the Master Teacher Hall, so there was no rush. He had been traveling from the Poison Hall for six or seven days straight, eating only dry rations, and his mouth was already tired of bland food.

After eating, he was about to find an inn to stay for the night when he saw a tall building before him. Five large characters were written in a flowing, vigorous style, as if imbued with spirit, ready to fly out at any moment.

"Calligraphers and Painters Guild?"

Recognizing the characters, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Like alchemists, calligraphers and painters were a special profession with their own guild for unified management. However, Tianxuan Kingdom was too small to have a branch, so he hadn't expected to see one upon entering Tianwu Royal City.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

Among his many professions, besides beast tamer and alchemist, he knew the most about calligraphy and painting, even capable of producing fifth-level works. Since he had come across the guild, he might as well take the assessment to become a formal calligrapher and painter.

After all, his current formal professions were only two-star beast tamer and one-star alchemist, which seemed a bit sparse.

As for poison master, although his skill had reached the two-star level, because of the disguised 'Senior Uncle' identity, he hadn't taken the assessment, so naturally he had no badge.

Even if he did, given the aversion other professions had toward poison masters, he wouldn't dare to show it.

With this in mind, he stepped inside.

True to the Calligraphers and Painters Guild, the hall was spacious, yet arranged in an orderly manner, giving one the feeling of being inside a painting.

Walking slowly inside, it felt like wandering through scrolls, indescribably comfortable.

The surrounding walls were covered with various works, each lifelike, all reaching at least the first level of 'Recording Reality'.

Although a formal calligrapher and painter needed to master the four levels—Recording Reality, Liveliness, Intent Presence, and Startling Swan—the first level sounded simple, but it still required years of study and couldn't be achieved overnight.

Especially in painting, without experience and insight, describing the scenery one had seen was no easy task.

It seemed that those who could produce these paintings were at least close to being calligraphy and painting apprentices.

"Young master, what kind of painting do you need? I can show you around!"

As he walked slowly, a young attendant in green approached Zhang Xuan with a respectful expression.

"Are these paintings for sale?"

Zhang Xuan pointed.

"Yes! Didn't you come here to buy paintings, young master?" The attendant nodded.

If the Calligraphers and Painters Guild didn't sell paintings, where would one buy them?

"Oh..." After a moment's thought, he understood. It was the same as the Alchemist Guild selling pills. If they didn't sell paintings here, where else would one buy them?

Nodding, he asked, "These are all first-level paintings. Are there any higher-level ones?"

"Please go upstairs! The first floor of the guild has first-level paintings, the second floor has second-level ones, and so on. What level of painting would you like to buy, young master? I'll take you up!" The attendant's eyes lit up.

The higher the level of calligraphy and painting, the higher the price. If a sale was made, as a server, his commission would naturally be greater.

"Is there..."

He was about to ask if there were fifth-level paintings, and to go up and take a look, when he saw a surge of people rushing toward the front.

"Hurry, Young Master Ji Mo is coming out!"

"Did he pass the one-star calligrapher and painter assessment?"

"Yes, he just finished the assessment. To repay the crowd, he plans to paint on the spot and auction it publicly!"

"Painting on the spot? Great! I must buy his painting..."

...

Everyone was buzzing with discussion.

Most of them were young women, chattering as they moved forward. There were also some middle-aged people, whose clothes indicated they were well-off.

"Young Master Ji Mo, painting?"

He looked on with curiosity.

"Ji Mo is the young master of the Ji family in the royal city. He's not yet twenty and is already a formal calligrapher and painter..." Speaking of Young Master Ji Mo, the attendant was also full of admiration. "If you want to buy a painting, young master, you might as well go take a look. If you can get one of Young Master Ji's paintings, it will be well worth the trip."