Chapter 308: He is called Zhang Xuan

Zhang Xuan let out a breath and rubbed his temples. Although the Calligrapher-Painter Guild's library contained numerous books, it was merely a matter of a little extra effort for him. In less than half an hour, he had absorbed all of them into his mind.

"Before, I could create fifth-realm calligraphies and paintings, but my understanding of the art was still somewhat limited. With the addition of these books, my knowledge has expanded severalfold, making me truly worthy of being a 3-star calligrapher-painter!" Zhang Xuan stretched, looking at the neatly arranged books in his mind.

Previously, despite being able to create fifth-realm works using the techniques Master Lu Chen had collected, Zhang Xuan actually knew very little about the art's fundamentals, history, styles, or schools. It was like Duan Yu, who could execute profound techniques but might struggle against a rogue because he lacked basic fighting skills. Similarly, Zhang Xuan could effortlessly produce fifth-realm works, but he found it genuinely difficult to create works in the "Recorded Reality" realm.

However, with so many books, this was no longer an issue. Once he finished reading them all, his knowledge reserves would far surpass even the most formidable 3-star calligrapher-painters. It was even debatable whether 4-star calligrapher-painters possessed such extensive insight.

"But... the libraries of Tianxuan Kingdom, the Beast Hall, the Poison Hall, and the Calligrapher-Painter Guild... I've already collected tens of millions of secret manuals. If I rely solely on reading, when will I ever finish?" A new problem emerged after collecting the books, giving him a headache.

Since his journey from Tianxuan Kingdom, the number of books he had recorded exceeded ten million. Although he spent all his free time reading in his consciousness, and his speed was quite fast, reading one or two thousand books a day was his limit. Facing tens of millions of colossal works, it was essentially a drop in the bucket. Moreover, as he mastered more professions and his status rose, the number of books would only increase. It would be impossible to convert all this information into his own knowledge without several years of dedicated effort.

"If only I had more Golden Pages..." A thought flashed through his mind. Golden Pages were items formed within the Book of Heaven's Path. They could instantly transform the knowledge from books in the Library of Heaven's Path into his own. If he possessed such an item, he could easily remember so much content without the arduous task of flipping through each book.

"I initially thought they formed when someone felt grateful, but it seems that's not the case now! When I impersonated Teacher Yang, I received a lot of gratitude, yet no Golden Pages appeared. This indicates there's more to it than just that factor!" Recalling the Book of Heaven's Path's Golden Pages, he began to remember when they had appeared. He didn't know when the first one appeared, but the second one emerged when Zhao Ya and others were on the sparring platform, challenging Lu Xun to clear his name. At that time, their gratitude towards him was imbued with deep teacher-student affection.

Could it be... that only gratitude between a teacher and student could cause these to appear? When he impersonated Teacher Yang, the gratitude he received was primarily awe, not mixed with such emotions.

"I can try it!" His eyes lit up at the thought. While others might be helpless with unconfirmed matters, he had a way. He casually took out a blank book, wrote down his conjecture, and gently pressed his palm against it. With a ripple, an identical book appeared in the Library. He casually flipped it open.

"Genuine teacher-student gratitude can form Golden Pages... Correct! So it is!" Zhang Xuan's face was flushed with excitement as he read the result in the book.

If he had known earlier that Golden Pages were formed this way, he wouldn't have exhausted himself reading countless books along the way, only to remember so little.

"It seems I need to take on a couple of students and find a way... to make them grateful!" He chuckled softly. Once Golden Pages formed, all the books collected in the Library could easily be converted into his own knowledge. What he lacked now was knowledge accumulation. With sufficient knowledge, he could easily identify others' flaws and problems, even without external aid.

"I wonder if Zhao Ya and the others have arrived. I'll have to ask at the Master Teacher Pavilion tomorrow. Since I have nothing else to do right now, I might as well wander around. Perhaps I can find someone to give me some pointers, or even take on a student..." With this thought, Zhang Xuan stopped pondering in the library and headed out.

Leaving the library, he met the two vice guild masters again. After a brief chat, he didn't linger and exited the Calligrapher-Painter Guild. Time was precious; finding a way to form Golden Pages was paramount.

No sooner had he left the guild than a young man entered from the other side. It was Lu Xun, who had just arrived in Tianwu Royal City. The Tianwu Inn, where he was staying, was only a few hundred meters away. Seeing that Teacher Liu had settled everyone, he had come over.

"To become a Master Teacher, one must possess an auxiliary profession. I've been learning to paint with my father since childhood and can already create works in the 'Recorded Reality' realm. It's a good idea to first pass the calligrapher-painter apprentice examination, and then figure out how to become a formal calligrapher-painter later!" Lu Xun's heart stirred as he looked at the grand, flowing characters at the entrance of the Calligrapher-Painter Guild. With his current ability, becoming a formal calligrapher-painter was still a bit challenging, but passing the apprentice examination shouldn't be a problem.

Stepping into the guild, he immediately saw numerous artworks hanging on the walls: landscapes, birds, spring breezes, blazing suns... all of them had remarkably reached the "Recorded Reality" realm. It was evident that the creators of these works possessed an understanding of calligraphy and painting no less profound than his own.

"As expected of the Calligrapher-Painter Guild, how impressive..." Lu Xun couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes shining. This guild hadn't been established long, and Master Lu Chen had never visited, so naturally, he didn't know what it contained. He was refreshed to see so many remarkable works right upon entering, and he secretly admired them.

"Young master, what kind of painting are you looking for? I can show you around!" As Lu Xun walked forward, the green-clad attendant who had greeted Zhang Xuan earlier approached him respectfully.

"I'm not here to buy anything; I... want to take the calligrapher-painter apprentice examination! Where can I do that?" Lu Xun asked with a smile.

"An apprentice examination?" The green-clad attendant was startled. Usually, not a single person would come for a calligrapher-painter or apprentice examination for months. What was happening today? They were coming in droves! Young Master Ji Mo had just finished his exam, then Grandmaster Zhang arrived, and no sooner had Grandmaster Zhang left than another person appeared, wanting to take the apprentice exam... It was too lively!

"Please come this way!" Despite his confusion, he dared not be negligent. He was merely a guild attendant, while an apprentice had the potential to become a formal calligrapher-painter, a significant difference in status.

"Mm!" Lu Xun followed him.

"How amazing! That was truly a fifth-realm work!""Yes, to produce a fifth-realm work on the first examination, and to be under twenty years old—what a genius!""Even Young Master Ji Mo was defeated, and even expelled from the guild. Such talent is truly admirable!""The scene of him painting is still replaying in my mind; it was absolutely magnificent!""I never imagined even a savage beast could paint—it's something I wouldn't have dared to dream of before..."As he walked through the spacious hall, hushed discussions drifted from all directions. During the competition half an hour ago, although there were many supporters of Young Master Ji Mo in the crowd, there were also numerous nobles and dignitaries who genuinely loved calligraphy and painting. Grandmaster Zhang, in his first appearance at the guild, had virtually stunned everyone present.

"What do they mean by... 'first examination, produced a fifth-realm work'?" As he heard more and more discussions around him, Lu Xun could no longer contain his curiosity and turned to the green-clad attendant beside him.

"Oh, they're talking about the competition that just happened!" Upon hearing the question, the attendant's eyes also lit up. He had clearly witnessed the entire competition from the side, and even personally attended to that grandmaster, feeling immense pride.

"A competition?""Yes, just a moment ago..." The green-clad attendant quickly recounted the recent events in detail.

"You're saying... that Grandmaster allowed a savage beast to walk around on Xuan paper after dipping its paw in ink, then simply gave the paper a shake, and it transformed into a third-realm work?" Lu Xun's eyes widened. Having studied calligraphy and painting with his father for years, he knew the difficulty of creating a third-realm work. Even his father couldn't guarantee success every time. This person made a savage beast walk randomly and achieved it with just a shake... Wasn't this boasting?

However, the most astonishing parts were yet to come."And then, with a flick of a torch... it became fourth-realm?""He spat on it, and it turned into fifth-realm?"The more he listened, the more Lu Xun felt his mind reeling; he was almost frantic. How could this sound like a storyteller recounting a tale? If it were true, that Grandmaster's control over calligraphy and painting would be truly terrifying!

"Of course it's true! I personally attended to that Grandmaster, and I witnessed the entire competition process with my own eyes. There's absolutely no mistake!" The green-clad attendant, seeing Lu Xun's disbelief, swore with conviction.

"How incredible... If what he said is true, then if I could become a student of that Grandmaster, my progress in calligraphy and painting would surely be immense, and becoming a true calligrapher-painter would be simple!" Hearing the attendant's certainty, a thought stirred in Lu Xun's mind and erupted, impossible to suppress. To become a Master Teacher, merely being an apprentice wasn't enough; one had to possess a formal auxiliary profession. Although he had learned to paint since childhood, he knew there was a significant gap between the "Recorded Reality" realm and the "Spiritual Movement" realm. If he studied on his own, it would be impossible to bridge this gap without several, or even more than ten, years of effort.

However... with guidance from a powerful teacher, it would be much simpler. He didn't know about other Grandmasters, but the things mentioned were truly astounding. To make a painting arbitrarily advance and reach the fifth realm, how profound must one's understanding of calligraphy and painting be to achieve that? If he became his student, his doubts would certainly be resolved, and the path to becoming a calligrapher-painter might become considerably easier.

"What's that Grandmaster's name? Where is he now? Does he take on students?" Suppressing his excitement, Lu Xun's face flushed as he couldn't help but ask.

"That Grandmaster, he seems to be called... Zhang Xuan!" The green-clad attendant thought for a moment before replying.

"Zhang Xuan?" Lu Xun's body trembled, and his eyes widened.