Mythical Scroll Artist: Starting with the God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming

Chapter 43 Domain Scroll
Standing on the coffin board covered with talismans, Wu Xian had a bad feeling.

After the coffin took off, a strange force could be clearly felt propelling it forward.

"Master, where are we going?"

“Let’s go back to the outpost first and show you around,” Xue Lingling said without hesitation, “so you don’t think I’m too young to teach you.”

"This disciple absolutely has no such thoughts," Wu Xian said sincerely.

Just kidding, with his self-taught skills, any proper scroll painter could teach him a lot.

No guidance is needed regarding the simple conception of the scroll.

“The club is still under renovation right now, so we don’t need you to go there for the time being,” Xue Lingling explained calmly. “If you have any questions in the future, just ask me.”

By the way, you haven't taken your certification exam yet, have you?

"not yet."

As Sister Tiao mentioned before, it's very troublesome to get certified as an individual scroll painter, so Wu Xian has never gone for it.

“Perfect timing, let’s get you the trainee scroll painter certificate today,” Xue Lingling pondered. “The official scroll painter certificate is more troublesome, as there’s only a unified exam every six months.”

"Is it not possible to get certified?" Wu Xian asked, puzzled.

Xue Lingling explained, "Don't underestimate this piece of paper. It carries a lot of weight. It offers many benefits that ordinary people don't have, and you can only access many things if you have this certificate."

"For example?" Wu Xian asked curiously.

“High-quality drawing paper, premium pigments, rare spiritual substances, and various ancient books and materials are all unique resources of the association,” Xue Lingling continued. “Once you obtain the trainee scroll painter certificate, you are considered to have registered as a member of the association.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Xian couldn't help but feel anticipation. "Is the trainee scroll painter assessment difficult?"

"It's not difficult. Just draw an original copper scroll and pass a simple test," Xue Lingling said with a smile. "It'll be a piece of cake for you."

"Huh? Wasn't it said that getting certified as an individual drawing student was very troublesome?"

"With your teacher here, what kind of personal scroll painting student are you?" Xue Lingling glanced at her and teased. "Of course, ordinary apprenticeships don't offer this kind of treatment."

Wu Xian suddenly realized.

To put it bluntly, the vast majority of self-taught artists are considered "amateur scientists" by the association, and they are not taken seriously, so the assessment process is much more complicated.

To get the association to take notice, you either need to go through the art studio route or have a qualified mentor.

From this perspective, Xue Lingling, this cheap mentor, is actually quite useful.

"And what about the official scroll painters?" Wu Xian then asked.

"He's condensed the divine diagram." Xue Lingling's eyes shone with deep satisfaction: "My good disciple has clearly met the standard."

At such a young age, he managed to create a divine diagram of the soul through self-study and exploration; he has truly struck gold.

The key point is that this set of amazing pictures seems to be of a pretty high quality.

Originally, it would have been difficult for her to support a club on her own in the future, but the appearance of Wu Xian and Zhou Qi gave her hope.

If these two little ones can be helped to grow, they will definitely be able to support half of the Ghost King Club in the future.

"What comes after becoming a certified scroll painter? Are there any higher titles?" Wu Xian pressed.

“Of course,” Xue Lingling said noncommittally, “but the professional titles after that are not so important. The various scroll painters don’t care about the association’s so-called professional title certification, unless they want to develop further within the association.”

Wu Xian seemed to understand, but not quite.

Meanwhile, the coffin lid had already landed in a gloomy and dilapidated mansion in Dead Mountain Town.

"This is the core of [Dead Mountain Town], and it will be the place where I will be stationed for the next few years," Xue Lingling explained as she operated the system.

Wu Xian couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is Dead Mountain Town your creation?"

“Of course not,” Xue Lingling said, speechless. “My spiritual power is not yet sufficient to draw the domain scroll, but it should be soon.”

Wu Xian understood.

If figure scrolls and tool scrolls are like elementary school math, then domain scrolls are like advanced math.

Whether it's the background concept, the difficulty of drawing, or the complexity of the paints, it's several levels higher. That being said, he still genuinely felt that [Dead Mountain Town] wasn't very good.

In short: Haunted house level.

"Whose work is this?" Wu Xian commented, "It seems pretty average."

"..." Xue Lingling's forehead swelled up with anger. She said irritably, "Dead Mountain Town is the core asset of the Necromancer's Guild. It is a high-level domain scroll left by the first founder. Who gave you the courage to say that Dead Mountain Town is nothing special?"

Wu Xian pouted sullenly and didn't say anything more.

"You really don't know your place," Xue Lingling sighed. "That's right~ After all, you're new to the game, so it's understandable. I'll find a chance to take you into the [Dead Mountain Town Dungeon] for a spin later and broaden your horizons."

"Oh." Wu Xian's eyes brightened slightly.

It's important to understand that the Domain Scroll is not just a simple dimensional outpost.

Its real purpose is to unlock themed dungeon modes, producing unique materials and spiritual substances.

This is the fundamental reason why the [Domain Scroll] is so important.

After hearing what his master said, he was actually quite looking forward to it.

"Okay, let's go."

After Xue Lingling settled and adjusted the core of the outpost, she led Wu Xian to evacuate the dimensional instance.

The redwood coffin flew smoothly all the way to the airspace above the old town.

Finally, it landed outside the Yaoyang City Scroll Painters Association, which is not only the core of the old town, but also one of Yaoyang City's landmark buildings.

Looking up at the magnificent and solemn palace complex, it's hard not to feel awe.

At the entrance of the main hall, luxury cars lined the streets, and the people coming and going were all members of Yaoyang City's elite.

"Don't be nervous, your teacher is here." Xue Lingling led Wu Xian with ease, "That's where the internship assessment is over there, just go through the procedures."

The assessment area was quiet and solemn.

In contrast, the other assessment site next door was bustling with people of all ages and genders.

"See that? That's where the individual drawing students take their exams," Xue Lingling teased. "Just queuing up every day is enough to give you a headache."

Wu Xian couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate.

"Old Chen!"

Xue Lingling waved familiarly to the leaders of the assessment department.

Old Chen, in his seventies, with a refined and scholarly air, looked at Xue Lingling with surprise. "Eh~ what brings you here, young lady?"

"I brought my little one here to get an internship certificate. Could you please make arrangements for him?"

Old Chen understood, and his gaze naturally turned to Wu Xian, sizing him up. "A descendant of your Xue family?"

"No~" Xue Lingling waved her hand and smiled, "A newly accepted apprentice, a promising little guy."

"Apprentices?" Old Chen was stunned. "You've started taking on apprentices already?"

"What are you saying? I'm practically someone who's going to start a club," Xue Lingling said irritably. "Is it a problem to take on an apprentice?"

Old Chen was speechless. He led the two into the assessment area, sighing repeatedly, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, you've already become a capable scroll painter."

He had struggled for so many years to barely reach his current position, but this girl from the Xue family had already reached a height that he could only dream of in a few years.

Talent is truly a cruel thing.

"There are two kids taking the test right now, let's wait a bit."

Inside the examination hall, a man and a woman were already taking the test. Both were older than Wu Xian, with the dark-skinned man looking almost thirty.

The fact that they were able to come here for the assessment means that they were once students in the art studio.

But at such an advanced age, not having obtained a trainee scroll painter certificate is, frankly, quite unnecessary.

(End of this chapter)