I Became an All-round Artist

Back at home, Lin Yuan walked into the house and was immediately hit by a strange smell. Jian Yi was in the kitchen, busy with something that was clearly the source of the odor.

“This is our dinner!” Jian Yi shouted excitedly from the kitchen.

Lin Yuan opened his mouth, then quickly shut it again. The smell was overpowering, and he wasn’t sure what Jian Yi was cooking. Could it be something as bad as boiled... poop?

Choosing not to dampen Jian Yi's sudden enthusiasm for cooking, Lin Yuan quietly slipped into his room and firmly shut the door.

Just then, a familiar "ding" sound came from his system.

"Congratulations to the host for completing the second order from the branch office. A new task has been triggered."

[Task Name: Teaching to Fish is Better than Giving Fish]
[Task Details: With the host’s eventual departure, the branch office is likely to return to its previous state. Before graduating from your third year, choose three people from the Star Mang Music composition team and improve their songwriting skills.]
[Task Reward: Two hours of daily use of the Yang Zhongming character card.]
[Task Note: Yang Zhongming has extensive knowledge of composition and songwriting. However, the host cannot use this knowledge for personal creations, as it does not belong to the host. If the host wishes to create original works, the Yang Zhongming card will become unusable, and the host will only be able to rely on their own knowledge and skills.]

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment. After some thought, he understood the system’s intent. The system wanted him to use the Yang Zhongming character card to train a few apprentices at the branch office. However, it was also wary that he might use Yang Zhongming's vast knowledge to write songs.

After all, with Yang Zhongming's level of expertise, he could easily produce songs on par with the ones provided by the system. To prevent that, the system had imposed some restrictions.

“Accept the task,” Lin Yuan said.

With the system's confirmation, a new character card appeared in his inventory.

“Use the character card,” he commanded mentally.

He thought he would turn into Yang Zhongming, but in fact, Yang’s personality didn’t affect him at all. Instead, his mind was suddenly flooded with a wealth of composition knowledge. Some of it was far beyond the scope of his university courses.

For the first time, Lin Yuan realized just how formidable a "Songfather" truly was! In a way, Yang Zhongming was like a walking encyclopedia of composition, with a staggering amount of knowledge packed into his mind. Lin Yuan felt as if he could easily write a hit song like Mouse Loves Rice right then.

However, the moment he entertained the idea of writing a song, the memory brought by Yang Zhongming’s card instantly vanished from his mind, leaving him back at his usual Intermediate Composition and Harmony level.

Lin Yuan tried to find an analogy. It’s like I wanted to build a Transformer, but the moment I tried, the system took away all the tools and blueprints. Without the tools, I’m just stuck with my regular abilities.

That analogy seemed pretty accurate. As long as he didn't attempt to use the knowledge to compose songs, it would remain in his mind. But once he wanted to actually create something, it would disappear again.

"So, that’s how the card works."

Realizing this, Lin Yuan had a sudden thought. If I can’t use it to write songs, can I use the time to actively study this knowledge?

“Yes, that’s an alternative use of the character card,” the system replied. “Would you like to start studying now?”

“Let’s begin,” Lin Yuan said, feeling a bit of anticipation.

Instantly, his surroundings blurred and distorted. When his vision cleared, he found himself sitting in a small, clean classroom. There was only one person in the room. At the front stood a stern, expressionless middle-aged man—none other than Yang Zhongming himself.

Lin Yuan asked, “Where am I?”

“This is your mental space,” the system explained. “Time here moves very slowly. Two hours in here will only be two minutes in the outside world.”

Lin Yuan felt a bit flustered. “Did you bring Yang Zhongming here?”

What if he needed to use the restroom? Was there a bathroom in his brain?

The system clarified, “This is just a projection of Yang Zhongming, not the actual person. Now, he will start teaching you. The system has activated his Teacher's Aura to assist.”

Lin Yuan: “…”

A Teacher's Aura? This system really knows how to be thorough.

Before Lin Yuan could ask more questions, Yang Zhongming’s projection spoke up. “No daydreaming during class, or you’ll be sent to stand outside. You’re currently in your third year, so I’ll start with third-year level content…”

“Alright.” Lin Yuan sat up straight, ready to listen.

Having a strict teacher made sense. A student should take their lessons seriously, especially since there was a time limit on using the card. Every minute was precious.

“Today, we’ll start with chord progressions,” Yang Zhongming announced without any need for textbooks. He began his lesson immediately, diving into topics Lin Yuan had only partially understood before.

It wasn’t clear whether it was Yang Zhongming’s excellent teaching or the influence of the Teacher's Aura, but Lin Yuan found himself absorbing the lessons with incredible efficiency.

He had never learned this quickly in school!

After two hours of intense study, Yang Zhongming’s projection faded, and Lin Yuan snapped back to reality. He realized just how much he didn’t know, feeling like an ignorant novice compared to Yang Zhongming.

But the learning efficiency in those two hours was astonishing. Lin Yuan felt he had gained more in those two hours than he would have in half a month at school. He was eager to dive back in for more lessons, but unfortunately, the character card was now on cooldown until the next day.

“Friendly reminder,” the system added. “If the host fails to complete the teaching task within the given time, the Yang Zhongming character card will expire.”

“I understand,” Lin Yuan replied, now determined to complete the task.

With Yang Zhongming’s knowledge and the boost from the Teacher's Aura, Lin Yuan felt confident that he could train three skilled composers before the deadline.

“What are the criteria for successfully completing the task?” he asked.

“The system has its own evaluation criteria. Once your students are ready, the system will notify you,” it answered.

“Got it.”

Lin Yuan then pulled out his phone and messaged Gu Dong. “Can you send me the profiles of everyone in the composition department, along with their past works?”

After sending the message, he got up and opened the door—only to be greeted by the overwhelming stench from the kitchen.

“Perfect timing, dinner’s ready!” Jian Yi called out cheerfully.

Lin Yuan took a step back. “What did you make?”

“Noodles in snail broth,” Jian Yi replied with a grin.

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