I Became an All-round Artist

Lin Yuan hadn’t expected the system to grant him a buff in the form of a special title. It wasn’t tied to any specific task, just a random blessing—much like those farming games where you get bonuses out of nowhere.

"Does this mean I’ll actually become a better teacher than my instructors?" Lin Yuan wondered to himself. His previous success in teaching students was purely due to his high skill level and the one-on-one format. But now, things were different. With the "Mentor" buff, students under his guidance would have their comprehension abilities enhanced, making it easier for them to grasp what he was teaching.

What exactly did doubling one’s comprehension mean? Lin Yuan decided to find out. He looked at Zhong Yu and said, "I can teach one more student today."

Zhong Yu was surprised. "Aren’t you going to take a break?"

Lin Yuan shook his head. "I’m good."

"Alright then. The next student is Chen Rui. Is Chen Rui here today?"

"I’m here!" Chen Rui quickly raised his hand, excitement evident on his face. He had booked Lin Yuan’s class a week ago, expecting to be taught tomorrow. But today, Lin Yuan had decided to hold an extra session!

"Let’s get started," Lin Yuan said. "Try copying this painting, and I’ll correct any mistakes as you go."

Lin Yuan had developed a bit of a routine with his teaching now. He liked to have students draw in front of him, as it allowed him to observe their weaknesses. Then he would stop them and provide targeted guidance. Today was no different.

It didn’t take long for Chen Rui’s first issue to become apparent—he struggled to control the pressure on his lines.

Demonstrating, Lin Yuan explained, "When drawing straight lines, you need to keep your wrist steady and use the side, flat, or tip of the pencil to create evenly spaced lines..."

Chen Rui: "..."

Chen Rui wasn’t particularly skilled at sketching. The methods Lin Yuan explained were things his teachers had gone over countless times before. Despite that, he had never managed to improve. With little hope, he followed Lin Yuan’s instructions.

On the first try, the second, and the third, he still didn’t expect much. He had resigned himself to being one of the weaker students in the art department. But as he kept drawing, something clicked.

"I think I get it," Chen Rui thought, surprised.

His wrist began to move smoothly, and the straight lines came out evenly and with just the right pressure. The improvement even exceeded his own expectations. For a moment, he felt like a sketching prodigy.

What was going on? Why did I suddenly understand?

His teachers had explained this countless times, but why did it suddenly make sense when Lin Yuan said it, even though they were saying the same thing?

Intrigued, Chen Rui focused more intensely, continuing to follow Lin Yuan’s guidance.

After about half an hour, Chen Rui looked at Lin Yuan with a completely different expression.

Holy crap!

A master!

Lin Yuan had only taught him for half an hour, but in that time, Chen Rui felt like his mind had cleared. Concepts that had once been murky were now crystal clear.

Am I smarter now?

Could I actually be a genius?

No way—I don’t have a talent for sketching.

Chen Rui came to a realization: he wasn’t suddenly more intelligent. It was Lin Yuan’s brilliant teaching. The way Lin Yuan broke things down, step by step, helped Chen Rui untangle all the confusion he’d had about sketching.

Now, Chen Rui finally understood why his teacher had recommended that he join the art club and take lessons from this master, even if it meant paying for them. Lin Yuan was truly amazing!

Incredible!

Absolutely incredible!

Before this, Chen Rui had thought that paying 500 yuan per hour for Lin Yuan’s lessons was a bit steep. Lin Yuan was even younger than him—how could he charge so much?

But now, Chen Rui felt like he was getting a bargain. Not only was Lin Yuan’s sketching ability top-notch, but his teaching skills were also exceptional!

…

Lin Yuan had no idea what was going through Chen Rui’s mind. All he knew was one thing: the "Mentor" buff was insanely powerful!

When Chen Rui had first started drawing, he didn’t seem particularly sharp. Lin Yuan had prepared himself for a long, difficult session because students like Chen Rui were usually the hardest to teach. Yet, surprisingly, Chen Rui made rapid progress in a short time.

Concepts Lin Yuan thought might be difficult for him to grasp were actually understood with ease!

It had to be the effect of the "Mentor" buff.

Over the past few days, Lin Yuan had taught several students, so he knew how challenging it could be to guide those with poor sketching fundamentals. But now, everything was different.

After teaching for an hour and ten minutes, Lin Yuan stopped.

"That’s enough for today," he said to Chen Rui.

Chen Rui stood reluctantly. "Can I schedule another session with you, Master Lin?"

Lin Yuan replied, "You’ll need to book through Zhong Yu."

Zhong Yu handled all the appointments. To be fair, Lin Yuan taught whoever’s turn it was, avoiding any favoritism or competition for spots.

"Got it!"

Chen Rui immediately turned to Zhong Yu to secure his next lesson. Each session was a minimum of one hour, but how long Lin Yuan taught ultimately depended on his schedule.

"That’s it for today," Lin Yuan announced.

He had a good grasp of the "Mentor" buff now. According to the system, the more students he taught, the stronger the buff’s effect would become. Eventually, even the most hopeless students could be turned into prodigies under his guidance!

"Looks like I should raise my prices," Lin Yuan mused.

The "Mentor" effect was too valuable. However, he hesitated—raising the price again would make it difficult for many students to afford his lessons. Most university students only had a few thousand yuan to live on each month.

Lin Yuan didn’t have the heart of a profiteer, so for now, he resisted the urge to increase his fees.

"Forget it, I’ll leave it at 500 yuan per hour for now," he decided, continuing his lessons at the same rate.

But the "Mentor" buff was incredibly effective. None of his students realized they were being influenced by Lin Yuan’s blessing. After each session, they only had two thoughts:

First, "I didn’t know I understood sketching this well!"

Second, "Master Lin Yuan is an amazing teacher!"

The second thought always overshadowed the first, especially since they still attended their regular classes. Many students who had once struggled with sketching underwent a complete transformation after studying with Lin Yuan, leaving even their professors stunned!

Some students who had been considered hopeless cases were now sketching like pros, thanks to Lin Yuan’s guidance. His reputation skyrocketed as word spread of these remarkable improvements.

Lin Yuan was quickly becoming a legend in the art department. And as a result, more and more students were applying to join the art club.

For the first time, since becoming the vice president of the club, Zheng Liang was seriously considering placing restrictions on membership applications.

He never imagined the club would become so popular!

Now, with over 300 members, the art club was thriving—all thanks to Lin Yuan! If this continued, every student who wanted to improve their sketching skills would be lining up to join.

"This is unbelievable!"

As more students improved under Lin Yuan’s instruction, he was treated like a VIP within the club.

Whenever Lin Yuan wanted something to eat, drink, or use, someone would immediately provide it, often without him even asking. Most of these people were students he had taught, and their numbers were growing by the day.

In terms of status, Lin Yuan had even surpassed Zheng Liang, the vice president.

By the end of the month, Lin Yuan’s short story "The Death of a Small Civil Servant," written under the pen name Chu Kuang, was finally ready to be published on the Tribal Literature platform.

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