A Year Had Passed 2

"What? No." Jiang Rou Xuan shook her head in response to the question. "I do not think of Senior Brother Mu Feng Xian that way."

"Oh really? Hehe.." Holding onto Jiang Rou Xuan's arm, Lan Meng Meng followed up with another question. "Since you are not thinking of Senior brother, then who may I ask are you thinking about? Ever since you came in a year ago, you have only interacted with my uncle and I."

"Unless…" Lang Meng Meng pulled herself away from Jiang Rou Xuan and wrapped her arms around her own body. "You're.. You're thinking about me??"

"Yes.." Jiang Rou Xuan smiled cryptically as she moved closer to her close friend, her hands moving closer to Lan Meng Meng. "I was in fact thinking about tickling you."

"Ah! No! Please! Ahahahaha!"

…

Wang Li Tian left in the morning, alongside his senior sister, to Prime Elder Long Tang Yun's residence. This was his usual practice for the past year and it was something that Li Tian did not mind. He enjoyed the company given to him from his teacher, senior sister and Elder Phoenix. The boy had learnt plenty and have gotten especially good at inscription on Scrolls. However, Long Tang Yun realised that the boy did not have the heart to memorise the different types of scrolls. What the teacher did not know was that Wang Li Tian had been learning how to create far more efficient writings from Elder Phoenix.

"Greetings, Teacher Long." Wang Li Tian bowed, awaking Long Tang Yun from his dilemma. Xin Shu Yi greeted the teacher too.

"Mmm, time flies by quickly. It has already been a year since Little Li Tian came under my tutorship." The prime elder tucked his hands into his robe sleeves as he said to his disciples.

"There are some things that needs to be clarified between you and I, Little Li TIan." Long Tang Yun gazed at the 13 year old youth. Wang Li Tian listened in on what the prime elder said, "Do you plan on pursuing Scroll inscription in the near future? At this point, I am confident enough to say that you are fully capable of creating a Level 3 scroll if you put your heart to it."

"I…" Wang Li Tian had a complicated expression on his face. This question was entirely expected by Elder Phoenix. The Origin Beast recently briefed him on this topic too. Wang Li Tian would surely like to learn scroll inscription under the prime elder. However, what he was learning from Elder Phoenix was something that cannot be seen by others. Continuing to learn scroll inscription with other artificers would just be wasting the youth's time. Instead, Elder Phoenix proposed a solution to his problems.

"I would like to learn something else in regards to artificing."

"Oh? And what may that be?" Long Tang Yun raised his eyebrows, curious to what he may choose. Was he thinking of learning how to create Arrays? Or was he thinking of learning enchantments?

"I would like to learn how to analyse and dissect artifice articles.���

"Artificing Analysis?" Long Tang Yun frowned as he continued to poke into Li Tian's preference, "Why do you wish to specialise into a minor category in artificing?"

Elder Phoenix had expected that the prime elder would ask that and so, he made Li Tian remember what he should say. "I do not like memorising the different types of inscription scrolls and so, in my free time, I read into the Basic Artificing book and I discovered Artificing Analysis. It looked very interesting and so, I wish that teacher would grant me my wish to pursue this passion of mine."

"Wait a minute…" Long Tang Yun was shell-shocked, "Did you just say you read the Basic Artificing book?"

"Ye..Yes I did." No, he did not.

"My disciple actually read a book!" Long Tang Yun looked at Xin Shu Yi to confirm what he was hearing, "Shu Yi, did Little Li Tian actually say he read a book?"

"Yes! He did!" Xin Shu Yi was surprised too. It seems like my junior brother truly did not wish to pursue scroll inscriptions. He was so desperate to the point that he actually read a book!

Unbeknownst to those two, this was exactly Elder Phoenix's plan to convince the pair that Wang Li Tian did not wish to learn scroll inscription.

"Little Li Tian, I shall allow you to learn Artificing Analysis. However, you must promise me one thing." Long Tang Yun agreed to Li Tian's want.

"Okay, what do you want me to promise?"

"Within a year of my tutorship, you must be able to dissect and solve problems set by me. I will give you five different artifices that has a specific topic relating to it. If you are not able to solve all five of them, you will then have to learn Scroll Inscription properly with me. Understood?" This was the compromise that the Prime Elder had set for his disciple. He could not bear to allow such a talented disciple go to waste by specialising into a minor category in artificing.

Wang Li Tian thought through it and nodded agreeably. He knew that this was the only way forward if he still wanted to learn artificing with his teacher and senior sister.

"Well, we shall start learning more about Artificing Analysis later in a bit." Long Tang Yun had other things to discuss. "First off, there is an event coming up that relates to you and the other outer disciples in the Southern Wind Academy. It is none other than, the Outer Disciple Competition."