Chapter 182: Kato E... Sensei?!!

Li Mingkang's drawing skills were even more profound than Ma Rongcheng's. Since Ma Rongcheng was able to pass the interview, Li Mingkang naturally passed it smoothly as well.

After passing the interview, the two of them immediately applied for resignation upon returning.

They were both just the lowest-level apprentices, and not even part of the creative team for Shangguan Xiaobao's *Bruce Lee* comic under *Happy Report*. Even though their superior might have guessed where they were heading, he did not make things difficult for them, allowing them to leave without any hassle. Many had already left, so a few more did not matter.

After all, there were plenty of low-level apprentices like them at Shenghuo Publishing. As long as they kept the core talents, small fry like these, who hadn't even caught the attention of Shangguan Xiaobao, didn't concern their superiors.

However, what he didn't realize was that this time he truly misjudged. When he saw Ma Rongcheng and Li Mingkang again in the future, he looked up to them with admiration—a feeling that only he could fully understand.

Soon, Ma Rongcheng and Li Mingkang were notified to start work. What puzzled them was that the other artists recruited with them weren't assigned any creative tasks. Instead, they were given a single requirement: to continually practice their basic drawing skills. Paper and pens were provided in abundance; they were just supposed to practice!

This job requirement left everyone dumbfounded, but since they were being paid well for such light work, it was beneficial to them. Why not enjoy it?

Some people, however, were more thoughtful, speculating that the company surely wouldn't engage in meaningless activities. They guessed that this might be a form of assessment to determine their future roles, so many kept quiet and practiced even more diligently.

And they were right. From the moment they entered the company, Ma Tengdong had been observing them secretly.

As for the drawings they completed, they were told not to discard them. Each one was signed, collected, and occasionally reviewed by Ma Tengdong. This was related to a task assigned by the boss, Xia Yu.

Xia Yu had provided four sets of character design drafts for the manga outlines, each with a different art style. Ma Tengdong didn't bother wondering how Xia Yu possessed such a versatile drawing style. His task was to select artists who fit the different manga styles.

Art style is a somewhat mysterious but crucial element!

For instance, the art style of *Pokémon* is softer, highlighting the cuteness of the Pokémon. A rougher style wouldn't suit it, as it wouldn't express the core ideas and characteristics of the manga.

If the Pokémon were drawn with a rough art style and appeared terrifying, it would scare away the kids. How could it attract young viewers then? When selling merchandise, if the toys look menacing, many parents wouldn't want to buy them for their children.

On the other hand, *Dragon Ball*, with its numerous fight scenes and being a hot-blooded manga, naturally needs an art style that emphasizes explosive power, one that stirs up passion and excitement.

Otherwise, if a soft, shoujo-style art was used for the fight scenes between Goku and Piccolo, and they were portrayed as lightly tapping each other, it would be quite embarrassing.

Therefore, to replicate the four manga successfully and ensure a high success rate, Xia Yu needed to select the right artists.

Moreover, Ma Tengdong also needed to identify those with the strongest foundational drawing skills among them. When it came time to form four creative teams, their roles would be assigned based on their abilities.

On this particular day, Xia Yu arrived at the Jiuding Animation Co., in his office, where he awaited a person's arrival. Once this person arrived, Xia Yu wouldn't have to worry about the company's personnel structure anymore.

This person was the much-needed manga skills training teacher!

When Guanghui International sent the resume to Xia Yu, after reviewing it, he didn't even call for an interview; he just directly offered the job. Guanghui International, upon receiving Xia Yu's opinion, naturally persuaded the manga teacher to report as soon as possible.

And last night, Xia Yu received a message from Guanghui International that the manga training teacher had arrived in Hong Kong and would come to the company to meet Xia Yu this morning.

Now, sitting on his desk was the resume of the manga teacher, along with the investigation report provided by Guanghui International.

But upon seeing the name on the resume, despite having read it many times, Xia Yu still found it a bit amusing.

"Kato E? This name is quite impressive!"

"And the report also states that his drawing skills are very strong, with his biggest strength being the speed at which he draws. He is ranked first among all teachers in terms of speed, and his drawing quality is highly consistent. He's even known as 'The Hand of Kato.'"

"The more I look at this, the weirder it seems!"

Thinking of a certain famous person from his previous life who also had such a title and achieved the highest honors in a particular industry, Xia Yu couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

He decided to stop thinking about the name; otherwise, he would keep laughing.

Although this Kato-sensei had a peculiar name and specialty, he was undeniably a talent.

Kato E, male, 40 years old, currently a manga instructor at Seika University in Japan.

Kyoto Seika University in Japan might not be widely known, but it's no ordinary university in the manga industry.

This school is located at 137 Iwakura Kinomachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1968 as a private university in Japan, known as Seika University or Seika, and was the first university in Japan to establish a manga department.

Kato E had been a teacher at Kyoto Seika University for eight years, with excellent teaching skills. He was also a left-wing person in Japan, strongly opposing war and advocating for peace, and he could speak English—perfectly matching Xia Yu's requirements.

The reason they could poach him was that Kato E's family was in trouble and urgently needed money. The salary of a university teacher wasn't enough. Upon learning this, Xia Yu didn't care about the money at all and offered him a high salary, effectively "knocking him out" and bringing him over.

Today, once he confirmed everything on-site, the contract would be signed.

It wasn't long before Kato E, led by an employee, arrived at Xia Yu's office. Upon seeing Xia Yu, he immediately bowed and greeted, "Mr. Xia, hello!"

"Hello, Kato-sensei, please have a seat!"

"Thank you!"

Once Kato E sat down, Xia Yu began talking with him, gaining a more detailed understanding of his situation.

Afterward, Xia Yu answered some questions related to Kato E's personal interests. Xia Yu naturally agreed to all these minor requests, which were mostly about confirming the high salary that Xia Yu had promised—something well within Xia Yu's capacity.

Moreover, to secure Kato E's commitment, Xia Yu learned about his daughter's medical situation, which required a large sum of money. Without hesitation, Xia Yu advanced him a year's salary upfront, leaving Kato E deeply grateful.