The stars and moon, like lamps, illuminated the dark trench.
On the cliff near the sea, a multi-storied, exquisite temple sat amidst the beautiful scenery.
It was called Gouya Temple.
When night fell, the temple remained brightly lit.
As one of Ionia's artistic sanctuaries, it housed renowned artists and the most precious art paintings on the continent.
And at this moment, Ryan, after a long journey, finally arrived before this temple of art.
He had thought of several methods that afternoon.
Such as telling Hui the truth and directly finding Jhin in Mill Town and brutally killing him with Dark Magic...
But every method had great uncertainty.
In the first method, Ryan was not confident he could persuade Hui.
After all, he was merely Hui's friend, and Jhin was also his friend.
Perhaps he had spent a little more time with Hui.
But without any substantial evidence, Ryan didn't think his eloquence alone could make Hui believe him.
As for the second method...
The power of Dark Magic was undeniable.
If he and Jhin were trapped in an arena, Ryan was confident he could take on ten of him.
But the problem was that Jhin was a master of escape.
The fact that Zed and Shen had been played by him for so many years and couldn't catch his limping leg was enough to prove his cunning.
Moreover, given Jhin's personality, if he acted rashly,
then Jhin would definitely retaliate in his own way, such as making the entire street dance in flames.
Although Ryan didn't like the old lady at the front desk,
he wouldn't joke with her life and the lives of everyone on the street.
Therefore, after comprehensive consideration,
Ryan decided to strike first.
If Jhin was a cunning rabbit, then Gouya Temple was that 'stake'.
Arriving here first and hiding in the shadows was the correct way for a Dark Magic controller to make his appearance!
"You are..." a young artist asked, looking at Ryan.
"I am Hui's friend."
Ryan stated his identity.
He couldn't persuade Hui with unsubstantiated words.
But he could use his identity as Hui's friend to enter in advance.
"Hmm?" The young artist hummed softly, and for some reason, a hint of respect suddenly appeared in his gaze towards Ryan.
"But Hui is not here right now."
"Not here?" Ryan looked inside Gouya Temple.
Many artists were busy in the brightly lit hall, adjusting the positions and arrangements of the paintings, preparing for the exhibition the day after tomorrow.
The exhibition was a big event.
Logically, as the heir of Gouya Temple, Hui needed to stay in the temple to coordinate the work.
But he was actually running around...
Hmm.
As expected of the 'last heir'.
Ryan withdrew his gaze, "He invited me to attend the exhibition, but it seems I came too early."
"What's your name?"
"Ryan."
"You... You are Ryan?" the young artist exclaimed.
The young artist's attitude lessened Ryan's negative opinion of Hui.
At least he remembered to instruct his fellow disciples.
"That's me."
"Please come in first." The young artist led Ryan inside.
Ryan's appearance didn't attract too much attention; they were already immersed in the artistic atmosphere.
Arranging an art exhibition was also part of art.
Reasonable layout and arrangement could create a more intense reaction between artworks.
Ryan didn't understand this, but he comprehended it.
To put it plainly, it was like arranging pork in a more reasonable way, and then using lighting that could better highlight the tenderness of the pork, allowing the pork to fetch a better price.
The young artist didn't know what Ryan was thinking; he just asked Ryan to wait for a moment and then left the hall.
Sitting on the soft sofa, Ryan didn't know what he was waiting for, but it didn't prevent him from examining the layout of the first-floor hall.
The overall layout was similar to those exhibition halls in his previous life, with enough spaciousness and just the right amount of light to allow viewers to be more immersed.
There was no description in the background story of how Jhin destroyed Gouya Temple, but Ryan felt that with Jhin's strength, it couldn't have been a simple brute-force attack.
He must have infiltrated first, then quietly paralyzed the people around him with some method, and hidden explosives in inconspicuous places...
If it were him...
Ryan tried to put himself in Jhin's shoes.
But an old man blocked Ryan's view.
"You are Ryan..." The Master's gaze towards Ryan was mixed with admiration and regret.
"I am."
Ryan stopped his brain cells.
He looked at the Master.
From his attire and appearance, the Master's exact age couldn't be determined, but he was certainly not younger than sixty-six.
The nourishment of magic generally gave Ionians longer lifespans; as long as they didn't encounter accidental injuries, most could live to eighty.
And those Ionians who mastered magic could easily cross the hundred-year threshold.
This special characteristic, if it were in later generations, would inevitably give rise to... mineral water or yogurt.
Using the secret of the long-lived island as a gimmick to make a fortune.
"Hui always talks about you." The Master joked kindly, "Including your astonishing talent and your determination not to join us..."
"But young people always yearn for distant places; no matter where you are in the future, I will be here, looking forward to your work."
The Master sat down beside Ryan.
His posture was very casual.
This casualness also made Ryan relax.
"Hui went out to find inspiration; you know, that's just how he is."
The Master then brought up another topic, "You seem to be troubled by something?"
"You saw through me."
"Troubles lead to progress." The Master looked at Ryan encouragingly, "Can you tell me what you're thinking?"
Excellent teachers encourage students to ask questions because asking questions means thinking.
"I'm thinking, since it's possible to turn the ocean in a painting into reality, is there a way for people to enter a painting?"
Ryan didn't hide the fact that he knew painting magic.
When Hui taught Ryan two years ago, he told him that Gouya Temple was not like other places; people here didn't mind their magic being learned by outsiders.
What they cared about was whether outsiders could create more art with this magic.
"Yes," the Master replied, "it's just a more complex inverse application of magic; didn't Hui teach you?"
"He only taught me how to project my consciousness into a painting."
"It seems he's afraid you won't be able to get out on your own after entering the painting." The Master said, "This is a very dangerous technique; if a person becomes immersed in the world within the painting, his life will come to an end."
"So, it's achievable?"
"If you don't consider the dangers involved, it's completely possible."
"Then, can a person who enters a painting distinguish between reality and the painting?"
Ryan chose his words carefully.
The Master didn't ask Ryan why he wanted to do this.
His white eyebrows furrowed, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "To achieve this effect, first, you need to grasp every detail within the painting..."
"Every single one?" Ryan asked.
"What do you want to paint?" the Master asked with a smile.
"I want to try painting a picture about the Gouya Temple exhibition..."
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