78: Chapter 75: Byron, the 3rd Exam!
78: Chapter 75: Byron, the 3rd Exam!
The monk supervising the first two exams was an ordinary monk from the Dragon Temple, mostly in charge of the scripture hall.
However, this time, the monks proctoring the arts exam all came from the Hall of Arts of the Dragon God Temple, they were truly the pinnacle of this world’s artistic pyramid.
Meng Tuoluo had also said that the best artists in the world were all in the Dragon Temple because they spent their whole lives researching and delving into their craft.
And Grand Mage Byron was the leader of these deities.
It could be said that nearly all the princes and princesses of the royal families had been his students, he was the highest authority in the arts of the entire world.
Previously, Grand Mage Byron had always been in Yanjing’s Dragon Temple, instructing the children of royal families from various countries.
A few years ago, he was dispatched to the Zhi Du Sanctuary and became one of the thirteen purple-robed Grand Mages of the sanctuary.
And Zhi Ning, Zhi Yan, and Meng Tuoluo had once been his three most favored students.
Byron was already old, he was over seventy years old, and very little could stir his heart anymore, most of the time, he would just sit quietly , enjoying the quiet moments.
“Teacher…” Princess Zhining walked in cheerfully, then gently pressed her delicate hands on Byron’s temples, massaging them softly.
A wave of affection surged in Byron’s heart, among the three students, he had the most pity for Meng Tuoluo, and then for Zhi Ning.
Her misfortune, in particular, made Byron feel pity for her.
At just six years old, her parents had died in the internal strife of the royal family.
If not for the protection of the Dragon Temple, she and her brother Zhi Li probably would have met with a violent end long ago.
“You little thief, always taking advantage but never suffering a loss, tell me, how much is this massage going to cost me?” Byron said with a smile.
“Look at what you’re saying, making me sound so mercenary,” Zhi Ning said coquettishly.
“That said, everyone claims that we of the Dragon Temple are pure of heart and few desires, detached from the mundane world,” Byron said.
“But humans are humans, not gods, we all have our selfish desires, and we also don’t wish to offend the royal families of powerful nations.”
Zhi Ning said, “Teacher, Tianshui City is very important to my brother Zhi Li’s strategy; we cannot afford to lose.
If we fail, his position as the heir is in jeopardy, so please take pity.”
“You want to suppress Suo Lun, correct?” Grand Mage Byron said.
Zhi Ning said, “Teacher, you already knew?”
Grand Mage Byron said, “Your bet with him has already become the talk of the town.”
“Yes,” Zhi Ning said.
“I want to suppress him.”
“Alright,” Grand Mage Byron said.
“I will turn a blind eye.”
Zhi Ning said jubilantly, “Thank you, teacher.”
Byron said, “However, Zhi Ning, you should know what is the most important thing in my life?”
“Art and emotions,” Zhi Ning said.
“Right, as I’ve grown older, I particularly value affection, and I’ve grown even fonder of you children,” Byron said.
“But art is always my first life.
If someone can conquer me with their art, play a piece that’s a sensation once every hundred years, completely destroying my soul’s defenses, then I will undoubtedly succumb.”
“Of course, I know that,” Zhi Ning said.
“But, do you think someone can create a legendary masterpiece that comes once every hundred years?”
Byron shook his head, “No, it’s impossible.
The art of this world has already withered, and the whole world’s civilization has once again returned to the inertia of Martial Arts.”
Indeed, and these great monks of the Hall of Arts, with the highest artistic talent and taste, their extremely discerning ears and hearts; there was no one in the world who could conquer them.
Zhi Ning said, “That’s it then.
Do you think a prodigal son would possess such talent?”
Byron gave a faint smile and then closed his eyes again.
They had spent too long at the peak of the pyramid; in recent years, there had not even been a piece that could make them listen earnestly, let alone conquer them.
These deities had become proud to the point of near numbness.
The third art exam officially began.
Starting from this exam, it was no longer a collective examination, but rather candidates took exams in the subjects they had chosen.
Sculpture, painting, music, poetry—there were candidates for each.
Suo Lun had chosen music, a large category, with a total of eighty participants, and eight out of ten were girls.
Lanling seriously suspected that Suo Lun chose music not just to flirt with Tutor Niya but also to flirt with all the beautiful female students present.
As expected, just as he entered the examination hall, almost half of the girls looked his way, most of them filled with animosity.
This bastard, had he flirted with every pretty girl?
The music exam for those who chose the subject was conducted in the music hall.
All the candidates entered, took their seats, and then performed in order according to their exam numbers.
Every candidate’s performance could not only be heard by all the examiners but also by all the other candidates.
Lanling found his seat, closed his eyes, and waited for the exam to start.
The situation was very, very unfavorable, because Zhi Ning couldn’t afford to lose, and had already openly suppressed him, going so far as to have his own score predetermined even before the exam had started.
Moreover, after some inquiry, he discovered that a Grand Master of the Dragon Temple was none other than Zhi Ning’s teacher.
Thus, his failure in the third round of the examination seemed inevitable, as if it were already a foregone conclusion, and that his demise was beyond doubt.
So, where was the only way out?
Lanling was willing to believe that these monks of the Dragon Temple were true artists who held the highest pursuit of art.
If his performance could thoroughly shake their hearts and souls, causing complete resonance.
Then, there might still be a glimmer of hope for him.
These individuals, having been immersed in the arts for decades, were among the world’s most top-tier artists, possessing the most extraordinary of souls.
Their artistic taste and attainment weren’t something Niya and Meng Tuoluo could compare with.
Most pieces, even Earth’s classical masterpieces such as “Adina by the Water” and “Wedding in the Dream” can be very pleasing to the ear, perhaps enough to elicit a slight smile from them, but to conquer them?
Absolutely impossible, they might even find these pieces somewhat vulgar.
These people had been at the pinnacle of the Hall of Arts’ pyramid for too long, becoming incomparably arrogant, their vision far too lofty, untouched by any piece of the past few decades unless it was of divine quality.
However, it had been over a hundred years since any divine-level pieces had emerged.
So, which piece should Lanling choose to completely shake their hearts and souls?
Moreover, it had to fit his own circumstances, so that ‘the piece wouldn’t seem too abrupt?
Without a doubt, Lanling had already made his choice, and had performed it countless times in his heart.
At that moment, about twenty examiners entered the music hall in succession, led by Commandery Princess Zhining and Grand Mage Byron.
Princess Zhining lifted her beautiful eyes and cast a casual glance at Lanling.
The bet had ended, and Suo Lun’s loss of his title and position as the Lord of Tianshui City had become a certainty.
“Ding!” The bell rang, signifying the official start of the third round of the arts exam.
The noble students participating in the art department examination swept away the dispirited demeanor of the first two exams, with each performer being more impressive than the last.
Especially the female nobles, whether it was singing or playing the violin or the pipe organ, they were all exceptionally exceptional.
The pipe organ, as the king of instruments in this world, was naturally the favorite of most.
Of the eighty noble students taking the music exam, fifty had chosen the pipe organ.
These noble girls, with their beautiful appearances and elegant demeanors, mostly surpassed girls from Earth’s music schools in performance level.
The scoring today was somewhat terrifying, with each score lower than the last.
And these were the scores given by the examiners from the Royal City Academy.
Hearing these scores, tears threatened to fall from the eyes of these noble girls, who couldn’t believe that their scores for the day could be so low.
From start to finish, the monks of the Dragon Temple remained disinterested, their eyes closed, without offering any commentary, let alone participating in the scoring.
To them, the performances of these noble girls were terribly naïve, nothing more than clumsy imitations.
Finally, one girl raised her own doubt, “Our performances are quite good, so why are the scores so low?”
The chief tutor of the art department said indifferently, “Because you all performed classic masterpieces, not a single one of you created your own work.”
Instantly, all the students fell silent.
Create their own work?
How difficult was that?
Even the tutors at the Royal City Academy’s arts department wouldn’t dare to discuss creating their own work, let alone the students themselves.
Only the top monks at the Dragon God Temple were the main force in creating their work.
In the past century, all the famous pieces that had been passed down were born from the Dragon God Temple, for only they dedicated their entire lives to artistic creation.
“The next candidate, Yi Yun.”
Upon hearing this name, Lanling’s expression turned into a slight frown, for she was Suo Lun’s ex-girlfriend, the daughter of a fallen noble who had incurred a debt of nine hundred Gold Coins.
To repay this, her father had intended to marry her off to a casino owner as a concubine, until Suo Lun took on the debt for her.
At this moment, Lanling was seeing this woman for the first time.
Moreover, she was just before him in line, and he would be next.
His turn to perform was imminent.