Chapter 75

The supervisor of the first two exams was an ordinary disciple of the Divine Dragon Temple, most of whom were in charge of the Book Hall.

However, the supervisors of this art exam all came from the Art Hall of the Divine Dragon Temple. They were completely the deities at the pinnacle of the world's art pyramid.

Mandala had also mentioned that the best artists in the world were all in the Divine Dragon Temple, as they spent their entire lives studying and researching.

And Grand Disciple Byron was the leader of these deities.

It could be said that almost all the princes and princesses of the royal families in the world had once been his students, and he was the highest authority in the world of art.

Previously, Grand Disciple Byron had always been teaching the royal children of various countries at the Divine Dragon Temple in Yanjing. A few years ago, he was dispatched to the Zhidu Temple and became one of the thirteen purple-robed grand disciples of the Zhidu Temple.

Zhinning, Zhiyan, and Mandala were once among his most beloved three students.

Byron was already old, over seventy years old, and there were very few things that could stir his heart. Most of the time, he sat quietly, enjoying this peaceful time.

"Teacher..." Princess Zhinning happily walked in, then placed her delicate hands on Byron's temples and gently massaged them.

A wave of affection surged in Byron's heart. Among the three students, he was most fond of Mandala, followed by Zhinning.

Her misfortune, in particular, made Byron feel especially sorry for her. At just six years old, her parents died in the internal strife of the royal family. If it weren't for the protection of the Divine Dragon Temple, she and her brother Zhili would have long since met an untimely death.

"You naughty girl, you only know how to take advantage but can't bear any loss. Tell me, how much do you want me to pay for this massage?" Byron smiled.

"Look at what you're saying, making me sound so mercenary," Zhinning pouted.

"Go on, they say we in the Divine Dragon Temple are detached and transcendent," Byron said. "But we are human, not gods, and we all have our selfishness. Moreover, we don't want to offend the royal families of powerful countries."

Zhinning said, "Teacher, Tian Shui City is of great strategic importance to my brother Zhili. If he fails, his position as the crown prince will be in grave danger. So please, teacher, have mercy."

"Do you want to suppress Soren, then?" Grand Disciple Byron asked.

"Have you already figured it out?" Zhinning asked.

Grand Disciple Byron said, "Your bet with him has already become the talk of the town."

"Yes," Zhinning said. "I want to suppress him."

"Alright," Grand Disciple Byron said. "I'll turn a blind eye."

Zhinning jumped with joy. "Thank you, teacher."

Byron said, "But Zhinning, you should know what is most important to me in my life?"

"Art and emotion," Zhinning said.

"Right, I'm old, and I value emotions even more, especially for you children," Byron said. "But art is always my first life. If someone can conquer me with art, play a once-in-a-century masterpiece that can completely destroy my soul's defense, I will definitely fall."

"Of course I know," Zhinning said. "But do you think anyone can create a once-in-a-century masterpiece?"

Byron shook his head. "No, it's impossible. The art of this world has already withered, and the world's civilization has once again returned to the inertia of martial arts."

Indeed, and these grand disciples of the Art Hall all have the highest artistic talent and the highest artistic taste. Their extremely picky ears and hearts are already unconquerable in this world.

Zhinning said, "That's right. Do you think a spoiled brat could have such talent?"

Byron smiled faintly and then closed his eyes again.

They had been at the pinnacle of the art pyramid for too long. In recent years, there hasn't even been a piece of music that could make them truly listen, let alone conquer them.

These deities had become so proud that they were almost numb.

...

The third art exam officially began.

From this exam onward, it was no longer a group exam but a specialized exam based on the subjects chosen.

Sculpture, painting, music, and poetry all had their chosen candidates.

Soren chose music, a broad category, with a total of eighty participants, and eighty percent were girls.

Lanling seriously suspected that Soren chose music not only to flirt with Tutor Nia but also to flirt with all the beautiful female students present.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the exam room, almost half of the girls looked at him, most of them filled with hatred.

This scoundrel, has he flirted with every pretty girl?

The music exam took place in the music hall. All the students entered and took their seats, then performed in order according to their exam numbers.

Each student's performance could be heard not only by all the examiners but also by all the students.

Lanling found his seat, closed his eyes, and waited for the exam to begin.

The situation was extremely dire. Since Zhinning couldn't afford to lose, she had already openly suppressed him, and even before the exam began, his score was already determined.

Moreover, after his inquiries, he found out that the grand disciples of the Divine Dragon Temple were precisely Zhinning's teachers.

Thus, his defeat in the third exam seemed inevitable, and he was already doomed.

Where was the only way out? Lanling was willing to believe that these grand disciples of the Divine Dragon Temple were true artists with the highest pursuit of art.

If his performance could thoroughly shock their hearts and souls, causing a complete resonance, then he might still have a glimmer of hope.

And these people had been immersed in art for decades, being the most elite artists in the world, with the most transcendent souls. Their artistic taste and accomplishments were not comparable to Nia and Mandala.

Most pieces, even classic masterpieces from Earth like "Adagio for Strings" or "A Thousand Dreams of the Sea," might make them smile, but to conquer them? It was completely impossible, and they might even find these pieces somewhat vulgar.

These people had been at the pinnacle of the art pyramid for too long, becoming so proud that their standards were already sky-high. No piece in the past few decades could make them take a second look, unless it was a god-level piece.

However, there hadn't been a god-level piece for over a hundred years.

So, which piece should Lanling choose? One that could thoroughly shock their hearts and souls?

Moreover, it should be in line with his own circumstances, so it doesn't seem out of place?

Without a doubt, Lanling had already made his choice and had played it countless times in his mind.

At this moment, over twenty examiners entered the music hall, including Princess Zhinning and Grand Disciple Byron.

Princess Zhinning lifted her beautiful eyes and glanced at Lanling indifferently.

The bet was over, Soren had lost his title and the position of Lord of Tian Shui City, which was already a foregone conclusion.

"Clang!" The bell rang, and the third art exam officially began.

...

The noble students taking the art exam had completely shaken off the lethargy of the first two exams, and their levels were one higher than the other.

Especially these noble girls, whether it was singing, playing the violin, or the harpsichord, they were all outstanding.

The harpsichord, as the king of instruments in this world, naturally received the favor of most people. Out of the eighty noble students taking the music exam, fifty chose the harpsichord.

And these noble girls were beautiful, dignified, and their performance levels were mostly higher than those of the music students on Earth.

However...

The scoring today was truly terrifying, with each score lower than the last.

"Fifty-two points!"

"Fifty-nine points!"

"Fifty-five points!"

Moreover, these were the scores given by the examiners from the Royal City Academy.

Upon hearing these scores, the noble girls were on the verge of tears, unable to believe that their scores would be so low today.

And from beginning to end, the grand disciples of the Divine Dragon Temple never opened their eyes, never gave a single comment, let alone participated in the scoring.

In their eyes, the performances of these noble girls were completely immature, mere clumsy imitations.

Finally, a girl raised her objection. "Our performances were all good, why are the scores so low?"

The art department's head tutor said indifferently, "Because you all played classic masterpieces, and none of you created your own pieces."

Instantly, all the students fell silent.

Create their own pieces? How easy was that?

Even at the level of the art department's head tutors at the Royal City Academy, they didn't dare to talk about creating their own pieces, let alone the students.

Only the most elite grand disciples of the Divine Dragon Temple were the main creators.

In the past hundred years, all the famous pieces that have been passed down were all from the Divine Dragon Temple. Because only they spent their entire lives on artistic creation.

"Next candidate, Yiyun."

Lanling was slightly taken aback upon hearing this name, as she was Soren's ex-girlfriend, the daughter of a fallen noble. Her father owed 900 gold coins in gambling debts and had to sell her to the casino owner as a concubine to pay off the debt. It was Soren who took on this debt for her.

At this moment, it was the first time Lanling met this woman.

Moreover, she was the one before him, and it was his turn next. He was about to go on stage.

...