Chapter 8, First-class goods, top of the music charts

  In the sea of clouds, a man in white sits on a cloud, with an air of calmness and elegance, as golden notes float up from his zither.

  Like a celestial music, it is unforgettable.

  "Who is he and how did he end up here?"

  "Is he the master of this place?"

  "The sound of this piano is as if it were a divine melody, beyond words. It feels flawless, perfect in every way."

  "Could he be an immortal, or else who in this world can play such perfect and flawless music?"

  "Are there immortals in heaven?"

  Li Tu looked at the man in white with a shock, and doubts emerged one after another in his mind.

  The appearance of the man in white is somewhat blurry, and his face cannot be seen clearly, but it can be discerned that he is a young man, exuding an aura of holiness all over his body. The whole person is like a musical note, without any flaws, giving people a sense of perfection.

  Seems like an immortal who doesn't eat human food.

  His pair of hands, every move was very clear, pulling, fully supporting, hooking, turning fingers, searching for bells, each action could be seen clearly.

  "His fingerings have many I haven't seen before, very unfamiliar."

  One by one, golden notes floated up from the piano and fell into Li Tu's heart, making him feel as if he had taken an immortal elixir, his whole body feeling incredibly relaxed.

  The melody of the gods, wonderful and inexpressible, without a single flaw, perfect and flawless tone.

  This is the divine sound that should not exist in the world.

  Li Tu gradually became intoxicated with the perfect piano sound, forgetting everything, as if his body was getting lighter and lighter, floating like a cloud, wanting to ride the wind and fly away, just like ascending to immortality.

  In the sea of clouds, a man in white sat on a cloud playing the zither quietly, Li Tu stood on the stone platform listening quietly, every note that floated up could feel its beauty, its magic.

  The sound of the qin seemed to contain a mysterious and great power, which not only cleansed Li Tu's mind but also purified his heart.

  Taking a shower in the sound of the piano, Li Tu seemed to feel that his soul had been sublimated, with an unspeakable feeling, floating.

  It's like heavenly music falling into the mortal world.

  Mysterious and magical.

  …………………….

  On the stage, Li Tu stopped playing the zither and sat quietly with a calm expression.

  The lingering sound of the guqin slowly dispersed, and the music came to an end. The young man's rendition of "Zhu Li" brought tears to everyone's eyes, filling their hearts with sorrow.

  The crowd below also slowly walked out of the sorrowful atmosphere, although tears no longer flowed, but in their hearts there was still a faint sadness. At this moment, they were all quietly watching the young man on stage.

  This blind man has given them too much shock, even now they can't accept it, facing the young man on stage, everyone's heart is extremely complicated, unable to speak for a long time.

  After stopping playing the zither, Li Tu sat quietly with his legs crossed, as still as a wooden or clay sculpture, seemingly not yet out of the musical realm.

  The three examiners were also quietly watching the young man, their faces filled with joy, without making a sound to disturb him, waiting for him to wake up.

  At this moment, the square was quiet, and you could hear a pin drop. No one spoke.

  A moment later, the entire square was stirred up like a violent outbreak, causing a huge commotion.

  "How could this blind man possibly become a sixth-grade qin master? How is that possible?"

  Many candidates cannot accept this fact, and when compared with young people, they find themselves too far apart to be comparable.

  "A 15-year-old sixth-grade koto player, just thinking about it is terrifying, and might become a peerless national treasure."

  "This blind man is absolutely at the top of the 'music' chart and may even be rated as a top-notch product."

  "This blind man's talent in playing the zither is so high that it's likely the academy won't give up on him, and entering the academy might be a certainty."

  "But it's hard to say, although the blind man's musical talent is very high, the academy is for cultivating talents for the imperial court, not a specialized music school. Moreover, he is still a blind person, which will seriously affect his future growth. Perhaps in the future, his art will stop at this point and won't make any progress."

  "That makes sense. Although he has a high talent for music, after all, a blind person is still a blind person, and his future achievements may not be great, so it's possible that the school will reject him."

  "Has your head been pinched by a door? Would the Academy give up on a genius with such high musical talent? This is a genius who may become a peerless national scholar in the future. If other academies had known about his exceptional talent earlier, would they have rejected him? They would have already taken him in and had renowned masters guide and instruct him. Now, who dares to insult him, cheat him, intimidate him, slander him, belittle him, or bully him?"

  "If he weren't blind, maybe one day he could really become a peerless national scholar, but for now it's hard to say, after all, losing both eyes has too great an impact."

  The candidates under the stage began to discuss and argue, making a lively scene.

  "No matter what, from today on, you will surely make a name for yourself in Tanxiang County, and I will become a joke that highlights your extraordinary musical talent."

  Ding Taiji looked at Li Tu on the stage, feeling a little speechless and bitter in her heart. She knew that from now on, whenever people mentioned the young man, they would inevitably compare him to her, which would only serve to highlight the extraordinary skill of the young man's zither playing.

  The birth of a new genius must inevitably be at the expense of another.

  "Ji sister, what are you talking about? What joke?"

  Xiao Wei looked at Rindouji with a puzzled expression and asked curiously.

  Dantai Ji shook his head, with a bitter feeling in his heart that was hard to express.

  "This blind man is actually a sixth-grade zither master, he might really be able to enter the academy."

  Wu Qi's face didn't look good, his previous mockery was a joke, as if he had slapped himself in the face, and now he couldn't wait to leave immediately.

  On the platform, Gong Yang saw the noisy candidates in the square and did not stop them. Instead, he turned to the other two examiners and said: "This young man can enter the top grade of the first class. Do you two have different opinions?"

  This evaluation is extraordinary, it's the highest praise that the Imperial Academy can give to a candidate, an absolute affirmation. For many years, it has almost become a mere formality, never actually being awarded to anyone. At this moment, Gong Yang also had to be cautious and asked for the opinions of the other two examiners, after all, this evaluation is not ordinary, its significance is extraordinary.

  All students who receive this evaluation will be able to receive the university's strong support and cultivation.

  "It should be so. At his current age, he already has the piano skills of a sixth-grade student, which is enough to make him stand out. Moreover, he has also entered the realm of unity between man and piano, a state that is hard to come by and cannot be described in words, which will greatly help him improve his piano skills in the future. After entering the academy, under the careful guidance of famous teachers, it's not an exaggeration to say that he made rapid progress, perhaps one day he can become a national scholar without equal, bringing glory to the academy."

  An elderly man in a grey robe nodded his head and gave a full affirmation.

  "In agreement, with his age and talent, his future achievements will surely be extraordinary. Perhaps it's true what Old Dong said, that he can become a peerless national scholar." The middle-aged man in green also nodded.

  "Since neither of you has any objection, he is awarded first-class honors."

  ……………………….

  "Was it just a dream after all?"

  At this time, Li Tu, who had already woken up, was confused.

  "Qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, a suspended qin platform, black and white chess city, boundless book mountain, ten thousand mile painting corridor."

  "The qin platform is like a ladder leading to heaven, with each one floating above the sea of clouds."

  "And also the perfect and flawless piano sound of the white-clothed person."

  "But all of this is incredibly real."

  "But is this a dream, or have I wandered into an immortal realm?"

  "What kind of existence is there again?"

  Li Tu sat in a daze, thinking back on everything that had just happened, unable to distinguish what was real and what was false.

  This is too abrupt, like a dream.

  The old goat saw the young man's puzzled face and thought he was worried that his blindness would prevent him from entering the school, so he spoke up: "With your piano skills, you can enter the school, and the school will not reject you because of your blindness. Even if you fail all four subsequent tests, I guarantee that you can still enter the school."

  The other two examiners heard this, slightly silent for a few breaths, and also nodded in agreement with Gong Yang's statement. After all, a genius with such high talent in qin skills is rarely seen in a hundred years.

  "Thank you, gentlemen. Li will study hard and live up to your expectations."

  Li Tu slightly bowed and entered the academy to study, a wish he had cherished for many years. Now that it has finally come true, his heart is filled with mixed emotions of sadness and joy.

  As for the previous academy's rejection, Li Tu didn't have anything to say in his heart. Over the years, he had already gotten used to people's cold eyes, and the academy hadn't treated him unfairly either, just letting him leave quietly, and even allowing him to participate in the next five trials. Therefore, he didn't hold any grudges against the academy.

  There is no love without reason in the world, Li Tu knew that Xue Fu accepted him because of his talent for piano, but he couldn't be proud of his art and produce disgust towards Xue Fu. Moreover, Tán Xiāng Xue Fu was his last stop.

  He spent all his family's wealth just to get into school.

  In school, his talent can be better played out; otherwise, he will only become one of the common people in the future.

  "It should be so, after entering the school, one cannot become arrogant with their innate talent, but instead should be humble and diligent in their studies, only then can they achieve great things in the future. I hope that in the future you will become a peerless national scholar, renowned throughout the imperial court, bringing endless glory to our academy." The grey-robed, elegant old man said with a smile, his eyes filled with hope.

  "It's indeed a top-notch evaluation, finally reappearing after many years."

  "Top grade, first on the 'Music' chart, from today onwards, Li Tu's name will shake Tanxiang County."

  "Could he become a peerless national scholar in the future? Yet his evaluation is so high?"

  The students under the stage heard the examiner's evaluation of the young man and were stirred up again.