Chapter 2: The Whetstone by the Wei River

  "Entering the mathematics department, teaching me how to play chess?"

  Li Tu looked at Professor Mu with a puzzled expression, blinking his eyes, and was somewhat perplexed in his heart. Although he had some talent in mathematics and could easily solve some math problems, it wasn't worth the other's invitation, and did he have a chess talent?

  "Are you interested? Besides, playing chess is more interesting than playing the piano. Your memory is good, analysis and reasoning are also possible, and your brain turns quickly, very suitable for playing chess, especially blind chess."

  The old woman in black nodded and sized up Li Tu, the more she looked, the more satisfied she became, with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

  "Professor Mu, isn't this a bit unfair? Li Tu has already been assigned to the music department and his musical talent is rare, entering the music department would be the best choice."

  The walking sheep transmission looked at the black-robed old woman with some helplessness and said, he didn't quite understand why Professor Mu knew that Li Tu's piano talent was extraordinary, but still wanted him to enter the mathematics department. Although his mathematical talent wasn't bad either, could it be compared to his piano talent? Moreover, he was already a sixth-grade pianist.

  "You just saw it, this kid's math talent is not bad either. Entering the math department is also a good choice, and it's not much worse than the music department." The old woman in black robes looked at the somewhat stifled public sheep and smiled a few times, saying: "Maybe his chess skills are not bad either."

  "Natural talent for chess?"

  Upon hearing this, not only was Gong Yang shocked, but even Li Tu himself had a look of astonishment. I have a talent for chess? I don't even know how to play chess, how can I have a talent for it?

  The students around were also shocked, and they all cast their eyes on Li Tu, really can't see that a blind man who doesn't even know how to play chess has any chess talent. But since Professor Mu said he had chess talent, it wouldn't be for no reason, could this blind man really have chess talent, but just couldn't see it?

  Yin Xiaowei blinked, staring at the blind man in shock. His musical talent was exceptional, his mathematical talent was also impressive, and now Professor Mu said he had a chess talent too. Was this true? The blind man was actually so formidable?

  Dantai Ji also looked at Li Tu with some doubt, chess talent? Although his arithmetic was not bad, but is this the manifestation of chess talent? He couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart.

  "Professor Mu, you're not joking, are you?"

  Gong Yang was astonished and said that apart from seeing Li Tu having some innate talent in mathematics, he really couldn't see any chess talent, hence the question.

  "Do I look like I'm joking?"

  The old woman in black suddenly raised her voice and spoke discontentedly to the public sheep.

  "Professor Mu, you said Li Tu has a natural talent for chess, how did you see that?"

  The ram's transmission is somewhat helpless.

  "It's none of your business how it's done."

  The old woman in black robes waved her hand impatiently at the ram, then turned to Li Tu and said again: "You little one has entered my several schools, I will teach you how to play chess."

  "Professor Mu, do I have a talent for chess?"

  Li Tu was shocked and then doubted what the old woman in black said, which made people suspicious.

  "I say you have it, then you have it."

  Could I really have a talent for chess? Li Tu's mind was even more puzzled, after all, he didn't even know how to play chess, so how did Professor Mu see it? It was hard for him to believe, but as a professor of the academy, he shouldn't be speaking nonsense.

  "Have you thought it through clearly, little one? Between liberal arts and science, which department will you enter?"

  "This..."

  Li Tu fell silent upon hearing this, seemingly embarrassed, and for a moment didn't know which subject he should choose.

  The students around Li Tu saw that he had won the favor of the two department heads, and they were both envious and jealous, even more unthinkable was that Professor Mu said he had a chess talent.

  At this time, everyone was looking at Li Tu, Music and Mathematics, which one would he choose? However, most of them were guessing Music, after all, he was a sixth-grade Guqin player, and his musical talent was extraordinary, choosing Music was the best choice.

  Ding Taiji and Yin Xiaoyi also looked at Li Tu, waiting for his choice.

  Wu Qi suddenly appeared, but at this moment, he looked at the blind man with a face full of displeasure, let out a cold hum and turned to leave.

  "Come and learn from me in several subjects, I will teach you how to play chess."

  Li Tu thought about Professor Mu's previous words, if he really had a chess talent, entering the Department of Mathematics might also be a good choice, and he also had some talent in mathematics.

  In addition, the mysterious and unpredictable "qin qi shu hua" four ancient characters in my mind, each representing an art, also represent the Suspended Piano Platform, Black and White Chess City, Endless Book Mountain, and the Infinite Painting Gallery. Among them, I can only enter the Suspended Piano Platform, but not the other three places. Having experienced the wonder of the Suspended Piano Platform, I have high expectations for the other three places and always want to enter them as soon as possible.

  Maybe learning to play chess is an opportunity to enter the black and white chess city.

  However, thinking that the school wants him to become a fifth-grade qin master within a year, he shook his head and said: "Thank you for Professor Mu's kindness, I'm entering the music department."

  The old woman in black looked at Li Tu and fell silent for a while, shaking her head and saying: "What a pity! However, it's not bad to come to my Number Academy to listen to classes more often."

  "I will."

  Li Tu nodded.

  Li Tu had made his final choice and entered the music department, so Hei Pao Lao Nu didn't stay any longer and turned to leave.

  ………

  ……

  After the opening ceremony, the next step is a three-day trial for freshmen.

  The freshman trial is a tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years in the school, and it is a trial that every student must participate in.

  The content of the trial is different every year. At this time, a "hush" sound of sharpening knives echoed on the banks of the Wei River east of the school.

  By the river, 300 students wearing white robes rolled up their sleeves and were sharpening their rusty chopping knives on large and small whetstones with a "whooshing" sound.

  "What a crappy knife! I've been sharpening it for half an hour and my hand is all blistered, just to get one edge sharp. This is ridiculous."

  A student who was sweating all over looked at the axe in his hand and complained that it was really hard to sharpen.

  "Unexpectedly, this new life trial turned out to be a grindstone, too unexpected."

  "I heard that last year's freshman trial was starvation. Each student was given a steamed bun, and after three days, they saw who still had their steamed bun."

  "This is too abnormal? Starving for three days, who can bear it, at that time even steamed buns become delicacies, fortunately now is sharpening the knife." A fat man said with lingering fear.

  ……

  "This knife is hard to sharpen and feels strange, how can this be?"

  Li Tu knocked the axe in his hand, making a very muffled and somewhat heavy sound, probably over ten kilograms or so. Just like what other students said, this axe was a bit sinister, it took half an hour to sharpen just one edge.

  But the knife in his hand, apart from being heavy and having rust spots, didn't have any other unusual features. So why couldn't he grind off the iron rust on it? Li Tu couldn't help but feel puzzled.

  Yin Xiaowei stared at the axe in her hand, looking at it for half a time without knowing how to start, so she looked at Dantai Ji beside her, only to see that she was slowly sharpening the knife in her hand, although it looked a bit awkward.

  Among the three hundred students, there were probably dozens of girls. At this time, they also stared at the chopping knife in their hands like Yin Xiaoyi, not knowing how to start.