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Chapter 143: A Promising Art Student
Outside the exam room, a group of students peering in through the door began to realize something was off.
How come he sounded so smooth?
The sight-reading rooms were well-insulated, and normally, from outside, it was hard to tell what piece was being played.
But even without knowing the exact notes, one could still catch the general tone and rhythm if they listened closely.
And what they heard now was nothing short of flawless.
No pauses. No hesitations. Just a continuous, flowing melody.
"Is that real?" one student muttered in disbelief.
"He actually knows how to play it?" another asked.
"Maybe he's just winging it. I’ve done that before when I couldn’t get through the piece."
"Don’t be stupid. He’s faking it for sure. Everyone else is sweating bullets, but he’s got all the confidence in the world."
Even more unsettling was the moment Lin Tian closed his eyes and continued playing.
That’s it? Was this guy really this bold?
What made him think he could get away with it?
Then, someone pointed at the proctor.
"Wait—look at her. She’s smiling!"
Everyone crowded around the window, straining to see.
The previously expressionless female teacher was now leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, watching Lin Tian with an amused smile.
It was as if she wasn’t proctoring an exam at all — more like enjoying a concert.
For her, Lin Tian’s performance had been the most pleasant surprise of the day.
This wasn’t an exam anymore. It was a private recital.
At first, she’d wondered if he knew the piece beforehand and had memorized it. But after careful consideration, she dismissed the idea. The sheet music was randomly selected from a vast library, and even if he had memorized all of them, his skill level was far beyond anything she could imagine.
Why was someone at this level even taking the art exam? Did he really need it?
When the recording ended, Lin Tian stepped out into the hallway — only to be instantly engulfed by dozens of curious eyes.
The number of students waiting outside had nearly doubled since he arrived.
Word had spread fast.
There was a “god” in Room A7 — the only student who had managed to make the proctor smile during the sight-reading test.
While others were cursing the difficulty of the questions, this boy had played it effortlessly.
A crowd of recently finished students had gathered around, eager to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure.
"That’s him," someone whispered.
"Isn’t he the hot guy we saw on the square earlier?"
"Dang, too bad I wasn’t in Room A7. I would’ve loved to see that."
"Wow, and he’s not even from 'Chunqiu' training center."
Lin Tian blinked, caught off guard by the sudden attention.
He politely pushed his way through the crowd, muttering "excuse me" as he went.
Once free, he quickly moved down the corridor.
Where was Gan Yanyu? Had she handled her exam well?
Lin Tian considered heading over to Room A9 to check on her. Normally, there was no reason to worry about her performance.
But somehow, she always found a way to worry him.
Still, they had agreed to meet up after the exams. So he decided to trust her.
With that thought in mind, Lin Tian hurried toward the next exam hall.
Basic theory — all memory work. Nothing Lin Tian couldn’t handle.
Another written test, assessing musical ear, memory, and notation recognition. Again, he breezed through it, turning in his paper first when the bell rang.
As the morning wore on, Lin Tian suddenly realized something.
He had become the talk of the exam.
Every time he entered a new room, people were whispering about him.
It was like being a celebrity.
What Lin Tian didn’t know was that in the tight-knit art student community, news traveled faster than in any high school.
His sudden rise to fame had already shaken up several training centers.
Teachers and proctors were now scrambling to dig up information about this unknown candidate.
A self-taught student who seemed to be effortlessly dominating every section of the exam — a true prodigy.
This unexpected presence threw off all their predictions for the top ten rankings. Panic was setting in.
By the time Lin Tian finished all his exams, only one remained: Instrumental Performance.
On his way to the final hall, a tall man with long hair blocked his path.
"Hello," the man said with a calm smile.
"Hmm?" Lin Tian paused.
"I’m Wu Qi from 'Chunqiu' training center," the man introduced himself.
"Oh, nice to meet you."
Lin Tian vaguely remembered seeing a banner for 'Chunqiu' on the square — one of the top-tier institutions.
"What do you need?" Lin Tian asked.
"You haven’t heard of me?" Wu Qi raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
"Why should I have?"
"You’re not from a local training center, are you?"
"Nope. I trained on my own."
"Ah~ impressive," Wu Qi replied, clearly intrigued. His eyes flickered over Lin Tian, studying him carefully.
"Word has it you scored full marks on your sight-reading test," Wu Qi said.
"Who told you that?" Lin Tian asked, genuinely surprised.
"Just rumors," Wu Qi chuckled.
"Oh."
"We’re in the same instrumental performance room later. Looking forward to seeing you perform live."
Wu Qi leaned in slightly, adding with a hint of amusement, "By the way, I also scored full marks on my sight-reading."
"Cool," Lin Tian smiled, clapping Wu Qi lightly on the shoulder. "Good luck then."
Then, he turned and walked away, leaving Wu Qi standing there in stunned silence.
A few seconds passed.
Wu Qi buried his face in his hands, eyes wide with panic.
The sky had fallen.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no.”
“Why did I say something about ‘an interesting opponent’ in front of the teacher? I was just saying that because it looked cool! I didn’t mean it!”
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