Every lantern in the theater seemed imbued with life; the instant the music ceased, light flooded the auditorium. Pale gold illumination cascaded over the black marble, murmuring like a rushing brook in the night.
In the back row of the auditorium.
"I thought this classroom tested art, but it turns out what it really tests is the art of destruction. So destroying art is an art form in itself..."
Lanqi let out a breath, his tone tinged with relief, accompanied by an easy lightness as though some constraint had been cast off.
A confident smile was already playing upon his face now, as if he could hardly wait to step onto the stage and show his classmates a thing or two.
"..."
Hyperion turned her head to observe Lanqi, feeling a lump in her throat.
It seemed he had benefited enormously from this Demon Academy once again.
Others might be here to conquer the Shadow World.
Lanqi was genuinely here to study.
Ordinarily, Lanqi's "wholehearted" attitude toward life ought to be praised, but... she couldn't pinpoint where the problem lay.
"Protect yourself in a bit."
Lanqi stood up, dropping those words as he brushed past Hyperion, then walked down the red-carpeted steps toward the stage.
"All right," Hyperion replied.
Given her spell pool, she was not suited for this exam.
Yet with Lanqi being an acrobatic support, the weirder the situation grew, the more strangely reassuring his repertoire of spells became.
Theoretically, Lanqi would go first, and once he passed, they could temporarily exchange purple and lower-tier magic cards in the audience to reconfigure her spell pool so Hyperion could pass as well.
...
More than half the allotted time for the music examination had elapsed, and the classroom was filled with a thick atmosphere woven of silence and anticipation. Most students who had confidence in their abilities had already performed.
Those remaining were either lacking in skill or grand finale-tier contenders.
Thus, starting several acts ago, after each performance there was a pause before another demon student volunteered to take the stage.
So this time, when the presiding teacher saw Lanqi promptly stand up and raise his hand to register for the performance, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Composed footsteps echoed through the theater.
Before long, Lanqi arrived on stage. His figure stood out conspicuously beneath the stage lights, his presence seemingly blending into the entire performance environment, drawing every eye to him.
"Are you ready?" the presiding teacher beside Lanqi asked.
Typically, before an exam began, students were permitted to raise any legitimate requests or questions with the presiding teacher. This held true in any testing venue, so the presiding teacher asked first.
If the student had no questions, the two-minute performance timer would officially begin, granting the student permission to freely cast spells on stage.
"Excuse me, what would the reward be if someone gains the approval of all four music mentors simultaneously?" Lanqi nodded slightly, asking with genuine curiosity and puzzlement.
"The curriculum is designed such that no scenario exists where all four would approve at the same time." The presiding teacher looked at him and smiled, shaking his head with an undeniable air of authority in his grin.
"But what if that scenario actually happens?"
"It isn't written in the handbook—not because it's a hidden condition or an oversight, but because among the approval criteria of the four music mentors, certain combinations are clearly mutually contradictory and impossible to achieve at once."
The presiding teacher's voice subsided gradually.
For instance, no music could be so noisily captivating as to lull the Slumbering Phantom to sleep while simultaneously possessing the frightful dread demanded by the Mutated Venom Body and the riotous atmosphere sought by the Ghost Armor.
"Over the years, not a single student has managed to win the approval of all four music mentors at once, no matter how outstanding."
The presiding teacher added another line, hoping Lanqi would understand his point: their curriculum design was beyond question.
"Teacher, I really think I can do it," Lanqi said, gazing frankly at the presiding teacher.
"If you pull it off, that would indeed prove an oversight in our exam design, and that your musical caliber surpasses anything we can comprehend. It would practically be beneath your talents to merely be a music mentor."
The presiding teacher's words bordered on mocking Lanqi's overestimation of himself.
After all, this was a public performance being observed by many dignitaries of the Demon Realm. A student repeatedly challenging the rules was bordering on heckling the house.
"If you are approved by all four music mentors, you will be appointed directly as a special instructor in our Music Department. How about that?"
The presiding teacher looked down toward the auditorium seats, raising his voice slightly to make the announcement, then turned back to ask Lanqi.
As his words fell, a rustle of snickering rippled through the audience below.
"Are you sure, Teacher? Also, what if after the performance, the music mentors lack sufficient sanity to make a judgment?"
"This is the Demon King's Bestowed Theater, watched over by the Demon Eye, an exhibition being viewed by the nobility of the Demon Realm. If anyone dared go back on their word on this stage, even as the head of this academy's Music Department, my lives wouldn't be enough to spare. Furthermore, if a music mentor is unable to judge—such as Mr. Slumbering Phantom falling fast asleep—I will judge in his stead according to the standards he filed with the academy before the performance. You can rest assured regarding the fairness."
The presiding teacher spoke as he glanced up at the Demon Eye hovering above the center of the theater, then handed the microphone toward Lanqi with a trace of amusement. "Well then, any more questions?"
"None. We may begin."
Lanqi took the microphone, straightened his collar, and strode to center stage.
His gaze shifted entirely, resembling a rising superstar about to take the Demon Realm by storm.
As long as one stood on this stage and the performance began, any magic could be employed.
Without another word, Lanqi activated [Poet of Great Love].
Summoned by him, a gray-haired beauty clad in a crimson gown materialized on the stage, accompanied by the lingering fragrance of flowers.
She opened her eyes as if rousing from a dream, her hair and the hem of her dress fluttering gently like a tender summer refrain, a rustling autumn mountain breeze. In an instant, she captivated many demons below the stage.
The Poet of Great Love looked out over the theater with luminous eyes, as though understanding everything. A hint of regret or delight touched the corners of her lips, yet she did not open her mouth to influence any living soul's mind with her demonic voice.
Since summoning magic itself counted as magic, there was no issue with summoning a familiar bound by a soul contract during the performance.
"You'll be the lead singer in a moment. It's time to show the four mentors and our classmates the fruits of our study."
Lanqi handed the microphone to the Poet of Great Love.
The Poet of Great Love beamed like a blossoming flower, nodding gently, her eyes glittering with supreme confidence.
Meanwhile, Lanqi walked over to a Demon Realm musical instrument that resembled a piano. He sat down with graceful composure and lifted the fallboard.
Far below the stage.
The moment Hyperion saw that it was the Poet of Great Love holding the microphone, every instinct screamed at her to turn and run.
If that creature went all out singing up there, she didn't dare imagine what would become of this theater!
Chapter 57