After registering in front of the elevator, Huai Shi entered the waiting area and found a seat.

Accustomed to pressure, Huai Shi casually flipped through his music score. However, as time passed and the people in front of him queued up and entered the examination hall one by one, his anxiety grew.

It was like the college entrance exam; no matter how well you prepared, you were inevitably nervous going through it.

Compared to the girl next to him, who was clutching her violin and on the verge of tears from nervousness, Huai Shi felt his mental fortitude was quite good.

But he still couldn't help feeling somewhat uneasy.

Especially deep within his heart, for some reason, there was an ominous premonition that made him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

He even started to feel a rare sense of panic, something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

In the silence, Huai Shi suddenly stood up, drawing a wave of gazes. He offered a stiff smile. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

He walked stiffly, completely oblivious that his gait was comically uncoordinated, his same-side arm and leg moving in unison. His awkward progress was reflected on the monitor's screen.

---

「Examination Room No. 8.」

"Thank you for your participation, miss. That was an exceptional performance."

Examiner James removed his glasses and walked over to shake hands with the female candidate, whose eyes were slightly red. He helped her up, saying gently, "The examination is over. We will carefully evaluate your performance shortly."

James, in his thirties, was tall and wore silver-framed glasses. His smile was full of approachability. Though ABRSM exams were strict, as an examiner, he always tried to create a stable environment for students to perform at their best. He had seen many instances of students becoming distressed by underperforming.

After soothing her gently, James led the candidate out of the examination room.

After briefly organizing the previous candidate's scores, he glanced at the day's schedule and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

A professional-level performance examination generally took more than two hours, which was also very draining for the examiner. Before the next one began, James needed to rest for a bit.

"Huai Shi?"

He examined the candidate's file, looking at the remarkably handsome face, and clicked his tongue in admiration.

Younger than he'd imagined.

He had only rested for a short while when the phone on his desk rang. After answering the call, he was taken aback.

"A last-minute change of examiner?" he frowned. "Why wasn't I notified by the committee office?"

"Occasionally, these things happen, right?" the voice on the phone said.

"That's only applicable during the training period for new examiners, Leona," James retorted. "You know it's against regulations, and it will affect my work..."

Having heard enough of his complaints, the woman's voice on the line became serious, cutting him off. "—James, you owe me a favor."

"Help me out with this, and I'll help you with your year-end rating."

"..."

Silence fell. James was the first to concede. He pulled at his tie irritably. "Don't take it too far, Leona, or I'll report this to the higher committee."

"Relax, dear," she said. "No one's going to put you in an awkward position. You just need to rest in your office a little longer. You'll get your share of cake at afternoon tea."

CLICK!

The phone disconnected.

In the silence that followed, it was as if a soap bubble had been pricked and burst.

Following Huai Shi's entrance, within a mere few minutes, a change swept through the building. All security personnel, both inside and out, were swiftly replaced. More and more unfamiliar faces appeared throughout the premises. These newcomers knocked out the original staff, gagged and bound them, then roughly tossed them into storage rooms. After donning crisp new uniforms, they took up their posts, offering warm smiles to anyone they encountered.

---

"Huai Shi, you can do it! Believe in yourself!"

After washing his face for five minutes, Huai Shi finally calmed down. He clenched his fist, encouraging his reflection in the mirror with a fist bump.

Unfortunately, the reflection looked anything but spirited. Although the cold water had eliminated the dark circles from his late night, his face now looked even paler.

Combined with his inherent Mountain Ghost aura, which lent him a somber air, he looked as if he might collapse on the spot.

Staring at his own ghastly appearance for a long time, Huai Shi felt so disheartened he couldn't bear to look anymore. Fortunately, his nerves had finally settled somewhat. On his way back, he even indulged himself at a vending machine, buying two hot drinks—one to sip and one to warm his hands.

I can pass, Huai Shi frantically told himself. I'll definitely pass. How could I possibly fail... As long as nothing unexpected happens, this exam is practically in the bag!

And then, the unexpected happened...

"Huai Shi!"

Behind him, a voice called out with surprise and joy, "It really is you!"

Huai Shi turned around in bewilderment. He saw an old man who looked vaguely familiar, as if he'd seen him somewhere before.

"Uh... And you are...?"

Visibly, the distinguished old man's expression twitched. Old Zhao, who hadn't appeared in the Book of Fate for a volume, showed a hint of helplessness.

"We met at your school's anniversary celebration..."

Huai Shi blinked, his heart tightening. He suddenly realized why the old man looked so familiar—Isn't that the portrait from my beginner's cello textbook?! Why does it feel like we've met before?

Recalling Raven's misdeeds during the school anniversary while using his face, he instantly tensed up again. What on earth did that woman Raven do while impersonating me!

He slid a hand into his pocket and quickly scrolled through the records left by Raven, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, she only drugged someone...

Once he understood the sequence of events, he immediately got up and squeezed out a smile. "Uh, Old Zhao! It's been a while. I was a bit nervous and didn't recognize you at first. What brings you here?"

With both hands, he respectfully offered a can of hot yuzu tea.

A drink for the master.

"No worries, it's understandable."

Old Zhao took the tea and generously patted Huai Shi's shoulder, clearly cherishing this junior of boundless potential talent. "When Richard told me he saw your name on the candidate list posted at the entrance, I couldn't believe it! I had to confirm with the front desk several times—"

"Don't be nervous. Are you confident?"

Huai Shi forced a stiff smile. "This kind of exam? Isn't it practically a sure thing?"

"Oh, that's good," Old Zhao nodded slightly, then suddenly blurted out, "I was worried you might think I was being meddlesome."

"Huh?"

Huai Shi tensed, a sense of alarm rising. He unconsciously turned his head to look at Old Zhao's smiling face.

The unsettling premonition intensified.

Then he saw a group of old men and women—some white, some black, some East Asian—appearing as if by magic beside Old Zhao. Some faces seemed familiar, while others were completely unknown, yet all of them were looking at Huai Shi with smiles that made him increasingly uneasy.

"Let me introduce you."

Old Zhao set down his can of hot yuzu tea and pointed to the portly old man at the front. "This is Mr. Newman, a famous performer who happened to come to Xinhai for the fourth Chopin music symposium."

"...Oh."

Huai Shi, in a daze, shook hands with the portly old man who approached him. Then he heard Old Zhao continue, "This is Mr. Li, the principal conductor of the Dongxia Jinling Philharmonic Orchestra."

Another old man whose face he often saw on textbook covers approached and patted his shoulder warmly. "Not bad, young man."

"Huh?" Huai Shi was confused.

Old Zhao kept introducing, "This is Ms. Vivian, the ABRSM representative in Jinling..."

"This is Sir Strauss, the principal cellist of the Venice Philharmonic Orchestra..."

"This is the organizer of the Vienna World Tour of Music Arts..."

"This is Ms. Li, the vice-president of the Dongxia Artists Association..."

"This is from the London Art College..."

"This is from America..."

"This one..."

As if announcing dishes from a menu, Old Zhao finally finished introducing all sixteen elders, leaving Huai Shi utterly dazed.

The group of elders, hailing from various countries and representing institutions that comprised over forty percent of the world's major musical lineages, crowded around Huai Shi as if he were a rare treasure, exclaiming and marveling amongst themselves.

"This is truly a remarkable coincidence, such a fortunate encounter!"

The portly Mr. Newman looked around at his companions and finally rested his gaze on the trembling Huai Shi. "Mr. Huai, we just heard from Mr. Zhao about your exceptional talent and a powerful appeal no less than that of Ms. Ai Ting in her day. It's incredible! To think there's a second genius like Ai!"

"What?" Huai Shi was flabbergasted.

Ai Ting? he thought. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Then, amidst the expectant looks from the group of elders, Professor Richard from the American Music History Association revealed a warm smile and dropped the final thunderbolt:

"So, for this examination, please, you must allow us to observe."

Huai Shi was completely petrified, his mouth agape, his eyes bulging. Are you kidding me?!

What in the blazes are you all doing?!

By now, he had finally grasped who these people were, and his knees nearly buckled. Seriously, I'm begging you, please just go upstairs and attend the Chopin music symposium! Don't mess with me, okay? What on earth is this? An examination hall or an international classical music festival?! For heaven's sake, show some discretion! If someone fired an RPG in here, it would make BBC headlines in five minutes! By tomorrow, over a third of the world's musicians would be in mourning!

Suddenly, Huai Shi's vision went dark.

It felt like witnessing holy light illuminating a pile of crap.

---

In the surveillance room, an eerie calm prevailed. Under the watch of several computers and hundreds of cameras, all information within the building was being methodically collated.

"Team One has taken position."

"Team Two has taken position."

"Reserve team in place."

"The relic has entered the venue."

"The Professor has successfully entered the venue and initiated contact with the relic. What about the others?"

In the surveillance room, the Ghoul Captain picked up the walkie-talkie. "There's a bit more interference than expected. Be careful not to involve innocents when we move in—has Bait No. 1 arrived yet?"

"She's already outside the door."

The external surveillance switched to a screen showing Fu Yi herself, holding a cup of milk tea and slurping away, but…

The captain frowned, asking in confusion,

"Who's that person with her?"

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