Chapter 120

"This statement always feels like it has the momentum of 'I am the best in the world'!"

"The other three judges are mostly encouraging; is this guy going for the sharp-tongued route?"

"I was feeling bored just now, but as soon as the Great Demon King Ye Xuan appeared, I sat up from my bed immediately!"

Just as the live stream was being flooded, the first contestant, critiqued by Ye Xuan, puffed out her cheeks angrily and couldn't help but retort.

"Why is it not a poem?"

The little girl’s tone was full of unwillingness to accept, clearly suspecting that Ye Xuan was talking nonsense!

As soon as the voice fell, a gasp of air sounded from below the stage.

Some contestants covered their mouths, clearly not expecting this first contestant to dare to question the judge on the spot.

Some contestants hurriedly sat up straight and stretched their necks, looking like they were watching a good show.

Others, who seemed calm, didn't move, but their ears were clearly pricked up high.

And the audience in the live stream, thinking the more chaos the better, were already flooding the screen crazily.

"Holy crap, holy crap! This is only the first contestant, is it this intense already?!"

"It makes me so nervous, but also so excited! My heart is about to jump out!"

"Is this a battle between student and mentor?!"

"Is Ye Xuan any good?! Isn't he a novelist? How would he know how to critique poetry?! Isn't he just making it up?"

……

Even the host, President Liu, on stage couldn't help but clench his fists and break into a cold sweat.

However, when he looked at the other three judges, he found that they were still sitting as steady as a clock, looking completely unconcerned.

？？？

What is going on?!

At this moment, Ye Xuan, the focus of the crowd, slowly stood up and asked.

"Then let me ask you, what is the most basic element of poetry?"

As soon as the question was thrown out, a look of confusion flashed across the first contestant’s face.

The contestants below the stage also had looks of doubt on their faces.

Clearly, it was the first time they had heard that poetry had basic elements.

Scanning the room, Ye Xuan couldn't help but cover his forehead.

He had overestimated everyone’s mastery of poetry in this world.

"Poetry has four major elements: rhyme, four tones, level and oblique tones, and parallelism..."

With Ye Xuan’s explanation, many contestants showed looks of sudden realization.

It was clearly the first time they had heard that poetry had so many intricacies.

At this moment, many contestants looked at Ye Xuan differently.

Wasn't this guy just here to join in the fun?

How did he know so much about poetry?!

Some contestants also felt that Ye Xuan was just talking on paper, just lip service, and still had looks of indifference on their faces.

Seeming to sense everyone’s gaze, Ye Xuan curled his lips and suddenly spoke.

"I’ll give a few examples at random, using the flower the first contestant mentioned just now, combined with the four elements of poetry I just mentioned."

"If you want to describe a lily: 'Clusters of fragrant lilies, a frame of pink long-spring.'"

"If you want to describe plum blossoms: 'Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water, hidden fragrance floats in the dusk of the moon.'"

"If you want to describe chrysanthemums: 'Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountain.'"

"If you want to describe peonies: 'Only the peony is truly the color of the nation, the capital moves during the flower-blooming season.'"

"If you want to describe lotus flowers: 'The lotus leaves reaching the sky are infinitely green, reflecting the sun, the lotus flowers are uniquely red.'"

……

"Do you understand now?"

Until Ye Xuan’s last sentence fell, the whole venue suddenly fell into silence.

Only the faint sound of writing could be heard.

The contestants present were all dumbfounded, clearly unable to believe the scene they had just heard.

Many contestants who had been indifferent to Ye Xuan just now had already sat up straight, their expressions changing one after another.

The playful smiles of many contestants who had originally wanted to join in the fun vanished into thin air.

Looking around, all the contestants vividly illustrated what it meant to be dumbfounded.

Their previous indifference and unconcern were completely overturned, replaced by astonishment, daze, disbelief, and deep shock.

Is this really the Ye Xuan they thought was just here to slack off?!

Wasn't he just here to go through the motions?!

These examples were simply crushing their own poetry works.

At this moment, the live stream also exploded.

"?????"

"Holy crap, holy crap!"

"I have to start doubting my ears. 'Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountain'?! What a beautiful artistic conception!"

"Ye Xuan has refreshed my worldview again! Is this kid hiding so deep?!"

"My mom just severely criticized my behavior of watching the live stream, but now she has joined in. PS: Forgot to mention, my mom is a university Chinese professor [crying]"

"Comparing it like this, I also agree with Ye Xuan’s sharp tongue just now; how could that count as a poem?!"

"Holy crap! Everyone, look at what those three judges are doing?!"

……

Compared to the reactions of the audience and netizens, the three judges beside Ye Xuan had been taking notes frantically with paper and pen since Ye Xuan started giving examples, fearing they would miss a single word.

As the first example was given, the three judges still had looks of secret admiration in their eyes.

But as more and more examples came out, the astonishment in their eyes was almost tangible.

Does Ye Xuan have no bottlenecks?!

Every sentence, when savored carefully, is an eternal classic.

If an ordinary person could come up with one, they would be ecstatic.

But Ye Xuan was merely giving an example for the first contestant?!

This also meant how vast Ye Xuan’s own poetry reserve was!

That was why he could be so at ease, without any effort!

……

Back to the stage.

The first contestant standing on stage finally recovered from her daze.

And the next moment, her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and the look of surprise was about to overflow.

Every word of Ye Xuan was echoing in her mind at this moment.

As each example came out, she felt her mind being subjected to one shock after another.

So poetry could be written like this?!

So there were such beautiful sentences?!

So this was the real poetry?!

At this moment, she remembered the last sentence Ye Xuan had asked her, and she quickly approached the microphone and said loudly.

"Mr. Ye Xuan, thank you..."

Seeming to be at a loss for words, the first contestant racked her brains and finally blurted out this sentence.

"For your one-on-one private lesson!"

The sound transmitted through the microphone also pulled the whole venue back from the shock.

That’s right.

Ye Xuan’s teaching, with both theory and practice, wasn't it just a live poetry private lesson?!

At this moment, Dong Qin at the judges' table couldn't help but pick up the microphone, her eyes filled with excitement.