**Chapter 8: Harpist Academy (7)**
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“This is the testing ground for measuring attack response speed,” Edith announced as she pulled Konglif into the venue, only to bump into Trissa and her gang headfirst.
Her once-flower-like smile plummeted faster than a lead balloon.
“Trissa! What are you doing here, lurking around my Konglif like a ghost? Are you harboring some unfounded hopes?”
Trissa had originally planned to breeze through the first testing arena in order, just to see if her skills had improved over the past few years. After all, Lord Lin had just displayed a technique that no one had ever heard of, igniting her desire to hone her harpist skills even further.
But then, boom! Edith appeared out of nowhere and flipped the script.
“Lurking? Oh please, Edith, your sense of self-importance is more inflated than a hot air balloon!” Trissa replied with a smirk.
Edith leaned forward, her anger making her a bit too eager, her golden hair accessories shaking with the movement, resembling a miniature Christmas tree decked with gifts.
“Hmph! Just dodging the question! So tell me, what exactly are you doing here? This is a testing ground, and as a former student, you’ve got no business being here!”
Trissa whipped out her testing qualification form, waving it in front of Edith’s face. “I’ve got my retest qualification! Of course I’m here to test!”
“What?” Edith exclaimed, her eyes bulging.
Then a gleam of joy flickered across her face.
Fantastic!
You see, typically, once a harpist is assigned a level at the academy, it’s like they’re stuck in quicksand, rarely breaking out of their assigned skill range. Harpist prowess is largely determined by talent. The same piece played by different harpists can sound completely different based on their innate abilities.
Sure, sometimes lower-ranked harpists could surpass their original level with sheer effort, but that’s like spotting a unicorn – it’s rare!
Most of the time, talent sets the ceiling, and hard work sets the floor.
Trissa might have been the academy’s certified genius harpist in her last year, but thinking she could waltz back in for a re-ranking after just a couple of years? Clearly, love with Konglif had her feeling some type of way, thinking she could outshine her.
Too bad for her, Edith had already checked Trissa’s past ranking scores – mostly S, a smattering of A, leaving her as an S-ranked harpist.
As for Edith? She was gearing up to storm the gates of SS-level harpists, a prodigy not shaken by some washed-up “older woman” trying for a fresh batch of glory!
And with Konglif right there, this would be the perfect opportunity to show him just how far ahead her childhood rival had fallen!
“Trissa, forgot to mention, rankings can now be freely chosen in order for all skills! As long as you finish within the time limit. So…”
Edith remembered vividly, Trissa’s scores on one particular skill were a “A,” barely dragging down her final ranking.
Confident as ever, she was determined to humiliate Trissa in front of everyone, unabashedly claiming the title of the academy’s genius harpist while dusting Trissa into the annals of forgotten history.
Trissa stared at Edith, her expression calm. “And then?”
“Since you have a chance for a re-evaluation, why don’t we duel first? Let’s see who the real standout of this young generation is!”
“Absolutely!”
After witnessing Lin Nan breeze through the trials and pacify soldiers, Trissa seemed to have an epiphany. Coupled with the rollercoaster of events she experienced while shadowing Lord Lin to the Sky Tower, her harp skills had skyrocketed in real battles; she was ready to confront her past weaknesses.
Just like Lord Lin had wowed the crowd.
Konglif furrowed his brow slightly; he felt more like an older brother when it came to Edith. But fate can be cruel – his family and Trissa’s had always been at each other’s throats, with no room for reconciliation.
Now, Edith clearly had her sights set on making Trissa eat dirt, yet Trissa was here for the ride too, and that stirred up some worry in him. He knew how rapidly Edith’s skills had evolved, her talent practically shooting off into space like a rocket. If it weren’t for her undying affection for him, noble suitors lining up outside the academy and even a royal prince in the mix wouldn’t shorten the line.
It was almost like déjà vu, replicating the old golden age outside Trissa’s family estate.
But Trissa hadn’t made any choices herself, which left Konglif feeling trapped between joy and frustration.
Being a noble meant he couldn’t escape the responsibilities of a thriving family legacy.
Finding a beloved woman to marry? It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
But he couldn’t just stand by watching the girl he once loved be embarrassed. He tugged at Edith’s hand, “I’m a bit tired; how about we head somewhere else to rest for a bit?”
Normally, Edith would have followed his suggestion, but today, she released his hand and flashed him a smile, “Just a little longer; it’ll be over quickly.”
She was determined to wipe the floor with Trissa in front of Konglif; there was no backing down now.
Lin Nan stood by, not intervening.
No matter what Trissa decided, she was not going to b*tt in.
At that moment, she was intrigued; she wanted to see if Trissa could gain any insight from her performance. This would be her little thank-you gift for Trissa’s efforts over the past few days.
Adeline lingered silently behind Lin Nan.
Compared to the powerful nobles, she was just a humble maid. Even her attire screamed “servant,” keeping her well within her lane.
Lin Nan gently patted her worried head, whispering, “Let’s make a bet on who will win?”
Adeline puffed out her chest proudly, “It’s definitely going to be Trissa!”
Lin Nan smirked, “Then I’ll choose Edith!”
“But… Lord Lin, how could you support the enemy?”
“It’s a bet! If we both pick the same outcome, what’s the point?”
“Oh…”
As soon as Lin Nan left the testing ground, the three judges collectively sighed in relief.
It seemed that somewhere along the line, an immense pressure had enveloped them. It felt like any little misstep, and that foreign, dazzling harpist candidate would unleash something completely unpredictable.
Meanwhile, the citizens who had knelt, begging for Lin Nan’s forgiveness, slowly rose after her figure vanished through the doors, finally catching their breaths.
“d*mn it! How dare she make me kneel… just wait till I—”
Halfway through the rant, he caught a chilling gaze that could freeze time, returning, cutting right through him.
The shock froze him in place; he wished he could shred his own mouth for being so reckless.
