"Heavens… Who on earth is that participant?" Elder Jing mumbled in a dazed voice as he stared at the figure wearing a black jade mask with wide eyes.

'This Yuan… He wasn't using all of his abilities during our one-on-one? Was he… looking down on me?' Song Ling'er stared at Yuan with clear disbelief in her eyes.

It was simply unthinkable that someone would look down on her— the Sect Master of the Heavenly Melody Academy, feeling an indescribable sensation in her heart after learning this.

Of course, Yuan wasn't purposefully looking down on Song Ling'er during their one-on-one; it was just that he didn't feel being so serious in a friendly competition between two zither players, and he saw it more of a friendly spar.

However, as someone who was conditioned to perform his very best during competitions, now that he was actually participating in one, he'd unconsciously flipped his 'serious' switch on and played the zither with absolute focus and seriousness, especially since this is a music competition.

Meanwhile, the audience and the participants alike stared at Yuan with shock and disbelief written all over their faces. Although most of the spectators didn't comprehend the situation and just how amazing Yuan's performance just now truly was, they knew that it was the best thing they've heard today and most likely their entire lives.

As for the other participants, they were gobsmacked by Yuan's performance, and they could still see the illusion of flowers even though many moments had passed since they heard the three music notes!

'Yuan… you…'

Even Fei Yuyan was staring at Yuan with a gawking expression on her face, feeling her heart racing at this moment.

After a long moment of silence that lasted for a few minutes, Song Ling'er finally snapped out of her daze, and for the first time in this competition, she gave a verdict first, "Ten points."

However, she didn't say anything else. No praises, no opinions— nothing, almost like she was speechless.

Senior Zou and Elder Jing followed a moment later, and they also only gave their verdict without any other words.

"Ten points…"

"Ten points…"

Despite having the first participant to receive a perfect score in this competition, the audience did not explode with excitement or cheering and remained relatively silent, most likely because they were still trying to grasp the situation.

By the time most of these spectators returned to their senses, the judges had already given their verdict and moved onto the next team.

However, the next team did not seem to be in the right mindset when it was finally their turn, and when they tried to play the zither, it sounded almost as though it was their first time touching the zither, or they'd completely forgotten how to play it.

"Zero points."

"Zero from me as well."

"Zero."

The three judges quickly gave their verdict, and for the first time in this competition, right after the first perfect score, the first lowest possible score was achieved.

And to the audiences' surprise, this continued to happen for the next few teams as well. It was almost like every participant that went after Yuan had suddenly lost their ability to play the zither.

This greatly baffled the audience, making them wonder if Yuan had purposefully screwed with the other participants, which should be considered cheating.

However, the judges didn't say anything about it, so there was nothing the audience could say. Even when someone wanted to raise their voice, they would suddenly recall Yuan's otherworldly performance, which quickly made them change their mind. After all, there was no need for someone with such talents to cheat in a competition.

An hour later, the final team received their verdict for the first part of the competition.

And by the end of the first part of the competition, over half of the participants were disqualified due to their unsatisfactory results with only a few hundred teams left.

"That is the end of the first part," Senior Zou said, and he continued, "For the second part of the competition, we will have the teams play a song together."

"Finally we get to listen to some real music!"

"I have been waiting for this!"

The audience was hyped. Although the first part of the competition was exciting in its own ways, it was too short for the audience to truly immerse themselves in the music, as it would end after three quick notes.

Sometime later, Senior Zou continued, "Since this is a partnered competition, you should've practiced with your partner. Therefore, we'll let you decide on the songs you want to play."

"You have three minutes to perform, but any of us judges can decide to cut it short if they find it displeasing to the ears."

Senior Zou then pointed to the team in the front and said, "We'll start from you. You have one minute to discuss with your partner and prepare for your song. As for the other teams, you are not allowed to talk with each other until it's your turn or you will be automatically disqualified. Begin."

Immediately, the two people in that team began talking with each other, deciding which song they should play.

Thirty seconds later, the participants took a deep breath and began playing the zither simultaneously.

A very pleasant-sounding noise flowed throughout the area and into the audiences' ears.

The majority of the audience was quickly attracted by the music and became immersed in it.

However, thirty seconds into the song, when the team made their first mistake with a single out-of-tune note, Song Ling'er's voice resounded, "That's enough."

The music immediately stopped after her words resounded, and the participants lifted their heads to look at Song Ling'er's face that had a slight frown on her beautiful face, their back and forehead soaked in cold sweats.

"This is a team competition— not a solo. You've clearly not practiced with each other enough to screw up so early into the song. You're disqualified." Song Ling'er said a moment later in a cold voice, crushing that team's hopes into pieces.