212: Master Han: Young man, if you're going to write, write modern poetry! Xu Lu: I can do that too!

As the saying goes, 'there are no walls in the world that are completely airtight.'

What's more, the cocktail party Xu Lu and the others attended had a Young Lady who was Streamer it live.

Therefore, the incident where he 'angrily rebutted' the four cultural masters quickly spread.

And it didn't take long to ferment before it sparked heated discussion online.

On the one hand, the topic had high visibility.

Xu Lu is a recently popular director, and The Return of the Condor Heroes is currently airing.

And the four of them—Old Pang, Old Liu, Teacher Wang, and Teacher Li—were considered somewhat famous in cultural circles.

The clash between the two sides was destined to be highly anticipated.

Another reason was the very unique method everyone used for the competition.

It turned out to be a 'Poetry Battle,' something that only existed in ancient society.

This was much, much harder than two netizens flaming each other online using highly vulgar language.

So when someone posted the scene online, it quickly caused a sensation.

Furthermore, the post immediately hit the trending topics, quickly rising to the top five in popularity rankings.

The comment section for this trending topic was exceptionally lively:

"At first, I thought it was just a simple video of a young man being lectured by a few masters.

But I quickly realized I was too naive; the reversal was so sudden that all the masters were stunned!"

"Exactly! When the masters first appeared, I thought a master was truly a master, their poetry skills were undeniable.

But I soon discovered that Director Xu's level was actually higher.

Now, instead of masters lecturing a young man, it was a young man sweeping the floor with the masters!"

..."Haha, what kind of bird jervis masters are they? I think CEO Xu's standard is higher.

Haven't you heard? All his poems and lyrics are from the novel The Return of the Condor Heroes!"

"I can attest to this. After watching the video, I checked the physical copy of The Return of the Condor Heroes, and the source of those poems and lyrics is indeed inside!"

"A physical novel? Where did you get a physical novel? That's not approaching science! A pirated copy?"

"Hmph! You wouldn't know this, but this was a prize I won in Director Xu's Streamer room, the kind with his personal signature! Only a few hundred copies were distributed!"

"Brother, step aside and talk to me. I'll offer five thousand; please, sell me your physical copy!"

"No way. Someone before offered eight thousand, but I don't lack money, so why would I sell it? Go find someone else!"

"Ahem, let's talk about poetry and lyrics, why did the conversation suddenly turn into a business deal?"

..."I absolutely love Director Xu's final lyric about lovesickness: 'Long is the lovesickness, long is the memory; short is the lovesickness, boundless is the extremity.' Ah, it's truly moving!"

"Before, I thought Director Xu was amazing because he could direct movies, act, sing, and fight. Who knew he could also write poetry now? This is seriously too outrageous!"

"Genius can no longer describe Director Xu. I think the term 'monster' is more appropriate!"

"I had only heard of Director Xu before and didn't have strong feelings about him, but now, I think I can become his fan. He is too talented; he really appeals to me!"

...Netizens discussed animatedly.

Especially some busybodies who didn't stop after commenting under the trending topic, but actually ran to comment under the masters' Social Media Platform accounts.

This was like poking a hornet's nest.

Masters need to save face, okay?

By doing this, you are clearly showing no respect for us masters.

If this unhealthy trend isn't eliminated, and if it's allowed to pollute the entire cultural circle, then what will become of us?

Now, whether it was the four direct masters like Old Pang and Old Liu, or other masters in the cultural circle, they all became restless.

Perhaps they also intended to restore the circle's prestige.

That evening, a master surnamed Han posted a comment on his Social Media Platform.

The general message was for young people to be humble and strive for improvement, and to be respectful towards elders in the circle.

Furthermore, writing classical poetry and lyrics is now behind the times; if you want to write, write modern poetry.

And at the very end, this Master Han posted a modern poem he wrote, titled 'a generation':

'In the river... of time... we are like...'

'In contradiction... we search... we are lost...'

'Amidst prosperity... searching for loneliness... amidst loneliness... searching for warmth...'

...'We... are the stars... the light... and also hope...'

After posting this modern poem, Master Han specifically @-mentioned Director Xu at the end.

Oh, right, the Social Media Platform account 'Director Xu' was registered with the help of Little Assistant, and it even has a verified V badge.

However, Xu Lu himself uses it sparingly, usually handing it over to Little Assistant to manage.

Netizens quickly noticed what Master Han had done, and everyone immediately started discussing it:

"I think Master Han has a point; modern poetry should be written now. His 'a generation' is well written!"

"In the river... of time, we exist... like dust... A master is truly a master; the poetry is still beautiful..."

"Exactly! I love his last line: 'This is us... a generation... small yet resilient.' Well written."

"Heh, since they couldn't beat Director Xu with classical poetry, now they want to compete with modern poetry. Do they have any shame?"

...Although everyone was discussing, most people were waiting for Director Xu's response.

But as time passed little by little, Director Xu remained completely silent.

At this point, the netizens couldn't sit still.

What's going on? Is Director Xu afraid to accept the modern poetry challenge?

Consequently, in Xu Lu's Streamer room, the fans all erupted:

[What's wrong, Streamer? Hurry up and show that Master Han what's what, let him know that King Ma has three eyes?]

[Exactly! What are these classical poems and modern poems? What nonsense did he write in 'a generation'? It's all jumbled...]

[Uh, actually, Master Han's 'a generation' has some merit. I just don't know how the Streamer will respond.]

[Speaking of which, the Streamer still hasn't responded. Is it because he hasn't gone online? Maybe this guy doesn't even know someone challenged him!]

[...Yeah, it's already this late, and Little Assistant isn't online either. Sigh, looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow.]

[How frustrating! Now those netizens think our Director Xu is afraid to take the challenge and is hiding like a coward!]

[It's fine. We fans shouldn't panic. Once the Streamer sees the news, he will definitely respond.]

[I think we shouldn't fall into their trap. Why should we compare modern poetry? We should stick to classical poetry.]

...In fact, just as the fans were filled with righteous indignation, Xu Lu had also just received the news.

He glanced at the 'a generation' written by Master Han and immediately curled his lips in disdain.

Then he opened his Social Media Platform account and wrote two lines underneath:

'The dark night... gave me... dark eyes...'

'Yet I... use them... to search... for light...'