3: Enchanting Voice

[Detected that the host is practicing in a medium-grade sect. Comprehension is opening...]

Li Xiuwu held a book in his hand. He had already caught up in Chinese, and now he was holding English.

This was also an important subject for scoring.

He wore headphones, and a language repeater was reciting English words.

His desk-mate, Ma Ke, looked at him with envy.

A repeater, even in the capital, was not something every family could afford.

"Keep this for me and bring it back tomorrow." After the evening self-study session, he handed the repeater to Ma Ke.

"No need for this, you have to study at night too." Ma Ke waved his hand quickly.

"I'm reviewing math tonight. Change the two batteries yourself."

Ma Ke opened his mouth, but eventually silently put the repeater into his schoolbag.

Pushing open the door, the Tongzilou was old, and there was some mold on the walls.

[Detected that the host has returned to the family residence. Should a Spirit Gathering Array be deployed?]

"No." Every time Li Xiuwu went home, he routinely refused.

The list for the third round of the Beijing Film Academy's art exam was announced.

He saw his name at a glance. This time the list was much smaller, only a single piece of paper.

On the list, he saw several other familiar names.

Wen Zhang, Zhu Yawen, Luo Jin, Liu Yifei... "Tang Yan actually didn't pass the second round." Li Xiuwu was a bit surprised. Tang Yan's conditions were good, and her performance that day was fine. He didn't know why she hadn't passed the second round.

He went to report, registered his exam number, and prepared for the third round in two days.

He looked at the reward the system had issued this morning.

[Congratulations to the host for passing the second stage of the Hehuan Sect assessment. System reward issued: Charming Words, Divine Voice]

"Ahhh~"

"Yeee~"

Li Xiuwu tried to Ma Ke a sound and felt it was much more pleasant. He found a cassette tape and put it into the repeater.

"Ah~ This time I have truly decided to leave, far away from those sorrows I haven't understood for a long time."

Male or female, his vocal range shifted at will. The bass was sweet, the midrange was accurate, and the treble was deep; the effect was stunning.

He used the tape to record his own singing and thought it sounded very beautiful himself.

"Is this like swallowing Zhou Shen, Liangying, and Zhixuan? System, I admit you're somewhat useful." Li Xiuwu was very happy with his own changes.

Two days flew by, and he once again stood at the entrance of the Beijing Film Academy.

[Detected that the host is about to participate in the third stage of the Hehuan Sect test. Please pass the third stage. The better the ranking, the better the reward.]

Li Xiuwu wore headphones and a white practice suit, holding a sword in his hand as he stepped into the waiting hall.

Everyone's eyes turned toward him. He scanned the room, ignoring the reminders about various Cauldrons, and walked alone to a corner, leaning against the wall.

This time, he saw even more familiar faces: Zhu Yawen, Luo Jin, and also Liu Yifei.

She stood beside her mother, her bright eyes looking at Li Xiuwu and the sword in his hand.

Using a sword as a prop meant he would definitely perform a sword technique, but performing a sword technique well was extremely difficult.

Grouping began quickly, and Li Xiuwu took off his headphones.

"Number 233, you few are in a group." A senior student called out several numbers, and a few people gathered together.

"Go on, Xixi, don't be nervous." Liu Xiaoli looked at the few of them and encouraged her.

"Mhm." She nodded to her mother.

"Hi, I'm Deng Zifei, from Sichuan Province." A boy introduced himself generously.

"Zhang Lu, from Shaanxi."

"My name is Liu Yifei, from Hubei."

"Xiao Jing, Tianjin."

"Li Xiuwu, from Beijing." His voice was very pleasant, making several people look at him. Xiao Jing and Liu Yifei couldn't help but look up.

"There will be a situational performance in the third round. Let's work together." Deng Zifei said with a smile.

"Okay." They weren't familiar with each other, so there wasn't much more communication.

Li Xiuwu felt a gaze and turned his head to see Liu Yifei frequently looking at the sword in his hand.

Noticing Li Xiuwu's gaze, she smiled, revealing her gummy smile.

"Group 103, Deng Zifei's group, it's your turn."

"Let's go." Deng Zifei said to the others.

The five of them walked onto the stage.

This time there were five examiners. Sitting in the middle were Wang Jinsong, Chen Yi, and Zhang Ming. On either side were Huang Lei and Xu Xiaodan.

When Xu Xiaodan saw Li Xiuwu, her eyes lit up. The sword technique last time had stunned her.

The others' eyes also fell on Li Xiuwu. After the second round, they had heard of a candidate with very beautiful sword skills.

They looked at Xu Xiaodan, and she nodded in confirmation, making everyone interested in Li Xiuwu.

In that case, they would have to test him thoroughly.

Everyone introduced themselves in turn.

Li Xiuwu's voice was loud, clear, and clean, and his performance was very stable.

"Teachers, the lines performance I have prepared is Xin Qiji's 'Po Zhen Zi: To Chen Tongfu'."

After Li Xiuwu finished speaking, several teachers frowned. Reciting ancient poetry was not a good choice.

Li Xiuwu didn't care about their thoughts. His body seemed to slump in an instant, his eyes narrowed, giving off a sense of old age.

"Ceng." The sound of a long sword being unsheathed.

He dropped the scabbard and held the sword with both hands, bringing the blade a bit closer to his eyes, as if only then could he see it clearly.

"In my cups, I trim the lamp to look at my sword."

Everyone's hearts jolted. This voice had an indescribable sense of age.

Wang Jinsong and Zhang Ming exchanged glances. The acting was a bit immature, but the voice, the lines, and the articulation were all excellent.

Li Xiuwu's voice continued. His head was half-raised, his eyes out of focus as if lost in memory: "Dreaming back to the bugles sounding across the camps."

"Eight hundred li of beef shared among the subordinates, fifty strings playing frontier tunes, a military review on the autumn battlefield."

The teachers below the stage were repeatedly surprised. The expressive power of this voice was too outstanding.

If not for this face, they might have thought it was an old man.

But to them, it was still a bit immature, with room for improvement.

The students taking the exam behind him had shock in their eyes, and a bit of a bitter smile. What kind of monster was this, to be in the same group?

Liu Yifei didn't have that many thoughts; her eyes were filled with brilliance.

At this moment, Li Xiuwu slowly raised his head, looked forward, and took two steps. His steps were slow, carrying an old manner, and his voice was high-pitched: "Horses like Dilu gallop fast, bows like thunderclaps startle the strings."

His voice slowly weakened again: "Having finished the sovereign's worldly affairs, winning fame both in life and after death."

"Alas, white hair grows." In the final line, his voice was low, weak, and aged. He lowered his head again, looking at the sword in his hand.

He instantly withdrew from the emotion, raised his head, and straightened his back.

"Teachers, my lines performance is over. Next is the song I prepared, 'Song and Smile'."

Please take my song back to your home

Please leave your smile behind

Tomorrow, tomorrow, this song will fly to the ends of the earth

Fly to the ends of the earth

Tomorrow, tomorrow, this smile will be like spring flowers all over the fields

Like spring flowers all over the fields

A classic old song—even in this era, it was considered an old song.

Li Xiuwu's voice was clear and bright, with a hint of a child's voice, forming a contrast with the previous desolate old age. This song full of memories also gave everyone a deeper understanding of his voice.

The teachers below the stage had grown up listening to these songs.

To use the words of post-modern marketing accounts, people from the 60s and 70s ate so much fine grain, while what those from the 80s and 90s listened to was all trash.

"Teachers, my song performance is over." He looked at the teachers below who showed expressions of appreciation.

Seeing that they had no objections, he then said: "For my physical performance, I have prepared a sword technique."

His long sword was unsheathed again. His face was like jade, his posture like a pine, as graceful as a startled swan and as supple as a swimming dragon.

Light shone in everyone's eyes. How could such a sword technique not be stunning?