427: Chapter 427 was fortunately written quickly; otherwise, it almost went wrong.

Chen You looked at Sander, who was curled into a ball, and with his hands behind his back, he looked up at the sky, which was rendered bizarre and colorful by the neon lights.

"Sander, do you know what true art is?"

Sander sobbed as she lifted her head.

A burly physique paired with two lines of clear tears—the visual impact was extremely strong.

Chen You sighed, his voice carrying the depth of someone who had weathered many storms.

"True art is often accompanied by misunderstanding, ridicule, or even resistance. Because you are moving too fast, the world's aesthetics simply cannot keep up with your footsteps."

"Do you understand imperfection? Only a statue with broken arms becomes a classic for the ages. You've had your path to promotion cut off today; this is the 'broken arm' of your idol career!"

Chen You pointed his finger at Sander.

"Your singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball-playing have forcibly stitched together the iron-blooded combat techniques of your ancestors with modern pop culture."

"What is this called? This is called cross-era avant-garde performance art!"

Sander stopped crying.

Her massive palms wiped away the tears, and a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.

"Mentor... do you mean I'm too far ahead of my time?"

"Nonsense." Chen You remained expressionless.

"What do those judges know? They only know how to look at long-legged elves and listen to decadent music."

"A hundred years from now, the history books of the Source Realm will be filled with your greatness today."

"As for the current score, that is merely the world's jealousy toward a genius!"

Sander was moved.

She stood up abruptly and grabbed Chen You's shoulder.

"Mentor! Only you understand me! I've decided, I'm going to keep practicing! If two and a half years aren't enough, I'll practice for twenty-five years!"

Chen You secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This big guy is quite easy to fool.

Changing the subject, Chen You got down to business.

"Since you've realized the true meaning of art and let go of your obsession, shouldn't we talk about official business?"

Chen You removed Sander's hand from his shoulder. "The acting city lord duties are done, so shouldn't the materials for the Star Source Grand Theater be put on the agenda?"

Sander nodded heavily upon hearing this.

"You've done very well. Under your governance, Cangxing City has reached unprecedented prosperity. However, as the initiator and judge of the Voice of Star Source..."

Sander seemed to think of something and suddenly stopped.

Just then, an adjutant ran hurriedly into the backyard.

"City Lord! It's been cleared up!" The adjutant shouted, holding a glowing scroll.

"The culprit who gave you negative ten thousand points and caused your direct elimination is the only specially invited honorary chief judge of this audition!"

The air in the backyard instantly froze.

The evening breeze blew past, swirling a few fallen leaves.

Sander's massive head turned slowly, her gaze landing on Chen You.

"Mentor, the chief judge of the audition... isn't that you?"

Chen You's expression remained unchanged, but his brain was working at high speed.

"Same name and surname," Chen You said with a firm tone.

"The Source Realm is so big; there are at least eight or ten thousand people named Chen You. This is clearly someone jealous of your talent, maliciously framing me. It's pure slander."

The guard added loudly from the side, "The scroll record was sent from the backend; it's absolutely impossible to forge! The chief judge even left a comment. I'll read it to you!"

Chen You reached out to grab the scroll, but the guard had already shouted it out at the top of his lungs.

"This contestant has well-developed limbs but a simple mind! Their dancing is an eyesore and seriously drags down the overall quality of the audition!"

"Suggestion: Immediately revoke their eligibility and send them back to the City Lord's Mansion to issue quests! Signed: Chen You!"

After the guard finished reading, he looked up as if seeking credit.

Sander slowly turned her head, her gaze landing on Chen You's face once more.

She didn't speak, but her broad shoulders began to shake violently.

Her originally comical middle-parted hair moved without any wind.

A terrifying surge of Battle Qi erupted from her body, instantly sweeping through the entire backyard.

"Mentor..." Sander's voice sounded like it was squeezed out from the nine layers of hell, carrying a chilling resonance. "So, that vulgar person who doesn't understand art... was you?"

Chen You took half a step back, thinking, 'What is all this? When did I ever say those things?!'

"Sander, listen to me make it up... no, listen to my explanation."

"Explanation?" Sander roared.

She slammed her right foot down heavily onto the ground.

"Boom!"

The bluestone slabs shattered inch by inch, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread to Chen You's feet.

The nearby fountain statue exploded directly into powder.

Sander bent down, grabbed the specially-made basketball with one hand, and suddenly exerted force with her fingers.

"Bang—"

"You made me wear these clothes! You made me sing, dance, and even 'break'! I, the dignified Lord of Cangxing City, regarded you as my artistic mentor!"

Sander pressed forward step by step, the violent airflow making it hard for Chen You to keep his eyes open. "Now you're telling me I'm not worthy of being on stage?!"

Chen You swallowed hard.

Things had spiraled out of control.

The City Lord had gone completely berserk.

"Since this stage cannot accommodate my talent!" Sander roared toward the sky. "Then this audition shall not be held! No one will debut!"

She turned abruptly and barked an order at the terrified adjutant.

"Pass on my order! Assemble the City Defense Force in full armor! Go to the Central Square and tear down that wretched stage for me! Capture all those contestants who passed and rub them into the dirt!"

"..."

No, if you do that, I'll definitely be the one who has to clean up the mess!

"Sander! Are you crazy? This is your city! Don't you want the prosperity and happiness index anymore?" Chen You questioned loudly.

"To hell with prosperity!" Sander kicked down the courtyard wall.

"My dreams are gone; what's the use of this broken city being prosperous! I want everyone to fail along with me!"

Seeing Sander about to storm out with great strides, Chen You hurriedly spoke.

"Stop!"

Sander stopped in her tracks and looked down at Chen You, the murderous intent in her eyes undisguised.

"You want to stop me?"

"Go ahead and tear it down!" Chen You pointed at the gate.

"If you walk out of this door today and tear down that stage, tomorrow every player on the server will know that the Lord of Cangxing City is a coward who can't afford to lose!"

"A loser who couldn't even pass the preliminary round and can only vent in incompetent rage!"

Sander's breath hitched, and a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.

Chen You's brain worked at lightning speed, frantically pulling material from Earth's variety shows.

"Do you know why I did that?" Chen You snorted coldly.

"Would a conventional promotion route be worthy of your status as a natural-born ruler?"

"The reason I gave you a negative score was to separate you from those common, vulgar faces!"

Sander was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

Chen You spread his arms.

"I want you to descend upon the stage as the 'Ultimate Challenger Demon King' at the absolute peak of the finals!"

Sander's eyes widened slightly.

Chen You continued to paint the picture: "Think about that scene! When everyone thinks a champion has been born, when the whole crowd is cheering."

"You, James Sander, wearing the most domineering armor, descending from the sky with an aura that could destroy heaven and earth!"

"In front of the entire city, you will use your singing, dancing, and rapping to crush those so-called qualified contestants into dust!"

"This is the script that belongs to you!"

The air grew quiet again.

The anger on Sander began to recede.

She looked down at her torn overalls, then back at Chen You.

"De... Demon King?" Sander muttered to herself, her voice actually carrying a hint of trembling.