As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Ye Xuan, and his voice turned cold: "Kid, if you have any sense of self-awareness, you'd better leave immediately! This place isn't meant for you, and not just anyone can play my compositions!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, he spoke in a lecturing tone: "Young man, I advise you to be more grounded. Go home and practice the piano diligently, and maybe in ten or twenty years, you'll make some modest progress in the art of piano."

Looking at Mo Tao's preachy demeanor, Ye Xuan found it somewhat amusing.

He casually glanced over the two of them and asked, "Are you done? If you're finished, then shut up already!"

Hmm?

Upon hearing this, Mo Tao furrowed his brows. He didn't expect this kid to be so ungrateful, not only ignoring his advice but also maintaining such an arrogant attitude.

This only intensified his dissatisfaction!

"Kid, you..."

Wu Shihao was immediately enraged, pointing at Ye Xuan and about to start cursing.

Seeing Mo Tao's slightly darkened expression, he felt even more delighted!

This kid even pissed off Master Mo, truly a country bumpkin! Now that you've offended Master Mo, how are you going to compete with me!?

Ye Xuan glared at him: "You what? No need for those long-winded lectures, in the end, you both just don't believe in me, right?"

"Hmph, do you think we actually hold you, an amateur piano novice, in high regard?"

Wu Shihao lifted his chin proudly, speaking with arrogance.

Ye Xuan shook his head and retorted, "You call me an amateur? But in my eyes, you're not even on an amateur level! Is a national championship a big deal? There are plenty of those now. Is it worth bragging about such a meaningless title? Come back when you've won the Chopin, Chaikefu, or Van Cliburn piano competitions, then you can show off to me!"

There's no denying that winning the national youth piano competition is impressive in the eyes of ordinary people, but that's about it.

Because music competitions, especially professional piano competitions like these, have no real authority in Yan Country, they're nothing more than a small fuss!

Can you name one national piano competition champion that people remember? Foreign countries are at least a hundred years ahead of us in this regard.

Nowadays, even the well-known domestic piano performers, like Lang Lang and Li Yundi, only grabbed worldwide attention because they achieved groundbreaking results in such competitions.

As for Wu Shihao, a national youth champion, Ye Xuan didn't even take him seriously. Calling him amateur was no exaggeration!

After belittling Wu Shihao, Ye Xuan smirked slightly and continued: "As for me, my talent in piano goes without saying. Although I haven't practiced long, there's certainly a difference between a genius and an ordinary person, otherwise why call it genius? Since I've promised to help Ms. Yao, I will. If I didn't have the skills, I wouldn't have taken on this challenge!"

While disparaging Wu Shihao, Ye Xuan also discreetly flaunted himself.

The corners of Wu Shihao's mouth twitched, revealing a hint of mockery: "Mr. Ye, you're quite bold with your words! Do you even know the level of international piano competitions like Chopin, Chaikefu, or Van Cliburn? Not to mention winning, without top-level grade ten piano skills, you probably can't even qualify to participate. Yan Country only has one or two slots each time."

With his current level, he indeed wasn't qualified to participate since he only had piano grade nine! But given his age, achieving grade nine and winning the national youth category was already quite impressive.

Ye Xuan glanced at him and said indifferently: "That's because your vision is too narrow. Don't think just because you don't have the skill, others are the same! If your view is limited to Shangjing, it's no wonder you're just a national champion."

Having his piano skills questioned by Ye Xuan, Wu Shihao's eyes reddened, and he shouted angrily with a thick neck: "You're an amateur pianist, what gives you the right to look down on me? And this is Shangjing, not a place for some rural brat to act out. Get out of here now!"

"Wu Shihao, this is my home, and you have no right to kick my guests out," Yao Xingtong said sternly, seeing Wu Shihao lose control of his emotions.

Wu Shihao paused for a moment, his expression turning somewhat awkward. He wanted to argue, but the place indeed belonged to someone else, and he had no right to kick people out.

He begrudgingly shrank his neck and could only cast a pleading glance at Mo Tao, hoping he would speak up for him.

Mo Tao furrowed his brows, stroked his goatee, and gave Ye Xuan a surprised look before speaking coolly: "Kid, since you claim to have extraordinary talent and are confident in your piano skills, then show us on the spot! Real skill isn't about talking, if you're capable, show it!"

"Exactly! Master Mo is right! Bragging doesn't prove anything, if you really have skills, let us see for ourselves. Otherwise, what makes you think anyone should believe you? Anyone can talk big."

Wu Shihao chimed in immediately.

Ye Xuan calmly asked, "Then how do you want me to prove it?"

Wu Shihao's eyes darted, he quickly responded: "Proving it is actually simple, you just need to compete with me! Didn't you boast about your great piano prowess? Then let's each play a piece we're good at, regardless of difficulty, and simply compare our skills."

"If you can beat me in the competition, it will prove you're not just bragging, and if you really have the skills, I'll give up my spot as the accompanist. Moreover, Master Mo can confidently let you play the piece. But if you lose, or aren't as capable as you claim, you must give up accompanying Xingtong, how about that?"

As he spoke, Wu Shihao smirked with confidence and stared intently at Ye Xuan: "Of course, you can refuse the challenge, as it's not mandatory! But if you lack the courage to compete, it only shows that you're just talking big, and you should leave!"

"I think Shihao's suggestion is quite good."

Mo Tao nodded in agreement: "A competition between the two of you would reveal each other's true levels and see who is suitable to accompany Xingtong's new song. It would also give me a clear idea of this kid's piano skills and what level they are actually at."

He turned his gaze to Ye Xuan and said: "Kid, since you're so confident, compete with Shihao. I'd also like to see where your confidence comes from! I don't expect you to necessarily beat Shihao, but at the very least, prove you have the capability to accompany Xingtong."

"Exactly! Do you dare?"

Wu Shihao taunted with a smirk full of provocation.

"Looks like I have no choice, huh?"

Ye Xuan shrugged with an air of nonchalance and said:

"Fine, since you want to compete, I'll compete with him. But when the loss looks too ugly, don't say I bullied you!"

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