Chapter 9 The Treasure of the Divine Music Department (Part 1)_1

"Praise Falan! You don't have a fever, do you?" Sura reached out and touched Ye Yinzhu's forehead. His hands were small, yet his fingers were long and cold, bringing a comfortable sensation to Ye Yinzhu's forehead.

"Don't you have faith in me? Actually, we Divine Music Masters are not completely useless," Yin Zhu said seriously. "What a pity, I lost my zither along with the Space Ring on the way; otherwise, I could play a piece for you right now."

A strange light flashed in Sura's eyes as he sighed with regret, "That really is a pity. Alright, you must be hungry. I'll go cook so you can taste my cooking skills and prove that your three Gold Coins weren't spent in vain." Saying this, he quickly darted out.

Sura was indeed quick. In no time at all, lunch was ready. Two dishes and some steamed buns. The vegetables were very common, not even a bit of meat, but Yin Zhu was surprised to find that Sura's culinary skills were truly excellent. The common vegetables were complete with color, aroma, and taste. Having grown up eating bamboo shoots with a preference for bland food, he was far from picky and found the meal exceptionally delicious. Thus, Zither Emperor Ye Yinzhu and the King of the Night, Sura, shared their first lunch together.

Unbeknownst to Ye Yinzhu, the fact that the Divine Music Department was participating in the newcomer competition had already spread far and wide, making him an unintentional celebrity throughout the Milan Magic Martial Academy.

The next morning, Yin Zhu rose from bed early. Sura was already gone, leaving behind a steamed bun and a bowl of porridge on the table, obviously prepared as his breakfast. Despite its simplicity, the meal warmed Yin Zhu's heart. Sura might have been a bit greedy, but whether it was cleaning or cooking, he did a great job. Those three Gold Coins were well spent.

Ye Yinzhu stretched his body vigorously, his Zhu Douqi circulating slowly, bringing a comfortable and exhilarating sensation throughout every meridian in his body. Practicing Douqi and meditation at night had long since become his routine. Ye Yinzhu touched his right wrist and murmured to himself, "Thank goodness it wasn't lost."

It was only through chatting with Sura that Ye Yinzhu had learned that the red and white vertical stripes on the school uniform had meaning. A pair of red and white stripes represented first-year students. And the Milan Magic Martial Academy had a five-year program. Of course, students had to pass exams each semester to advance; otherwise, they had to repeat the year. Any student graduating from the Milan Magic Martial Academy was at least of Yellow-rank Advanced rank.

The school uniform was made of good material, and Yinzhu wearing it gave off a valiant and impressive air. The academy was considerate; yesterday when the uniforms were distributed, Yin Zhu also received a campus map. Fortunately, with that map, he was able to find the location of the Divine Music Department.

From the mixed dormitory to the Divine Music Department, Yin Zhu ran for nearly an hour. He didn't mind, taking it as a chance to get some exercise.

The Divine Music Department was situated in a very favorable location within the Milan Magic Martial Academy, in an elegant and delicate white four-story building. To the left of the building was a small lake of approximately a thousand square meters, with the other sides surrounded by plants and only several paths leading to the main building from different directions. And right behind the main building was the Divine Music Department Dormitory, comprised of distinctive white villas. Of course, living here meant paying a separate accommodation fee, which was extremely expensive.

"Yin Zhu, over here." Xueling leaned out of the second-floor window, spotting Ye Yinzhu who was running from afar.

Thanks to the introductions on the map he held, Yin Zhu knew that the first floor of the four-story building was the Spiritual Magic Teaching Room, while the remaining three floors were classrooms where the students attended lessons.

Upon entering the academic building, Yin Zhu's first impression was that it felt more like a palace than an academy. Gilded decorations, when accented with a large amount of greenery, did not appear tacky. It wasn't yet time for class, but the sound of musical instruments could be heard intermittently.

"What a great place! No wonder it's so expensive," Yin Zhu said to himself.

"Expensive? Everyone on the continent knows that the tuition fees of the Milan Magic Martial Arts Academy are as steep as the quality of its teaching."

When Yin Zhu turned around, he saw that somehow Director Nina, the granny he had met yesterday, had already appeared by his side.

"Hello, Granny Nina..., oh, no, Director Nina." Ye Yinzhu had learned his lesson and corrected himself before Nina could react.

Nina snorted, "In the academy, you must mind your words in the future. I heard that yesterday you accepted the challenge of a Wind attribute new student and will participate in the freshman competition?"

Yin Zhu nodded.

"Do you have confidence?" A sharp glint flashed in Nina's eyes.

"Yes," Yin Zhu replied simply, which surprised Nina.

"Yes? What makes you believe so?"

"I am a Divine Music Master; naturally, I'll rely on my music magic," Ye Yinzhu said, looking directly at Nina with clear eyes.

After pondering for a moment, Nina lowered her head and said, "Alright then. Follow me," and she led Ye Yinzhu directly to a first-year classroom on the second floor.

The classroom was large enough to accommodate forty students, but with Ye Yinzhu, there were only twelve freshmen in this class; they had all arrived, and the classroom seemed somewhat empty. Nina gestured for Yin Zhu to find a seat and sit down.

Without hesitating, Yin Zhu sat next to Lanxi, causing her to blush. It wasn't that he had any special feelings for Lanxi; mainly because, like him, she was a Zither student, and he didn't have a zither...

Standing on the podium, Nina swept her gaze over the new students, and immediately the classroom quietened down.

Nina said, "First of all, as director of the Divine Music Department, I welcome you all on behalf of the Department. Whatever your reasons for choosing the Divine Music Department, now that you are here, I hope that you will complete your studies in your future academic endeavors. Official learning will start in a week's time, and I believe you all know the reason. It's because the school's annual freshman competition will be held in three days. The other departments are selecting their contestants for the competition during these three days, but our Divine Music Department is an exception. However, Student Ye Yinzhu, upon registering yesterday, has already announced his participation on behalf of our department. Now I want to know who is willing to join him. If we don't have five people, the Divine Music Department will not even be eligible to compete."

"Director Nina, I am willing," Xueling was the first to raise her hand. Lanxi also indicated her willingness to participate soon after.

A smile appeared on Nina's weathered face, "Good, we still need two more."

"Director Nina, Senior Haiyang said she would take us to the competition yesterday. We're just one person short," said Xueling.

Nina looked surprised at the speaking Xueling, "Haiyang is participating as well? Alright, then we're one person short."

This time, the classroom fell silent. Seeing no one else speak up, Nina said indifferently, "Our Divine Music Department has always been the foremost department of the Milan Magic Martial Academy. But behind the title of the number one department, I don't know how many people consider us Chicken Rib Mages. Since Student Ye Yinzhu proposed to participate in the freshman competition, regardless of win or loss, I hope you will all defend the dignity of the Divine Music Department. Every participating student will receive, on behalf of the Divine Music Department, an instrument and three hundred Gold Coins."