When Wang Shu finished reciting the first two lines, the face of the middle-aged man opposite him instantly turned pale.
He had initially thought he had picked an easy opponent, but who would have expected this seemingly easy opponent to be able to compose such excellent lines of poetry.
"I didn't expect this guy could actually write poetry!"
At this moment, Zhang Bichen, standing outside the venue, also looked at Wang Shu with a face full of surprise.
She had originally thought Wang Shu was just going to join in the fun, but she didn't expect his poetic skills to be so strong!
"Extinguish the lamp, the moonlight fills the room;
Donning robes, I feel the dew’s damp bloom.
Too heavy to hold in my hands to give,
Back to bed, dreaming of happy days to live."
When Wang Shu finished reciting the last two lines, the silent venue erupted in thunderous applause.
"Good poem! Good poem!"
"He wanted to pick an easy opponent, now look, he's met a tough one!"
"Hahaha, this is just handing over an easy win, isn't it?"
At this moment, many of the watching contestants felt sorry for the middle-aged man for choosing such a formidable opponent.
"Good thing he didn't pick me just now, or I probably would have been eliminated too!"
The contestants who had wanted to pick Wang Shu earlier now all expressed their relief that Wang Shu hadn't chosen them.
"This match is already clear, the young man wins!"
Bai Fu couldn't help but excitedly point at Wang Shu on the stage and say.
The middle-aged man beside him walked off the stage with a dark expression.
"Old Bai, this young man is quite interesting, not old but with considerable skill!"
The old man in the Tang suit couldn't help but smack his lips in admiration.
"Old Chen, do you remember the first line he wrote just now?"
Bai Fu looked at the old man in the Tang suit and asked.
"The moon rises over the sea, the same time we share from afar!"
The old man in the Tang suit replied without hesitation.
"Could you write such poetic lines?"
Bai Fu continued to ask.
The old man in the Tang suit was stumped by Bai Fu's question.
Yes, if he were to write it, could he?
The answer was clearly no!
With the end of all the first round group matches, only half of the dozens of people remained.
In the second round, Wang Shu's opponent was a white-haired elder.
Having assessed each other's strength in the first round, everyone now had a clear understanding of their opponents' abilities.
Therefore, in this round, only Wang Shu and this white-haired elder were left without opponents.
Wang Shu was thus forced to be paired with the white-haired elder.
The elder had silver hair and leaned on a cane, but he stood with great spirit.
When it was their turn to go on stage, the elder immediately composed a poem titled "Gazing at the Autumn Moon" on the spot.
Even Wang Shu admitted that this "Gazing at the Autumn Moon" was indeed well-written, and it was no wonder no one dared to be the elder's opponent in this round.
"Wang Shu is in grave danger this time, this old gentleman's poetry truly has skill!"
Outside the venue, Zhang Bichen couldn't help but feel a hint of nervousness.
"Do you know this old gentleman?"
Bai Fu looked at the old man in the Tang suit beside him and asked.
"Old Qin from Jiangzhou, I didn't expect him to participate in an event for young people!"
The old man in the Tang suit replied.
"Shameless, how many years apart are you two? Do you think you're still young?"
Bai Fu laughed and scolded when he heard the old man in the Tang suit say something so shameless.
However, he was still sweating for Wang Shu.
After all, with the elder Mr. Qin's accumulated experience, the poem he just recited could be considered a masterpiece!
Unless Wang Shu could compose another poem of the same quality as the previous one.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to win against this elder.
After the elder finished reciting his poem, Wang Shu confidently walked to the center of the stage.
"The autumn's time draws near in the sky,
And in the world, the moon's reflection lies.
The toad in the river does not set,
The rabbit pounding medicine lives yet.
It only hardens the loyal heart's pain,
And adds white hairs to the aging brain.
Knowing war is spread across the land,
May its light not shine on western camps, understand."
Wang Shu recited Du Fu's poem "Moon" word by word, with a cadence that impressed everyone.
The crowd was once again amazed.
"This young man has something special!"
"This poem is so perfectly structured, and it has an ancient and graceful charm!"
"Forgive my ignorance, I can only use one word to describe it: It's f*cking awesome!"
When they saw Wang Shu calmly recite this poem, the crowd sincerely admired Wang Shu's poetic talent.
"Young man, you win!"
Before the judges below could speak, the elder standing on the stage directly said to Wang Shu.
"Thank you for your generosity, senior!"
Wang Shu quickly bowed in return.
"My name is Qin Zhengran, from Jiangzhou. If you have time to visit Jiangzhou, please come find me!"
After speaking, the elder turned and walked out of the venue without looking back.
"Grandpa, you lost, why are you still so happy?"
Outside the venue, a girl in Hanfu hurried forward to support Qin Zhengran, asking in confusion.
"It's because I met a true talent. I'm happy to lose to him!"
Qin Zhengran glanced at his granddaughter and said with a smile.
"Xiao Yan, you're nineteen this year, aren't you?"
Then Elder Qin looked at his granddaughter and asked.
Qin Xiao Yan was also confused as to why her grandfather suddenly asked her this question.
"Grandpa, what do you mean?"
"Nothing."
Qin Zhengran then turned and looked meaningfully at the young man in the venue.
...
In the subsequent rounds, Wang Shu easily won all his matches.
Soon, the competition reached the final round.
Only two contestants remained on the stage.
One was Wang Shu, and the other was a man with long hair.
"After deliberation by the judges, for the final round, we have decided to have the two contestants compose a Ci poem each! The theme will remain the moon!"
At this moment, the host picked up the microphone again and announced.
"Switching to Ci poetry? This is interesting!"
"The young man is clearly superior in composing poems, but in composing Ci poetry, it's not a certainty anymore."
When everyone heard that the final match would be a Ci poetry composition, they began to discuss it.
Because through the previous rounds, everyone had a good understanding of the poetic talent of the remaining two contestants, and now switching to Ci poetry added a lot of suspense.
"I'll go first!"
The long-haired man glanced at Wang Shu, then walked onto the stage and recited his Ci poem.
The man had written a Ci poem about appreciating the moon, and in Wang Shu's opinion, it was quite well-done.
"It's your turn, brother!"
After reciting his work, the long-haired man turned to Wang Shu and said.
Wang Shu slowly walked onto the stage.
"When did the bright moon first appear?
Raising my wine, I ask the azure sky.
In the celestial palace, I wonder,
What year is this night..."
Wang Shu recited calmly.
Below the stage, the judges all pricked up their ears.
Because the moment they heard the first line of this Ci poem, they sensed that it was extraordinary.