Misguided practice of sinister cultivation techniques: Slander! The problem lies with you all, not me!-Chapter 1175 - 606
Under the suggestion of the Third Sect Master, Cao Wang, the competition between Duan Yun and Wang Lifei, which should have resulted in the elimination of one, ended in a draw, allowing both to advance.
By now, only nine people remained.
These nine would compete in the true form of storytelling.
In other words, among the hundreds of storytellers who came and went, everyone could be said to be the genius among local talents, but only nine could step onto this final stage.
Only these nine could showcase their storytelling talents.
The final outcome of the storytelling was decided by six elders present and the Third Sect Master, Cao Wang.
They would listen with their backs facing the storytellers. If a storyteller's performance touched their hearts, they would turn around for them.
Among them, a turn from the Third Sect Master, Cao Wang, counted the most, equating to four people, and ultimately, the one with the most turns would win.
The Deyun Conference is the premier event in the storytelling world. Besides being hosted by the Bloodthirsty Storytelling Sect, the absolute leaders of the field, it's renowned for the relative fairness of the Third Sect Master, Cao Wang, and the judging elders, who, to some extent, treat everyone equally.
In the earlier competition between Duan Yun and Wang Lifei, there was favoritism at play, but it actually favored Duan Yun.
This was because the judge was determined to ensure Wang Lifei's victory, knowing whose orders these were, and unwilling to openly confront the Second Master, especially since he had just recently slept with the Second Master's wife, making him reluctant to bite the hand that feeds.
Out of appreciation for talent, he created a draw, allowing both to enter the finals.
In this final round, the only opponent is oneself.
You need to use your storytelling artistry to win over the critical elders and capture the heart of the entire audience here.
In some respects, the audience's reaction on-site can also influence the elders' decisions.
After all, when the audience cheers enthusiastically, not turning around would make you seem unprofessional, or suspect of being pretentious.
Duan Yun and Wang Lifei were slotted as the fifth and sixth storytellers.
Frankly speaking, the entire audience's attention was now on these two, leaving the other storytellers overlooked.
It's akin to a concert featuring the Four Heavenly Kings—who'd have the mind to listen to a DJ spinning discs?
This led to a rather cold reception for the first four storytellers.
The audience just hoped they would get off the stage quickly, eager to witness the peak showdown between the Iron-mouthed Scholar Dui Chuangchang and the equally matched Nie Feng.
The first storyteller to take the stage found the atmosphere growing colder the more he spoke, leaving him chilled to the bone.
It's not that his storytelling was poor; after all, anyone who made it this far was skilled at their craft, and they had all prepared meticulously for this.
Ziyu was the third to take the stage, and out of the first four storytellers, she received the most attention.
First of all, her story "Goddess Hunter's Demon Cave Fall Record" drew a lot of interest just by its title, and then there was the fact that she was a woman.
Women telling such stories carry more intrigue than men.
Her presence enlivened the room somewhat, but unfortunately, not many elders turned for her.
These storyteller elders had largely risen through the ranks by telling similar risqué tales, but as their status elevated, they forgot their roots, beginning to feign sophistication, even disparaging their own beginnings.
Ziyu suffered due to her choice of subject matter, but she did manage to reanimate the atmosphere.
The fourth storyteller, unfortunately, presented something akin to "highbrow art" tailored for the elders, causing the room, which had just warmed up, to cool down again.
However, the excitement soon reignited among the crowd.
Because the fifth to take the stage was Duan Yun. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
The dark horse who'd just matched the famed Iron-mouthed Scholar Dui Chuangchang.
Many believed this dark horse only managed to tie with Wang Lifei by blocking his ears, mitigating Wang Lifei's eloquence, but now it was all about real skill.
Below, Iron Maiden's palms were already sweaty.
After all, this "Nie Feng" was still a newcomer, though gifted, he'd never actually told a story before.
On the journey here, she had only given him a few casual pointers, far from preparing for storytelling.
Beside her, Elder Wang Tie wore a serious expression.
Three out of the six elders were his allies, but if Third Sect Master Cao Wang counted as four, if this boy could genuinely come up with something impressive, there might indeed be a twist.
Duan Yun took the stage, appearing not the slightest bit nervous.
With a smack, he clapped the gavel and said, "Do you know the secret of the Huangshan Heroine?"
The people below were bewildered.
But Iron Maiden reacted first, taking on the role of the banter partner, "We're far from Mount Huang, so we're unclear."
Duan Yun quickly responded, "My home is at the foot of Mount Huang, and since childhood, I've known its secrets."
"Big secrets."
...
Duan Yun's story was indeed spontaneously created on the spot, mainly due to the foreshadowing when Ziyu mentioned they were runaways and cousins.
Ziyu's hometown was at the foot of Mount Huang, and being familiar with the Huangshan Sword Sect, Duan Yun crafted this tale on the fly.
"The Huangshan Heroine has always been known for her benevolence and love. There were quite a few bachelors in our village, and when I was young, I enjoyed catching mice for fun. One day, I witnessed two Huangshan Heroines sneaking into an old bachelor's house...."
With these words, the atmosphere below suddenly became lively.
Clearly, this was similar to Ziyu's "Goddess Hunter's Demon Cave Fall Record," a "popular tale."
Ziyu had fewer elders turning for her because it was a "popular tale," but everyone loved listening to this.
