King of Classical Music 113

《Infinity》 was Paganini’s most famous etude.

Like the name implied, the melody was repetitive. It tested a musician’s skill and was used for training. It tested the endurance and flexibility of the left hand for pressing strings and the bow’s jumps, but also the adeptness of change for the right hand. Many large orchestras used the piece as their compulsory audition track to test violinists’ ability.

This piece contained 2,212 notes. Paganini was able to play it in three minutes and three seconds, over twelve notes a second!

It was unimaginable and unheard of for current violinists.

After Paganini, the best violinist in the world could only clock the piece at three minutes and thirty seconds. In his youth, Akkad could play it at three minutes and thirty-two seconds, for comparative sake, that showed just how difficult the piece was.

In fact, the piece itself wasn’t that difficult. At a slower speed, even amateurs could play it. However, it was a speed test.

In the silent room, everyone held their breath, staring at the young man.

Some stared at his left hand while others already stared at their stopwatches in silence.

This was perhaps the longest three minutes in the world. With over ten notes a second, all the students could see Qi Mu’s hands moving swiftly over the bow and strings, but at the very least, they knew…

He definitely wasn’t slow!

The repeated melody echoed in the rehearsal room. Qi Mu’s slender, fair fingers seemed to have a mind of their own. They danced along the violin board so skillfully and easily, holding and changing strings constantly.

No technique, just speed, speed, speed!

When the second minute ticked in, many members of the violin department already felt their wrists aching. They naturally were the most qualified to express their opinion on this piece because they knew, it was at this stage, the piece truly tested their endurance.

This kind of intense string changes made one’s muscles sore, and wrists swell. Most of them couldn’t endure it at this stage and would feel like they were dying. Therefore, for them, this piece spelled “Tragedy” whenever they heard it from afar.

But what they couldn’t believe was——

Qi Mu didn’t seem to slow at all!

In fact… He seemed to get even faster!!!!

Some of the girls covered their mouths in marvel, but Dylan and the others who just entered the rehearsal room had their eyes wide with shock and watched Qi Mu incredulously.

When the performance finally entered its third minute, time seemed to slow, sixty seconds feeling like a century.

They watched the handsome young man calmly play the last two notes. Long after the piece ended, the room was dead silent, and no one moved.

In the end, it was Kale from the piano department who started the provocation in the first place that clapped first in a daze. The others followed, and thunderous applause from nearly a hundred members of the orchestra filled the room.

Dylan finally reacted, “Oh, God, don’t let my teacher see Seven perform… Teacher really will scold me to death!”

Lena nodded, “This… I finally understand how terrible Professor Akkad is. Little Seven is so skilled, why is he always so unsatisfied?!”

Amongst the whispered marvel, someone finally asked the duration. The student with the stopwatch raised his mobile phone and announced, “Three minutes and thirty seconds! No, it’s… 03:39:44!!!”

This silenced everyone. Even Kale, who issued the challenge and stated the timing, withered. He looked at the young man in front of the crowd who was described as beautiful with strange eyes filled with wonder.

If Qi Mu could read people’s minds, he would hear only one word in unison——

『Monster!』

By the age of 22, he could play 《Infinity》 in under 3:40 seconds. If he wasn’t a monster… then what else could he be!

Even Christole wasn’t said to be this powerful!!!

In fact, these innocent students didn’t know that only last night, Qi Mu was given the arduous task——

To play 《Infinity》 within three minutes and thirty-five seconds in only a week!

And so, Qi Mu had begun practicing this piece right after he returned last night. He hadn’t touched this piece in so many years. When he first played, he could only manage three minutes and fifty seconds. The second try shaved off three seconds!

If Angelo knew Qi Mu could reach this speed after only practicing twice compared to him, who took over a month, perhaps even vomiting three liters of blood wouldn’t be enough to express his grief and indignation.

However, Qi Mu spent over two hours practicing and resting his hands intermittently, yet couldn’t break the forty-second barrier. It was only this morning after Professor Akkad gave him some corrections that he managed it.

Even Qi Mu didn’t think… he could play this piece in under forty seconds, to begin with. After all, this feat was a bit shocking for an ordinary student who hadn’t even graduated yet.

But this also meant Qi Mu had met this impossible “requirement of the orchestra.”

If it was said the woodwind group was friendly because they adored Min Chen, now… they really admired the strength of this temporary concertmaster!

Did they think 《Infinity》 was easy?

Yes, even amateurs could play it.

But they couldn’t play it in three minutes and forty seconds!!!

Not only the woodwind group but even the empty-handed accompany group like Kale looked like frosted eggplants, completely wilted. He then apologized to Qi Mu, looking deflated. While he was still skeptical, he knew Qi Mu really had the skill to defeat Langston.

Not only Kale, another member of the piano department said quietly: “When will this guy graduate, when will this guy graduate, when will this guy graduate?” Important things had to be said thrice!

They had committed themselves to the piano department, but so long as this monster was still here, their department would never take first in the assessment. Someone, explain… why didn’t Seven enter the piano department?!

Since even the piano department was completely won over, no one doubted Qi Mu’s skill anymore.

That afternoon, Clive from the conductor department took Qi Mu to various instrumental groups so he could familiarize himself with the members. He then left Qi Mu to manage the first violin group’s practice before making him brush his skills as concertmaster.

Qi Mu knew most of the members, especially Dylan and Zuckerberg. They were both “closed disciples” of their mentors, so they often hung out with Qi Mu.

As for the other members of the group, though they didn’t have much contact with Qi Mu, they knew this legendary figure helped the violin department win first place in the assessment twice in a row.

The afternoon passed quickly. Qi Mu and the orchestra played Haydn’s  《Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor》 for the first time, and after that, it was time for class.

Qi Mu smiled and said goodbye to the other members, packing up his stuff and CDs from before. Once he was finished, Clive smiled and walked him out of the room.

“Oh, Seven, I actually heard about you a long time ago.  I listened to your 《The Lark》 in the second assessment. It really was wonderful! It’s a pity our conductor department could only sit under the stage and listen, haha.”

Clive was the student of the conductor department’s dean. So to speak, he was at the same level as Angelo. In this school’s orchestra setup, other than a professor from the conductor department who served as chief conductor, it was Clive as the assistant conductor’s duties to manage the orchestra’s daily affairs and training.

In response, Qi Mu smiled, “Thank you, Clive. You’re also good. I felt the lonely end to 《Symphony No. 45》 this afternoon!”

The two left the college together.

Over the following few days, apart from demonstrating his improvement to Akkad that morning, Qi Mu also devoted himself to the orchestra’s arduous practice in the afternoon. Think he could relax at night?

Of course not! Impossible!

QI My only had the time to practice 《Infinity》 in the evening, so naturally, he had to hurry up and practice.

Wanting to play this piece in under 215 seconds in a week, even Qi Mu had a headache. He used most of his rest time to practice. The time to reply to messages and answer phone calls was also reduced to dismal numbers.

So, when Akkad leisurely enjoyed his chocolates, the group chat that had been silent for a long time, 【Little Angel’s Practice Room】, suddenly flickered to life:

Min Chen: 【What arduous task did you give him recently, Reed?】

Farrell: 【Eh? Reed gave Angel a difficult assignment? Reed, you can’t do that. Angel is still a child, you have to guide him step-by-step.】

Reed: 【Is trying to play 《Infinity》 in 215 seconds in a week hard?】

Daniel: 【………… Is there something wrong with my eyes? Why do I think I saw someone playing 《Infinity》 in under 3:35 within a week not hard……】

Farrell: 【My god! Reed, that’s inhuman!】

Reed: 【Hmm, I can do whatever I want. Auston, don’t even try to tell me what to do. I want to let Little Seven graduate early. There’s not much time left, thank you very much. Please send some chocolate.】

Min Chen: 【………】

The next day, another large bag of chocolate was airmailed from Turin to Paris.

Akkad looked at the chocolates with a smile. Looking up, he said to Qi Mu, who had been practicing 《Infinity》 to the point of barely breathing, and said, “Seven, you just slowed down a little. Speed up!”

Qi Mu, nodding with a smile but crying inside: “Yes, Teacher!”

Akkad nodded happily. He opened the gift bag and found a thin card inlaid with silver inside, and a note written in beautiful cursive in both Italian and Chinese——

【Don’t bully him, Reed. –– Auston Bertram】

Professor Akkad: “………………”