Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Chapter 250 Zither Challenge

The owner gave Hattie the music score, requesting her to review it.

Hattie noticed how thick the music score was and understood it contained over a hundred songs.

The owner then said, "I will choose a song at random for you to perform. If you can play it, I will judge you based on how well you do. If you can't, you will be disqualified. The songs are also rated, the higher the score, the better."

Hattie felt especially confident in her abilities.

"Go ahead, Sir."

The zither shop's owner was delighted.

At last, someone who could play the zither had come.

He browsed through the music score and stopped at a random page, which turned out to be "Sound of Lament".

"Perform the 'Sound of Lament'."

This was a zither composition with a difficulty rating of ten, demanding advanced skills and rapid changes in melody, making it highly challenging.

Everyone focused on Hattie. She grinned confidently, put on the finger picks beside her, and started playing. Each string she plucked was perfect, and she played flawlessly until the end.

The owner clapped and said, "Excellent job! At last, a genuine zither player is here. You performed this piece wonderfully. I'll give you an eight out of ten."

The maximum score was ten.

Hattie felt a bit unhappy and asked, "Why only eight points?"

The owner responded, "Your technique and finger movements were flawless, but you lacked a bit of expression."

Some pieces require more than just technical skill. They need to create a sense of unity between the player and the music, evoking a feeling of presence. Hattie frowned, thinking the owner must have a problem with his hearing.

But she kept her thoughts to herself and continued playing. She needed to gather more points to achieve the highest score and earn extra credit. "Choose another piece. I assure you, I know every song in this music book, and I won't make any mistakes."

said, "Alright, since you're

flipped through the music

"Melody of the Battle."

hesitated briefly when

don't you know

"Of course, I do."

Hattie secretly felt uneasy about

the highest score in her exam, but she managed

"Let's start."

adjusted the finger picks on

But just then-

the strings, the distant sound of a

believing that

his eyes,

her hands

the onlookers quickly

not from her playing. Who is playing the

and looked back, suddenly recalling the two young girls the

shop and told a staff member to check the waterfall

hurried

two girls that Roland brought playing the zither at the back, and he's recording a

I hear 'Melody of the Battle.' Wait! Which zither is he using? Could it be

and said, "Yes, it seems

"D*mn it!"

dashed off like a whirlwind, disappearing

to the waterfall,

dare you take my precious zither without permission! I'll get

reached the scene,

motionless, his angry expression freezing on his face, gradually transforming into an

observed a young

on a