She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 735

"Mr. X... Mr. X's apprentice?!" someone in Jethro's entourage gasped. The last shred of doubt shattered. They looked at Jethro as if he were an absolute idiot.

Another student slapped his thigh in realization. "Oh my god, I knew she looked familiar! She was the guest judge at the Steinway competition in Harmony Country! The apprentice of Mr. X! It was all over the news there, I read about it!"

Because the news had caused a massive uproar in Harmony Country but hadn't gained as much traction internationally, many students here had been completely unaware.

"So what was Jethro doing yesterday, accusing her so confidently? He's the one who was spouting nonsense and misleading people."

Surrounded by mounting accusations and mockery, Jethro's pride was entirely decimated. He simply couldn't accept that Loyce was Mr. X's apprentice. Desperate to save face, he doubled down. "The entire music world is obsessed with the legend of Mr. X, but none of us have actually seen him! Has Professor William ever met Mr. X?"

That actually stumped William. He hadn't.

Jethro spun to Eirene. "Have you seen him?" He pointed to another judge. "Have you?"

Not a single professor on the panel had ever met Mr. X in person. Believing he had found a loophole, Jethro scoffed. "None of you have seen him! She gets to be our judge just by running her mouth? That's completely unfair! If this is how the assessment is run, I refuse to take part!"

Dennis was about to explode at the blatant disrespect toward Loyce, but she smoothly pulled the microphone toward her.

"I don't need to use my mouth," she said lazily. "All of you, the so-called chosen ones, are welcome to challenge me. I will answer any question you throw at me. But in return, I expect you to handle my questions. If the pass rate of my challenges hits eighty percent, I'll let you all stay in S-Tier. If not, you'll be demoted based on your performance. How does that sound?"

Historically, the tier assessment simply consisted of the judges assigning prompts and grading the students' compositions. The idea of a judge and the students mutually interrogating each other was unprecedented.

The professors exchanged glances. They all knew these students were about to get annihilated. They had witnessed Loyce's terrifying musical prowess; challenging her was practically a death wish.

But the proud S-Tier students were already whispering excitedly, clearly underestimating this young girl.

Watching the tide turn and thinking Jethro might actually pull off a victory, Hallie, however, was dripping with cold sweat. Her face was ashen, her eyes unfocused, looking as if she were about to collapse.

Jethro grabbed her arm. "What's with that look? You honestly think a room full of Tier-S prodigies can't crush a girl who just spouts fake history?"

It was Jude. Known for his unorthodox fusions of modern electronic and classical music, he was a massive rule-breaker who consistently ranked in the top five of the S-Tier every year. Rumor had it he was set to inherit his father's world-class concert hall.

Someone in the crowd muttered, "Jude has stumped Professor William before. He's terrifyingly good. Loyce is finished."

"Mr. X's apprentice, right? Since you're so confident, I want you to listen to an improvised melody right now. Tell me the mode, the potential harmonic progressions, and exactly how three composers from three different eras would develop the motif."

The prompt sounded foundational, but it was brutally difficult. It tested perfect pitch, advanced harmony, and an encyclopedic understanding of historical styles, requiring insane on-the-spot analysis.

The students around Jude started cheering. "Yeah! Put your money where your mouth is!"

"Let's see what the 'apprentice' can actually do!"

Though internally terrified, Jethro forced a sneer, eager to see how Loyce would handle the first lethal blow.