Chapter 129: This Is an Exhibition Match for the Landscape Society

At this moment, the number of viewers in West Tower’s livestream had risen above fifty thousand.

When West Tower failed to respond for a long while, the comments in the livestream began to grow increasingly hostile.

“Coward!”

“So he really is a loser. I actually thought he had genuine talent.”

“Verdict: this streamer was manufactured through hype. He has no real ability at all.”

“Hahaha, you people actually believe an internet celebrity can be cultured?”

“Let’s go. There’s nothing to see here.”

“…”

Just as expected.

Nothing in the world was more prone to swaying with the wind than online spectators.

When West Tower had written “Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms,” countless netizens had lifted him to the heavens.

Now, simply because West Tower had not yet had time to sign up for the Mountain Sound Cup exchange, he was nearly cursed into oblivion.

Wang Mo had long grown accustomed to the fickleness of netizens.

Seeing that his ancestors eighteen generations back were about to be dug up if he still refused, Wang Mo stopped delaying and clicked the “Agree” button at the bottom of the invitation.

A small window immediately appeared on the page:

“Thank you, West Tower. You have agreed to participate in the Mountain Sound Cup Poetry and Literature Exchange. Please begin your livestream promptly at eight o’clock on the evening of the twenty-fifth. At that time, we will connect you to the live venue so that you may participate in the exchange together with everyone else.”

Without another word, Wang Mo took a screenshot of the message and posted it on the livestream’s public screen.

The message was more effective than anything he could have said.

The next second, the more than fifty thousand viewers in the livestream all paused.

Then…

The chaos grew even worse.

“Oh? You agreed to participate?”

“Hahaha, I knew West Tower couldn’t possibly refuse.”

“West Tower! West Tower! I’ll support you forever!”

“West Tower has slapped the haters in the face once again.”

“Heh. Slapped them in the face? I think West Tower only agreed because he had no choice.”

“Exactly. He probably realized that if he didn’t participate, this account would become useless. So he reluctantly agreed.”

“Participating won’t help. He’ll probably be exposed as a fraud on the twenty-fifth.”

“…”

The comments said everything imaginable.

Some cheered him on.

Others continued to hurl insults.

Wang Mo knew that no matter what he streamed today, the viewers would not be able to calm down. After saying a few perfunctory words, he simply ended the broadcast.

The moment he went offline, Yuan Xiong came over.

“A Mo, are you really going to participate in this so-called Mountain Sound Cup?”

Wang Mo nodded. “You saw the comments just now. Under those circumstances, I had no choice but to participate.”

“But…” Yuan Xiong frowned. “The Shanshui Society is truly a place where hidden talents abound. I asked around just now. Registration on that forum is divided into five levels.

“They are: Newcomer, Emerging Talent, Renowned Poet, Poetry Master, and Literary Titan.

“Ordinary people cannot even enter the forum. Only when an established member sends them an invitation do they have a chance to register as a Newcomer.

“Even the lowest level, Newcomer, represents a level of poetry and literature no lower than that of a top university graduate.

“Those who reach the second level, Emerging Talent, are already somewhat renowned in everyday life. At the very least, they are high-school Chinese teachers.

“As for the third level, Renowned Poet, those people are all well-known writers who have published poetry collections.

“The fourth level, Poetry Master, consists entirely of famous figures in the literary world today.”

“What about the fifth level?” Wang Mo asked.

Yuan Xiong replied, “The fifth level, Literary Titan, is reserved for the giants of the literary world. Of course, only three people in the entire Shanshui Society have reached that level. I heard that those three were invited directly by the society and have barely ever appeared on the forum.

“As for this Mountain Sound Cup, I’ve heard that the Shanshui Society has sent two Poetry Masters, five Renowned Poets, and eleven Emerging Talents.

“Don’t assume that the absence of a Literary Titan means the competition won’t be formidable.

“Even if the Poetry Masters do nothing, the five Renowned Poets alone would be enough to sweep through the entire Douyin community.”

Wang Mo clicked his tongue inwardly. “They’re that impressive?”

“Different fields require different kinds of expertise.” Yuan Xiong smiled. “These people have immersed themselves in poetry for years. They can basically look at any painting or photograph and casually compose a decent poem about it. It’s only natural that they’re so formidable.”

Wang Mo deeply agreed.

Yuan Xiong continued, “That’s why I think that if you participate in the Mountain Sound Cup, you’ll probably end up serving as little more than a foil, just like the other internet-celebrity poets. When the livestream takes place, the people who truly shine will most likely be members of the Shanshui Society.

“In other words, on the twenty-fifth, at the Mountain Sound Cup Poetry and Literature Exchange, all of you will have to stand aside. It will effectively become a showcase for the Shanshui Society.”

Wang Mo smiled. “If internet celebrities are merely foils, why is Douyin holding an event like this?”

“Simple!” Yuan Xiong snapped his fingers. “Douyin has developed too quickly. It has now become the largest unicorn company in the world, but its foundations are unstable. That’s why, over the past year or two, Douyin has been frantically organizing all kinds of events.

“For example:

“A motor show for the automobile industry.

“A comic convention for the manga industry.

“A fishing competition for the fishing community.

“A beauty-influencer conference for the cosmetics industry.

“And now, the Mountain Sound Cup.

“There are two reasons Douyin organizes these events. First, to strengthen the bond between its users and their favorite creators. Second, to deepen its own cultural foundations.

“A company without cultural depth can easily fall apart.

“That’s why Douyin has spent so much money creating the Mountain Sound Cup.

“Actually, I initially didn’t recommend that you participate. In an event like this, you’ll only be a supporting act and probably gain very little.

“But since you have to attend the exchange, make the most of the opportunity. See whether you can befriend a few people from the Shanshui Society. You could invite them to appear on your livestream in the future. That should make for excellent interaction and a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

From Yuan Xiong’s perspective, even though Wang Mo possessed a decent cultural foundation, he was still at least one level below the members of the Shanshui Society.

Wang Mo had written a modern poem that had received a favorable response, but compared with the members of the Shanshui Society, who made their living from poetry, it was still far from enough.

“Oh,” Wang Mo replied.

But inwardly, he thought: Befriend members of the Shanshui Society? That’s impossible.

The task assigned to him by the system was to annihilate the Shanshui Society—and not leave a single one of them standing.

…

The Shanshui Society.

The forum was especially lively at this moment.

Its online membership had reached more than three thousand.

The Shanshui Society usually had no more than a few hundred people online, so its recent surge in popularity was nothing short of explosive.

Clearly, everyone had come because of Douyin’s Mountain Sound Cup.

The forum was boiling with excitement.

“Douyin is loaded. The first prize is a full million!”

“Indeed. The scale is pretty impressive.”

“Give us a hint. Who’s participating in this exchange?”

“Wasn’t the list posted a long time ago? It’s pinned at the top of the forum. Go look for yourself.”

“Oh? Eighteen people in total? And two of them are Poetry Masters? That lineup is insane!”

“There are fewer than five active Poetry Masters in the entire forum, and two of them are participating this time!”

“It’s Teacher Feng Qi and Teacher Zhu Han. Those two big shots are the forum’s twin marksmen. Looks like first place is destined to be a duel between them.”

“Of course. Who else could possibly beat those two?”

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“…”

At the same time, the person in charge of the Shanshui Society forum had gathered all eighteen participants in the Mountain Sound Cup.

They were chatting together in a spacious lounge.

Duan Ping, the forum’s editor-in-chief, smiled and said, “Everyone, you’ll be participating in the Mountain Sound Cup jointly organized by Douyin and our society. I hope all of you will perform at your best, display your talents, and bring home the grand prize.”

Feng Qi, a mustached man in his forties, frowned. “I looked at the list. Why are there more than twenty internet celebrities participating?”

Beside him, Zhu Han, also in his forties and already slightly balding, chimed in, “Having us compete alongside internet celebrities does lower the standard somewhat. Editor-in-Chief Duan, what do you think?”

Duan Ping smiled. “Teacher Feng, Teacher Zhu, and all the other teachers, please remain calm. After all, this event is being organized by Douyin, so it’s only natural that some internet celebrities would be included. But don’t worry. Those internet celebrities are merely going through the motions. Surely you don’t think they can truly compete with you?”

“Hahaha, well said.”

“Just pretend those internet celebrities don’t exist.”

“I’m actually looking forward to seeing them compose poems against us.”

“Then, Old Zhou, you’re bound to be disappointed.”

“Hahaha.”

Amid the laughter, Duan Ping continued, “Of course, allowing these internet celebrities to participate also benefits us. The more than twenty internet celebrities invited by Douyin all have at least a million followers and are major streamers. Only with their livestreams can our exchange competition reach a wider audience. It will also help more people learn about the Shanshui Society.”

At this, Feng Qi and Zhu Han exchanged a glance, and their expressions softened considerably.

Given their status, position, and reputations in the poetry world, neither of them could bring himself to compete against internet celebrities.

At that moment, deputy editor-in-chief Wen Qian rose to his feet.

“Of course, we shouldn’t underestimate internet celebrities either. Some of them possess genuine talent. The modern poem ‘Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms,’ which circulated widely online some time ago, was written by an internet celebrity. I hear that person is also participating in this exchange.”

The people in the lounge exchanged amused smiles.

“I’ve read it. It’s passable.”

“Far too idealistic.”

“Barely acceptable. Its popularity was clearly the result of deliberate hype.”

“Just the empty lament of an idealist.”

“…”

Feng Qi also spoke. “The poem is readable enough. However, I believe any one of the eighteen people here could write something of that level, so there’s no need to take it seriously.

“What truly moved me was a poem without a title that circulated recently around the Qingbei campus. It consisted of only one line: ‘The darkness gave me dark eyes, yet I use them to seek the light.’

“In my opinion, that poem is genuinely outstanding. If its author joined the forum, they would be at least a Renowned Poet. Unfortunately, despite asking around through numerous channels, I’ve been unable to find out who wrote it…”

“Old Feng, you’re getting off topic.” Zhu Han interrupted. “What we need to focus on now is the Mountain Sound Cup. The first prize is a million! I haven’t seen prize money that high in a long time. When the time comes, I’ll have to weigh it carefully in my hands.”

Feng Qi’s eyes immediately fixed on Zhu Han. “Oh? From the sound of it, Old Zhu, are you determined to take first place?”

A sharp glint appeared in Zhu Han’s eyes as well. “Of course!”

Feng Qi smiled. “I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.”

Inside the lounge, everyone’s eyes began to shine with fierce anticipation.

No one had expected the Mountain Sound Cup to begin with the clash between the forum’s twin marksmen already underway.

(End of Chapter)