The melody of the zither flowed.
The sky-obscuring dark clouds slowly dispersed, revealing a clear blue sky as if washed clean.
On the arena, Ning Que reconnected the broken invisible strings of the zither. Ever since he sat down cross-legged, an ethereal and transcendent aura made the surrounding space seem unattainably high and distant.
The surroundings quickly fell silent.
“This move was not meant to deal with Jiang Yu and Sikuang Liang, although he still hasn’t mastered it.”
Ning Jue pouted, commenting on her brother’s skill in playing the zither.
The disciples of Penglai were all quite composed, none of them refuting her words.
Suddenly, she felt a slight biting sensation under her feet. Looking down, she saw a rabbit with grass growing on its head.
Jiang Chulong, not far away, had been searching around and finally ran over, picking up the rabbit:
“I’m sorry… it… it might be hungry… I’ll take off my shoe for you.”
“…”
A delicate pink toe peeked out from the front of Ning Jue’s sea silk boots, moving slightly due to the coolness.
“Not necessary, what are you wearing on your eyes?”
“Sunglasses, this is Brother Li’s gift, you can’t have it…”
“How strange.”
“Brother Li made it, so it’s called sunglasses.”
Jiang Chulong adjusted her sunglasses, scanning the stage, her eyebrows furrowing slightly:
“This zither sound seems quite troublesome…”
“Of course, this piece is called ‘High Mountains and Flowing Water’, it comes from the score engraved on the Clear Sea Relic Sound Zither, no less than divine skill.”
…
On the stage.
“High mountains and flowing water, where can one find a kindred spirit in this vast world? I wonder if Brother Li qualifies…”
The lisping Ning Que struggled to maintain his composure.
Realizing he couldn’t maintain it at all, he looked at his large clumsy hands manipulating the strings and snorted coldly:
“It shows that Brother Li is not a kindred spirit.”
Ding—
The tidal waves of zither sounds suddenly surged outward from him, exploding around the surroundings.
This power far exceeded the realm of Guan Shen.
Or perhaps, the music flowing from the Clear Sea Relic Sound Zither had already, in an intangible manner, constructed a peculiar inner landscape.
The zither sound seemed to come from the high mountains. Li Mo collected his thoughts; he had no time to break through the lingering divine charm.
Because the flowing water after the high mountains had already arrived.
The Divine Sword of the Celestials rose, and the zither sound flowed in. Li Mo felt fierce forces from all directions transmitted through the sword, pulling and tugging, breaking the sharp sword light into nothingness.
Li Mo was also swept by the chaotic flow, feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit bl**d.
He staggered back a few steps, nearly losing his grip on the divine sword.
High mountains and flowing water, hiding danger. Although his body was strong and unharmed, he could hardly use his inner alchemy, and only one-tenth of his strength could be utilized.
It was like suddenly falling into a turbulent ocean.
And being pulled deeper and deeper…
“There are no swordsmen with such strong bodies…”
The corner of Ning Que’s mouth twitched slightly.
No matter how strong the body, there is always a limit.
“Brother Li, be careful, I was just playing the prelude.”
“Persistent thoughts must echo, three layers of sound!”
…
Below the stage.
Everyone watching on the stage had different expressions.
“This is the power of divine weapons, even the first rank would suffer a great loss if caught off guard.”
“Ning Que’s ranking might be too low, after all, he came from overseas and rarely fights with others.”
“After all, Xiao Bawang is not skilled in sword techniques, and having obtained the Divine Sword of the Celestials for a short time, it is difficult to fully utilize its power.”
Hearing the surprised voices from the Imperial Capital, the Penglai disciples stood tall, as if they were elegant jade trees, full of dignity.
“If he doesn’t use his hammer, Li Mo might not win, it’s truly a pity.”
Ning Jue shook her head.
“Do you hope Brother Li wins?” Jiang Chulong asked curiously, hearing the tone in her voice.
Ning Jue’s gaze remained fixed on Li Mo: “Because Xiao Bawang makes me feel somewhat familiar, like the male protagonist in the picture books I read…”
“The tyrant empress loves me?”
“How do you know?”
“Because the picture book is compiled by Brother Li, and he occasionally tells me about it. I’ve already heard parts that weren’t even drawn in the book.” Little Princess Jiang recalled.
Ning Jue: “!”
After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke:
“In fact, Brother Li is not entirely without a chance. There are two ways to break the Clear Sea Relic Sound Zither. The first is to break it with force, a hundred times stronger than the player.”
“The second way, Ning Que mentioned it at the beginning.”
Jiang Chulong anxiously asked: “What is it?”
“A kindred spirit.” Ning Jue smiled.
Nearby.
“Brother Li seems unable to find a way to break through the scene of High Mountains and Flowing Water.”
Zhong Ling unconsciously glanced at Ying Bing.
Ying Bing had already mentioned two methods to break the deadlock, which were the same as Ning Jue’s.
The difference was…
“There’s one more method.”
Ying Bing’s clear and divine gaze focused on the young man’s wrist, whispering softly:
“Just don’t know if he can remember it…”
…
On the stage, the zither sounds became even more tumultuous.
Li Mo vaguely guessed the method to break this formation.
High mountains and flowing water, zither and lute harmonize.
Only those who deeply understand music can avoid the tidal waves of the zither sound.
Those who can follow the melody and rhythm of the zither sound, and resonate with it, can gradually dissolve the zither sound.
If you clash head-on, it will only make it stronger, unless you can exceed its limits.
“There is a way to break the zither sound formation by using hammer techniques to control the sword.”
Little Li pondered as he swung his sword to block, deep in thought.
Should he do it?
Really should he do it?
Right here!
But if he were to resist with music, he didn’t even have a musical instrument, and even if he did, he wouldn’t know the five tones—Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu…
Dingling—
Something on his wrist hit the hilt of the sword, producing a clear and pleasant sound.
“Jade Feather Whistle?”
Li Mo’s gaze sharpened.
“My image as a star of Penglai must be completely ruined.”
Ning Que felt he should have already won, but now it seemed he had lost again.
Looking up, he saw his handsome face turned into a pig’s head, leaving two clear tears in his eyes.
“Xiao Bawang, I could lose to you a thousand times and still not be enough!!”
He was about to accelerate the rhythm to knock Li Mo out of the arena.
There was nothing else left to do. Who knew how Nig Que’s physique could be so strong? He deeply suspected that one side of the Flying Poison Double-Sided Turtle was actually Li Mo.
Suddenly—
Whoosh~~
The clear and bright whistle sounded abruptly.
The whistle itself was quite loud, yet the tune was very odd.
If there were any time travelers here, they would probably start singing or even dancing along with it right now.
“The vast and boundless horizon is my love… flowers are blooming at the foot of the endless mountains…”
This song definitely didn’t fit with High Mountains and Flowing Water.
But he was really very happy.
The zither sound paused.
Ning Que leaned back slightly, feeling somewhat disoriented.
He naturally recognized it, that should be the music that replaced the voice when the Qingluan Clan learned to speak, usually given as a token of affection to a beloved person by the Qingluan Clan.
Ying Bing once had the nickname of the Qingluan Divine Maiden, indicating she had spent some time there.
So this must be something Ying Bing gave him.
