"What are you standing around for? Come and greet them!"
Hearing Yun Xiao's voice by his ear, Yun Ze finally confirmed he hadn't misidentified the person.
The person before him, dressed elegantly, with a cold expression, looking at everyone as if they were fools, was indeed his nominal master, and the junior sister he secretly called.
Yun Xiao!
Why was she here?
No, that wasn't right. He should be asking why he was the Vice Pavilion Master of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
This was his first thought. As for the second thought... he wouldn't have to play the zither anymore, right!
Yun Ze, with a heart full of questions, still stepped forward and cupped his hands towards the other two people, a man and a woman, whom he didn't recognize.
"Junior Tu Sheng, greetings to both seniors."
"Hey! You can't call us seniors. I call your master 'Master Yun', so we should be considered peers!"
The middle-aged man, seated to Yun Xiao's left, smiled at Yun Ze. "Hmm, judging by your bone structure, you are indeed a good prospect, but your physique is too weak.
If you were sent to my Heavenly Artifact Pavilion for training for over ten years, you might improve somewhat."
"Enough, Old Luo. This kid is clearly a good prospect for playing the zither. If you really sent him to forge iron, you'd be ruining Master Yun's efforts."
The other woman chuckled.
She wore a veil, obscuring her face, but her eyes were a seductive purple, clearly indicating she had cultivated some kind of ocular technique.
Yun Ze only glanced at her before daring to look further.
"This is your Senior Sister Lin Xiaoyue, an elder from the Spiritual Sound Pavilion."
Yun Xiao introduced them one by one. "And beside her is your Senior Brother Luo Changhong from the Heavenly Artifact Pavilion."
"Senior Sister Lin, Senior Brother Luo."
Yun Ze cupped his hands towards them again, changing his address.
Now, he finally understood the weight of the title "Master Yun"!
An elder of the Spiritual Sound Pavilion! A third-tier artifact refiner!
Such existences could converse with cultivators of the Golden Core stage as equals. Yet, they were willingly calling a Foundation Establishment cultivator "Master Yun" and another Foundation Establishment cultivator "junior brother"!
Even though Yun Xiao only had two direct disciples, if other disciples were counted... the number would be enough to establish an extremely vast sect!
"Alright, alright, no need for formalities."
Lin Xiaoyue waved her hand with a smile and got straight to the point. "I heard that junior brother has found a third-tier Guqin instrument and knows how to use it. Senior sister is very curious, may I have a look?"
"Yes!"
Luo Changhong also smiled and said, "Little junior brother, this is the first time I've heard of a Guqin instrument. Hurry and take it out so Senior Brother can broaden his horizons!"
Here it comes!
It seemed they were indeed attracted by the Guqin instrument.
However, he didn't need to worry now. After all, Yun Xiao was present, and she would surely help him out of this situation, right?
Yun Ze did not answer, his gaze instinctively turning towards Yun Xiao.
Just as he was about to push the responsibility onto Yun Xiao, she spoke first.
"Yes."
Yun Xiao also looked at Yun Ze with a smile. "Little Tu Sheng, when did you develop such a research into the Way of the Zither that even your master doesn't know about it?
Never mind, I suppose it's your recent gains. I can use this opportunity to test your current level in the Way of the Zither."
"Ah?!"
Yun Ze was stunned!
He never expected Yun Xiao to say that!
This was truly... the pot didn't get pushed away, and he ended up carrying it himself!
"What are you愣着作甚?" (What are you standing around for?)
Luo Changhong retorted and casually placed a pale Guqin before Yun Ze. "Come! Play!"
As the Guqin entered his hands, Yun Ze touched the plum blossom break on its back!
The grain was delicate, the pattern distinct, and a plum blossom even wound from the back of the instrument to its body!
The entire Guqin was faintly white, but only the plum blossom was a vibrant red, drawing the eye.
"This zither is called Snow Plum."
Lin Xiaoyue spoke. "I waited fifty years for this Luo fellow to forge it for me.
Little junior brother, let's be clear beforehand. If your performance doesn't satisfy me, I won't give Master Yun any face!"
"Hey! Lin Xiaoyue, you should speak with a clear conscience!"
Luo Changhong also chimed in. "Wasn't I spending these fifty years finding zither materials for you! Ordinary wood takes seven hundred years to form a plum blossom break, but this Mountain Snow Wood takes at least fifteen hundred years!
Do you think these materials are easy to find?
And the strings! Each one is smelted from a different metal using my unique ratio. Even a third-tier spiritual sword would get nicked!
It's also inscribed with eighty-one third-tier formations. Even without using spiritual energy to play, the zither's sound can penetrate bone!"
The pressure returned!
Yun Ze knew that what these two were saying was for Yun Xiao's ears, to let her know how much of a favor they were doing for her.
But as Yun Ze listened, he couldn't help but feel a prickling sensation.
"Alright, alright. I'll give you both a copy of the Luoshan Score later, so you can study it carefully." Yun Xiao said calmly.
Luo Changhong and Lin Xiaoyue immediately exchanged glances and spoke in unison, "Thank you, Master Yun!"
"Tu Sheng."
Yun Xiao's gaze fell on Yun Ze. "It's your turn."
"...Alright!"
He had no choice but to brace himself!
Yun Ze sat cross-legged, placed the Snow Plum on his lap, smoothed the strings with his hands, closed his eyes, and quietly established a connection with the zither.
The jade slip had stated that this was a necessary step for every zither player before playing.
Even if his performance wasn't good, he couldn't lose face.
After more than ten breaths, Yun Ze took out two pieces of Immortal Shards from his spatial ring.
The moment the Immortal Shards appeared, Yun Xiao's eyes flickered, and a smile appeared on her lips.
Clearly, she recognized this item!
Since this item appeared, it meant that the so-called Guqin instrument was just a fabrication.
This kid probably just wanted to get a bargain, and unexpectedly stumbled into such a big affair.
With two Golden Core cultivators watching, if he hadn't been there to keep things in check, he would have been trembling already, wouldn't he?
Yun Ze paid no attention to Yun Xiao's expression. He held the two Immortal Shards and placed them on the strings respectively...
Fortunately, he had been practicing zither pieces on the way. As long as he didn't use spiritual energy, he could still play a simple tune.
It was just a performance, not a demonstration of the Way of the Zither.
*Hum!*
A resonant tremor sounded!
Not only the sound of the vibrating strings, but also the sound of the Immortal Shards in Yun Ze's hands!
This was...
A sword's cry!
But he hadn't used any sword energy!
Yun Ze was slightly stunned, but he didn't dare to stop his hands, which continued to move across the strings.
As the first notes sounded, both Lin Xiaoyue and Luo Changhong rose from their seats, frowning as they watched.
With their eyesight, it was not difficult to see that Yun Ze was not using spiritual energy at this moment.
But why was the sound emanating from the Guqin not that of a zither, but a sword's cry?
Although the pitch was the same, and it could form a zither piece, this... was a completely different matter!
It was like playing the same piece on a zither versus a drum – the sound would be entirely different!
That sharp aura was too heavy, too heavy...
So heavy... it could even be mistaken for sword energy!
Yun Ze focused on plucking the seven strings before him, paying no mind to their opinions.
A thought even arose in his mind.
When a zither player plays, they can inject spiritual energy, causing the strings and the instrument to resonate, producing the sound of the zither realm.
According to the jade slip, a zither player at the Dao Entry stage could change the seasons of a city with their music, or directly kill a Core Formation cultivator with their zither sound!
He was not a zither player and could not master the method of injecting spiritual energy into the instrument. But the Immortal Shards in his hands were sword weapons!
If he couldn't inject spiritual energy into the instrument, he could inject sword energy into the sword weapons!
If he used the Immortal Shards to play, and then used sword energy to resonate with the Immortal Shards and thus pluck the strings, what would happen?
He decided to do it!
Yun Ze began to circulate the sword energy within his body and channeled it into the Immortal Shards.
*Clang!*
A sword cry exploded!
Luo Changhong quickly stepped in front of Lin Xiaoyue and Yun Xiao. A beam of sword energy struck his chest, not pushing him back half a step, nor tearing his clothes, but it made him frown.
This sword energy was at least at the Foundation Establishment level!
Before he could recover, another beam of sword energy struck, again landing on his chest!
As the zither music rose and fell, the sound of sword cries echoed in the room.
While the zither music reverberated, the sword energy danced freely within the room.
Lin Xiaoyue and Luo Changhong were merely shocked, while Yun Xiao's lips curved upwards, looking at Yun Ze with curiosity.
Neither of them studied the sword, so they couldn't discern the intricacies. However, Yun Xiao's cultivation in the Way of the Sword was not weak.
With just one glance, she saw the terrifying aspect of it!
The characteristic of zither music was its unending reverberation, coupled with the power of resonance, thus producing astonishing effects.
It was important to note that besides the Way of Spiritual Sound, one needed to reach the Dao Condensation stage to influence celestial phenomena!
But only with Spiritual Sound could one achieve such power at the Dao Entry stage.
If the Way of the Sword and the Way of the Zither were merged...
*Boom!*
The last note of the zither fell, but the sound that landed was beyond everyone's expectations!
Along with the zither music, the last beam of sword energy landed on Luo Changhong's chest...
"Pfft!"
Luo Changhong, at the initial stage of Golden Core, spat out a mouthful of blood, but no one paid attention to him. Instead, they all stared intently at Yun Ze.
Even he himself had a smile on his lips, gazing fixedly ahead.
At this moment, all was silent.
*Dong~!*
Yun Ze suddenly looked up at the ceiling, his eyes filled with confusion.
Why was there a bell ringing?
Instantly!
A profound sense of mystery surged from his heart.
His fingers involuntarily brushed across the zither strings, and a projection of an ancient zither appeared in his Qi Sea.
That was...
The Way of the Zither!
He had... entered the Way of the Zither!?
Yun Ze quickly focused his mind into his Qi Sea, and after confirming it several times, he dared to believe this fact!
Not only that!
His Way of the Sword, which was originally at the middle stage of Dao Entry, had also advanced significantly, even touching the late stage of Dao Entry!
What... what was going on?
Yun Ze looked up at the three people before him, including Yun Xiao, who were all looking at him as if he were a monster.
"Cough, cough."
Yun Ze coughed twice, breaking the silence.
He put the Immortal Shards back into his spatial ring and offered the Snow Plum to Luo Changhong with both hands. "Senior Brother Luo, please."
Luo Changhong did not take the zither, but looked at Yun Ze. "Junior Tu, could we have a closer look at that Guqin instrument you just used?"
"Alright."
Yun Ze knew he couldn't avoid this, so he casually handed one of the Immortal Shards to Luo Changhong, but only one.
He wasn't foolish. After all, he wasn't the only one who knew about the Immortal Shards. If Luo Changhong happened to know about this type of sword weapon, and he gave him all three Immortal Shards, wouldn't it be easy to be discovered?
After all, he had only taken out two when he was playing.
Lin Xiaoyue also recovered and leaned in. "Senior Sister Lin, I..."
"Senior Sister Lin, please."
Yun Ze said, handing her another Immortal Shard.
After only a few breaths, Luo Changhong let out a long sigh, tightly gripping the Immortal Shard in his hand, and turned to Lin Xiaoyue. "Fellow Daoist Lin, what do you think?"
"The sound of the Great Dao has fallen, what else can I think?"
Lin Xiaoyue was still looking at the Immortal Shard in her hand, her brow furrowed. "This matter is too significant. I need to report back to my master for a decision, but I believe this should be a new path."
Luo Changhong looked at Yun Xiao.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Yun Xiao say, "Don't look at me. I told you beforehand, I don't know anything about any Guqin instrument.
This new path, he forged it himself."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Xiaoyue also looked up at Yun Ze, her purple eyes filled with fervor!
"That..."
Yun Ze had no idea what they were talking about and could only scratch his head and ask, "Can I ask first, what is this sound of the Great Dao you're talking about?
Oh, right, and this new path, I don't quite understand it either."