Beyond Transcendence and Omniscience

Heaven Gate Peak.

The exquisite notes of a zither rang out, flowing and lilting, like a babbling brook trickling beside one's ear. They drifted lightly, as if one were nestled deep among soft clouds, soothing every meridian in the body with an indescribable ease.

Lu Yang lay lazily in the grass, hands pillowing his head, a blade of foxtail grass between his teeth. As he listened to Third Senior Sister play, he felt the weariness from their trip to Spring River City nearly melt away.

While listening to Third Senior Sister's zither, Lu Yang picked a lotus seed from the plate and tossed it into his mouth.

Anyone with a discerning eye would have recognized it as a lotus seed from a Twin-Born Lotus. Twin-Born Lotuses grew all over the surface of the Twin-Born River, and Lu Yang had picked several lotus pods before leaving.

Third Senior Sister truly was a cultivator skilled in music. Lu Yang knew little about it and couldn't make heads or tails of the notes—gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu—but even from an ordinary person's perspective, the music was wonderfully soothing.

"Senior Sister, what's the name of that piece you're playing?"

Third Senior Sister smoothed the strings, and the music faded away, leaving the surroundings quiet. "It's an ancient piece given to me by Senior Jiang Lianyi. It's called Phoenix Perched by the Stream. Senior Jiang created it after being struck by inspiration while resting beside a stream."

Jiang Lianyi wielded a jade flute as her weapon and stood unrivaled in the realm of music.

Even the Everlasting Immortal, who always fought to be first in everything, had to admit defeat.

"Senior Sister, how did you end up apprenticing under our master?" Lu Yang asked curiously.

Third Senior Sister let out a rare sigh. "My