High Mountains and Flowing Water, the Way to Break the Deadlock

The sound of the piano flowed.

The dark clouds that had covered the sky slowly dispersed, revealing a clear, blue sky.

On the arena, Ning Que reconnected the broken, invisible strings of the zither, and ever since he sat down, his ethereal and unfathomable aura made the surrounding space seem unattainable.

The surroundings quickly fell silent.

"Wasn't this move meant to deal with Jiang Yu and Sikong Liang? Although his playing isn't quite up to par."

Ning Jue pouted and commented on her brother's piano skills.

The surrounding Penglai disciples, however, acted as if it were perfectly natural, and no one objected.

Suddenly, she felt a slight biting sensation under her feet. Looking down, she saw a rabbit with grass growing on its head.

Jiang Chulong searched around for a while before running over and picking up the rabbit:

"I'm sorry... it... it might be hungry... I'll take off my shoes and give them to you."

"..."

A pink toe peeked out from under Ning Jue's sea silk boots, and it moved slightly, feeling a bit cool.

"No need. What are you wearing on your eyes?"

"These sunglasses were given to me by Big Brother Li, I can't give them to you..."

"What a strange name."

"It was made by Big Brother Li, so it's called sunglasses."

Jiang Chulong adjusted her sunglasses, glanced at the stage, and frowned slightly.

"This music seems quite difficult to handle..."

"Naturally, this piece is called 'High Mountains and Flowing Water,' and the score is engraved on the Qinghai Yiyin (a collection of musical instruments), which is no less than divine skill."

On stage.

"Like high mountains and flowing water, where in this world can one find a kindred spirit? I wonder if Brother Li is one such person..."

Ning Que, who had a lisp, tried his best to maintain his composure.

Then, realizing he couldn't maintain it at all, he looked at his own pig-like hands stroking the strings and sneered:

"Clearly, Brother Li is not a kindred spirit."

Zheng--

A surge of tidal waves of music suddenly erupted from him, spreading outwards in all directions.

This power has far surpassed the realm of Divine Observation.

Or perhaps, the melodies flowing from the Qinghai Yiyin Qin have already invisibly constructed a strange Inner Scene.

The music seemed to come from the high mountains. Li Mo composed himself, for he had no time to dispel the profound and ethereal Divine Charm.

Because the stream that flows beyond the high mountains has already arrived.

As the Heavenly Human Divine Sword was raised, the flowing music of the zither followed. Li Mo felt intense forces coming from all directions from the sword, crisscrossing and pulling, dissolving the sharp sword light into nothingness.

Li Mo was also being swept away by the turbulent currents, making him feel so uncomfortable that he felt like he was going to vomit blood.

He staggered back a few steps, nearly dropping the divine sword.

The mountain streams and flowing waters concealed murderous intent. Although his physical body was strong and he was unharmed, he was completely unable to circulate his Profound Pill a type of internal energy), and could only use one-tenth of his strength.

It was like suddenly falling into a vast ocean with turbulent undercurrents.

And it was pulled deeper and deeper...

"What swordsman has such a strong physique..."

Ning Que's lips twitched slightly.

But even the strongest physique has its limits.

"Brother Li, be careful, what I just did was merely the prelude."

"What you keep in mind will surely resonate; a triple refrain!"

The audience.

The crowd looked at the stage, their expressions varied.

"This is the power of a divine weapon! Even a fifth-realm cultivator caught off guard will suffer a great loss."

"Ning Que's ranking is probably too low. That makes sense, considering he comes from overseas and rarely fights with others."

"After all, Little Tyrant is not skilled in Swordsmanship, and he has only had the Heavenly Human Divine Sword for a short time, so he can hardly unleash its full power."

Hearing the surprised and doubtful voices of the people from the Imperial Capital, the disciples of Penglai all puffed out their chests, looking like elegant and refined scholars, exuding an air of superiority.

"If he hadn't pulled out his hammer, Li Mo probably wouldn't have won. What a pity."

Ning Jue shook her head.

"Do you also hope that Big Brother Li will win?" Jiang Chulong asked, puzzled by her tone.

Ning Jue's gaze remained fixed on Li Mo: "Because Little Tyrant looks somewhat familiar to me, like the male protagonist in a picture book I've seen..."

"The Overbearing Empress Falls in Love With Me?"

How did you know?

"Because the picture book was compiled by Big Brother Li, he would occasionally tell me about things that weren't even depicted in the book," Princess Little Jiang recalled.

Ning Jue: "!"

After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke:

"Actually, Big Brother Li isn't entirely without a chance of winning. There are two ways to break Qinghai's legacy. The first is to break it with force, using force a hundred times stronger than the performer."

"The second one, Ning Que mentioned it from the beginning."

Jiang Chulong asked nervously, "What is it?"

"A kindred spirit," Ning Jue said with a smile.

Not far away.

"Brother Li seems to have no way to appreciate this magnificent landscape of towering mountains and flowing water."

Zhong Ling unconsciously looked at Ying Bing.

Ying Bing has just mentioned two ways to break the deadlock, the same ones Ning Jue mentioned.

The difference is...

"There's one last one."

Ying Bing's bright eyes fixed on the boy's wrist as she softly said:

"I just wonder if he can remember..."

On stage, the sound of the piano grew ever more powerful.

Li Mo had a vague idea of how to break the formation.

High mountains and flowing water, harmonious music.

Only those who are well-versed in music can escape the ebb and flow of the piano's notes.

Only those who can follow the melody and rhythm of the music and resonate with it can gradually unravel the nuances of the sound.

If you confront it head-on, it will only become stronger, unless you can exceed its limits.

"Using hammer techniques to control the sword, there is indeed a way to break through the array of zither music."

While wielding his sword to defend himself, Little Li fell into deep thought.

Should we do it?

Do we really have to do it?

Right here?!

But if it were a contest of musical notes, he didn't even have a musical instrument, or if he did, he probably wouldn't know how to play them; he didn't even know what the five notes (gong, shang, jiao, zhi, yu) were...

Jingle--

Something on her wrist struck the hilt of the sword, making a crisp, pleasant sound.

"Jade Feather Whistle?"

Li Mo's gaze hardened.

"My image Penglai Star Child is probably completely ruined."

Ning Que felt he had already won, but it seemed he had lost again.

He looked up and saw that his once handsome face had been turned into a pig's head, and two lines of tears streamed down his face.

"Little Tyrant, even if I lose to you a thousand times, it still won't be enough!!"

He was about to speed up the pace and knock Li Mo out of the ring.

That's the only way. Heaven knows how Li Mo's physique could be so strong. He strongly suspects that one side of the Flying Poison Two-Faced Turtle is Li Mo.

But suddenly-

Sigh~~

A clear, melodious whistle suddenly rang out.

The whistle itself has a very pleasant sound, but the melody is quite strange.

If there were time travelers here, they'd probably be singing or even dancing by now.

"The vast horizon is my love... Flowers are blooming at the foot of the rolling green hills..."

This piece of music doesn't quite match the description of "High Mountains and Flowing Water".

But I was really happy.

The music paused.

Ning Que leaned back slightly, somewhat bewildered.

He naturally recognized it; it must be a musical instrument used by the Green Phoenix Clan to replace their voice when they learn to speak, usually given as a token of love to the Green Phoenix Clan admire.

Ying Bing once had a nickname, Green Phoenix Goddess, indicating that she had spent some time there.

So this must have been a gift from Ying Bing.