You Have Indeed Improved, but You're Still Not Worthy of My Full Strength

"Yet another Undying Aristocratic Clan."

Qin Wangchuan lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, his Divine Sense sweeping over everyone in the pavilion.

The moment he stepped into the Mystic Sound Pavilion, he sensed the man's unique aura—a powerful aura carrying the weight of an ancient dragon, clearly indicating that he was Successor of an Imperial Clan or Undying Aristocratic Clan.

As for him, Complete Immortal Bones, further enhanced by a pendant given to him by his Second Brother that concealed his aura.

Those below the level of the Great Emperor cannot perceive it at all.

"Whose family is this?" Qin Wangchuan asked casually.

Su Yingxue subconsciously looked at Ye Jianwei, who was standing beside her holding a zither. Ye Jianwei that the other party had no reaction, she assumed that he was asking her a question.

She timidly shook her head. "I don't know..."

"Your Young Master, it is the Dragon-Rearing Xiao Clan." A male voice suddenly came from the shadows.

A man dressed in black armor knelt on one knee and responded respectfully.

Su Yingxue's ears immediately turned bright red, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around her sleeves.

She then realized that Qin Wangchuan wasn't asking her at all, but rather the Shadow Guard who were accompanying her.

"The Xiao Clan?" Qin Wangchuan nodded, then raised his hand to rub the top of the girl's head, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"No wonder there's a trace of an Ancient Dragon's aura."

The Xiao Clan, Ji Clan, and Gu families reside together in the Primordial Forbidden Land at the northernmost end of the Ten Directions Immortal Court.

Having witnessed Gu Yuan's example, Qin Wangchuan also harbored no goodwill towards the Xiao Clan.

Mystic Sound Fairy lightly pressed the strings of her zither with her fingertips, her glassy eyes flickering slightly, and a faint smile curved her lips, "Miss Xiao, since our last meeting, it seems... you haven't made much progress."

Her gaze swept subtly across Xiao Hongling's chest, her tone gentle yet each word sharp as a knife.

Upon hearing this, everyone involuntarily looked up.

On the Zither Platform, the Mystic Sound Fairy, dressed in a flowing white Flowing Immortal Dress, possessed a slender yet graceful figure, resembling a celestial maiden from the heavens, ethereal and otherworldly.

While Xiao Hongling on the opposite side was also stunningly beautiful, what lay beneath that red dress...

One (Y) one ||

There is absolutely no comparison.

"You!" Xiao Hongling flushed red instantly; that spot was her most sensitive and painful spot.

She slammed her hand on the table. "Whether you've improved or not, you'll only know by comparing!"

Before she finished speaking, Xiao Hongling waved her hand, and a crimson ancient zither appeared out of thin air.

The body of the zither is carved like blood jade, and its seven strings radiate intense heat; it is none other than the legendary "Dragon Radiance Sun Zither".

"Zheng--"

When the first note of the Zither Music rang out, the entire floor of the Mystic Sound Pavilion trembled.

The sound waves transformed into a tangible phantom of a fire dragon, hurtling straight towards the Zither Platform with an aura that seemed capable of incinerating the entire world.

What was described as a phantom had actually solidified into a tangible phenomenon!

Seeing this, Mystic Sound Fairy remained calm and composed. She gently stroked the Seven-stringed Zither with her delicate hand and began to play the familiar "Nine Heavens Prelude".

The jade bells jingled, their sound waves coalescing into a fiery phoenix to strike.

The fire dragon and the fire phoenix were entangled together, and for a time neither could gain the upper hand.

The celestial music reached their ears, and everyone felt a tremor in their Divine Soul, as if they were standing in the heavens.

The fire phoenix and fire dragon formed from the sound waves entangled and tore at each other in mid-air, each collision scattering brilliant sparks that illuminated the entire Mystic Sound Pavilion as if it were daytime.

All the guests in the audience held their breath in unison; what was called a musical duel was actually more like a battle!

Soon, the fire dragon gradually devoured the fire phoenix.

"Is Mystic Sound Fairy going to lose?" Fan Zi murmured, unable to accept this outcome.

A hint of arrogance flashed in Xiao Hongling's eyes as her fingers danced across the strings of her zither, causing the fire dragon's power to surge. "The Holy Maiden of the Mystic Sound Pavilion is nothing more than this!"

Before she could finish speaking, something unexpected happened.

The style of Mystic Sound Fairy's zither playing suddenly changed.

A clear and melodious Phoenix Cry resounded throughout the entire Mystic Sound Pavilion, and the phantom of the fire phoenix suddenly transformed into a golden phoenix!

The golden phoenix rose from the ashes, its Phoenix Cry through the nine heavens. With a single flap of its wings, the arrogant fire dragon dissipated like smoke and dust.

Xiao Hongling's zither string snapped with a crack, and she stared wide-eyed as the fire dragon she had painstakingly created vanished into thin air in the aftershocks of the golden phoenix spreading its wings.

The golden phoenix didn't even actually make a move; the sheer pressure emanating from its outstretched wings was enough to annihilate the dragon flames.

"Pfft!" Xiao Hongling coughed up a mouthful of blood, stood up, pointed at Mystic Sound Fairy, her fingers bulging with veins from the force of her grip. "Impossible... this is impossible!"

You weren't this strong last time!

Mystic Sound Fairy's fingertips continued to lightly caress the strings, her exquisite face remaining calm. "Miss Xiao has indeed improved a lot, allowing me to use some of my full strength."

It means that in the last competition, it seemed that they were evenly matched, with one slightly winning.

But actually, I let you have that way. Otherwise, you really think you're so great?

"Useless!" Xiao Hongling suddenly sprang to her feet, slamming the broken Blood Phoenix Zither to the ground. The zither shattered three spirit jade floor tiles, and she stomped on them several times, still not satisfied. "All of you are useless!"

Mystic Sound Fairy frowned slightly, and with a light tap of her fingertips, froze the flying fragments of the zither in mid-air.

"The Heaven-Burning Dragon Radiance Wood for three thousand years." She sighed and shook her head. "What a pity."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongling flew into a rage, drew her nine-section steel whip from her waist, and lashed it at the Zither Platform: "Pretending!"

The moment the whip tip touched the spiritual mist, an invisible sonic barrier made his hand go numb.

Mystic Sound Fairy gently stroked the strings of her zither, reminding her, "Miss Xiao, if I were you, I wouldn't have intervened here."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongling's expression changed. She stared intently at the composed figure on the Zither Platform and, sure enough, discovered that several obscure and powerful auras had appeared in the shadows around them—these were the experts from the Dayan Dynasty.

The day of the discourse is approaching, Imperial Capital will not allow any unforeseen events to occur during this period.

"Fine... very good!" She suddenly sneered, lashing her steel whip into the ground, creating a three-zhang-long crack. "I think all you deserve is to pretend to be high and mighty while holding that broken zither!"

"Let's go!"

This is an admission that he is not as good as her in terms of musical skill.

As the Mystic Sound Fairy watched her departing figure, she gently plucked the strings of her zither and let out a long sigh, "Finding a kindred spirit to play a tune is better than a hundred years of arduous cultivation."

The audience was still reeling from the shock.

"Your Excellency is mistaken!"

Fan Zi suddenly stood up and shouted, "I am willing to give up all my wealth in order to ask the fairy to teach me how to play the zither!"

Without even a glance, Mystic Sound Fairy lowered the Zither Platform with a gentle wave of her hand. The last Zither Music transformed into a breeze, ruffling her flowing black hair. "A true friend is hard to find, a true friend is hard to find..."

After speaking, her glassy eyes swept around with a hint of expectation, and the vermilion mark between her brows became even more vivid under the moonstone's reflection.

"Is there anyone else who would like to perform a piece?"

"I'll do it!"

A young cultivator in a moon-white robe spoke eagerly, followed by attendants High Antiquity). He was clearly Young Master from an Aristocratic Clan.

He bowed respectfully to Mystic Sound Fairy, a hint of pride on his face. "I am Lu Mingchen of the Elegant Rhyme Pavilion, and I would like to offer you a piece of music, 'The Blue Sea Tide Rising'."

Having said that, he sat cross-legged and plucked the strings with his fingertips—

A clear and melodious Zither Music immediately flowed out.

The Zither Music sometimes sounded like a clear spring babbling, and sometimes like the sound of pine trees rustling in the wind, even condensing into strange phenomena of blue clouds in the void.

The audience nodded in agreement, and even Fan Zi, who knew nothing about music, thought it sounded good.

However, Mystic Sound Fairy listened quietly, her glass-like eyes remaining calm and undisturbed.

As the last note faded, she murmured, "Your piano skills have reached a state of perfection, it's a pity..."

"What's a pity?" Lu Mingchen asked eagerly.

"It's a pity that only the form was captured, not the spirit." The fairy gently raised her slender hand, and the jade bell tinkled without wind. "The true 'Blue Sea Tide Rising' should be like this—"

She gently plucked the strings with her fingertips.

"Zheng--"

A clear sound rang out, and the entire Mystic Sound Pavilion was suddenly shrouded in mist.

In the void, the phantoms of nine layers of waves gradually emerged, each layer flowing with a different Dao Rhyme.

The first tide is like a gentle rain nourishing all things; the second tide is like thunder shattering the sky;... the ninth tide is when all is silent.

As the last note faded, everyone in the pavilion remained immersed in the vast, heavenly music.

Lu Mingchen stood there, stunned, for a long while before bowing deeply. "Fairy... I have learned a great deal."

Mystic Sound Fairy nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings once more.

"Is there anyone else who wants to demonstrate?"

Even the person whose musical skills were so exquisite just now couldn't catch the fairy's eye, so naturally no one dared to speak up.

'Looks like there aren't any today either...'

Her fingertips lightly caressed the strings, her voice tinged with melancholy, "Since there's no one here, let's conclude today with the final piece, 'Nine Heavens Prelude'."

Just as her delicate hand began to pluck the strings, suddenly—

"Clang!"

A perfectly harmonious Zither Music came from the direction of a private room with its door tightly closed.

The Mystic Sound Fairy's fingertips trembled suddenly, and her glass-like eyes instantly lit up with a strange light.

She stared in disbelief, her breath catching in her throat for a moment.