"The Voice of the Great Dao" [Part One]

Slightly aged fingers tapped the round body of an incense burner. The burning incense was shaken by the metallic sound infused with profound mana, burning ever more evenly, until not even a wisp of blue smoke remained amid the pure, translucent fragrance.

The scent of premium incense mingled with the bookish air filling the room, refreshing the mind as though one had caught the fragrance of "wisdom." Only then did Xiboche withdraw his hand and turn his gaze back to a Mirage Play unfolding in the room. Within the mirage, a man with a face like iron and stone sat opposite a tall woman. The man was asking seemingly meaningless questions, and the woman was answering them. The babbling background music was so loud that the man's exact questions could not be heard.

—Perhaps this was the technique of "blurring"?

Outside the play, Xiboche recalled something his teacher had said while teaching poetry and prose at the village school, before he had entered the Dao.

Xiboche was not alone in this study. Several other powerful cultivators, either Free and Unfettered Cultivators or close to that realm, were also present. Some sat sprawled upon the floor, while others leaned against tables, watching the Mirage Play in leisurely poses.

For Xiboche, time was indeed extremely tight at present. Yet he still did not mind sitting down with his students to rest for a while and watch the latest diversion.

Tension and relaxation, civil and martial—both had their proper way. Only by understanding the way of tension and release could one sustain efficient thought over long periods.

However...

"I really am somewhat unaccustomed to the diversions of today." It was clear that Xiboche did not much like this Mirage Play called Silver-Winged Assassin. Though his gaze was focused on it, his heart was