Li Changsheng Battles the Seven Absolute Zither Master

This happened three months after enrolling in the Pre-Education Academy.

At this moment, in their class's small courtyard.

Li Changsheng and the Seven Absolute Zither Master stood facing each other from a distance, their soul power surging as they prepared for the impending clash.

The weather was fine today; the deep blue sky was layered with wisps of clouds, and the sunlight filtering down illuminated the small courtyard perfectly.

"Even though I only have one ring, don't think for a second that I'll lose."

Li Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the Seven Absolute Zither Master not far away.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master chuckled, her voice crisp and her words sharp: "Have you ever won against me?"

Li Changsheng stomped his foot in frustration.

Sitting under the pavilion to the side, Zi Buyu flipped through a book and let out a bored yawn, showing none of the decorum expected of an elder: "Sparring is just a waste of time. With that energy, you'd be better off reading a few more books."

Because there were no missions, Li Changsheng and the Seven Absolute Zither Master spent their days doing nothing but reading. Everything else had been pushed aside, and they found the reading quite comfortable.

Under the influence of Zi Buyu's Book Fragrance Domain, Li Changsheng had officially broken through to level 19 soul power within these three months. He was just a hair's breadth away from level 20, where he could obtain his second soul ring.

And this was only in three months.

As for the Seven Absolute Zither Master, her soul power growth was not slow either; she was now at level 24, progressing at a rate of roughly one level per month.

Therefore, in their daily routine, after finishing their reading assignments, Li Changsheng and the Seven Absolute Zither Master would spar.

The method of sparring was simple: stop at the point of contact, use no lethal weapons or soul skills, and conduct it under the witness of Zi Buyu.

In these three months, Li Changsheng and the Seven Absolute Zither Master had sparred no fewer than ten times.

Yet, every single time, Li Changsheng had been slightly inferior.

It wasn't that his strength was lacking, but rather that he was purely tempering his soul power's capacity. In these three months, the first soul ring of his second martial soul, the Immortal Execution Painting, had reached a five-hundred-year level. This meant his physical constitution had also improved significantly, which was a considerable gain.

"Don't worry, today you'll get a taste of defeat."

Li Changsheng wasn't wearing his mask, and his face wore a confident smile; he was practically beckoning the Seven Absolute Zither Master to provoke her.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master snorted: "I'll beat you until you're running for your life in a moment."

As the words fell, in less than half a breath, the Seven Absolute Zither Master lightly tapped her toes and leaped backward.

In a sense, both Li Changsheng and the Seven Absolute Zither Master were control-type soul masters. Their soul skills were quite similar, so during their usual spars, they both adopted a style of bombarding each other with soul skills.

On one side, the Seven Absolute Zither Master swept her jade-like hands, and the Seven Absolute Zither drifted over atop a wave of soul power like a swaying boat, hovering before her. One yellow and one purple soul ring circled her body.

The zither music took shape as her fingertips plucked the strings.

Dozens of massive ice spikes, each over half a meter long, formed instantly. Imbued with terrifying soul power, they smashed directly toward Li Changsheng.

"Haha, still bombarding with soul skills? Today, I'll show you what a 'power-attack control-type soul master' really is."

Li Changsheng didn't care about the incoming ice spikes.

His martial soul manifested in the next instant.

The ancient Genesis Book rustled as it flipped open, and his soul power erupted.

He immediately called out: "Spear!"

As the words fell, a long spear formed from condensed soul power, glowing with a white light, fell into his hand.

Gripping the spear, Li Changsheng moved with erratic footwork—it resembled the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, yet it wasn't quite the same. He surged forward, disappearing from his original spot in a blur of afterimages, leaving behind only the dust kicked up by the crashing ice spikes.

Ever since that day when a mysterious Title Douluo had invaded his consciousness to ask about Li Zishuo, Li Changsheng had gradually stopped using the skills from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record so openly. However, through his own efforts and some suggestions from the God of Wisdom, he had "modded" some of his common skills, like the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and the Purple Demon Eye. They were usable, and while their power wasn't as strong as before, they were better suited for Li Changsheng himself.

Seeing Li Changsheng vanish and hearing his excited words, the Seven Absolute Zither Master sneered. Instantly, the music she plucked changed in a distinct, audible way.

During this time, what the Seven Absolute Zither Master read most wasn't books, but musical scores.

Especially after Teacher Zi Buyu gave her a score from the reclusive Clear Sky Sect, she had recorded it and used her own martial soul to play the notes. The resulting attacks were chilling and made one's skin crawl.

"Sea God Plays Zither and Dances with Shadow!"

The Seven Absolute Zither Master cried out, and the stagnant music suddenly transformed into visible sound waves.

A magnificent scene formed: a blurry, long-haired man was playing a zither while lying down. Every time he plucked a string, a tranquil note would tremble, and simultaneously, a short-haired golden woman would dance gracefully in the void.

And the moment the first note rang out.

Li Changsheng, who had vanished, suddenly reappeared on the ground.

His expression was blank, a lingering smile on his face, and the soul-powered spear he held was raised high—the posture clearly intended to launch an attack.

In an instant.

Li Changsheng suddenly shuddered.

What just happened?

The zither music still echoed in his ears, but the Seven Absolute Zither Master, who had been some distance away, was already standing right in front of him, her hand raised high.

"If I were holding a blade, you would be dead by now."

The Seven Absolute Zither Master pointed her index finger at Li Changsheng's throat, lifted her chin, and said haughtily.

Li Changsheng was stunned. He asked in surprise: "What was that just now? Shouldn't I have raised my spear to attack you? How did I lose consciousness the moment I heard your music?"

Li Changsheng was right; just a moment ago, victory had been within his grasp. He had been maneuvering his modified Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to shroud his figure, spear leading the way. He had only needed a single breath of time to crush the Seven Absolute Zither Master.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master lowered her hands and said, "This is all thanks to the zither score my teacher gave me. You enjoy reading history, so do you know that in the era of the ancestor Tang San, he had an aunt named Tang Yuehua?"

"Tang Yuehua? I've read some records about her." Li Changsheng was puzzled. What could this possibly have to do with Tang Yuehua? No, wait...

Before Li Changsheng could follow that train of thought, the Seven Absolute Zither Master continued, "The piece I just used for my Zither Sound Manifestation was a score composed by Tang Yuehua: the Sea God Calming Heart Melody. Legend has it that Tang Yuehua was inspired to compose this piece after witnessing the scene of the Sea God finally washing away his worldly vanity. When I play this melody, anyone harboring malicious intent toward me is automatically stunned for one second. That is why you lost."

As she reached the end, the Seven Absolute Zither Master spoke in a solemn tone, as if making a formal declaration.

Li Changsheng was stunned. Was that even allowed?

After thinking it over, he curled his lip. "It must be nice to have high soul power."