Mortal Shedding Sound, Spirit Cicada Transformation

The instant the brocade-clad young master suddenly drew his blade, the great saber came out of its sheath.

What he did not notice was that the ears of Yang Xiao, the utterly ordinary waiter before him, hidden beneath his long hair, suddenly vibrated rapidly like winter cicadas.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Thump, thump!

Thump, thump!

At the doorway of the private room, the heartbeats of the two saber-bearing guards instantly rang clearly in Yang Xiao's ears.

The hurried breathing of the black-robed elder, the heavy nasal breaths of the brocade-clad young master.

On the corridor below the pavilion, the footsteps of those graceful, beautiful dancers as they passed by...

All kinds of sounds wove together, like an ink-wash scroll painted from sound, constantly taking shape in Yang Xiao's mind.

"My Nine Cicada Auditory Arts, between life and death, actually—advanced?"

Yang Xiao was shaken beyond words.

It had advanced, sublimating into an entirely new cultivation art, not merely breaking through from the "First Hearing" to the "Second Hearing."

This brand-new cultivation art could let Yang Xiao clearly sense the brocade-clad young master's every move, even with his eyes closed, relying only on sound!

But very quickly, Yang Xiao's expression changed drastically.

Not good. Although I can predict his attack movement and the direction of the saber, my body and awareness can't keep up at all. This slash—I can't dodge it!

Yang Xiao only wanted to keep his head down and develop quietly, but that did not mean he would always be timid, servile, and groveling.

When one could endure no more, there was no need to endure!

If he was willing to be carved to pieces, he dared drag the emperor down from his horse!

At worst, they would die together!

At the brink of life and death, Yang Xiao's eyes turned ruthless. He planned to risk his own death to heavily injure this brocade-clad young master before him.

Whoosh~

Suddenly, an afterimage flashed as fast as lightning, blocking the brocade-clad young master in an instant, and actually caught the blade in his bare hand.

"Young Master, you must not."

The afterimage became the figure of the black-robed elder. He shook his head slightly and lowered his voice. "This is the Sixth Princess's territory, after all. The important matter comes first. We must not stir up extra trouble."

"Hmph!"

Only then did the brocade-clad young master come back to himself. He gave Yang Xiao a cold glare. "Kid, don't stare at people for no reason in the future. You're lucky you ran into me. If it had been someone else, you'd already be dead. Scram!"

Yang Xiao said nothing. Without looking back, he turned and left.

When one's skill was inferior, no amount of harsh words was of any use. They would only make others look down on him.

Yang Xiao was just about to head to the rear kitchen and upgrade his saliva into piss, to give the brocade-clad young master a proper extra dish.

From afar, accompanied by faint footsteps, a young master in white robes whiter than snow, elegant and graceful in bearing, walked toward him.

"Young Master Song."

Yang Xiao instantly put on a smiling face and warmly went forward to greet him.

"Mm."

Song Que spread his folding fan, looking indescribably handsome and elegant. With his eyes slanted, he coldly swept a glance over Yang Xiao, who was bowing and scraping to him, and a trace of disgust flashed through his eyes.

"He's nothing but a dog under the Peace Sect's holy maiden. What's he pretending for!"

"Seven days from now, if you can't find the Great Elder, you won't even know how miserable your end will be."

Only after Song Que had gone far away did Yang Xiao raise his head expressionlessly, a cold laugh rising in his heart.

Wait!

"Song Que is the Peace Sect's helmsman in the capital of Great Yan Kingdom. If he's in such a hurry to search for Uncle Mute, why is he still so leisurely, coming to Vermilion Bird Tower for a banquet in broad daylight? Could it be..."

The more Yang Xiao thought about it, the more wrong it felt. After pondering for a moment, he silently stood in a corner of the corridor, looking down from above as he pretended to admire the scenery.

Ding Pavilion, the main hall downstairs.

A group of beautiful young girls, pretty as flowers, were standing in a corner, respectfully bowing to every guest who passed by.

"Xiao Zhao, that waiter on the upstairs corridor seems to have been staring at you this whole time."

"Hehe, our Xiao Zhao has beauty enough to topple a kingdom and fragrance enough to shame flowers, and Madam has taken a liking to her too. In the future, she's destined to be the pillar of the troupe. How could she possibly take a fancy to a mere waiter? Still, this little brother is quite handsome, just a bit thin. Who knows whether his stamina is any good."

When no one was around, the girls began to chat idly.

The girl called Xiao Zhao could not help but pause when she heard this. She lifted her head and lightly glanced upward, just in time to see Yang Xiao "infatuatedly" staring at her without even blinking.

At this, Xiao Zhao frowned slightly, somewhat displeased, yet her heart was also filled with pride.

After all, being adored by such a handsome young man gave Xiao Zhao a great sense of achievement.

But her sisters were right. He was merely a waiter. To Xiao Zhao, proud and ambitious, wholeheartedly set on marrying into a wealthy family, she naturally would not consider Yang Xiao.

What the young girls did not know was that Yang Xiao was only staring idly below the pavilion, while his thoughts had drifted to the private room Ding 527 not far away.

According to the rules of Vermilion Bird Tower, even if honored guests drove a page away, the page was not allowed to go far and had to remain nearby, ready to attend them at any time.

Thus, Yang Xiao standing here did not seem out of place.

But what astonished Yang Xiao was that even with such a great distance between them, he could actually hear the movements inside the private room clearly.

My hearing now is probably ten times Uncle Liu's. I fear even the "Second Hearing" of the "Nine Cicada Auditory Arts" could not reach this level.

From now on, I'll call this technique "Spirit Cicada Transformation."

Yang Xiao originally had not held any expectations, but now his heart instantly filled with excitement. He hurriedly pricked up his ears and began eavesdropping.

Inside private room Ding 527.

"Uncle Tie, does that bastard Song Que really have a way to let this young master break through to the one-blood realm?"

The young master in brocade asked.

"Young master, rest assured. Song Que has a secret method to alter one's bone foundation and aptitude. If his words prove false, the master, as the noble Marquis of Champions and commander of one hundred thousand soldiers of the Red Flame Army, need only give the order, and the entire Song family will be slaughtered in an instant."

The black-robed old man smiled.

"That's good, that's good! Once this young master's aptitude and bone foundation improve, I can take that Dragon Bone Pill and succeed in my first blood exchange, and then I can shed my mortal body and exchange my bones..."

The young master in brocade looked delighted and secretly let out a breath of relief.

"Young master, mind your words!"

The black-robed old man's expression changed slightly as he warily looked around.

"Uncle Tie, you are being too cautious. The private rooms of Vermilion Bird Tower are all built from soundproof Mystic Black Stone. Even martial powerhouses who have exchanged blood twice would still have to press their ears to the main door, and they'd also need to use some special martial skill related to hearing before they could barely hear the movements inside the private room."

"That hideously ugly page has already been driven away by this young master, and our own people are at the door. Unless a martial grandmaster who has exchanged blood three times descends upon us, who could possibly hear?"

The young master in brocade wore a look of complete indifference.

"Young master is right. This old servant was overthinking."

The black-robed old man nodded, his expression easing slightly.

So this young master in brocade was jealous of my face, and that's why he felt displeased?

In the corridor, Yang Xiao's face darkened, and he was instantly speechless.

"Young master, Young Master Song has arrived."

A guard walked into the private room and said respectfully.

"Invite him in!"

The young master in brocade was overjoyed.

Yang Xiao was about to continue eavesdropping when he suddenly felt his qi and blood boiling, and his face turned deathly pale.

Although this Spirit Cicada Transformation gives me ten times the hearing, the essence, qi, and spirit it consumes are actually also ten times that of the Nine Cicada Auditory Arts?

After standing in place and regulating his breathing for a long while, Yang Xiao could not help giving a bitter smile.

This sudden turn of events made Yang Xiao understand that in the future, unless it was necessary, using the Nine Cicada Auditory Arts in ordinary times would be enough.

As for Spirit Cicada Transformation, this technique was best saved for critical moments!

Speaking of which, the fleshly body is the root on which the spirit relies. If I can train into a Yellow Turban Warrior, not only can I strengthen my body and cure this sickly state, perhaps my essence, qi, and spirit can also be enhanced?

Yang Xiao's heart suddenly stirred, and then he sighed.

The core of cultivating the Yellow Heaven Body-Forging Scripture did not lie in aptitude or bone foundation, but in the talisman water specially made by the Peace Sect.

As for exactly how to make the talisman water, through those twenty years of "bitter training" in the dream, Yang Xiao was already familiar with every step and was not unfamiliar with it at all.

It was just that the ingredients for this talisman water required a large amount of flesh and blood.

Although this flesh and blood was not considered precious, and in the early stages only ordinary poultry was needed, with Yang Xiao's current financial resources, he clearly could not provide talisman water every day.

I have the method to protect the Dao in vain, yet no resources to protect the Dao with. Am I destined to have no fate with this scripture?

Just as Yang Xiao was at his wits' end, he suddenly saw a gray-clothed servant boy carrying two empty swill buckets, walking over from the distance.

Swill?

So that was it!

A sudden spark of insight flashed through Yang Xiao's mind, and an unbelievable, bold conjecture instantly appeared in his head.