The night was cool as water.
Clear Spring Residence, Heavenly Sound Pavilion.
Inside his room, Hong Yuan sensed something with his divine awareness. His gaze sharpened, seeming to pierce the walls and behold a slender woman of graceful, radiant bearing looking down from the silent night sky.
Clear radiance spilled down. A soft glow shimmered around her like a veil, making her seem a goddess beneath the moon, ethereal and otherworldly. Even the great moon hanging high overhead became a mere backdrop to her silhouette.
A moment later, Hong Yuan withdrew his gaze.
The woman had already departed.
"Heavenly Sound Pavilion Master, Lingyin?"
Thoughts flickered through Hong Yuan's mind.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
During those three days, Hong Yuan met three of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion's Five Great Music Masters. Besides Mo Xianyin of the Recruitment Division, there were Shang Jianming of the Shang Division and Zhong Yuli, Sound Master of the Gong Division.
Naturally, Hong Yuan would not let a chance to test his skills slip away, so he drew all three into exchanging pointers. Unfortunately, only Shang Jianming had reached the level of the Five Thunders of Righteousness.
As for the pavilion's other two Third Human Dao cultivators, Zhu Qizi, Sound Master of the Horn Division, known as Lord Spring Breeze, and Wen Yuyi, the most advanced cultivator and head of the Feather Division, both were currently traveling abroad.
According to Mo Xianyin, Wen Yuyi had almost reached the perfection of Human Dao, with no room left to advance. Thus, for more than a decade, she had roamed the Heavenly Star Thousand Isles, often returning only once every year or two, seeking that slender chance to cross the threshold into Xuanhuang Qi.
Most of Hong Yuan's time, however, was spent in the library.