At the East District Junior Soul Master Academy in Spirit City, beautiful, melodious notes drifted out of Dormitory Zero. Many music-loving students sat on the stone benches nearby, listening to the sounds flowing from the dormitory.
"That sounds lovely."
"I never imagined there could be such beautiful music in this world."
"They say the student in Dormitory Zero composed this piece himself."
The surrounding students were all astonished that someone could actually compose his own music. This was a Junior Soul Master Academy, yet his mastery of music had already reached the level of a grandmaster.
Inside Dormitory Zero, Su Chen sat atop the enclosing wall. He lowered the Elegant Flute in his hands and smiled at the golden-eyed girl across from him. "Well done, little sister Xiao Xue. You played The Smiling, Proud Wanderer beautifully."
"That's all thanks to your guidance, Brother Su Chen." Qian Renxue rose from her chair and put away the zither on the table, filled with admiration for her Brother Su Chen.
Nobles had always used harps to perform music. During their three years together, Su Chen had surprised her almost every day. With food, it had been barbecue first, then hot pot; with music, the Elegant Flute first, then the Qin-Se, along with countless instruments she had never seen before. In those three years, Qian Renxue had enjoyed a childhood she would remember forever.
"You're being modest, little sister Xiao Xue. You're a quick learner. No matter how good a teacher is, he can't teach a lazy, foolish student so much." Su Chen smiled.
"Brother Su Chen, from now on, you'll have to handle all of Dormitory Zero's challenges alone." A trace of sorrow appeared in Qian Renxue's golden eyes.
"You're leaving?" Su Chen asked, startled.
Counting the years, Qian Renxue was now nine, old enough to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Yes. Elder Pufferfish is waiting outside!" Qian Renxue nodded, then looked at Su Chen. "Aren't you going to ask where I'm going?"
"If you wanted to tell me, you would. If you don't, asking won't help." Su Chen smiled.
"Brother Su Chen, you're so kind. Before I leave, can I hug you?" Qian Renxue lowered her head. Even as the young lady of Spirit Hall, she could not help feeling shy about this.
"Of course." Su Chen walked toward Qian Renxue, opened his arms, and took the initiative to draw her into his embrace.
Silence lingered for a long while before Qian Renxue released him. Her cheeks flushed. She had never imagined that one day she would be so shameless. No, so bold.
At the thought of traveling far away to the Heaven Dou Empire, with no knowing what year or month they might meet again, an inexplicable ache gripped Qian Renxue's heart. Looking into Su Chen's eyes, she said, "Brother Su Chen, I hope we'll be able to play The Smiling, Proud Wanderer together again someday!"
"Yes, but leave out 'hope.' That day will come. I'll play The Smiling, Proud Wanderer with you again!" Su Chen smiled with his lips pressed together.
"Okay. Goodbye, Brother Su Chen!" Qian Renxue turned and hurried away, afraid she might lose control and boldly reject Bibi Dong's proposal, choosing to remain by Su Chen's side instead.
Bibi Dong was right. Spirit Hall was not yet strong enough. If Qian Renxue wanted to be with the person she loved, she had to make Spirit Hall so powerful that no one could stand against it. She also had to become strong enough that no one could threaten her. She was Qian Renxue, not a child from an ordinary family. She could not be selfish. Countless people were watching her and those around her like tigers eyeing their prey.
Qian Renxue boarded a carriage parked at the foot of Dormitory Zero's five hundred steps and said to the driver, "Elder Pufferfish, we can leave now!"
The carriage rolled slowly forward. Qian Renxue lifted a corner of the window curtain and looked toward Dormitory Zero, but the figure she wanted to see was nowhere in sight. Young as she was, she was already quite mature. She lowered the curtain, a trace of disappointment settling in her heart.
Ding, ding, ding.
As they traveled, several hauntingly beautiful flute notes drifted into the carriage. Listening from within, Qian Renxue felt tears well in her eyes. The disappointment in her heart dispersed, replaced by a warm current.
Qian Renxue had learned this piece from Su Chen. It even had lyrics:
Do you not see me dancing, light and graceful?
Do you not see me playing the zither, notes lingering on and on?
Do you not see my radiant smile, my intoxicating face?
Do you not see me wasting away in drunken sorrow, my rosy beauty fading?
Do you not see my tears flowing, stream after stream?
Do you not see a lock of silken hair, a sigh?
Qian Renxue took several deep breaths, fighting to keep her tears from falling. Brother Su Chen, I'll complete my mission and come back!
"What piece is this?"
"Could this be a musical piece? It sounds so beautiful."
"Su Chen has both good looks and talent. If he accepted my confession, I'd do anything he asked!"
It was hard to imagine that a pair of hands made for battle could also produce such beautiful music. The lovestruck girls outside Dormitory Zero were spellbound, forgetting their own existence as their hearts slipped free of their shells and followed Su Chen's flute.
When the piece ended, Su Chen sat on the roof of Dormitory Zero, gazing in the direction of the carriage that had long since vanished. He lowered the Elegant Flute in his hands and thought, Xiao Xue, don't worry. In this life, your Brother Su Chen will help you conquer the Heaven Dou Empire.
During their three years together, Qian Renxue had learned more than instruments and cooking from Su Chen. In his spare time, he had also explained the Thirty-Six Stratagems, Story of Yanxi Palace, and other strategies concerning battlefields and imperial harems. That knowledge was enough for Qian Renxue to thrive in the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial palace, stirring the wind and raising the waves.
Su Chen walked to the edge of the roof and leaped lightly down from the twenty-five-meter-high eaves. With a thud, the ground sank slightly beneath him.
Over those three years, Su Chen's soul power had remained at rank thirty because he had only one soul ring. He had been waiting all this time for the four academies' joint tournament. Every day, except when bathing, he never took off his Gravity Equipment. Its load was far from light, weighing two hundred jin.
Though Su Chen was still only nine, he could already carry two hundred jin and move around freely. Even some adults lacked such strength. As long as he did not encounter any extraordinary prodigies in the four academies' joint tournament, there was no doubt he would take the championship.
Whoosh!
Just as Su Chen landed from the roof, the sound of something slicing through the air came from behind him.
First Soul Skill: Hell Stab!
A sharp claw suddenly extended, its speed surging as it lunged toward Su Chen.
An assassin?
No, this was merely part of his obligations as a resident of Dormitory Zero. Apart from the morning and afternoon sessions, every Sunday from six to ten in the evening was also challenge time.
The corners of Su Chen's mouth lifted slightly. In the beginning, someone could ambush him from the shadows at any moment. There had been no guarding against every attack, and he had suffered considerably for it. After three years of honing himself, his perception had improved further. In particular, not a single ambush had succeeded in the last three months.
His eyes darted over. Su Chen raised his hand and threw a punch toward the oncoming shadow. With a bang, the attacker was struck by brute force and sent straight back where they had come from.
Before he knew it, Su Chen had spent another three years here. At last, the four academies' joint tournament he had been eagerly awaiting had arrived.
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