Bai Qianqian was also an expert in music, and naturally could tell which of the two streams of zither music was superior.
The hidden player's Battle Formation Breaking Music was magnificent and seemingly unstoppable, but Lu Changfeng's Ambush from Ten Sides proved better still. His music advanced layer by layer, consolidating its position at every step. Each variation anticipated his opponent's attack, and each modulation tightened his encirclement.
As the piece progressed, the once-aggressive music began retreating steadily. Its attacks were dismantled one by one, its rhythm led by the nose, until it was completely crushed beneath his strings and gradually faded into silence.
Lu Changfeng withdrew his fingers, and the music stopped abruptly.
His expression remained calm, and a casual thought crossed his mind: Your zither skills are quite good, but trying that on me really is like showing off your axe before the master carpenter.
Still, he was a little surprised-he had assumed Hongfang's music would be old-fashioned too, like its prayers: more than sufficiently archaic, but lacking variation. Now, however, its techniques proved remarkably impressive. The fingering, sound waves, and use of true qi were all exquisitely refined, enough to reach the very pinnacle in the Central Lands.
Yet the true essence of the melody was far too hollow. There was no opening, development, turn, or resolution, no genuine rise and fall of emotion. It was like an exquisitely crafted body without a soul.
This probably had something to do with the emotional numbness of long-lived beings-time could polish technique to perfection, but if the heart was empty, the music it produced would naturally be empty too.
When the piece ended, the entire gathering fell silent as crows and sparrows.
A moment later, cheers burst out like thunder, and everyone clapped and shouted their approval.
That battle