"If you can understand it, that's not bad," Han Feng said with a faint smile. "As it happens, my insights into the tenth level of the *Wenxin Sword Canon* are also inscribed within this character. You may come to look at it more often; perhaps it will prove helpful."
Gasp!
Luan Jian couldn't help drawing a sharp breath, her expression stunned.
Wasn't the sect master currently guiding the seventh junior sister in playing the zither?
How could he... simultaneously imbue it with the Dao of Swordsmanship?
Could these two Great Dao be combined so harmoniously?
Suddenly, Luan Jian recalled what Lu Qixian had said that day.
Indeed, several thousand years ago, Qingyin Pavilion had once produced an peerless zither cultivator—a woman. As she wandered the world, she fell in love with a male sword cultivator who was matchless in his time. Later, they became cultivation partners, verifying what each held in their hearts through mutual reflection, and finally created an unprecedented golden age. With zither hearts and sword gall, they dominated the contemporary world.
It was just that later on, there were never again two such kindred geniuses, and the legend of the zither heart and sword gall thus became a swan song.
Now...
It seemed as though the sect master had merely casualized his efforts, yet he was simultaneously guiding the cultivation of both junior sister and herself!
What kind of realm had he actually reached?
Even if the late sect master were to reincarnate and recultivate, he probably wouldn't possess such an awe-inspiring ability!
"Sect Master," Luan Jian reined in her wandering thoughts and said, bowing, "the teleporation array leading to the Tianyin Grand Ceremony has been set up. We can depart at any time."
Oh?
There was even such a thing?
High-end!
Han Feng had never seen any relevant records in the books, but since such convenience existed, it spared one the bitterness of a long-distance trek.
"How long does it take to get over there using the teleportation array?" Han Feng asked.
"We shall arrive in an instant." Although Luan Jian was slightly puzzled, she still answered respectfully.
Since it was still early and Qin Lingyun remained on Main Peak to listen to the sect master's teachings, Luan Jian returned to Sword-Asking Peak to carefully comprehend the Dao of Swordsmanship, hoping that one day she might advance further and use the tenth level of the *Wenxin Sword Canon* to break through the final shackles on the path from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm.
On this day, it was bitterly cold, and heavy snow shrouded Jiushen Sect.
Auspicious snowflakes drifted down, filling the sky and covering the earth, transforming the hundreds of millions of trees among the Jiushen peaks into a silver-clad world, like a fairy tale.
A single snowflake tumbled and drifted downward, dancing gracefully in the air like an elf swaying her charming posture.
Yet the next moment, the crystal-clear, six-pointed snowflake suddenly paused in its flight and turned into nothingness.
It was as though some mysterious force had blocked its path, altering the destiny of countless snowflakes just like it.
The pristine white snow covered all the Jiushen peaks, yet only on the summit of Main Peak was there no trace of ice and snow.
At the summit of Main Peak, countless fallen leaves converged into a giant character for "zither," radiating a lustrous, hazy glow that mysteriously chimed with the profound principles of the Dao.
Where the radiance protected, the ice and snow melted, leaving this place entirely untouched by the biting wind, as warm and cozy as spring.
A month ago, Jiushen Sect Master Han Feng had swept fallen leaves amidst the sound of the zither to condense them into a giant character, thereby creating this breathtaking natural wonder of heaven and earth.
Now, the fallen leaves—which should long ago have withered and decayed—had instead grown fresh and verdant once more amidst the biting winter, possessing an incredible, vibrant vitality as they continued to form that unimaginably large "zither" character, defying the creation of heaven and earth and disrupting the constancy of the four seasons!
Every day, as Qin Lingyun came and went through the modest dwelling on Main Peak, she would often halt for a long time upon seeing this wondrous sight, yet she found it difficult to comprehend even a shred of it.
A few days ago, Eldest Senior Sister Luan Jian had come again to pay her respects to the sect master, begging for a leaf that was half-green and half-yellow, and departed devoutly.
That dusk, Qin Lingyun stood at the summit of Main Peak and heard a soft sigh drift over from Sword-Asking Peak: "Luan Jian has diligently practiced the Dao of Swordsmanship for over a decade, yet the Dao of the birth and destruction of all things that she has comprehended falls far short of the sect master's gift of a single leaf..."
From then on, Sword-Asking Peak fell into a profound silence. When the agreed-upon day of departure arrived, Luan Jian's figure was still nowhere to be seen.
Could it be that Eldest Senior Sister had attained some insight in her heart and used a single leaf to enter the Dao, and was actually attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm?
Qin Lingyun harbored suspicions in her heart and wanted to go and take a look, but Han Feng stopped her, saying with a faint smile, "Don't go disturb her. Since she has been delayed by matters, it will just be you and me going together to check out this Tianyin Grand Ceremony. How about it?"
"Okay!" Upon hearing this, Qin Lingyun immediately hoisted her ancient zither, ready to leave on a whim.
Deep within Jiushen Sect.
Within the teleportation array—which had not been used for at least several hundred years and was already overgrown with weeds—strange brilliance suddenly lit up!
At the same time, the supreme-grade spirit stones glowing with auspicious light that were placed around the teleportation array abruptly lost their luster. The very instant the figures of Han Feng and Qin Lingyun vanished, these spirit stones shattered one after another, turning into fine powder.
Even Qin Lingyun, who was normally carefree, couldn't help frowning in distress and sighed, "Eldest Senior Sister really spent a bloody fortune this time. I didn't even know our sect had a reserve of so many supreme-grade spirit stones."
"Is it a lot?" Han Feng smiled. "For instance, if we manage to win first place this time, can we earn these spirit stones back?"
Eh!
Qin Lingyun's expression turned peculiar, thinking to herself: *Sect master, are you being serious?*
*Yet for over a month now, you haven't really taught me anything at all! You just had me read books, read books, and read books...*
*Forget first place; even one hundredth place would be enough to break even.*
This was the Tianyin Grand Ceremony!
However...
Sigh!
Upon stepping out of the teleportation array, someone naturally came to guide them, greeting them with a smiling face and bowing. "Greetings, two fellow Daoists! I wonder which sect you hail from, so this old man may register you."
"Jiushen Sect Master Han Feng, accompanied by my disciple Qin Lingyun, has come to attend," Han Feng said with a nod and a smile.
Jiushen Sect?
The old man's expression stiffened; this name sounded so unfamiliar.
Had they been invited to this grand ceremony?
However, seeing that the other party was full of confidence, he dared not be negligent. He quickly cupped his fists and said, "So it is Sect Master Han! I have long heard of your esteemed name. The two of you, please follow me. For this grand ceremony, lodgings have been arranged for the various sects, just like in previous years..."
"Wait a moment." When they reached the door of the residence, Han Feng smiled. "The two of us only need one room."
Ah?
The old man was bewildered for a moment, and couldn't help re-examining the young man and woman. Although they certainly looked like a handsome pair, didn't he just say they were sect master and disciple?
Was this Jiushen Sect so open-minded?
Did they still take in disciples? This old man had long admired Jiushen Sect and desperately wanted to join the sect...
At this sentence, even the usually bold Qin Lingyun felt her face flush red.
She knew what this old man was thinking, but... in truth, it really wasn't like that. Over these past days, there had been many times she shared a room with the sect master, but each of them simply held a book—he read with relish, while she read in vexation.
Regarding this, Han Feng had no alternative either.
For over a month, he had read through all the rhythm and music classics of Jiushen Sect, and relying on his heaven-defying comprehension, he naturally achieved profound insights.
However... with his current cultivation level at the Golden Core Realm, even if he wholeheartedly guided Qin Lingyun, it would be difficult for her to snatch first place at the Tianyin Grand Ceremony.
Unless... sudden enlightenment!
Yet sudden enlightenment was not something that came just because one wished for it. Han Feng didn't know when it would arrive, but he could not let Qin Lingyun miss that prime opportunity. He could only keep her by his side whether they were reading, eating, or sleeping. Once that opportunity truly manifested, it would allow Qin Lingyun to reap the greatest benefits.
The two of them entered the room, where all the amenities were exquisite to the extreme—a luxury they had never even seen back in Jiushen Sect.
Yet before that faint, ambiguous atmosphere could even begin to flow, an angry voice sounded from outside, shouting loudly:
"What kind of damned Jiushen Sect is this?! Since when is there such a sect? Get the hell out here for this old man! You actually dare to come here to freeload—you've got a lot of nerve!!"