“Yanxi, you can also choose the flute or guzheng. Together with me and Senior Sister Yu, we can fill in the other parts.”
Shangguan Yun said, her tone still quite doting toward Mu Yanxi.
“That’s right. I can play most common instruments, and of course I can play some uncommon ones too.”
Yu Mowen said, her usual serene and humble demeanor completely gone, confidence radiating from her.
“Then I’ll choose the zhuqin.”
Mu Yanxi said decisively.
“I want a new challenge too.”
Mu Yanxi wasn’t blindly overconfident.
She already had a basic understanding of music theory, and with the Immortal Brain’s support, she was confident she could pick up any instrument in a short time. As for her Sound Dao cultivation base, that was a separate matter.
“Since you’re so confident, good. Please follow me.”
Yu Mowen nodded and led the four of them to a corner. There, a very exquisite guqin sat—its antique glaze and gently flowing cloud patterns made its extraordinariness apparent.
“The body is carved from the main trunk of a five-thousand-year-old azure cloud fir. The strings are made from sixth-grade flood dragon sinew. It was handcrafted by a renowned qin master—a third-grade divine artifact.”
“It’s said that this was once the prize for winning the gold award in a competition by the Wind Instrument Society, but since no one could play the zhuqin, it’s been left here.”
Yu Mowen introduced.
Third-grade divine artifact?!
That’s two grades higher than the bass Ruo Xuan has. This is the highest-grade artifact I’ve ever seen.
“Can I really borrow this artifact?”
“As long as you prove you can play it, there’s no problem. Besides, the Wind Instrument Society doesn’t even have a new president right now, and management is chaotic. Might as well take advantage of it now.”
Yu Mowen said with a sly smile.
This senior sister is unexpectedly mischievous. More likely, she really wants to hear what this third-grade instrument sounds like when played.
Mu Yanxi asked, “Senior Sister Yu, can’t you play the zhuqin either?”
“You guessed right. Unfortunately, I can’t either. When I first came to Lingyue High School and saw this zhuqin, I was captivated by it.”
“But by then, I had already lost my Hundred Sounds Mastery talent, and I never had the chance to learn the zhuqin before. So I can’t touch it.”
Senior Sister Yu admitted generously.
‘So her recommendation earlier for me to play the zhuqin was just so she could hear the sound of this third-grade instrument. What a cunning senior sister.’
“But why choose me? Can’t anyone else play it?”
Mu Yanxi looked at the others in confusion. Shangguan Yun’s cultivation base and music theory understanding should be deeper than her own.
“Partly it’s coincidence, and partly it’s a feeling. I have an intuition that you can do it. How should I put it… you’re different from the other junior sisters. You have a classic, antique aura that matches this guqin well.”
Yu Mowen said thoughtfully.
“Alright, since Senior Sister trusts me so much, I’ll give it a try.”
Mu Yanxi said, then walked over directly and gently touched the strings with her finger.
In an instant, she felt a violent surge of energy erupt from the strings, rushing directly into her mind along her finger. Then she seemed to hear a dragon’s roar, her head struck as if by a heavy hammer, and she stumbled back several steps.
“This?! This artifact’s power is already comparable to a proper divine treasure. I feel like it has a spirit already?”
Mu Yanxi steadied herself and said in shock.
Although she knew that artifacts in this world were far more powerful than in her previous life, actually seeing an artifact comparable to a divine treasure still shook her greatly.
“No, it’s still far from having an artifact spirit. It only has some residual consciousness from the materials. You must gain its recognition to use this zhuqin. But rest assured, many disciples have touched this zhuqin before, and no one’s life was in danger.”
Yu Mowen said with a smile.
‘Residual consciousness from the materials—that must be the consciousness of that flood dragon whose tendons were pulled out to make the strings, right?’
‘Why didn’t you say so earlier?’
Mu Yanxi wanted to ask that, but in the end she only said, “If I can’t even touch it, how can I gain its recognition? Unless I have the strength of the Golden Core stage to force it, or at least Late Foundation Building.”
“That’s simple. First, take this wooden ruler and use it to strike the zhuqin. That way, you can indirectly contact it and let it recognize you.”
Senior Sister Yu pointed to a piece of wood that looked like a charred ruler lying nearby.
The zhuqin was originally played with one hand plucking and the other holding a wooden ruler to strike the strings—having a wooden ruler as an accessory was perfectly normal.
But when Mu Yanxi picked up the wooden ruler, she found that its material was also extraordinary.
“Phoenix Parasol Wood?”
Mu Yanxi looked in surprise at the wooden ruler radiating heat. Scorching essence fire seemed to flow within the blackened wood grain, waiting only to be awakened. Even just this small piece was top-tier material for making divine treasures.
“Yes, but it’s not really a rare material. You just find nine farmed phoenixes, have them step on a thousand-year parasol tree and burn it for a bit, and you’ll get a pile of this wood.”
“It’s nothing special. When striking the zhuqin, the power within the ruler and the strings will be attracted to each other, creating a phoenix-dragon resonance effect.”
Yu Mowen explained.
Mu Yanxi had stopped complaining about things like “farmed phoenixes” and “stepping on a thousand-year parasol tree and burning it.”
By now, she was used to it. Many rare materials that were priceless—or even unfindable—in her previous life were as common as radishes and cabbages in this world.
The phoenix parasol wooden ruler wasn’t as repulsive as the strings, since it was only the result of farmed phoenixes burning for a day or two.
She gripped the ruler and struck the strings a few times, producing a crisp, clean sound.
The residual fire pattern of the phoenix and the residual dragon might of the flood dragon were both activated and began to merge.
Yu Mowen hadn’t lied—these two forces could indeed create phoenix-dragon resonance, balancing each other. The craftsman’s clever design was admirable.
But this was only the beginning.
Just producing sound didn’t count as being recognized by the instrument. Most people could strike the strings with the ruler to produce a tone, but playing a complete piece was the real challenge.
Mu Yanxi plucked one side of the strings with her left hand, using guzheng techniques, while her right hand held the ruler to strike the other side, using yangqin techniques.
But the two techniques didn’t match, and the resulting music couldn’t form a single piece.
‘Immortal Brain, show me your potential!’
Mu Yanxi said directly in her mind.
Instantly, the Immortal Brain searched the Sound Cultivation Forum for zhuqin techniques and performances by masters, letting Mu Yanxi immerse herself in the experience while playing.
“It’s working! I thought she’d need at least a few days to master it!”
Yu Mowen exclaimed in surprise.
This situation exceeded her expectations. Mu Yanxi could play right from the start.
And this zhuqin hadn’t even been tuned yet. There were several off-key notes in Mu Yanxi’s playing, but one could still hear that her performance formed a coherent piece, and her technique was growing increasingly skilled.
When Mu Yanxi channeled her mana into the zhuqin, the instrument didn’t reject it but directly accepted her mana.