During the break, Mu Yanxi used the immortal brain’s simulated learning function to first learn Yu Mowen’s guitar technique and Shangguan Yun’s violin technique. The results left her greatly disappointed.
All she learned was mere technique—just the skill to play these instruments—without any accompanying sound dao cultivation base or realm. When she switched to the violin and guitar, the effect was the same as when she played the yangqin or zhuqin.
Thinking about it, that made sense. After all, using simulated learning for broadcast calisthenics couldn’t directly elevate Mu Yanxi’s constitution to the level of a physical cultivation teacher; simulating the flower moon palm couldn’t let her unleash Wei Dai’s power.
This was why the immortal brain had previously recommended that Mu Yanxi only use this function to simulate martial arts, divine abilities, and magic arts, but suggested using the Heavenly Tome Library’s Taiqing Immortal Domain Illusion to learn her main cultivation method—because simulated learning only imparted technique, not realm or cultivation base.
Thinking this, Mu Yanxi felt she hadn’t lost out. At least she’d learned guitar and violin techniques at a proficient level or above, and these two instruments were quite special. She hadn’t lost out.
In the fundamentals of the sound path, it was mentioned that among the many musical instruments, three were known as the world’s three noble instruments: the piano, called the King of Instruments; the violin, the Queen of Instruments; and the classical guitar, the Prince of Instruments.
Their status in the world of instruments was as formidable as the sword, the Lord of All Weapons; the spear, the King of All Weapons; and the blade, the Marshal of All Weapons.
Thanks to this simulated learning, Mu Yanxi directly learned the violin, the Queen of Instruments. Although the guitar in Yu Mowen’s hands was an ordinary one, it shared common techniques with the classical guitar.
As for the remaining King of Instruments, the piano, Shangguan Yun also knew how to play it, so she could learn it as well when she found the chance.
After resting a while and recovering their mana, the three stood up to practice again. This time, it wasn’t just playing; they also had to coordinate with Yu Mowen’s singing to form a complete “Spring Night Flower Butterfly.”
When she heard Yu Mowen’s singing, Mu Yanxi couldn’t help sighing again. It was simply heavenly—a voice that should only exist in the celestial realm.
The result was also perfect. Moreover, the speed of mana circulation was faster than before, and the consumption was even greater.
After each performance, they needed to rest for a while and drink Immortal Water, but the time they could persist grew longer, and the rest periods grew shorter.
The effect of cultivation was immediate. Mu Yanxi had already cultivated the eighteenth layer of Qi Refining to perfection and could break through at any time. As long as there was an opportunity, a breakthrough could happen at any moment.
However, every time Mu Yanxi tried to break through during a performance, she would be interrupted by the band’s rhythm.
Then she also discovered the problem. Yu Mowen’s singing and playing were completely like reading from a script—the pitch and melody remained unchanged.
If anyone deviated, whether by playing wrong notes or having a sudden inspiration for improvisation, they would be forcibly brought back to the correct rhythm by her guitar.
If Mu Yanxi happened to be breaking through during a performance, she naturally couldn’t fully attend to the zhuqin in her hands, which would inevitably cause the music to go out of tune.
Thus, every time she attempted to advance, it became “noise” that Yu Mowen corrected back, and the breakthrough failed.
After a while, Yu Mowen also noticed the problem.
During a break after a practice piece, she asked, “Mu Yanxi, are you preparing to break through a minor realm?”
“Yes, but I fail every time.”
Mu Yanxi nodded, but didn’t clearly state the reason for failure.
“Eh?! Mu Yanxi, you’re preparing to advance again? That’s terrifying. Since enrolling, I’ve only advanced two layers.” Yu Qiuyu looked at Mu Yanxi in surprise. This cultivation speed was truly astonishing.
“It’s because of me, isn’t it? I’m sorry for interrupting your breakthrough. But I can no longer vary or change the tune. During a performance, I will definitely interrupt your breakthrough.” Yu Mowen said apologetically.
“Senior Sister Yu, you don’t need to apologize. I shouldn’t have distracted myself during the performance to break through. I can just try breaking through after returning to the dormitory.” Mu Yanxi quickly said.
She was already grateful enough that Yu Mowen had guided her into the sound path. How could she let her senior sister apologize over such a small matter?
“That’s not the issue. Breaking through during a performance is a normal occurrence; after all, our performance is cultivation.”
“Even breaking through during a performance allows teammates to simultaneously experience the breakthrough, gaining enormous benefits. Unfortunately, it’s because of my problem…” Yu Mowen became dejected again.
“It’s okay, I’m not in a hurry. But Senior Sister Yu, are you unable to play variations or change keys at all?” Mu Yanxi asked with concern.
“If it’s a variation I’ve played before, I can reproduce it. But if it’s improvisation or adaptation, I can’t do it.” Yu Mowen said honestly.
“Can’t you even do a cover with changed lyrics?” Yu Qiuyu also asked.
Yu Mowen shook her head again. “That won’t work either.”
“This mental barrier is even more serious than I expected. But that’s okay; we’ll definitely help senior sister overcome it.” Shangguan Yun also comforted her.
It was indeed more serious than they had imagined.
Mu Yanxi, who had thoroughly understood the fundamentals of the sound path, now had some understanding of lyrics and composition.
The effect of a celestial music piece was such that the melody and lyrics each played different roles. Therefore, a famous piece could have many different lyrics set to its melody—this was the Lyric Title.
And a master of the sound path, whether singing or playing, often improvised a little based on the performance atmosphere, elevating the effect to another level. This was like a sword dao expert who could integrate and apply various sword techniques with ease.
Now, Yu Mowen was like someone who had memorized sword techniques and practiced them to perfection.
She could only perform the moves perfectly from start to finish, but in actual combat, she couldn’t make any changes—her posture and movements were fixed. This couldn’t be called a true swordsman.
From this perspective, her seemingly improvisational performances were actually reproductions of what she had played before. This was no different from a high-quality terminal player that had stored a large amount of celestial music.
“I know this is hard on you. If you think I’m holding the band back, you can find another lead singer to replace me. I know nine senior and junior sisters; they should all be willing to come as support.” Yu Mowen said.
“No, Senior Sister Yu, why are you overthinking again? Since I said I’d invite you to be the lead singer, I won’t just discard you as a stepping stone, right?” Shangguan Yun turned and asked.
The other three all nodded in agreement.
Seeing that no one despised her, Yu Mowen was relieved. “Since everyone trusts me, I’ll do my best where I can.”
Mu Yanxi felt it was completely fine.
Yu Mowen’s sound dao cultivation base was far stronger than theirs. Even if she only knew fixed sword techniques, one strike from her would be enough to obliterate an enemy. At most, she’d need two or three more strikes—why would she need to change her moves?
Besides, the sound path wasn’t used for magic combat. Being able to complete a fixed performance was completely sufficient.
So everyone continued practicing.