Chapter 145 - 108: I Completely Fooled Liu Xian

Chapter 145: Chapter 108: I Completely Fooled Liu Xian

DING DING DING.

Liu Xian began to play the Array Playing Zither in his hands. Melodious notes drifted from the Ten-stringed Zither, one after another.

"Oh?" Zeng Anmin and the Little Fatty Crown Prince were both taken aback. They subconsciously exchanged a glance.

"This kid isn’t bad," they thought. "He plays quite well."

Liu Xian was now completely immersed in the musical world he was weaving. He closed his eyes in self-forgetfulness, his small hands fluttering across the zither like butterflies. Only the sound of his playing echoed through the room. Everyone quieted down.

Suddenly, the style of the melody shifted drastically!

The sharp hum of a sword rang out. Sitting in front of his own zither, Mr. Li sharply raised his head and looked toward Liu Xian. A trace of solemnity flickered in his eyes.

At that moment, Liu Xian seemed to have entered a highly profound and mysterious state. A pale cyan wave of Vast Energy seemed on the verge of spilling from his body.

However...

TWANG.

Before that imposing aura could reach its peak, Liu Xian’s face flushed bright red.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!"

He coughed violently, and the music came to an abrupt halt.

"Sigh." A brief sigh echoed as Li Lianting’s voice slowly rang out. "If you wish to comprehend the Dao of ’Music’, you must still calm your heart and quiet your spirit. Do not be overly hasty. You are only sixteen; you still need to settle down and read more books."

The flush on Liu Xian’s face had only faded slightly. He bowed deeply toward Li Lianting. "Your teachings are correct, Mr. Li."

"Mm." Li Lianting slowly stood up, a hint of strictness flashing in his eyes as he looked at the crowd. "If you wish to comprehend the Dao of ’Music’, you must temper your Literary Qi. Accompany the zither daily and blend your Literary Qi into the theory of music. Once your Vast Literary Qi has condensed steadily in the future, breaking through will simply be a matter of course."

Speaking up to this point, he looked directly at the students. "Just now, Liu Xian entered the state of ’comprehension’, which shows he truly has a talent for musical theory.

"However, although he achieved an epiphany, he still lacked a bit of foundational Literary Qi in his chest, thereby wasting this opportunity."

Following these words, all the students looked toward Liu Xian. A look of intense frustration appeared on his face. Epiphanies in the Six Arts were things that could be encountered by luck but never sought out! If his Vast Energy had been sufficient just now, he could have entirely relied on this epiphany to condense his Confucian Daoist Dharma Aspect in one fell swoop and break through to the Fifth Grade!

Alas, such was timing; such was fate. The students could not help but feel pity for him.

Li Lianting slowly paced forward, his voice echoing continuously. "But to condense the Dharma Aspect of ’Music’, aside from entering a state of epiphany, there is also the method of steady accumulation over time. You must thoroughly study the nuances of musical theory step by step and find your own path.

"Whenever you can create a masterpiece that gets passed down through the generations by relying on your own path, you can also condense the Dharma Aspect of ’Music’!"

His voice was very soft, yet it rang out with utmost solemnity in the ears of every student. The students all nodded thoughtfully. Even Zeng Anmin seemed to have grasped something.

"But the prerequisite for all of this is the foundation of Vast Righteous Qi within your bodies. Therefore, on the path of cultivation, you still need to read more, observe more, and comprehend more.

"We shall stop here for today."

After saying that, he slowly rose and walked outside. A servant then came over to carry the zither from the table, following Li Lianting away.

During this music lesson, Zeng Anmin found what he heard to be somewhat useful.

At the very least, he learned two methods to comprehend the Dao of ’Music’. The first was like Liu Xian just now—entering an epiphany while playing the zither. By thoroughly comprehending the musical theory of predecessors and combining it to forge one’s own path, one could condense the Dharma Aspect of ’Music’.

The second was to systematically and gradually explore the path of ’Music’. After carving out one’s own path and creating a timeless masterpiece, one could also rely on that great work to condense a Dharma Aspect.

Neither of these methods could be achieved in a single day. They required both fortuitous opportunities and the tempering of time.

After the music theory class ended, Zeng Anmin and the Little Fatty Crown Prince arrived at the academy’s dining hall. At that time, there were not many students around, so they quickly found their seats.

The quality of the food at the Imperial College was absolutely excellent. Since the pair consisted of a fatty and a Martial Artist, their eating speed was exceptionally fast.

After finishing their meal, the two walked together toward the main hall. They happened to run into a familiar face head-on. It was none other than Liu Xian, who had shown off in today’s music theory class—though he had only managed to show off halfway.

At this moment, Liu Xian looked extremely distressed. He stood in the corridor of the hall, wallowing in self-pity. His sighs of lamentation caused passing students to frequently cast sidelong glances at him. Clearly, he was still feeling vexed over losing the chance for an epiphany during class.

"Sigh."

It was another long sigh.

Zeng Anmin’s heart stirred. Standing in the corridor, he raised his voice. "A fine young man should aspire to serve his country! It was merely a single opportunity for an epiphany. Why are you sighing and lamenting so much?!"

His voice attracted Liu Xian’s attention.

"Which son of a bitch is barking madly over there?" he thought furiously. "It’s not your lost opportunity, is it?!"

Liu Xian was already in a foul mood, and upon hearing this, his subconscious reaction was to fly into a rage. But after seeing who had come, his expression froze slightly.

"So it’s our Zeng Liangjiang... Mr. Zeng," he thought. "Never mind then."

On his very first day entering the academy, he had already learned Zeng Anmin’s true identity from Wang Zhi. He was someone who couldn’t be provoked.

"Sigh." Seeing that it was Zeng Anmin, Liu Xian forcefully retracted his tearless expression of despair. "Please go ahead, Mr. Zeng."

Lacking any enthusiasm, he didn’t want to speak further. Assuming that he was blocking Zeng Anmin’s path, he simply cupped his hands in a polite gesture and stepped aside to make way.

"Please go ahead?" Zeng Anmin thought. "Go ahead where? I came specifically for you."

Zeng Anmin chuckled lightly. He looked straight into Liu Xian’s eyes, returned the bow, and announced loudly, "I am Zeng Anmin, courtesy name Quan Fu."