Zither Emperor

Chapter 12 – Netherworld Snow Spirit (II)

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Both parties were already present and opposite of each other in the center of the field. Ye Yin Zhu was somewhat amazed as the Dark Magic division members completely mismatched the gender ratio of the Divine Music division. While the Divine Music division had one male and four females, the Dark Magic division had four males and one female, and what was even more amazing was that the female student was their general. From the symbol on her school uniform, she was also a first-year new student.

“Dark Magic division first-year student, general, Yue Ming. Please select the competition style.” The Dark Magic division’s female general spoke very concisely. Her dark blue hair draped over her shoulders and flowed down her back. Wearing a black magic robe, her two big eyes should appear very touching but instead released a deadly sort of dark light. Her ice-cold body apparently didn’t have a single trace of liveliness.

“Divine Music division first-year student, general, Ye Yin Zhu. Team Battle,” Ye Yin Zhu replied with equal conciseness. He was already strongly vigilant in front of this girl named Yue Ming. He thought to himself, ‘Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts really deserves being called the mainland’s best college. She’s just a first-year student and is unexpectedly such a remarkable student.’ The current Dark Magic division clearly couldn’t be compared with this morning’s Water division.

One of the Dark Magic division’s students disdainfully sneered, “The Divine Music division brought tables onto the battlefield?”

Behind Ye Yin Zhu’s back, Xue Ling sarcastically bantered, “Have you come across a Divine Music mage on the battlefield before? Win before you get so full of yourself.”

Ye Yin Zhu and Yue Ming bowed their heads to each other before both divisions’ students fell back simultaneously. The defensive shield activated on training field four. The referee then gave the order, and the match began.

In the spectator’s grandstand were Nina and the Dark Magic division Dean. Different from Wa Ge Lei, the Dark Magic division Dean, despite being male, was awfully ice-cold and didn’t say a word since he appeared at the start of the match. Perhaps because the Divine Music division’s victory had evoked his interest. President Ferguson appeared once more in the spectator’s grandstand.

“This child Yue Ming is more and more outstanding. I don’t know how long the Divine Music division can persevere in today’s battle.” Even he was in no way optimistic about the Divine Music division. Yue Ming was his old friend’s granddaughter, and he was very clear about her strength.

When the referee started the match, 10 red-colored spheres of light appeared in midair. They were brimming with death and shot towards the five members of the Divine Music division. Yellow light flickered as the Dark Magic division’s five students were unexpectedly all Yellow Rank mages. They were led by Yue Ming whose body emitted a yellow elemental radiance that indicated she was an Advanced Level Yellow Rank.

In a flash the sphere darkened, and the students, who surrounded the training field to watch the battle, cried out in alarm.

“I have everything.” Ye Yin Zhu calmly made this clear. The teardrop-shaped gem ring flashed with radiance on his left hand as the Moon and Tides’ Clear Brilliance appeared above the table in front of him. Facing the pressure Yue Ming produced, Ye Yin Zhu’s heart brimmed with an intense urge to fight.

Ye Yin Zhu seemed to become a different person as he sat before his zither. His graceful, steady hands pressed against the strings. At this moment, the synergy of his heart and the Moon and Tide’s Clear Brilliance zither produced a wonderful resonance.

Seeing that the 10 dark spheres had appeared out of thin air, Ye Yin Zhu still hadn’t activated his Divine Celestial Protection. Lightly pressing against the strings with his right hand, downcast and deeply resounding notes hummed out. Across, the five Dark Magic division students bodies shook at the same time; they had just opened their mouths to chant a magic spell and were, to their surprise, forcibly interrupted immediately.

In the spectator’s grandstand, Nina abruptly stood up. Startled, she stared at Ye Yin Zhu on the training field. Sonic boom, could it be that it was a sonic boom? Otherwise, how could the zither note that was not yet played still interrupt the other party’s spell? But he wasn’t strong enough to use Green Rank magic!

Not activating the Divine Celestial Protection, within that low humming, a distant, deeply resounding zither note had already been played. A blended yellow-red radiance revolved beneath Ye Yin Zhu’s strings. A blade of light then pierced through the air as it shot out. The sound blade appeared like a wonderful arc that seemed, to the regular eyes, to have flown through the air to simultaneously destroy the 10 dark spheres without leaving behind a single trace.

Nina’s abrupt standing in the spectator’s grandstand was a bit unexpected, but now there were two. This second person who had stood up was the Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts president, Violet Rank Spiritual Great Magister Ferguson.

“Magic-Martial Art combination.” Ferguson’s mouth produced a sound that brimmed with shock. He had the sharpest sense among the others present, so he clearly sensed Ye Yin Zhu had emitted a sound blade with magic that was not simple. The red was obviously from the arising spiritual magic power of the zither music while the yellow actually was pure and honest dou qi! What extremely shocked him was that the zither note and dou qi perfectly integrated to form a special energy. The Red Rank Dark Sphere magic’s might was ranked first among similar divisions, but facing these soundblades, the 10 dark orbs were unexpectedly deflected continuously by Ye Yin Zhu’s lightly plucked strings.

No one expected a situation like this to arise. Even the four girls behind Ye Yin Zhu were stunned. But in the next moment, their consciousness awoke from the sound of Ye Yin Zhu’s zither.

It was the same song, << A Chinese Ghost Story >>, but Ye Yin Zhu’s hands played it completely differently from Hai Yang. Faint distress, like the lingering aftertaste of an aged wine, the continuous zither’s prolonged zither notes rose in spirals even though the volume was not loud. It clearly transmitted towards the ears of everyone on the scene and even through the defensive shield surrounding the training field towards the spectating students whose mood also began to follow the undulations of the zither music.

Of the Divine Music division four females, Hai Yang had the highest cultivation, so she responded first. Her guzheng notes resonated clearly and brimmed with realism as they emerged in the wake of her hands brushing over the 21 guzheng strings, issuing a light dragon’s roar that conformed to the zither music. Immediately, zither notes identical to Ye Yin Zhu’s but slightly shaky began to rise. Lan Xi hadn’t even looked at her own Jade Charm Zither in front of her because at this moment, her vision was completely focused on the top of Ye Yin Zhu’s hands only to discover that his hands unexpectedly had only four fingers each.

The sound of various sized pearls hitting a jade was weaved into the rhythm of the music. This clear sound, reminiscent of a silver bottle being smashed, rang through the music. They piercingly entered the song and immediately made this << A Chinese Ghost Story >> somewhat somber and desolate. Meanwhile, prolonged, exquisite xiao notes resounded deeply and seemed to cause a sorrowful shroud to descend.

The Divine Music division’s five members had actually revealed four types of musical instruments, emphasizing their Divine Music mage’s ensemble performance skill.

Ensemble performance referred to the Divine Music mages playing an identical musical composition at the same time. Even if their magic ranks were not the same, so long as it ingeniously matched the musical composition it could display a layering effect.

Momentarily, four red rays of light mixed with Hai Yang’s emerging deep orange radiance. Like a whirlpool being released, it flooded every nook and cranny of training field four. The most terrifying thing about a Divine Music mage’s magic was that it couldn’t be resisted. Without any magic or dou qi capable of obstructing the musical spirit attack, you could only rely on your own spiritual power’s ability to take on the effects.

Just before the zither notes rang, apart from Yue Ming the four Dark Magic division students all didn’t care too much. In front of the Divine Music division whose strongest was Orange Rank, even if their musical composition’s effects were expressed, they were confident they could rely on their own spiritual power to resist. When Ye Yin Zhu’s soundblade destroyed their dark spheres, however, these Dark Magic division students became aware that the Divine Music division was in no way simple. With their chanting interrupted, t, they immediately condensed their magic power he moment they recovered and frantically launched numerous instantaneous Red Rank magic spells in the direction of Ye Yin Zhu’s party of five.

In fact, Ye Yin Zhu’s first issued zither note was not a traditional Divine Music mage’s sonic boom. He truly couldn’t issue a sonic boom as it required Green Rank capabilities. That first zither cry was from his own research on the sonic boom which used sound as foundation and dou qi as ignition. When originally facing that Indigo Rank mage Lu Fei Te, he used this skill to suddenly attack in order to win in the end.