How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

Chapter 137 The Musical Arts Change Hands, A Song That Shocks the World

Zhou Wenju!

It's him!

Zhuang Wenhua's eyes widened suddenly, staring at him in disbelief.

On the high platform, the three elders stared at him simultaneously.

On the high platform, He Shuchao abruptly stopped waving his folding fan, a smile slowly spreading across his face: "Does Your Excellency know what this round is about?"

"Enjoy the Way!" Zhou Wenju said.

"The Way of Joy—do you understand?"

Four words, spoken lightly, yet brimming with endless sarcasm.

He has the right to mock!

Because he is the top master of music in the Great Yan Kingdom, even if the Great Yu Kingdom selected its top master of music, it might not be able to defeat him.

Besides, it's just a temporary cameo role?

Zhou Wenju smiled faintly: "I do not cultivate the Way of Music, but before going to Qingshan, I spent every day with Master Cui, and through his influence, I have gained some knowledge of the Way of Music. Today, Master Cui is unwell and unable to participate, so I will use the Way of Music taught by Master Cui to compete with the Master of the Way of Music of the Great Yan Kingdom!"

Ha ha----

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]

Everyone laughed.

Only the people of the Great Yu Kingdom couldn't laugh.

Ding Yuchou said in a deep voice, "Nonsense!"

Even someone as mature and composed as Xiang Bo spoke up: "Don't cause trouble."

Zhuang Wenhua took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Zhou Wenju.

All that could be captured was a lingering image of Zhou Wenju.

Zhou Wenju stepped onto the high platform!

He appeared before He Shuchao.

He Shuchao sat on the guqin, a half-smile on his face: "You really dare to come up on stage?"

Zhou Wenju smiled faintly: "The literary and artistic traditions of the Great Yu Kingdom are beyond the comprehension of your Yan Kingdom. Even though I am not a specialist in music, defeating you is only a matter of a single song!"

Upon hearing this—

With boundless confidence!

Everyone in the room looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhuang Wenhua's eyes were wide open, but the phrase "literary transmission" that had been swirling in his mind ultimately did not come out.

Because he was the one speaking!

He is the one who has just created a miracle, the one who turned the tide with a seven-colored battle poem.

Of course, it's also because we're already in a desperate situation.

Inside the small wooden cabin —

The girl in purple, Ye Xiaoxiao, and the Holy Maiden exchanged bewildered glances.

Clearly, Zhou Wenju's move was something even the Holy Maiden, who always anticipated her opponent's moves, hadn't foreseen.

"Among the information you've gathered, are there any records of what he enjoyed talking about?" the saintess asked in a deep voice.

"No! But—any kind of literary miracle is possible for someone who can write 'Qing Yu An'!" Ye Xiaoxiao said.

"As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. This person is not someone who enjoys the arts. Forcing himself onto the stage will only make him a laughingstock!" The saintess sneered.

Ye Xiaoxiao shifted her gaze, her expression complex: "Holy Maiden, I think even if you still look down on him, you should at least show him some respect. You need to know that he didn't expose the Spirit Clan's use of Gu poison in public; he's saving face for our Spirit Clan!"

The saintess was startled.

The Spirit Clan used Gu poison.

What a dirty thing, what an explosive thing?

If it were made public at the literary gathering, it would be a huge scandal.

The Spirit Race dared to use such methods because they were certain that no one would be able to detect them.

After all, this kind of Gu is extremely special. Even the person who is poisoned by it will only feel that they are not in good condition and will not think of being poisoned at all.

Cui Wusheng was indeed unaware of this.

Even a top master like Zhuang Wenhua couldn't detect it.

But did Zhou Wenju figure it out?

Several things were considered together, and the truth was revealed.

The first thing is that he himself had been poisoned by a curse, and he even managed to break free of it using an unknown method.

Secondly, Cui Wusheng should have been confused when he went up to the platform and lost the game in a daze. However, before he took the last step onto the platform, he inexplicably fell down. This is not a characteristic of someone who has been poisoned by a curse, but rather a characteristic of someone who has been cured of the curse!

His curse was lifted without anyone noticing.

谁解的？

It can only be him!

Zhou Wenju!

Because among those present, he was the only one with a precedent of being able to break the curse.

If he really did remove the curse from Cui Wusheng quietly, then this "quiet" act itself was a way of saving face for the Spirit Clan!

If the fact that Cui Wusheng was poisoned by Gu were made public, the insults and accusations that the Great Yan Kingdom had leveled against the Great Yu Kingdom would be easily shifted onto the Spirit Clan. No matter how much the Spirit Clan tried to defend themselves, their reputation would ultimately be tarnished.

He didn't!

He silently removed the curse from his teammate.

Silently taking on the heavy responsibility left by his teammates, he stepped up to the challenge himself.

As the saintess thought this, the edges of the "fallen flower mark" on her forehead suddenly became slightly disordered.

This was the first time in many years that she had disturbed the "fallen flower traces" —

On the high platform, He Shuchao laughed heartily: "If you wish to discuss philosophy through music, you should at least bring out that zither belonging to the man surnamed Cui!"

Only then did everyone realize that Zhou Wenju had stepped onto the platform without even damaging his musical instruments.

Upon realizing this, everyone was completely bewildered.

Zhou Wenju said, "I'm not used to playing the zither, so let's make an instrument on the spot."

He stretched out his hand!

Grab a green bamboo stalk beside the high platform.

This green bamboo is just an ordinary bamboo growing beside the high platform; it's not even a spiritual bamboo, just a common green bamboo.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone.

He waved his hand lightly!

Cut a section of green bamboo that is two feet long.

With fingers light as a dragonfly skimming the water, he punched seven holes in the green bamboo.

"A bamboo flute!" He Shuchao laughed heartily. "You casually made a bamboo flute, intending to use it as an instrument to discuss philosophy with me through music?"

"The sage said: 'The greatest silence is without sound, the greatest form is without shape.' True music, how could it be above the finest instruments?" Zhou Wenju said calmly, "Today I will give you a lesson, so you may know the Way of Music." Where, then, lies the Way?

These words caused a stir throughout the room.

His preceding statement was, "The greatest silence is without sound, the greatest form is without shape."

This comes from the Bible, the Tao Te Ching, which we just discussed.

meaning is:

Truly exquisite music is often unheard of.

Truly grand visions are often invisible.

His philosophy of joy is based on this; how lofty is it!

The meaning is clear, concise, and perfectly apt.

Music cannot be measured by conventional standards; the instruments themselves are not important.

If the preceding sentence is a discussion of principles, then it is irrefutable.

However, the first sentence is a prefix to the second sentence: I'm going to give you a lesson!

This is a lesson that is delivered in front of millions of people.

It was said at the grand gathering where the two countries engaged in a cultural and ethical contest.

What could possibly make someone so angry?

"This young master Zhou is using the same methods against him!" Ye Xiaoxiao, the maid in purple, smiled.

"What's the point of arguing over words and being brought back to reality in the blink of an eye?" the saintess retorted coldly.

"Holy Maiden, you're being a bit biased. Arrogance didn't start with him. Why didn't you mention that arrogant and domineering master of painting earlier?"

The saintess glared at her: "That's a bit presumptuous."

"Then may this servant be so presumptuous just this once more, Holy Maiden?" Ye Xiaoxiao smiled broadly. "Holy Maiden, I'll take your bet."

"bet?"

"If Young Master Zhou wins this round, Miss, please set aside your prejudices and obsessions with him, and carefully study his—this heavenly book!"

Saintess: "————"

There was no verbal response, just an eye roll.

Ye Xiaoxiao became anxious: "Holy Maiden, if he wins, the Great Yu Kingdom will also win the Qingshan Literary Gathering. Shouldn't Miss have let go of her obsession and seriously considered how to coexist peacefully with the Great Yu Kingdom, and put aside her prejudice against him?"

"That's only if he wins!" The Holy Maiden gently shook her head: "Xiaoxiao, I know you've been completely corrupted by his 'searching for her a thousand times over' rhetoric, but shouldn't you retain some basic common sense? A self-taught person, with a broken flute he just made, thinks he can break through the barrier of the Great Yan Kingdom's top music masters? What a joke!"

On the high platform————

He Shuchao stood up!

The guqin on my lap rose out of thin air —

In an instant, the strings of the zither became like blades, cleaving heaven and earth.

The spring breeze blows, yet it feels like autumn's chill.

A murderous intent surged within him!

However, as he located the void, the murderous intent in his heart quickly dissipated.

If his opponent's words really disturbed his mind, then his joy would also be disturbed. Therefore, he was at peace after just a short time of getting up!

This is the essence of a master of music.

Having witnessed the change in the man's expression, Zhuang Wenhua closed his eyes.

He seemed to have guessed Zhou Wenju's intentions.

Zhou Wenju intended to use such methods to throw his opponent off balance and prevent him from performing at his best.

However, a master of the Way of Joy is not so easily defeated.

His plot failed, and the outcome was entirely predictable.

Zheng————

A soft sound, like the howling of a cold wind in the sky.

With just a soft note, the seasons on the high platform suddenly changed.

Just a moment ago, the spring breeze was blowing freely.

Now, the biting north wind tears through the sky and covers the fields.

The music changed, and snow began to fall heavily!

Every snowflake carries the endless chill of the North —

"Yanshan Snow!" Beside Zhuang Wenhua, Ding Yuchou's expression changed drastically.

"Yanshan Snow" tells the story of a music saint who, before becoming a saint, was traveling in Yanshan when she was ambushed by demons. She took the weight of Yanshan and the coldness of the snow and composed "Yanshan Snow" on the spot. She turned millions of snowflakes into sharp blades and slaughtered three thousand demons with one song, staining Yanshan with blood!

From then on, this piece became a renowned and powerful piece of music in the world of music, associated with battle and violence.

Snowflakes were falling heavily from the sky.

Zhou Wenju felt as if he were on the Yanshan Mountains.

There are no literary gatherings around, no old friends.

In the entire world, there was only him, along with the deadly snow and the biting cold—

Light snowflakes drifted down.

The hard rock cracked instantly.

This "lightness" feels like an immense weight at this moment!

Zhou Wenju held his bamboo flute horizontally, and a melody burst forth from it—

The flute began to play.

The dark clouds suddenly dissipated.

The boundless snow was swept into the wind.

With a soft hiss, the flowing light from his lips painted a desolate yet heroic scene of the frontier.

The ancient city is deserted.

The land beyond the Great Wall is vast and tranquil.

He walked through the ancient city, holding a long flute.

His silhouette, lonely and weathered—

His flute playing was expansive and melodious.

This long, melodious flute music pierced straight to the heart and reached the soul, instantly immersing millions of members of the Spirit Clan in the most wondrous world of music.

He Shuchao was deeply shaken, his mind a complete blank.

Seven notes?

Is this the seven-tone scale?

How is that possible?

In the Five Tones Era, all those who pursue music are seeking to expand the boundaries of the Five Tones Way. As a musical prodigy, he has envisioned countless times a world beyond the Five Tones.

He viewed this breakthrough as his life's mission.

However, the sage of music established the foundation of the five tones. How unimaginable it is to try to expand the boundaries based on the sage's foundation.

Therefore, his path, spanning decades, has remained merely a concept.

Today, a wonderful melody fell into his ears, and it was none other than the seven notes. Moreover, it was not a rudimentary concept of music, but a complete and perfect seven notes with smooth and natural transitions, approaching a state of perfection!

Of all the people present, only he, the master of music, could pinpoint the terrifying core of Zhou Wenju's music upon hearing it: the seven notes!

His literary mind was instantly and unprecedentedly impacted.

The guqin trembled slightly beneath his fingers, as if it too had been subjected to an extremely strong impact.

Zhou Wenju's music took another turn—

Endless streams of literary light flowed from the tip of the flute, transforming into the setting sun over the ancient city.

The setting sun was like blood, and He Shuchao's Yanshan snow vanished under its rays.

He Shuchao's forehead veins bulged, and his literary energy gathered at his fingertips as he tried to salvage the situation. However, with a soft thud, a string on the zither snapped.

When the string breaks, the piece "Yanshan Snow" is ruined.

In an instant, the Yanshan Mountain Alliance he had constructed cracked open, and the snow he had created with his great power swirled into the sky, vanishing without a trace the moment it passed through the clouds.

He Shuchao felt a sweet taste in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood, which splashed onto the ancient and wondrous zither, Yaomu, on his lap.

Zhou Wenju took a step forward, like a solitary traveler, venturing alone into the vast lands beyond the Great Wall.

A blue river appeared at his feet, its origin unknown.

Above the great river, countless azure orioles of the Literary Path took flight, forming seven ranks that lifted the azure river beneath their feet, sending it soaring into the heavens. This wondrous sight shook the entire audience.

What happened?

Above the sky, an ancient, sacred voice resounded: "On the path of music, a new journey has begun. The beginning of the Seven Sounds originates from Zhou Wenju of the Great Yu Kingdom. May Heaven congratulate him!"

boom!

The entire audience erupted in a thunderous roar.

"Seven notes! This is seven notes!"

"The will of Heaven has been given its approval; the era of the Seven Tones has arrived!"

"My God, what have we witnessed? A new era?"

The Eldar went completely mad.

The Spirit Race is a magical race that is close to nature.

A love for literature and the Way is an inherent characteristic in their blood, because the elegance and refinement of literature and the Way correspond to the original characteristics of mountain spirits.

But if you ask them which area of ​​literature and art they like best...

Music is the top choice.

Today, in the territory of the Spirit Clan: Green Mountain.

With the firsthand witness of millions of Eldar, a new era of joy and happiness has arrived.

Humanity's literary prodigy ushered in the Seven-Tone Era of Music.

On the Great Yu Kingdom's side, Zhuang Wenhua stared blankly at the sky, his lips trembling slightly: "The Seven-Tone Era, the merit of pioneering the Dao, the sacred sound personally initiated, the heavenly Dao's congratulations—we won, we won?"

His voice was filled with disbelief.

His hair was disheveled, like drifting catkins.

Master Xiang Bo took a deep breath, calming the turmoil in his heart: "We won! We—"

"You won?" Zhuang Wenhua turned around abruptly.

"We won!" Xiang Bo roared.

This roar completely broke through his usual mature and composed demeanor.

This roar completely broke free from the shackles of being a master of the Dao.

"Hahaha—" Zhuang Wenhua laughed loudly, looking up at the sky—

Around him, all the grandmasters who could stand up stood up, and their faces were filled with a dreamlike glow.

Meanwhile, in the Great Yan Kingdom...

Li Ruoxu's white beard trembled violently, and black lines streamed down his face. Everyone around him was as pale as paper, and even sitting down, they could hardly control their trembling.

The Aoyama literary competition has come to a close with the final round.

The Great Yu Kingdom won four rounds: scripture, painting, poetry, and music.

In seven games, the score is best of four to three!

The Great Yu Kingdom won!

Regardless of the initial optimism of the Great Yan Kingdom, the meticulousness of their plans, or the bias of the host—

In the end, the Great Yan Kingdom lost!