Chapte 92 Ye Wuhen

In the hall, there was a sudden and total hush. All the company eyed this previously unknown young man silently. Every disciple from every sect had to ingratiate themselves with Zhang Qinglian, yet this man had said something so indifferently and carelessly. He seemed to hold no respect for the Penglai Islanders.

Even Liu Yunzheng was a little surprised. He did not expect his most taciturn disciple to openly offend Zhang Qinglian before the crowd.

Zhang Qinglian smiled lightly. "Oh? This young friend must be that divine zither player? Well, well, heroes emerge from the young indeed."

Xiao Chen smiled lightly. "Perfected Immortal Zhang flatters me. I am simply lucky. How can I compete with those truly capable people from your sect?"

Penglai Island had always claimed to be the foremost Immortals' sect. They claimed that their disciples would not improve their cultivations through the use of external items, and mocked the Teal Jade Sect's absolute reliance on a divine Archean zither. Yet not every one of their disciples obeyed this rule. Hence, the evident sarcasm in Xiao Chen's words.

All at once, the atmosphere in the grand hall became even more tense. Liu Yunzheng had not expected Xiao Chen to provoke the Penglai Islanders now and again. He bellowed in a deep voice, "Han Chen, don't be rude."

"Oh, so this young junior from the Teal Jade Sect must be quite capable too?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out which sounded like a laugh, yet not. A man in white stood up beside Zhang Qinglian. He smiled quietly as well. "I am Ye Wuhen. I only managed to break into the Core Forming Realm last month through good luck. I am quite fond of melodies and music. I wonder if this junior brother could enlighten me?"

There was an immediate uproar from both in and outside the hall. It was certainly surprising that he had broken into the Core Forming Realm, and at such a young age too! He must surely be considered a supremely talented elite with a limitless future.

Zhang Qinglian pretended to speak in a low voice. "Wuhen, sit down right now! Must you act like some brat with poor breeding who doesn't know the etiquette?" Ye Wuhen gave a slight smile. "You are right, Master." And he sat down again.

Liu Fenghuang could tell that the man with poor breeding he had referred to was Xiao Chen. She was about to lose her cool when Liu Yunzheng gave her a glare, frightening her enough to calm her down.

At this moment, a loud cry arose from outside the hall. "The arrival of His Majesty... "

All the people rose to welcome him. It was none other than Yu Wenji, the Emperor of the Zhou State. Behind him was the Empress, followed by the Third Prince, Yu Wenmu. There was beside him a ravishing beauty, Princess Xuanyue.

Yu Wenji extended his hand toward the people from both sides of the hall and smiled. "Everyone here is a warrior of our great Zhou State. There's no need for ceremony. Sit down please! Sit down at once!"

The Empress and Princess Xuanyue nodded and smiled at the Sect Leaders from both sides. Only Yu Wenmu held his head up high, lifting his chest and looking conceited. He seemed not to notice anyone from the hall. Finally, when he strode over to his secondary seat at the head of the hall, he gave Zhang Qinglian and his chief disciple Ye Wuhen a smile and a nod.

Following that, Yu Wenji started to inquire after the health and the well-being of the people concerned. One could tell that he valued them very much. Although he could muster a million-men army, Violet Manor was quite different from the Human World. He could not rely on ordinary soldiers to ensure the prosperity of his country. It was all thanks to the support from these Immortals' sects that he could hold on to their state's Earth Spiritual Meridian. They even had a huge part to play in defending the state.

Finally, Yu Wenji's gaze landed on the Penglai Islanders. He smiled at Ye Wuhen. "I heard that Young Master Ye has long broken into the Core Forming Realm. That's something which deserves much congratulations. I also heard that Young Master Ye has peerless zither playing skills. Shall I beg you to play us a tune today?"

All eyes in and out of the hall gathered and rested on him. They have long heard about Ye Wuhen's unrivaled zither playing skills. His zither melodies could morph into Sword Qi and decapitate an enemy. However, none of them had ever seen that happen. A loud cheer rose from many among the crowd.

Ye Wuhen rose and smiled nonchalantly. "Thank you all for your indulgence. I suppose I don't have a choice now but to show my incompetence." With these words, he casually conjured up a Jade Zither in his hand. The body of the zither looked sleek and luscious, with elegant ornamentation. Its seven zither strings had immortal qi, making it difficult for anyone to fix his eyes on the instrument.

"This zither is named the Fuxi Zither. Legend has it that the zither was crafted by the Archean Emperor, Fuxi. The "civil" and "military" strings were procured from two savage dragons during the archean age... "

Xiao Chen could not help but sneered inwardly. That zither of yours is a piece of junk, Immortal grade at best. How dare you counterfeit my great Fuxi Zither!

From the lowest grade to the topmost, Jade Zithers were divided into Ordinary, Grand, Immortal, Divine... The Fuxi Zither belonged to the Primordial Supreme grade. There was only one such zither in the world.

Ye Wuhen spoke for a long time. Finally, he glanced at Liu Yunzheng, either intentionally or unintentionally. "Of course, my zither here cannot compare with Sect Leader Liu's divine Archean zither."

Xiao Chen snickered in his heart. Of course, you should know that very well. It can't be better than my Fuxi Zither!

Ye Wuhen ended his speech and sat down on the floor. He placed the Jade Zither between his legs and started plucking its strings with his fingertips. A few ethereal notes slowly floated into the air, and everyone felt their spirits invigorated. No one expected his melodies to have such an effect.

Gradually, the sound of the zither became less ethereal and more substantial. Ye Wuhen's hands began to pluck faster. The key changed from C Major to G Major, rising in pitch and becoming progressively more urgent. It resembled the noise of storming hooves and steely weapons. All present started to gaze at one another and nod. They were unstinting in their admiration.

Just at this moment, the zither melody suddenly changed, like a shift in the clouds and the wind. Two semi-substantial Immortal's Swords appeared overhead in the hall. Everyone's heart missed a beat, fearing that the swords might drop down upon their heads. Yet neither swords fell. They started clashing with each other in the air, flashing with lightning and sparks every now and then. The swords made incessant clangings...

When the music finally ended, everyone woke as if from a dream. Cheers broke out continuously from in and outside the hall. Ye Wuhen got up and smiled lightly. He did not return to his seat but headed in Xiao Chen's direction.

"I heard that Junior Brother Han can play the divine zither. I'm sure you are well versed in melodies and music too. Why don't we invite Junior Brother Han to play us a tune and open our eyes?"

Yu Wenji gathered his absolute concentration with a start. He glanced toward Xiao Chen. When he made Ye Wuhen play the zither, he was really trying to incite Xiao Chen to play. He wanted to know what Xiao Chen's true abilities were.

Liu Fenghuang remembered that Ye Wuhen had reached the Core Forming Realm and realized that her Junior Brother Han could never match the feat of conjuring up two Immortal's Swords, even if his zither playing skills were exceptional. Wasn't he trying to bully him? She rose and said, "If my Junior Brother Han were to play the divine zither, the entire hall would collapse! Are you willing to pay then?"

Liu Yunzheng glared at her. "Fenghuang, no nonsense from you!" Ye Wuhen smiled indifferently. "It doesn't matter. I shall lend my Jade Zither to Junior Brother Han."

Xiao Chen finally got up and replied nonchalantly, "I don't need to bother Senior Brother Ye. Naturally, I have prepared a Jade Zither myself." With these words, he walked to the center of the hall and started to take out the Nine-heaven Jade Pendant from the Divine Vessel.

The company watched them. One was a long renowned Heaven List cultivator. The other, an upstart who could play the divine zither. They all mumbled to themselves, "Well, we are in for a great show."

The Nine-heaven Jade Pendant was crafted out of heavy yin wood by Clan Chief Lei. Its entire body seemed dull and lackluster, not as sleek and magnificent-looking as Ye Wuhen's zither. It even had a faintly eerie appearance.

Ye Wuhen took a look at the almost comical Jade Zither and smiled. "I'm sure this zither has an exceptional provenance. Why don't Junior Brother Han enlighten us about its provenance and distinguishing features?"

Xiao Chen smiled nonchalantly. "My zither isn't made by any archean emperor and has no provenance. But it does have one distinguishing feature."

"Oh? Do tell us, Junior Brother Han. What feature can such a dark and somber zither have?"

Xiao Chen started to pluck its seven strings lightly and smiled indifferently. "My zither's distinguishing feature is that I, and only I alone, can play it. No matter how highly accomplished his cultivation is, another player will cut his finger if he tries to play it wilfully. It doesn't matter if he is in the Core Forming or Nascent Soul Realm."

An uproar erupted from in and outside the hall. They thought: well, maybe this was a divine Archean zither. Yet no one believed that this ordinary, quite ugly looking zither would be so selective about its player.

Xiao Chen continued smiling gently. "Why? Does Senior Brother Ye doubt my words? Well, you can have it to try and play." And he handed the Jade Zither over.

"Well, I do wish to try, really." Ye Wuhen smirked coldly and took the Jade Zither over in his hands.