High Mountains and Flowing Waters: The Way to Break the Deadlock

The sound of the zither flowed.

The overcast clouds that had blotted out the sky slowly dispersed, revealing a clear, azure expanse.

On the dueling platform, the severed invisible strings of the zither were reattached by Ning Que. Ever since he sat cross-legged on the ground, an ethereal and elusive aura had enveloped the space around him, making it seem distant and untouchable.

The surroundings quickly fell silent.

"This move wasn’t meant for Jiang Yu and Sikong Liang, was it? Though his playing isn’t quite there yet."

Ning Jue pursed her lips, critiquing her elder brother’s zither skills.

The disciples of Penglai, however, wore expressions of utter acceptance, with none daring to refute.

Suddenly, she felt a slight nibbling sensation at her feet. Glancing down, she saw a rabbit with a tuft of grass sprouting from its head.

Not far away, Jiang Chulong had been searching around before finally dashing over to scoop up the rabbit.

"Sorry about that... it... it might be hungry... I’ll give you my shoes."

"..."

A delicate pink toe peeked out from the front of Ning Jue’s silk boots, wiggling slightly in the cool air.

"No need. What’s that thing on your eyes?"

"Sunglasses. Big Brother Li gave them to me... but I can’t give them to you..."

"What a strange name."

"Big Brother Li made them, so they’re called sunglasses."

Jiang Chulong adjusted the sunglasses, her gaze shifting to the platform as she frowned slightly.

"That zither music seems really tricky..."

"Of course. This piece is called High Mountains and Flowing Water, a score engraved on the Qinghai Legacy Zither. It’s no less formidable than divine techniques."

......

On the platform.

"High Mountains and Flowing Water—where in the world can one find a true confidant? I wonder if Brother Li counts..."

Ning Que, struggling to maintain his composure despite his lisp, soon realized it was a lost cause. He glanced at his own plump fingers plucking the strings and snorted.

"Clearly, Brother Li is no kindred spirit."

Zheng—

A tidal wave of zither notes erupted from him, surging outward in all directions.

This power far surpassed the level of a mere Spectator Deity.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that the melodies flowing from the Qinghai Legacy Zither had already woven an intangible, mystical inner realm.

The music echoed as if descending from towering peaks. Li Mo steadied his mind—he had no time to dismantle this profound artistic conception.

Because the flowing water after the mountains had already arrived.

Raising the Celestial Sword, he met the cascading notes. Yet the currents of sound struck from all directions, pulling, twisting, and dissolving his razor-sharp sword light into nothingness.

Li Mo’s body was battered by the chaotic currents, leaving him nauseous and on the verge of vomiting blood.

Staggering back several steps, he nearly lost his grip on the sword.

High Mountains and Flowing Water concealed lethal intent. Though his physique was formidable enough to avoid injury, his core energy was nearly immobilized, leaving him with less than a tenth of his usual strength.

It was as if he had suddenly plunged into a turbulent ocean, dragged deeper and deeper into the abyss...

"What kind of swordsman has a body this tough..."

Ning Que’s lips twitched.

But no matter how strong his physique, there had to be a limit.

"Brother Li, be careful. What you’ve faced so far was merely the prelude."

"Where thoughts linger, echoes follow—Threefold Resonance!"

........

Below the platform.

The spectators watched with varied expressions.

"This is the might of a divine weapon. Even a fifth-realm expert would suffer if caught off guard."

"Ning Que’s ranking must be underestimated. Then again, he hails from overseas and rarely engages in combat."

"After all, the Little Overlord isn’t primarily a swordsman. And since he’s only recently obtained the Celestial Sword, he can’t yet wield its full power."

Hearing the murmurs of astonishment from the Imperial Capital’s crowd, the Penglai disciples puffed out their chests, exuding an air of lofty elegance.

"If he doesn’t pull out his hammer, Li Mo probably can’t win. What a shame."

Ning Jue shook her head.

"You want Big Brother Li to win too?" Jiang Chulong asked, puzzled by her tone.

Ning Jue’s gaze remained fixed on Li Mo. "Because the Little Overlord feels familiar to me... like the protagonist from one of my picture books."

"The Domineering Empress Falls for Me?"

"How did you know?"

"Because Big Brother Li wrote that book. He sometimes tells me the story too—I’ve already heard parts that haven’t even been drawn yet." The little princess reminisced.

Ning Jue: "!"

After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly.

"Actually, your Big Brother Li isn’t completely without a chance. There are two ways to break the Qinghai Legacy Zither’s melody. The first is overwhelming force—a power a hundred times greater than the player’s."

"The second... Ning Que already mentioned it at the start."

Jiang Chulong asked nervously, "What is it?"

"A kindred spirit," Ning Jue replied with a smile.

Not far away.

"Brother Li doesn’t seem to have found a way to break free from High Mountains and Flowing Water."

Zhong Ling instinctively turned to Ying Bing.

Earlier, Ying Bing had already explained the two methods—identical to what Ning Jue had said.

The difference was...

"There’s one last way."

Ying Bing’s clear, luminous eyes rested on the young man’s wrist as she murmured,

"Though I wonder if he’ll remember..."

....

On the platform, the tidal waves of zither music grew fiercer.

Li Mo faintly grasped the solution.

High Mountains and Flowing Water required harmony.

Only those deeply versed in music could evade the sonic tides.

And only those who could match the melody’s rhythm, resonating with it in unison, could gradually dissolve its power.

A direct clash would only amplify its strength—unless one could surpass its limits.

"Using hammer techniques to wield the sword might break the sonic formation."

Little Li pondered as he swung his sword defensively.

Should he do it?

Really, right here, right now?

But if he were to counter with music, he had no instrument—and even if he did, he wouldn’t know how to play. He couldn’t even distinguish gong, shang, jue, zhi, or yu...

Ding-ling—

Something on his wrist struck the hilt, emitting a crisp, melodious chime.

"The Jade Feather Whistle?"

Li Mo’s eyes sharpened.

"My image as Penglai’s Star Child is probably ruined."

Ning Que felt he had already won—yet somehow, he’d also lost.

Looking up at his once-handsome face, now swollen like a pig’s head, two clear tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Little Overlord, I could lose to you a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be enough!!"

He prepared to accelerate the tempo and blast Li Mo off the platform.

There was no other choice. Heaven knew how Li Mo’s physique could be this absurd—he half-suspected Li Mo was one half of the legendary Flying Poison Twin-Turtle.

But then—

Wee~~

A clear, piercing whistle suddenly rang out.

The whistle’s tone was pleasant, yet the melody was bizarre.

If there were any time-travelers present, they’d probably have started singing—or even dancing—along by now.

"The vast horizon is my love... Beneath the rolling green mountains, flowers bloom..."

This tune shouldn’t have harmonized with High Mountains and Flowing Water.

But it was undeniably joyous.

The zither music faltered.

Ning Que leaned back slightly, utterly bewildered.

He recognized it—this was likely an instrument used by the Qingluan Clan when learning to speak, often given as a token of affection to one’s beloved.

And Ying Bing had once been nicknamed the Qingluan Goddess, proof of her time spent among them.

So this had to be a gift from her.