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"Tongxue."
Feng Xiao was about to step into the dining hall when a low call suddenly came from behind him. He slowed his steps and turned around, only to see a middle-aged man with a crew cut looking at him. The man had his hands clasped behind his back, with a hint of decadence and melancholy in his brows, and the little tail following him was none other than Tang San, whom he had seen that morning.
Feng Xiao raised an eyebrow in feigned confusion: "Are you calling me?"
Yu Xiaogang's body seemed not to have fully recovered yet, as he walked slowly towards Feng Xiao. Tang San seized the opportunity to introduce, "We met this morning. This is my teacher."
"You can call me Grandmaster." Yu Xiaogang's voice was very soft, yet it carried a particularly distinct pride. His slightly sickly eyes gleamed with a strong desire for knowledge.
Feng Xiao bowed politely, a perfectly appropriate smile on his lips: "My name is Feng Xiao." His gaze subtly shifted between the two, noticing that while Tang San stood respectfully to the side, his eyes on Feng Xiao were always filled with curiosity.
Yu Xiaogang's slightly stiff face managed a faint smile, his voice low and gentle: "Feng Yao, I wonder if we could have a chat?"
A hint of doubt flashed in Feng Xiao's eyes, and after a slight hesitation, he nodded: "Of course."
"Let's go," Yu Xiaogang said softly, then walked into the dining hall with his hands behind his back. Tang San naturally followed his teacher's steps, not forgetting to look back at Feng Xiao before leaving.
Feng Xiao frowned slightly, looking at Yu Xiaogang's deliberately profound back, a hint of disdain curving his lips. More than thirty years of experience in his previous life allowed him to see through such posturing at a glance, but he was not a child.
The chatter inside the dining hall gradually became clearer. Feng Xiao slowly followed behind, his gaze sweeping over the students who were eating. The food on the first floor was simpler, mostly for work-study students, while the aroma of more sumptuous dishes faintly wafted from the second floor.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang had slowly ascended the stairs, preparing to go to the second floor. Tang San hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Teacher, maybe I shouldn't go up?"
Yu Xiaogang looked back at Tang San and said gently, "Come up together; listening will also benefit you."
The three arrived on the second floor, and Yu Xiaogang chose a quiet corner by the window to sit down. Tang San skillfully poured a cup of hot tea for his teacher. The tea aroma wafted up, forming a mist under the light.
"I also like to drink tea," Yu Xiaogang took a light sip, his gaze passing through the tea mist to Feng Xiao, "I have heard a little about Feng Yao's name as well."
Feng Xiao humbly waved his hand: "Just an empty reputation, merely a means of livelihood."
"Feng Yao," Yu Xiaogang put down his teacup, a glint flashing in his eyes, "Have you thought about what kind of spirit ring your Spirit should choose?"
Feng Xiao smiled slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "This junior comes from a common background, so the spirit ring still depends on luck."
Yu Xiaogang picked up his teacup and carefully observed Feng Xiao: "If you are willing, I can teach you how to cultivate your Spirit." Yu Xiaogang tried to make his voice sound more approachable.
Feng Xiao looked at Yu Xiaogang with a hint of surprise, a subtle disdain flashing deep in his eyes, and asked calmly, "I wonder what type of Spirit Master Grandmaster believes I should develop into?"
Yu Xiaogang confidently picked up his teacup and slowly articulated his prepared speech: "Neither zither sounds nor zither melodies are suitable for direct combat. Although zither melodies do possess the ability to influence emotions and have some room for control system development, a complete melody takes too long and is simply impractical in the rapidly changing battles. The most suitable is the support system; your abilities can be maximized when you are protected by teammates in a team."
Tang San, who was standing by, nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.
A hint of understanding flashed in Feng Xiao's eyes. Connecting it with their previous encounter, he could confirm that his zither melody must have had some special effect on Tang San. And Yu Xiaogang's current purpose was also very clear: he hoped Feng Xiao would take the support system path to help Tang San grow better.
Feng Xiao gently shook his head, a movement that brought obvious surprise to Yu Xiaogang's stiff face: "Feng Yao has a different opinion?"
"Zither sounds are not necessarily unable to take the attack system route," Feng Xiao looked directly into Yu Xiaogang's eyes, "Often, invisible power is the most fatal."
"Naive…" Yu Xiaogang scoffed inwardly, but maintained his patience on the surface: "Feng Yao, you are right. But you overlooked a key point—no matter what Spirit, to exert powerful might, it must have abundant spirit power support, and you do not possess this condition."
Feng Xiao smiled indifferently: "Perhaps you are right, my innate spirit power is only at rank four, but friends will not accompany me throughout my life, nor do I wish to rely on others my entire life. I still hope to possess the power to protect myself, no matter how great or small."
Yu Xiaogang fell silent upon hearing this. He had wanted to directly rebuke Feng Xiao for being delusional—with mere innate rank four spirit power, what right did he have to talk about controlling his own destiny? But the words, once at his lips, simply could not be uttered.
Approaching fifty, had he not persevered to this day precisely because of this stubbornness? If he were to deny this young man before him, wouldn't it be tantamount to denying himself, who had been struggling against fate for half a lifetime?
Seeing Yu Xiaogang remain silent, Feng Xiao chuckled: "If Grandmaster is interested in this junior's zither skills, you can visit the teahouse to show your support. I play there every afternoon during the siesta."
Yu Xiaogang slowly stood up, his perpetually stiff face showing no emotional fluctuations. He turned and left in silence.
"Teacher!" Tang San quickly stood up, looking at Feng Xiao with a hint of apology: "I'm truly sorry, Feng Yao."
Feng Xiao smiled calmly: "It's fine, a gentleman agrees to differ." He picked up his teacup and took a light sip, his gaze as calm as water.
Tang San hastily chased after him, leaving Feng Xiao sitting alone. Looking at the receding figures of the teacher and disciple, Feng Xiao shook his head and chuckled, a thoughtful expression flashing in his eyes.
At this moment, the waiter brought the meticulously prepared dishes one by one. Feng Xiao did not stand on ceremony, picking up his bamboo chopsticks and slowly savoring the meal.
"Hmm, the taste is good, but it's still a bit worse than Manager Ning's teahouse food," Feng Xiao commented with a light chuckle.
After a hearty meal, Feng Xiao strolled along the tree-lined paths of Notting Academy. Dusk was settling, and the early spring evening breeze still carried a hint of chill, yet it couldn't disperse the thoughts lingering in his mind.
Yu Xiaogang's words just now, though carrying some of the dogmatism typical of a theoretical Grandmaster, were not entirely without merit. Feng Xiao knew very well that there were indeed errors in this "Grandmaster's" many theories, and even suspicions of plagiarism. But on a case-by-case basis, regarding the development direction of the zither Spirit, the other party's analysis indeed hit the nail on the head.
"attack system," Feng Xiao murmured softly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing lines in the air, as if plucking invisible zither strings. If he were to choose this path, the primary issue to resolve would be the fatal flaw of insufficient spirit power. The advantage of zither sound attacks lay in their swiftness and intangibility, but the nature of sound waves dictated that they would attenuate with distance and obstacles. To cause substantial damage, he must possess spirit power reserves far exceeding those of Spirit Masters of the same rank.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Feng Xiao stopped, looking up at the starry sky. A bold idea gradually became clear in his mind—to draw inspiration from the Spirit Master concepts of ten thousand years later and develop all spirit rings towards the direction of extreme spirit power amplification. This would not only provide much greater spirit power than Spirit Masters of the same rank, but such an extremely singular path could even compensate for his innate spirit power deficiency to a certain extent.
"It's just…" Feng Xiao frowned slightly. This plan had an obvious drawback—all spirit ring slots would be occupied by spirit power amplification, meaning he would have to create all his attack methods himself. This was like holding a peerless zither but having to compose all the musical scores himself, equally difficult.
"Let's give it a try. With my current rank four spirit power, even if I'm just a child, I should be able to make some impact," Feng Xiao murmured softly, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.
Upon returning to his dormitory, he immediately sat cross-legged on his bed and summoned his Spirit, "Fuxi." His slender fingers gently stroked the zither strings, and as spirit power was infused, the zither body emitted a faint blue glow.
"Clang!" A crisp high note echoed in the room. Feng Xiao suddenly felt an inexplicable excitement surge within him, and his eyes lit up: "High notes have small amplitude but high frequency. The soundboard is light and can vibrate quickly, producing delicate sounds. With spirit power added, high-frequency sound waves can stimulate the nervous system, producing an excitatory effect…"
But soon he frowned again: "Unfortunately, the single note duration is too short, impractical in actual combat. So… what about low notes?"
Thinking of this, Feng Xiao suddenly increased his spirit power output. "Boom——" A dull low note suddenly exploded, shaking the air throughout the room. Due to the close proximity, the strong sound wave backlash instantly made Feng Xiao dizzy, his chest tight, and he almost fell off the bed.
"Cough, cough, cough…" He held his forehead and recovered for a while, but his eyes gleamed with excitement: "Low notes have large amplitude and low frequency, which can drive more air to vibrate. Strong low frequencies can not only cause dizziness, but if the spirit power is sufficient, they can even shatter the eardrum and affect internal organs…"
Feng Xiao gazed at the Seven Stringed Zither in his hand, and an unprecedented idea gradually became clear in his mind: "If I can precisely control the combined use of high and low notes… adjusting to changes in distance and environment, and letting different targets hear different melodies, I might become the first truly versatile Spirit Master in Douluo Continent history." His fingertips gently caressed the zither strings, spirit power flowing in like a trickle, the zither sound flowing between high and low notes, like a stream under the moonlight, sometimes turbulent, sometimes gentle.
"Able to amplify allies, and selectively control or attack enemies, even induce melodic resonance…" Feng Xiao's eyes sparkled with wisdom, "The essence of sound is energy, and the subtlety of energy control will determine the heights I can reach."
He slowly lay down, his hand unconsciously rubbing his still somewhat tight chest. Suddenly, he paused, his gaze falling on his chest.
"High notes affect the nervous system, low notes can resonate with internal organs… So, can zither sounds be used to temper oneself?" This thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Memories from his previous life surged like a tide—the ancient zither's five notes corresponded to the five internal organs. The Jiao note connected to the liver, the Zhi note to the heart, the Gong note to the spleen, the Shang note to the lungs, and the Yu note to the kidneys. The ancients could even use melodies to regulate the body, treat illnesses, and heal injuries.
"Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill is about circulating spirit power to open up meridians… And the invisible power of melody, perhaps it can achieve even higher efficiency?" Feng Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up, like the brightest stars in the night sky.
He abruptly sat up, summoned "Fuxi," and gently plucked a zither string. "Buzz——" A deep sound wave echoed in the room. This time, he did not use spirit power, but the rich bass still created a peculiar resonance in his chest, as if his internal organs were subtly vibrating with the sound wave.
Feng Xiao held his breath, feeling the subtle changes within his body. Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on his focused face. At this moment, he seemed to have touched upon a cultivation method beyond his era, a unique path that belonged only to him.
Feng Xiao's slender fingers moved continuously across the zither strings, like a precise tuner, searching for the melody that could perfectly resonate with his body. As a zither player with profound musical attainment, his keen musical sense quickly captured that subtle balance point—when the zither sound and the vibration frequency of his internal organs achieved harmonious resonance, a peculiar warm current began to flow through his meridians.
At this moment, Feng Xiao's cultivation system formed a perfect closed loop: when playing, spirit power, like a trickling stream, tempered the Spirit "Fuxi"; and the special vibrations produced by the zither sound, in turn, tempered his body. This bidirectional strengthening process continued until spirit power was exhausted, then naturally transitioned into a meditation state for recovery.
This unique cultivation method was filled with the crystallization of Feng Xiao's personal wisdom. It was built upon the mysterious relationship between music and human body resonance, requiring precise control over the intensity, frequency, and duration of each note. Like a tailor-made garment, only Feng Xiao himself could perfectly master every detail within it—from breathing rhythm to finger strength, from spirit power output to melody selection. This highly personalized cultivation method was destined not to be widely spread like meditation or Mysterious Heaven Skill, but it was precisely the most suitable path for Feng Xiao's growth.
When the last wisp of spirit power was exhausted, Feng Xiao slowly opened his eyes, a look of lingering satisfaction on his face. He gently stroked the zither strings, feeling the subtle vibrations from his fingertips, as if he could still hear the mysterious resonance echoing within his body.
Without a moment's hesitation, Feng Xiao withdrew "Fuxi" into his body. As the Spirit dissipated, the lingering resonance of the zither sound seemed to still remain in the room. He sat cross-legged, his hands naturally resting on his knees, and slowly closed his eyes. His breathing gradually became long and even, each inhalation and exhalation seemingly in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth. In his mind, he sketched the image of Fuxi.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Feng Xiao felt that after the melodic tempering just now, his body's affinity for the energy of heaven and earth seemed to have increased slightly. This subtle change made a faint curve unconsciously appear on his lips, but it quickly returned to calm as he fully immersed himself in meditation.
Outside the window, the night wind gently rustled the treetops, making a rustling sound, as if playing a lullaby for this unique young man.