Chapter 251: Blind Eyes
On the Heavenly One Academy, within the Peach Blossom Forest, countless peach blossoms drifted down like a beautiful woman dancing.
The sound of a zither lingered, its lingering notes spreading into every corner like the fragrance of peach blossoms, calming the listener's heart and settling their qi.
In that elegant pavilion, a pair of handsome hands caressed the zither strings, composing a intoxicating melody.
Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the ground, like an obedient student, his eyes closed, quietly listening to the music.
At this moment, Lin Feng, with his eyes shut, breathed calmly and carried an aura of detachment, giving off a very marvelous feeling. There seemed to be someone there, yet also no one. Lin Feng appeared to merge with the air, both present and absent, in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man.
A straw cloak in misty rain, a life of misty rain!
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Lin Feng would never have imagined that this elegant man, the teacher who assessed their General Star System group, possessed such terrifying strength.
With a flick of the zither strings, killing left no trace, truly reducing everything to ashes with a snap of the fingers.
Lin Feng already respected him greatly, and coupled with the formidable strength of Misty Rain, Lin Feng held him in even greater awe.
After a long while, the music ended. Misty Rain raised his head, looking at Lin Feng, who still seemed to be in a state of slumber, a glint of appreciation for talent flashing in his eyes.
The realm of Unity of Heaven and Man was something one could only encounter by chance, not seek. Even he himself had not achieved it. Yet Lin Feng, who hadn't even stepped into the Mysterious Martial Realm, had already entered this state. It was both an opportunity and a matter of personal talent.
A moment later, Lin Feng opened his eyes, a faint, gentle smile appearing on his handsome face. His clean eyes held a hint of newfound understanding.
"Lin Feng, originally, your killing went against your true nature and affected your cultivation realm. That's why I suggested you listen and was willing to teach you to play, to help you learn to calm your heart and wash away the dust within. But now that you've entered the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, your comprehension surpasses even mine. You can completely think and realize things on your own, to comprehend nature and the heavens and earth. Even without my zither music, it won't hinder your future realm advancement."
Misty Rain spoke slowly. The realm of Unity of Heaven and Man was too difficult. Opening the door to this realm meant breaking through the shackles. Lin Feng's future cultivation would be smooth sailing, at least until he reached the Heavenly Martial Realm.
It wouldn't be like himself, who, after reaching the later stages of the Mysterious Martial Realm, found it extremely difficult to take even one step forward.
Misty Rain had seen many geniuses, but none had ever stepped into Unity of Heaven and Man like Lin Feng, not even those stronger than him.
"Teacher, I still want to learn the zither," Lin Feng said with a smile.
He felt an inexplicable fondness for the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, especially the zither—an instrument that could both calm the heart and kill.
"Alright, since you're willing to learn, I'm naturally willing to teach. Moreover, with your realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, you are very suited to cultivating the zither. Your future achievements will even surpass mine," Misty Rain said with a slight smile.
He had a very good impression of Lin Feng. Gifted with extraordinary talent yet humble, neither arrogant nor impatient, without arrogance but with pride, Lin Feng's talent also made him cherish him.
Being able to accept such an excellent disciple was a joyful thing, especially since his own achievements would encounter a bottleneck. He hoped to see his student surpass him in the art of the zither.
Reaching into his bosom, Misty Rain took out a few books. With a flick of his wrist, the books floated toward Lin Feng.
Lin Feng reached out and caught them, hearing Misty Rain say, "Lin Feng, to cultivate the zither, you must first listen. Now, you no longer need to do that. Next, you need to become familiar with the zither and understand it. These zither scores are simple, but they contain both zither melodies and zither killing techniques. Learn as much as you can. If you encounter something you don't understand, come and ask me."
"Alright," Lin Feng nodded slightly, putting away the zither scores. Then he took his leave, saying, "Teacher, I'll be going now."
"Mm, go ahead," Misty Rain nodded with a smile.
Lin Feng left without hesitation, not caring whether it might give Misty Rain the wrong impression that he was only taking benefits and leaving. With an open heart, he wouldn't have petty thoughts. On the contrary, Misty Rain appreciated Lin Feng even more for this—open and aboveboard, without pretense.
The news of Lin Feng's return to the Heavenly One Academy had already spread, and his deeds were being recounted by the academy's students.
Everyone knew that during the recent expedition, a stirring song had made people's blood boil, and that song came from Lin Feng's lips. On the battlefield, Lin Feng had indeed written his own glorious chapter.
Now, at the Heavenly One Academy, some were discussing Lin Feng's deeds, while others were speculating about his cultivation level.
The Heavenly One Academy had a total of four cultivation towers, three of which were located within the fortresses of the academy's three major departments.
The last one stood in the central martial arts arena of the academy, towering into the sky, majestic and imposing.
This fourth cultivation tower had the richest underground qi veins, making it the most suitable for cultivation. Moreover, anyone could freely enter the tower to cultivate, provided they had enough strength to claim a cultivation room.
At this moment, around the central martial arts arena, people were walking about, looking up at this towering cultivation tower, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Although they were members of the Heavenly One Academy, not everyone could enter it to cultivate. Many could only look on with envy.
Yunxi was a new student who had entered the academy this year, with a cultivation level of Spirit Martial Realm, Second Layer. At seventeen years old, this was already quite impressive, but within the Heavenly One Academy, it wasn't particularly outstanding.
"If only I could stand at the peak of the cultivation tower and cultivate there someday," Yunxi said, looking up at the top of the tower, her eyes filled with longing.
Unlike the other three cultivation towers, this one was equipped with a Reverse Origin Grand Formation, causing the qi to flow in reverse. The higher one went, the denser the heaven and earth qi became.
Moreover, this cultivation tower didn't require additional Origin Stones and was usually open. From below, one could see which floors had people cultivating and which were empty. When someone entered a cultivation room, the stone walls on all four sides would close, and the qi formation would activate. From the outside, people could see that the room was sealed at a glance.
Each floor had only one cultivation room.
This tower, which didn't belong to any department and stood in the center of the Heavenly One Academy, was called the Venerable Cultivation Tower, admired by countless people. Yunxi was just one of them. Around her, many others looked up at this Venerable Cultivation Tower, hoping that one day they could enter it, even reach the top.
"Yunxi, stop dreaming," a girl in blue beside her joked. "Unless you become the woman of one of those top figures and let them take you inside."
"That's right, Yunxi. Last time, Dugu Shang showed interest in you, didn't he? Why don't you just go along with him?" another girl chimed in, though her tone carried a hint of sarcasm, as if out of jealousy.
Dugu Shang was ranked fourth among the top ten disciples of the Heavenly One Academy, with extremely powerful cultivation.
A proud, aristocratic face appeared in her mind, and Yunxi shook her head, saying, "Compared to Dugu Shang, I prefer Lin Feng."
"Lin Feng," the girl in blue paused, a look of longing appearing in her eyes. "I've heard of him too. Last time, he challenged Black Demon in the academy and showed great strength. This time, he even made a great contribution, burning the city with flames. It's hard to imagine that the seemingly gentle young man could have such boldness. He's probably about the same age as us, right?"
"Mm, he was also enfeoffed as the Crimson Blood Marquis, granted a city as his territory. I heard he's already back at the academy," Yunxi said with a warm smile on her face.
That day, when Lin Feng challenged Black Demon, his unrestrained figure left an indelible memory in her mind. Young and reckless, proud and unmatched.
"Idiot," the sharp-tongued girl spat out coldly. "So what if Lin Feng was enfeoffed as a marquis? Fighting Black Demon to that extent, he's only at the Spirit Martial Realm, Fifth or Sixth Layer. Dugu Shang, the fourth-ranked disciple of the academy, recently broke through to the Spirit Martial Realm, Eighth Layer. The top cultivation room on the fourth floor belongs to him. How can Lin Feng compare? Besides, Dugu Shang has the Dugu Clan behind him, with immense power."
"Yunxi, even if you could be Dugu Shang's woman for one night, that would be quite a blessing. You might even receive great favor."
"If you want to be his woman for one night, go ahead," Yunxi frowned, looking displeased.
"Ungrateful. If Dugu Shang could take a liking to me, I wouldn't mind," the sharp-tongued girl sneered.
"Really?"
Just then, a teasing voice came from behind, startling the three girls. They turned around and saw the proud figure of a young man.
Dugu Shang!
At this moment, Dugu Shang's gaze fell on Yunxi, a mocking smile on his lips. "Lin Feng is nothing but a commoner. What qualifications does he have to compare with me? For you to fancy him, you must be blind."