Everyone in the Banquet Hall now wept tears of disillusionment and revelation as their lives slowly repeated before their eyes.
Court officials saw themselves when they were innocent toddlers; when they were young men who had ambition and charisma still intact in themselves; until they realized some things were not achieved with effort alone, so they grew up into the person they were now, all sitting atop their chairs of power, deceiving just for that position above thousands.
Some suddenly felt tired. They wondered to themselves if what they'd been fighting for all these years was worth it anymore; they had sacrificed their daughters and sons for diplomatic marriages, they had married concubines they resented just for power, and some of them couldn't even marry who they loved because of gaps in social standing.
Everyone's souls were being washed and cleansed, and some people's Chi classes even leveled up under the effects of the Guqin and flute melody.
If Ling Yue had looked like a demon straight out of Hell moments ago, plaWung her " Song of Souls ", she now looked so gentle, like a deity descending from the depths of the nine heavenly palaces.
Ling Yue couldn't help but relax.
Surprisingly, she found out that her " Song of Souls " was leveling up. It had stopped growing in her past life, ever since she reached the song's peak mastery.
The song stayed the same, yet it has also changed. A deeper level of understanding was bestowed upon her.
This person...
Their melodies were so perfect together it seemed like they have been plaWung the Guqin and the flute together since they were born.
The song stopped, but the melody never faded from everyone's ears.
Such a ride they could never forget; from the depths of Hell to the gates of Heaven's revelation...
Some martial artists close to leveling up directly sat down on the spot and meditated; the song had brought everyone present some level of understanding into their inner souls, that sight so beneficial to one's martial arts path that it helped Chi absorption greatly.
"My Gods! What- what was that?!" A Clan Master gasped as he exited his daze.
"I can't believe it! I've been stuck at Higher Yellow Class Chi for half a year, yet this song's just leveled me up to Lower Green Class!"
"It was like the song came from the heavens, so majestic...!"
"....Who was that flute player? Since when did someone so talented show up at the capital ..."
"Ling Yue, who said she was an Imbecile?! She's so much better at the Guqin than Aina!"
"If she's an Imbecile, who am I then!"
"..."
Cheers and claps rang out like thunder around Ling Yue as she stood up.
She hid her emotions from her face, but inside, she was glad. From tonight onwards, the capital had one less Imbecile. She was her father's shame no more.
Ling Yue turned and stared at the Banquet Hall's entrance.
The flute, it came from this direction, behind her.
Who was it that played such a beautiful song...? It calmed even the "Song of Souls" and was powerful enough to change it.
She wanted to meet this person.
She had never met someone with such high musical talents before. As far as she knew, in her previous life, she was the only master of the "Song of Souls".
She felt like she had met a friend, her kinsman, someone who knew what she had went through to reach this level of soul energy.
Soft clouds flooded the entrance of the Banquet Hall.
A fleeting fragrance of cherry blossoms swept through the air, comforting everyone's senses.
Cherry blossom petals formed mid-air and rained down from the sky like pink raindrops. A flower-paved way stopped at Ling Yue's feet.
"Clouds—clouds and cherry blossoms.... It's – It's the Reagent Lord!!!"
"Reagent Lord?! Is it him, Reagent Lord of the Great Wu Empire?!"
"How can he come to such a small empire like ours...."
"Did I really just hear the Reagent Lord's legendary flute? I can die happily right now!..."
The Ladies' screeches and swoons filled Ling Yue's ears as she blinked, trying to wrack her brain for more information.
Another big figure of the continent...?
Reagent Lord of the Great Wu Empire, Zhou Wu.
Another member of the Four War Gods, reaching Violet Class Chi at the young age of twenty-four, the unnamed ruler of the Great Wu Empire!
He turned the small Wu Empire into one of the three Great Empires in just six years.
If it wasn't for his omniscient leadership, the Wu Empire would've been long lost to internal and external conflicts.
He now reigned behind the curtains as Reagent Lord on behalf of his little brother the Wu Emperor, who was only twelve years old.
A white figure stepped down from the clouds as cherry blossoms swirled around him, lifting up his snowy hanfu sleeves.
Ling Yue's mouth twitched slightly, her nose tingling as if ready for a nosebleed.
What was wrong with this Banquet!
All these godly men were present.
Since when did this humble Lunar Empire become the gathering spot for the continent's big shots…
If Han Hei was the devil of Hell, Zhou Wu would be the ethereal, white-winged angel from Heaven. He was Han Hei's exact opposite, from the way he dressed to his aura.
He had a gentle smile always present on his face; everywhere he went, everyone would unconsciously relax.
He made people feel like bathing under gentle sunlight; he was as fresh and comforting as a spring day's soft breeze.
People voluntarily followed him reverently, kneeling at his hanfu's hem and confessing to him their deepest sins...
His eyes found Ling Yue's, his irises the color of melted glacial ice, translucent and gentle like a spring day's sky.
He smiled warmly as he stopped in front of her. He was much taller than her, with Ling Yue's head only up to his collar.
Soft scents of cherry blossoms caressed Ling Yue's senses, enchanting her.
Zhou Wu's voice was melodious and idyllic, like a thousand year's old wine, a bit sweet, a bit bitter, making his listener slightly drunk with its melody.
"I didn't expect to hear such a song coming from this small Empire." He laughed softly, his head tilting to catch her gaze. "I'm Zhou Wu."
Those eyes, so blue, searched hers as he waited for her answer.
"Ling Yue," she inhaled and responded, her voice calm, not betraying the bewilderment she felt underneath.
She couldn't believe it; she was feeling faint because of a man!
Well, undoubtedly, he's ethereally good-looking, but still...
"Zhou Wu, to think such a busy person like you would show up here." A satirical cold voice came from behind Ling Yue.
Han Hei.
Han Hei's intimidating presence loomed over everyone else's, but Zhou Wu was not one bit inferior. He was strangely powerful in his gentle way.
Perhaps underneath that warm smile was a someone as decisive and merciless as Han Hei's; if not, Zhou Wu couldn't have saved the crumbling Wu Empire years ago and become the current War God.
"Greetings, fellow War God." Zhou Wu calmly said, his smile never faltering at the sight of Han Hei. "I see that the Lunar Empire has also caught your attention."
Ling Yue suddenly felt great pressure.
The atmosphere between these two godly figures was tense to the point of crackling electricity! ∑(O_O;)