This might be a discussion aimed at clarifying each other's doubts, but not all discussions led to conclusive outcomes.
In the end, Lu Zhiying could only sit there unhappily while quietly listening in to the rest of the discussion, reluctantly accepting the fact that her own question would be going unanswered.
But that could not be helped as well.
Nobody here knew the answer to her question, and neither did they really contemplate about such a matter.
After all, they were more focused on exploring and understanding the various cultivation paths.
So what if it was really as Lu Zhiying had said, that there were more than two people out there with essence energy that shared the same attributes?
How would that affect them in any way?
It was not as though they could go hunt down the person who shared the same attributes as them and rob them of their essence energy!
Even if they wanted to, how would they know where to find such a person in the first place?
And apart from Lu Zhiying, the rest of the group were all at different stages of the Essence Gathering realm.
Because of that, they had a far deeper appreciation towards the topic of the earlier cultivation lecture – essence energy – and were extremely interested in deciphering the words of the elder from earlier.
However, Lu Zhiying was not simply idling away while the others dived deep into discussion either.
She understood just how important the thoughts and experiences of her seniors were, and tried to remember as much of what they said as she could.
The conversation slowly shifted from the initial topic of essence energy to martial techniques, then to other major aspects of cultivation.
As they continued to share their thoughts and opinions with one another, the group seemed to have completely forgotten about the passing of time.
Just like that, hours had flown past by the time the discussion finally came to an end.
"That's basically it then. I will go ask around and see if others have figured out the answers to our questions," Zhao Yunxiao said. "I will let you guys know if I hear anything useful."
"What a lecture! There is so much content to think about!" Bo Fei whined. "If only I am like Senior Martial Brother Han Xing. All these problems will probably just decipher themselves the moment I hear them!"
"Stop daydreaming," Gu Qiansi laughed. "Now is your chance though. If you are feeling stressed out, go ahead and scream to your heart's delight."
"Are you kidding? Why would I do something like that and risk hurting my vocal cords?" Bo Fei shrugged. "Are you trying to take my part as well?"
"Who cares about your part?" Gu Qiansi snorted. "And what kind of cultivator are you if your vocal cords get hurt this easily?"
"Not like either of you are the stars anyway," Zhao Yunxiao said with a smirk while pulling a flute out of his bamboo backpack.
"Who is then? Certainly not you," Gu Qiansi rolled her eyes.
"Are you looking for a fight, Gu Qiansi?" Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes back at her.
"I'm ready!" Huang An said in her usual tone that did not sound excited despite her excitement.
While the rest were busy bickering, Huang An had managed to set up a zither and settled down behind it comfortably.
"What's going on?" Lu Zhiying asked in confusion.
They were busy discussing about the cultivation lecture one minute ago, and now there was suddenly a flute and a zither?
And what was this about vocal cords?
"Oh I forgot to mention this to you just now," Gu Qiansi turned towards Lu Zhiying apologetically. "We are not just here to discuss about the cultivation lecture. In addition to that, we are also here to practise for our upcoming performance."
"A performance? As in a music performance?" Lu Zhiying was genuinely surprised.
She had followed her seniors around for a few days now, and had not seen them touch a musical instrument once.
If not because the musical instruments were already out, Lu Zhiying would have been hesitant to believe those words.
"That's right," Zhao Yunxiao nodded while carelessly wiping the flute in his hands. "Do you know the famous Sentient Light Performance Group that is taking the Duyuan Empire by storm? You can say that we are the upcoming Sentient Light Performance Group, also known as the Flying Shell Performance Group!"
"Flying Shell Performance Group?" Lu Zhiying frowned. "Who came up with the name?"
"See? See that reaction? I told you that the name is bad! Now we are stuck with this horrible name!" Bo Fei complained. "I knew we should have gone with World Best Performance Group!"
"That's even worse, Senior Martial Brother Bo..." Huang An commented timidly.
"Don't listen to Junior Martial Sister Lu's nonsense, her preferences are strange after all. The name we have is fine," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged.
"It hurts that I actually can't argue with that either," Bo Fei gritted his teeth bitterly.
"Hey! That's not nice!" Lu Zhiying retorted. "And I didn't even say anything bad about the name in the first place!"
"All right, all right," Gu Qiansi tried to calm everyone down. "Anyway, we will be practising for our performance during the upcoming New Year celebration. Do you want to stay and watch, Junior Martial Sister Lu? Otherwise, feel free to return first if you have something else to do."
"No, I'd love to watch!" Lu Zhiying quickly shook her head.
"Actually, do you know how to play any instruments?" Zhao Yunxiao asked. "If you do, you can try playing along with us for fun?"
"I don't, but I can learn!"
"Sure, you can go back to your residence and slowly learn all you want," Zhao Yunxiao said dismissively. "Since you have nothing else to do, you can just dance along with the music or something instead as long as you don't disturb us."
"Bleah!" Lu Zhiying stuck her tongue out in protest, while Gu Qiansi glared at Zhao Yunxiao disapprovingly.
"All right then," Bo Fei said. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yes!" Huang An answered in her usual enthusiastic manner.
"Ready," Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi answered in unison.
"Good. Let's start."
Huang An's fingers moved without hesitation after Bo Fei gave the cue to start, and Lu Zhiying's eyes immediately widened in amazement.
Along with the first strum of the zither strings, Huang An's temperament seemed to have transformed all of a sudden.
Each movement of her hands was light and graceful, as though they were dancing atop the zither in a manner that was worthy of a performance on its own. Her slender fingers plucked at the zither strings with delicate precision, giving off an aura of seemingly unhurried mannerism, one contrary to the actual speed at which the fingers moved.
The beautiful melody of a zither instantly filled the quiet clearing in the woods.
Grace and power.
These two seemingly opposite aspects fused together as one in the form of music, and yet it was orderly and without chaos, adding to the tranquility of their surroundings rather than disrupting it.
It was a though the zither was painting a picture with tunes, creating a scene of serenity that was free from the shackles of the secular world.
Zhao Yunxiao secretly glanced over at the awed Lu Zhiying and let out a triumphant smile, then slowly put his flute to his lips.
Next, the lively and bright sound of the flute filled the air.
The introduction of the new instrument did not impact the zither tunes, or at least not negatively by any measure.
In fact, it was the complete opposite.
It felt as though the rich sound of the flute was injecting life into the existing zither melody, transforming it by turning up the aspect of brightness.
Spring seemed to have arrived early, chasing away the bitter cold of winter.
Grace and power of the zither, now coupled with the liveliness and brightness of the flute.
They complemented each other perfectly, as though they were one and the same to begin with.
If the zither tunes had painted a scene of serenity earlier, the flute served to create endearing elements of life upon this land of peace, completing the cycle of heaven and earth within.
Under the effect of the zither and flute, anyone would feel calm and relaxed, yet at the same time full of vigour and all ready to strive for life.
Contradictory but co-existing feelings.
Different instruments but sounding like they shared the same origins.
It was a wondrous sensation that caught Lu Zhiying completely by surprise.
The melody itself might not be far beyond the best of those performed in the mortal world, but the feelings conveyed through the music were on a whole other level.
No mortal musician was capable of such a feat, that she was sure about.
Lu Zhiying could not help but turn her head towards Bo Fei and Gu Qiansi in anticipation.
Bo Fei mentioned protecting his vocal cords earlier, while insinuating that Gu Qiansi wanted to steal his part.
That could only mean one thing.
Just as she had expected, unlike Zhao Yunxiao and Huang An, Bo Fei and Gu Qiansi did not have instruments in their hands.
Instead, Bo Fei slowly opened his mouth.
Unlike his usual careless self, Bo Fei felt like a completely different person the moment he opened his mouth to sing.
His voice was already masculine to begin with, but it now carried an additional sense of strength and power within.
It fitted perfectly with the liveliness of the flute, creating a harmony that could cause the hearts of others to palpitate in excitement.
Like a tidal wave crashing against the shore again and again, bringing with it the riches of the sea.
Like an army of ten thousand charging forward through the lands, seeking to vanquish all evil that dared arise in this peaceful land.
Just as Bo Fei's powerful voice was bringing the song to a new high, a feminine touch smoothly entered the mix.
Bo Fei's voice might be powerful and inspiring, but Gu Qiansi's was simply enchanting.
Her sweet voice provided a softness that instantly filled up a void that did not even seem to be there in the beginning, yet appeared to be ever so obvious the moment it was filled.
The army of ten thousand no longer rampaged wantonly across the land. Instead, they took in their surroundings and became one with nature, as though they had always been an extension of the land itself.
They no longer disrupted the serenity of the lands, but added to it instead.
They no longer caused the numerous lives of the lands to scatter in fear, but moved along with them instead.
The cycle of heaven and earth within this land of serenity was elevated to the next level, turning it into a mystic realm of wonders.
If there really existed a mystic realm like this, it would probably be sought after even by those who hailed from the great factions of this world!
Just like that, the four members of the Flying Shell Performance Group showcased their song to the completely unprepared newbie.
Faced with such a magical scene, Lu Zhiying could hear her heart beating hard from pure excitement and awe.
So this was the music of cultivators!
In her heart, Lu Zhiying could not help but wonder.
Now that she had joined the Black Tortoise Sect and became a cultivator in her own right, would it be possible for her to do the same?