Both teams' contestants had already gathered, facing each other at the center of the arena. What surprised Ye Yinzhu was that the Dark Demon Sect's team composition was the exact opposite of the Divine Music Department's, with the Divine Music Department hosting one male and four females, while the Dark Demon Sect was comprised of four males and one female. What was more astonishing was that this female student turned out to be their team leader. Judging by the badge on her uniform, she was a first-year new student.
"Dark Demon Sect first-year student, team leader, Yue Ming. Please choose the mode of competition," the female leader of the Dark Demon Sect said tersely. Her long dark blue hair fell loosely over her back, and her black magic robe made her seem even more forbidding. Her normally enchanting large eyes, however, emitted a lifeless, deathly light. She appeared utterly cold, devoid of any sign of life.
"Divine Music Department first-year student, team leader, Ye Yinzhu. Group Battle." Ye Yinzhu's response was just as succinct, and the girl before him named Yue Ming had already triggered a strong sense of vigilance within him. He thought to himself that the Milan Magic Martial Academy indeed deserved to be the Continent's number one academy. To think that a mere first-year student could be so outstanding. This Dark Demon Sect was clearly not comparable to the water attribute sector they had faced in the morning.
A student from the Dark Demon Sect snorted disdainfully, "Does your Divine Music Department also need to bring a table to the battlefield?"
Xueling, standing behind Ye Yinzhu, retorted sharply, "Have you ever seen a Divine Music Master on the battlefield? Win against us before you get cocky."
Ye Yinzhu and Yue Ming nodded at each other, leading their respective department members to retreat simultaneously. The Defense Cover for the Fourth Training Ground was activated, and at the referee's signal, the match began.
In the stands, Nina and the head of the Dark Demon Sect were present. Unlike Wagner, although the head of the Dark Demon Sect was also an old man, he was very cold, not having said a single word from his appearance to the start of the match. Perhaps it was the victory of the Divine Music Department that had piqued his interest. Principal Ferguson once again showed up in the stands.
"Yue Ming is getting more and more outstanding. I wonder how long the Divine Music Department can hold on today." Even he would not favor the Divine Music Department. Yue Ming was the granddaughter of an old friend of his, and he was very aware of her strength.
As soon as the referee announced the start, ten deathly quiet red-rank spheres of light had already materialized in midair, shooting toward the five members of the Divine Music Department. Yellow light flickered; all five students from the Dark Demon Sect turned out to be Yellow-rank mages. The leader, Yue Ming, even emanated the dark yellow glow that signified the Yellow-rank Advanced rank.
The instantaneous casting of Dark Sphere had already prompted an exclamation from the students watching around the training field.
"Leave everything to me," Ye Yinzhu said calmly, as the teardrop-shaped gem on his left hand shimmered. Haiyue Qinhui had already appeared on the table in front of him. Facing the pressure from Yue Ming, Ye Yinzhu was now filled with strong fighting spirit.
Seated in front of the Zither, Ye Yinzhu seemed to transform into a different person; his hands moved with grace and ease over the strings. At this moment, his heart resonated wonderfully with the Haiyue Qinhui Zither.
As the ten Dark Spheres were coming from nowhere, Ye Yinzhu did not initiate the Moon God's Protection. A pluck on the Zither strings with his right hand followed by a deep and sonorous hum reverberated. The five opposing students from the Dark Demon Sect were all shaken, their incantations for casting Magic abruptly and forcefully interrupted.
On the stands, Nina abruptly rose from her seat, staring in shock at Ye Yinzhu in the training ground. An Explosive Reverberate, could it be Explosive Reverberate? Otherwise, how was it possible to interrupt the opponent's spell before the zither's melody had even started? But no matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to have reached a Green rank in magical proficiency!
Without activating the Moon God's Protection, amidst that deep, humming sound, a distant and profound melody from the zither had already started playing. A light blade mixed with yellow and red light rose straight from Ye Yinzhu's zither strings, enveloped by the zither music. The Sound Blade formed a strange arc, as if it had eyes, and it just so happened to wipe out all ten Dark Spheres flying through the air without leaving a trace.
Nina stood out somewhat conspicuously as she suddenly rose in the stands, but in that moment, what was one person became two. The second person to stand up was none other than the Principal of the Milan Magic Martial Academy, the Zi rank Grand Spiritual Sorcerer, Ferguson.
"A union of Magic Martial arts," an astonished voice came from Ferguson. No one present had sharper senses than him, and he clearly felt that the Sound Blade emitted by Ye Yinzhu was not simply magic. The red was the spiritual magic power brought up by the zither's melody, while the yellow was pure Douqi! What astonished him the most was the perfect union between the zither's melody and Douqi, forming a specialized energy. The Dark Spheres, unparalleled in power amongst Red-rank magic of all attributes, could not withstand a single pluck of Ye Yinzhu's zither strings.
No one had expected such a scenario to unfold, not even the four girls behind Ye Yinzhu who were stupefied. But in the next moment, their senses were already awakened by the melody of Ye Yinzhu's zither.
It was the same tune of "A Ghostly Beauty," but when played by Ye Yinzhu, it was entirely different from Haiyang's rendition. A faint sorrow, like aged wine lingering with a long aftertaste, the continuous zither music, carrying a lingering sound, although not loud, reached every person's ears clearly, even those observing from outside the Testing Field Defense Cover, seeming to feel their moods ebbing and flowing with the music.
Among the four girls of the Divine Music Department, Haiyang had the highest magical cultivation. She was the first to react, producing a clear, textured zither sound that resonated like a dragon chant as she swiftly brushed her fingers over the twenty-one zither strings, blending harmoniously with the zither melody. Soon after, a zither sound remarkably similar to that of Ye Yinzhu's, but slightly unrefined, played by Lanxi, who did not even glance at the Jade Zither Charm before her. At this moment, her gaze was completely fixed on Ye Yinzhu's hands, and only now did she realize that each of his hands had only four fingers.
The sound of large and small beads falling onto a jade plate timely inserted itself, like the clear sound of a silver bottle breaking, entering the music and suddenly giving the tune of "A Ghostly Beauty" a certain austere sense. Simultaneously, a thick, elongated, and delicate flute sound seemed to descend like a shroud of sorrow.
What the five members of the Divine Music Department manifested was the ensemble skill of a Divine Music Master.
An ensemble refers to multiple Divine Music Masters playing the same piece of music simultaneously. Even with different levels of magic, as long as the performance is skillfully coordinated, an amplifying effect can be achieved.
For a moment, four streams of red light, mixed with the deep orange released by Haiyang, spread out like a vortex, filling every corner of the Fourth Training Ground. The most fearsome aspect of a Divine Music Master's magic is its irresistibility. No magic or Douqi could obstruct the spiritual attack delivered by the rhythm. The only way to withstand it is to endure with one's own spiritual power.
At the very start of the zither's sound, the four Dark Demon Sect students beside Yue Ming didn't pay much mind, as the four women of the Divine Music Department had, at most, Orange-rank power. Even if the music had an effect, they were confident that their spiritual power would withstand it. However, seeing Ye Yinzhu's Sound Blade eliminate their Dark Spheres, these Dark Demon Sect students realized that the Divine Music Department was not to be underestimated. With their chants disrupted, they immediately gathered their magic power with full force, rapidly casting a barrage of Red-rank spells furiously in the direction of Ye Yinzhu and his team.
In truth, the first sound of Ye Yinzhu's zither wasn't a traditional Explosive Reverberate of a Divine Music Master. Indeed, he had not yet achieved the Green rank power necessary for Explosive Reverberate. That zither sound was his own creation, a Sonic Boom, based on sound, detonated by Douqi. When he was facing the Blue rank Mage Ruffit, it was this very tactic that had enabled him to gain the upper hand with a surprise attack.