Chapter 828: Chapter 828: The Battle of the Talent Begins

Fang Lin looked at Dugu Nian disdainfully, “I know much more; how about I play a piece for you to listen to.”

“Come on, I don’t believe you know everything,” Dugu Nian said.

Fang Lin immediately burned incense and cleansed his hands, putting on quite a show.

“You’re taking this quite seriously; just don’t expose yourself when you start,” Dugu Nian mocked.

Disdaining to argue with her, Fang Lin sat behind the zither with a peaceful expression. After a slight pause, he placed his hands above the zither without touching the strings.

“What are you doing?” Dugu Nian asked, puzzled by his actions.

With eyes closed, Fang Lin replied, “Don’t you know this? And you said you can play the zither? This is called ‘Awaking Zither’, allowing the zither to become familiar with me and me with the zither.”

Dugu Nian snorted, feeling more convinced that Fang Lin was just putting on an act.

A moment later, Fang Lin moved; his fingers gently fluttered over the strings like butterflies flitting among flowers, and the melodious sound of the zither immediately filled the air.

Initially, Dugu Nian wore a look of disdain, but when the zither music began, she was completely dumbfounded.

Fang Lin could actually play the zither and, moreover, he played extraordinarily well.

The melody was as expansive as mountains and streams, reminiscent of swirling falling leaves, soothing one’s thoughts and conjuring the sight of the changing seasons before one’s eyes.

When the piece ended, Dugu Nian had yet to recover from her astonishment, her expression showing she was deeply moved.

“How about that? Not bad, right?” Fang Lin stood up and said to Dugu Nian.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Nian finally snapped out of it and snorted, “It’s just average.”

Although she said this, Dugu Nian was secretly amazed inside; Fang Lin had played incredibly well, probably not much less skilled than those so-called Grandmasters of the Tao of the Zither.

Fang Lin laughed heartily and patted Dugu Nian’s head, “Actually, that’s the only piece I know. I’m good at playing the flute, but not so much at the zither.”

Dugu Nian fell silent and walked over to sit behind the zither, beginning to play.

It was evident that Dugu Nian indeed had considerable talent in the Tao of the Zither, far surpassing Fang Lin, who only knew one piece.

After several pieces, Dugu Nian looked at Fang Lin, “You’re planning to participate in the Nine Countries Talent Battle, right?”

Fang Lin nodded, “Indeed, I am participating. What about you?”

Dugu Nian took out a Jade Brand and shook it in her hand.

Fang Lin chuckled, “Just make sure you don’t lose ten matches in a row and get eliminated.”

“You should worry about yourself,” Dugu Nian said irritably.

With an unconcerned face, Fang Lin said, “What’s there to worry about? With my strength, I can at least make it into the top hundred.”

Listening to this, Dugu Nian burst into laughter, “Don’t be ridiculous, the top hundred is impossible. I guess those spots are already reserved by people from the Upper Three Countries.”

Fang Lin huffed, “It still comes down to strength in the end. The people from the Upper Three Countries might not be that much stronger than us; anything is possible.”

Dugu Nian didn’t say much more, although she was quite familiar with Fang Lin’s abilities and knew he was very formidable.

But the Talents from the Upper Three Countries were frankly a bit too terrifying. With Fang Lin’s current strength, if he were to face those individuals, he probably wouldn’t stand much of a chance.

Of course, Dugu Nian still hoped that Fang Lin could advance further in the Nine Countries Talent Battle.

As for herself, Dugu Nian was clear about her own limitations. To her, the Nine Countries Talent Battle was more of an experience than anything else.

“The zither has been repaired; you can now use it to perform some Tao of the Zither martial arts,” Fang Lin said to Dugu Nian.

Dugu Nian nodded her head, for not only had she repaired the zither during this return to the Dugu Family, but she had also learned some of the martial arts of the Tao of the Zither.

In North Town Hall, aside from Fang Lin and Dugu Nian, there were many participants of the Nine Proud Heavens War. Although most knew that they probably wouldn’t achieve top ranks in the contest, attending such a grand event, even just to experience it, was considered worthwhile.

As a result, many sought an audience with Fang Lin to discuss and inquire about martial arts.

After all, within North Town Hall, Fang Lin was considered the strongest young Pill Refiner, and everyone knew of his ability to defeat opponents with strong spirit veins.

Fang Lin didn’t refuse these requests and discussed and exchanged pointers with many who visited him, pointing out their mistakes.

In this way, Fang Lin accumulated a certain circle of connections within North Town Hall, gaining considerable reputation.

Of course, there were also those who kept a respectful distance from Fang Lin, especially those of the Alchemy Tao noble houses, who had their prejudices against him. Even though Fang Lin had become a disciple of the Hall Master, it didn’t change their opinions of him.

Finally, the day for the Nine Proud Heavens War to truly commence arrived.

All the registered martial artists were poised with anticipation, their Jade Brands emitting a faint glow.

“The Nine Proud Heavens War, begins!” A majestic and unparalleled voice rose from within the sacred and ancient Great Qin ancient country, like the voice of a deity, echoing throughout the Nine Countries.

Everyone was shaken to the core; was this the strength of the Qin Emperor? A single pronouncement was enough to awe the lands of the Nine Countries.

The voice of the Qin Emperor also marked the start of the Nine Proud Heavens War.

In an instant, across the lands of the Nine Countries, figures were enveloped in white light, and subsequently, they vanished from their places.

This was the first group to enter an independent space to battle, and within the cities of the Nine Countries, large projections appeared, allowing those outside to watch the conflicts within the independent space.

And on the enormous Talent Ranking, not a single name appeared yet, but everyone knew that soon, this Talent Ranking would experience fierce competition.

Fang Lin wasn’t among those in the first group entering the independent space, but there were others from North Town Hall who did go.

In less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, golden names began to appear on the Talent Ranking.

“Look quick! Someone’s appeared on the ranking!”

“The first victor has taken the top spot!”

“Tsk, it’s just a fleeting glory. Soon they’ll be knocked down from there.”

“Regardless, appearing at the top of the ranking, even if just for a moment, is enough to be proud of.”

…

Within many cities, those closely following the rankings began to discuss animatedly; the name that appeared in the first place was quite unfamiliar, with no one knowing who it was.

Soon, more and more names surfaced on the rankings, filling the once-empty list from top to bottom.

Many used pseudonyms, or simply titles, seemingly not wanting to reveal their true identities.

The encounters between the first batch of martial artists ended quickly, with some defeated and others victorious.

Then came the second batch, the third batch…

Names on the ranking kept changing—some were replaced, while others climbed up strongly.

A flash of light appeared before Fang Lin’s eyes as he stepped into the independent space, facing his first battle in the Nine Proud Heavens War.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com