362: Chapter 362 Phoenix

Prime Minister Zhuge was actually willing to play the zither herself?

Although this Great Qian Prime Minister looked like a delicate, talented woman who stayed in her boudoir playing the zither and painting.

But anyone who truly mistook a Tribulation Transcendence Realm formation grandmaster for such a delicate little wife...

Would be in for a rude awakening.

Unfortunately, there really were people who had paid for that mistake with their lives.

Among the seven most famous legends of the current Linghe Realm, one was Zhuge Jinyu, who sat alone at the border with nothing but a zither.

Relying on a peerless zither melody containing the killing intent of the supreme formation path.

She had forcibly turned an entire city occupied by demonic cultivators into a ghost town devoid of life just by playing.

If one were fortunate enough today to hear this decisive Female Prime Minister play a song in person.

Of course, the kind without killing intent.

That would naturally be an incomparable honor.

Just as everyone was holding their breath and waiting in anticipation.

A handsome young man with an upright posture and a height of fully 1.8 meters slowly walked up from below the jade steps on the side of the great hall.

With sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, he was dashing and handsome, his hands steadily supporting an ancient zither.

The dignitaries present had all heard that Prime Minister Zhuge had recently made a precedent-breaking move by taking in a closed-door disciple.

But no one expected that this closed-door disciple...

Would look so outstanding and magnificent.

This bearing alone was enough to make countless arrogant scions of noble families present pale in comparison.

Immediately after, a scene that caused the entire court of civil and military officials to drop their jaws occurred.

Zhuge Jinyu, who had been incomparably dignified and cold as frost on the stage just a moment ago.

The moment she saw Su Chen walk up.

A gentle smile, like spring water melting ice, bloomed on her stunningly beautiful face.

Su Chen walked forward and respectfully handed over the ancient zither.

At the moment they exchanged it, Zhuge Jinyu did not reach for the zither body first.

Instead, before taking the zither, she inadvertently let her cool, soft, and delicate fingertips lightly brush across the back of Su Chen's hand as he held the strings.

Not only that.

She even deliberately leaned her graceful, curvaceous body forward.

In an instant, the cold, faint fragrance on her body drifted into Su Chen's nose without obstruction.

Her warm breath brushed against the side of Su Chen's neck, lingering faintly.

Under the gaze of so many people, this actually made Su Chen's body feel a bit cold.

These actions, which seemed intimate but did not cross the line.

Under the eyes of everyone.

Made the "Master and Disciple" relationship between the two.

Seem even more taboo and thought-provoking.

After all.

If Zhuge Jinyu dared to do this in the great hall.

Who knew what the two of them did in private...

Xiaoqing, sitting below, saw this scene and almost threw away the half-eaten spirit fruit in her hand.

She gritted her back teeth with a clicking sound.

This scheming vixen!

How could she be getting so ambiguous with little Su Chen in less than half a year?

Can I really win?

The flirtation didn't last long. Soon, Zhuge Jinyu withdrew her gaze and calmly ordered several beautiful female officials from the Prime Minister's office beside her to take out jade flutes and chime bells to play with her.

Her plain hands plucked the strings.

She began to play on her own.

As soon as the melody rang out, the cultivators from various holy lands who had come to observe the ceremony could tell.

It was not at all a solemn sound for sacrificing to the martyrs.

The zither music was gentle and lingering.

Filled with burning passion and attachment.

Anyone with even a slight accomplishment in music would know upon hearing it that this was clearly the song "Feng Qiu Huang".

The zither music was like the sounds of nature, lingering in the air for three days without fading.

When the song ended, the entire audience was intoxicated.

After coming back to their senses, they erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.

Everyone praised the Prime Minister's zither skills as being the best of all time.

There were even many audience members who had suffered from heartbreak and were already shedding tears.

However, facing the cheers of the whole hall, Zhuge Jinyu turned a deaf ear.

Her watery, fox-like eyes only fell on Su Chen beside her.

Her eyes hid a hint of anticipation and coquettishness.

It seemed she only cared about his evaluation.

Who would have thought that Su Chen, who possessed an adult's soul but lacked memories, and whose dense, straight-man attributes were exploding at this moment...

Didn't notice this hot potato at all.

He coughed dryly, met Zhuge Jinyu's expectant gaze, and solemnly cupped his hands to praise her.

"My teacher's zither skills are superb, especially the ensemble with the other ladies just now; the coordination was seamless. It was truly wonderful!"

As soon as these words were spoken.

The entire audience clearly saw.

On the high platform, the beautiful face of the Female Prime Minister, who had just been full of tenderness, turned completely black at a speed visible to the naked eye with a "whoosh".

Zhuge Jinyu was so angry that she almost snapped the zither strings in her hand, and an inexplicable fire of rage rushed straight to her head.

Ensemble?!

Wonderful?!

"This Prime Minister is using this song to confess, and you are here praising other women for their coordination?!"

The surrounding officials were terrified into silence, not daring to even take a deep breath.

This kid Su Chen is truly reckless; he actually managed to break the defense of the world-renowned Female Prime Minister with a single sentence!

And even more shocking were those young masters of noble families who thought they were experts at picking up girls.

Look!

Some people just stand there, breathing, without doing anything.

And they have already won half the battle.

After this laughable little interlude and some miscellaneous sacrificial rituals.

Finally.

The segment of the entire ceremony that was most anticipated and most blood-boiling.

The Great Qian Imperial Academy formation competition.

Officially began.

The rules were very simple and brutal.

On a vast martial arts field specially opened up, all participating academy students entered at the same time.

They could use any formation they were proficient in for attack or defense.

Whoever could hold out until the end in this indiscriminate battle royale would be the final winner.

Of course, in the competition, only formations and abilities closely related to formations could be used for attack or defense.

Abilities other than formations were definitely not allowed to be used.

As the competition gong sounded.

Su Chen was the last one to walk into the arena, unhurriedly.

However, as soon as he stood still, he discovered a phenomenon with surprise.

Except for the weak noobs on the edge of the martial arts field who were trying to dig a hole to bury themselves and survive.

In the center of the arena, nine of the top geniuses of the Great Qian Imperial Academy, who were regarded as the biggest favorites to win the competition.

There was no sign of infighting at all.

Instead, they formed a semicircle, murderously aiming their spears all at him.

Among these nine people, there were even three Spirit Transformation Realm contestants exuding terrifying pressure.

A full major realm higher than Su Chen, who currently only appeared to have Nascent Soul Realm cultivation.

And the remaining six were also at the Nascent Soul Realm.

On the surface, their strength was all stronger than Su Chen's.

Obviously, whether it was jealousy that Su Chen had stolen the favor of the icy Female Prime Minister, or revenge for the deep grudge of him turning the library into "wordless heavenly books".

These noble scions had long since secretly formed an iron-clad alliance.

Vowing to completely crush Su Chen's face in front of everyone.