On a mountain peak of the Tan family, the ridges stood beautiful with swirling mist and elegant scenery. At the summit of the peak were many stone platforms filled with young talents. The group sat there enjoying the gentle breeze and appeared extremely comfortable.
Among this crowd, Prince Tian Yu sat at the centre. At this moment he showed none of the madness from the Ancient Demon Forbidden Land. Instead he appeared gentle and refined. He held a jade flute and played strands of mysterious and pleasant music. Under the sound of the flute everyone felt their minds calm and relaxed.
When the piece ended, a man in splendid robes stood up from the opposite centre. The man was handsome. As he rose his clothes fluttered with the breeze giving him an otherworldly air.
“Brother Tian Yu, this tune is truly wonderful. It calms the mind and purifies the primordial spirit. You truly deserve to be called a heaven-gifted genius and a human prodigy!”
“He is the human prodigy of our clan, Tan Chen!”
Tan Miaotong’s words made Ye Chu and Ji Die turn their gazes toward the man. No further explanation was needed. The two words human prodigy were enough to prove his excellence. In this world very few people qualified to be described as human prodigies. Among those present only Prince Tian Yu and he deserved the title.
Prince Tian Yu was a descendant of a Supreme Being so his talent could be imagined. How many people in the world could compare with him? He ranked among the most outstanding talents. The man before them was the same.
Although Ji Die had condensed a heaven-and-earth phenomenon she still lacked the title of human prodigy. In terms of talent she fell short of Prince Tian Yu and Tan Chen. This alone proved just how excellent a human prodigy truly was.
“I heard that Brother Chen’s ancient zither playing has reached divine levels. I wonder if we could have the honour of witnessing it.” Prince Tian Yu smiled as he looked at Tan Chen.
Among the many young talents present there were quite a few with famous reputations yet he only had eyes for Tan Chen. This was a figure whose fame matched his own so Prince Tian Yu dared not underestimate him.
“Haha… Since Brother Tian Yu has spoken I naturally have no reason to refuse.” Tan Chen laughed and gestured for a nearby talent to bring over the ancient zither.
Tan Chen’s bearing was outstanding. He sat beside the zither and his fingers flowed like water across the strings. The zither music spread out at first like a gentle breeze yet soon it gave a sense of immortal spirit. It swept away everyone’s fatigue and refreshed their minds.
Tan Miaotong led Ye Chu and the other two to sit in a quiet corner. They listened peacefully to the smooth flowing music. Even Ye Chu felt his primordial spirit grow calm as if about to immerse itself in the sound.
Ye Chu knew this was the effect of the opponent’s state of mind. Otherwise it could not influence others so deeply. To transmit one’s state of mind through zither music truly deserved the name human prodigy.
Tan Chen sat quietly yet he drew everyone’s attention. This was a very charming man. When he plucked the strings his elegance stood out even more. Many women in the gathering watched him with mesmerised eyes.
When the piece ended many people remained lost in Tan Chen’s zither music. They could not snap out of it. Some even broke through because of it and their primordial spirits received elevation.
This scene made Ye Jingyun click her tongue in surprise. She could not help looking at Tan Chen. To make cultivators break through with a single tune was truly shocking. His state of mind was astonishing.
“Brother Tan’s zither music is truly extraordinary. You really deserve to be called the number one of the Tan family!” Prince Tian Yu laughed.
This remark drew everyone’s eyes to the two men. Watching their bearing these people could not help feeling ashamed of their own inferiority. They considered themselves talented yet before these two they appeared dull and dim. They were merely supporting figures.
Tan Chen smiled and said, “I am not the number one of the Tan family. Brother Tian Yu flatters me. On the contrary as a descendant of a Supreme Being Brother Tian Yu may one day walk the path of your ancestor. That makes us all envious.”
Prince Tian Yu shook his head. He could not help thinking of the journey to the Ancient Demon Forbidden Land. The blow to him had been too great.
Before this he had always believed himself unrivalled with no one in the younger generation able to stand against him. Yet he had seen even the remains of his ancestor could not be taken away. Inside there was a man who had spoken the words, “Dare I ask if heaven and earth would dare let me die?”
For the first time Prince Tian Yu tasted bitterness. In this world there truly existed someone so world-shaking. Even as a descendant of a Supreme Being he would not dare utter the words “Dare heaven and earth let me die?”
Prince Tian Yu believed his own talent was no weaker than that man’s yet such dominance did not belong to him. Only his ancestor could display it.
Tan Chen saw the bitter expression on Prince Tian Yu’s face and felt intense curiosity. This was a heaven-gifted talent and a human prodigy, one of the finest in the younger generation of the world. When had he ever not been proud and full of confidence? Yet now he actually showed bitterness. “Brother Tian Yu…”
Seeing Tan Chen look at him with confusion Prince Tian Yu smiled and said to him, “I wonder if Brother Tan could speak the words ‘Dare heaven and earth let me die’?”
“Brother Tian Yu must be joking. How could you and I fail to respect heaven and earth? If heaven and earth want someone dead how easy it would be!” Tan Chen laughed. “Does Brother Tian Yu truly possess such dominance to say something like that?”
Prince Tian Yu shook his head. “Neither of us dares! But there is someone in the world who does!”
Tan Chen fell into a daze. He could not help thinking of Prince Tian Yu’s ancestor. If it was a Supreme Being then perhaps it was not impossible to say. Yet even if they were human prodigies what of it? Supreme Beings were too distant from them. How could they compare?
“Let us not talk about this anymore!” Prince Tian Yu laughed. He pushed the emotions from his mind then looked at Tan Chen and smiled. “Let us discuss the intent of the primordial spirit together.”
Tan Chen nodded gently. His gaze turned toward Tan Miaotong’s direction. He had noticed her arrival from the start. He had thought she would come to his side yet she had sat with outsiders instead.
Tan Chen’s eyes fell on Ji Die. He was stunned by her immortal beauty and grace. His heart filled with surprise. This woman was not simple. Although he could not see through her he vaguely sensed that even if she was not a human prodigy she was not far from one. It was a strange feeling yet for someone at his level such an intuition carried real weight.
Tan Chen nodded toward Ji Die in greeting with a gentle smile.
Although Ji Die’s expression remained cold and proud she nodded in return.
Tan Chen shifted his gaze from Ji Die to Ye Chu. Looking at Ye Chu he felt some surprise. From Tan Cai he had learned that this man had defeated him while only at the Innate Realm. Yet from Ye Chu he could not detect even the slightest trace of anything special. Tan Chen found it hard to understand how such a person could possibly defeat Tan Cai.
“Miaotong rarely agrees to join such a gathering!” Tan Chen smiled at Tan Miaotong. His tone was gentle and his eyes soft as he looked at her.
“Seeing Brother Tan Chen playing the zither Miaotong did not dare disturb!” Tan Miaotong smiled back at him. “Brother Tan Chen’s zither music grows more moving each time. Miaotong is truly fortunate to hear it.”
Tan Chen smiled. He liked this princess of the clan just as much. He pointed to the space beside him and said, “Miaotong and your friends come sit over here.”