Tan Chen’s originally long and drawn-out qin melody suddenly changed. It became shocking and intense, carrying a momentum that shook the mountain peak. The previous leisurely grace vanished, replaced by a surging, overwhelming force.
As Tan Chen shifted abruptly, Ye Chu also changed suddenly. His earlier qin sound, which had been like clashing metal and horses in battle, now turned light, nimble, and graceful. It was beautiful and moving, bringing peace to the heart and mind.
At this moment, both Ye Chu and Tan Chen plucked the strings with fierce speed. Each pluck sent ripples outward like tidal waves, terrifying in their power. Everyone could see that Ye Chu and Tan Chen had begun to take it seriously.
Tan Chen’s qin melody surged and roared, like a mountain torrent collapsing, possessing an unparalleled shaking force. Yet Ye Chu’s qin melody remained soft and nimble, giving a sense of ethereal emptiness and spiritual grace.
The two men’s melodies stood in complete opposition to what had come before. Many people secretly clicked their tongues in amazement. They thought that an intent pattern born from celestial phenomena truly deserved its reputation. It was extraordinary and world-shaking. Two entirely opposing states of mind could be switched so casually and still performed perfectly.
Tan Chen’s fingers danced across the strings. Each pluck flowed smoothly like water, yet struck as fast as lightning, sending out violent ripples. Every vibration felt like ten thousand waves churning, great surges crashing against the sea. Some people even seemed to hear the roar of the ocean itself.
Ye Chu once again played the melody of High Mountains and Flowing Water. As his fingers brushed the strings, it truly felt as though water was flowing. People felt themselves placed amid immortal mists, with a close friend by their side, wrapped in faint, hazy harmony and tranquil peace. Everyone sank into it.
Both created sensations so vivid that people felt them personally. This was a terrifying state of mind, capable of influencing a person’s primal spirit and mental state.
“Haha!” Tan Chen laughed loudly. “You truly are extraordinary, sir. To match me with such a state of mind. Then let us try this…”
With those words, Tan Chen’s movements changed dramatically. An unparalleled intent pattern emerged from his body. Above his head appeared towering mountains and vast seas filling the sky. At this moment the sea churned violently, the mountains shifted, shaking the entire world.
“Tan Chen’s intent pattern, the celestial phenomenon of moving mountains and overturning seas!” The crowd exclaimed in shock. Everyone stared straight ahead. Clouds and mist coiled around the mountains and sea, dazzling and magnificent. The mountains and sea carried an overwhelming momentum. With each tremor came a world-shaking roar.
Boom… Boom…
Terrifying sounds crashed down, blending into the qin melody. The intent pattern instantly burst with boundless radiance, unleashing horrifying power. Under this state of mind, everything seemed fragile and powerless.
It carried the might to tear apart great mountains and destroy heaven and earth, leaving people utterly horrified. One by one they stared blankly at the phenomenon.
Tan Chen played the ancient qin. The mountains above his head moved, the sea surged, waves roared. The force rushed straight toward Ye Chu along with the sound waves. This was not raw explosive power, but a state of mind so real it felt tangible, as though an unparalleled expert had appeared. Truly worthy of a celestial phenomenon.
Seeing this, Ye Chu also shook his qi sea. Within his qi sea, the Nine Stars in a Chain rose up. Around it appeared a vast starry sky. The Nine Stars in a Chain trembled within, radiating unparalleled splendour. Brilliant light shook the air, erupting with an extraordinary state of mind.
This state of mind did not seem particularly strong in force, yet it gave the illusion that a true starry sky existed. In that sky, nine brilliant stars linked together as one. This too was a celestial phenomenon, equally world-shaking.
“Nine Stars in a Chain!” The Tianyu Prince stared fixedly at the phenomenon before him. His expression could not remain calm. He watched Tan Chen’s intent pattern surge forth as if it could tear heaven and earth apart, moving mountains and overturning seas, and he wanted to know the outcome.
Even the Tianyu Prince could not judge this phenomenon. It was the first time he had seen such a thing.
Boom…
The clash of states of mind involved no collision of physical power, only a pure confrontation of intent. It did not stir up world-shaking hurricanes, yet the starry sea trembled, the jade sea surged to the heavens, waves rolled, and mountains collapsed.
Ye Chu’s nine stars also dimmed slightly. It truly felt like a clash between heaven and earth. With each tremor, wind and rain shattered.
Crack…
The qins bearing both men’s states of mind could no longer endure. They shattered and exploded outward in all directions. The qin melodies stopped abruptly. Without the clash of sound, the phenomena they had summoned collided directly.
Starlight surged, dazzling and brilliant. Radiance shook the air, intent blooming wildly, like an entire sea of stars.
The jade sea surged to the heavens, crystalline and overwhelming. Mountains shifted, walking across the world, like a realm of immortals.
The two phenomena smashed together. Light flared blindingly, incomparably splendid. Mountains collapsed, seawater churned, the starry sky twisted, the nine stars trembled. Both celestial phenomena began to crumble, piece by piece collapsing in a sight that shook the heart.
Everyone stared blankly at the two phenomena. A clash of celestial phenomena did not represent their current strength, but it did represent the depth of their states of mind, and even hinted at their future achievements.
What the crowd saw now might one day become the power they could unleash, turning the intent they had conjured into reality right before their eyes.
“Break…”
Tan Chen roared. Ye Chu’s starry sky cracked. The nine stars wavered as though about to collapse. The opponent’s jade sea surged to the heavens, moving mountains and overturning seas to suppress Ye Chu.
“In the end, Ye Chu is still not as good as Tan Chen, a true outstanding figure!” The crowd sighed. They thought this was how it should be. If even an outstanding figure could be blocked by him, then he would be too astonishing.
The Tianyu Prince looked at Ye Chu. Though he saw Ye Chu falling behind, he did not underestimate him in the slightest. Someone who could condense such a celestial phenomenon would not have low achievements in the future.
Just as Ye Chu’s stars trembled and seemed about to shatter, Ye Chu suddenly roared, “Myriad Blossoms, vying in full bloom!”
With Ye Chu’s shout, the nine stars erupted with radiance. The light formed a straight line, as though piercing through past and present. On the nine stars, myriad blossoms competed to bloom in dazzling beauty, flashing with thousands of colours in purple and red, rushing straight toward Tan Chen’s celestial phenomenon.
The great sea collapsed, the mountains toppled. Tan Chen’s celestial phenomenon crumbled instantly, unable to withstand Ye Chu’s brilliant light.
“This is impossible!” A young genius from the Tan family stared in disbelief, eyes wide. He found it inconceivable. What kind of person was Tan Chen? How could his intent pattern possibly lose to Ye Chu’s?
The Tianyu Prince also straightened abruptly. He knew well how terrifying Tan Chen’s state of mind was. Even defeating Tan Chen would be extremely difficult for him. Yet now someone was collapsing Tan Chen’s state of mind. It was simply unimaginable.
Tan Chen’s expression also changed dramatically. His fingers struck the strings. His state of mind erupted violently. The collapsing sea and mountains stabilised once more. With unparalleled splendour, they surged toward Ye Chu in collision.
The two clashed together. Both Ye Chu and Tan Chen staggered back several steps. The intent patterns before them collapsed, turning into specks of starlight that vanished in front of the two.
At the same time, both seemed exhausted. They stumbled backward and collapsed weakly to the ground.
This scene left the crowd stunned. They looked strangely at Tan Chen, wondering what the result was. Had the two fought to a draw?
Only Ji Die and the Tianyu Prince showed shaken expressions. Only they could see the subtle details. They were deeply moved by this outcome, unable to control themselves, and their gazes could not help but turn toward the two men.