The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 332, Second Competition: Reading
On Peach Blossom Island, the weather is fine and sunny, and peach blossoms are in full bloom.

In the woods near Jicui Pavilion, everyone retreated to the surrounding area, leaving a large open space.

Under Ouyang Feng's orders, all the men and women under his command who were dressed in white tore off a section of their sleeves, divided them into two bundles, stuffed them into their ears, and then covered their ears with their hands.

A faint sound of a flute arose from nowhere, flowing mournfully through the air, its melody gradually rising, melodious and poignant.
All who hear this flute music are moved, their hearts swaying and rippling, as if they have encountered a peerless beauty, and are entwined with her in endless passion, like a harmonious melody, inseparable day and night, sharing the same pillow.
As the sound of the flute rapidly rose, the two seemed to dance and fly together like butterflies.

But the sound of the flute suddenly changed abruptly, like a startled bird, startling the couple so much that they went their separate ways and flew away.

The sound of the flute then turned extremely mournful, desolate, and forlorn, making one feel depressed and as if one were in unbearable pain.
Huang Yaoshi's flute playing is extremely captivating, making people's hearts sway and dance with it; when they hear the desolate parts, they wish they could soar into the sky and roar to vent the increasingly pent-up frustration in their chests.

Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng, both highly skilled, were not greatly affected by Huang Yaoshi's flute playing, except for a slightly solemn expression.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Huang Yaoshi did not use his full strength!
The men and women in white under Ouyang Feng's command, with crumpled clothes stuffed in their ears and their hands covering their ears, were equally unaffected.

Huang Rong had often heard her father play the "Azure Sea Tide" melody since she was a child, so she naturally had her own unique way of dealing with it.

The most relaxed person on set was Xu Xingchen.

By circulating Yin-Yang Yuan Magnetic Internal Force, one isolates oneself from the outside world, creating a small world of one's own.

No matter how enchanting and captivating Huang Yaoshi's flute playing was, it had no effect on him whatsoever!
In Xu Xingchen's view, although Huang Yaoshi's Azure Sea Tide Melody was mysterious and extraordinary, it was still not as damaging as the Lion's Roar of Xie Xun, the Golden-haired Lion King.

The most suffering were Guo Jing and Ouyang Ke, who stood in the center of the arena in front of the two large drums.

The two of them were the primary recipients of the flute's sound. Not only could they not stuff cloths into their ears or cover them, but they also needed to listen carefully to the melody of "The Rising Tide of the Blue Sea" to find the rhythm within it.
At this point, the difference in skill and musicality between the two becomes apparent!
Ouyang Ke frowned, cold sweat poured from his forehead, and he looked extremely uncomfortable and pained.

He was a womanizer in his youth and lost his virginity early on; over the years, he has been surrounded by wives and concubines, and countless women. Even if he doesn't indulge in nightly revelry and sexual pleasures, he is still a carefree man who plays games every two or three days and holds a grand, uninhibited gathering every seven or eight days.

Life can be as extravagant as you want!

If it weren't for his uncle Ouyang Feng going to great lengths to find him many rare and precious medicinal herbs, his martial arts skills probably wouldn't have reached their current level.

At this moment, as Ouyang Ke listened to Huang Yaoshi's flute playing a melody filled with tender love, poignant sorrow, and melancholy, one can only imagine the profound shock he felt.
He channeled all his energy, struggling to resist the influence of the flute music while forcefully raising his arms and swinging the drumsticks, striking the drum to keep time with the changing flute music.
Thump! Thump thump thump. Thump. Thump.
The drumbeats and flute sounds were perfectly synchronized, with no discrepancy in rhythm, but the rhythm was intermittent and irregular.

In contrast, Guo Jing, though his brows were furrowed, had a calm and composed expression, showing no signs of distress.

He stood with his legs apart, firmly planted in a horse stance, his body as upright as a mountain, neither swaying nor shaking!
The young man, who had never experienced the pleasures of love or intimacy, possessed a steadfast and resolute character. He was able to control the Nine Yang Internal Force, which was capable of suppressing all the most Yin and soft martial arts in the world. This force circulated powerfully through his meridians, blocking out all the lingering, soft sounds of the flute.

His condition was far superior to Ouyang Ke's!
Such a performance surprised both Ouyang Feng and Huang Yaoshi, who realized that they had underestimated the boy's temperament and skill.

However, Guo Jing is not without his weaknesses.
After listening to the flute music for so long, he held his arm in the air without ever swinging it down.

Judging from his bewildered expression, everyone around him knew that he was completely ignorant about music theory.

Guo Jing stood in front of the drum, resisting the assault of the flute's sound on his mind while carefully discerning the various nuances within the music.

Although he had never studied music, he was filled with confidence since his master said he could win the competition.

"So what if you don't understand music?"

"As long as I can find the pattern, I can handle it with ease."

Guo Jing thought this in his heart and did this in his actions.

He didn't treat Huang Yaoshi's flute playing as music, but rather as a display of Huang Yaoshi's martial arts skills.

The undulating melody and melodious notes in "The Rising Tide of the Blue Sea" are all variations of martial arts moves.

What he needs to do now is to identify the weaknesses in those martial arts moves and then break them again.

Logically, with his current limited combat experience, he shouldn't have been able to spot the flaw in Huang Yaoshi's flute playing. But what could he do when he was practicing the Nine Yang Divine Skill, a peerless martial art, and had even memorized the first part of the Nine Yin Manual last night?
These two martial arts manuals are all-encompassing, covering almost all the fundamental principles of martial arts in the world.

No matter how varied Huang Yaoshi's flute playing may be, it still remains within its own boundaries!

In fact, the longer Guo Jing listened, the more he felt that there were various flaws and defects in Huang Yaoshi's flute playing.

Compared with the profound and complex text of the Nine Yin Manual, many different thoughts arose in my mind.

"If the flute music here were a bit higher-pitched, the effect would be even better." "If there were more turns here, it would be even more difficult to withstand."

"The pace here is a bit too fast. If it were slower, there would be one or two more different variations."

Guo Jing used the profound principles of martial arts from the Nine Yin Manual to critique Huang Yaoshi's "Azure Sea Tide Song," much like a foodie judging a top chef's delicious dish, with many opinions and numerous criticisms.
However, these actions are all just theoretical and impractical!

Feeling that he had heard enough, Guo Jing finally swung his drumsticks and landed them on the surface of the large drum in front of him.

Boom~~~!

As the drumbeats resounded, Ouyang Ke, who was struggling to resist the sound of the flute, almost burst out laughing.

The rhythm this kid was striking had absolutely nothing to do with the melody of Huang Yaoshi's flute; he was clearly just pretending to know what he was doing and randomly striking the strings.
周围
Ouyang Feng remained expressionless.
Huang Yaoshi's expression remained unchanged.

Only Hong Qigong, who was also well-versed in the first part of the Nine Yin Manual, had a slight glint in his eyes, thinking to himself, "Could it be..."

Xu Xingchen nodded and said with a smile, "That was a good tap!"

Huang Yaoshi's "The Song of the Azure Sea" continued to float in the air, while Ouyang Ke laboriously swung his drumsticks, striking the drum in time with each beat.

Guo Jing waited a moment, then raised his drumsticks again and slammed them down.
Thump!

Another drumbeat resounded, much louder than Ouyang Ke's.

This drumbeat still didn't strike the beat of the melody.
But as Guo Jing swung his drumsticks and struck the drumhead repeatedly, the booming drumbeats gradually caused Huang Yaoshi's expression to change, Ouyang Feng's face to darken, and Hong Qigong to almost burst out laughing.

The three finally understood.
Although the drumbeats played by Guo Jing did not match the rhythm of Huang Yaoshi's flute, each beat was timed precisely at the turning points and breaths of the flute's sound.

Like a cheerfully flowing stream, at a bend, huge stones are suddenly thrown down, constantly affecting the smooth flow of the river.

Like a beautiful concert, but with constant background noise.
That feeling was extremely unpleasant!
Huang Yaoshi frowned, and the sound of his flute suddenly rose, the melody became faster, and the transitions and breaths were shortened considerably.

Ouyang Ke's expression of pain deepened, and the drumbeats that were barely in sync suddenly became disordered, with several strikes missing the rhythm.

In contrast, Guo Jing stood firmly on his feet, his eyes gleaming, and the drumsticks he swung in his hands gradually quickened in time with the sound of the flute flowing through the air.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump thump thump!
A series of drumbeats echoed in the open space, each sound like a thunderclap. Each beat was timed precisely when Huang Yaoshi was changing his breath on his flute, causing the flute music to become somewhat chaotic.

This is something unprecedented!
Ouyang Feng rolled his eyes and stared intently at Guo Jing's movements as he swung the drumsticks, his eyes gleaming like knives and swords.

Huang Yaoshi abruptly stopped playing his flute, put it down, and stared incredulously at Guo Jing not far away. He shouted, "How did you do that? How did you find the flaw in my 'Azure Sea Tide Melody'?"

Hearing the flute music stop, Guo Jing quickly stopped beating the drum, circulated his Nine Yang Internal Energy, and his spirits immediately recovered considerably.

Upon hearing Huang Yaoshi's question, he put down his drumsticks, stood up straight, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said respectfully, "Island Master Huang, my master is learned and knowledgeable; although he did not teach me about music, he taught me many other things."

"As for your question about how I found the flaw in this 'Azure Sea Melody,' I don't know; I simply used this melody as a martial arts technique to break it."

Huang Yaoshi sneered: "So you think your martial arts are superior to mine?"

Guo Jing quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare! How could I possibly have such thoughts? Island Master Huang's martial arts are unparalleled, with few rivals in the world. How could I possibly be a match for Island Master Huang?!"

At this moment, Hong Qigong spoke up from the side: "Brother Yao, please don't make things difficult for my disciple; just tell me, did he win this match?"

Before Huang Yaoshi could respond, Ouyang Feng snorted coldly, "Brother Yaoshi said earlier that drumming and beating to the beat were in harmony with his flute playing; your disciple's actions are completely contrary to the test, so of course he failed!"

Xu Xingchen laughed and said, "To combine with it is so simple. To be able to crack it is to be a cut above the rest!"

Ouyang Feng fought two opponents alone, firmly adhering to the principle of "beating the drum and keeping in harmony with them."

Finally, Huang Yaoshi, with a cold face, stopped the argument between the three: "This test is a draw, there is no winner!"

"Next, we'll begin the second competition: reading!"

As he spoke, Huang Yaoshi took out a blank blue book from his sleeve and looked at Ouyang Ke and Guo Jing, saying, "You two recite the contents of this book at the same time. Whoever recites the most will be the winner."

(End of this chapter)