"Yes. In order to assist the Buddhist Sect in purifying evil souls, I did use my zither's music as support, playing the Requiem."
"Can music be used against enemies the same way as a sword?"
Yu Jiajia asked with wide-eyed curiosity.
"It can."
"Zūnshàng, how exactly does one use music to fight an enemy?" Yu Jiajia's expression was earnest now.
"To wield music as a weapon, you must not only have cultivation and spiritual power to back it, but also life experience. Music carries emotion. The notes you play can draw a person into their world, disrupt their state of mind, and then, combined with spiritual force, strike at them."
As Jian Dan spoke, she swept her sleeve and placed her sword-shaped guqin on the table. Her jade-like fingers brushed the strings, sending a ripple of sound into everyone's ears.
Seeing the curiosity in their eyes, Jian Dan began to play Water Dragon Chant, this time without channeling any spiritual power.
From the very first few notes, the guqin's tone carried the tension of looming storms and swelling winds. As the melody rose higher and more intense, it was as if the drums of war were beating, the battlefield opening before their eyes. The tempo quickened, steel clashing against steel, soldiers charging headlong, the air thick with smoke and battle cries. Then, gradually, the sound deepened and slowed, until a final, soaring note rang out, clear and bright as a dragon's roar, drawing the long war to a close.
Jian Dan gathered the guqin back into her sleeve and spoke to the still-dazed little ones.
"Using music to carry your intent is not something achieved in a day. Using music in battle is even harder. If you wish to learn, I will teach you, but first you must master the basics."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
The reply came not just from Yu Jiajia and the two beside her, but from every child in the Tongzi Hall—they had gathered quietly while Jian Dan was playing.
Once the children had finished their daily required lessons, Jian Dan returned to the lecture hall and began speaking again.
"In recent days I had matters to attend to outside the sect, so I delayed your lessons. I will find time to make them up to you."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
"You are now mostly in the late stage of Qi Refining. Have you begun taking sect missions?"
"We have."
The answer was unanimous. It seemed they had all followed her instructions to gain practical experience.
"What missions have you taken?" Jian Dan asked with a smile.
"Zūnshàng, I planted one mu of spirit rice."
"Zūnshàng, I went with my senior brothers to the back mountain to pick spirit plants."
"Zūnshàng, I formed a team with fellow disciples to hunt first-tier spirit beasts."
One by one, they reported their missions. Jian Dan listened carefully before asking,
"After taking these missions, have you noticed any shortcomings in your cultivation?"
"Yes." This time their voices were less confident, tinged with frustration.
Clearly, these children born with the finest spirit stones had run into some obstacles.
Jian Dan pointed to Yu Zongfan. "Tell me what problems you encountered."
"Reporting to Zūnshàng, I first took a sect planting mission, cultivating one mu of spirit rice. Then I found some problems in my use of spells."
"Mm, what problems?"
"Before planting spirit rice, you have to till the land, then warm it with spirit stones to help the rice grow. But when I was tilling, my earth-element spell wasn't precise—some spots were deep, others shallow."
A few other disciples who had taken the same task nodded in agreement.
"And after scattering the seeds, you have to use a water-element spell to irrigate the field. But my water spell came out in bursts, sometimes too much, sometimes too little, and it consumed a lot of spiritual power."
Jian Dan nodded. This was indeed a necessary stage for beginners. She gestured for Zong Fan to sit down. "Who else wants to speak?"
"Zūnshàng, I will."
Zhao Yunhai stood up, gave a proper bow, and said,
"I went with Foundation Establishment senior brothers to hunt spirit beasts in the back mountain. They took care of me, even driving a first-tier Cloud Rabbit my way so I could kill it myself. But I ended up using sword techniques, five-element spells, and talismans all together before I managed to bring it down."
Scratching his head in embarrassment, he added, "My senior brothers said the rabbit's meat could still be eaten, but the valuable Cloud Rabbit hide was ruined beyond use."
Jian Dan was not surprised. She smiled. "And where do you think you went wrong?"
"My spells weren't fluent, I couldn't release them instantly, my aim was poor, and when I faced the rabbit I got flustered… That's all I can think of for now."
He sat back down, waiting for her judgment.
"It seems Yun Hai has a clear understanding of his weaknesses. I imagine the rest of you faced similar issues?"
"Yes."
"Good. Today I will talk about two things—how to apply basic five-element spells and how to control your spiritual power."
Just as last time, Jian Dan first used her spiritual power to draw a translucent diagram of a human body in the air. She demonstrated how five-element spells were released, showing the flow of qi through the meridians, how spiritual power transformed from one form to another, and how it was sent outward.
"You have not yet reached Foundation Establishment, so your dantian and meridians can only store limited spiritual power. Each time you use a spell, you must have a clear idea of how much is left. If you release a large-scale spell, you must know whether enough remains for another attack."
"Zūnshàng, how can we tell how many times we can cast a spell with our stored spiritual power?"
"You must test it yourself. The simplest way is to try each spell when your spiritual power is full—see how many times you can cast Fireball before you're empty, how many times for a larger fire spell. Only by trying will you know."
"Zūnshàng, does that mean we have to drain our power completely to know our limit?"
"Yes, but when doing such training, you should have an elder present. The first time you try, you might misjudge and damage your meridians.
Also, when traveling outside, never let your spiritual power run completely dry—it leaves you vulnerable to those with ill intent. Do you understand?"
"Yes, we understand."
"Now, about control. This cannot be mastered overnight. It requires not just daily accumulation of spiritual power, but also cultivation of your divine sense."
As she spoke, Jian Dan opened her palm, condensing a single droplet of water. The droplet slowly expanded into a water snake, then a water flood dragon, and finally a full water dragon.
The three-meter-long miniature dragon was lifelike, covered in shimmering scales like fish, glinting faintly with rainbow light. Its head was like a bull's, horns like a deer's, eyes like a shrimp's, ears like an elephant's, claws like a phoenix's, palms like a tiger's, and even the reverse scale beneath its throat was clearly visible.
The water dragon circled the lecture hall before returning to her hand, shrinking back into a flood dragon, then a snake, then a droplet, and finally dissipating into the air.
"Wow! Zūnshàng, that was amazing! It looked so real!"
Yu Jiajia couldn't help blurting out what everyone else was thinking.
"You need not envy me. You can achieve the same. You already know how to use your spiritual power—now practice precision. Start with the element you are best at, and begin with the simplest birds, fish, flowers, and insects."
"Zūnshàng, when can we reach your level?"
Jia Yushu's eyes shone as he asked the question aloud.
"If you work hard, you can reach what you just saw by the Golden Core stage."