"You say he possesses the Zither Heart? That's impossible!"
Lu Yun's face changed drastically.
Even in the Jade Zither Pavilion, only one person had ever awakened the Zither Heart—and that was her senior sister, Chu Xianyin.
But Chu Xianyin was the first true genius the Jade Zither Pavilion had seen in a thousand years.
If Yang Cheng had the Zither Heart… didn't that mean he could be compared to Senior Sister?
"Slap her."
Suddenly, Yang Cheng spoke directly to Lu Yun.
Lu Yun exploded in anger and sneered, "What a joke. I'm not a subject of Great Zhou. Your identity as Crown Prince has no power over me…"
Before she could finish—
Buzz!
Every zither in the courtyard began to tremble.
In the blink of an eye, the instruments released their pressure and all directed it toward Lu Yun.
Even her own zither joined in.
Then, unbelievably, her right hand began to rise.
Her face twisted in a grimace of pain and resistance, but she couldn't overcome the pressure of the instruments around her.
If she hadn't been a qin cultivator, the pressure wouldn't have had this much of an effect.
But she was.
And right before everyone's stunned eyes, Lu Yun smacked herself across the face with a resounding slap.
"Zither Heart!"
"That's the power of the Zither Heart!"
"His Highness really has the Zither Heart!"
The tutors from the Zither Institute were beside themselves with excitement.
A cultivator with the Zither Heart was a top-tier zither genius.
"You bastard!" Lu Yun was trembling with both fear and fury.
"You still dare show disrespect? Keep slapping."
Yang Cheng's voice was cold.
Lu Yun lost all control again and smacked herself once more.
Cheng Junyi didn't stop it.
In her eyes, Lu Yun had been far too arrogant. A little lesson wouldn't hurt.
"Enough! I admit I was wrong!" Lu Yun finally broke.
The humiliation was unbearable, but the torment was worse. She gave in.
After all, she was only ten years old—not yet that future goddess who would look down upon the world.
Only then did Yang Cheng withdraw his Zither Heart and end the punishment.
[Lu Yun has admitted her fault publicly to the host. This is beyond imagination.]
[From now on, all her past insults toward the host are null and void. Instead, the host may become her nightmare.]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Would you like to receive your reward?]
"Receive."
In an instant, a flood of zither comprehension filled Yang Cheng's mind, and he condensed his own Zither Intent.
Bright moon. Boundless sea. Solitary boat. Ancient qin…
Yang Cheng's Zither Intent was the Intent of the Vast Sea.
"Your Highness," said Chen Heqing, eyes burning with admiration, "I'd like to invite you to join the Zither Institute. From today on, you'll be our senior brother and the personal disciple of my teacher, Qin Chuan… No, I'm not worthy to be your teacher. I'll accept you on his behalf. You'll be my junior brother."
If Chen Heqing had tried to accept him as his own disciple, Yang Cheng would have definitely refused.
Having a teacher came with obligations. It could be a burden.
He'd accepted Cheng Junyi as a teacher only because he knew she would become a mighty Refining God expert. That was strategic.
Chen Heqing didn't qualify.
But if Chen Heqing was accepting him on behalf of his own teacher, and Yang Cheng would just be the junior brother, then it was worth considering.
After all, the Zither Institute did carry some weight.
Still, Yang Cheng wasn't about to make a decision on his own. He looked to Cheng Junyi.
"You've got talent in zither arts," Cheng Junyi said. "There's no harm in cultivating a bit of it now and then. Just don't forget to focus on martial arts."
At his current age, Yang Cheng couldn't train intensely yet. At most, two hours of cultivation a day.
The rest of his time could be used for zither practice.
Only then did Yang Cheng nod at Chen Heqing. "Dean Chen, I can join the Zither Institute. But I won't be coming every day. I'll go when I feel like it."
If anyone else had said that, Chen Heqing would've kicked them straight out the door.
But coming from someone with the Zither Heart, he eagerly replied, "No problem! Come whenever you like!"
Then he turned to Yang Xiu. "Your Highness the Sixth Prince also shows talent in music. Why don't you join the Institute as well? I'll accept you as my student."
Yang Xiu's heart filled with humiliation.
Chen Heqing was making Yang Cheng his junior brother, but only offering to take him in as a disciple?
If he agreed, wouldn't he have to call Yang Cheng 'Senior Uncle' in the future?
Yang Xiu turned and ran off in a rage, unwilling to stay a moment longer.
Noble Consort Zhuang quickly chased after him. "Xiuer! Wait for Mother!"
Lu Yun stepped forward. "Yang Cheng, the Zither Institute doesn't have what it takes to guide you. Joining them would only waste your Zither Heart talent."
"If you agree to join the Jade Zither Pavilion, I'm willing to personally apologize for everything earlier."
"You really overestimate your own worth. Your apology means nothing to me."
Yang Cheng's tone was icy.
Lu Yun's face was taut, but she held back her anger. "I know you're upset, but I'm sincere."
Tang Xingyu tilted her head. "Senior Sister Lu, didn't you say the Sixth Prince was Heaven's Mandate Child? Why are you still trying to recruit Chengcheng?"
"The Sixth Prince is indeed the Heaven's Mandate Child. But that doesn't mean the Crown Prince can't join the Jade Zither Pavilion," Lu Yun replied. "If you join us, I promise the resources you get will be second only to the Sixth Prince. You'll be treated equally to me."
"Sorry. I'm not interested," Yang Cheng said. "I've already decided to join the Zither Institute. You can leave now."
"You'll regret this," Lu Yun said.
Yang Cheng's eyes turned cold. "Looks like you've really forgotten yesterday's lesson."
Hearing that, Lu Yun panicked. She quickly hugged her zither and rushed off.
She was scared Yang Cheng might make her slap herself again.
Once Lu Yun left, Cheng Junyi sighed. "That girl doesn't have a bad heart, she's just too proud and stubborn."
"Teacher, no matter her intentions, the moment she chose Yang Xiu, there was no salvaging my relationship with the Jade Zither Pavilion," Yang Cheng said calmly.
Cheng Junyi said no more. She clearly understood the ruthless nature of royal succession.
"Chengcheng, even though I'm on good terms with the Jade Zither Pavilion, I'll always be your backing," Cheng Junyi said seriously.
"So will I!" Tang Xingyu added, pumping her little fists.
Yang Cheng gave them a warm smile. "Teacher, Tangtang, I've always trusted you."
"Your Highness, don't forget to visit the Zither Institute soon," Chen Heqing reminded.
"I'll go when I get the chance," Yang Cheng replied.
With that, Chen Heqing and his group took their leave.
Yang Cheng stayed at Autumn Water Courtyard to continue his cultivation with Tang Xingyu.
The next day.
Outside Fengtian City.
A purple-gold carriage rolled slowly down the road.
On its banner, a large character "Wu" was embroidered.
"What's that?"
"That's the carriage of the Southern Guardian Prince's estate."
Instantly, the crowd looked on with awe.
From the carriage stepped an eleven-year-old boy.
"That's Wu Cangming, heir to the Southern Guardian Prince."
"Rumor says when he was born, a qilin phenomenon appeared in the sky, and the half-month downpour in Annan Province stopped that very moment."
"He didn't disappoint either. He awakened the Qilin Sacred Body at age three and is already a Martial Master at eleven."
Everyone looked at Wu Cangming with envy.
By all accounts, he was the textbook definition of a legendary protagonist straight out of a novel.
Wu Cangming stared at the towering city walls, ambition burning in his eyes. 'One day, I, Wu Cangming, will rule this city.'
His gaze turned sharp. 'Yun'er sent me a pigeon letter yesterday. She said the Crown Prince humiliated her.'
'Father already arranged a marriage between Yun'er and me. Besides, I really like her.'
At his age, he didn't fully understand romance, but he already felt a vague fondness for beautiful girls.
Lu Yun was stunning, and since they were betrothed, he saw her as something precious.
'If the Crown Prince humiliated Yun'er, that means he humiliated me.'
'He may be the Crown Prince, but I can't kill him. Still, teaching him a lesson with a little martial might shouldn't be a problem.'
To Wu Cangming, Yang Cheng wasn't even worth taking seriously.
No matter how talented Yang Cheng was, he was still just a one-and-a-half-year-old baby.
Dealing with a toddler seriously would only lower his own status.
He just needed to give the prince a light warning.
Besides, his real goal in coming to the capital wasn't to target someone like the Crown Prince.
He had his sights set on the top geniuses of the Great Zhou Dao Academy.
"I heard the best in the Dao Academy right now are Shen Muxue and Liu Qingtian. If I can trample them underfoot, my name will spread across the realm. Everyone in Great Zhou will know who I am."
At that thought, Wu Cangming felt his blood heat up.
Autumn Water Courtyard.
Lu Yun came again.
"Senior Sister Lu, why are you back again?" Tang Xingyu asked curiously.
Lu Yun patted her head, then turned to Yang Cheng with a sharp gaze. "Crown Prince, I came today to show you just how wrong your decision was yesterday."
[Lu Yun apologized yesterday, but now she's returned relentlessly, clearly unwilling to let it go.]
[As a true man, the host cannot remain passive. Otherwise, your path to greatness will be stained.]
[Please launch a full-force counterattack. Completely suppress Lu Yun so she never dares to defy the host again.]
[Mission reward: Dragon Chant of the Vast Sea Zither.]
Yang Cheng hadn't planned to bother with Lu Yun, but the appearance of a mission instantly lifted his spirits.
He had never heard of this Dragon Chant of the Vast Sea Zither.
But anything offered by the system was never ordinary.
It was likely a divine artifact.
He looked at Lu Yun. "And how do you plan to show me my mistake?"
"Thanks to your humiliation yesterday, I broke through and gained Zither Intent."
Lu Yun said proudly, "Let's compare our zither skills again. I want to see if you can still use your Zither Heart to suppress me like you did yesterday."
Zither Intent?
Yang Cheng smiled.
Her talent really was impressive.
Unfortunately for her, he had also received Zither Intent as a system reward yesterday.
"There's no need to compete," Yang Cheng said mildly.
"What? Afraid?" Lu Yun mocked.
Yang Cheng looked at her calmly. "In front of me, without my permission, you won't be able to play."
His tone wasn't arrogant or mocking—just matter-of-fact.
Lu Yun frowned. "Are you saying you plan to use force against me?"
"You misunderstand." Yang Cheng shook his head. "To deal with you, I don't need force."
Tang Xingyu giggled. "Senior Sister Lu, you really are silly. What Chengcheng means is, in front of him, you're not even qualified to play."
Lu Yun flared up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What a joke! I'll play right now. Try and stop me if you can!"
She sat down cross-legged.
This time, she was more cautious. To avoid being suppressed by Yang Cheng's Zither Heart again, she immediately activated her Zither Intent.
A vast, river-like force spread out.
She looked at Yang Cheng with defiance and reached for her strings.
Just as she touched them, Yang Cheng said two words: "Not allowed."
The Myriad-Wonder Musical Heart and Zither Intent activated at once.
In an instant, a sea-like pressure slammed into Lu Yun.
Her river-like Zither Intent instantly seemed small and weak by comparison.
Her fingers touched the strings—but she couldn't pluck them.
Or rather, it was her own heart that was stopping her hand.