Zither Emperor

Chapter 19 – Power Shaking Heavy Cavalry (II)

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Ferguson’s gaze swept over everyone present, receiving the students’ veneration and attention. The wrinkles on his old, aged face heaped up because of his smile. “At last, the final stage of the Annual Freshman Competition has arrived once again. I am very glad that this year’s Freshman Competition has so many remarkable young individuals in it. I hesitate to speak pompously, but I hope that this year’s new members of the Milan Institution of Magic and Martial Arts, who are joining this big family of students, will learn from these elite students entering the final stage. Today, all your invested effort will be the backbone of the continent’s capital in the future.”

Thunderous applause echoed. With the strength of a Violet Rank and a clear, simple speech, he’d made the students, especially the new students, aware that he was the senior Milan Institution President. As the Milan Empire’s Chief Court Great Magister, they must recognize him.

Ferguson clapped his hands, and the applauding ceased. “Next, the students of the Divine Music division will perform a song, << >>. After this song finishes, the competing students of the Divine Music and Heavy Cavalry divisions will enter the field to start their match. I will personally referee this match.”

A hundred tall, sturdy Martial Arts students ran forward at lightning speed from the side and towards the middle of the training field, laying down tables and benches. Almost immediately after, a beautiful scene emerged before the students of the Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts.

Attired in pink dresses with their long hair combed into ponytails, the Divine Music division stepped lithely forward. Their graceful and dazzling appearances were accented by heartwarming, delicate faces, and each figure assumed several gorgeous postures. Walking at the very front was the awe-inspiring, most beautiful woman of the Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts—Xiang Luan. Today, she appeared especially alluring, her remarkably exquisite complexion being only faintly accentuated. Like the Creator’s most perfect work of art, almost no one dared to believe that there would be such perfection in this world. All of these 81 female Divine Music division students could be described as beautiful, but at this very moment, the other 80 females were doomed to serve as a background in order to bring out Xiang Luan’s brilliance.

A faint smile in her starry eyes, she embodied the word ‘perfection’ with her slim waist, delicate and perfect contours of her shapely bottom that was hidden by her dress, and those terrifyingly long legs. Even as she walked forward, she had already eclipsed all of those adjectives.

<< Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers >> echoed out, but for this moment, the overwhelming majority of the audience’s souls still hadn’t returned after seeing the breathtaking Xiang Luan.

Eighty-one people and close to twenty kinds of musical instruments simultaneously resounded. As none of the Divine Music mages embedded their music with magic, only the moving music was left.

Xiang Luan sat at the table and hugged her jade pipa like the treasure it was. She was the core of the song; the others were only there to accompany her. Jade fingers like spring green onions lightly plucked the pipa strings, and << Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers >> rose out in spirals. With the rotation of her hand, she played two or three notes, yet the audience already fell in love with the incomplete tune. From her body, people could completely understand why the Divine Music mage was called the most noble vocation.

The poignant music unceasingly drifted from her hands. Ye Yin Zhu exclaimed softly, “As the hazy dream starts to end, it transitions to a soft tone and enters the third phase of breaking. I didn’t expect Xiang Luan’s musical comprehension to actually be this deep with that blunt temperament of hers.”

Hai Yang said, “Elder Sister Xiang Luan is the number one student in our Divine Music division. Others only know her as the number one beauty, but where could they have learned that she is the genius of the Divine Music division? As a third-year, she has already reached Advanced Level Yellow Rank. Even among the teachers of the Divine Music division, only a few can match her.”

The large strings hummed like rapid rain while the small strings sliced through the air like whispers. Humming sliced through the jumbled plucking, like large and small beads falling onto a jade plate. Everyone that had gathered on the field grew quiet as the song << Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers >> and its ‘master’ made everyone feel as if they were looking upon an imaginary scene, like a dream.

When << Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers >> concluded, Xiang Luan hugged the pipa close to her chest and bowed in the direction of the rostrum. A deafening applause shook the entire Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts, causing the structure to shake. Previously, the Divine Music division hadn’t performed to the other division students due to their noble status. Combining the Divine Music division’s over-the-line participation in the Freshman Competition and this historically unprecedented performance, it gave all of the students of the other divisions an unforgettable memory. Several even thought, ‘What kind of performance would the Divine Music division give if they won today’s match?’ Imperceptibly, the song << Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers >> significantly increased the support for the Divine Music division.

The Divine Music division cheering squad passed in front of Ye Yin Zhu’s team of five. Xiang Luan stopped in front of Yin Zhu, smiled, and said, “Was that pleasant to hear?”

Ye Yin Zhu automatically nodded. “Senior’s pipa playing is really good.”

Xiang Luan smiled contentedly and said, “Since you haven’t given up hope, if you can win today’s match, I will perform the solo song that accompanies << Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers >> for you to view. My dancing surpasses my skill with the pipa.” Ye Yin Zhu watched Xiang Luan’s leisure strides as she left, her laugh sounding out like silver bells.

His nose caught the faint scent of fragrance, and Ye Yin Zhu’s eyes displayed a trace of a smile as they flickered with a confident and resolute gaze. He walked to the center of the training field alone.

Following Xiang Luan’s departure, the central training field gradually quieted. The final stages of the Annual Freshman Competition had begun at last. Everyone’s gazes converged on the center of the huge training field, watching on as the competitors for both sides gradually approached one another.

Black hair draped over his shoulders and scattered down his back, contrasting brightly against the spotlessly white Divine Celestial Protection robe he wore. His crystal clear eyes shone as bright as stars, his appearance handsome and graceful. A trace of a faint smile was apparent at the corner of his mouth as he calmly and confidently walked towards the center.At this moment, Ye Yin Zhu appeared to have already entered a bizarre rhythm, blending with and entering his surroundings.

Heavy, powerful footsteps sounded, accompanied by five tall, black figures from the other side that were advancing towards Ye Yin Zhu. Compared to them, Ye Yin Zhu appeared tiny. All five of these individuals were blond and wore thick black armor, resembling five mobile fortresses. It seemed that each had a height of at least two meters, with extremely broad shoulders, a hard, resolute face, and a valiant aura. The standard issue Heavy Cavalry five-meter heavy lance and two-meter broadsword hung respectively on their mounts via saddle rings and at their waists. Their tremendous and imposing manner assaulted everyone’s senses, wholly capturing the audience’s attention.

Of the five individuals Ye Yin Zhu saw, the three in the middle rode Maginot Iron Dragons that neared three meters in height and five meters in length, emanating an intangible, yet vicious aura. With the addition of the cavalrymen’s height of two meters, they closely resembled the Dragon Cavalry Ye Yin Zhu had last seen in Milan City. They even possessed a similar imposing, rich, and powerful air. Moreover, the other two individuals rode Earthbound Swift Dragons. Although these dragons were smaller than the Maginot Iron Dragons, they were significantly more lithe.

The standard five Dragon Cavalry configuration made the students of the Martial Arts Department cheer in near frenzy. The Dragon Cavalry was any country’s absolute, primary military force. The Maginot Iron Dragons and Earthbound Swift Dragons were tamed dragons of high quantity, but their value was also noted at above ten thousand gold each. At this moment, it appeared to the institution’s stadium that Ye Yin Zhu’s intangible grandeur when he left the Divine Music division had already been overwhelmed.

In the rostrum, Nina’s complexion changed. Groaning coldly, she faintly said, “The Heavy Cavalry division must have placed pressure in the background for such things to appear; they might as well give these students some genuine dragons.”

1. (“capital” as in money/finance)