178: Chapter 178 Obtaining the Heavenly Sword Token, Gu Liuqin's Unsolicited Request

"Young Master's attainments in the Sound Dao are such that Liu Qin feels inferior!"

Gu Liuqin sighed and admitted defeat.

Even if she were to perform a zither-type Divine Ability, she could currently only make someone fall into a triple illusion at most.

But Lin Ran, on the other hand, unleashed a sevenfold illusion right from the start. How could they even compare?!

She had lost, and she had lost utterly.

In the Sound Dao she took such pride in, she had lost to Lin Ran, who didn't even possess a zither-type Magic Treasure.

But soon, her eyes lit up, and she looked at Lin Ran with a burning gaze.

She had lost, but as the Goddess of the Heavenly Sound Tower, she could naturally afford to lose.

Moreover, in her eyes, this might not necessarily be a bad thing!

Her Dao was not solitary; she hadn't expected that in this Imperial Province, there truly was someone who could surpass her in the Sound Dao!

If she could spar with Lin Ran day and night, playing the zither all through the night, her attainments in the Sound Dao would surely soar!

"Young Master, as they say, one must accept defeat in a bet. This is the heavenly sword token; please keep it safe!"

Gu Liuqin beamed with joy as she took out the shimmering heavenly sword token from her bosom and handed it to Lin Ran.

Lin Ran nodded slightly and put away the heavenly sword token.

"This is your ancient zither."

With a wave of his hand, he returned Gu Liuqin's ancient zither to her.

He found Gu Liuqin's personality—accepting defeat gracefully and acting without hesitation—quite agreeable.

"Young Master, Liu Qin has a presumptuous request. I wonder if you could grant it?"

Gu Liuqin blinked her large, innocent eyes.

"Fairy, speak first, and then This Holy Son will see whether to agree."

Lin Ran said indifferently.

He wasn't some animal that thought with his lower half and couldn't walk straight upon seeing a Goddess or Saintess.

If Gu Liuqin's presumptuous request was something he deemed unacceptable, he naturally wouldn't agree.

"Alright. Young Master's display just now has filled Liu Qin with admiration."

"I wonder if Young Master would be willing to spar with Liu Qin?"

Gu Liuqin said enthusiastically.

Lin Ran's gaze turned slightly strange.

Was Gu Liuqin eyeing his Seven Absolute Arts of Music and wanting to learn his secrets?!

However, the Seven Absolute Arts of Music were dispensable to him; their greatest use had been helping him crush Gu Liuqin in the Sound Dao to obtain the heavenly sword token.

But if he could use the Seven Absolute Arts of Music to continue gaining benefits for himself, that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Fairy, to be honest, This Holy Son truly wants to grant your presumptuous request."

"However, This Holy Son has been quite short of divine source stones lately and is trying everything to obtain them, so I really don't have much time."

Lin Ran said with a feigned look of helplessness.

"This..."

"Liu Qin still has many divine source stones on her, and there are also many in my Heavenly Sound Tower. I wonder how many Young Master requires?"

Gu Liuqin bit her lip and said.

These words made it very clear: she intended to use all the divine source stones belonging to her and the Heavenly Sound Tower to purchase the top-tier Divine Art, the Seven Absolute Arts of Music, from Lin Ran!

Their Heavenly Sound Tower also possessed a zither-type Divine Art, which was the one she currently cultivated, but it was incomplete and could only make people fall into a triple illusion.

Yet the zither technique Lin Ran performed could plunge people into a sevenfold illusion. She thought it must be an incredibly extraordinary Divine Art!

Trading all the divine source stones for this Divine Art was worth it!

"As for divine source stones, naturally, the more the better."

Lin Ran's mouth curled into a faint smile.

"Alright! Liu Qin has three hundred Low Grade divine source stones on her, and the Heavenly Sound Tower still has five hundred Medium Grade divine source stones in storage. I wonder if these are enough?"

Gu Liuqin asked anxiously.

Lin Ran frowned in contemplation.

Three hundred Low Grade divine source stones and five hundred Medium Grade divine source stones together were indeed far from enough to purchase a top-tier Divine Art on the market.

However, something was better than nothing; it was better than nothing at all.

In his view, being able to secure another three hundred Low Grade and five hundred Medium Grade divine source stones was the final bit of value he could squeeze out of the Seven Absolute Arts of Music.

"Very well. Since Fairy Qin has invited me so warmly, if This Holy Son were to refuse again, it would seem as if I were being unreasonable."

Lin Ran's brow unfurrowed, and he smiled.

Hearing Lin Ran agree, Gu Liuqin beamed with a smile as bright as peach blossoms in the spring breeze and said, "Excellent, please follow me, Young Master."

She turned to leave, and just as she was about to lead Lin Ran to a secluded place, an arrogant and unruly voice suddenly rang out.

"Fairy Qin, you are taking this person into a private room to play the zither all night long. Do you have any respect for my Young Master at all?!"

Nie Feng slammed the table and stood up, his tiger-like eyes wide, the heavy blade in his hand glinting with a chilling light.

"Here it comes, here it comes!"

Seeing this, the young Prodigies finally perked up, watching the scene with great interest.

Every time Gu Liuqin held a Divine Sound Gathering, Nie Feng would show up; sometimes the Crown Prince would bring Nie Feng along.

And when the Crown Prince was absent, Nie Feng was the one who monitored Gu Liuqin on his behalf.

In the entire Jue Jian Imperial Dynasty, practically everyone knew that Gu Liuqin was someone the Crown Prince had his eye on.

Some even whispered in private that Gu Liuqin was the Crown Prince's Personal Plaything; anyone who dared to lay a finger on her was provoking the Crown Prince!

Now, Gu Liuqin wanted to leave alone with Lin Ran to play the zither all night.

One could imagine that with a man and a woman alone in a room, though they said they were playing the zither all night, who could guarantee that "playing the zither all night" wouldn't turn into "talking of love all night and doing..."

Bah!

Talking of love?!

Therefore, as the Crown Prince's most loyal follower, Nie Feng certainly wouldn't stand by and watch that happen!

"Oh? You mean the Crown Prince? My apologies, but am I well-acquainted with your Crown Prince?"

"Does what I, Gu Liuqin, choose to do really require reporting to the Crown Prince?"

"Besides, I, Gu Liuqin, already have a beloved, and he is not someone your Crown Prince can compare to."

Gu Liuqin said coldly.

It's explosive! It's explosive!

This is a complete bombshell!

So the far-famed Fairy Qin actually has a beloved?

And she even publicly remarked that the Crown Prince is inferior to her beloved?!

Then all these years, hasn't the Crown Prince been putting on a one-man show, playing the clown for so long?!

"Gu Liuqin! Do you know what you are saying?!"

"The Crown Prince has done so much for you over the years, and only now do you say you've had a beloved all along and look down on him!?"

"Does your Heavenly Sound Tower wish to be destroyed?!"

Nie Feng's expression was cold and extremely unsightly.

Gu Liuqin's words were completely treating Li Junze like a clown!

This was simply grinding Li Junze's dignity into the dirt!

"Everything the Crown Prince has done for me all these years? Heh!"

"Nie Feng, are you referring to how every time This Goddess holds a Goddess Gathering, if Li Junze comes, he stands there motionless like a door god?"

"Anyone who didn't know better would think he had polio!"