Chapter 251: Hidden Levels

Fu Chaojun furrowed his brow.

Why was Jiang Fan so confident in his own comprehension abilities as well?

This question lingered in his mind for only a moment before he dismissed it. In terms of comprehension, he was the undisputed king of the Nine Sects' lands! No one could surpass him!

He took out a bamboo scroll, intricately carved with musical notes. "This is a treasured musical score from my Heavenly Sound Sect," he said. "It looks like an ordinary score, but it's actually a high-grade Profound-tier sound-path cultivation technique. It's extremely difficult to comprehend. Even our sect master hasn't fully grasped it in over a decade. Let's both try to comprehend this incomplete scroll!"

Jiang Fan frowned. A musical score cultivation technique? He had never seen one before and couldn't help but look at it with curiosity.

Under the influence of his powerful comprehension ability, and despite never having encountered a musical score before, the notes in his vision began to move on their own. They transformed into human-like figures, and various notes connected, forming a series of exercise diagrams. This was similar to the Undying Medical Tome he had encountered previously.

Soon, he clearly saw some words formed by the changing musical notes.

"Tiger Roar Dragon Chant Technique?" Jiang Fan mumbled, speaking the name of the cultivation technique aloud.

Unexpectedly, Fu Chaojun rolled his eyes. "Can't you read? Didn't you see the three large characters: 'Breakthrough Array Melody'?" He pointed a finger at the name of the score on the far left of the title page.

Gong Caiyi also looked puzzled. "Jiang Fan, are you seeing things? I can see the score's name clearly from here."

Yuan Ziyu looked suspicious too. "What Tiger Roar Dragon Chant? What are you talking about? Are there words like that on it?"

Ming Youlian scoffed, "You can't even read, yet you dare to compare your comprehension abilities with others!"

Jiang Fan paused, stunned. Did they not see the musical notes moving on their own?

Wait! Jiang Fan suddenly realized, 'Could it be like the Undying Medical Tome? Others only saw acupuncture points, but with my supreme comprehension, I could see the essence of the cultivation technique?'

Thinking this, he looked at the description again. "Tiger Roar Dragon Chant Technique, sound-path cultivation technique, Earth-tier Mid-grade!"

Earth-tier Mid-grade? Jiang Fan's heart pounded wildly. He tried looking several times, confirming that he hadn't misread it. This sound-path cultivation technique, which the Heavenly Sound Sect mistakenly believed to be a high-grade Profound-tier musical score, was actually a supreme secret art of Earth-tier Mid-grade!

His mouth felt dry. Since embarking on the path of martial arts, this was the most powerful cultivation technique he had ever seen.

"Are you competing or not?" Fu Chaojun asked with a frown, closing the bamboo scroll as he looked at Jiang Fan's strange expression.

Those around exchanged glances and frowned. Gong Caiyi reminded him, "Jiang Fan, musical scores are different from ordinary cultivation techniques; they are difficult to comprehend. Moreover, Fu Chaojun has been studying this technique for an unknown period. He might have already fully comprehended it. Why don't our sect provide a different cultivation technique for both of you to comprehend?"

Yuan Ziyu nodded vigorously. "The Sect Master is absolutely right. It's unfair for a Heavenly Sound Sect disciple to comprehend a Heavenly Sound Sect technique."

Jiang Fan inwardly wanted to silence them! This was a heaven-sent opportunity to learn an Earth-tier Mid-grade cultivation technique for free. If you make me miss this opportunity, I'll never forgive you!

He waved his hand, feigning nonchalance. "It's fine! If they aren't afraid of someone learning the Heavenly Sound Sect's unique techniques, what do I have to fear?"

Upon hearing this, Ming Youlian scoffed, "You're overestimating yourself! If you can even understand the first page, you'd be a prodigy! And you want to learn our sect's unique technique!"

Unlike other sects, the Heavenly Sound Sect, in addition to requiring spiritual roots, also demanded talent in the sound-path for its disciples. This 'Breakthrough Array Melody', known for its difficulty, was hard to comprehend even for those from the Heavenly Sound Sect. Only Fu Chaojun had managed to barely comprehend the second page. And Jiang Fan, an outer sect disciple, wanted to master it? He'd only make a fool of himself!

Fu Chaojun chuckled. "If you're capable, go ahead and learn it. I won't mind in the slightest!"

'That's what you said!' Jiang Fan secretly rubbed his hands together, eager to begin.

Seeing that Jiang Fan had no objections, Gong Caiyi also found it difficult to persuade him further. She nodded. "This is a zither score, isn't it? You need to play the zither to unleash the technique's power. Ziyu, bring my seven-stringed zither."

Soon after, Yuan Ziyu brought an ancient, elegantly styled guqin. It hadn't been deliberately refined. However, due to its extremely superior materials, it had naturally become a low-grade magical artifact.

"Take it and use it," Gong Caiyi said. Yuan Ziyu then handed it to Jiang Fan.

Fu Chaojun couldn't help but feel jealous. Although he carried his own zither, which was of a much higher grade than Gong Caiyi's, Gong Caiyi only showed concern for Jiang Fan and completely ignored him, making him very uncomfortable. This made him even more determined to teach Jiang Fan a harsh lesson!

He took out his own zither and sat opposite Jiang Fan on either side of the great hall. The 'Breakthrough Array Melody' scroll was unrolled and placed in the center of the hall so that both of them could see it.

Gong Caiyi said, "You have two hours. Begin."

Fu Chaojun unhurriedly looked at the third page. Having already comprehended the first two pages, he had an absolute advantage. He even thought that even if he didn't continue comprehending, Jiang Fan wouldn't be able to catch up. With his astonishing comprehension, it had still taken him two months to barely comprehend two pages. In two hours, Jiang Fan probably wouldn't even be able to decipher a single line.

But when he looked at Jiang Fan, he had expected Jiang Fan to be very nervous. Instead, he seemed even more relaxed than Fu Chaojun himself. He didn't immediately delve into comprehension. Instead, he first meticulously examined the musical piece from beginning to end.

"Heh, feigning composure," Fu Chaojun muttered, shaking his head. He then ignored Jiang Fan and focused on his own comprehension.

Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Fan was memorizing all the content to ensure he wouldn't lose the chance to access this Earth-tier Mid-grade cultivation technique after two hours.

After a short while, he closed his eyes, and only after confirming he had clearly memorized everything did he begin to comprehend. Scenes of musical notes dancing appeared in his mind, and a faint understanding gradually dawned in his heart.

Two hours. For the onlookers, it was undoubtedly long and tedious. But for Jiang Fan, who was fully immersed, it felt like a mere flick of a finger.

"Time's up," Gong Caiyi's voice announcing the end of the time startled Jiang Fan awake. He felt he could have continued. As it was his first time experiencing a sound-path cultivation technique, he found it quite interesting, and he had gained a lot. This 'Tiger Roar Dragon Chant Technique' was divided into three layers, and he had successfully comprehended the first layer, reaching the "Tiger Roar" realm. When played on the zither, it would unleash astonishing power. It would be his most powerful attack, aside from the Purple Sword.

Fu Chaojun also slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of understanding within them. Ming Youlian, seeing this, asked expectantly, "How did it go?"

Fu Chaojun smiled faintly. "I performed exceptionally; I've completed comprehending the third page."

Ming Youlian was overjoyed. "You comprehended three pages in just two months! Indeed, he was the peerless prodigy our sect had not seen in a century! Give you ten years, and you will undoubtedly comprehend the entire technique!"

Although the onlookers didn't know how difficult this cultivation technique was to comprehend, they could tell from the dignified Ming Youlian's nearly undignified reaction that Fu Chaojun had made significant progress. They couldn't help but look worriedly at the unperturbed Jiang Fan.

Fu Chaojun looked over with a sneer and said, "Do you still have the courage to compete with me?"