Chapter 9 The Treasures of the Divine Music Department (Part 2)_1

Hearing Nina say this, Yin Zhu couldn't help feeling overjoyed. Three hundred gold coins would be enough for his expenses for quite a long time, not to mention the musical instrument. However, before he could get too excited, he heard Nina continue, "Except for Ye Yinzhu. As a freshman, he caused a conflict with students from another department on the first day of school, so his participation encouragement will be cancelled as punishment."

"Granny Nina, please don't," Yin Zhu cried out. He had unconsciously touched Nina's reverse scale again.

"Fine. I've decided that if you can't lead the Divine Music Department to win a match this time, your tuition will be doubled from now on."

"What?" It was then that Yin Zhu realized just how terrifying Granny Nina could be. Following the principle of not causing more trouble with his words, he made a bitter face and fell silent. Xueling chuckled softly beside him, "You look so adorable when you're crestfallen."

Ye Yinzhu helplessly replied, "Adorable doesn't seem to be a term used to describe men."

Just then, a young girl stood up from the back of the classroom, "Director Nina, I will participate as well."

She was a tall and beautiful girl who looked a bit older than Xueling and Lanxi. Her noble temperament appeared slightly arrogant, and underneath the school uniform, a pair of long legs was the most attention-catching.

Lanxi's hushed voice reached Yin Zhu's ear, "Her name is Peacock, her instrument is the Pipa, and she seems to be Red-rank High Ranked, stronger than Xueling and me."

"Granny Nina just said that our Divine Music Department is the Number One System of Milan Magic Martial Academy. That's not true, is it? Don't all the other departments say that we are an expendable part?"

Lanxi giggled and replied, "It's true, but it refers to status, not strength. When our Divine Music Department was at its strongest, there were at the same time nine princesses from different countries. Naturally, it had the highest status of all the departments. This title of Number One System is well-deserved."

"Ah! What about you, then? What's your status?"

Lanxi mysteriously said, "You can't ask. The identity of every student in the Divine Music Department is the most secret. After all, the relations between the countries of the continent are not very harmonious. Here, we are all just students."

Director Nina clapped her hands and said, "Before the official classes start, the rest of you can arrange your activities freely. You four, come with me."

Director Nina led them to the Spiritual Magic Teaching Room on the first floor. It was an even bigger classroom, with a total of one hundred seats, and the walls were made of special materials conducive to the surround sound of music.

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. I've brought you here to select some equipment for you. This is the Divine Music Department's first time participating in the freshman competition, and we cannot afford to be utterly defeated," Nina said with some sorrow and sighed, "Perhaps, our Divine Music Department should never have been categorized under magic. Almost every student comes here out of a love for music. Because we lack offensive power, although on the surface we are the Number One System of Milan Magic Martial School, the attitude of students and teachers from other departments has always been one of contempt. The incident Ye Yinzhu caused might have been an accident, but I also want to use this opportunity to let the other departments know that our Divine Music Department is not worthless. What you carry on your shoulders is the glory of the Divine Music Department."

Lanxi hesitated and said, "But, Director Nina, can we really win? Our magic music..."

Nina interrupted her, saying indifferently, "Throughout history, almost everyone has thought that Divine Music Masters are worthless. They are wrong. A true Divine Music Master is incredibly powerful, perhaps even the most powerful among Spirit Mages. But because cultivation is extraordinarily difficult, few people know this secret. On the Continent, there was a Divine Music Master who defeated six Mages from other departments all by himself. In short, aside from Spirit Mages, our Divine Music Masters are almost the nemesis of all other Mages. Can any of you tell me what it means to be a Divine Music Master?"

Peacock said, "To render spiritual power within the music, leading others to resonate."

Nina responded, "Exactly. Through our music, spiritual power can be released over a wide area. Divine Music Masters can be said to be the only Mages whose magic is entirely area-of-effect, and moreover, music is all-pervasive—it can't be blocked by any defense, unless one leaves the range of the sound. As long as we have enough spiritual power, we can control our opponent's emotions with our music. At that point, the scales of victory will have no uncertainty. Among those of the same rank, only Spirit Mages' spiritual power can match ours, while Mages of other departments stand no chance. Ye Yinzhu, tell me, what is the weakness of a Divine Music Master?"

"It's the time it takes to perform the music. Generally, a Divine Music Master's music needs to reach one-third of its playtime before the music imbued with spiritual power takes effect. In contrast to other department's Mages who chant spells and use instant magic, it's simply too slow," Yinzhu recited from memory, just as Qin Shang had originally told him.

This time it was Nina who was surprised, "One-third? That's not accurate. It should only take effect after reaching the halfway point unless the power is above Green rank." Little did she know that as a cultivator of Pure Qinxin, Yinzhu's zither music indeed only needed to be played to one-third of its length to take effect.

"In the freshman competition, the participants selected by each department generally have magic ranks between Red-rank High Ranked and Yellow-rank Beginner. And the upperclassmen leading the teams will not exceed Yellow-rank Advanced rank. Therefore, as long as we can solve the problem of the music's timing, with Haiyang leading you, you have every chance of winning. Even mages a rank or two stronger than Haiyang will hardly have stronger spiritual power than her. So, in the competition, you will need to fight in a team battle format against your opponents. Your task, the four of you, is to hold the opponents back before Haiyang's music takes effect, preventing them from affecting her," Nina's eyes twinkled with the tactic she had clearly thought through beforehand.

"No, I won't be cannon fodder. As a noble Divine Music Master, I refuse to be cannon fodder," Peacock declared, puffing out her proud chest—a figure that had to be admitted as the finest among the new students.

Nina frowned, "Do you really think you are stronger than Haiyang? Peacock, if you can't put team victory first, then you don't need to participate in this freshman competition," an intangible authority emanated from her, causing even the proud Peacock to falter.

Nina walked to the wall behind the podium decorated with a Magic Hexagram and extended her right hand, pressing it on the center of the Hexagram. A deep, rhythmic chant filled the room, but Ye Yinzhu and the others couldn't make out a word of it. A strong green light burst from her hand, instantly rendering the entire Hexagram green. This was at least the symbol of a Mid Ranked Magic Scholar. To cultivate a Divine Music Master to this extent, one would be hard-pressed to find many on the entire Continent.