Spiritual Breath can be roughly categorized into four major series.
Postnatal Breath, Congenital Breath, Pure Breath, and Turbid Breath.
Each of the four series contains many different types.
For example, Postnatal Spiritual Breath, as the name suggests, is breath cultivated later, such as Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and so on. Nature's Colored Spirits also fall into this category, as do postnatal inheritances.
Congenital Breath, on the other hand, is innate from birth, such as Treasure Bodies, Bloodlines, etc., possessed from the moment of birth, including congenital inheritances.
The so-called Pure Breath, also known as Sacred Breath, is mostly bestowed by the heavens, carrying a certain sense of mission and arising in response to destiny, such as various imperial edicts.
As for Turbid Breath, this stuff is also called Sinful Breath. Reincarnation is a sin, body-snatching is also a sin. Any act that violates the laws and order of heaven and earth leaves behind turbid breath. Moreover, this turbid breath is like a brand imprinted on the soul; unless the soul dissipates, one can never shake off this turbid breath.
In this world, most cultivators typically possess only one type of spiritual breath, namely the postnatal breath brought by their cultivation.
Some geniuses might possess Nature's Colored Spirits.
Only a rare few, geniuses among geniuses favored by heaven, possess congenital breath.
But for Su Hua to possess all four major series of spiritual breath, with more than one type in each series, was truly rare—no, to be precise, it was simply somewhat unbelievable. Even Gu Qingfeng, with five hundred years of cultivation and dealings with immortals and demons from the Nine Heavens and Nine Nethers, found Su Hua's existence rather incredible.
Especially the coexistence of Pure Breath and Turbid Breath—both sacred and sinful, and more than one type of each. Such a rare occurrence was absolutely uncommon.
"I heard that Young Lord Chiyan, while at First-Class Manor, played 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' on an empty zither, not only manifesting the various profound mysteries within the piece but even reaching its legendary artistic conception?"
Su Hua stood quietly within the Spirit Seclusion Garden, gazing at Gu Qingfeng as she asked a question she particularly wanted answered.
Whether it was eradicating over a dozen Nascent Soul experts with Purple Mansion cultivation or the Twelve Chixiao People kneeling before him.
Add to that Gu Qingfeng's bizarre behavior during Ouyang Ye's bloodline awakening.
All of this indicated that the person before her was absolutely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. If he were someone with reincarnation turbid breath, or even pure breath, there might be a reasonable explanation. But he was neither, not even a body-snatcher reborn.
This inevitably made Su Hua both curious and puzzled.
Especially the feeling Gu Qingfeng gave her now: on the surface, he seemed leisurely and carefree, but in reality, it was a kind of unbridled freedom, as if unbound by the moral ethics of the mundane world, doing everything as his heart desired.
Moreover, Su Hua could tell that this fellow's 'as his heart desired' was not an act; it was truly following his whims.
Those dark eyes held no desires or wants, silent and profound, like black holes, filled with mystery and the unknown.
Su Hua had lived two lives; her previous life was that of a True Immortal of the Nine Heavens, yet she had never seen eyes that made her feel so... unnatural.
She felt it necessary to investigate this person's identity.
Opposite her, Gu Qingfeng, while eating Red Leaf Monster Fruits and sipping wine, nodded in response. "That's right, that did happen."
As soon as his words fell.
Chang Tianrui, who had been standing nearby all along, sneered disdainfully. "Played 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' on an empty zither, manifesting its profound mysteries and even reaching its artistic conception?
Heh...
With you?"
Xu Jintong also laughed coldly. "As everyone knows, 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' is a classic masterpiece composed by the founder of our Chizi Head, Monarch Chixiao. Every piece composed by the Monarch is profoundly mysterious and wondrously subtle, and this 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' is especially so. Under the heavens, music masters skilled in the musical arts dare not claim in their entire lives to have manifested its profound mysteries, yet you dare boast of reaching its artistic conception?
And on an empty zither?
What a colossal joke."
Xu Jintong, Chang Tianrui, and the other three Huage Young Masters also had some knowledge of music and melody. They admired Fairy Su Hua and knew she had a special fondness for the Monarch's compositions. To attract the fairy's attention, they had all tried to comprehend the Monarch's pieces. Unfortunately, the Monarch's music was simply too difficult. After decades of study, being able to manifest one or two parts of its profound mysteries was no easy feat.
"Hey, why don't you believe it? Back then at First-Class Manor, Big Brother really did play 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' on an empty zither and reached its artistic conception. Many people were there, my grandpa too."
Seeing so many people targeting Gu Qingfeng, Little Jin'er immediately stepped forward to testify. Master Wenzhu also spoke up slowly at this moment. "Indeed, half a year ago, this old man witnessed it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. Young Lord Chiyan truly did reach the artistic conception of 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' on an empty zither."
"Master Wenzhu, I'm afraid you were deceived."
Chang Tianrui asked, "Let me ask you, have you ever heard anyone else play the artistic conception of 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' before?"
"This...
Aside from Young Lord Chiyan, this old man has never heard anyone else play it."
"Then how can you be sure what he played was the true artistic conception of 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea'?"
"This..." Master Wenzhu was momentarily speechless. He truly didn't know how to respond to this question.
"Hmph!"
Bai Hanwen, one of the three Huage Young Masters, also stepped forward. "In this world, there are far too many people impersonating descendants or disciples of Monarch Chixiao. They learn a few of the Monarch's pieces, use some unorthodox mental techniques to falsify things, forge artistic conceptions, and deceive the ignorant."
"Exactly! Even Fairy Su Hua cannot play the artistic conception of 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea'. With him?
On an empty zither?
Only those without discernment would believe it!"
"What do you mean?
Are you saying my grandpa is an ignorant person?
You..." Little Jin'er was very angry. Master Wenzhu beside her pulled her back, shaking his head and sighing helplessly. To be honest, when Gu Qingfeng played the artistic conception of 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' at First-Class Manor, he had believed it was real at the time. But now, thinking carefully, there were indeed many questionable points.
"Sister Su Hua, don't you believe Big Brother either?"
Faced with Little Jin'er's question, Su Hua also didn't know how to respond.
The reason she asked this question was also due to this doubt. As Bai Hanwen said, in this world, there were many fraudsters impersonating descendants or disciple-transmitters of Monarch Chixiao. They often used such methods to deceive people, playing the Monarch's pieces and employing some mental techniques to create false illusions. Those without sufficient experience were easily fooled. There were many such people, commonplace, and their methods were tried and true.
Moreover, over the years, she had been comprehending the musical arts composed by the Monarch. She understood better than anyone how profound and mysterious the music composed by Monarch Chixiao was. Not to mention others, just this one piece, 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea'. She had studied it for many years. Although she could also manifest all the profound mysteries within the piece, she had never been able to play its artistic conception.
Now, to hear that this fellow before her could reach the artistic conception by playing 'Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea' on an empty zither?
What did 'empty zither' mean?
It meant not using spiritual power.
In other words, relying purely on melody to evoke spiritual resonance. This was simply unheard of.
Su Hua simply did not believe anyone could do it and also thought it possible that this person before her had used mental techniques to forge the so-called artistic conception.
"Sister Su Hua, I haven't told you yet. That piece you composed for Jin'er last time, Jin'er was having a hard time practicing it. But after Big Brother modified it, Jin'er mastered it right away."