Chương 411: Chapter 410: Singing Cultivator

I forced myself to turn back toward the viewing screens, trying to push my concerns about Wei Lin to the back of my mind. The arena was still buzzing with activity as other second-round battles continued. Most of the displays showed fairly standard matchups - cultivators testing techniques against each other in various elemental environments, the kind of fights I'd come to expect from outer sect tournaments. That's when I noticed something unusual on one of the more distant screens.

The display showed a battle that looked completely different from the others, not just in terms of techniques used, but in the fundamental nature of the environment itself. The setting appeared to be some kind of tavern or wine hall, with wooden floors, rough stone walls, and barrels stacked in every corner. Purple mist hung in the air, and even through the formation screen, I could sense the spiritual pressure of alcohol-infused qi.

"That's an interesting inner world," I murmured, squinting to read the names displayed at the bottom of the screen.

"Ren Zhenyu versus... Guo Xinyi?" The battle itself was fascinating to watch. Ren Zhenyu was clearly a fire cultivator, his techniques creating waves of flame that should have easily overwhelmed his opponent. But every attack seemed sluggish, unfocused, as if he was fighting through thick fog. His opponent, Guo Xinyi, stood in the center of the tavern with her eyes closed, her lips moving in what was obviously song.

I couldn't hear the words through the formation screen, but I could see the effect they were having on the environment around her.

"Is she a singing cultivator?" I asked Azure.

"It appears so. Quite rare in this region, though a little more common in the Central Continent. Some sects there manipulate qi through musical resonance rather than traditional meditation or martial forms." As I watched, the purple mist in the tavern began to swirl around Guo Xinyi, responding to whatever Guo Xinyi she was weaving. The alcohol-infused qi that saturated the environment started moving in complex patterns, creating currents and eddies that seemed to confuse and disorient her fire cultivator opponent.

I focused my attention on the screen causing the formation controlling the screen's audio to activate, allowing me to hear what was happening in the battle:"Wine flows like rivers deep and wide, Let drowsiness be your guide, Heavy lids and stumbling feet, Make your consciousness retreat..." The effect the singing had was pretty dramatic. Ren Zhenyu's fire techniques began to sputter and fade as his spiritual energy circulation became erratic.

His movements grew unsteady, and I could see him blinking rapidly as if trying to clear his vision.

"Barrel's song and cellar's call, Let your awareness gently fall, Dreams of vintage, dreams of grain, Wash away your will to strain..." The fire cultivator stumbled, his defensive formations flickering as his concentration wavered. The alcohol qi that filled the inner world wasn't just affecting his techniques; it was actually making him drunk, despite the fact that he hadn't consumed anything.

"Incredible," I breathed.

"She's using the environment's natural properties and amplifying them through song. That inner world must belong to someone who cultivated the Dao of Intoxication or something similar."

"Similar to how water nourished your plant techniques," Azure agreed.

"But in reverse, she's turning the very nature of the realm against her opponent." Guo Xinyi's final verse was devastating:"Sleep now, warrior, lay down your flame, This battle's end bears you no shame, In wine's embrace find peaceful rest, Your courage proved, your honor blessed..." Ren Zhenyu collapsed face-first onto the tavern floor, completely unconscious. His fire techniques extinguished like candles in the wind, and his spiritual pressure faded to barely detectable levels. I had to admit, I was impressed.

Both contestants had been at the eighth stage of Qi Condensation, but Guo Xinyi had manipulated the alcohol-infused inner world to her advantage and handled him like there was a gap of multiple cultivation levels between them. The singing reminded me uncomfortably of my time in the Two Suns world, where Professor Thara had used singing to channel blue sun energy.

The principles were different, Guo Xinyi was manipulating existing qi rather than creating new constructs, but the fundamental concept of using music as a cultivation medium was the same. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It made me wonder what would happen when she advanced to higher cultivation realms. Would her singing techniques evolve to create life like Thara's had?

And what were the differences between using qi versus blue sun energy as the base power source? The academic part of me was genuinely curious about comparing the two cultivation systems, but I forced myself to push those thoughts aside. Right now, understanding theoretical differences between worlds wouldn't help me advance in this tournament. What I needed to focus on was the practical reality of the competitors still standing around me.

As the various battles concluded and competitors returned to the arena floor, I took stock of the remaining field. Thirty-two disciples remained from the original one hundred and twenty-eight, and the quality of opposition was noticeably higher now. Gone were the disciples who'd advanced through team coordination or lucky matchups. Everyone left had proven they could handle themselves in individual combat.

The sect healers moved efficiently through the competitor area, checking for injuries and providing spiritual energy restoration for those who needed it. I waved off their approach, my blue sun energy had already taken care of the minor cuts I'd received from Ming Yue's needle attacks, and my qi reserves were rapidly replenishing.

"Congratulations to the thirty-two disciples who have advanced to the third round," Elder Wan announced, his voice carrying clearly to every corner of the massive space.

"You have proven your skill and earned the right to face our next level of challenges." He gestured, and the formation array above us began glowing again, new pairings and battlefields starting to appear.

"I must inform you that the nature of our battlegrounds will now change," Elder Wan continued.

"During the first two rounds, you have fought within the inner worlds of former Life Realm cultivators. These environments, while complex, were relatively stable and limited in scope." My attention sharpened. This sounded important.

"From this round forward, we will begin incorporating inner worlds from Civilization Realm cultivators into our random selection process. These environments are significantly more complex, often containing sentient inhabitants, established societies, and cultivation systems that may differ from our own." A murmur of excitement and apprehension ran through both the competitors and the spectator sections.

Civilization Realm inner worlds were legendary for their complexity and the challenges they presented to visitors.

"I want to emphasize," Elder Wan added, "that these selections remain entirely random. The formation arrays will determine both your opponents and your battlegrounds without any external influence." I narrowed my eyes at that statement.

"Random" my foot. In my experience, when powerful cultivators claimed something was random, it usually meant they were being very careful about how they managed the randomness to achieve their desired outcomes. Still, I had to admit I was looking forward to experiencing a Civilization Realm inner world. The previous two battlegrounds, the Eternal Winter Realm and the Infinite Ocean Realm, had been impressive but ultimately empty. They were environments without inhabitants, testing grounds rather than living worlds.

Civilization Realm inner worlds were different. They contained entire societies of cultivators who had developed their own techniques, philosophies, and power systems. Unlike the Starhaven Realm I'd visited, these inner worlds would be stable and safe to explore. They were maintained by the sect's formation masters and had been attached to the sect for stability, the inhabitants continued to live and grow, creating dynamic environments that were never quite the same twice.

"Master," Azure said thoughtfully, "given your previous experiences with world-walking, you might actually have an advantage in Civilization Realm environments. Your ability to adapt quickly to unfamiliar power systems and social structures could prove valuable." That was a point we had thought about before. Most cultivators had only ever experienced their home realm's cultivation methods and social norms.

Being dropped into a world with completely different approaches to spiritual development could be disorienting and limiting. I searched for my name on the glowing display, curious to see who I'd be facing and where we'd be fighting.

"Ke Yin versus Guo Xinyi." I stared at the display for a moment, processing what I was seeing. My opponent was the singing cultivator whose battle I'd just watched with such interest. That was concerning enough; she'd demonstrated remarkable skill and an entirely unfamiliar combat style that I'd need to adapt to quickly. But the battleground name made me frown.

"Realm of Living Lyrics." Even without knowing the specific details, the name suggested an environment that would be heavily biased toward musical cultivation methods. If this inner world had been created by someone who'd mastered song-based techniques, then every aspect of the environment would likely be designed to enhance and amplify musical arts.

"This is looking like another disadvantageous matchup," I muttered to Azure.

"The pattern is becoming concerning," Azure agreed.

"First, a plant-based cultivator fighting in an eternal winter environment. Then fighting a water specialist in an infinite ocean. Now facing a musical cultivator in what sounds like a realm specifically designed for musical techniques." I considered the implications. Either I had incredibly bad luck with the tournament's "random" selections, or someone was deliberately engineering these matchups to test how I'd handle fighting at severe environmental disadvantages.

Given what I knew about cultivation world politics, I was leaning toward the latter explanation.

"At least this time I have some advance warning," I said, thinking back to Guo Xinyi's battle with Ren Zhenyu.

"I know what kind of techniques she uses and how she approaches combat. That's more intelligence than I had going into my previous matches." But even as I tried to stay optimistic, I couldn't shake a growing sense of concern. Guo Xinyi had defeated an opponent at her own cultivation level by using the environment itself as a weapon.

If the Realm of Living Lyrics was designed to enhance musical cultivation, she'd essentially be fighting on home ground with every possible advantage, just like Ming Yue did in my previous matchup. And if the realm's cultivation system was based on musical arts, then every inhabitant, every environmental feature, every ambient energy pattern would be aligned with sonic manipulation techniques.

"Master," Azure said quietly, "there's another factor to consider. If cultivation in this inner world is fundamentally based on singing and musical expression..." I finished the thought for him, my frown deepening as the full implications hit me.

"Then I might be completely screwed."