Yun Fan was brought into the Elegant Courtyard and began to trim the flowers and plants. He had to admit that these flowers and plants exuded a strong immortal aura, clearly not ordinary items.
They were also exceptionally beautiful and unique, and Yun Fan became engrossed in his work.
"No slacking!"
Two maidservants constantly supervised him, which greatly annoyed Yun Fan. Was this like being in prison?
He was already finding it unbearable.
Just like that, the first day's trimming task concluded. Yun Fan intended to find a quiet spot to meditate, but at that moment, the two maidservants unceremoniously kicked him out of the room.
Slaves were not permitted to reside in rooms.
With no other choice, Yun Fan had to meditate amongst the flowers and plants.
While meditating, he continuously absorbed immortal energy, but only in secret. He absolutely dared not unleash his absorption power.
If Yao Xi were to detect his absorption abilities, he would be as good as dead. After all, Yao Xi was the supreme ruler of the entire immortal realm.
Now, he was merely a slave; how could he possibly contend with Yao Xi?
The next day, Yun Fan awoke from his meditation and discovered that his night of practice had been quite effective. He was now at the peak of the Mahayana stage, just one step away from breaking through to True Immortal.
If he were not in the immortal realm, he wouldn't know how long it would take to reach his breakthrough. But now, he had no such worries.
At most, within a month, he would be able to ascend to the immortal path. He just wasn't sure if his physique was suited for the immortal path.
If it was, he would be invincible, and wouldn't even need to undergo tribulation to break through.
At that very moment, he heard the melodious sound of a zither, an unbroken stream of notes.
It was so beautiful and pleasant to the ear, a true enjoyment, to the extent that Yun Fan temporarily forgot his current status as a slave.
He then followed the sound of the zither and discovered a breathtaking immortal beauty sitting in a flower pavilion, playing the zither.
However, she seemed somewhat anxious. Yun Fan didn't know the reason for her distress, but it didn't seem to concern him.
He immediately resumed his trimming. At this moment, the immortal beauty noticed him and asked, "Are you new here?"
"Yes!"
Yun Fan replied, "Reporting to the esteemed immortal, I arrived yesterday. From now on, I will be responsible for trimming the spiritual flowers and herbs!"
"Oh!"
She nodded, then said, "You may go for now. I need to compose a piece."
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan inquired, "May I ask what kind of piece the esteemed immortal intends to compose?"
"You understand?"
She looked at Yun Fan with confusion.
Although Yun Fan knew nothing, at this moment, he could only brace himself and say, "I have a slight understanding!"
He wanted to turn his situation around, so if he could curry favor with this powerful figure, perhaps he would have a chance to succeed.
The woman then asked him, "Do you truly understand?"
Clearly, she didn't believe that a slave like Yun Fan would understand musical composition.
"May I ask what kind of piece the esteemed immortal wishes to compose?"
Yun Fan retorted.
She said, "The season for plum blossoms has arrived, and as the zither player of the Immortal Palace, I naturally wish to compose a piece about plum blossoms. However, I have pondered for days and am still at a loss!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he also knew a tune or two about plum blossoms.
Therefore, he said, "Esteemed immortal, I happen to have a piece that might be of some help to you!"
"Then let me see the score!"
She said to Yun Fan.
Yun Fan quickly replied, "I do not have the score, but I can play it on the spot!"
"Very well!"
Reluctantly, she handed the zither to Yun Fan.
Yun Fan took the zither and immediately played "Plum Blossom Three Variations." The melody was graceful and moving, vividly portraying the purity and unyielding spirit of the plum blossom.
However, being an amateur, he couldn't play it in the most classic manner. But that didn't matter, as the other party was a master. If she imitated his rhythm, her rendition would undoubtedly be exquisitely beautiful.
When the piece ended, the woman was stunned. She hadn't expected Yun Fan to truly understand. Without a doubt, this was an absolutely timeless composition.
Although Yun Fan's rendition could be described as crude in terms of its musicality, she was confident that if she played it, it would be ten, even a hundred times better.
She never imagined that such a timeless piece of music would come from a slave like Yun Fan. In fact, it wasn't truly from Yun Fan; he was a plagiarist, and a very incompetent one at that.
"May I ask if this piece was created by you, young sir?"
She asked Yun Fan.
Yun Fan did not answer immediately, but instead asked tentatively, "Esteemed immortal, have you heard this piece before?"
"Such celestial music, of course I haven't heard it, otherwise, it would have been famous for ages!"
She replied truthfully.
Instantly, Yun Fan was relieved and replied, without batting an eye, "That's right, I created it!"
"What?"
She was astonished. "I never expected you, young sir, to possess such talent. I am humbled!"
Yun Fan said indifferently, "It's all useless knowledge, not worth mentioning!"
Unexpectedly, her expression turned displeased. "How can you say this is useless knowledge, young sir? Even through music, one can attain enlightenment!"
Then, she asked Yun Fan, "May I know your esteemed name?"
Yun Fan directly gave his name. After all, no one in the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace knew him.
"So it is Young Master Yun!"
Then, she asked Yun Fan, "Young Master Yun, could you offer me some guidance?"
Yun Fan replied, "Guidance is no problem, but I must finish trimming these flowers and plants first, otherwise, the supervisor will kill me!"
At this moment, Yun Fan didn't hesitate to challenge Feng Chenzi, blaming him for his miserable situation.
"How dare he!"
The woman said, "Young Master Yun, rest assured, with me here, no one will dare to bully you!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan realized his objective hadn't been fully achieved. Thus, he asked indirectly, "May I ask the esteemed immortal of your background? Can you afford to offend Feng Chenzi?"
"My name is Xuan Xuan. I am responsible for the grand performance at the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace's event, so naturally, I can afford to offend a mere minor immortal!"
Xuan Xuan directly announced her identity.
Yun Fan then understood that she had a significant background. No wonder she could reside on the eighth floor. Although she was just a lead dancer, lead dancers had always held a high status, like Chang'e in ancient myths.
"But in three days, I will be returning, and he might retaliate against me. You won't be here then, how can I possibly be his match?"
Yun Fan was trying to instigate. If Xuan Xuan could help him kill Feng Chenzi, that would be ideal.
"Young Master Yun, rest assured. From today onwards, you will be my mentor here in the Elegant Courtyard!"
Xuan Xuan stated directly.
Alright! It seemed Xuan Xuan didn't prefer violence. But that was fine too; he would avenge himself.
"But I am still one step away from becoming an immortal, and I am still just a slave!"
Yun Fan said with a troubled expression.
If all else failed, perhaps Xuan Xuan could give him some cultivation resources. If not, it was fine, as long as she helped him shed his slave status.
Xuan Xuan said, "I observe that you are on the verge of ascending to the immortal path. As soon as you break through and become an immortal, I will clear your slave status!"
"Thank you, esteemed immortal!"
Yun Fan quickly expressed his gratitude. After all, for him, achieving his goal was enough; he wouldn't be too greedy.
At this moment, Xuan Xuan asked Yun Fan, "Does Young Master Yun have any other compositions?"
"Yes!"
Yun Fan immediately played all ten famous zither pieces, instantly earning Xuan Xuan's admiration. It could be said that, at this point, Xuan Xuan was completely captivated by his talent.
Yun Fan was so moved that he almost wept tears of joy. If he had known that he could succeed through plagiarism, why would he have struggled so hard?
Words couldn't express his past hardship.
Xuan Xuan knew that Yun Fan was definitely a master. Being able to create "Plum Blossom Three Variations" could also be considered a mark of mastery.
However, creating one piece might have been a stroke of luck. What if it wasn't Yun Fan's own creation? But Yun Fan then produced nine more pieces, each no less remarkable than "Plum Blossom Three Variations."
Especially the piece "High Mountains and Flowing Water," which was the pinnacle of musicality. She was completely awestruck and now firmly believed that Yun Fan was a master.
At this, she said to Yun Fan, "In the future, young sir will surely be a master renowned throughout the immortal realm!"
"No, no, no, I only wish to live a low-profile life!"
Yun Fan said, "Esteemed immortal, the path of music is not my pursuit; the path of cultivation is my true goal!"
Hearing this, Xuan Xuan sighed, "What a pity. It would be wonderful if you could have pursued the path of music! But it's alright, I believe you will also go far on the path of cultivation!"
Thus, Yun Fan's fortunes turned. However, he did not let his guard down, as his primary goal was to break through to True Immortal.
Unfortunately, he was unsure of the realm divisions for True Immortals, nor did he know the power structure of the immortal realm.
As of now, he only knew that Yao Xi was the overlord of the immortal realm, and he knew nothing else. In the future, Biyao might contend with Yao Xi, but in his opinion, that would take a very long time.
Therefore, he planned to first understand the realm divisions of True Immortals, and then the power structure of the immortal realm.
At this moment, he tentatively asked Xuan Xuan, "Esteemed immortal!"
"Just call me Xuan Xuan!"
Xuan Xuan's face turned slightly red. She dared not presume to be addressed casually by a master of music.
Yun Fan was not one to beat around the bush and directly asked, "Xuan Xuan, have you ever heard of the Azure Water Immortal Palace?"
"What?"
Xuan Xuan looked at Yun Fan in shock, then said, "Yes, I have. The Azure Water Immortal Palace was second only to the Empress in the immortal realm. However, because they sought to overthrow the Empress's rule, they were annihilated by her!"
"Holy cow!"
Yun Fan gasped in disbelief. He had thought the Azure Water Immortal Palace was a minor force, but he never imagined it was such a formidable existence.
At this, he tentatively asked Xuan Xuan, "How does the Azure Water Immortal Palace compare to the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace?"
"Incomparable!"
Xuan Xuan said, "The Nine Heavens Immortal Palace wouldn't even rank among the top ten in the immortal realm. But the Azure Water Immortal Palace was capable of challenging the Empress. Ten Nine Heavens Immortal Palaces combined wouldn't match the Azure Water Immortal Palace. And before the Azure Water Immortal Palace was destroyed, their Saintess's strength was already infinitely close to that of an Azure Water Immortal Venerable, and she might have even been second only to the Empress in the future. But ultimately, they vanished into the river of time!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Fan's expression changed. This meant that before Biyao fell from the Divine Path realm, she was definitely not just slightly stronger than the Divine Path realm. And according to Xuan Xuan, she was already infinitely close to a supreme being.