Chapter 15: The Queen of the Market and the Shattered Soul-Lute
The Great Banquet Hall of the Sage Pavilion was a realm of ethereal opulence. Floating lanterns carved from translucent spirit-jade cast a soft, golden glow over the assembly of the continent's elite. Scholars in embroidered robes, sect leaders with auras like unsheathed swords, and masters of various professions moved through the space, their conversations a low hum of power and politics.
At the center of it all stood Madame Shui, the Auction Queen. Her presence was like a deep, mysterious ocean—calm on the surface but hiding a terrifying pressure beneath. Her violet eyes remained fixed on Tian Mo as he approached, ignoring the indignant huffs of the 6-Star teachers who felt snubbed by her sudden interest in a newcomer from the "Mortal Fringe."
Queen Zhao Yan (Wife 1) stepped up beside Tian Mo, her crimson robes rustling. Her dominating aura flared, clashing silently with Madame Shui's sophisticated pressure. The air between the two women seemed to crackle with invisible lightning.
"Madame Shui," Zhao Yan said, her voice a sharp, royal blade. "The Hung Kingdom's Teacher is not a curiosity for your auction block. If you have an artifact, show it. If not, step aside."
Madame Shui let out a melodious laugh, her gaze shifting to the Queen. "Your Majesty, your temper is as famous as your beauty. But in the Sage Continent, strength is measured in 'Truth', not just titles. Tian Mo, they say your eyes can see the soul of a flaw. Let's see if you can see the 'Heart' of this."
She snapped her fingers. Two attendants brought forward a long, velvet-covered case. As they opened it, a wave of dissonant, mournful energy filled the hall.
Inside lay a Soul-Lute, its body made of ancient 'Dragon-Bone Wood' and its strings of 'Celestial Spider Silk'. It was a masterpiece of the Musician Profession, but it was horrifyingly broken. The wood was charred, and the strings were knotted in a way that defied physical logic.
[System Status: Sleep Mode — Optimization 28%...]
The Divine Library remained dark. Tian Mo felt the "Hunger" in his mind pulse—a physical ache to scan the thousands of high-level manuals currently present in this hall. But for now, he had to rely on his own eyes.
The Audit of the Broken Melody
"This is the Lute of the Crying Phoenix," Madame Shui explained, her voice dropping to a serious tone. "It was the signature weapon of a 9-Star Musician. Three 8-Star Appraisers tried to tune it. One went mad, one lost his hearing, and the third... well, he is currently a beggar in the West Wing. They all claimed the flaws were 'Infinite'."
Tian Mo stepped toward the lute. He didn't touch it immediately. He leaned in, his handsome face inches from the charred wood. He wasn't looking at the cracks; he was listening to the "Silence" between the strings.
"The Appraisers failed because they tried to 'Repair' it," Tian Mo said, his voice echoing through the silent banquet hall. "You don't repair a broken heart, Madame Shui. You allow it to beat again."
"Arrogance!" a voice barked from the crowd.
A tall man with a 7-Star Musician badge stepped forward. This was Master Gong, the Head of the Harmony School. "That lute has a 'Soul-Backfire' curse! To touch it without a 'Spirit-Shield' is suicide. You are a Supreme Teacher, not a Musician. Do not embarrass our profession!"
Tian Mo didn't even look at Master Gong. "A musician who fears a curse is just a noise-maker. A true master knows that a curse is just a 'Dissonant Note' that hasn't been resolved."
Tian Mo reached out. He didn't use a shield. He grabbed the charred neck of the lute with his bare hand.
VRRRRRRR—!
A shockwave of black, sonic energy erupted from the lute, hitting Tian Mo's chest. The spectators gasped, expecting him to be blown back. But Tian Mo stood his ground, his white robes fluttering wildly.
"Li Feng, the 'Five-Element Tuning Fork' I made in the market," Tian Mo commanded.
Li Feng stepped forward, handing over the rusted iron rod Tian Mo had "corrected" earlier. To the elite masters, it looked like a piece of scrap metal.
"You're going to use that on a Saint-level Artifact?" Master Gong laughed. "This is a farce!"
Tian Mo ignored him. He struck the iron rod against the floor.
TING.
The sound was tiny, almost pathetic. But the moment the vibration hit the air, the Soul-Lute's black aura began to shiver.
[Physician & Appraiser Logic: Structural Resonance.]
Tian Mo's fingers danced over the knotted strings. He wasn't playing a song; he was "Unpicking" the energy knots. Every time he touched a string, a wail of agonizing sound filled the hall, making the 6-Star teachers cover their ears.
"Master, the 4th string is vibrating at 800Hz!" Princess Ling'er shouted, her Lightning Lizard crackling in response to the sonic energy.
"Correct," Tian Mo said. He snapped the 4th string.
SNAP!
The black aura around the lute vanished. The charred wood began to flake away, revealing a brilliant, ivory-white surface beneath. The "Curse" wasn't a curse at all—it was a 'Compressed Sonic Seal' that had been poorly applied.
Tian Mo struck the final "Dissonant" string.
PLUCK.
A single, pure note resonated through the banquet hall. It was so beautiful, so perfect, that several scholars began to weep unintentionally. The energy of the room shifted from heavy and dark to light and revitalizing.
The Soul-Lute was no longer broken. It glowed with a soft, lunar light, its "Flaws" resolved by a single, logical audit.
The Big Face-Slap: The Harmony School's Shame
Madame Shui's eyes widened, her sophisticated mask finally cracking in genuine shock. "You... you didn't just fix it. You upgraded its 'Soul-Rank'?"
Tian Mo handed the ivory lute back to the attendants. "The wood was charred because the previous master used 'Fire-Qi' on a 'Water-based' artifact. It was a 9-Star weapon being treated like a 1-Star toy. Your Appraisers weren't mad; they were just illiterate."
Master Gong's face went from pale to a deep, burning purple. "You... you dare call us illiterate? I have studied the Dao of Sound for two centuries!"
"And yet," Tian Mo said, turning his gaze toward the 7-Star Musician, "you couldn't see that the strings were knotted in a 'Reverse-Samsara' pattern. If you had played the C-note, your own heart would have stopped. Tell me, Master Gong, if age brings wisdom, why are you still so blind?"
The "Big Face-Slap" was complete. The Head of the Harmony School stood speechless, his prestige crumbling in front of the 100 School Leaders. Tian Mo hadn't used a single drop of martial power; he had dismantled a 200-year reputation with nothing but a rusted rod and a piece of logic.
The Auction Queen's Gift
Madame Shui stepped closer to Tian Mo, her violet eyes now filled with a dangerous, predatory respect. She pulled a small, intricately carved jade box from her sleeve.
"You have done what three 8-Star masters couldn't," she whispered, her voice audible only to him. "As promised, here is your gift. It is a 'Primordial Spirit Essence'. It's the only one in the Southern Sector."
Tian Mo took the box. He could feel the sheer, raw energy vibrating through the jade.
[DING!]
[Detection: Ultra-High Energy Source.]
[System Optimization: Accelerating... 40%... 70%... 95%...]
[System Awakening in 5... 4... 3...]
Tian Mo's handsome face regained its golden glow. The "Sleep Mode" was ending.
"Thank you, Madame Shui," Tian Mo said, his voice now carrying the resonance of a true Sovereign. "Our 'Business Partnership' has just begun."
"Master!" Li Feng shouted suddenly.
From the shadows of the banquet hall's pillars, four figures in gray robes—identical to the ones in the market—materialized. But these were different. Their auras were at the Saint Sovereign Realm (Tier 3).
"Tian Mo!" the lead assassin roared. "The Weaver's patience is at an end! Die!"
They didn't care about the banquet or the 100 School Leaders. They lunged toward Tian Mo, their Void-Steel blades tearing through the space itself.
Tian Mo didn't move. He looked at the jade box in his hand, then at the assassins.
[SYSTEM AWAKENED.]
[Divine Library: Active Scan Initiated.]
[Target: 4 Saint-Level Assassins. Flaws: 420 each.]
[Feature Unlocked: Shadow Commander - Stage 2 (The Legion).]
Tian Mo's shadow didn't just grow; it exploded.
"Kuro," Tian Mo whispered. "They've interrupted my tea. Erase them."
From the black pool at Tian Mo's feet, not one, but ten faceless shadow warriors rose. They were identical to Kuro, each wielding a blade of condensed darkness. They moved in perfect, 'Heaven's Path' formation.
Squelch. Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.
In less than three seconds, the four Saint-level assassins were pinned to the marble floor by the shadow blades. They didn't even have time to scream before their souls were harvested into the library's data bank.
The banquet hall was dead silent. The 100 School Leaders looked at the "Trash Teacher" and his army of shadows with a terror they had never felt before.
Tian Mo closed the jade box and looked at Madame Shui. "The banquet is lovely, Madame. But I think I'll take my students and my wives back to the West Wing. I have 50,000 'Errors' waiting for me to correct them."
Tian Mo walked out of the hall, the ivory white of his robes glowing under the moon. Behind him, the Auction Queen, the Dominating Queen, and the Gentle Princess all looked at his back—each realizing that the man they were following was no longer just a teacher. He was the Origin of a New Era.