Amid the standoff, no one expected Si Zhu to suddenly lash his tail. The dragon breath he had been holding in his chest erupted outward.

Unlike his usual fire, this time the breath was imbued with the spiritual power of water. Every creature in the Immortal Pool surged with energy. The multicolored spirit fish caught directly in the blast instantly radiated a brighter, almost blinding light. Even the surrounding immortals had to cover their eyes.

When the light faded, a voice echoed from above:

“Oh, I was suffocating! The elder sister in front, last time was fine, but why block my chance this time?”

The spirit fish flicked its tail, swerving around Fairy Ji Yun, and happily swam to Si Zhu’s side. “You’re a dragon! Amazing! From now on, you’re my leader!”

Huh?

Luan Ling was stunned. The title “leader” reminded her of someone she had just met recently. Could it be that Si Zhu gained followers simply by enlightening them wherever he went? At that moment, his image in her mind became strangely imposing.

Si Zhu shifted into human form and said to the spirit fish, “Explain everything that happened before to everyone here.”

“Okay.”

The multicolored spirit fish, like a single-threaded NPC, turned to speak.

Just then, Ji Yun suddenly exclaimed, “Enough! How long will this farce continue before the Celestial Soldiers—”

She hadn’t finished when she realized that no one around could hear her. Luan Ling had silently cast a Mute Spell.

Wei Sheng only glanced at her, but this time made no move to stop her.

Finally, the spirit fish spoke, cheerful and straightforward:

“Last time, this fairy took me from the Immortal Pool. I nearly died of thirst. Luckily, a kindred spirit used her spiritual power to save me, but it wasn’t enough, so she went to get help. When I almost perished, I heard music in my dream calling me. I thought they could save me, so I flew out—and indeed, I was rescued. But then, for some reason, this fairy, the one who saved me, and this deity suddenly appeared together. Anyway, don’t ever let that happen again—I nearly died!”

She said this directly to Ji Yun, whose expression was already uneasy.

Luan Ling was unsurprised; she had seen such scenarios countless times in the heavens. So when the little fisher fairy first approached her, she already had an idea of what had happened. What unsettled her slightly was that even Wei Sheng, the deity, seemed unsurprised—meaning he likely knew everything, but as a heavenly official, he still had to follow protocol.

Could it be that stopping her from entering earlier was intentional?

Luan Ling didn’t always understand the adults. She only knew she had to do the righteous thing, even if the truth sometimes no longer mattered.

“I am aware of the matter. Ji Yun, do you admit your mistake?”

The Mute Spell was lifted, and Ji Yun finally heard the spirit fish’s explanation. She turned pale, fell to the ground, and knelt, saying:

“Deity, I admit my mistake. I was curious and worried you would punish me. Seeing the little fish attracted to spiritual energy, I let it go to maintain its life. I never expected it would fly out on its own. I was wrong, I was wrong! Please, Deity, consider my past diligence and forgive me this once!”

Luan Ling sighed, tired of such trivialities. She said to Wei Sheng, “Deity, please tell the little fisher fairy that I’ve already helped her. Please restore her innocence.”

Sometimes, she didn’t understand why a Source-Tracking technique, capable of clearing misunderstandings in seconds, could be handled slower than by mortals when it involved immortals.

“Perhaps it’s simply meddling,” Si Zhu said beside her, staring ahead. “The heavens have their own rules. Your sense of justice may not align with theirs.”

“But doing the right thing can still cause the wrong outcome?” Luan Ling murmured.

Si Zhu sneered, “Perhaps they were wrong all along. Your strength alone can’t change much—unless… you seek the Empress of Heaven.”

Luan Ling shook her head violently like a rattle drum. “Then I’ll just stay at the Heavenly Academy. I don’t even know if she heard about today. Let’s hope she doesn’t use it against me.”

Si Zhu curiously asked, “What power does the Empress of Heaven have that you’re all so afraid of?”

Luan Ling shot back, “You ask me? Better ask yourself. You received ten lashes—so tell me, which hurts more, the Empress’s whip or Heavenly Thunder?”

Si Zhu actually thought for a moment and said, “About the same.”

“Ha!” Luan Ling rolled her eyes. “Just play dead then.”

“Just now you begged me, now you flip-flop—hey!”

Seeing Luan Ling suddenly dart off, Si Zhu chased after her, continuing their playful banter.

Soon, the most anticipated Heavenly Concert at Qilin Hall arrived.

After days of rehearsal, Luan Ling was thrilled. Such avant-garde music had never been seen in the Heavenly Realm. She didn’t care if the audience fully understood—it was joy enough to express herself alongside like-minded bandmates.

Especially Zhu Yin. Since she began practicing drums, her aura had softened. According to her mother, Deity Rui Bi, Zhu Yin used to play wildly in the air, mumbling about rock ‘n’ roll. Rui Bi thought she had gone mad and had even come to check on Wen Yuan and Du Gu, curious what they had taught her daughter.

Entering Qilin Hall, Rui Bi saw Li Xiao flipping his head while playing the keyboard, Si Zhu leaning 179° while singing at full volume, Luan Ling shouting “I want to fly!” and playing an unknown device, and Si Tu Meng cooking while performing. Rui Bi realized Zhu Yin wasn’t even the strangest of the group.

Though many might not understand their music, at least they were happy—not mad.

Reassured, Rui Bi instructed Du Gu to keep an eye on the students, then hurried back to work.

On the concert day, besides Heavenly Academy students, other immortals could attend. Luan Ling even saw some she had helped before, including the little fisher fairy.

“Deity! Immortal Lord!”

The little fairy cheered from below. Previously, a solo piece had left the audience in a somber, serene mood. But now, seeing the five members of Qilin Hall approaching, each with a black square covering their eyes, everyone snapped alert, feeling utterly strange.

“Ahem.”

Confident with her senior sister’s presence and the collective strength of her band, Luan Ling felt ready. She spoke:

“I know our upcoming performance may be unfamiliar to you. But we won’t give up just because it’s unknown. Someone must be the first to explore. Only with the courage to pioneer can we create a better future.”

Though she had feared awkwardness, speaking these words made her feel fully on stage—together with Qilin Hall.

With Zhu Yin’s first drumbeat, the performance began!

The lively music immediately electrified everyone. The catchy melodies flowed into each immortal’s consciousness. During a gentle interlude, Luan Ling added the lullaby from her dream:

“Moon goddess, shedding silver light through the window
Little boat sways, drifting to the edge of the Milky Way
Stars twinkle, weaving a sparkling veil
The gentle wind sings, sings, sings an ancient lullaby…”

The music surged and softened in waves. Each member showcased their mastered skills, layer upon layer, raising everyone’s emotions to the peak!

“Whoa!!”

Du Gu, who had been waiting patiently, released a dazzling celestial fireworks display, filling the sky with colors.

Though he had spent a lot on the students, he felt both pained and proud. Even though the rehearsal hadn’t involved him directly and the students often kept things secret from him, they were still his pride.

In that moment, wrapped in music and happiness, Luan Ling felt complete joy.

Offstage, she barely cared about the concert’s result, hugging her senior sister in excitement. Zhu Yin didn’t push her away, allowing her antics. Li Xiao put away his keyboard, and the three hugged. Si Zhu, seeing this, was about to walk past but was swept into the embrace by Si Tu Meng. Everyone held each other.

“Not a grand finale, but it feels like one,” Luan Ling exclaimed, almost incoherent from excitement. “Today was SUPER, SUPER, SUPER happy!”

Li Xiao agreed, “Yes, after all the rehearsal, this is our best performance yet!”

Si Tu Meng was slightly worried: “Some of the audience still looked confused. They might not vote for us.”

Si Zhu shrugged: “Who cares? Our performance was the best.”

Luan Ling immediately gave him a thumbs-up: “Finally, your arrogance is perfectly justified!”

Zhu Yin silently nodded.

“Alright, don’t block the way. Go see my fireworks!”

Du Gu herded them out like a flock, and Luan Ling sprinted forward, shouting joyfully: “Giant fireworks spell!”

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