DEAF MUSİCİAN

Among the elders collapsed on the ground, the first to rise was William.

Dusting off his robe, he caught a glimpse of the faint smirk on Alex's face.

He froze. His eyes sharpened.

"Hey, Alex… Tell me. Can you cultivate now?"

His voice was low, but the weight behind it shook the air.

One by one, the other elders turned toward the boy. Charles adjusted his broad hat, half his face hidden in shadow. His silence was louder than any shout—he was hoping. Hoping that the impossible had finally happened.

Alex had grown up under their care. After losing his family, these elders—once cold masters—had taken him in, protected him.

But the rest of the sect didn't see it that way.

Thousands of resources wasted. No progress. Just a burden. That's what they whispered. If Alex never existed, the sect might have had a brighter future—or so they thought.

But now, standing in the center of their gazes, Alex spoke. His voice carried a cold, metallic resonance:

"Don't worry, Elders. I, Alex... have finally stepped onto the path of cultivation."

They stared, unsure whether to believe him.

Alex didn't wait. He summoned his system.

"Hey System, I want to give 5 skill points to the Deaf Strings technique."

The mechanical voice responded instantly.

DING. As the Host wishes.

Something stirred inside him—a pulse, a resonance deep within his chest.

DING. Congratulations, Host. The first meridian has been unlocked. Deaf Strings has advanced.

Deaf Strings LV0 → LV1

Warmth spread through his core, melting the fear that it was all just a dream.

No. This was real.

He had awakened the first of the seven sleeping meridians—each shaped like a coiled dragon, each attuned to a single emotion. And now, the Meridian of Sorrow was open.

Cultivation Technique: Deaf Strings LV1 (0/10)

Description:

The fourth-generation heir of the God of Sound lost his hearing—and his ears—in battle. But he refused to surrender. He bound his soul, body, and essence to his violin. He became the violin, and the violin became him. He ruled eternity. Now, a portion of his karmic path is shared with others who once suffered like him.

Requirements:

Bloodline of the God of Sound, (+75%) Sound Affinity

LV1 Effects:

+2 Strength, +2 Mind, +2 Essence

-User unlocks the Meridian of Sorrow.

-To advance, they must harmonize all 7 meridians of emotion, forming the Heart of Music.

Alex clenched his fists. He could feel the change.

"Finally... it's real. I can really cultivate."

He remembered his father's slumped shoulders. His mother's quiet tears—Violett had told him everything.

They had worried, suffered... while he had only endured.

But he was just a child. This curse—it wasn't his choice. It was the cruel joke of fate.

"Not anymore. I won't stay silent. I'm not that child anymore."

The fire in his eyes burned away every trace of weakness. To the world, he still looked thirteen. But if the ancient gods were watching, they would recognize something long lost in his gaze.

He turned to the elders. They still doubted.

So, he made his move.

"Master Robert, would you allow me to throw a punch at you?"

A twisted grin spread across Robert's face.

"I don't care what you did, kid! If your punch even shakes me a little, I'll take your last name and wash your feet!"

Alex blinked. Then turned to William.

"What… exactly is he asking me to do?"

William's temples throbbed. His hands were slick with sweat. He exploded.

"DAMN YOU, MUSCLE-BRAINED MONKEY! I can't understand a word you say, and you expect a deaf kid to? Come fight ME instead!"

With a roar, William summoned his Fate Instrument. A violet aura surged around him as a red war drum with purple engravings appeared in his hands. It was round, rimmed with bells, and pulsed with ancient sound.

As he struck the drum, a dragon-shaped sound wave emerged from his back, twisting and writhing toward Robert.

Robert paled.

Then, with a grunt, he placed his massive black piano on the ground and whispered:

"Joyous Sonata No.9 – First Movement: Murder Bell."

From beneath him, a throne of bones and organs rose.

He sat down, fingers hovering above keys that trembled with death.

Every note could kill.

Charles sighed. From inside his cloak, he drew out a white ivory flute and played a single note.

That single melody silenced all chaos.

The dragon vanished. The bone throne crumbled.

"Enough," Charles said, his voice steady.

"Let the boy punch me. We'll see if he speaks the truth."

William inhaled sharply, calming himself, then turned to Alex.

"Alright, kid. Charles wants you to hit him."

Alex bowed.

"As you wish, Masters."

He crouched slightly, gathering power into his legs and tightening his right fist.

"Master Charles... I'm coming."

"Come, child," said Charles, not moving a muscle.

Alex dashed forward. In a fluid motion, he launched his punch at Charles' chest.

There was a pause. Then—

Clang… Clang… Clang…

Three echoes rang out in the air.

Charles nodded, smiling beneath his wide-brimmed hat.

"One punch, three echoes. Not bad, child. That's the peak of First-Level Musical Hear. This technique truly belongs on the path to Dao."

Alex's chest heaved with joy. He couldn't hold it back.

"Damn it, System... You really are the best thing that ever happened to me!"

His grin was bright, innocent—pure.

The elders smiled along with him. Even Charles, beneath the shadows, showed a flicker of pride.

Alex bowed deeply once more.

"I thank you, Elders. But if I may… I'd like to head to the central palace immediately. I want to tell my father the news."

William clapped.

"Go, boy! Give your family the greatest gift of their lives!"

Alex nodded. With a final bow, he turned and stepped into the teleportation ring.

As the formation lit up under his feet, he whispered:

"I'll never make you worry again… Father, Mother… wait for me. I'm bringing you the greatest surprise of your lives."