Yuan took a moment to ponder what songs he wanted to play.
"Senior Song, I can play multiple songs, right?"
"Of course! You can play as many songs as you'd like," she immediately responded.
Yuan nodded and took a seat on the platform before retrieving his Soul Ensnaring Zither.
A couple of disciples there recognized the Soul Ensnaring Zither, as they'd tried to play it before.
"Is that the real Soul Ensnaring Zither?"
"The one that used to be owned by the Zither Goddess?"
"It's probably just a replica, right?"
"No, I heard that someone had managed to obtain it after successfully playing it."
As the disciples murmured to each other, Yuan pulled on the string of the zither and began his first of many songs that would be played on that day.
When the disciples heard the music note, they immediately closed their mouths and focused on Yuan, who was calmly sitting on the platform.
The first song that Yuan decided to play was something Fei Yuyan had taught him.
The second song was something from his own world.
The third and fourth song was something he learned from the ninth floor of the Music Pagoda.
The fifth and sixth song was also from the Music Pagoda, and it was on the tenth floor.
And lastly, Yuan decided to play God Descends from Heaven for his seventh and final song.
Yuan's performance that was played with barely any breaks in-between left the disciples there breathless. If he didn't take a few moments between each song, the audience would have collapsed from forgetting how to breathe.
Furthermore, if one looked at the crowd closely, one would notice many disciples sitting down in the lotus position, appearing to be cultivating, as they had received slight enlightenment from Yuan's performance.
"Is this good enough?" Yuan asked Song Ling'er after playing his last song, snapping her out of her daze.
"Y-Yes. That was more than good enough," she said.
"That's great." Yuan stood up and stored the Soul Ensnaring Zither back into his storage ring.
"Are you leaving now?" Song Ling'er asked him.
"Yes," he nodded.
As much as he wanted to look around the Heavenly Melody Academy a little longer, he didn't want to delay his ascension to the next heaven any longer.
"If you ever get the chance to visit again, our doors will always be open for you." Song Ling'er said to him.
"Thank you. I will definitely visit if I ever return to the Lower Heavens."
"Where to now, Young Master?" Feng Yuxiang asked him.
"Let's give the Dragon Essence Temple a visit before we leave, not to mention I have someone to pick up from that place," Yuan said.
After saying their goodbyes to Song Ling'er, Yuan and the others began making their way to the Dragon Essence Temple.
"S-Sect Master! Who was that young man?!"
The sect elders swarmed Song Ling'er after Yuan left the scene.
"A friend I made not long ago," she said with a profound smile on her face.
Meanwhile, at the Dragon Essence Temple, Sect Master Long Yijun sat before the high-ranking sect elders with a solemn expression on his face.
"Have we gotten any new information regarding the Spirit Grandmaster that suddenly appeared in our sect before flying away?" He asked the sect elders.
After Yuan returned to the sect using the Dragon Marble, the disciples that witnessed the scene had reported it to them, hence the current situation.
"They said it was a young man wearing black and golden robes… I can only think of one person with that description…" Elder Xuan said.
"You think it's Yuan? But why would he suddenly show up in the sect and leave without saying anything?" Elder Shan said.
"That's what I am trying to figure out as well. However, besides him, I cannot think of another young Spirit Grandmaster." Elder Xuan shrugged.
"I just hope his appearance isn't something ominous. We've been targeted a lot recently because of what happened at the Mystic Realm." Long Yijun sighed.
It was at this moment Elder Xuan noticed his communication jade slip trembling.
Upon answering it, Elder Xuan could hear Yuan's voice resound inside his head.
"Senior Xuan, I am heading to the Dragon Essence Temple right now."
"Y-Yuan? Did something happen?" Elder Xuan asked him in a slightly dazed voice.
"Did you just say Yuan?" Everybody there turned to look at Elder Xuan with wide eyes.
"Yes, and he said that he's currently on his way here."
"Really? Did he say why?" Long Yijun asked.
"No, but I will ask him right now."
"Is there a specific reason why you're returning now?" Elder Xuan asked Yuan.
"Not really. I will be challenging the Stairway to Heaven soon, and I wanted to visit the Dragon Essence Temple one last time and personally say goodbye."
"The Stairway to Heaven?!" Elder Xuan exclaimed in a shocked voice.
After all, it hasn't been long since Yuan left their sect! A few months at most!
"Anyways, I am almost there, so I will talk to you again when I am there," Yuan said before hanging up.
Elder Xuan then told the others what Yuan had said to him.
"What? He's climbing the Stairway to Heaven already?" Elder Shan mumbled in a dumbfounded voice.
"He's truly in a league of his own." Long Yijun said.
"He's a Spirit Grandmaster, right? That's when people usually challenge the Stairway to Heaven, so I guess it's not that surprising."
"Cancel all of my plans and appointment today. I have an important guest that requires company." Long Yijun said a moment later.
Sometime later, Yuan and the others arrived at the Dragon Essence Temple.
"I missed this place…" Yuan mumbled to himself as he gazed upon the entire sect from the sky.
Once he had enough of the view, Yuan proceeded to make his way towards the Sect Master's headquarters.
"Welcome back, Yuan.." Long Yijun and the other sect elders greeted him with broad smiles on their faces.