Chapter 157: Collective Cliff-Jumping

At twelve noon, at the edge of the cliff on the summit of Mount Huangqiu.

Yue Xiaotian paced back and forth behind thirty-six musicians carrying parachutes. "Everyone experiences fear, but do not be afraid. Conquer it, and fear becomes your slave. Previously, in your fearlessness, you were easily led astray by the rhythm and melody. Therefore, I have now chosen a piece for 'Fearlessness' with a faster tempo, more logical scales, a more passionate melody, and richer instrumentation. This time, remember to maintain absolute focus, understood?"

Glancing down at the abyss below the cliff, all thirty-six musicians trembled in their legs because the bottom was completely invisible. Gusts of spiral airflow blew upward, powerful enough to terrify a person to death.

And as a truly capable conductor, his duty was to awaken every single ounce of potential within every musician under his command. Therefore, he had made them jump off a cliff.

Trembling all over, Xiao Lan tightened her parachute ripcord, her tone carrying a trace of panic. "Brother Xiaotian, when we rode our bikes up just now, this Mount Huangqiu must be several thousand meters high, right?"

Prompted by Xiao Lan, the flustered musicians finally recalled this crucial detail. Although not entirely precise, the altitude of Mount Huangqiu definitely exceeded 3,000 meters.

At such a height, if anything went wrong, wouldn't they be smashed to pieces? After all, everyone present was merely an ordinary dancer.

However, Yue Xiaotian offered no comfort to the musicians; instead, he amplified their terror. "To be precise, the altitude of Mount Huangqiu is 3,576 meters. If you fail to maintain absolute focus—well, none of you will survive."

Fear, tension, trembling!

Although they had all practiced martial arts since childhood, possessed exceptionally strong physiques, and had hearty appetites, achieving total mastery was not something ordinary people could accomplish.

Otherwise, these thirty-six musicians would be participating in the All-Star Extreme Challenge Tournament alongside Yue Xiaotian, transforming into butterflies breaking free from their cocoons.

In reality, none of the thirty-six musicians were truly proficient in extreme sports like skydiving.

Especially given the current extraordinary circumstances, Yue Xiaotian demanded that each of them jump off the cliff while holding their musical instruments!

Meanwhile, Li Wanyi, who had stayed behind under the pretext of being ready for an interview at any moment, was utterly shocked. Yue Xiaotian's training methods were simply too hardcore.

Yet, a reflex made her glance at Ziwei beside her, only to find the latter covering her mouth with a suppressed smile.

Seeing this, Li Wanyi realized there was more to the situation than met the eye. However, since Yue Xiaotian chose to do this, he naturally had his reasons.

Howling winds rushed up from the bottom of the cliff, obscuring the view below. With Yue Xiaotian offering no words of comfort, the thirty-six musicians grew even more terrified. Cold sweat soaked their bodies, and their legs shook uncontrollably.

Finally, Tianhao was the first to regain his composure. "Conductor, if I die shortly—this isn't a lack of confidence on my part, just a precaution. Could you please help me pass a message to my parents?"

Yue Xiaotian replied, "Rest assured, if you die, I will notify your parents and loved ones. However, if you trust me and trust yourselves, as long as you maintain absolute focus a moment from now, nothing will go wrong. Understood?"

"Understood." Although still terrified in their hearts, the musicians gradually steadied themselves.

At that moment, Yue Xiaotian commanded, "If you understand, then jump."

More than ten seconds passed, and still no one dared to jump. In the end, he gave them a push.

As a chorus of panicked cries rang out, he stepped forward to the edge of the cliff, opened his arms, and said, "Weiwei, let's go. Wanyi, don't wait for me; I'll be busy until very late."

This arrangement had been discussed beforehand, so Li Wanyi replied, "Okay, go ahead and work. Don't worry about me."

At the same time, Ziwei walked up behind Yue Xiaotian. Instantly, she unfurled transparent blue wings and embraced him from behind.

Feeling Ziwei's embrace, he did not hesitate for a second, plunging headfirst into the bottomless abyss.

Staring blankly at the spot where Yue Xiaotian had just been standing, a dazed look crossed Li Wanyi's eyes.

After an unknown passage of time, she took out her audio communicator and dialed Liu Qingxin's number.

Once the call connected, Li Wanyi said with a blissful expression, "Qingxin, let me tell you something. I've fallen in love with Yue Xiaotian, and I'm going to pursue him. Are you really completely uninvolved with him?"

The person on the other end clearly paused for a moment before Liu Qingxin's voice sounded. "I'm not as brave as you are. Go ahead; we really have nothing between us."

"Then don't be envious of me later, because I'm definitely going to win him over."

"Wanyi, he is destined to become a transcendent dancer. He and we belong to different worlds."

"I don't care about any of that. I've fallen for him, so just wait for my good news."

Mount Huangqiu, mid-air.

"Wuwu, ah—" The thirty-six musicians had fierce winds rushing into their mouths, reducing their speech to incoherent babbling.

Amidst the whistling gales, the thirty-six musicians clutched their instruments for dear life, their faces pale, hair whipping wildly, and eyes wide with panic.

After plummeting for an unknown duration, Foolish Guy finally suggested, "Shouldn't we pull the cords yet? I've never been skydiving before."

However, no one answered, as none of them had any idea when the parachute cords were supposed to be pulled.

Although they trusted Yue Xiaotian's strength and possessed a fierce will to survive, only when truly flying through the empty air did they realize just how terrifying it genuinely was, damn it!

After another indeterminate stretch of time, just as the musicians were hugging their instruments and closing their eyes to await death, a piercing sonic boom shattered the air—*Screech!*

Yue Xiaotian and Ziwei had already plummeted down to their position. After adjusting their orientation, Yue Xiaotian roared at the utterly bewildered musicians, "Look over here!"

Slowly opening their eyes, the moment they caught sight of Yue Xiaotian and Ziwei holding him, an impulse to surge forward welled up within the musicians.

Yet, the next second, his expression shifted into one so stern that none dared to approach.

Accepting a violin propelled by Ziwei's dance energy, Yue Xiaotian spoke with utmost solemnity and seriousness, "Blue Star battle song 'Fearlessness', a musical work by 'srrsn', one of the founders of the music label Hell's Brink..."

Instantly, Yue Xiaotian gave the musicians time to think and react. Unawares, the musicians steadily regained their composure, and the speed of their descent seemed to slow down considerably—or perhaps they had simply forgotten about it altogether.

Now, influenced by Yue Xiaotian's formidable aura and his personal performance as the catalyst, the musicians entered a wondrous state. They achieved absolute focus!

Gone were the gale-force winds whipping their lips into a frenzy, the piercing whistles, the panicked heartbeats, the icy hands and feet, and the dizzying blur of the universe.

At this moment, the thirty-six musicians had eyes only for Yue Xiaotian—his face dead serious as he practically threatened to snap his violin strings—and Ziwei right behind him, singing with an equally intense expression.

Comparatively speaking, this rendition of "Fearlessness" was far more passionate than the previous fearlessness. An exotic female vocal choir was simulated by Ziwei, while the brass section, first violin, second violin, cello, double bass, snare drum, timpani, electronic synths, and more were all orchestrated and controlled by Yue Xiaotian.

Gradually, Yue Xiaotian—serving as both conductor and concertmaster for this training session—seized complete control of the situation. The musicians surrendered themselves entirely to his command, achieving a state of complete unity.

It was as though Yue Xiaotian was the brain, and the musicians were the limbs; at this moment, they achieved a harmonious synthesis.

This was the culmination of everything from 4:00 AM this morning until past 12:00 noon. Over eight hours of effort, all for the sake of a single second—or even a tenth of a second—of absolute unity. This was Yue Xiaotian's objective.

Of course, this might sound trivial, but in reality, if an ordinary person were tasked with fusing the thirty-six musicians and a conductor into such harmony, it would take eight or ten years, if not an eternity.