Chapter 158: Waterborne Breakthrough

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Dozens of splashes rang out in quick succession as thirty-six musicians fell into the clear river almost simultaneously.

Before long, the thirty-six musicians broke the surface of the river, gasping heavily for air.

As they regained their composure and realized they were in the water, a look of dawning realization washed over all their faces.

After taking a quick headcount, Yue Xiaotian, standing atop the river, shouted, "Open your parachutes in a moment; they contain food and water. Run to the peak of the mountain and wait for me—that is your task for today."

"Ah?" Hearing this, the musicians wore looks of utter astonishment, then turned to look up at the peak towering behind them. They could barely make it out; it was simply too high, far too high.

Without giving the musicians time to ask questions or react, Yue Xiaotian urged them on again, "Take your instruments and start running immediately!"

When it finally registered, the expressions of Tianhao and Fool instantly turned bitter. Earlier, when selecting their instruments, both of them had chosen the heaviest ones—a grand piano and a full drum set.

Now, hearing that they had to carry their instruments all the way to the peak of Mount Huangqiu, which stood at an altitude of over three thousand meters, before the task was considered complete, they felt like crying.

Not only that, the other musicians were in no better shape. With a mountain this high and instruments this heavy, could they possibly finish this today? Impossible!

However, after more than eight hours of interaction with Yue Xiaotian, the musicians' mentalities had undergone a profound transformation.

Right now, they no longer cared about whether something was possible or impossible, whether they could succeed or not. Their entire focus was on following Yue Xiaotian's commands. Whatever he told them to do, they did, even if it seemed completely devoid of reason.

Therefore, after instinctively making excuses to themselves for a moment, the musicians dove back into the water to retrieve their instruments.

With grunts of effort, and seeing that Yue Xiaotian said nothing, a few of the younger members stepped in to help Tianhao and Fool carry the grand piano and drum set. Half an hour later, their figures completely vanished into the distance.

At this moment, Ziwei carried Yue Xiaotian to the riverbank, where, upon his instructions, she constructed a simple bamboo raft.

When all of this was done, Yue Xiaotian sat cross-legged on the bamboo raft and began, "Weiwei, over these past few days, you have basically mastered the realm of entering the divine to transcend the mortal. Although I currently lack dance energy, I believe you can achieve a breakthrough right now."

If Yue Xiaotian had said something like this a dozen days ago, Ziwei undoubtedly would have sneered with disdain. However, after spending this period of time in close personal contact with him, she truly harbored no doubts whatsoever.

Because even though their conductor was currently a mortal devoid of dance energy, he had accomplished many things that ordinary dancers could never achieve.

At that moment, Yue Xiaotian asked, "If I asked you to stand on the surface of this water, how long could you stand before sinking?"

After a brief moment of thought, Ziwei slightly bent the index finger of her right hand.

"Seven hours?"

Ziwei nodded.

Yue Xiaotian raised a hand. "Then sit face-to-face with me in meditation."

Hearing this, Ziwei's blue pupils contracted slightly. Standing on two feet allowed for roughly seven hours. But cross-legged meditation would increase the surface area of her thighs and hips in contact with the water, thereby increasing the contact area and theoretically lowering the difficulty.

Just as Ziwei felt a trace of doubt, Yue Xiaotian explained, "You are a six-star dancer, and dynamic singing is practically effortless for you. However, that is entirely insufficient. Your cultivation in the aspect of stillness still has certain shortcomings. Only through ultimate stillness can one achieve more flawless motion. The seamless transition between motion and stillness is the supreme state. And this meditation is not about reducing the difficulty—a little later, I will sit in your lap to increase the weight for you."

Ziwei's delicate face flushed a brilliant crimson, resembling a perfectly ripened little apple. "Shameless scoundrel!"

Despite saying that, the very next moment Ziwei's fingers danced in intricate patterns and her dance energy surged. Ripples instantly spread across the river's surface as she slowly settled into a cross-legged position right above the water.

Golden ripples undulated, the air was pure and crisp, the river water was crystal clear, and the current flowed sluggishly—Ziwei perceived all of this in an instant, and she closed her eyes to begin her meditation.

Although she was required to combine motion and stillness, and interchange between them, she had never actually used this method in actual practice. Therefore, for the sake of safety, Yue Xiaotian asked, "Are you ready? If you are ready, twitch the ring finger of your left hand."

After all, in Yue Xiaotian's understanding, legendary cultivators—at least those of ordinary levels—never dared to let the outside world disturb them while they were meditating. Otherwise, there was a high probability they would lose control of dance energy, demonic energy, primordial essence, or spiritual energy, resulting in injury.

Hearing this, Ziwei twitched the ring finger of her left hand, upon which rested the Star God Ring.

Seeing this, Yue Xiaotian let out a sigh of relief.

Slipping off the raft and into the river, he swam over to Ziwei and placed a hand on her right thigh. "No problem? If there's no problem, nod."

Two red clouds rapidly flushed across Ziwei's cheeks, and she gave a faint nod.

Although she nodded, Ziwei's state of mind at that moment could only be described as somewhat chaotic. After all, this truly was her first time cultivating in such a manner.

While Yue Xiaotian engaged in his whimsical antics and constant teasing, Ziwei nearly tumbled into the water several times. Combining motion and stillness was no easy feat.

Fortunately, his teasing was progressive and methodical. Gradually, Ziwei's state of mind shifted into something very subtle.

That feeling allowed her to clearly sense the surrounding heaven and earth, as well as Yue Xiaotian moving all over her body, while her heart remained as calm and tranquil as still water.

Almost in an instant, Ziwei felt her dance energy circulate in a much more profound manner, and her control over it multiplied exponentially.

Thus, step by step, Ziwei entered the zone.

To effectively stimulate Ziwei and help her comprehend an even higher realm, Yue Xiaotian pulled out all the stops: he tickled her, blew gently into her ear, and traced his fingers across her skin—employing every conceivable method.

His methods of teasing varied constantly, as did the time intervals. Every touch differed in pressure, and every bodily part he targeted was never the same.

Finally, in that relatively peaceful river under the brilliant sunshine and dreamlike natural beauty, seven hours passed.

The sun in the sky had already dipped below the horizon, the temperature in the air dropped accordingly, and the chirping of insects and calls of birds grew more frequent around them.

After another two hours or so, twinkling stars dotted the night sky. At last, centered around Ziwei, a rapidly growing vortex formed on the surface of the water, and her eyes snapped open.

Though he didn't witness the so-called flash of brilliant light often described in novels, Yue Xiaotian keenly sensed the subtle changes in Ziwei.

When these changes finally stabilized, Yue Xiaotian smiled and asked, "Seven stars?"

Looking at Yue Xiaotian, who was right before her eyes, Ziwei felt an immense sense of happiness. This was not merely a breakthrough in cultivation; it was the profound satisfaction of having chosen the right person, tinged with a deep sense of gratitude.

Prior to this, as a natural-born dancer, her cultivation—while not excessively difficult—had certainly never been simple. Yet ever since following Yue Xiaotian, a mere dozen days had passed, and without even making cultivation her primary focus, she had broken through to the seven-star level just like that.

Moreover, Yue Xiaotian wasn't even a transcendent dancer yet. Once he attained dance energy in the future, wouldn't the guidance she received be a qualitative leap? Most importantly of all, she was the treasured apple of his eye.

Lifting Ziwei's chin, Yue Xiaotian teased with a smile, "Are you thinking about how good I am again? How about this—your conductor will have a deeper exchange with you tonight, and we can discuss great dreams. How does that sound?"

"Shameless scoundrel!" Ziwei flicked her wrist, sending a wave of energy that blasted Yue Xiaotian flying.

Emerging from the river ten meters away, Yue Xiaotian laughed, "Hehe, daring to strike your conductor? Your wings have gotten stiff. Tonight, I'm going to loosen up your muscles and bones, tap your acupoints, and explore the subtle structures and similarities and differences between human and elf bodies."

When he saw a mass of red Qi swirling above Ziwei's outstretched right palm, Yue Xiaotian instantly turned dead serious. "Weiwei, my dear, it's getting late. Let's head up. I wonder if Red Plum has responded yet; we should actively prepare for battle now. I still need to train Little Lan and the others, participate in the competition, record songs, write sheet music, and contact all the major corporations..."

Seeing Yue Xiaotian swim back to her side, Ziwei let out a sudden chuckle, then spread her wings and carried him soaring high up into the night sky.