Chapter 36: Consciousness

Chen Xinglan and Wang Jianyuan exchanged a few more bickering words, but under the soothing influence of Chen Baolan and Chen Yulan, the two brothers-in-law settled down and began a drinking contest.

At the dinner table, the adults conversed in one group, while Chen Mobai and his cousin Wang Xinying formed another.

"Look what I have here?" Chen Mobai said, presenting the tickets to the Jade Phoenix Opera Troupe. Wang Xinying, being at the age of idolizing stars, was, of course, utterly obsessed with Jiang Yuyuan; she shrieked immediately upon seeing them.

"Brother, you're the best! Even my dad couldn't get these tickets. Lili was just showing off her tickets to me today..." Wang Xinying jumped straight off her stool and snatched the tickets from Chen Mobai's hand.

"Second Uncle gave them to me, so thank him if you want to thank anyone," Chen Mobai replied. "I've already booked for tonight's performance. Dad, Uncle, drink a bit less." He knew that once Chen Xinglan and Wang Jianyuan started going at it, they would inevitably drink too much, which was why he had already booked the Jade Phoenix Opera Troupe's play in advance.

"You two young people go ahead," Wang Jianyuan said, picking up the wine bottle and refilling Chen Xinglan's empty glass. "We older folks are long past our star-chasing days." Tang Pancui and Chen Yulan were engrossed in their own conversation and didn't bother to intervene, letting the men be.

"This Jade Phoenix Opera Troupe is Boss Bian's venue," Chen Baolan said with a smile, having understood Chen Mobai's underlying intention. "Tonight is the first performance, so he might even grace us with an opening song."

"Boss Bian? Which Boss Bian?"

"Who else but Bian Yiqing, the Grandmaster of 'Startling Dream of the Roaming Dragon'!"

"What!" Before Chen Xinglan and Wang Jianyuan could even react, Tang Pancui and Chen Yulan, who had been leisurely cracking melon seeds, instantly sat up straight.

"What time does it start? Eat faster! If we miss Grandmaster Bian's opera, just wait until we get home and see how I deal with you!" Tang Pancui directed her words at Chen Xinglan. Although Chen Yulan remained silent, her narrowed eyes conveyed the exact same message to Wang Jianyuan.

In less than half an hour, the three women had hustled the entire family out the door.

The entrance to the Danxia Theater was already bustling with a long line of vehicles and people. Their group of seven waited in line for over ten minutes before finally being able to enter.

"It's a front-row seat! Thank you, Second Uncle," exclaimed Wang Xinying. Led by Chen Mobai, she was the first to find their spot, immediately pulling her brother to the very center.

"The tickets Grandmaster Bian gave us, aside from the private boxes upstairs, should offer the best view," Chen Mobai remarked. He looked up, and sure enough, saw a ring of private boxes on the second floor. Only two were lit, and through the open curtain of one, two indistinct figures could be seen.

"Oh, isn't that Grandmaster Bian?" Chen Baolan exclaimed, recognizing Bian Yiqing as one of the figures in the private box.

"To have Grandmaster Bian personally pay a visit, I wonder if it's True Monarch Scarlet Robe or True Monarch Shi Qing?" In the entire Danxia City, only these two Golden Core True Monarchs held the stature to warrant a personal visit from Bian Yiqing, the grand master of opera.

"It's a man, so it must be True Monarch Scarlet Robe," someone concluded. As they speculated, the theater suddenly dimmed.

Then, a young male role actor appeared on stage and delivered an opening monologue. Chen Mobai listened and noted the performer's extraordinary skill and clear, crisp voice; it seemed to be a female actor playing the male role. She first offered an apology.

"Tonight, due to the rigors of travel, Teacher Meng and Teacher Jiang are experiencing some vocal issues and are unfortunately unable to perform." "What!" No sooner had the words fallen than the audience, who had painstakingly queued to enter the theater, immediately became restless, rising and murmuring loudly.

"Then what are we here to see!" "Damn it, refund the tickets!"

Amidst the chorus of complaints, a jade-faced young man descended as if from the heavens, moving like a roaming dragon through the sky, a truly stunning sight.

"I am truly sorry that this has happened," he announced. "To avoid disappointing all of you, I, Bian, will perform this evening. If you insist on hearing my two young disciples' 'Treading on the Moon,' then the tickets for this performance can be redeemed for a showing on the twenty-first day."

Bian Yiqing's appearance instantly commanded the attention of the entire audience. Apart from a few very young attendees who stubbornly insisted on seeing Jiang Yuyuan and Meng Huang'er, most of the older audience members looked utterly thrilled.

"It's Grandmaster Bian!" someone exclaimed. "We've struck gold! Boss Bian hasn't performed in twenty years, has he?" "Nonsense," another corrected, "he performs a few lines at the Weapons Dao Academy's annual school anniversary; you can find videos online." "What a worthwhile trip!" chorused others.

In the theater, only about a dozen young people, unable to comprehend their parents' fervor, insisted on returning their tickets for a later show. "I want to see Brother Jiang Yuyuan's performance..." Wang Xinying was among them, pouting her small mouth. Although Bian Yiqing was indeed handsome and elegant, her heart had long belonged to her idol.

"Don't worry, I still have tickets here," Chen Mobai immediately reassured her. As Bian Yiqing began to sing, a piece titled "Spring Feast" flowed forth. It was as clear and nimble as a babbling brook, melodious, pleasing to the ear, and uniquely charming; at times poignant, at times rich and powerful. It felt like the first ray of spring sunlight after a long winter, illuminating the heart, and instantly captivated Wang Xinying, who had originally been a bit restless.

"This is..." Chen Mobai, who had initially been quite nonchalant, felt the spiritual energy within his body begin to flow and vibrate in sync with "Spring Feast." It was like lying in a massage chair, his entire body gently caressed by the music, a tingling, pleasant sensation that left him utterly entranced.

He felt as if his soul had left his body, becoming a feather, drifting lightly with the wind. It was like a dream, yet he retained a clear sense of self-awareness.

It seemed that, guided by the opera, he had reached a unique state. In this state, all the teachings of the Five Elements Cultivation Art's Qi Condensation section, as expounded by Reverend Qingping, coalesced and became perfectly clear in his mind.

The spiritual energy within his body surged in tandem with the opera, yet he held it firmly in his grasp, guiding it to circulate along the Five Elements Cultivation Art's pathway, whether quickly or slowly, entirely at his will.

One piece flowed into another, and after a full twelve compositions, Bian Yiqing had already left the stage, yet the audience in the theater remained lost in their reverie.

By the time Chen Mobai finally came to, his parents were already waiting by his side. Wang Xinying had simply fallen asleep and was now being carried on Wang Jianyuan's back.

"How do you feel?" Chen Baolan asked. "It's not often that ordinary people get such an opportunity to experience Grandmaster Bian's 'Startling Dream' piece." Chen Mobai assessed himself; his spiritual energy hadn't increased significantly, still at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, a recent breakthrough. Yet, something felt different.

"Close your eyes and try to look at yourself!" Chen Xinglan prompted.

Chen Mobai, having a suspicion, immediately closed his eyes. Then, in a moment of darkness, he saw colorful lights—these were the spiritual energies of the Five Elements Cultivation Art within his Dantian Qi Sea.

"How is this possible? This is 'Divine Sense,' something only available in the late stage of Qi Condensation!" Chen Mobai opened his eyes, his face etched with disbelief.

The bottleneck at the seventh level of Qi Condensation traps more cultivators than any other in this realm; Tang Pancui herself had been stuck there for thirty years without progress. The reason is that to break through to the late stage of Qi Condensation, one needs to grasp their "Divine Sense." Had he truly grasped it just by listening to one piece of music?