First Concert (3)

The stage was set. Regardless of whether you could see it clearly or not, the gentle moonlight added a mystical air thought to only be held by the strongest of cultivators. Though the music hadn't begun, the heart of the fans started beating like drums, anxiously waiting for that first note.

*Ding*

The crisp and resonating strum of the zither, was the signal they had all been waiting for, including her. As the bottom end of her cocoon was released, her feet were finally in view. However, this was not the moment to simply admire that delicate feature, for she then took a step in the air in union with the next strum.

*Dong, dong, ding*

As if there was a floor only she could see, the cloaked woman slid into the sky while the silk slowly unwrapped her, further drawing their attention to her alluring figure. Enamored by her elegant dance, highlighted by only the focused natural light, everyone forgot that she wasn't in the Sky Realm and so shouldn't be able to fly. Such logic was unnecessary, even thinking would only subtract from this experience. All they needed was their ears, and their eyes.

*ding ding ding ding ding*

As she ascended to the point above the stage where everyone had to look up at her as she stood in front of the moon, the veil covering her face was finally unraveled. Not all of them could actually see her face, and yet there was a collective gasp from the audience, as if this was the first time they had ever seen a maiden so fitting to be called a goddess. Even if their lovers were right beside, no one could escape offering their affection to that figure. Her soft lips, the smooth curve of her chin, those playful but frightening eyes; they would feel fulfilled just staring at her, but then she opened her mouth.

"Snow falls on, barren ground."

It wasn't loud nor was it packed with emotion, but that one line when uttered by her serene voice, shook the hearts of the audience, and Shui was no exception. With a soul as strong as his, he was very resistant to mental attacks of any kind, but because he came to enjoy the music, he let his guard down. While others simply focused on their sight and hearing, he literally sealed off his other senses to enhance the experience. And since this was his first concert, he basically had zero resistance to its charm.

With his special vision, he could tell that she was using an artifact to float, but the music was like a hypnotic suggestion that turned his eyes away from the tricks involved. This was a dangerous state he was in since he could no longer properly respond to stimuli, but he couldn't realize that. His immersion reached a stable height as he watched, but then she began singing; it was then that he started to be overwhelmed by a particular urge.

He had stopped thinking, but he could feel it instinctively. He didn't know why, but he resonated with the song so much that it felt like he was living his own life a second time. As if every moment of his life was represented by the song, Shui's nostalgia was amplified. Every moment when he was overcome by emotion, filled his mind at the same time, easily pushing him to the edge. He had to release these boiling feelings locked in his chest somehow, but he didn't dare ruin the music. He desperately searched for a way to express himself, like a child who hadn't yet learned how to speak, and it was then, in begging for something to say, that he discovered it.

Maha was also enjoying the concert, but unlike Emil, she could properly detach herself from it and treat it like entertainment. Satisfied by the beginning of the opening song, Maha nodded appreciatively and turned to check on Shui's reaction, but he was far more invested than she expected him to be.

'Isn't he enjoying it a little too much?'

It would be one thing if he was stunned speechless, however, for tears to be running down from his eyes meant that the performance was having a powerful effect on him; which was strange for someone of his strength.

'I wonder if it provided an opportunity for enlightenment.'

Music has always had the profound ability to influence people, and although musical arts were very rare among cultivators, the emergence of idols brought back the need for such arts. There was still no universally accepted theory, but there were many cases in which cultivators could attain enlightenment during a musical performance. The cases related to idols were relatively recent so there was no mention of a dramatic event like someone ascending to Royalty through enlightenment, but there was one in which an old expert near the end of his lifespan transformed into a Master.

Furthermore, if one looked back through historical records and legends, it would be possible to find a few stories where it was said that great rulers who could walk unhindered on the continent once benefited from listening to the song of a beauty.

One of the popular theories was that music could weaken or destroy heart demons which block one's cultivation progress, but there wasn't any solid proof. Even so, many major forces had contracts with idol agencies so that idols would occasionally hold exclusive concerts for these forces, sometimes for the sole sake of trying to prolong the lives of ancient ancestors.

These concerts didn't always bring results, but there was nothing wrong with simply enjoying the music so most contracts tended to be renewed and so idol agencies could have an additional source of support. However, this support came with its own set of problems; Maha knew this from experience.

Maha thought that Shui was attaining enlightenment, so she was going to leave him alone and factor this into a debt that she could say he owed her, but then she noticed that he was also mumbling something. Curious, she slowly leaned in to hear, but she still couldn't recognize any words. However, she felt a refreshing feeling make its way from her head to the rest of her body. This refreshing feeling was like nothing she had ever felt before, both gentle and nourishing.

She didn't know it, but she was beginning to fall into a trance similar to Shui, but then, something suddenly cut off the source of the refreshing feeling. It was like being woken up in the middle of a good dream, irritating but the frustration was short-lived.

"Huh?"

Still, it puzzled her. It would be easy to call it a mistake in her judgement, but despite its brief stay, that refreshing feeling had definite results.

'My soul, it's gotten almost twice as strong.'

Although Maha knew techniques that utilized the soul, she was an energy cultivator, so she rarely experienced such a jump in the power of her soul besides after a major breakthrough.

'What was that?'

As Maha looked at Shui with a passionate gaze of intrigue, Alia was metaphorically wiping the sweat off her brow.