Chapter 537: 代入

"Whew..."

"Still failed."

Chen Ling swayed, then steadied himself on the reef, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Senior Brother said the key is to use 'belief' to resonate with the spirit in that instant... so, the posture and angle of the strike aren't important at all. Senior Brother probably just made a casual move at the time."

"Deliberately imitating the 'form' will only distract me, and belief won't gather in the end. It's better to just abandon everything and focus entirely on comprehending belief..."

"So the question is, how do I generate a belief strong enough to resonate with the spirit in that instant?"

Chen Ling's mind raced. He looked down at his large red opera robe, and an idea suddenly came to him.

"'Opera belief'... Could it be that the focus is on 'opera'?"

Chen Ling's eyes lit up slightly. He should have realized it earlier; Ning Ruyu had just mentioned that the key to belief was "immersion." This meant everything should be accomplished through performance, and opera was the foundation of it all.

Did he need to immerse himself in a role to make his belief resonate with the Path of Opera Gods?

Chen Ling suddenly recalled that the first time he went to Ugly Peak and was chased by the clowns, Second Senior Sister Luan Mei seemed to have suppressed the clowns by singing opera and immersing herself in a role... If his understanding was correct, that should also be a form of the "Sleeve of the Heavens"?

The waves surged closer in the distance, leaving Chen Ling little time to think. A glint flashed in his eyes; he decided to try it first.

The numerous opera pieces he had studied over the past few months flashed through Chen Ling's mind, finally settling on the aria Luan Mei had once used.

On the dark reef, the figure in the large red opera robe slowly raised his hands, striking a pose. His eyes glared furiously at the surging waves ahead as he took a deep breath...

The next moment, a powerfully resonant opera vocal echoed through the air:

"What are foreign kings and clowns worth? With one sword, I can block a million soldiers!!"

This aria, from "Mu Guiying Takes Command," was one of the most powerful and martial lines for a Dan (female role) character. Chen Ling recalled that when Luan Mei sang it, she might have modified the lyrics to better resonate, changing "sword" to "saber" in her hand. However, Chen Ling's hands were empty now, so he used the original "sword," while simultaneously joining his hands to form a sword-finger gesture and swinging them forcefully forward.

Boom—!!

The large red opera robe was once again mercilessly swallowed by the waves.

"He truly grasped it," Ning Ruyu said with a comforted smile as he watched.

"Unfortunately, the sense of belief from his immersion isn't enough," Luan Mei shook her head helplessly. "Even though Junior Brother can sing, he hasn't been exposed to opera for very long, nor does he know much about Mu Guiying in the script... At this level, he won't be able to achieve resonance."

"This might be the trickiest part; it depends on how Junior Brother solves it."

As everyone discussed and sighed, a hand emerged from the seawater again, supporting the disheveled red figure as it stood up once more.

Chen Ling wiped the seawater from his face, let out a long breath, and his expression was somewhat grim.

"It's no good... I can't feel any resonance."

"Try another role?"

Chen Ling felt his general direction was correct. After a brief thought, he changed his stance on the reef, his gaze fixed on the next approaching wave.

"...Banners unfurl and flutter, trumpets roar in the dust, but I will destroy those children in one battle!"

This time, Chen Ling sang "Picking Up the Chariot," an aria his Senior Brother had performed. At the same time, he continuously recalled Senior Brother's demeanor from that time, trying to immerse himself in it.

A wave surged, and the large red opera robe disappeared from the reef again.

A few seconds later, a disheveled figure climbed up again, gritted his teeth, and spoke once more:

"Holding the shining Qingfeng sword!!"

Bang—

Chen Ling was thrown back again.

After trying four or five more times consecutively, Chen Ling still hadn't succeeded. His mind gradually calmed, and he muttered to himself:

"Is it because I don't know enough about opera? Or can't I generate that sense of belief... Wait, if it's just about immersing myself in a role, maybe I don't need to stick to these specific arias? What if I try to portray a different character?"

Chen Ling recalled the performance segments that had left the deepest impression on him and that he understood best... Finally, an image came to his mind.

"Perhaps... this part might work?"

Chen Ling stood firm on the reef, looking at the roaring twenty-fourth colossal wave. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Darkness enveloped his vision, but as his thoughts gradually rewound, a scene he would never forget slowly appeared around him.

Heavy snow.The courtyard.The blood-stained stage.

Wearing a large red opera robe, he slowly stepped out of the house, where shattered bodies lay everywhere, and into the heavy snowfall.

Three terrified figures sat in the snow. As he approached, they desperately tried to retreat, but their legs seemed to give out, and their whole bodies trembled.

Chen Ling couldn't see his own reflection, but he knew what he should look like... a "Dan" character face paint, red like an apricot blossom with hooked eyebrows, was precisely fitted to his face. It was Chen Yan's face.

He was immersing himself as Chen Yan!

Anger, killing intent, despair, struggle... Familiar feelings surged into Chen Ling's heart. The large red sleeves gently lifted, and a powerfully resonant opera vocal echoed above the courtyard.

"A young nun, sixteen years of age, in the prime of youth, had her hair shorn by her master.Every day, in the Buddha hall, she burned incense and changed water,Seeing several disciples playing beneath the mountain gate..."

Chen Yan was immersing himself in "Sifan," and Chen Ling, in turn, was immersing himself as Chen Yan.

At this moment, Chen Ling's and Chen Yan's figures gradually merged, and Chen Ling's consciousness began to blur... His own body had originally performed all of this, and all the emotions and beliefs were perfectly preserved, without any hindrance or delay, allowing Chen Ling to easily immerse himself.

The sorrowful and melodious aria seemed to carry no martial aura, yet the emotions it contained were enough to rapidly lower the surrounding temperature. Chen Ling and Chen Yan, or rather the spirit of "Sifan," overlapped, and an ineffable, ethereal sense of belief surged into his heart!

The large red opera robe slowly advanced among the black reefs. His eyes were closed, and his wide sleeves flapped in the wind.

"This is..." A hint of shock appeared in Wenren You's eyes.

"Such strong resonance... Has he captured the opera belief? Who is he immersing himself as?!" Luan Mei's expression was equally surprised. As practitioners of the Path of Opera Gods, they could all feel the change in Chen Ling's aura.

Ning Ruyu remained silent, his eyes fixed on the large red opera robe that was actively approaching the waves. He seemed to feel a sense of tension for Chen Ling.

The next moment, Chen Ling moved.

"He gazed at me, and I glanced at him..."

Chen Ling's eyes slowly opened. In his pupils, a shimmering light like a star ignited, and an indescribable aura instantly surged forth!

He instinctively raised his hand and lightly brushed at the colossal, sky-obscuring wave.

"He and I, I and he, both sides with much longing."

Boom—!!!

A thunderous roar exploded from the center of the wave, and snow-white spray burst into the air, like a torrential downpour engulfing the red-clad figure!