"What's that?"
"What kind of dance is that?"
Several eagle-eyed immortals in the audience noticed the sudden change. Long Yifei's dance moves had indeed changed. Her footwork was different, even quicker than before but carrying endless elegance. Her body twirled to an imperceivable song and displayed a captivating quality.
Long Yifei didn't know either. She was lost in the moment. Ice surged ceaselessly through her body, combining with the powers of the divine bird that could control wind and rain.
Time seemed to slow. She could see her opponent's every attack. She could sense where it would come from and where it would go. Her body moved on its own to dodge, perfectly a hair's breadth every time.
Starlight flashed all around her and yet she was untouched. Countless stars chased after her like fireflies in the middle of a summer night. She was akin to a shangyang, soaring through the evening sky, looking down on the mortal world.
Chen Wentian also noticed the change but he couldn't explain it. He thought about it and came to one possibility which was related to her ability to surpass certain limits. The divine shangyang, in addition to controlling wind and rain, was known as a fickle bird. It disliked dirty things while coveting beauty and purity.
That was one of the reasons the Shangyang Sky Slippers made of its feathers suited the sacred daughters of the Virtuous Order so well. The divine beast was one naturally attuned to all things clean and virtuous. Its powers washed away all things it disliked.
"Dancing like a shangyang?" He muttered a guess.
The divine art of the shangyang was known as the Dance of Rain and Fortune. To mortals, the beast was considered a lucky omen, bringing rain that nourished crops and provided life. Some groups that worshipped the shangyang would even perform elaborate dances to call down their deity.
Watching Long Yifei dance like she had never danced before, Chen Wentian felt like he was witnessing something like that, a divine daughter communing with a divine bird that brought rain and luck.
Humans have always tried to learn the behavior and actions of beasts to find inspiration and discover breakthroughs. Countless people throughout the ages have tried to do that with divine beasts. And yet, no one could even mimic the divine arts of these powerful creatures.
Flame cultivators could try and mimic the moves of the Flames of the Arcadian Sky. But their flames wouldn't contain any of the essence. It would not be divine dragon flames.
In the same way, people could try and mimic the movements of the Dance of Rain and Fortune. But their actions would carry none of the original might. It would not be a divine dance.
"How?" Xuan Xina whispered from beside Chen Wentian, "How is she…"
Her eyes grew wider and wider as she watched.
Chen Wentian nudged her and asked, "Do you recognize this dance?"
She shook her head, "No… yes. I mean… I don't know!"
She glanced at him sharply, as if accusing him of something, "It is somewhat similar to the Dance of Rain and Fortune, the divine art of the shangyang bird. However, that should be impossible. It's said that only sacred daughters who have been recognized by the divine beast can have a chance to learn its dance. And they can only do so after being gifted one of their special tail feathers. How can she do that when she's never even seen one before?"
Chen Wentian grinned, "Really? Maybe she has seen one?"
"Chen Wentian." She said warningly, "Don't be ridiculous. Now is not the time for that."
He chuckled, "What? Is the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent too worthless to have a divine bird? It's a wild animal, it's free to go wherever it pleases."
Xuan Xina stared furiously at him but couldn't find anything to say. A wild animal was certainly free to go wherever it pleased. But humans were also free to hunt it. Divine beasts were not like chickens and cows, they couldn't be found everywhere!
Her words further solidified the theory in Chen Wentian's mind. Because of Long Yifei's ability to bypass certain restrictions, she was able to gain a glimpse of the divine dance of the shangyang bird. Normally, this would require a sacred daughter to gain the beast's approval and receive a special gift containing its spiritual aura and divine might. Only then could they dance the divine dance. However, Long Yifei only needed to wear a pair of slippers to achieve the same thing. How wonderful was that?
Smiling from ear to ear, he sent a message to her, "Fei'er, you did well. It's time to end the duel."
She had already proved her point. She could dance like nobody else. She could even touch upon a divine dance in the midst of battle. Although she came from a common background, she was superior to Wei Shuangshuang in all the things that mattered.
Long Yifei snapped out of her trance. She sensed something wonderful had happened but she wasn't sure what. She understood her master's words. With a gust of cold wind, she stepped outside of the arena.
The bell rang, signaling the end. Abbotess Zhang rose and declared Wei Shuangshuang the winner, albeit with a difficult expression. Everyone understood who the true winner today was. Nobody could deny it. Even Wu Chao couldn't come up with anything to say.
Wei Shuangshuang landed in the middle of the arena, breathing heavily, her hair disheveled, her expression far from happy. With five immortal items, she had actually failed to land a single wound on her opponent. She bowed the polite claps from the crowd, knowing that she had been thoroughly beaten. She was the champion of song and dance but not its true champion.
Long Yifei also gave a few curtesy bows before returning to Chen Wentian's side with a smile, "Master, how did I do?"
"You were perfect! Let's go back and celebrate!"
"Yes, master."
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