Chapter 398: Basic Skills

The young man shoveled a piece of meat into his mouth and asked with a smile:

"What? You’ve only been here for one day, and you can’t wait?"

"Not really." Chen Ling paused. "But here, I seem to be a bit too relaxed... I want to find something to do."

Chen Ling was telling the truth. On one hand, he enjoyed the comfort here, but on the other hand, he felt that being too comfortable was a waste of time. Most importantly, the "audience" didn't want to see him so comfortable. If this continued, the expectation value would start to slide again.

"Don't worry, Master won't let your days be too easy."

The young man waved his hand. "However, with your current foundation, you’re still lacking to learn secret techniques... Starting tomorrow, you will follow your senior brothers and sisters to practice basic skills."

The other senior brothers and sisters’ eyes lit up, and they all looked at Chen Ling, seeming to be looking forward to it.

"Master, is it too late for Junior Brother to start practicing basic skills now?" Ning Ruyu asked after careful consideration.

"It’s not like I’m asking him to practice to the same level as you all, just teach him some essentials... How much he can learn depends on his own comprehension."

"That’s perfect. There are four of us here, each teaching Junior Brother one type."

"Who starts tomorrow?"

"Me," Mo Jiao suddenly said. "Start with me."

"Okay, then it’s settled. Tomorrow morning, go to the fourth’s place first, then go to the second’s in the afternoon, and then..." Before Chen Ling could speak, the four senior brothers and sisters began to arrange things on their own, and in a moment, Chen Ling’s schedule was completely filled.

Basic skills?

Although Chen Ling was a bit confused, he still nodded and accepted the arrangements of his senior brothers and sisters.

After everyone finished eating, they took their bowls and chopsticks back to their rooms to rest.

Before leaving, the young man patted Chen Ling on the shoulder, and an inexplicable aura wrapped around Chen Ling.

"Master has already opened the authority of the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path to you. You can go unimpeded in most places here, but it’s best not to approach the few areas in the deepest part."

"Yes, Master."

Following the aura, Chen Ling seemed to be able to feel the existence of the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path. It was like a behemoth sitting in the void. Only at this moment did Chen Ling realize how big this place was... It was almost infinitely large. His aura standing here was like a speck of dust flickering in the starry sky.

"Is this the 'Ancient Treasury of the Divine Path'..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

The night grew darker.

Chen Ling lay back on the bed, looking at the flickering stars outside the window, and slowly closed his eyes...

He fell into a deep sleep.

Rustle, rustle—

Chen Ling didn't know how long he had been asleep when a slight movement came, and he opened his eyes abruptly!

"Who?!"

Chen Ling sat up from the bed quickly, and with a sleight of hand, he held his gun, the [Judgment Court] ready to be activated at any time.

Starlight spilled in from outside the window, illuminating a corner of the dim room. His surroundings were empty.

[Audience expectation value +1]

Chen Ling scanned his surroundings but found no enemies, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

Was it a hallucination?

No, that’s not right... Something must have made a sound just now.

Was it an enemy? But this was the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path. What enemy could sneak in here?

Chen Ling got out of bed, held his gun vigilantly, and checked the room, finding nothing unusual. Then he walked slowly toward the door.

He held the doorknob with one hand, took a deep breath, opened it instantly, and pointed the gun at the door!

Whoosh, whoosh—

The cold evening wind rolled in from outside the door. The vast grassland was empty, with only the stars flickering silently.

Chen Ling slowly lowered the gun, and as if he had discovered something, he looked down at his feet...

At the door, there was a vase of flowers.

In the white porcelain vase, a large, bright yellow flower bouquet was inserted diagonally, as large as a washbasin. The rose-like petals bloomed in the dark night, emitting a faint luster, and a burst of fragrance hit his face.

Seeing this flower, Chen Ling was a bit dazed. After all, this thing didn't look like a bouquet that could grow on Earth at all... It was full of an inexplicable magical feeling.

Chen Ling picked it up in confusion and found a small note hanging under the bouquet, swaying gently with the evening breeze. On it, three words were written in crooked strokes:

—Sorry (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Chen Ling was stunned.

He scanned his surroundings but didn't see anyone. The grassland under the night sky was dead silent.

Chen Ling could only fix his gaze on the three words "Sorry," lost in thought:

"This is..."

……

The next day, early morning.

Chen Ling followed the "class schedule" arranged last night and arrived at Mo Jiao’s door first.

Before he could knock, the door opened from the inside. Mo Jiao saw Chen Ling outside and smiled slightly:

"Morning, Junior Brother."

"Morning, Senior Brother."

Chen Ling walked into the house and found that the courtyard had been cleaned up. Not to mention the flowers and trees, the most conspicuous central position had two chairs and a long table. Hot tea had even been brewed on the table in advance, and the fragrance of tea drifted gently in the wind.

Chen Ling walked to the chair and asked in confusion: "Senior Brother, what are we learning today?"

"The opera lineage has four basic skills: [Singing], [Reciting], [Acting], and [Fighting]," Mo Jiao said, putting his hands behind his back. "What Senior Brother is teaching you today is [Singing]."

"[Singing]?"

Chen Ling was stunned for a moment.

Chen Ling naturally knew the four basic skills of singing, reciting, acting, and fighting. He had even seen some opera actors practice them, but those were prepared for going on stage to perform, and had nothing to do with his current situation.

"Why learn these?" Chen Ling asked in confusion. "I don't intend to perform opera?"

Mo Jiao smiled. "If an ordinary person practices these, it’s indeed to perform on stage. But when you step onto the Opera Divine Path, the benefits brought by these basic skills are more than just that...

"Do you know what one of the core abilities of the Opera Divine Path is?"

Chen Ling shook his head.

"Influencing reality with the sense of belief in performance," Mo Jiao continued. "Whether it’s my ability or Senior Brother’s ability, they are all extensions of this ability... And the sense of belief can be cultivated."

"Most Third-Rank skills of the Opera Divine Path are [Soul Depiction], which is to exert a part of the character’s power through the sense of belief in 'roleplay.' Although this power is minimal, it will continue to rise with the growth of rank... At the same time, we will also perfectly enter the character under the effect of the sense of belief, subconsciously imitating every move, speech, and expression. Only when reaching this step can it be considered 'perfect disguise'."

"Once an Opera Divine Path practitioner who has mastered [Soul Depiction] starts 'roleplaying,' it becomes difficult to distinguish them."

"Junior Brother, although your acting level is not bad, there is still a gap from 'perfect disguise.' If it’s someone with a very close relationship, or an existence with extremely strong observation skills, they can still recognize you at a glance."