The Beauty Cultivation Technique

Chapter 18: A Sudden Rise

At the end of the Si hour, the sunlight in the mountains grew intense, the glaring sun dazzling to the eyes. Despite this, the area outside the open dance hall was still packed with people. Today was the day Ji Yaoge’s three-day challenge came to an end. Whether they were people practicing dance in the hall or those who had heard the news and came out of curiosity, they all gathered here under the scorching sun to watch the spectacle.

After all, it was unprecedented in Chi Xiu Palace for anyone to challenge the authority of Yue Xiao, a direct disciple of Ying Shuang, especially someone with nearly zero cultivation like Ji Yaoge.

The gathered cultivators outside the dance hall were either mocking her for overestimating herself or admiring her courage. Gossip filled the air, disturbing the peace, but no one believed Ji Yaoge could master the Twelve Celestial-Demon Dance. After all, talent is irrefutable. Even with Ye Long’s personal instruction, success seemed unlikely.

"Junior Sister, want to place a bet?" Someone had opened a betting ring and was calling out loudly.

Jiao Tao was pulled aside by the person and glanced at the table, asking, "What are the odds?"

"Betting on Junior Sister Ji not passing, ten to one; betting on her passing, one to ten. Want to try, Junior Sister Jiao Tao?" The person smiled as he fiddled with the spirit jade on the table.

Such skewed odds showed no one had faith in Ji Yaoge. Jiao Tao cursed directly, "Get lost!"

"Why get angry with him?" Bai Yan pulled the cursing Jiao Tao out of the crowd.

"Where's Yaoge?" Jiao Tao looked around but couldn't find Ji Yaoge.

"She went to Senior Sister Ye Long's place two days ago and hasn't returned since." Bai Yan shook his head. The time was almost up, and Ji Yaoge still hadn't appeared.

As the two grew more anxious, someone outside shouted, "Senior Sister Yue Xiao is here."

The surrounding cultivators all bowed in greeting, and Jiao Tao and Bai Yan also lowered their heads. Bai Yan, however, couldn't help but sneak a glance around. Yue Xiao was dressed exquisitely today. Although she wasn’t naturally beautiful, her practice of charm techniques had made her eyes and brows increasingly alluring, and her makeup and attire complemented her aura, making her quite captivating.

Yue Xiao walked gracefully, followed by a group of people. In response to the crowd's greetings, she only nodded slightly before heading straight into the dance hall.

"What's this? Junior Sister Ji hasn't arrived yet?" Seeing the empty dance hall, she frowned and mocked, "Such a big attitude."

"Maybe she's too embarrassed to show up," someone behind her laughed in agreement.

Yue Xiao didn’t laugh, but coldly said, "She agreed to this. If she doesn’t show up, she loses. Light the incense. If it's burned out and she's still not here, she forfeits and will be punished with hard labor."

With that, she flicked her robe and sat down on the stone seat in the hall.

The incense was quickly lit and placed in the round censer outside the dance hall. With the midday heat, the incense head glowed and burned down rapidly. Time flew by, and Jiao Tao grew increasingly anxious, pushing Bai Yan, "Aren't you going to look for her?"

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Bai Yan stood with his arms crossed, watching the incense burn inch by inch. Instead of panicking, he calmed down, "It's too late to find her now. Let's wait and see."

As the incense burned down, the main person still hadn’t arrived, and the murmuring in the crowd grew louder.

"So many people?" A calm female voice suddenly silenced all the whispers in the courtyard.

"Senior Sister Ye Long." Everyone bowed in unison.

Ye Long arrived alone but her presence overshadowed all the cultivators present, silencing them. Noticing the tense atmosphere, Yue Xiao didn’t even look up, just sarcastically said, "Senior Sister, it’s been years since you've been here. I didn't expect you'd personally come today for an insignificant low-level cultivator. Quite surprising."

Stopping at the entrance, Ye Long sighed, "Junior Sister, why are you doing this?"

"What am I doing?" Yue Xiao played with her hairpin, her tone flirtatious, "But what about you, Senior Sister? You've never been so attentive to any junior brother or sister before. Now, suddenly, you're doting on an unworthy disciple. But it seems you'll be disappointed. Your poor little junior sister hasn’t shown up. She must be too ashamed."

Ye Long looked around and indeed didn’t see Ji Yaoge, "What happened? Where is she?"

"How would I know? Hasn't she always been with you? I was looking forward to seeing what your personal instruction could achieve, but it seems I'll be disappointed." Yue Xiao slowly stood up, looking at the incense that was about to burn out, "What a pity, you finally came after so long, and now you won't even see a dance."

As she spoke, a gust of hot wind blew, and the last inch of incense ash fell.

"Time's up, everyone can leave now..." Yue Xiao yawned, "Such a bore..."

Before she finished speaking, a figure pushed through the crowd and rushed to the front of the dance hall.

"Wait, I'm here." Ji Yaoge stood in front of the crowd, panting heavily. She was still dressed in her plain diagonal-collared dress, her hair was neatly tied in a bun, sweat on her forehead, and her cheeks flushed, making her look even more ordinary.

Jiao Tao was thrilled, waving at her enthusiastically.

"Sorry, I got too focused on practicing the dance and lost track of time. Please forgive me, Senior Sister." She apologized while smiling at Jiao Tao and Bai Yan. After leaving Ye Long’s place, she had meditated on the "Mysterious Lotus Mantra" to calm herself, worried that her temperament might be overtaken by her beastly nature, almost missing the time.

Bai Yan, however, looked away, still holding a grudge from being kicked out of her cave the other night.

"Since you're here, and just in time, it's fine. Senior Sister Yue Xiao isn’t one to fuss over small details, right?" Ye Long waved her hand and smiled at Yue Xiao.

Yue Xiao snorted, "Since you put it that way, if I fuss, wouldn't I seem petty? Enough talk, she's here now, let's not waste everyone's time. Start the music and dance."

————

As the music began, a thunder eagle soared up the cliff, its wings spread wide, lightning patterns flashing like quick bolts, its cry roaring like thunder.

Ji Yaoge leaped with the music, soaring into the air, her movements agile like the thunder eagle. She didn’t enter the dance hall but chose to dance in the open courtyard. The cultivators retreated to the sides, giving her space. Ye Long and Yue Xiao had also come out of the hall, standing on the steps to watch her dance.

Under the scorching midday sun, she bent backwards in mid-air, her flexible waist arching like a slender willow, her long legs extended upwards, her hands forming a lotus seal in front of her chest, resembling the flying deities often seen in murals.

Her movements were as graceful as a startled swan.

What captivated everyone was her eyes, which had always been empty and silent, now seemed filled with a soul. Her gaze was pure and clean, like a child’s, filled with a mix of joy and slight anger, moving and enchanting.

Her form hadn’t moved, but her spirit had already led.

It made people feel joy.

Starting with the flying deities’ pose, she transitioned to rapid spins, twisting, tilting, folding, curving, bending, flipping, her movements weren’t perfect but flowed like water, seamlessly matching the music at every step, every move.

The melodious music was pleasing to the ear. Ji Yaoge’s dance, embodying both form and spirit, balanced strength with grace, easily conveying the joyful emotion of the dance. The observing disciples felt this emotion and nodded secretly. To reach this level in three days was no easy feat, especially for someone with low cultivation like Ji Yaoge.

Jiao Tao was overjoyed, while Bai Yan, unusually, leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, watching lazily without a smile.

As the music reached its midpoint, Ye Long’s lips curved slightly, enjoying the performance—this girl indeed lived up to her expectations, grasping the essence of conveying emotions in just three days, showing some real talent in this path.

Yue Xiao watched coldly, almost grinding her teeth to pieces. Seeing Ye Long’s approving gaze, her face turned frosty, and she walked over to the music ensemble, snatching a pipa. The male disciples in the ensemble were stunned, and their hands gradually stopped moving as they heard her first pluck of the strings.

The ensemble music was replaced by the solo pipa. The melody remained the same, but the pipa's strings changed the mood, rapid like rain, covering the sky, seeming both angry and sorrowful, directly opposing the joyful mood of Ji Yaoge’s dance.

Ji Yaoge’s body paused.

The ensemble’s music was meant to complement the dancer’s mood, making the dance more harmonious, but Yue Xiao’s interference made the music and dance clash. The pipa’s sound was mournful and overpowering, disrupting Ji Yaoge’s joyful mood. Ji Yaoge’s dance steps faltered, affected by the music.

Joy turned to sorrow.

"Yue Xiao, what are you doing?" Ye Long was the first to notice Yue Xiao's actions and sternly questioned her.

Yue Xiao plucked the strings rapidly, provocatively saying, "Can't you see? I’m playing music for Junior Sister Ji."

"You are a high-ranking senior sister in our sect, and she’s just a low-level cultivator who hasn’t even reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Why are you targeting her like this, lowering yourself?" Ye Long’s face showed anger, her gaze sharp as a blade.

Yue Xiao laughed coldly, "Yes, I am targeting her. So what? When she accepted this trial, I didn’t say I wouldn’t interfere with music. Didn’t you personally teach her? Can’t she handle this?"

"You..." Ye Long was furious at her unreasonable behavior.

Seeing Ye Long’s hand unconsciously move to her sword hilt, Yue Xiao plucked the pipa strings more aggressively, her frosty gaze filled with pain, "What? Want to draw your sword on me?"

"Do you think I won’t dare?" Ye Long’s thumb lightly flicked, and her curved blade rang out, half an inch unsheathed.

Yue Xiao gritted her teeth, staring at her.

The two stood in confrontation.

Outside, Ji Yaoge’s dance hadn’t ended.

The sudden pipa sound disrupted her emotions, overwhelming her with sharp sorrow for no apparent reason. Her dance became more frenzied, her steps increasingly disordered. She knew this was bad, and the surrounding people’s emotions were also affected, their smiles fading...

The situation took a sharp turn, and Ji Yaoge clenched her teeth in thought.

In Ye Long’s cave, she had advanced to the realm of controlling emotions through dance. To avoid attracting attention, she had held back today, but now it seemed she could no longer do so. With this in mind, her childlike eyes emitted a chilling sharpness. As she spun rapidly, her smile twisted into something wild, no longer gentle.

The onlookers felt as if her figure blurred, transforming into various forms. The light in her eyes reflected their own images, like a mirror.

In an instant, the dancer became the observer, the music disappeared, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats, like blooming spring flowers, morning dew, and sunshine, free of gloom.

"Put down the pipa!"

Over there, Ye Long coldly faced Yue Xiao.

"If you have the guts, come and take it." Yue Xiao refused to back down, her lips curving in defiance.

Neither looked at the scene below.

"Then don't blame me for forgetting old ties." With that, Ye Long’s curved blade flashed, instantly striking towards Yue Xiao.

Yue Xiao jumped up with her pipa, dodging the strike but continuing to pluck the strings, laughing bitterly, "Do we even have old ties left?"

Ye Long, enraged, said nothing, her curved blade like a moon hook from the sky, attacking Yue Xiao. Yue Xiao retreated step by step with her pipa, avoiding the blade. Although their cultivation levels were close, Ye Long’s innate talent and cultivation had always been superior. Years of accumulated anger erupted, making her strikes fierce. In just a few moments, they exchanged dozens of moves. Yue Xiao, clutching her pipa, refused to let go, but was struck on the shoulder, staggering back against the wall. Ye Long’s blade swept towards her neck, forcing her to release the pipa. Yue Xiao smiled bitterly, refusing to let go, even leaning her neck forward. Ye Long’s blade stopped an inch from her pale neck.

"You!" Ye Long, chest heaving with anger, "Stubborn fool!"

Yue Xiao stubbornly held her pipa, staring into her eyes.

Outside, a burst of laughter and exclamations distracted them. Ye Long released her blade and turned to see the scene outside, her eyes widening. Beside her, there was a "clang" as the pipa fell to the ground, Yue Xiao muttering, "Impossible, impossible..."

In the open courtyard, six celestial and six demonic figures, either reclining, sitting, or lying, their forms varied, though faint and misty, their outlines were distinct.

Ji Yaoge was descending slowly from the air, the illusions still lingering. The observers around her were entranced, their smiles unwavering, their emotions under her control.

Three days to master the Twelve Celestial-Demon Forms.

Incredible.

Frighteningly fast.