Although he had no idea where the voice was coming from, Yuanchu was certain that old man was secretly watching his every move.
*Hah, little trickster, do you really think I don't know you?*
Complaints aside, Yuanchu obediently crossed his legs and sat on a rock to feel the flowing water, quickly entering the meditative state.
In the darkness, Yuanchu once again saw the azure water's surface, along with that single droplet about to fall onto it.
Only this time, it seemed to him that the falling speed of the droplet had slowed down.
The droplet reflected Yuanchu's face like a mirror, crawling through the air toward the water's surface at a snail's pace.
"Drip."
Even the sound seemed slowed down, dull and lingering.
Without the palpitation brought by previous cultivation, Yuanchu unconsciously opened his eyes. Pale blue eyes mirrored the distant white clouds, as if the sky itself had been packed into his eyes.
Everything in his field of vision turned pale blue, and at the center of every object could be seen a small white orb emitting light.
An invisible aura seemed to surround Yuanchu, parting the waterfall cascading from the sky to form a semicircular barrier.
With a slight shift of his mind, Yuanchu blinked. The pale blue in his eyeballs continuously receded toward the pupils, replaced by a profound black.
...
In the time that followed, Yuanchu constantly controlled his power. From needing to sit in meditation and feel the flow of water to enter the state, to now simply closing and reopening his eyes to emit the proper pale blue, Yuanchu grew increasingly proficient at controlling his power.
Only, he had no idea how much time had passed, because this place seemed to lack the "rising and setting sun" of his original world; the scenery remained forever unchanged, as if time had stopped.
Suddenly, a distant voice drifted from the air:
"Now, you must mobilize your Origin organ, gradually gathering the power into your hands and attempting to release it."
*If nothing goes wrong, my Origin organ should be my eyes, just like Moran's.*
Yuanchu closed his eyes and slowly opened them.
He carefully sensed the power within his eyes: it was like a calm ocean.
Yuanchu tried to channel this ocean of power from his eyes to his fingers, but failed after repeated attempts.
His body was like a layer of thick, hard soil that only held water without letting it seep underground.
"Old Gu never says a thing either; really expecting me to figure everything out entirely on my own."
Yuanchu pouted, gazing discontentedly toward the horizon.
...
Elsewhere.
Elder Gu, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, opened them and looked with a broad smile at the other two who were also meditating.
Moran had his eyes tightly shut, covered in sweat, as if enduring something no one his age should bear.
Beside him, Gu Feng wore a calm expression, feeling the power brought to his hair, but his slightly trembling body still betrayed that his mastery of power was far from smooth.
Elder Gu walked softly over to Moran, pressed his index finger against Moran's forehead, and with a flash of green light, Moran's contorted face finally relaxed considerably.
Similarly, Elder Gu placed his hand against Gu Feng's forehead... and Gu Feng's body steadied significantly as well.
Not long after, the two extended their index fingers forward respectively. One unleashed a flame that burned down the large tree in front of him, while the other emitted a faint green light that rapidly accelerated the growth of a sapling ahead, turning it into a towering giant tree that towered a full head and shoulders above the surrounding trees.
The two opened their eyes, looked at their achievements, exchanged a glance, and said excitedly:
"I did it!"
...
"Life is not easy."
This was who knows how many failures.
Yuanchu lay flat on the rock, his blue eyes staring at the waterfall that desperately wanted to passionately kiss his face, but was blocked by the barrier and could only continue flowing down both sides of him.
Yuanchu stopped thinking.
Sigh.
So...
How on earth is this power supposed to be channeled?!
Looking at the waterfall before him, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Yuanchu.
Since my ability is related to water, could I turn the energy in my eyes into something like a waterfall to batter the places blocking the flow of energy?
At this thought, Yuanchu grew somewhat excited, immediately springing up with a carp kip-up to try it out.
10 minutes later...
A rather wicked burst of laughter echoed from the waterfall:
"Hahahaha..."
...
The kid must have lost his mind. Did I push him too hard by being a bit too strict?
Elder Gu wore a bewildered expression as he felt the laughter transmitting into his mind.
It, it was just so abrupt...
One second it was pin-drop silent, so why on earth did he suddenly start laughing?
The main thing was, he had truly never encountered a situation like this.
Looks like he'd better go take a look in a moment; he shouldn't end up driving this hard-won prodigy stupid.
Elder Gu fell into deep thought.
Gu Feng / Moran beside him: "???"
Did we forget to praise the Elder? Why is the Elder frowning one second and deep in thought the next, playing the role of a face-changing master?
Moran tentatively asked:
"Elder Gu?"
"What?" Elder Gu was deep in thought and felt a bit impatient at being interrupted.
"You're awesome!" Moran gave a thumbs-up.
Elder Gu: "..."
...
A figure sneaked in from the distant mist.
That's right, it was Elder Gu.
Elder Gu carefully scanned every corner from left to right.
The waterfall tumbled noisily, splashing countless droplets against the stone slabs. The river beneath the waterfall was bottomless, yet flowed sluggishly past Elder Gu's feet.
Where was Yuanchu?
No, where did my big Yuanchu go?
Elder Gu stepped his foot into the river, intending to search further; if he still couldn't find him, he would have to activate his ability.
Just as Elder Gu turned up nothing and prepared to unleash his power, a hand reached out from the river toward Elder Gu's right foot, then yanked downward...
"What the..."
Elder Gu sat flat on his buttocks on the riverbank.
The water in the river seemed driven by some force, rising continuously until it reached the height of a person before stopping.
Immediately afterward, the standing current continuously shifted, ultimately forming the facial features of a person.
Legs, hands, a nose... and finally, a pair of pale blue eyes stared straight at Elder Gu.
Elder Gu simply stood there dumbfounded, watching Yuanchu play at shape-shifting, until he watched Yuanchu point right at him.
Elder Gu was somewhat baffled, and then...
A hearty burst of laughter shattered Elder Gu's eardrums:
"Hahahaha..."
Elder Gu secretly clenched his fists.
Don't get angry. This is a child you raised with your own hands.
He's still young, just immature in his mind.
That's right, he is still your good disciple.
Just as Elder Gu was mentally preparing himself, Yuanchu taunted:
"Where did our Elder Gu's ability go? How come you couldn't find me?"
Veins bulged on Elder Gu's forehead; today he was going to teach this unfilial little brat a lesson.
Then, the crisp sound of "whack, whack, whack" echoed through the small space.
...
"How old am I, and you're still spanking my butt."
Yuanchu clutched his reddened backside with a look of grief and indignation.
"Change that temper of yours, stop being so mischievous. Why can't you ever show that calm composure you have around other people?"
Elder Gu sighed and shook his head.
When would this child ever grow up?
"Oh, come on, I only act like this in front of you."
Yuanchu forced a flattering smile.
"My ability... how is it?"
"Pretty good."
Elder Gu gave Yuanchu a rare compliment: "Better than I expected."
Seeing Yuanchu's beaming expression, Elder Gu smiled with relief, but then thinking of something else, he turned around and muttered with a slight sigh: "If only you could always stay like this."