After experiencing the lively atmosphere of the Starflame Festival, Luo Ao once again set out for Starflame Mountain. This time, however, he chose to travel aboard a tower ship rather than fly.
"Mr. Luo Ao, you can take your time enjoying the scenery along the way. The views on the Dream Star River are truly unrivaled." Just as the captain had described, the Dream Star River was indeed beautiful. At night in particular, the glow of the night and the starlight lent it a dreamy, hazy air, which was how it had earned the name "Dream Star River."
Since he had come to the Starflame Empire, how could he not take a good look at the Dream Star River?
And so Luo Ao hired a tower ship outright and traveled along the Dream Star River toward Starflame Mountain. At the ship's speed, though, it would probably take more than two months to arrive. Fortunately, Luo Ao had that much time to spare.
Standing on the tower ship's deck, watching the endless waters of the Dream Star River flowing all around him, Luo Ao still felt deeply awed.
Although the Dream Star River's drainage basin was far smaller than the Azure River's, it was still far mightier than any river Luo Ao had encountered in his previous life. Endless streams of water converged here, and the current was quite swift. Without a large tower ship like the one he was aboard, an ordinary small boat would have struggled to travel upstream.
"What do you think Mr. Luo Ao is doing? He's been sitting there for three days, neither eating nor drinking, just staring straight at the water of the Dream Star River." A young sailor wearing a blue headscarf had grown so bored that he sought out his companions for a chat.
The tower ship was so large that Luo Ao was naturally not its only passenger. But his bearing was clearly extraordinary, and he spent generously, so he had left a deep impression on the sailors and even the captain.
What amazed them, however, was that Mr. Luo Ao had maintained that same posture for three days and nights, without so much as a sip of water. They had wanted to wake him, but an old mage aboard had scolded them away and ordered that no one disturb Mr. Luo Ao.
Mages were held in great esteem wherever they went. Even Captain Riel dared not disobey the old mage Martin.
And so, for three days in a row, this peculiar sight appeared aboard the tower ship. Not only the sailors but the other passengers were curious as well.
Gazing at the vast, surging Dream Star River, Luo Ao's mind was calmer than ever before.
At that moment, he could clearly sense the paths along which the surrounding river water flowed, and could even hear the undercurrents surging beneath it.
As time passed, Luo Ao's mind sensed the river's flow with increasing clarity, clearly perceiving the paths of the ripples as the currents collided. His mind was now completely in harmony with nature, as though his entire being had merged into the river below.
"Look! Mr. Luo Ao moved!" Luo Ao, who had been motionless on the deck like a stone statue, suddenly stirred, immediately drawing a hushed cry of surprise from the young sailor.
As it turned out, Luo Ao had gained such a deep insight into the power of "water" that he went straight over the iron chains along the deck and plunged alone into the swift-flowing Dream Star River.
When Luo Ao suddenly jumped off the tower ship, the young sailor in the blue headscarf immediately ran to inform the captain. The captain handed the helm to a sailor, then hurried toward the deck and ran over to the chains.
Yet the old mage who had forbidden everyone from approaching Luo Ao merely stood to one side, looking out beyond the ship with nothing but envy in his eyes.
He understood that all these unusual phenomena were happening because Luo Ao was having an epiphany, comprehending the power of the natural laws of heaven and earth.
Although Martin had never personally witnessed someone undergoing an epiphany, he had been fortunate enough to hear a Saint-level expert speak of that wondrous experience.
"Once one comprehends the Force of the Heavens and Earth, the road to the Saint-level becomes smooth. I wonder when I'll ever reach such a realm." The old mage could not help sighing, so softly that only he could hear it clearly.
In truth, Luo Ao's realm was far higher than he imagined. What he was comprehending this time was the power of laws. Although it was still only the most fundamental Essence of Water Profound Mystery within the Water Law, the feeling of such an epiphany was wonderful.
Perhaps because Luo Ao's sudden plunge into the water had caused such a commotion, quite a few passengers ran out to watch.
Luo Ao did not sink to the bottom as people had imagined. Instead, he stood incongruously atop the Dream Star River without sinking, all the while maintaining the same distance from the tower ship.
Although his mind was immersed in the world of the Law of Water, he still consciously moved slowly along with the tower ship, without changing his destination.
As the tower ship moved, Luo Ao also seemed to move forward through thin air.
After watching for several days in a row, the sailors and passengers no longer found it particularly novel, though they still could not understand how he was doing it.
"How much longer do you think Lord Luo Ao will stand on the Dream Star River? I deliberately watched him from a particular angle on deck, and his eyes have been closed the whole time," the young sailor named Sangji told his companions smugly.
"If you ask me, Lord Luo Ao is definitely one of those legendary Saint-level experts. He must be staying in the water to train some ultimate move!" a sailor beside him immediately offered his opinion.
Because Luo Ao's comprehension had lasted so long this time, even the old mage Martin thought he was very likely already a Saint-level expert, rather than a ninth-rank expert as he had initially believed.
A ninth-rank expert's epiphany could not possibly last so long.
"I don't think that's quite right. Training an ultimate move surely involves using it and refining it along the way or something like that. But Lord Luo Ao hasn't even moved his eyelids. It doesn't look like he's training an ultimate move," another sailor immediately countered.
"You're not a Saint-level expert. How could you possibly know how Saint-level lords train their ultimate moves?" The sailor who had spoken earlier immediately began arguing with him, neither able to convince the other.
Yet their faces brimmed with excited smiles. After all, they had personally witnessed a Saint-level lord cultivating. This was a fortunate encounter countless people dreamed of but never had.
Unfortunately, they could not understand the cultivation process. Otherwise, they too could have become experts who held sway over a region.
Day after day passed, yet Luo Ao remained hovering over the surface of the Dream Star River. The sailors even observed that when fish swam past him, they seemed completely unaware of his existence.
On this day, another unusual phenomenon finally appeared around Luo Ao.
With Luo Ao himself at its center, the surrounding Essence of Water aura gathered madly. Even the ceaselessly rushing river water converged of its own accord to envelop his figure. These currents finally formed a transparent spherical space, with Luo Ao right at its center.
"I've finally crossed the threshold of the Water Element Profound Mystery." Only then did Luo Ao open his eyes, feeling pleased.
Earlier, he had completely emptied his mind and become one with heaven, earth, and nature, unexpectedly triggering another epiphany. This time, however, he had been aboard a noisy tower ship. Fortunately, no one had disturbed him during the process, or this opportunity would have been squandered for nothing.