Chapter 128: He Remains As Divine As Ever (Third Update)

As the performance progressed to this point, Cooper realized that Li Lekang’s divine status remained unchallenged!

Though the theme of flight magic was hardly novel, the ability to bring such video illusions to life on a real stage, breaking all conventional boundaries—this was truly remarkable.

“Remarkable” hardly sufficed to describe it. As some fans declared, he was a god, an Asian sorcerer whose mastery alone could explain these astonishing feats.

Yet, upon closer reflection, Cooper could discern a few subtle inconsistencies.

Take the venue, for instance: a basketball arena seating twenty thousand, scarcely different from a fifty-thousand-seat stadium. So why choose a basketball court?

He glanced upward at the enclosed ceiling of the arena, which remained shrouded in darkness throughout. Even the audience seating lights were extinguished—was this to conceal something overhead?

Then there was the persistent haze that enveloped the stage. Ordinarily, such fog would be released only at designated moments, but here it lingered continuously. Clearly, this wasn’t a sign of extravagance but rather a deliberate cover for hidden mechanisms.

The stage itself was elevated by thirty or forty centimeters—if one’s body were flexible enough, concealing someone beneath would be entirely feasible. Seasoned insiders would undoubtedly sense something unusual in such details.

But to connect these clues and unravel the magic’s secret? That was an entirely different challenge—too difficult, in fact.

Cooper had no time to dwell further; the show continued.

In truth, this performance blended magic and dance in equal measure.

Li Lekang did not intend for it to be a mere magic show; he wove the resplendent beauty of traditional Chinese song and dance into his act. The fusion of art and magic blurred the lines between reality and illusion, making deception all the more seamless.

From his own perspective, extending the performance time was also advantageous. Sustaining a ninety-minute show solely on this theme was somewhat taxing.

By incorporating dance, allowing graceful young ladies to perform aerial dances, and captivating the audience with exquisite artistry, he ensured that spectators remained oblivious to the true purpose behind it all.

Of course, the signature feats still had to be showcased.

After the aerial performance concluded, Li Lekang smoothly transitioned into another world-renowned act.

Four female performers leapt around him, ascending to a platform hovering above the stage.

This platform was temporarily erected for the show; once the four ladies stood upon it, their eyes aligned perfectly with those of the spectators in the back row, preventing anyone from seeing them from above.

This was a boon for rear-row viewers, who now enjoyed the best viewing angle.

The dancers stood back to back, facing four directions, stretching their arms in varied gestures. Finally, they inverted their bodies, joining their hands in prayer. Yet, behind them, a dozen or so arms—some extended, others partially folded—remained frozen in place.

It was as if they had grown a dozen extra arms!

Large screens positioned around the arena’s center zoomed in on the performance.

The crowd erupted once more—this was a familiar spectacle to them: the Thousand-Hand Guanyin!

This act was renowned for its visual impact, but unlike traditional performances that could only be appreciated from the front—where side viewers would inevitably see rows of dancers and lose the visual effect—this Thousand-Hand Guanyin was a magical feast viewable from all four angles.

The most astonishing aspect was that the audience’s naked eyes could see only four performers!

Yet hidden in the center was a magician.

The platform was tiny, barely enough room for the four women, yet they conjured an image of countless hands emerging endlessly.

The audience was dumbfounded; no matter how they pondered, they could not fathom where all those hands came from. Even if Li Lekang himself stood behind with his own two hands raised, it would be impossible to replicate such an effect.

Spectators in the upper tiers cheered loudly, while those seated in the VIP front rows had to crane their necks to view the large screens or look overhead—the immersive experience was somewhat diminished, but still breathtaking.

Cooper, unable to resist, continued racking his brain—predictably tormenting himself.

How could anyone conceal people on such a small platform? This was the glaring flaw. The platform was deliberately raised above all audience sightlines to prevent anyone from looking down upon it.

From above, one should be able to find a loophole—yet no spectator could ascend higher.

Cooper mused regretfully.

Even if given access to the roof, he would remain stumped.

Li Lekang had employed illusion magic; the countless hands behind the performers were overlapping phantasms, akin to a freeze-frame effect in film, where the image remains fixed for a brief moment.

Therefore, as long as the dancers swiftly completed the movements, the projections would persist for three to five seconds, creating the illusion of a thousand hands simultaneously reaching out.

This was Li Lekang’s own concoction, a fusion of magic and artistry. Magic itself was not bound by fixed form; it was more like chemistry, adjustable and combinable to produce desired effects.

Throughout, Li Lekang continued to perform breathtaking and seemingly impossible feats:

The miraculous celestial ladder, the layered light and shadow dance of feathered robes, instantaneous displacement amidst swirling mist, and more.

These dazzling magical displays elicited continuous applause from the audience.

The hour-and-a-half program maintained its intensity until the finale, where the celestial maidens flew gracefully through a stone archway, vanishing quietly amid drifting smoke.

The magician himself dissipated into a wisp of smoke, carried away by a gentle breeze, as the ancient chime bells tolled a melodious farewell. The haze slowly lifted, revealing the stage’s original form.

The crowd lingered in a half-dreamlike trance, as if accidentally stepping into a celestial realm beyond the skies. After witnessing such exquisite scenes, the fleeting beauty receded like a retreating tide, gently awakening them.

The ancient musical instruments still softly played, evoking the refined elegance of the Heavenly Palace in Journey to the West. Though only lingering echoes remained, the audience remained enthralled by the ethereal atmosphere.

The camera panned across the crowd—faces serene with enjoyment, no one rising or shifting restlessly.

Not a single person applauded; their minds had yet to fully return from that otherworldly domain.

They longed to join the flying maidens, to vanish into the misty dreamscape. Yet mortal constraints tethered them to reality, leaving a bittersweet sense of yearning.

Finally, as the final note faded and the smoke cleared, the lights brightened once more.

Thunderous applause shattered the dreamlike stillness—like a stampede of thousands, a resounding uproar.

Nearly twenty thousand voices clapped in unison, hearts surging with excitement and exhilaration.

For these spectators, the performance was truly a passage into a dreamlike fairyland. Through mortal eyes, they glimpsed the extraordinary and beheld sublime beauty, yet felt a poignant loneliness in knowing such worlds could not coexist with their own.

Yet in the end, moved by the sheer brilliance of this ethereal spectacle, they offered their heartfelt applause—paying tribute to a masterpiece of magical artistry.

Li Lekang had flawlessly integrated Chinese cultural elements into magic, elevating it to an art form unlike any other.

Such a performance was unique in the entire world.

No one else could replicate this marvel. Those fortunate enough to witness it were truly blessed.

Given Li Lekang’s character, he seldom repeated shows.

He made this performance the pinnacle of artistic achievement.

No other artist on earth had magic so perfectly intertwined with their craft.

He melded reality and illusion so seamlessly that no one could distinguish truth from fantasy.

The audience was bestowed with sensory experiences beyond all expectation, and even the skeptics abandoned their childish doubts moments before the show began.

Because Li Lekang remained, undeniably and eternally, a god.