Lian nodded.
"...Alright."
He slowly raised both hands.
The surrounding water quietly gathered.
Unlike before—
he didn't compress it.
Nor did he create a current.
Instead—
he carefully guided the water toward himself.
A thin layer gradually spread across his skin.
Over his arms.
His chest.
His legs.
Until—
his entire body was covered.
Lian lowered his gaze.
"...Like this?"
Lizarius remained silent.
Lian took the silence as permission to continue.
He focused his mind.
Trying to keep the layer as thin as possible.
As even as possible.
Several breaths passed.
The watery coating gradually became more stable.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...I think I've—"
Before he could finish—
a pebble suddenly shot toward him.
His pupils contracted.
**Thud!**
The stone struck directly against his shoulder.
The watery coating shattered apart.
Lian stumbled backward.
"...Ow."
He rubbed his shoulder.
"...That hurt."
Lizarius calmly observed him.
Lian sighed.
Then—
he gathered the surrounding water once more.
This time—
he paid closer attention.
The layer spread evenly across his body.
He continuously circulated spiritual qi through it.
Trying to keep every part of the coating connected.
Several moments later—
another pebble flew toward him.
**Tap.**
Ripples spread across the watery coating.
The force weakened.
But—
the layer partially collapsed.
Lian still took half a step backward.
He lowered his gaze.
"...Better..."
"...But not enough."
Without waiting—
he repaired the damaged section.
Another pebble came.
Then another.
Then—
three at once.
Each impact caused the layer to ripple violently.
Sometimes—
it held.
Sometimes—
it broke.
Every failure revealed another weakness.
Too much water—
and the coating became sluggish.
Too little—
and it shattered too easily.
Too uneven—
and the force concentrated at the thinnest point.
Time quietly passed.
Lian gradually corrected each flaw.
The layer became thinner.
Smoother.
More uniform.
He adjusted the circulation of his spiritual qi.
He changed the flow of the water.
He learned to allow the force of each impact to spread naturally rather than resisting it at a single point.
Eventually—
Lizarius raised a claw once more.
This time—
instead of pebbles—
a compressed sphere of water shot toward Lian.
**Whoosh!**
Lian's expression immediately became serious.
He didn't move.
The watery coating covering his body quietly flowed.
The projectile struck.
**Shhhhk!**
Ripples spread across the entire layer.
The force dispersed.
The water sphere broke apart.
Lian remained exactly where he was.
Only a few small ripples continued traveling across the coating before gradually fading.
Silence.
Lian slowly looked down at himself.
Then—
he looked back toward Lizarius.
A grin spread across his face.
"...It worked."
Lizarius watched the coating for several breaths.
Its thickness.
Its stability.
The amount of spiritual qi it consumed.
The way it redistributed force.
After confirming everything—
the surrounding water suddenly surged.
The endless sea spun violently.
Before Lian could even react—
his vision blurred.
The world shifted.
The endless ocean disappeared.
...
...
When his vision cleared—
he found himself standing once again within the endless white world.
Only—
this time—
the water reached no higher than his calves.
An endless shallow sea stretched in every direction.
Lian blinked.
He looked around.
"...It changed."
His gaze wandered across the endless white.
Then—
he looked toward Lizarius.
"...So..."
"...What's next?"
Lizarius quietly hovered before him.
"...Walk."
Lian tilted his head.
"...Walk?"
"...Walk on the water."
Silence.
Lian stared at the endless surface beneath his feet.
"...You mean..."
"...Actually walk on top of it?"
Lizarius gave a slight nod.
"...Correct."
Silence stretched between them.
Lian slowly looked down.
Then—
back at the tiny white lizard.
"...Oook..."
Another long silence followed.
Lizarius simply watched him.
Lian scratched the back of his head.
"...So..."
"...How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
"...You haven't exactly shown me."
Lizarius remained expressionless.
"...Based on everything you've learned..."
"...You should already be capable of reaching the answer."
A brief pause followed.
"...That doesn't appear to be the case."
Lian frowned.
"...Hmm..."
"...I don't really see how anything I've practiced could help me walk on water."
*Compressing water...*
*Currents...*
*A defensive coating...*
*None of those sound anything like walking.*
Without another word—
Lizarius looked toward the empty space beside Lian.
The surrounding dream space rippled.
A figure gradually emerged.
Lian's eyes widened.
"...Huh?"
The outline became clearer.
Moments later—
an exact copy of Lian stood beside him.
Every detail matched.
The same face.
The same robes.
The same long yellow hair.
"...Whoa..."
Lian instinctively took a step backward.
"...Who's—"
"...Wait..."
His eyes darted between himself and the duplicate.
"...That's me."
He stared for several moments.
"...So you can make copies inside dreams too..."
His expression gradually became curious.
"...Huh..."
He looked over the duplicate again.
"...Is that really what I look like now?"
He leaned sideways slightly.
"...My hair's gotten so long..."
"...I can barely recognize my own face."
Before he could continue—
the duplicate suddenly spoke.
"...Watch."
Lian blinked.
"...It talks too?"
His attention immediately sharpened.
The duplicate calmly raised one foot.
Instead of lifting it completely away from the water—
it stepped forward.
The sole hovered only a fraction above the surface.
The water beneath it immediately compressed.
A thin circular ripple spread outward.
The foot remained perfectly supported.
Then—
the second step followed.
Another ripple.
Another stable platform.
Step by step—
the duplicate calmly walked across the surface.
Not through the air.
Not by floating.
But by creating a momentary point of support beneath every step.
Until—
it stood effortlessly upon the water.
As though the endless sea had become solid ground.
Lian's eyes widened.
He stopped breathing for a moment.
"...So..."
"...That's how..."
He remained motionless.
His eyes never left the duplicate.
The copy didn't explain.
It simply continued walking.
One step.
Then another.
Its movements were slow.
Deliberate.
As though inviting him to observe every detail.
Lian narrowed his eyes.
*...The water isn't becoming solid.*
The duplicate took another step.
A faint ripple spread beneath its foot.
The water compressed for only an instant.
Then—
relaxed the moment the foot left.
His thoughts raced.
*No...*
*It isn't standing on the water.*
*It's continuously creating support exactly where the foot lands.*
Another step.
Another ripple.
The same process repeated.
Lian's breathing gradually steadied.
His gaze became increasingly focused.
"...I think..."
"...I understand a little."
Without hesitation—
he took a step.
The instant his foot lifted—
his body immediately sank.
**Splash!**
Water rose to his waist.
Lian froze.
"..."
The duplicate continued walking as though nothing had happened.
Lian slowly climbed back to his feet.
"...That didn't count."
Silence.
He watched again.
This time—
he ignored the feet.
Instead—
he focused on the surrounding water.
Tiny currents.
Almost invisible.
Gathered beneath each step.
They compressed the instant before contact.
Then—
dispersed immediately afterward.
His eyes brightened.
*The current comes first...*
*The platform comes second.*
*Not the other way around.*
He tried again.
His spiritual qi quietly circulated.
The Water Control Art flowed through his meridians.
The surrounding water answered.
A tiny current gathered beneath his raised foot.
He slowly lowered it.
The water compressed.
For the briefest moment—
his foot remained above the surface.
Then—
**Splash!**
The current collapsed.
He sank again.
Lian sighed.
"...Closer."
Lizarius silently watched.
No praise.
No criticism.
Only observation.
Lian no longer paid attention to him.
His entire focus rested on the water.
Again.
He gathered the current.
Compressed it.
Stepped.
This time—
he remained standing for almost an entire breath.
Then—
the platform gave way.
**Splash!**
He laughed helplessly.
"...So that's the feeling."
Again.
Again.
Again.
Time quietly passed.
Each failure lasted slightly longer than the last.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
The water beneath his feet became increasingly stable.
His movements became smoother.
He no longer tried to force the water into submission.
Instead—
he guided the currents beneath each step.
Allowing them to compress naturally.
Allowing them to disperse the moment his weight shifted away.
Eventually—
he took one step.
The platform held.
A second.
It held again.
A third.
Small ripples spread beneath his feet—
but he no longer sank.
Lian stopped.
He looked down.
The endless water stretched beneath him.
Yet—
he was standing upon it.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"...I finally did it."