Jiang Yan's arrival—and the gathering of Mount Shu's cultivators—shook Liyue to its core.
Even though the citizens only saw him from afar, his presence alone carved itself deeply into their memories.
Once the Rite of Descension concluded, information about Jiang Yan spread like wildfire.
No painting existed, but Liyue lacked everything except storytellers.
Within hours, colorful descriptions poured out from teahouse stages:
Some said one look from him healed all wounds.
Some said that when he descended, the world itself rejoiced.
Some said the heavens bent to welcome him, the seas parted, the mountains bowed—
Outrageous, dramatic… but not entirely wrong.
Liyue's cultivation fervor rose again—burning hotter than before.
Yet even this paled in comparison to another piece of news that struck like a meteor:
The Geo Archon, Morax—now the Guest Consultant Zhongli and Acting Peak Lord of Dragonhead Peak—announced his abdication.
From this day forward—
There would be no Geo Archon in Liyue.
He himself?
He was going to devote his full heart to cultivation.
The citizens were terrified.
For them, the Geo Archon was more than a god—
he was the bedrock of their faith for 3,700 years.
Their lives began with his name and ended with his blessings.
Anything could vanish except the Geo Archon.
And yet, he had stepped down.
But his reason was one they could not refuse:
"Liyue is strong now. Strong enough to stand without me.
And I… am tired. I wish to cultivate."
He had given everything, and now sought his own path.
Who could deny him?
Still—
Understanding was easy.
Accepting it was almost impossible.
But while these tremors shook Liyue Harbor, they did nothing to disturb Jiang Yan's rare days of leisure, enjoying mundane life outside Mount Shu.
Nor did they interrupt Zhongli's cultivation as he prepared to challenge the Lock-Demon Tower for the Spirit-Transformation peak.
Nor did they hinder Miko and Ganyu, who took turns visiting Jiang Yan in Liyue, resolutely ignoring the murderous glares of Furina and Lisa every time Miko "escaped" again.
Only two people truly suffered:
Ningguang and Keqing.
With Zhongli's abdication settled—and Liyue's future officially becoming a godless nation—
the entire political landscape collapsed and rebuilt overnight.
The panicked citizens needed calming.
Policies, laws, governmental structures all required revision.
Every ancient contract signed under the Geo Archon now had to be transferred to the nation of Liyue.
It was a colossal undertaking.
And the General Affairs Bureau had no authority to handle it.
So the burden fell squarely on the Qixing.
Ningguang and Keqing barely had time to sleep, let alone cultivate.
This gave rise to yet another rumor in Liyue Harbor:
Never bother the Qixing these days—especially Ningguang and Keqing.
Even immaculate work could earn scolding; mistakes were unforgivable.
The entire administration held its breath.
But the ripple did not stop in Liyue.
Liyue had become Teyvat's new center—thanks to Mount Shu and the spiritual revival.
Every nation now needed to cooperate with Liyue on cultivation, spiritual resources, and world changes.
With the Geo Archon stepping down, countless diplomatic strategies had to be adjusted.
Fortunately, none of the nations had fools at their helm.
Everyone knew Morax left not because he was weak, but because he found a path more brilliant.
Meanwhile, the three from Snezhnaya—the Tsaritsa, Rosalyne, and Arlecchino—had already returned to Mount Shu to formally switch to cultivation.
The Tsaritsa, after conversion, stabilized at mid-stage Spirit-Transformation and became an inner-sect Elder of Bamboo Peak.
Her realm was ahead, but her true essence was still early-stage due to past sacrifices.
But with her foundation restored, recovery would be fast.
Rosalyne and Arlecchino joined Bamboo Peak and Wind-Returning Peak respectively.
Arlecchino, shockingly, had a natural gift for artifact-forging—something even the Tsaritsa hadn't expected.
A blessing, truly.
Snezhnaya had no alchemists, but an artificer was just as valuable.
Certainly more valuable than Tartaglia, who—after joining Dragonhead Peak—did nothing but look for fights.
Focalors and Neuvillette, however, surprised everyone most.
Both reached mid-stage Spirit-Transformation after conversion, though Neuvillette was undeniably stronger.
According to Focalors, had she shattered the Hydro God's authority as originally planned, Neuvillette would've reached late-stage Spirit-Transformation at minimum—perhaps even the peak.
Such was the prestige of the Water Dragon Sovereign.
But Neuvillette found his current strength sufficient.
Even if Furina needed time before reaching Spirit-Refining peak, he could suppress the Primordial Sea for now.
Thus—
the prophecy crisis of Fontaine had dissolved the moment they joined Mount Shu.
Focalors felt a pang of bitterness.
Had she known joining Mount Shu solved problems this easily, she would have clawed her way out of the Oratrice years ago.
Still, better late than never.
Given Neuvillette's identity as Chief Justice, he naturally entered Dragonhead Peak as an Elder of Enforcement.
But as for Focalors—
Jiang Yan gave her a special privilege.
To allow her and Neuvillette to cultivate side by side,
Jiang Yan designated Focalors as an Elder of Tongtian Peak.
The entire sect was stunned.
Tongtian Peak wasn't ordinary—it was the heart of Mount Shu, the home of the Sect Master.
Only Spirit-Transformation peak experts were qualified.
That Jiang Yan opened this gate for her…
It showed how highly he valued both her and Furina.
After all—
Focalors had passed all Nine Heart-Trials.
A feat that left many Mount Shu disciples silently crushed.
As for choosing cultivation methods, there were no surprises.
Perhaps because Jiang Yan had explained demonic cultivation earlier, no one dared choose those paths.
Everyone selected the most fitting orthodox arts.
Except Neuvillette.
He picked… a book of "customs, history, and daily life of the cultivation world."
His techniques?
His bloodline had already provided more than enough.
The inherited arts of the Amethyst-Gold Dragon Clan were terrifyingly powerful.
Furina and the others were green with envy.
Some ancestors gave small blessings.
Neuvillette's ancestor… powerleveled him.
Still, after a few strategic nudges from Furina, both Neuvillette and Focalors handed her some spirit stones—
restoring her cheer instantly.
Once they truly immersed themselves in cultivation, they understood why Zhongli willingly relinquished his Archon seat.
The so-called erosion…
the burdens of millennia…
With one step into the immortal path, everything faded away.
All past pains dissolved.
For the first time, they saw a road where effort equaled strength.
It was intoxicating.
With the Nine Nether Secret Realm opening in twenty days, they were desperate to cultivate.
Returning to Teyvat?
Absolutely not.
Teyvat's thin spiritual energy made cultivation impossible unless one, like Zhongli, possessed mountains of spirit stones.
And they… did not.
The Merit Hall's tasks were being snatched up instantly every day.
Rosalyne and Arlecchino could manage, but the three Snezhnayan goddesses?
As Elders, they refused to compete with ordinary disciples.
They could only watch contributions drift away.
But this peaceful routine lasted only a short while.
One day, Focalors planned to consult Neuvillette about cultivation when a transmission jade lit up.
It was Zhongli.
She didn't even check it—she already knew he must be urging her to finish the last piece of business.
With great reluctance, she left Mount Shu, riding her still-awkward flying sword, returning to Liyue Harbor.
As expected, Zhongli had been waiting at the Northland Bank.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"Elder Barnabas,* how goes your cultivation?"
(*Translator note: Barnabas = the Tsaritsa's new courtesy name within Mount Shu.)
The Tsaritsa sighed.
"Still slow. My realm is mid-stage Spirit-Transformation, but because I scattered so much divine power, my foundation hasn't recovered."
"I also need time to understand all the details of cultivation."
"But… there is progress."
Zhongli nodded, then cut directly to the matter:
"In that case, when do you plan to release Osial?"
As expected.
She knew Zhongli had been waiting for this.
And she had no intention of delaying either.
The sooner, the better.
After a moment of thought, she said quietly:
"I can release Osial today. Is that acceptable?"
Zhongli's eyes brightened slightly.
"Nothing could be better."
Once Osial was freed and departed, Zhongli would finally be free of all Liyue's obligations.
But then—
The Tsaritsa's expression shifted subtly.
"I do have one… small request."
"Speak."
Zhongli gestured placidly.
The Tsaritsa smiled, as if embarrassed.
"I agreed to release Osial. That much is a transaction."
"And since it is a transaction…"
Zhongli understood instantly.
"What compensation do you seek?"
Her eyes curved sharply.
"I need more spirit stones to cultivate."
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