"But… the Heavenly Principles cannot be fought, Your Highness."
Madame Ping spoke with genuine fear.
The teapot spirit Tubby had already shut her eyes, pretending to rest—clearly unwilling to involve herself in such a dangerous topic.
At their level of cultivation, they were already something close to pot-bound immortals.
So long as they obeyed the Dao of Heaven and followed natural law, they could live freely and endlessly.
As for rebelling against the Heavenly Principles—
not only did they lack the courage, they also felt there was no need.
The world was bright and orderly.
Peaceful. Harmonious.
Why insist on walking a path that defied heaven?
Severin saw straight through their thoughts and smiled faintly.
"A frog at the bottom of a well can never see the true sky. Just now, Lawyer Yanfei reminded us that Luofu Grotto is merely a space inside a Serenitea Pot."
"Have you ever considered this—
that the world we inhabit may be no different?"
"The entire continent of Teyvat may simply be a Serenitea Pot held in the hands of the Heavenly Principles."
The truth of Teyvat being wrapped within a shell by the Primordial One made his words all too convincing.
"The world is a prison. We are prisoners trapped inside—
mistaking comfort for freedom, drunkenly wasting our days."
"In truth, we are ants. Scrap. Test subjects. Crops waiting to be harvested."
Madame Ping and Tubby were so shocked they could hardly breathe.
Given Severin's identity, he could not possibly be joking.
What he said carried terrifying credibility.
"Just as the stars inside the Serenitea Pot are false,
so too is the starry sky above Teyvat."
"The real sky may lie beneath our feet—
not above our heads."
Severin smiled meaningfully, revealing only the tip of a brutal truth.
If they still could not accept this much, then there was no point continuing the discussion.
A frog that has spent its life in a well will always believe the sky is round.
And reality unfolded just as Severin expected.
After the initial shock faded, Madame Ping and Tubby clearly could not bring themselves to believe what he said.
"Your Highness," Madame Ping questioned carefully,
"if Teyvat truly is a 'Serenitea Pot,' then throughout history countless heroes and great figures have arisen. Why has no one ever broken free of this prison?"
"The most recent individual who dared to challenge the prison," Severin replied calmly,
"was Irmin, the one-eyed king of Khaenri'ah."
"The mighty nation he built was annihilated five hundred years ago."
He paused, then looked directly at Madame Ping.
"Streetward Rambler—what you truly want to ask is this:
why didn't the Seven break free?
Why didn't your Morax, your Rex Lapis, break free?"
Madame Ping fell silent.
She did not deny it.
Those were exactly her thoughts.
If the world was truly a prison, why had the Geo Archon never resisted the Heavenly Principles?
Such words were not something she dared say aloud—
not in public, and not even in private.
So she could only pose her doubts indirectly.
"Your Archon holds the lives of the Liyue people above all else," Severin said.
"He would never gamble their safety lightly."
"And in his judgment, if the future could not be proven to be better, then overthrowing the existing order would be a net loss."
"So he never made that decision."
Severin revealed part of the truth.
As for the deeper reason—that Zhongli was already suffering severe erosion after Guizhong's death—
that was something best left unspoken for now.
Madame Ping believed Severin without question.
She and the other adepti had followed Morax since ancient times.
They knew better than anyone how deeply he loved the people of Liyue.
The fall of Khaenri'ah was a grim warning from history.
For the sake of the common folk, Morax truly would never wager their lives.
"But Your Highness," Madame Ping said solemnly,
"you and the Tsaritsa have already begun to resist the Heavenly Principles."
From what she had just learned, Snezhnaya's rebellion was nothing short of righteous.
Regardless of success or failure, the Snezhnayan Prince deserved respect.
"Your Highness," she continued,
"you called us false immortals. I won't hide it—those words hurt."
"If our path of cultivation is wrong, then I wish to cultivate as a true immortal."
"Please… explain it in more detail."
This single meal had been worth more than centuries of cultivation.
The Snezhnayan Prince was like a living god—
omniscient, and far more worthy of reverence than the gods themselves when it came to defying fate.
"Cultivation is divided into realms," Severin said evenly.
"Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Integration, Ascension, and Tribulation."
"With each realm, one undergoes a fundamental transformation."
"Your current state is roughly equivalent to Core Formation—
absorbing elemental power, storing it within the body, forming a sea of energy, and condensing a core…"
"When one reaches the Tribulation Realm, survives the heavenly calamity,
one becomes a true immortal—
capable of standing against the gods."
Severin spoke slowly and clearly, as if recounting truths he had personally experienced.
To Madame Ping and Tubby, he truly looked like a genuine immortal, rich with boundless insight.
And he was not merely deceiving them.
At this moment, Severin wielded a fragment of the authority of creation itself.
As his words were spoken, a brand-new path—
the True Immortal Path—
was being born.
"The path of true immortality requires defying the Heavenly Principles," Severin warned.
"If you choose to walk it, be prepared."
"Without the resolve to oppose heaven, this path is closed to you."
"This… is genuine immortal destiny."
He had opened a new road for Liyue's adepti.
How far they would go depended entirely on their choice.
Comfortable, idle pseudo-immortality—
or a defiant path that challenged heaven itself.
"One thought becomes immortality,"
was no empty phrase.
"Your Highness," Madame Ping said after a long pause,
"this matter is far too great. Even if we agree, we must wait for Morax's approval."
They could not decide to oppose the Heavenly Principles on their own.
That decision required the Geo Archon himself.
"No matter," Severin replied.
"Before any final decision is made, the True Immortal Path has auxiliary branches you may study."
"Artifact refinement.
Pill refinement.
Talisman refinement."
"Artifacts produce flying swords and treasures—for offense, defense, flight, and escape."
"Pills extend lifespan, strengthen the body, and heal grievous wounds."
"Talismans expel corruption, suppress demons, grant invisibility, or allow passage through water."
"If you're interested, you may learn from me."
Madame Ping's eyes lit up.
"Of course we're interested. Then… what are your conditions, Your Highness?"
"Refining artifacts, pills, and talismans consumes vast amounts of Mora," Severin replied calmly.
"You must be prepared to pay."
Madame Ping did not hesitate.
"Is one hundred billion Mora enough, Your Highness?"
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