A few minutes earlier.
While Jiang Yan was familiarizing himself with the many techniques granted by the system's rewards, Zhongli and the others had already reached the Scripture Pavilion.
The journey from the mountaintop to the mid-slope was no short distance—but now that they each carried a flying sword, it was the perfect time to try sword-flight.
They hadn't yet learned the formal Sword Flight Art, but with a sword in hand, why not try?
In the blink of an eye, they glided from the summit down to the mountainside.
At this speed, one could make a round trip from Liyue to Mondstadt in half a day—Jiang Yan's earlier comment had been an understatement.
They landed lightly before a magnificent, resplendent building, tilting their heads back to take it all in, unable to suppress their awe.
"Unimaginable… that such a building could house Mount Shu's boundless treasury of immortal manuals."
Ningguang spoke with quiet admiration. She found the architectural style of Mount Shu's buildings surprisingly similar to Liyue's—an observation that stirred a natural sense of goodwill.
"The Scripture Pavilion must be one of Mount Shu's most important halls. The arts it sends forth… surely dominate entire regions."
Zhongli mused aloud:
"In the past, no doubt countless great formations guarded this place, with hidden masters standing watch."
If Jiang Yan had heard that, he might have teased Zhongli for reading too many novels.
In truth, Mount Shu's Scripture Pavilion had no hidden old grandmasters—but when it came to formations, there was more than one, all part of the Pavilion's own self-contained array system.
Even if the mountain's cave-heaven were destroyed, the Pavilion would remain unscathed.
"I wonder what the interior looks like."
Keqing's eyes gleamed with anticipation. She turned to the others:
"What are we waiting for? Let's go in!"
Without waiting for a reply, she strode through the entrance—
—Only to be repelled by a shimmering barrier a moment later.
A line of bold characters appeared in the air:
Those entering the Scripture Pavilion must bear no weapons of war.
Ganyu quickly understood.
"It means we must lay down our weapons before entering."
"In that case, let us follow the rules."
Zhongli nodded, setting aside the Vortex Vanquisher and casually taking out a small pile of other weapons from his storage, tossing them into a heap.
Now that he possessed a spirit weapon, those mundane arms no longer interested him.
Only…
Among that pile were quite a few of Teyvat's famed arms—spears, swords, staves, and talismans alike.
Zhongli paused, then said quietly:
"In my days as the God of War, I naturally mastered all eighteen martial skills. Owning this many weapons is… reasonable."
The others forced polite smiles and said nothing.
They, too, laid down their arms.
Sure enough, upon stepping forward again, the barrier allowed them to pass.
At that moment, a voice seemed to speak directly into their minds:
The Scripture Pavilion may be entered once per week per person. You may learn one art per visit. Techniques may be taken out, but not beyond the boundaries of the Seven Peaks—
or the formation will suppress you.
No one cared to test what that suppression entailed—it clearly wasn't pleasant.
It felt as though they passed through a veil of water, and suddenly, the space before them opened wide.
Granny Ping froze, startled.
"There's a cave-heaven inside… within the cave-heaven?"
"The wonders of Mount Shu are beyond guessing. Think no more on it."
Zhongli shook his head slightly, his gaze heated as he took in the sight.
This was the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
Its expanse was so vast it seemed to rival the entire territory of Liyue.
And the most astonishing part—
There were no paper scrolls at all. Instead, countless jade talismans floated through the air, darting about like birds in an endless sky.
Aside from rows upon rows of towering bookshelves, nothing else filled the space.
Some jade talismans flitted about freely, occasionally brushing past the group, while others rested quietly on the shelves.
The sheer number was enough to dazzle the eyes.
"So many cultivation arts… how long will it take to choose just one?"
Cloud Retainer let out a sigh.
Good news: plenty of options.
Bad news: too many options.
Even just browsing through them could take years.
Suddenly, they all understood why Mount Shu only allowed disciples to enter once a year.
This place could keep someone browsing until their dying day.
For Keqing and Ningguang—both in the early Essence Refinement into Qi stage—there was another problem: without flying swords, they couldn't take to the air. Were they supposed to walk the entire way?
At that pace, they'd rival Liyue's great explorers in mapping the land.
Zhongli felt the beginnings of a headache. The arts on this floor were useful for him, yes—but picking the right one was another matter.
His heart was set on the second floor's Refining Qi into Spirit section. But without knowing the way up, he might as well stay with the others for now.
They ignored the drifting talismans and began walking forward, step by step.
Behind them, the great doors quietly dissolved into motes of light.
Keqing, growing impatient, suddenly reached out and snatched a talisman that floated past her.
In an instant, a flood of information poured into her mind:
Yellow-grade, upper-tier sword art — Heaven's Gang Sword.
Tread the steps of Heaven's Gang, bear the strength of the Northern Dipper, draw lightning into the body, and smite evil.
Note: Heaven's Gang Sword Art is a path of utmost yang and rigidity; cultivate with caution.
Yellow-grade upper tier?
Keqing looked blankly at the others.
"What does that even mean?"
The question left them momentarily stumped—
—Until Jiang Yan's voice echoed through the Pavilion:
"Yellow-grade upper tier refers to the ranking of cultivation arts. Generally speaking, the cultivation world classifies arts into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow—
corresponding to the four great realms of cultivation."
"A yellow-grade upper-tier art corresponds to the late stage of Essence Refinement into Qi. It can serve you until that point."
"Of course, some geniuses have expanded the Heaven's Gang Sword Artinto the Heaven's Gang Northern Dipper Sword Scripture—a true Earth-grade art."
Understanding dawned on the group. Keqing bowed slightly:
"Thank you for the explanation, Sect Master. Are you here in the Pavilion as well?"
"No. I am still cultivating—only my spirit sense is here to watch over you."
After a brief pause, his voice came again:
"Do not trouble yourselves with overthinking your choice. All will follow fate. Trust your hearts, and you will find the art meant for you."
Zhongli pondered, then asked:
"What is the grade of the Sword Flight Art?"
A hint of amusement touched Jiang Yan's voice.
"No grade."
"No grade?"
"The Mount Shu Sword Flight Art is required of all disciples, but it is part of the greater Mount Shu Sword Canon. Its power depends entirely on the wielder's cultivation. In your hands, it may be yellow-grade—
in mine, at least Earth-grade."
Even Mount Shu's Sect Master cultivated it; yet in the hands of the weak, it was weak indeed.
Ningguang suddenly asked:
"And the grade of the Mount Shu Sword Canon itself…?"
Before she could finish, Jiang Yan's tone turned distant:
"Immortal-grade. Far beyond you for now. Think no more of it."
The same was true of the Eight Great Divine Mantras—each at least immortal-grade.
Heavenly Sword Lightning Summoning, however, was Heaven-grade—but even Jiang Yan could not yet bring out its full might.
"Remember: follow your heart. All is fated. If there is urgent business, use your disciple token to contact me."
With that, his voice faded completely.
The others were unfazed by his sudden vanishing act—by now, they were used to it.
Ningguang glanced at Keqing.
"So—you'll take the Heaven's Gang Sword?"
Keqing nodded.
"The Sect Master said all is fated. My swordsmanship is strong, but it is not of the immortal path. This art may be yellow-grade upper tier, but if others can refine it into an Earth-grade scripture, why not me? Even if I fail, I can still move on to a stronger art later. But I feel this one is mine. Perhaps… this is fate."
Ningguang couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy—Keqing already knew her path: the sword.
As she mused, a sudden gust brushed past her hand—
On instinct, she caught a talisman.
In that moment, she froze.
Yellow-grade supreme-tier art — The Tongtian Scroll.
One of the Eight Wondrous Arts. Requires no altar; talismans form from the void, raining down to overawe the world.
Collect any four of the Eight Wondrous Arts to form a Profound-grade supreme-tier art.
Collect all eight to form an Earth-grade supreme-tier art.
Ningguang's pupils shrank sharply.
Cloud Retainer's voice came at once:
"Well? How is it, Sister Ningguang?"
Ningguang tightened her grip on the talisman, her delight barely contained.
"Yellow-grade… supreme-tier!"
Zhongli nodded.
"That is indeed impressive."
She shook her head.
"Not just impressive. This is one of the Eight Wondrous Arts. Four together form a Profound-grade supreme-tier art—eight form an Earth-grade supreme-tier art!"
She kept the rest to herself. The Tongtian Scroll would make the perfect hidden card.
Just picturing herself on a flying sword, calmly watching a sea of enemies ahead—
—then with a flick of her hand, sending down a torrential rain of talismans…
Now that was style.
The art suited Liyue's richest woman perfectly.
After all—wealth is a form of power.
And with talismans conjured from thin air, she could sell them for Mora… or spirit stones.
A fortune-making art, indeed.
The only pity—she didn't yet know many talisman formulas. Hopefully, the Tongtian Scroll came with some, or perhaps she could ask the gentleman in tomorrow's lecture.
In any case, Ningguang had found her path.
She would collect all Eight Wondrous Arts—and become Queen of Talismans.
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