Inside the main hall of the sect.
Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes, having already absorbed the rewards issued by the system into his mind.
With a gentle sweep of his divine sense, he immediately perceived the state of everyone present.
From just earlier—when they had only begun circulating spiritual energy to accumulate true essence—
they had been mere hollow shells of cultivators with true essence but no spells.
Now, however, everyone had already embarked upon the path of spell cultivation, and many had even stepped through the entry gate.
By all accounts, it had taken less than an afternoon.
Such speed, such achievement—Jiang Yan couldn't help feeling some emotion at their remarkable talent.
If they had begun cultivating earlier, who knew what heights they might have reached by now?
A true pity.
His divine sense probed in more detail, and this time, even Jiang Yan was somewhat surprised.
"Fortune smiles upon them!"
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yan's form seemed to split into countless avatars, each appearing beside every single person.
But everyone was so immersed in cultivation that they didn't notice his arrival.
Moments later, all those avatars dissolved into wisps of green smoke, and Jiang Yan, still seated in the sect's grand hall, appeared as though he had never moved at all.
He sighed softly.
"Not only are their talents extraordinary, but their fortunes are equally blessed. For such disciples not to cultivate would be a loss to the cultivation world."
"The Great Sun Archery, the Clear Source Divine Manifestation Mantra, the Divine Ghost Seven-Slaying Order, the Tongtian Scroll, the Flying Cloud Tyrant Spear, the Yin-Yang Five Thunders…"
"These are all, even within the cultivation world, among the top-tier techniques of their respective levels."
"To think they could obtain such spells—it truly defies imagination."
"But… where's Mountain Shaper?"
With some doubt, Jiang Yan spread his divine sense further, only to glance toward the horizon and give a wry smile.
At this moment, Mountain Shaper…
had transformed into an immortal crane, wearing a dark expression, leading a whole flock of white cranes toward the Tongtian Peak.
"Could this… be his hobby?"
Unable to guess Mountain Shaper's thoughts, Jiang Yan simply stopped paying attention and closed his eyes, beginning to circulate the Huangting Yujing Sutra.
Half an hour earlier
After obtaining from the Scripture Pavilion the Pill Cauldron Formula, a technique perfectly suited both to him and to alchemy, Mountain Shaper had excitedly told Zhongli and then returned to Jueyun to gather medicinal ingredients.
After all, he bore the responsibility of the future of Mount Shu's alchemical endeavors.
Many were looking forward to him producing pills as soon as possible.
Mountain Shaper himself also wished to craft some proper cultivation-grade pills.
As he well knew, in the cultivation world, every great alchemist or artifact refiner was a treasured figure sought after by every major sect—
and also among the wealthiest individuals in the realm.
He was already imagining his future: as his cultivation and pill-refining skill advanced by leaps and bounds, he would become Mount Shu's number one alchemist, with even Cloud Retainer begging him to refine pills…
And perhaps, in the end, Jiang Yan would appoint him First Seat of Great Bamboo Peak.
The dream was beautiful.
After leaving, Mountain Shaper headed straight to his own cave dwelling.
Over the years, he had stockpiled many medicinal ingredients, including many extinct in Teyvat, all sealed away in amber.
He could have sold them for spirit stones, for the quantity exceeded a hundred portions.
But first, tending the spirit fields was part of his duties.
And second…
He felt that since beginning cultivation, he had received considerable support from Mount Shu, and it was time to contribute.
If he cultivated these into spirit herbs, the sect leader might be even happier.
Thinking so, Mountain Shaper was full of motivation.
Farming was indeed something he enjoyed—though his preferred "fertilizer" was usually those of questionable moral character.
Planning never to return home, Mountain Shaper decided to bring all his treasured stock with him.
But when he used his disciple token to open the cave and return…
he realized he hadn't brought his flying sword.
At that moment, the Mount Shu Jade Chime rang, and he couldn't afford to wait—so he transformed into an immortal crane and flew toward the sect.
Yet shortly after takeoff, his gaze met those of a line of white cranes emerging from the clouds.
One, a crane-form cultivator—
the others, white cranes who had just received the Tongtian Peak's spiritual blessing, awakening their intelligence and stepping onto the path of evolution.
Their eyes met.
In that instant, it felt like an eternity.
Mountain Shaper wanted to crawl into a hole. In the white cranes' eyes flashed a distinctly human trace of doubt.
It seemed to say…
"Wasn't this the crane who rode us to Mount Shu earlier?"
Then came the unmistakable flash of disdain.
The meaning, Mountain Shaper understood intuitively:
We're all cranes—why do you get to ride us?
Feeling a wave of shame, Mountain Shaper pushed his true essence to accelerate toward Great Bamboo Peak.
The white cranes, startled by his speed—never expecting one of their own kind to have evolved so quickly—
promptly followed him, calling out melodiously as if they had found a leader.
And thus, the scene Jiang Yan had just witnessed came to be.
Mountain Shaper, face still dark, flew past Morning Sun Peak, picking up his jade token on the way.
Naturally, this posture earned him a round of mockery from Moon Carver.
By tomorrow at the latest, all of Mount Shu would know:
Great Bamboo Peak's senior disciple Mountain Shaper…
had been adopted as leader by a flock of white cranes, even taking them out on flights.
The thought made Mountain Shaper feel all the more humiliated.
Landing hurriedly at Great Bamboo Peak, he dove into a random cave dwelling, shut the door, and began cultivating.
What he didn't expect was that, from then on, the white cranes would settle permanently at Great Bamboo Peak—
eventually becoming a little piece of Mount Shu lore.
Jiang Yan, however, paid no mind to these matters.
A cultivator in cultivation was wholly immersed, sinking heart and soul into the Dao.
Only Ningguang and Keqing's cultivation was somewhat distracted—they still needed to return to Liyue tonight.
The other Qixing members, unable to travel easily, were waiting for their report.
Too much had happened today—Zhongli's abdication, their joining Mount Shu and beginning cultivation…
All of this warranted a Qixing meeting.
Only Ganyu, it seemed, had no intention of returning to work.
In her own words:
"Since Zhongli has stepped down, I'm feeling a little lost right now. I need some time off to think about my future."
To Ningguang and Keqing, this was unbelievable.
Ganyu practically wanted to cling to the Sect Leader all day, and now she claimed to be "thinking about the future"?
More like thinking about how many children she should have with the Sect Leader to inherit Mount Shu.
But for now, since they hadn't met up yet, such complaints remained unspoken.
Besides…
Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes.
When it came to that Sect Leader, even Ningguang and Keqing privately admitted to themselves that they were struggling to keep their composure.
From the first day they joined Mount Shu, the sect's cultivation atmosphere had grown ever more intense.
Meanwhile, far away in Mondstadt, things were not going so well.
Pitch-black gales swept up countless roof tiles and debris, the entire city shrouded in a doomsday-like storm of flying sand and stone.
Wind was Mondstadt's symbol—but this was not the free wind Liyueans admired.
At the gates of the Knights of Favonius, Jean, clad in a neat knight's uniform, held her Aquila Favonia in one hand and the gate in the other.
Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked out at a Mondstadt on the brink of ruin, a magic dragon soaring and roaring in the distance, hatred thick in its voice.
"East Dvalin… do you truly hate Mondstadt so much? Lord Barbatos, why has our former guardian deity become like this?"
"Jean, the situation isn't good."
Lisa appeared silently at her side, face unusually serious.
"Make your decision soon. One way or another, Mondstadt can't withstand many more of its attacks."
Jean pressed her lips together, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
Instead of answering, she shifted the topic.
"How is the situation in the city?"
Lisa sighed inwardly—Jean was still too indecisive.
"The citizens have been relocated in advance, and the Angel's Share's owner is helping evacuate more people.
For now, there's only property damage and some injuries—no deaths. I've already told the knights to notify the Church."
Jean nodded, still troubled over how to drive off the Stormterror Dragon.
Suddenly, with her keen eyesight, she spotted a blonde girl swept high into the sky, her Wind Glider destroyed in an instant.
Jean's pupils shrank.
"Who is that! I ordered that Wind Gliders not be used in Mondstadt recently!"
"Lisa! Quick! Save her!"
Jean drew her Aquila Favonia—but Lisa stopped her.
Shaking her head, she spoke softly:
"Jean, be rational. We can't act right now, or we'll only enrage the East Dvalin."
"Besides, that child is already caught in the storm. Even I can't reach her."
Jean gritted her teeth.
"Damn… Lord Barbatos, please protect that child!"
She closed her eyes in pain as she watched the blonde girl spiraling ever higher.
This dragon disaster had, in the end, claimed a life.
How could she explain this to the Grand Master—or to the people of Mondstadt?
High above, all eyes were fixed on the figure in the storm.
Outside the Good Hunter restaurant, a small floating creature stared at the sky in panic.
"Lumine! Amber! Save Lumine! The dragon's coming right at her!"
Paimon tugged frantically at Amber's arm, but Amber looked devastated.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know… I didn't know Stormterror would attack suddenly!"
"Amber, you're Mondstadt's gliding champion! Think of something!"
Paimon urged, but Amber only lowered her head, guilt brimming in her teary eyes.
"In this kind of wind, a Wind Glider is completely uncontrollable. And… I can't fight in mid-air—I wouldn't stand a chance against Stormterror…"
"Lumine!"
Paimon gritted her teeth and tried to rush out toward the sky—but Amber grabbed her.
"Calm down, Paimon! Lumine's strong—she'll find a way! And Captain Jean has already seen her; she'll figure something out."
Just then, another violent gust nearly knocked them over.
In the sky, Stormterror was closing in fast, his target clearly the helpless Lumine.
From a shadowed corner, a figure in green appeared, eyes full of sorrow as he gazed at the dragon.
"Dvalin… what's happened to you?"
Seeing Stormterror about to reach Lumine, Venti could wait no longer—the Traveler was vital to Teyvat's fate and could not be allowed to die here.
Green light shimmered in his hands as he prepared to lend his blessing.
From the distant city wall, a ripple appeared—golden ponytail glinting in the light—its owner restraining his aura but ready to act.
Though the East Dvalin was tied to the Abyss Order's plans, if Venti didn't intervene, he would have to put an end to everything.
After all, the one in danger was his sister.
Then—
a scorching heat surged from the horizon.
"Well now! Let Lady Alice see which naughty little dragon's been breathing bad breath!"
"Lady Alice brought some Nice-Brand Bouncy Bombs, you know."
At those words, all of Mondstadt seemed to freeze.
Older citizens turned pale, shutting their doors tighter than they had for Stormterror's attack.
On the wall, Kong shivered and vanished into a spatial rift.
Venti, about to act, brightened at first—until he saw Dvalin still in the air—then panicked.
"Run, Dvalin! The devil's back!"
Jean and Lisa at the Knights' gate exchanged complex looks.
Meanwhile, locked in the confinement room, Klee was instantly overjoyed.
Strapping on her little backpack, she pressed her face to the window, eyes sparkling.
"Mommy! Mommy's back!"
Even Dvalin, mind clouded by corruption, showed a flash of clarity at the sound of that voice—
and in that clarity, sheer terror.
"Heehee! Seems you big shots all still remember me! Now then… looks like there's a poor little girl in trouble."
"In that case, I'll deal with the big dragon's bad breath first—then take my darling daughter to cultivate."
"Here you go, big dragon—Lady Alice's latest Nice-Brand Bouncy Bomb, now with mint flavor!"
A dainty little bomb landed on the charging Dvalin.
Venti closed his eyes in despair.
"It's over! All over!"
A blazing sun bloomed above Mondstadt.
The city's most iconic landmark—the great windmill—collapsed…
Lady Alice's triumphant return began with the complete destruction of Mondstadt's landmark structure.
To read 150+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554