Very quickly, the dueling arena atop Longshou Peak was cleared.
On one side stood Zhongli and the disciples of Mount Shu; on the other side were Venti and his companions.
After some discussion, the first round was set—Lisa would face Ningguang.
Lisa specialized in spellcraft, Keqing in swordsmanship. Though the two were evenly matched, Lisa was hardly Keqing's most suitable opponent.
Relatively speaking, Ningguang was the one who needed to cross hands with Lisa.
The two women exchanged a glance and stepped onto the stage.
Just as Zhongli was preparing to activate the formation's blessings, a figure silently appeared above the platform—it was Jiang Yan.
At once, Zhongli and the others stood to bow.
"Greetings, Sect Master."
Venti and his group also realized this was the true master of Mount Shu, their actual target, and quickly offered their salutations as well.
Alice couldn't help but size Jiang Yan up more carefully.
His aura was so well-concealed that one might have mistaken him for a mortal. But if you truly looked closely, you could sense that pressure—an overwhelming might that seemed to stand above heaven and earth.
As expected of an immortal cultivator.
Jiang Yan nodded warmly. When his eyes fell upon Klee, however, he paused.
A Fire Spirit Body!
There was no mistake!
According to the jade slip he had obtained from the cultivation world, if such a physique cultivated the Crimson Emperor's Heaven-Burning Art, it could evolve into the supreme Crimson Emperor's Heaven-Burning Body.
And Klee was at just the right age.
Jiang Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of intent to take her as a disciple.
It wasn't that Ningguang and the others weren't gifted—on the contrary, the Lunar Yin Body and Sword Body were in no way inferior.
But they were all too close to his own age, and Jiang Yan wasn't truly some ancient monster who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
It still felt… inappropriate.
Klee, however, was different.
Young, strong roots, superb physique, and most importantly, luck that was second to none.
This was the very definition of a top-tier genius of the cultivation world.
Not taking her in as a disciple would be unreasonable.
Of course, Jiang Yan didn't voice this thought immediately.
Withdrawing his gaze, he formed a hand seal.
A water-like barrier shimmered into existence, expanding until it covered the entire arena. In the blink of an eye, more formations unfolded, layer upon layer.
Not far away, Xueyue's eyes practically glowed with envy as he muttered under his breath:
"Bright Radiance Formation… Threefold Rejuvenation Formation… Spirit Gathering Formation… Twofold Dust Formation…"
"So many formations at once! Sect Master really spares no expense… When will I ever be able to lay down so many arrays with such casual ease?"
Beside him, Keqing tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Senior Brother Xueyue, is there some special meaning to combining all these formations?"
"Of course."
Xueyue nodded decisively, his voice dropping to a reverent whisper.
"Defense, healing, true essence recovery, life protection… With this many formations working together, even the Head Seat Elder himself wouldn't be able to break through."
"In this arena, injuries will heal in the blink of an eye. If someone suffers a mortal blow, or if one side can no longer withstand the other's attacks, they'll be immediately ejected from the formation."
"Most crucially, the Spirit Gathering Formation replenishes spiritual energy. Fighting inside will consume power, but it will recover just as quickly."
"In other words, this battle is a pure test of hard strength—no need to worry about running out of energy in a drawn-out fight."
"Constant consumption and replenishment of true essence is also excellent for refinement."
"Unfortunately, I haven't yet mastered my cultivation technique well enough, and as for formations… I haven't even touched the basics. So in this battle, I'm afraid I won't be able to participate."
Xueyue sighed, clearly regretful.
The path of formations was one where, in the later stages, you could effortlessly lay down arrays that wiped out entire armies. But in the early stages, without mastery, you could at most play support.
A discipline obscure at first, but destined to soar to the heavens later.
Simply put, Xueyue currently had little in the way of actual combat ability.
Keqing nodded thoughtfully, firmly etching the power of formations into her mind.
If the Four Great Auxiliary Paths were ranked alongside the orthodox arts, there could be no weak ones among them.
Which meant… she really ought to discuss with Ningguang how best to motivate… or perhaps exploit… these senior brothers and sisters.
"Such enthusiasm among the disciples for cultivation is admirable. To even organize Mount Shu's first sect-wide dueling tournament on their own is a wonderful thing."
Having completed the array, Jiang Yan landed lightly and smiled.
"But Barbatos and his companions are still our guests. Though they've agreed to spar, we mustn't allow anything serious to happen to them."
"These formations will ensure safety."
"Zhongli, who exactly is participating?"
Zhongli replied softly:
"For this battle, the Mondstadt side sent three—excluding Klee. On Mount Shu's side, the participants are Ganyu, Ningguang, Xiao, and myself."
"Xiao and I will face Barbatos and Alice."
Jiang Yan nearly chuckled aloud.
So hasty—it wasn't even close to a proper duel.
The gaps in the cultivation stage were glaring.
In a true immortal tournament, battles were strictly between peers of the same level and minor realm.
Still, this wasn't meant to be an official grand contest. Jiang Yan decided not to dwell on it.
In its own way, it was still meaningful.
After some thought, Jiang Yan spoke:
"Since this is a duel, there ought to be prizes."
"As Sect Master, I declare:
The victor among the Essence Refinement stage shall receive one thousand lower-grade spirit stones.
The victor among the Spirit Transformation stage shall receive one hundred mid-grade spirit stones."
Today's spirit vein harvest had replenished their supply of both mid and lower-grade stones.
As rewards, they were perfectly suitable.
The moment the words left his mouth, Cloud Retainer and the others groaned in dismay.
If they had known there would be prizes, wouldn't they have signed up immediately?!
A thousand lower-grade spirit stones—that was half a month's worth of their cultivation resources!
Now they could only watch regretfully, casting Jiang Yan rather resentful looks.
Ningguang glanced at Lisa, then at Ganyu, and sighed inwardly.
These spirit stones weren't going to end up in her pocket.
According to Yelan's intelligence, Lisa had once been the most brilliant witch of the Akademiya, a member of the Witch's Order, her power rivaling that of a god's chosen.
And more than that—Lisa had delved into certain forbidden studies, gaining even more forbidden power.
Her strength was preliminarily judged to be just below that of the Adepti.
Though Lisa had since abandoned the Akademiya and refrained from using her full might, the foundation was still there.
Ningguang, who had only just stepped into the early Essence Refinement stage, had no illusions about defeating her.
And even if she somehow did, there was still mid-stage Ganyu to contend with.
The gap between realms was absolute in cultivation—no one could simply leapfrog it.
Unless it was an ordinary god chosen at mid-stage, Ningguang might stand a chance with enough techniques.
But this time? The reward was surely headed for Ganyu's purse.
As for the Spirit Transformation stage's prize of mid-grade spirit stones—
None of the Mount Shu disciples doubted that Zhongli would claim it.
Even if Venti and Alice joined forces, they would not prevail.
Zhongli had always been the strongest, even before cultivation.
Now that he had embarked on the immortal path, while Venti and Alice had not, the gap was as vast as a chasm.
The mid-grade spirit stones were already as good as his.
Alice, however, looked on enviously. Having devoured countless cultivation novels, she knew all too well the value of spirit stones.
They were the very lifeblood of cultivation.
She cast a gloomy glance at Venti.
"Looks like we're just here to play side characters this time."
"Ehe~"
Venti just shrugged, not even bothering to argue.
From the start, he hadn't held out hope of winning.
This was only about witnessing the true might of immortal cultivators.
"Since there are no objections, let us begin."
With a flick of his hand, Jiang Yan caused chairs and a long table to sprout from the ground.
Moments later, fruits imbued with faint spiritual energy appeared atop it.
These had been transplanted from Teyvat into Tongtian Peak.
Nurtured by spiritual qi, they had already begun to change, much like the flesh of spirit beasts.
Keqing quickly worked it out in her mind—perhaps she and Ningguang should consider planting fruits within Mount Shu's cave-heaven as well.
Klee's eyes lit up, her mouth already watering, and she reached out eagerly for one.
Jiang Yan chuckled. With a thought, a fruit floated into Klee's hands—the one brimming with the richest qi.
Alice noticed immediately, and for once her tone was serious.
"Thank you, Sect Master."
"It's nothing," he replied casually.
But his gaze lingered on Klee, and after a long moment, he murmured:
"Klee's talent is exceptional."
Alice's eyes lit up with joy.
"Truly? Then… could she perhaps join Mount Shu?"
Jiang Yan almost laughed aloud.
He hadn't even mentioned it yet, and Alice was already pushing Klee toward apprenticeship with unrestrained eagerness.
Still, he nodded slightly.
"Of course. But for now, let's watch the duel."
Alice wasn't in a hurry. From the gentleman's tone, it was clear he intended to accept Klee anyway.
For her, nothing else mattered—so long as Klee had a place at Mount Shu, she would be safe amidst Teyvat's coming storms.
Though Alice might act carefree and playful, she was deadly serious when it came to her daughter.
Her love for Klee surpassed all else.
On the arena stage—
Lisa and Ningguang faced each other across the vast platform, large enough to rival the entire harbor of Liyue.
And as Jiang Yan continuously expanded the cave-heaven, it would only grow larger in the future.
Though the distance was considerable, both women were sharp-eyed and powerful—it wasn't enough to obscure their sight of each other.
After a brief silence, Ningguang bowed slightly.
"Disciple of Mount Shu's Great Bamboo Peak—Ningguang. Please advise me."
Lisa blinked, then copied her manner.
"Lisa, Librarian of Mondstadt."
The moment the words fell, their auras erupted, clashing in the air.
Lisa's face still carried its usual languid, flirtatious air.
But in her eyes burned a deep vigilance.
She knew that if she relied only on her ordinary powers, she could not subdue Ningguang—in fact, she might be overwhelmed instead.
Which meant… she would have to call upon that forbidden power.
But since Zhongli had assured her that his true essence would suppress it, there should be no danger.
And with Sect Master Jiang Yan personally present, what was there to fear?
With her thoughts made up, Lisa finally raised her hand.
Within the arena's formation, thunderclouds gathered in waves. White-violet lightning flickered ominously, illuminating the platform.
Even Cloud Retainer and the others couldn't help but nod in approval.
So—Mondstadt still had talents of real depth.
Lisa could feel the forbidden power within her body stirring, attempting to consume her.
But in the next instant, Zhongli's domineering essence pressed down upon it, forcing it to behave like a chastened child.
It worked!
Lisa's heart leapt with joy. Emboldened, she drew upon even more power.
It had been a long time since she had fought with her full might. Now…
She could finally vent a little of her pent-up frustration.
Beneath the storm of lightning, the figure of the Rose Witch seemed to grow taller, grander.
But when Ningguang gazed up at the roiling thunderclouds, she only smiled.
Now that she had mastered the Five Thunders Talisman of the Tongtian Scroll…
Playing with lightning in front of her?
That was nothing but child's play.
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