The preliminary screening by the General Affairs Bureau came to an end. News that the gates of Mount Shu would open at dawn the next day quickly spread throughout Liyue Harbor.
For some, it was cause for joy; for others, regret.
Those who passed the assessment could finally breathe a sigh of relief. For days, they had watched the numbers of successful candidates, and even someone as supremely confident as Tartaglia couldn't help but feel restless.
Over 1.3 million people had competed for a thousand spots. That meant, on average, only one in 1,300 could succeed.
Not exactly "one in ten thousand," but… the preliminary screening had already eliminated the overwhelming majority. With so many heroes now gathered in Liyue Harbor, who knew how many hidden dragons were waiting to reveal themselves?
Still, some wished the number of candidates could be reduced even further.
For those whose companions had yet to arrive, it was bittersweet.
Like Rosalyne, for instance…
"It's over."
Rosalyne sighed helplessly.
"Yes, it's finally over. If any more had shown up, I'd have started to worry."
Tartaglia was clearly in a good mood. The odds might have been slim, but he was confident he could pass.
"A pity Her Majesty the Tsaritsa couldn't make it in time… we'll just have to find another chance later."
Rosalyne glanced at him meaningfully. He knew what she meant and rolled his eyes.
"Yes, yes, I know. You've said it a dozen times already. Once I get in, I'll figure something out."
Stretching out lazily on the couch, Tartaglia changed the subject.
"What about your beast-meat collection plan?"
Rosalyne's face clouded.
"Not ideal. So far, I've only managed to acquire three Foundation Establishment-stage beasts."
"How much did you spend?" Tartaglia asked casually.
"Seventy-eight million mora…"
"What?! You really know how to burn money!"
He rolled his eyes again. Rosalyne snapped back:
"And what else was I supposed to do? We're being watched. For your sake in this assessment, we can't act openly. The Jueyun Karst has become a death zone—Foundation Establishment beasts everywhere. Even the thousand-man elite Millelith had to retreat. Did you expect those useless underlings of yours to succeed?"
She went on: countless adventurers had died there. Even the Fatui couldn't break into the inner zone without invoking the Tsaritsa's forbidden power. Getting even three beasts had been a miracle.
Tartaglia couldn't refute her. He recalled the chaos from a few days back, when someone stirred up a peak Foundation Establishment beast in Jueyun Karst. The Millelith had been decimated, dozens dead. Even Liyue's strongest—Beidou, Baichen, Kazuha—had barely held on before retreating in defeat.
In the end, it was only Keqing, flying in on her sword, who felled the beast in a single strike.
That moment shook all of Liyue. The terror of Foundation Establishment beasts… and the awe of true cultivation.
Even Tartaglia had to admit: against such a beast, he could only flee. It was too fast, too small, impossible to pin down.
Thus, the General Affairs Bureau had cracked down, ordering the Adventurers' Guild to keep its people away from Jueyun Karst. The army pulled back its lines, leaving the place as a forbidden zone. Only cultivators could venture there now.
The beast meat Rosalyne had acquired had come from adventurers lucky enough to be rescued by Qiqi. Bought at exorbitant cost, it was still invaluable.
When Tartaglia asked to use it, Rosalyne cut him off sharply.
"Wait until Her Majesty arrives."
He muttered, but she ignored him.
"Anyway, once I join Mount Shu, there'll be plenty of beast meat to eat."
Rosalyne fixed him with a hard stare.
"The Fatui have sacrificed much to give you this chance. Tomorrow, you'd better not disappoint Her Majesty."
Tartaglia only smirked, gazing confidently out at the harbor, quiet in its final calm before the storm.
"If others can do it, so can I. This immortal path—I, Tartaglia, will walk it!"
Rosalyne sighed softly.
"Let's hope so. The future of Snezhnaya rests on you."
Elsewhere, in a nearby inn, Furina and Clorinde also heard the news of the screening's end. Both exhaled in relief. But Furina soon furrowed her brows.
"Over 1.3 million competing for a thousand slots… those odds are insane!"
She no longer doubted cultivation could solve Fontaine's plight—Keqing's sword strike had erased all doubt. Her only worry was whether she herself could pass.
Keqing had only cultivated for two months, yet her power rivaled gods. What of Zhongli, at late Spirit Transformation? What of Mount Shu's fabled sect master at Return-to-Void?
If such heights could be reached, then surely the Fontaine curse could be suppressed.
She regretted not bringing Neuvillette—his talent would have made success almost certain.
Clorinde broke her thoughts.
"Lady Furina, word from Fontaine: we are already screening candidates there, based on Mount Shu's criteria. Though we missed this opening, the next one, they'll be ready."
Furina frowned.
"And when will that be? What if they only open once every hundred years?"
She shook her head, forcing herself to focus.
"Forget it. Tomorrow's the real test. We just have to pass."
She also feared what would happen when spirit qi spread worldwide—if beasts like those in Jueyun Karst appeared in Fontaine, they'd be defenseless without cultivation.
Clorinde agreed, and then suggested:
"Perhaps we should consider acquiring beast meat. Once the gates open, Liyue will likely enter an era of universal martial practice. At that time, trade channels should open."
Furina thought it over, then nodded.
That night, the harbor fell into an uncanny silence. Yet beneath it, countless hearts burned with anticipation—dreaming of the immortal's path, of soaring through the skies, of carving their names into history.
All knew: from this day forward, the age of cultivation would dawn.
When the sun rose in the east, three streaks of light suddenly flashed from the west, descending from Jueyun Karst and halting above Liyue Harbor.
Later generations would record in the Chronicles of Liyue:
"In the 3,700th year of the Liyue Calendar, three immortals came flying on swords from the west, spreading the Way of Immortality. Thus began the Immortal Era of Teyvat. Henceforth, the Dao of Immortality flourished."
To read 220+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554