"What… what's going on here?"
Jiang Yan was completely lost.
[Has it occurred to you that perhaps your current strength… isn't enough to summon the True Several Thousand Hands?]
Even the system sounded like it couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore.
"Oh, right! I'm such an idiot."
It finally clicked for Jiang Yan. In his excitement, he'd actually thought he could just pop out the Giant Buddha right away.
When the system had integrated the Wood Release into him earlier, it had already explained the usage method clearly.
Using Mokuton didn't require hand seals—just like the First Hokage in his later years—simply clap your hands and call the name of the technique you wanted to use.
But it did require consuming elemental energy.
That's right—the system had converted the original chakra cost of Wood Release into Teyvat's elemental power system.
"So the big Buddha's off the table for now… then let's try something simpler!"
Jiang Yan clasped his hands again.
"Wood Release — Entangle!"
Shu-shu-shu!
Several thick vines burst out of the ground, twisting together in midair like braided ropes.
It worked!
Jiang Yan grinned in delight.
The Wood Release given by the system could draw upon all sources of wood-element or plant-based energy, and any technique he used could even absorb ambient elemental power to replenish itself.
Although he had just acquired the Wood Release, his transformation into a member of the Wood Elf Clan gave him a natural affinity for channeling and controlling wood-element energy.
His current childlike form limited how much elemental power he could hold… but it was still plenty strong!
After playing around with Wood Release on the rocky slope for a while, he conjured a pair of vines that lowered him gently back to the ground.
And now—
It was time to start looting Teyvat!
Jiang Yan smirked helplessly.
Sorry, future Traveler.
Your chests… are now my chests!
Humming a cheerful tune, he wandered off in a random direction.
By the time the sun began to set, Jiang Yan had reached the foot of a mountain—where a Hilichurl camp came into view.
"Oh ho! Finally, some action!"
He rubbed his hands together gleefully like a fly.
In the world of Genshin Impact, every Hilichurl camp could potentially have a treasure chest hidden somewhere inside!
Sure enough, as he got closer, a faint glimmer of light caught his eye.
A Fine Chest!
"Well then… sorry about this, Hilichurl-san!"
But the lookout on the watchtower had already spotted him and gave a guttural cry of alarm.
The entire camp stirred into motion.
A Hilichurl Berserker hefted a massive axe and charged forward, flanked by several smaller Hilichurls.
Before it could reach him, the brute roared, leaping high into the air and bringing its axe down in a wild overhead chop.
Jiang Yan remained calm. He clapped his hands.
"Wood Release — Wooden Dome Wall!"
Thick tree trunks erupted from the ground, encasing him in a protective barrier.
The Berserker's axe slammed into the wood with a deep, resonant thud! that echoed through the mountains.
"Let's see how you like this one!"
Hidden safely behind the Wooden Dome Wall, Jiang Yan brought his palms together again and slammed them to the ground.
"Wood Release — Cutting and Grafting Technique!"
Countless sharp wooden spikes burst upward from the earth, piercing through the unsuspecting Hilichurls before they could even react.
The Berserker howled in agony as several wooden lances tore through its body, forcing it to stumble backward.
This time, Jiang Yan had been clever.
Normally, the Cutting and Grafting Technique made spikes sprout directly from the user's arms—but Jiang Yan had redirected them underground, letting them erupt from below to catch his enemies completely off guard.
And it worked perfectly.
As the last of the wooden spikes retracted into the ground, Jiang Yan eyed the wounded Hilichurl Berserker struggling to stay upright.
Suddenly, an ice arrow whizzed past his cheek, leaving a thin red line of blood.
Behind the Berserker, two Hilichurl Archers, one blue and one purple, stood atop the watchtower, raining down elemental arrows to protect their camp.
They weren't just attacking—they were defending their home.
Jiang Yan touched his cheek lightly.
Thanks to his Wood Release abilities, he possessed a natural self-healing function. The small wound closed up before he even noticed.
"Still resisting, are we?"
He smiled faintly. His silver hair fluttered in the wind, his pointed ears catching the dying sunlight—handsome enough to melt hearts, yet in the eyes of the Hilichurls, he looked like a demon straight out of a nightmare.
With another resounding clap of his hands, the battle ended in an instant.
The remaining Hilichurls and the Berserker let out wails of despair before dissolving into black mist that seeped back into the earth, leaving only two arrows and a horn behind.
Jiang Yan ignored the loot. His eyes were fixed on the Fine Chest in the center of the camp.
He approached and gently opened it. Streams of radiant light flowed into his body.
[Congratulations, Host, for opening a Fine Chest.]
[Reward: Master-Level Culinary Skills.]
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, unable to hide his mild disappointment.
"Nothing fancy this time, huh…"
Still, it wasn't a bad reward.
After all, good cooking was essential for adventuring.
And now that he could build houses with Wood Release and cook like a five-star chef—
His quality of life had just gone up several notches.
"Wait a minute… haven't I reached Liyue yet?"
Jiang Yan rubbed his chin, surveying the surrounding scenery.
This looked exactly like somewhere in Liyue territory.
Was his memory failing him?
He had been walking all day—sure, the real world version of Teyvat might be larger than the game map, but surely he should've seen at least one Statue of The Seven by now!
But no. Not a single one.
Which meant…
"System, what time period am I currently in within Teyvat?"
[The mysteries of the world are yours to discover, Host.]
So the system wasn't going to tell him anything, huh?
If he wasn't in the era ruled by the Seven Archons… then that meant he was in—
The Age of the Archon War.
Or worse—before it even began.
"…Oh crap."
That just made things a whole lot more dangerous.