[Location: Yujing Terrace, Liyue Harbor]
[Time: 5:00 PM]
"Madame Ping," Zhongli introduced us, bowing slightly to the old woman admiring the Glaze Lilies. "She possesses the Cleansing Bell we require."
I looked at the old lady. To the naked eye, she was just a frail grandmother enjoying her retirement.
But I had [Magic Sense].
[Great Sage]
Title estimate: Adeptus.>
I gulped. In anime logic, the old people are always the most dangerous.
"Oh my," Madame Ping chuckled, her voice raspy but warm. "Zhongli usually brings such serious company. But today... oh?" She turned her milky eyes toward me. Her smile didn't change, but the air pressure dropped. "You've brought a hatchling. And a strange one at that."
"Nice to meet you, Granny," I said, trying to be polite. "I'm Raiden."
"Raiden..." She tested the name. "A loud name. But your footsteps are heavy. You walk like a beast trying to walk like a man."
She tapped her tea table. "The Cleansing Bell... yes, I have it. But I'm afraid I've misplaced it. It's somewhere inside my teapot. Would you youngsters mind fetching it for me?"
"Inside... the teapot?" Paimon scratched her head. "How do we fit in a teapot?"
"Just touch it," Ping smiled.
Aether reached out. I followed.
As soon as my finger brushed the porcelain, the world twisted.
[Great Sage]
Analysis complete. Entering Sub-Space.
Skill Acquisition Progress: [Space Manipulation] (12%).>
[Location: Realm Within the Teapot]
We landed on a floating island suspended in a golden sky. Giant floating rocks and Chinese pavilions surrounded us. It was beautiful. And physically impossible.
"Pocket dimension," I muttered. "This is advanced stuff."
"Where's the bell?" Aether asked, looking around.
"Right here," a voice echoed from everywhere.
Madame Ping wasn't with us physically, but her spirit projection appeared on a platform above us.
"Usually, I just let people rummage around," Ping said. "But you... the boy in the blue coat. You have a violent energy. A hunger."
She was talking to me.
"I cannot lend the Cleansing Bell to a beast that cannot control its claws," she said sternly. "If you want the bell, you must show me you have the discipline to wield it. Touch me, if you can."
"A spar?" I cracked my neck. "I don't want to hurt you, Granny."
"Hurt me?" She laughed. It was a terrifying sound. "Ho ho ho. Try your best, child."
She vanished and reappeared in the center of the arena. She wasn't holding a weapon. She just stood there, hands behind her back.
"Aether, stand back," I warned. "This might get messy."
I dashed forward. [Steel Strength] active. [Thought Acceleration] maxed.
I closed the distance in 0.1 seconds, aiming a non-lethal palm strike to her shoulder to push her back.
BAM.
I hit... air?
No. I hit a wall.
Madame Ping hadn't moved. She had barely twitched her finger. A visible ripple of air—a shockwave—was holding my hand inches from her shoulder.
"Too slow," she whispered.
"Impact."
BOOM!
I felt like I'd been hit by a freight train. The shockwave blasted me backward, sending me skipping across the stone floor like a pebble on a lake. I dug my claws into the ground, carving two deep trenches before coming to a stop.
"What was that?" I coughed. My arm was numb.
[Great Sage]
Technique: Cleansing Impact.
It ignores external durability and targets internal organs.>
"Internal damage?" I grinned. "Pain Nullification is active. I can keep going."
"You have sturdy scales," Ping noted, impressed. "But can you see the flow?"
She waved her hand. The air around the arena began to warp. Dozens of shockwaves materialized, invisible to the naked eye but glowing blue in my [Magic Sense].
"Dodge this."
It was a bullet hell game.
Shockwaves flew at me from every angle.
I dodged left, ducked right, jumped over a horizontal slash.
[Parallel Calculation] was predicting the trajectories.
Left. Right. Jump. Slide.
I was getting closer.
"I see it," I thought. "The way she compresses the air... she's not using raw muscle. She's using the environment."
[Great Sage]
Requirement: Experience the technique directly.>
"Wait, you want me to get hit on purpose?"
[Great Sage]
"Fine."
I stopped dodging. I stood my ground as a massive shockwave approached.
"RAIDEN!" Aether yelled.
I crossed my arms. [Dragon Scales] hardened to maximum density.
CRASH!
The impact engulfed me. It felt like being put in a blender. But as the energy tore at me, [Predator] activated. I didn't eat the air—I "ate" the energy signature.
[Great Sage]
Acquired Extra Skill: [Shockwave Generation].
Integrating into [Dragon Calamity God Slayer Style].>
I burst through the smoke, glowing with blue energy.
Ping looked surprised. "Oh?"
I didn't punch her.
I mimicked her stance. I thrust my palm forward, not touching her, but stopping six inches away.
"IMPACT!"
A blast of blue energy erupted from my palm.
It wasn't as strong as hers, but it was the exact same technique.
Ping raised her hand and effortlessly caught my shockwave, dispersing it into a gentle breeze.
Silence filled the teapot.
Then, Madame Ping smiled. A real, proud smile.
"You learn quickly. A mimicry beast? No... you analyzed the flow. You possess great wisdom for a creature of instinct."
She waved her hand, and the combat atmosphere vanished. A small, ornate bell floated down into Aether's hands.
"You pass," she said. "The Cleansing Bell is yours. But remember, Raiden... power without control is just a disaster. Do not let your hunger consume you."
"I'll remember that, Granny," I said, rubbing my bruised chest.
[Location: Liyue Harbor – Outside the Teapot]
[Time: 5:45 PM]
We popped back into reality. Zhongli was sipping tea that he had seemingly spawned out of nowhere.
"Finished?" he asked calmly.
"Your grandma is terrifying," I told him.
"Madame Ping is... experienced," Zhongli noted. "Did you retrieve the bell?"
Aether held it up. "Got it."
"Excellent. Next, we require Kites," Zhongli stood up. "Three of them. For the Rite of Parting, the kites represent the spirit ascending to Celestia."
"Kites?" I dusted off my clothes. "Let me guess. We need to buy them. And you have no money."
Zhongli paused. "I... believe I left my purse at the funeral parlor."
"Childe isn't here to bail us out this time," Paimon grumbled.
"Wait," I looked at the kite stall ahead. It was run by a strange old lady named Granny Shan.
But standing in front of the stall was a woman with light blue hair and horns.
Ganyu.
My [Lust] skill twitched involuntarily.
[Great Sage]
High compatibility with Draconic Bloodline.
Note: Target appears distressed.>
She looked exhausted. She was staring at the kites, looking like she was about to fall asleep standing up.
"Target acquired," I whispered. "Time to make a new friend."