The moment Alice spoke, Klee instantly panicked.
She clutched at Alice's clothes, her big red eyes turning watery.
"Mama's going on another business trip without Klee…?"
Even though Alice had only been home for a few months, Klee had grown used to the warm, safe feeling of having her mother constantly nearby.
Hearing she was leaving again—
Well, Klee was far too sensible a child, but still couldn't hide that tiny knot of sadness.
Alice's heart instantly turned into mush.
She scooped Klee up, kissed her cheek, and soothed gently:
"Of course Mommy isn't abandoning Klee. I'm only taking a quick look at the Outer Dark Sea.
I'll be back in one day."
"Really? Only one day?"
Klee's eyes sparkled. Alice nodded firmly.
"Of course. Mommy could never bear to leave Klee for long. Just stay on Mount Shu and wait for me, okay?"
"Okay!!!"
Klee clapped her little hands, rubbing her face against Alice like a happy kitten.
Alice tightened her embrace before turning to Jiang Yan.
"I haven't checked the Outer Dark Sea in over two months. I'm not sure how things have developed. I ought to make a trip."
"But rest assured, Sect Master—my priority remains the Nine Netherworlds. One day is enough."
Jiang Yan nodded.
"As expected of Elder Alice. Even if something did occur out there, you would suppress it effortlessly."
"Thank you, Sect Master."
He glanced toward Jean and the others—
but they clearly weren't planning to return to Mondstadt.
With their disciple tokens, they could travel back at any time.
No need to rush.
Ningguang had already prepared a celebratory feast.
After all, they had defeated Osial—a milestone for Liyue, even if not a true war.
Two or three days passed.
Nothing major happened.
Lumine checked her list one last time, then visited Aether.
She handed him several martial manuals and pills suitable for body cultivation, gave a few instructions, then followed Ayaka's group toward Inazuma.
Kazuha didn't join this time.
Everything he needed to do, he had already done.
From now on, he was simply a Death After Noon crewmate and a Mount Shu disciple.
Zhongli returned the afternoon after the Osial incident, bringing Tartaglia's group and a very bruised, very furious Ruoduo.
Judging by Tartaglia's relaxed grin and Ruoduo's thundercloud expression…
The process of "subduing" him had clearly not been smooth.
Ruoduo's erosion was cured, but he had not yet begun cultivation.
And Zhongli had chosen not to introduce him to Jiang Yan yet—saving that for their return to Mount Shu.
However…
Once Ruoduo learned he could cultivate, he became even more furious.
If you'd told me earlier, I'd have surrendered immediately!
Why did you beat me for an entire day FIRST!?
But who told him to shout
"Morax! I'll slap your ancestors!"
each time he struggled?
Zhongli, being extremely petty, had promptly decided:
—No cure until the beating quota was fulfilled.
Even Ruoduo himself couldn't argue with the logic.
Zhongli said he wouldn't be a "dog"—
he would be granted the vessel of the Howling Heavenly Hound, the companion of the God of War.
Not a mortal dog.
A divine dog.
A celestial dog.
A dog with prestige.
Ruoduo could only comfort himself with that.
Back in Liyue Harbor, the uproar had reignited.
The chaos surrounding Rex Lapis's abdication had completely quieted.
Now, everyone was far more concerned with—
Liyue's soaring progress in cultivation.
The path forward was stable.
The future dazzling.
The greatest worries of the people had vanished.
As for other matters…
Though Xingqiu and Chongyun had explained with utmost desperation, their parents had temporarily accepted that the two hadn't "bent."
But—
Chongyun had been dragged to blind dates for the past two days.
Age didn't matter.
He could potentially live five hundred years, one thousand years—
so what age counted as marriageable?
Cultivators weren't measured by mortal standards.
Chongyun's parents were open-minded.
If he was strong enough, he was old enough.
Chongyun wanted to resist…
But each time he opened his mouth, he'd find his parents kneeling in the ancestral hall, crying:
"Old Chong family is going extinct—
our line must not end here—!"
And Chongyun could only swallow his suffering and endure.
Fortunately, the chosen candidate was also a cultivator—albeit a servant disciple—but with potential for advancement.
And she was naturally delighted:
A Mount Shu inner disciple from a wealthy family with Shenhe as his aunt?
A near-guaranteed future peak head?
Perfect husband material.
Both families approved instantly.
The only ones upset were Xingqiu and Chongyun.
Even Xingqiu's elder brother ended up as collateral—
their parents immediately began pressuring him to get married ASAP.
Liyue's storytellers had exploded in popularity.
Every stall was surrounded by packed crowds, even though most people had seen everything firsthand.
Because, as storytellers summarized:
"That day marked the true beginning of Liyue's Immortal Dao."
The highlights?
Ningguang's brilliance.
Shenhe nearly one-shotting Osial.
Ningguang's purple-gold gourd.
Beidou smashing everything in sight.
And of course—
the legendary, sacred, taboo, blush-inducing…
Tilting the City With Absolute Romance.
None dared discuss it openly.
But every storyteller and listener shared the same subtle, knowing smiles.
It had become Liyue's most beloved underground gossip.
The only true losers of this event—
other than Xingqiu and Chongyun—
were the Qianyan Army.
Not just those who fought.
All Qianyan soldiers who practiced martial arts were implicated.
They should have been rewarded for defeating the monster tide…
But their after-battle report revealed—
Over a thousand accidental injuries.
All friendly fire.
The uproar was immediate.
Liyue's elite army had humiliated themselves—
and in front of foreigners no less.
As Kaeyang Xing put it:
"You've lost face all the way to Snezhnaya!"
Rewards vanished.
Every martial soldier was recalled for a full reprimand.
Then began brutal retraining.
Especially teamwork drills.
The Qianyan Army suffered miserably, but dared not complain.
They had embarrassed themselves.
But ironically—
ordinary citizens across Teyvat didn't care.
What they saw was:
Not a single civilian injured.
Not a single soldier killed.
A flawless victory.
Accidental friendly fire?
Understandable.
Because of this, the Qianyan Army worked even harder.
Even Kaeyang Xing relaxed a little.
Overall, Liyue was thriving.
Outer and servant disciples returned to Mount Shu to prepare for the deadly Nine Netherworlds.
Jiang Yan, however, stayed.
He would soon enter the Demon-Locking Tower for years of seclusion.
Before that, he wanted to relax.
Pure energy accumulation meant nothing to him now.
He needed comprehension.
He needed epiphany.
He needed Dao.
Such things required time and fate.
With Jiang Yan remaining in Liyue, Ganyu and Yae Miko lived peacefully and comfortably.
More cultivation.
More time with Jiang Yan.
More growth in their mental states.
And for Ganyu—
whose cultivation had long hovered at the brink—
a stabilized state of mind meant only one thing.
She was ready.
Ganyu—
was about to face her Heavenly Tribulation.
Many had already returned to Mount Shu, but this monumental event brought them all back.
For Ganyu, this tribulation was unlike any before.
Zhongli's tribulation was a return of old strength.
Cloud Retainer's was centuries of accumulation plus medicinal stimulation.
A divine beast's ascension.
But Ganyu—
She would be the first true Mount Shu disciple to transcend through meditation and cultivation alone.
Everyone was eager to witness it.
Perhaps, by observing, they might gain insights of their own.
Cultivation was unpredictable that way.
On the Jade Chamber — Above the clouds
The Jade Chamber hovered over the mountains of Jueyun, far from Liyue Harbor.
Heavenly tribulations were unpredictable.
One stray lightning bolt could flatten the entire harbor.
Nearly all Mount Shu disciples had gathered.
Countless citizens from every nation watched from afar.
Even Abyss watchers hid in the shadows, curious.
This was the first tribulation in Teyvat—aside from Jiang Yan's—that was purely born from cultivation.
Ganyu stood at the center of the platform—
fully armed, every talisman in place, every preparation complete.
Jiang Yan looked at her with calm seriousness.
"Check everything one more time, Ganyu.
For a tribulation, you must leave no room for error."
Ganyu nodded, inhaled deeply…
And stepped forward.
The heavens stirred.
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