After putting on his performance, Mu Yang let the system handle the aftermath.
He returned to the Sword Pool.
This time, however, he didn't sleep.
Though it felt like time passed slower this way, Mu Yang wanted to use the opportunity to focus on cultivation.
While managing [Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor], things had been hectic, leaving only evenings for meditation.
For someone obsessed with the ultimate mastery of swordsmanship, that wasn't enough.
So Mu Yang decided to become a master of time management and make full use of the Lantern Rite period.
His thoughts returned to his true form—naturally, he could no longer swing a sword.
But he could improve in another way:
by unfolding a domain, like the Plane of Euthymia.
Since his battle with Ei, Mu Yang had made progress,
but he still couldn't create such a space.
Something was missing.
He sank into deep thought...
Days passed, he wasn't sure how many.
While meditating, Mu Yang heard the famed swords around him whispering softly.
In that moment, he understood.
Power surged toward him from all directions, then expanded outward, as if stretching thousands of miles.
He snapped his eyes open—it was done!
In this silver-clad, snow-covered world, time seemed frozen in eternity.
Every sword in the space was a meticulously crafted ice crystal.
They gleamed with a chilling light, like countless radiant stars scattered across the domain.
The blades stood upright or angled, seemingly in harmony, weaving a magnificent tapestry together.
Mu Yang ignored the swirling snowflakes and reached out. "Sword, come!"
The nearest blade, heeding its master's call, flew into Mu Yang's hand.
He recognized it—its name was Snowquester, from a game he used to love.
He summoned a few more swords: Nightglow, Dawn's Envy, Mountain and Cloud...
All were swords from his memory, drawn from various games and novels.
Of course, they weren't the real deal—just crafted from solid ice.
Fancy but unable to replicate the unique effects of those legendary swords.
They could only be used as flying swords to hurl.
"I wonder if, after raising my strength another level, I could imbue them with abilities," Mu Yang mused, flipping the Fishgut Sword in his hand.
As he pondered, his thoughts were interrupted by a jarring bird cry echoing above.
Mu Yang looked up.
A night raven circled in the sky.
Black feathers, crimson eyes, an eerie call.
Everything about it clashed with this snowy domain.
Mu Yang frowned, raised his right hand, and seized it, refining it in an instant.
This was the advantage of a domain.
In this space, he was the absolute master.
Or was he?
The raven dissipated, but black mist drifted to Mu Yang's shoulder, coalescing again...
Mu Yang tried five times but couldn't fully destroy the raven.
Clearly, the bird held no power, yet he couldn't eliminate it.
In his knowledge, only one night raven was this "close" to him—Clarisse, the one beneath him.
Mu Yang fell back into thought.
During the last Lantern Rite, he'd noticed a problem.
As he used the system to absorb popularity and restore his strength,
the time needed to suppress Clarisse grew longer.
Now, having returned to his true form and achieved the epiphany of Domain Expansion,
she had somehow slipped through the cracks of this absolutely controlled space.
Mu Yang had to consider a serious issue.
Was he being eroded?
Over these thousands of years, Clarisse had never stopped trying to escape.
After countless failed attempts, she might have switched tracks to corrupting Mu Yang—a very real possibility.
This could explain why, in recent years, he'd started forgetting things.
Mu Yang's brow furrowed deeper.
Could it be that he shouldn't be increasing his strength right now?
No, that wasn't right either. When he wrote the Legend Quest's conclusion,
the ending was set and should be unchangeable.
So no matter how Clarisse stirred, her destination should remain fixed.
With that thought, Mu Yang's brow relaxed, and he took a deep breath, ignoring the bird.
He began combat training within the domain.
— — — — — —
Mu Yang emerged from the Sword Pool in his manifested form.
No need for acting now, so he was in his complete state.
Honestly, not everyone could adapt to being a one-armed hero.
Mu Yang glanced back at the Sword Pool. Beneath the clear lake, a thin black thread coiled around a sword's blade...
"As expected, huh?"
"What's as expected?" The blue great lion beast spoke up.
Lingyuan had come this year too.
"Nothing. Let's head back."
Lingyuan transformed into her human form, and the two walked down the mountain path to Yilong Wharf.
Along the way, Mu Yang felt something off.
The land here seemed different somehow.
If he recalled correctly, this was related to Lingyuan.
In Chenyu Vale's main quest, the silly beast thought Fujin preferred the natural land of a thousand years ago and resolved to restore it for her.
But doing so would affect Chenyu Vale's tea and other crops.
He turned to Lingyuan. "Did you do something?"
Lingyuan was candid, admitting she had.
"Because I had a feeling Fujin would wake this year."
Mu Yang thought for a moment. The players were only at version 2.4.
If Lingyuan went through with this, Chenyu Vale's tea production would drop for two years.
Unless Mu Yang rushed Chenyu Vale's release.
But that would require a lot of preparation time.
The land's changes were likely already taking effect.
Mu Yang chose to persuade her on the spot.
Lingyuan was impulsive, often acting on whims, but if corrected afterward, she'd listen.
Especially when it was Mu Yang persuading her.
After some guidance,
Lingyuan finally realized Fujin's love for this land wasn't so superficial.
She loved the mountains, waters, tea, people—everything about this land.
Lingyuan hung her head. "I'll go fix it now..."
Mu Yang had already decided Chenyu Vale's plot direction; Lingyuan didn't need to play the "villain."
— — — — — —
After parting with Lingyuan, Mu Yang returned to Liyue Harbor as fast as possible.
Lumine was still fulfilling her task of looking after Shenhe.
The moment Mu Yang walked in, Lumine, Paimon, and even Shenhe rushed over, pulling up his sleeve to check his right arm.
It was just an act—what could be wrong?
Over the next few days, the trio took him on a tour of Liyue Harbor,
as if making up for what he missed during the Lantern Rite.
Joyful times are always fleeting.
Lumine received a message from Yae Miko, saying it was urgent—super urgent, triple urgent.
Yae Miko's words were earnest, so Lumine and Paimon bid farewell to Mu Yang and Shenhe, heading to Inazuma.
Meanwhile, Mu Yang began preparing his next plan.
"System, give me paper and a pen."
Mu Yang sat at the desk, spread out the paper, and wrote his pen name:
Lingyuan Xianyu (Abyss Gazer Envies the Fish).