"...The Geo Archon?!"
Before Cloud Retainer could process Jiang Yan's words, a figure in white robes silently appeared where the stone table had been moments before.
His face was hidden beneath a hood, impossible to look at directly, yet the ancient, imposing aura radiating from him could belong to no one else but the Geo Lord, Morax.
Zhongli lifted the teacup before him and took a quiet sip.
Cloud Retainer blinked, and then belated realization hit her like a shock.
That cup of tea—Jiang Yan had prepared it before their debate began.
At the time, she hadn't paid it any mind, too busy trading barbs with him.
But now…
Zhongli had been here from the very start—and Jiang Yan had noticed him long ago.
Which meant that all their earlier discussion—and even her flattery—had been heard by Zhongli.
She'd worry about whether that was mortifying later.
For now, the real question was—
How did Jiang Yan have the ability to detect Zhongli's movements at all?
Wasn't he just an ordinary, frail mortal before?
...Frail?
Her gaze shifted upward to where Jiang Yan stood alone in the heavens, facing storm clouds that seemed to blot out the whole of Teyvat.
Frail, this?
She cursed herself inwardly for misjudging him.
She had to admit—at this moment, Jiang Yan cut a striking figure.
From a refined, jade-like young master to a wild, untamed wanderer—such a transformation could steal anyone's heart if they weren't careful.
A glance at Ganyu beside her showed the little qilin's cheeks flushed pink.
The look in her eyes as she stared at Jiang Yan was filled not only with worry, but also with emotions Cloud Retainer could not name.
She hadn't even noticed Zhongli's arrival, much less greeted him.
The girl has grown up—she can't be kept at home forever! Cloud Retainer thought sourly, though at least her second disciple, Shenhe, remained her usual self.
Or perhaps that was simply because Shenhe had no feelings for such matters.
Cloud Retainer gave Ganyu a gentle push, guiding her to sit back at the stone table.
"Geo Lord, when did you arrive?"
"At the moment he began reciting the Huang Ting," Zhongli replied softly, withdrawing his gaze from Jiang Yan.
Cloud Retainer's eyes widened. "Then… you have been watching him all this time?"
Zhongli gave a faint nod.
"Naturally. Those from beyond the heavens possess their own gifts—more so when one is a Descender outside the cycle of fate.
"Moreover… the Huang Ting Jing he recites each day…"
Zhongli paused, his hooded expression turning grave.
"That scripture eases my erosion—perhaps even reverses it."
"What?!"
Cloud Retainer stared at him in disbelief.
Zhongli's erosion was bound by the immutable laws of Teyvat.
If it could be so easily cured, would Azhdaha have been sealed for so many years?
Would Zhongli have needed to contemplate abdicating during this Rite of Descension?
Her astonishment was matched only by Zhongli's own.
"It seems… this immortal truly misjudged him," she murmured with a sigh. Then, looking up at Jiang Yan, she added in a more irritable tone:
"He has some skill, I grant you—but his words are arrogant and insolent. Surely you heard his debate with me just now?"
"Utter nonsense—talk of defying the heavens, of immortality… ridiculous!
"Were Celestia awake, such words would see him punished without mercy.
"I have lived in Teyvat for centuries, and never once heard of anyone succeeding in cultivating immortality by defying the heavens."
Zhongli kept his eyes fixed on Jiang Yan.
"And as you yourself said—it is Teyvat you speak of. How can you use Teyvat's rules to define one from beyond the heavens?
"Do you even know what kind of world he comes from?"
Cloud Retainer faltered, then muttered stubbornly:
"Even so, his words are too extreme—claiming that Archons are not immortals, that my immortality is not true immortality?
"Is that not a denial of all my years of cultivation?"
Zhongli gave a quiet, almost wistful smile.
"Perhaps… it is not denial. In any case—watch, and you will see."
Still displeased, Cloud Retainer snorted.
"He's flown up there for what? Judging from these skies, it's about to pour. If he gets struck by lightning, we'll have to trouble our little Ganyu to save him."
"Cloud Retainer!"
Ganyu lowered her head in embarrassment, but soon her gaze returned to the heavens, filled with deep concern.
"Lightning strike…"
Zhongli's eyes sharpened, his expression changing at last.
His gaze snapped toward Jiang Yan.
This phenomenon had unsettled him from the start—it did not feel like something Teyvat could produce.
The aura within it was unfamiliar, yet the hidden sense of danger made his skin crawl.
Cloud Retainer's words shattered the last of his uncertainty.
He rose abruptly, staring at Jiang Yan in shock.
"He means to… ascend through tribulation!"
"What? Tribulation? Isn't that just a fabricated myth?"
Cloud Retainer's disbelief barely had time to linger before—
The black clouds above finally erupted.
A surge of deep, pitch-black lightning burst forth, swallowing Jiang Yan like a pillar stretching from earth to sky.
Then came a single thunderclap—so loud it shook all of Teyvat.
In Mondstadt, Jean and her companions fighting the Stormterror.
In Liyue, Ningguang preparing for the Rite of Descension.
In Inazuma, Sangonomiya Kokomi planning her next war against the Shogunate.
In Sumeru, Nahida in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Candace battling monsters in the desert.
In Fontaine, Furina watching a trial in the Opera House.
In Snezhnaya, the Tsaritsa brooding upon her throne.
The Traveler crossing the wilderness with Paimon.
Even the Abyss Order in the depths, the gods of Celestia, and the Witches' Coven at the world's edge—
All heard that world-shaking thunder.
From any corner of Teyvat, one could see those clouds.
And the stronger one's power, the greater the shock it brought.
Beneath Jiang Yan, Zhongli's face went pale, his godly strength draining away as he slumped into his seat.
Cloud Retainer and the others fared little better, forcing themselves to remain upright.
"Too… terrifying… He's really undergoing tribulation? How can that be?"
Cloud Retainer's voice was dry, her eyes dazed as they fixed on Jiang Yan.
That lightning did not shake him—only caused violet qi to surge around his form.
"Geo Lord, will Jiang Yan be alright?" Ganyu asked, worried.
Zhongli glanced at her, his expression complicated.
Whether Jiang Yan would be fine, he couldn't say—but by the looks of him, he was holding up well enough.
The problem was…
He might not be fine.
If one stray bolt struck him, the grand tragedy of the aged Geo Lord failing his tribulation might become a reality.
"Magnificent!"
A shout of exultation came from above. Jiang Yan's face was lit with joy as he gazed at the storm clouds.
He had not been foolish enough to meet the lightning with his body—that was for pure body-refiners or transmigrators deluded by their novels.
The true method, as taught in the Huang Ting Jing, was to defend with true essence, letting the lightning temper it again and again until it transformed into immortal essence.
The first strike had already condensed his already-pure essence to a new level.
He looked up eagerly at the clouds.
Three-Nines Tribulation—twenty-seven bolts in all.
He was confident he could endure them—though perhaps not with his dignity intact.
And for the sake of spreading the way of cultivation in Teyvat, appearances mattered.
So he planned the perfect way to finish the tribulation—while continuously rebuilding his defenses.
Bolt after bolt of black lightning fell, each one shaking the world.
All of Teyvat watched, speculating what catastrophe had struck Liyue.
Had they not known Celestia still slumbered, some might think the Heavenly Principles had descended in wrath.
High atop Jueyun Karst, though none of the lightning fell here, the oppressive aura left Zhongli and the others ever weaker.
They could only sit numbly and watch Jiang Yan take strike after strike.
After the ninth bolt, the lightning turned blood-red—the same hue Zhongli had once seen over Khaenri'ah.
Jiang Yan endured them with ease.
Then it shifted again—violet tinged faintly with green.
Even Zhongli had to admit—this was something Teyvat could never produce.
"How many has that been?" Cloud Retainer murmured, eyes glassy.
Shenhe, usually so composed, was momentarily lost.
After a pause, she said softly, "Twenty-six."
"Still not over?"
Cloud Retainer rubbed her temples.
"This immortal believes him now—his path truly defies the heavens. Else, why would heaven punish him so?"
Zhongli gave a wry smile and shook his head. Before he could reply—
Jiang Yan moved.
The violet qi around him now shimmered with threads of gold.
Zhongli didn't know what it was—only that it was purer, higher, far beyond godly power.
Jiang Yan stretched his slightly-numb limbs.
From below, Ganyu called, "Jiang Yan, are you done yet? Everyone's at their limit!"
Zhongli and Cloud Retainer looked embarrassed—their greater strength had left them weaker than Ganyu now.
Jiang Yan flexed his wrists, glanced down at their weary faces, then turned his eyes to the final bolt forming above.
This one felt different—its threat was far greater.
To take it head-on would damage his meridians, even if he endured.
"Then let's end this," he murmured.
Below, Zhongli and the others tensed, eyes locked on him.
They saw him press two fingers together like a sword, forming a strange, intricate seal.
An indescribable power flowed around him.
"Nine Heavens Profound Sha—transform into Divine Lightning! Radiant Heavenly Thunder—be drawn by my sword!"
A sword—
A sword of golden lightning—
Sprang from Jiang Yan's hand, in an instant becoming a world-splitting divine blade.
From below, it cleaved upward toward the final bolt in the heart of the storm.
In that moment, Zhongli and the others were dazed.
Before their eyes, a man—of flesh and blood—defied the will of the heavens.
And the very meaning of "immortal" was broken and remade anew.