What exactly Xingqiu and Xingyun talked about with Chongyun that day—well, only the three of them know for now.
But according to some outer sect disciples who happened to see them, Xingqiu and Chongyun left with flushed faces, while Xingyun came back with a black expression.
Didn't look too friendly.
Still, the Mount Shu disciples had long since inherited a proper cultivator's code:
If it doesn't concern me, I hang it high and far away.
Even as fellow sect members, they were friends who could help each other, not gossip partners.
Sure, gossiping is fine, but spreading rumors? That'll land you in the Hall of Discipline.
And having worked so hard to join Mount Shu, these disciples were all cautious to the extreme.
So, after that, nothing more stirred up.
Everything continued in good order, smooth and stable.
On the evening of the opening ceremony, the Xuanyin Minor World descended beside the Nine Nether Secret Realm at Longshou Peak.
Another world for Zhongli to oversee.
Meanwhile, the Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower appeared outside the main hall of Tongtian Peak.
A towering, ancient, weathered-looking structure. It even seemed a little run-down.
But get close, and you'd feel that suffocating aura of danger.
The Demon-Sealing Tower was of utmost importance, and thus could only be set at Tongtian Peak, personally guarded by Jiang Yan.
Though "guard" was more accurate than "suppress."
Inside were still beings at the peak of Refining Void and Unity—far beyond Jiang Yan's ability to suppress.
News of these big bosses sealed inside spread quickly among Mount Shu disciples. At first they panicked—
those were monsters stronger than the sect master!
But once they learned the tower had been forged by Golden Immortal power, the disciples instantly flipped to praising Mount Shu to the skies.
Zhongli was the first to request entry for training, but Jiang Yan refused.
The tower had only just stabilized, its lower levels still chaotic with countless monsters.
To enter recklessly was simply death.
Besides, Zhongli still had to host the Rite of Descension to formally retire.
Better to keep things steady for now.
And so, for the time being, the tower became nothing more than a new "scenic view" of Mount Shu.
Not that many could see it anyway—Tongtian Peak wasn't a place just anyone could stroll up to.
As for Ganyu, after dual cultivation with Jiang Yan, she was already at the cusp of tribulation.
Currently in closed-door cultivation, waiting to break through.
When she emerged, she'd ascend into the ranks of Spirit Transformation experts.
Furina and Yae Miko were green with envy at that.
They wanted to try learning too—but at the crucial moment, both chickened out like turtles retreating into their shells.
Other disciples were progressing smoothly as well.
The outer sect had completed their re-cultivation: most were at Foundation Establishment, with a few rare cases at early Refining Essence, Transforming Qi.
The inner sect fared even better—even Collei had reached early Refining Essence.
The gap between inner and outer sect talent was a natural chasm.
Hu Tao and others had already begun to grasp the Sword Control Technique. Some, perhaps due to sheer compatibility, had even entered into their chosen arts.
The only hiccup: Hu Tao's Ten Thousand Ghosts Codex still hadn't collected a single ghost.
Tartaglia's Blood-Reversing Demon Blade could only be tested on beasts for now.
Yelan's Way of the Chivalrous too—using it against beasts to gain contribution points.
The three most destructive techniques, ironically, were progressing the slowest.
After all… their cultivation required killing or soul-harvesting. Without that, progress was difficult.
Xingqiu and Chongyun, meanwhile, secretly trained their Peerless Romance.
Their strength soared the fastest.
Furina was still fussing with her "Way of Kingship," unable to find the right direction.
For now, she was stuck at the level of commanding nature with a single decree.
It looked impressive, but she herself wasn't satisfied.
Clorinde, bound to her by the Heavenly Mandate: The God-Sealing Art, was enjoying the easiest path of all—lying flat while leeching national fortune to grow stronger.
This drove Furina mad, shouting at her: "Who's supposed to be the king here? Why do I work so hard while you, the bodyguard, get to freeload?"
She wanted to run to Jiang Yan to complain—maybe even take the chance to build some personal rapport—
but when she got to his door, her courage collapsed, and she skulked away again.
The new disciples had the richest harvests, being fresh to cultivation.
For Ningguang and the older ones, progress was slower, more routine—even dull.
Training, fighting, tasks, earning contribution points…
And in spare moments, staring at the treasures in the Hall of Merit with drooling envy.
Every day passed like that.
Tartaglia, unsurprisingly, challenged every new and old disciple he could.
Among the new inner sect disciples, he was nearly unbeatable.
But against the old ones… aside from Barbara and Paimon at early Refining Essence, he couldn't beat a single one.
Even Paimon's Starborn Body gave him a nasty surprise.
She bragged for five whole days about almost winning a cross-realm fight.
Tartaglia had truly learned: there's always someone stronger.
When he re-challenged Keqing this time, she drew her Azure Frost Sword.
One move, and he was defeated, forced to pop pills to heal.
Frustrated, he went after Ningguang next.
The moment her Tianxin Bell chimed, he was bombarded by dozens of Five Thunder Talismans, knocked unconscious on the spot.
He protested: "This wasn't a loss in battle—it was equipment disparity!"
Ningguang sneered back: "Treasures are part of strength too."
Then came the Purple-Gold Gourd.
"Tartaglia! If I call your name, do you dare answer?"
He did.
Straight into the gourd he went, shaken for an hour.
When he came out, he vomited the rest of the afternoon.
Lesson learned: never again challenge sword masters or treasure hoarders.
So he turned to Baizhu.
Baizhu didn't even summon treasures—just swallowed a few pills and proceeded to beat him half to death.
Another note to self: don't provoke the pill-popping types either.
Finally, he chose Diluc, thinking him manageable at mid Refining Essence.
But the "refined noble" transformed the moment combat began—
Golden Vajra Body activated, lotus throne seated.
Tartaglia was nearly physically converted to Buddhism.
Only then did he understand: it wasn't that others were cheating.
He just hadn't yet adapted to cultivator combat styles.
That would take time, experience, and countless battles.
For now, he stopped challenging others. Maybe he was simply too beaten down.
The strong opponents he once longed for—
in Mount Shu, any random peer could beat him bloody.
A blessing, yes. But also pure suffering.
His Blood-Reversing Demon Blade couldn't be fully used, he had no treasures—
in short, he was still a rookie cultivator.
Best to stop jumping into fights.
Other funny incidents also happened at Mount Shu in those days.
Tighnari, instead of focusing on alchemy, teamed up with Baisheng of Luoxia Peak to raise spirit beasts.
Venti caused trouble again, fined a pile of contribution points.
Cloud Retainer and Streetward Rambler, with Alice's mischievous ideas, forged all kinds of strange artifacts.
Lumine finally grasped the simplified Divine Sword: Lightning Control Art—and nearly skewered Alhaitham the first time she tried.
Paimon didn't train, just wandered with Klee and Qiqi hunting beasts for food. Yet her strength kept skyrocketing.
Lumine even suggested refining her into a pill…
All in all, with more disciples joining, Mount Shu grew more vibrant.
But beneath the liveliness, things stayed stable.
That stability came only because Mount Shu was strong enough to hold it all.
On Teyvat, however, the cultivation craze was spreading wildly.
Especially with spiritual energy leaking more from Jueyun Karst—even beyond its borders, fierce beasts began to appear.
Liyue was the most bustling of all.
Countless factions scoured the land daily, hunting beasts and seeking ways to enter Mount Shu outside of the official ceremony.
But since the opening ceremony, Mount Shu had closed itself to focus on cultivation.
Their efforts were doomed.
Even hunting beasts was costly—
the Abyss Order, strongest in raw power, had already lost over a hundred Abyss Lectors, only to claim two peak Foundation beasts and a few mid-tier ones.
Other nations also increased their presence in Liyue, hoping to leverage its connection with Mount Shu for access.
At the very least, even building ties was worthwhile.
But Liyue had no mind for them.
The so-called Rite of Descension—really Zhongli's abdication ceremony—was about to begin.
He had waited long enough to retire, eager to dive into the Demon-Sealing Tower.
From here on, he would live for himself—
to settle old grudges, and revive his fallen friends.
His resolve was firmer than ever.
During these days, Ningguang and the others also returned to Teyvat briefly.
They handled affairs in Liyue, and passed news of the new disciples back home.
Teyvat—especially Liyue—was truly changing fast in this era of revival.
Now, in Liyue, the real threat wasn't hilichurls or old monsters—
those were the victims of the revival.
Humans had armies, martial paths, and connections to Mount Shu to survive safely in the cities.
But the animals of the wild had no such protection.
Creatures once dismissed as weak now became fearsome beasts.
The wilderness had grown deadly.
Yet fortune and disaster walk together.
The more beasts appeared, the more martial experts Liyue birthed.
Already, over a dozen martial grandmasters had risen.
And all of this happened within a single week after the opening ceremony.
As Teyvat slowly grew used to these changes, the week came to its end.
And the Mount Shu disciples—
were about to return home in glory.