Having sorted out the matter in his heart, Zhongli now felt utterly refreshed.
Once the Rite of Descension ended, he could finally devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivating.
First, he would avenge Xuanxing, then strive to break through to Spirit Transformation and Returning to the Void, so he could revive his old friends.
These phased goals filled Zhongli with determination.
He couldn't wait to throw himself into relentless cultivation immediately.
Besides that, he had to help Liyue accumulate more contribution points—only then could they exchange for the God-Sealing List as soon as possible.
He also bore the responsibility of Longshou Peak and the Hall of Discipline.
Thinking about it this way, even if the matters of Liyue were settled, Mount Shu's affairs were still numerous.
But to Zhongli, these tasks were fresh and engaging. He quite enjoyed doing them.
"Since First Seat Zhongli has finished his matters, I'll add one last announcement."
"The Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower, the Xuanyin Minor World, and other inheritances from our forebears will all return to Mount Shu tonight at midnight."
"The Tea of Enlightenment and Dao-Questioning Bodhi Tree will be planted in the rear courtyard of the sect hall."
"Tonight at midnight there may be some turbulence. All disciples need not panic."
"In addition, in a moment, First Seat Venti will run an errand—notify the Outer Sect Elders, and have them inform the outer disciples."
Receiving a task so suddenly, Venti looked a little helpless, but since it was just passing a message, he nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan closed his eyes slightly.
"Go on, then. You may all leave. There's no rush for cultivation tonight. Take this chance to talk with your senior brothers and sisters."
"Learn more about the fundamentals of cultivation."
"Tomorrow at sunrise, Mount Shu will return to its usual schedule. Be present for morning class on time. Afterward, I will lecture before the entire sect."
After saying this, Jiang Yan suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at Ganyu.
She met his gaze with a knowing smile.
By his reckoning, it had been several days since they had last dual cultivated.
Ganyu was now stuck at the peak of Refining Essence into Qi. With a proper push, she could soon break through into Spirit Transformation.
But that subtle little expression of hers did not escape the eyes of Yae Miko and Furina, who had been watching her closely.
Miko understood perfectly well, but Furina rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Recalling the time she had asked Ganyu about this, and seeing her embarrassed expression alongside Miko's knowing glance—suddenly, Furina seemed to realize something.
Pressing her lips together, Furina's emotions became complicated.
There was a trace of loss, but more than that—relief.
If Ganyu could manage this… then that meant—
Jiang Yan wasn't entirely without passion.
She still had a chance!
With this thought, Furina's heart stirred with excitement.
But since it was already late, and Jiang Yan wanted to return to cultivation, the group didn't linger.
After bidding farewell to him, they all left the sect hall.
Outside, Ningguang and the other senior disciples offered congratulations to the new disciples once more before leading them back to their respective peaks.
The next task was to choose their personal cultivation grounds.
From now on, this would be the place where they would practice diligently. It wasn't something to take lightly.
For the inner disciples, selecting a cultivation ground was simple enough.
The seven veins of Mount Shu were vast and majestic, yet inner disciples were few in number.
While thousands of outer and servant disciples lived at the foot and lower slopes of the mountain without crowding, there were only a few dozen inner disciples living halfway up the peaks.
Naturally, space was abundant.
It was only a matter of choosing a place that suited their preferences.
In less than half an hour, everyone had chosen their ideal cultivation ground.
Xingqiu stood within his chosen site and looked around, nodding in satisfaction.
The place already had the air of the immortal caves he had imagined in his heart.
If only he could plant a few spiritual herbs, it would be perfect.
He had heard Keqing and the others say that, aside from rare herbs that had to be grown in spiritual fields, other less-precious herbs could be bought as seeds from the Hall of Merit.
But few people did this. Contribution points were too precious to waste; better to just buy pills outright.
That didn't matter to him anyway—
because his contribution points right now were zero.
He couldn't afford anything from the Hall of Merit, much less buy herbs just for decoration.
Even the wealthy Ningguang wouldn't indulge in such extravagance.
So, perhaps he'd just plant some flowers and grasses instead.
With spiritual energy nourishing them, they would become spirit herbs sooner or later.
Pursuing beauty was fine, as long as one stayed thrifty.
After handling these matters, Xingqiu finally had time to examine his cultivation technique and the standard-issued flying sword of Mount Shu disciples.
As for the technique Peerless Romance, there wasn't much to say—
taken alone, its effects were average, but it was meant to be paired with Chongyun.
The flying sword, however, was far more interesting.
Since he hadn't yet learned the Sword Control Art, this sword was his only way to taste the joy of flying like an immortal.
Carefully stepping onto it, Xingqiu cautiously willed it to rise.
That was the benefit of these standardized swords.
Within Mount Shu, where spiritual energy was abundant, they could fly with ease, without consuming one's own true essence.
It was essentially a beginner's issued vehicle.
Though the speed was fast, it was still slower compared to Keqing and the others, who had already mastered their own Mount Shu Sword Control Arts, traveling across vast distances in a blink.
But Xingqiu was already thrilled.
This was swordflight—the dream he had imagined in stories countless times.
Now, he could live it himself.
Riding the sword, he soared joyfully around his new cultivation grounds.
But he couldn't fly too high.
Beyond a certain height lay Mount Shu's no-fly zone.
If he crossed into it, he'd be forced to the ground immediately, and if he didn't get injured in the fall, the Hall of Discipline would haul him away for discipline.
He didn't know how long he had flown when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
Excited, he guided his sword closer.
"Chongyun! What are you doing here? Practicing swordflight too? You really went far—this is already Tongtian Peak!"
It was indeed Chongyun, also riding a flying sword.
Upon reaching him, Chongyun sighed helplessly:
"Weren't you just saying you were going to visit your brother later?"
Hearing this, Xingqiu froze, then slapped his forehead awkwardly.
"Ah… right… that…"
"I just finished arranging my cultivation ground and got so caught up in trying the swordflight, I nearly forgot!"
Chongyun rolled his eyes and said quietly:
"Shall we go now? Tomorrow, training gets serious."
After some thought, Xingqiu nodded.
"In any case, I should go see my brother. Even though he only entered as an outer disciple, with his talent I believe he'll reach the inner sect eventually."
"Since we're both at Mount Shu now, family should look after each other."
Xingqiu spoke righteously—but in truth, he just wanted to show off his inner disciple status a little.
Chongyun, of course, saw through it.
Honestly, if he had siblings who joined as outer disciples, he'd probably want to flex a little too.
Though strictly speaking, Chongyun did have family in Mount Shu…
But he wouldn't dare flaunt in front of Shenhe.
She had been cultivating long before him and was now at the late stage of Refining Essence into Qi.
Among Mount Shu's disciples, she was already among the strongest.
With the Divine Ghost Seven-Slaying Order in hand, she could even fight three experts of the same level by herself.
Her Innate Pure Yin Body also harmonized perfectly with the Pure Maiden Scripture.
As for Chongyun, the best he could hope for in the future was to remain an inner disciple.
But Shenhe was destined to become the First Seat of Bamboo Peak.
Trying to act impressive before her? He'd be blasted out the door with a talisman before he even got a word out.
Thinking this way, Chongyun felt rather envious of Xingqiu.
The two, each with their own thoughts, flew down toward the foot of Longshou Peak.
In truth, outer disciples were also divided among the seven veins, though they weren't as valued as the inner disciples.
It was merely a rough categorization based on temperament by the Outer Sect Elders.
Xingqiu's elder brother, Xingyun, was an outer disciple of Longshou Peak.
In fact, he had even passed the second stage of the Heart-Testing Array, only failing the third by a narrow margin.
That was why Xingqiu said his brother might be the quickest to advance into the inner sect.
Compared to the mid-mountain residences of the inner disciples, the cultivation grounds of the outer sect were somewhat simpler.
The spiritual energy was thinner too.
But the outer disciples were already more than satisfied.
Simple or not, each had a spacious cave of their own, enough for practice.
Even though they were many, they were not crowded.
Xingyun, for example, had no neighbors within several li of his cave.
Unlike Xingqiu's lively nature, Xingyun was far more steady.
At the moment, he was seated cross-legged within his cave, circulating his energy in focused cultivation.
Perhaps because Xingqiu had entered the inner sect while he only entered the outer, he felt some pressure—so now he was working harder than ever.
Still, their bond had not weakened. Xingyun was happy for his younger brother's good fortune.
After all, their family had now forged a connection with Mount Shu, and Xingqiu had even become an inner disciple.
For their clan, this was an immense blessing.
Being more mature, Xingyun prioritized family as a whole when thinking about things.
Such disciples were exactly the type Mount Shu valued most—disciplined and reliable.
"Brother, I've come to see you!"
Xingqiu and Chongyun landed proudly before Xingyun's cave.
Inside, Xingyun slowly opened his eyes, sighed with a faint smile, and rose to greet them.
Seeing his younger brother hovering on a flying sword, he teased:
"I doubt you came to see me—you just wanted to show off that you're now an inner disciple."
Xingqiu scratched his cheek in embarrassment as he guided his sword to the ground.
He hurried forward with a bright grin.
"Well… maybe just a little bit!"
"After all, you only missed advancing by a small margin. Once you succeed, I won't have a chance to boast anymore."
"I had to make the most of it while I can!"
Though he knew Xingqiu was deliberately trying to cheer him up, Xingyun still felt somewhat comforted.
After a pause, though, he shook his head.
"You don't need to flatter me. Your talent and willpower are greater than mine."
"This assessment wasn't me performing poorly—it was simply my current limit."
"But I believe it won't be long before I advance to the inner sect."
His words rang with conviction, his gaze firm and unyielding.
Xingqiu smiled and cupped his hands.
"Then let me congratulate you in advance, Brother, on becoming an inner disciple!"