My new life began in a sea of clouds. For three days, the Adeptus Xianyun's abode on Mt. Aocang was my sanctuary and my training ground. It was a period of intense healing and learning, a quiet breath in the storm of my chaotic new reality. Each day was structured, deliberate, and overseen by the watchful eyes of my two strange and powerful hosts.
Day One: The Foundation
I awoke on the first day feeling a clarity I hadn't known since before the raid. Xianyun's healing arts had mended my physical wounds, but my soul was still a fractured thing. My first task was to begin building the inner wall she had spoken of.
I sat cross-legged on the smooth jade floor, overlooking the roiling clouds below, and began the Adeptal Meditation. It was not a peaceful process. The moment I closed my eyes and focused inward, the Abyssal Taint fought back. It was a cold, insidious whisper at the edge of my thoughts, showing me images of my own failure. I saw Jean's horrified face as the portal took me. I heard Eula's frustrated cries in the training yard, twisted into sounds of mockery.
[SYSTEM ALERT: [Abyssal Taint] is actively resisting suppression. Negative emotional feedback detected.]
I gritted my teeth, remembering Xianyun's instructions. I was not to fight the whispers, but to wall them off. I focused on my breathing, on the pure, clean energy of the mountain air. I envisioned building a wall, brick by brick, made of calm, golden light—the pure, untainted essence of my own will. Each time a dark thought tried to break through, I would place another brick. It was grueling mental labor.
After an hour, I was drenched in sweat, but the whispers had grown fainter, the cold spot in my soul feeling more contained.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Adeptal Meditation (Level 1) skill proficiency has increased by 1.2%.]
[Mental Fortitude temporarily increased due to successful resistance.]
Later that day, Xianyun gave me my first "lesson." She led me to a garden where strange, glowing stones of all shapes and sizes were piled together. "A shipment of materials from a fellow Adeptus was mixed up in transit," she stated, her tone aloof. "This one finds the task of sorting them to be… tedious. Sort them. The smooth, cool ones on the left. The rough, warm ones on the right."
It seemed like a simple, boring chore. But as I picked up the first stone, I understood. Each one hummed with a different kind of energy. Some were filled with the dense, solid power of Geo. Others held a spark of Pyro, or the cool stillness of Cryo. I had to use my spiritual senses, the same ones Lisa had attuned, to feel the difference. It was a training exercise in perception, teaching me to distinguish between the different threads of power in the world.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: New Sub-Skill discovered through practical application.]
► [Energy Perception (Level 1)]: Allows the host to passively feel and identify different types of elemental and arcane energy. Accuracy is currently low.
As the sun began to set, I saw Shenhe in a quiet corner of the abode, practicing with her spear. She moved with a frightening, beautiful grace. Her spear was not just a weapon; it was an extension of her will, each thrust and parry carrying a heavy, barely-contained power that made the very air around her feel cold. My Eternal Arms Mastery analyzed her form, recognizing it not as a human martial art, but something more primal, more divine. It was the art of a killer, honed and restrained. We shared a simple dinner of steamed fish and mountain herbs, the silence between us comfortable, a shared understanding that needed no words.
Day Two: The Body and the Blade
My morning meditation was easier. The wall was stronger, the whispers fainter. I could feel the skill solidifying within me.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Adeptal Meditation has reached Level 2.]
► New Effect: Passively reduces the corrupting influence of [Abyssal Taint] by 1%. Energy regeneration slightly increased.
Xianyun approached me as I finished. "Your control is improving faster than one anticipated," she commented, a hint of surprise in her voice. "Now, for the vessel." She handed me a small, ornate bottle filled with a thick, glowing green paste. "An Adeptal ointment. Apply it to your left arm. It will mend the damage done to your energy channels by your own reckless power."
The ointment was cool to the touch and smelled of crushed Qingxin flowers. As I applied it, I could feel a soothing warmth spread through my arm, easing the deep, phantom ache that had lingered there.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Item [Adeptal Ointment] is in effect. Damaged energy pathways are slowly being repaired. [Mana Burst] output penalty reduced.]
Afterwards, she had me practice my own sword forms. She watched in silence, her sharp eyes missing nothing. My movements, guided by Eternal Arms Mastery, were flawless, each swing and stance a model of human perfection.
"Your skill is… remarkable for one of your age," she finally said. "It is a skill born of a thousand battles, yet your body has seen less than two decades. A fascinating contradiction." She then turned her gaze to Shenhe, who had been watching from a distance. "Shenhe. A demonstration. A gentle spar with our guest. Weapons will be blunted. The goal is not victory, but control. Begin."
Shenhe nodded, retrieving a heavy, blunted training spear. I took up a similar practice sword. We faced each other on the jade platform, the sea of clouds our only witness.
The spar began. It was immediately clear that this was a battle of two completely different philosophies. I was a creature of pure, refined skill. My every move was precise, efficient, designed to exploit the smallest opening. She was a creature of pure, overwhelming power. Her every strike carried the weight of a falling mountain, the chill of a blizzard. A single clean hit from her would have shattered my guard and my bones.
I couldn't block her attacks. I could only redirect them. I moved like the wind, my footwork perfect, turning her powerful thrusts aside at the last possible second, letting her immense momentum carry her past me. I was a matador, and she was a divine, furious bull.
She was shocked by my ability to evade her, to meet her on equal ground. I was awed by the raw, untamed force she wielded. It was a power that could shatter stone and freeze the air, and she held it back with nothing but her own will and the binding of her red ropes.
The spar reached its climax. Frustrated by my elusiveness, Shenhe let out a small cry and unleashed a strike that was far too powerful. The air around her spear tip crackled and turned to frost. This was no longer a gentle spar.
"Enough," Xianyun's voice cut through the air, sharp and absolute. The spar was over.
Shenhe stood, breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed. She looked at me with a new expression: a mixture of frustration, shock, and for the first time, a clear and undeniable respect.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Sparring complete. New data on Adeptus-trained combat arts acquired.]
[Bond with 'Shenhe' has increased. Current Level: Ally.]
[Eternal Arms Mastery skill proficiency has increased due to combat with a unique and powerful foe.]
Day Three: The Path Forward
My final meditation was calm, focused. The wall inside me was now a solid fortress. The whispers of the Abyss were nothing more than a faint, distant echo.
Xianyun summoned me for my final instructions. She unrolled a detailed map of Liyue, its landmarks and names now familiar to me from my past life.
"Your journey will be long," she stated. "From here, you must travel east. Your destination should be Liyue Harbor. It is the heart of this nation, and the most likely place to find passage or send word back to your homeland." She pointed to several areas on the map. "Avoid the ruins of the Guili Plains for now. The lingering energy of the Archon War is still potent there. Be wary of the marshes to the south; evil spirits are drawn to such places. Stick to the high roads when you can."
She then looked at me, her expression softening slightly. "One has told you of the two natures within you. The fire you carry is that of a ruler. It demands a body of unyielding strength and a will of pure steel. The wind you serve is that of a wanderer. It demands a heart of boundless freedom and compassion. To be both a King and a Knight is your trial. Do not let the crown crush the feather, nor let the wind scatter the embers. You must find your own balance."
As I prepared to leave, Shenhe approached me. She held out a small, intricately tied red rope, identical to the ones on her own arms, but smaller. "My master made these," she said, her voice its usual quiet monotone. "They help… to bind what is chaotic. To calm the spirit." She held it out to me. "Perhaps it will help you."
I took the rope. It was cool to the touch and seemed to hum with a faint, calming energy. It was an incredible gift, a symbol of our shared burden.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: New Item Acquired.]
► [Red Binding Rope (Minor)]: An Adeptus artifact. When worn, it passively assists in the suppression of chaotic internal energies and grants a minor increase to Mental Fortitude.
I tied the red rope around my left wrist, covering the faint, ugly purple lines that still marked my skin. "Thank you, Shenhe."
The time had come. Clad in my new, durable Liyue clothes, my small pack filled with Adeptal herbs, and my mind clearer than it had been in weeks, I stood at the edge of the floating isle.
"One does not know what your destiny holds, Arthur of Mondstadt," Xianyun said as a final farewell. "But one senses it will be a path of great consequence. Walk it well."
I bowed deeply to them both. "Thank you for everything."
Xianyun gestured to a nearby mechanism. A gentle, swirling current of wind formed before me, a stable, controlled path leading down to the mountain peaks below. It was my way back to the world.
With a final look at the woman who was my rival and my first true ally in this new land, I stepped into the wind current. As I descended from the sea of clouds, leaving the Adeptus's abode behind, I was no longer a lost, broken survivor. I was healed. I was equipped. And I had a clear path forward. The vast, unknown, and beautiful landscape of Liyue spread out before me, a grand adventure waiting to begin.