"That won't be necessary. During the battle, I happened to collect some remnants from the Lord of Vishaps' body." Zhongli waved his hand, and on the ground appeared two enormous scales and a branch from the Dragon-Queller Tree. "These will suffice."
Victor Wang was dumbfounded. That casual?!
"It will be painful. Are you prepared?"
"I'm ready."
He had already endured the agony of losing one-seventh of body and spirit twice before. The first time, he embarrassed himself before Venti, screaming for three hours while having his element cleansed. But the second time, when he was slain by the cursed blade and revived, he had forced himself to endure it.
Burned alive by flames, reborn each time with his spirit shattering and reforming, the headaches from awakening within the cursed blade's illusion… Without realizing it, his tolerance for pain had grown.
"Then let us begin."
The dragon scales, the branch, as well as the drops from the Geo Hypostasis—the Basalt Pillar and Prithiva Topaz Chunk—all shattered in Zhongli's grasp, transformed into pure, concentrated Geo power. It was not natural, but refined, and he divided it further into countless smaller fragments.
These fragments bore the responsibility of attracting and carrying Victor Wang's elemental particles, and would take part in their reversal process.
Only the dragon's power was indispensable. But it could not be pure dragon force—for anything too singular cannot endure. That was the reason Zhongli had chosen the Geo Hypostasis' power as the counterpart.
The vast Geo force completed its dismantling, spiraling around Victor Wang, lifting him into the air, and finally forming a golden core, reminiscent of the one used to seal the Lord of Vishaps.
Inside the core, the outside world vanished. Familiar with the procedure, Victor Wang drew in a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and braced himself for the pain.
As expected, Zhongli began forcibly extracting his elemental particles.
Tiny black motes of light began to fly from his body. It hurt—hurt terribly—but he could bear it. He even found the energy to complain inwardly: 'Black motes of light? Seriously? What the hell… though, yeah, they are glowing black dots…'
Soon, his sea of consciousness showed cracks. Memories and emotions leaked away, drifting off like fireflies.
"Ghhuaaah…!" As his entire world blurred, Victor Wang let out his first scream.
What was happening?
Pain! Pain!! PAIN!!!
Worse than when his Anemo was cleansed—pain like nothing before! So that earlier stage had only been the beginning?!
Once the first cry broke free, the howls and screams came like a dam burst, unstoppable.
"UaaAAAAHHHH—!!"
Outside the core, Zhongli's expression was solemn as he chanted over a thousand pieces of Cor Lapis: "Born of the vastness of heaven, earth yields the primal yellow. Stone of the rock, hearken my decree—awaken."
Pillars of earthen-yellow qi rose from the ground. Upon touching the Cor Lapis, they rang with crisp, hammer-like chimes. The once-slumbering stones lit up, awakened one after another.
Under Zhongli's guidance, those lights flowed forth from the Cor Lapis, rushing into the golden core, entering Victor Wang's body. The spent Cor Lapis dulled to ashen gray, their forms collapsing into nothing but primitive dust.
Now came the most demanding step of all—the reversal of elemental particles.
…
As the purified golden motes finally returned to Victor Wang's body, the broken screams that had lasted over two hours finally ceased. Zhongli let out a long breath of relief and gently lowered him to the ground.
"Are you alright?"
Victor Wang's face was deathly pale, his clothes soaked with sweat as if he'd been dredged up from water. He flexed his hand; despite the torment, he could feel a brand-new power stirring within him.
"I'm fine."
He tried to rise, but his body staggered and faltered, threatening to collapse—until a rough stone staff sprouted from his palm, steadying him.
"Geo… Geo element. I can wield Geo now!"
And more than that—though his body was weak, his spirit felt stronger than ever, almost doubled!
"Indeed. This was inevitable. You have completed two of seven steps toward your goal."
"Yes, two of seven!"
Victor Wang was no longer a novice with elemental power. Though Geo was vastly different from Anemo, he quickly managed to shape Geo Constructs—though perhaps 'Geo Creations' was a better name for them.
Engrossed, he filled the space around himself with crooked pillars, unwittingly trapping himself within.
Regrettably, these creations required constant mental effort to maintain. If he relaxed, they crumbled away, just like wind.
It reminded him of Approaching Elemental Power, which divided control into three tiers: (1) Elemental Enchantment, (2) Elemental Formation, and (3) Elemental Creation.
The highest tier—true Creation—meant constructs that remained after being formed, never reverting into elemental energy. Try as he might, he couldn't fathom how to reach that stage. Fortunately, by his side stood a master who had once turned spears of stone into the very formation of Guyun Stone Forest.
Victor Wang dismissed his crude creations and asked Zhongli, who showed no impatience: "Why do my Geo creations vanish the moment I let go?"
"By reason, that is natural. To make them remain—difficult, yet simple. You need only make the creations real."
"Make them real?!"
"Indeed. Tell me, in this world, have you ever seen a stone vanish into nothing for no reason?"
"But if it's real, can it still be called a 'creation'?"
"What is real, and what is false? What is natural, and what is artificial? If none can tell the difference, are they not the same? Perhaps even you and I… may be no different."
Victor Wang murmured: "What is real… what is false…"
Zhongli did not press the matter. Instead, he changed the topic. "And how does the new power feel?"
"It feels wonderful. But in practice… eheh, perhaps you could give me a hint or two?"
Venti had all the time in the world to drink, yet never once taught him a proper technique. If Zhongli also refused him… then even if it meant pestering endlessly, even shameless begging, he would definitely learn how to raise a shield!
Thankfully, Zhongli was far more agreeable. After a moment of thought, he said: "Wind is formless. Geo is form incarnate. The gulf between them may be greater even than that of water and fire."
"Mhm!" Victor Wang's face lit with expectation.
"Then I will teach you some of the most basic knowledge."
"Ah…?"
"What do you think Geo is?"
"…Shattered stone becomes earth, refined stone becomes metal. From soil below to gold above, all fall under the domain of Geo."
"Correct. Among the seven elements, Geo encompasses the widest scope of creation."
Without moving his arms, Zhongli folded them across his chest. Wherever his gaze fell upon the ground, new pillars emerged—each a different color and texture. Common rocks of green, yellow, black, white, and gray. Jades of every shade, translucent and opaque. Radiant columns of gold and silver. Loose, soft earth. Dull, matte black iron, cold and unyielding.
"As is known, wielding pure elemental force for offense or defense is wasteful, impractical. Thus transmutation becomes vital. So—what do you wish to transmute Geo into?"
"There's that much depth to this?"
"I saw the pillars you just formed—crooked, crude mountain rock. Against mine, they would shatter instantly. Of course, harder is not always better. Circumstance dictates all. But for offense, greater hardness is preferable."
Victor Wang shook his head, baffled. "I've never thought so far ahead. What should I do?"
"Observe the stones. Study their surfaces, their inner structures, their properties. Know their strengths and weaknesses, that you may call upon them in battle. In Liyue there is a compendium called The Collection of Ten Thousand Stones. Though written by mortals, it would suit you well."
"I understand."
"Hmm… but it seems you still harbor doubts?"
"Heh, nothing escapes your eyes. Honestly… I want to learn your shield. If I could master that, then even against an enemy I cannot defeat, I could at least retreat safely, right?"
"So that is your concern. Yet it has little to do with stones themselves."
In his palm, Zhongli formed a square object, resembling a Rubik's Cube, though its faces bore ancient sigils instead of colors. He tossed it lightly to Victor Wang.
"This is?"
"An Array Stone. It contains a formation. My shield's strength comes from this array inscribed upon it. Study it well."
"Thank you!"
"A trifling effort. But from here, the path ahead is yours alone."