As the glow faded from Qingluan's body, the divine bird circled joyfully in the sky.
Then, with a proud gleam in her eyes, she stared up at the thunderclouds above. With a flap of her wings, waves of violent storm winds swept across the heavens and earth.
"Qingluan…"
Seeing her so confident, Ganyu finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Jiang Yan had said before that Qingluan would not stop here, so it should be fine.
At this moment, the thunderclouds had reached their peak, like a massive black hole forming under the once clear blue sky.
Finally, the first bolt of thunder boomed down, carrying an unstoppable might as it struck Qingluan.
"Skreeee!"
Within the lightning, Qingluan's body shrank slightly — clearly, even she had found that blow hard to bear.
When the lightning faded, and her appearance became visible again, Ganyu's heart clenched in pain.
"Qingluan!"
She anxiously maneuvered her flying sword — if Jiang Yan hadn't reacted quickly to stop her, she might have rushed into the thunderclouds.
At this point, Qingluan had lost her former arrogance. Large patches of her beautiful feathers were scorched black, and even her ornate crest had been partly blasted apart. She looked utterly miserable.
Jiang Yan shook his head.
"I never got the chance to properly explain to her what it means to cross a tribulation. This little one, freshly evolved, too proud for her own good — she actually tried to take the lightning head-on."
"Master, Qingluan won't… be in danger, right?" Ningguang asked worriedly.
Jiang Yan nodded slightly.
"Don't worry. She's clever — now she knows how terrifying heavenly tribulation is. She won't be careless again. She's already putting up defenses."
Indeed, the proud gleam faded from Qingluan's eyes, replaced by wariness as she fixed her gaze on the thunderclouds. Her form gradually shrank back into her smaller, original size, and a thick protective aura of azure light cloaked her body.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan couldn't help but chuckle softly. At least Qingluan had learned her lesson.
Resisting heavenly tribulation with bare flesh — such a feat would terrify even great demon kings at the Spirit Transformation stage.
It was only because no one had ever taught her about tribulation during the past 820 years that this little one acted so recklessly. It looked like he'd have to give everyone a proper lecture on the dangers of tribulation in the future.
The Shogun recalled the earlier lightning and subconsciously compared it to her own thunder. But in an instant, she dismissed the thought.
Yes, she wielded lightning — but this lightning was different. Just one of these heavenly bolts could gravely wound her. The awe-inspiring might of heavenly thunder was not comparable to the elemental lightning she commanded.
Still… if the Electro Archon herself one day cultivated immortality… would the "God of Thunder" be struck by tribulation lightning?
The thought was almost funny.
Everyone fell silent, gazing intently at the distant Qingluan undergoing her tribulation.
If she succeeded, this would be the first time in Mount Shu's history that someone broke through from the Refining Essence to Qi realm into the Spirit Transformation realm. This would serve as a reference for countless future disciples.
And besides — Qingluan was a spirit beast.
As for whether she could succeed… Jiang Yan had confirmed it many times. With Qingluan's talent, she could never be stopped at this stage. All they needed to do was wait for her to transcend the tribulation and take human form.
While Qingluan endured her tribulation…
Baiwen, Beidou, and the others had already returned to Liyue Harbor, dragging back with them the enormous corpse of a wild boar fiend.
Though massive, it was manageable for the Millelith — all trained martial warriors. Transporting the carcass was not too difficult. With their speed, the round trip had been swift.
Thus, by dusk, Baiwen and her group were already marching triumphantly into Liyue Harbor with the wild boar in tow.
It wasn't that they deliberately wanted to make a spectacle of it. But this was a late Foundation Establishment wild boar fiend — worth a fortune. Leaving it unattended in the wilderness was unthinkable.
On the way back, Beidou had even tried cutting into the beast. Yet its defenses were absurd. After hacking away for ages, she had only managed to strip some bristles and cut a little into the hide. The inner bones, however, were completely unyielding.
Even her expensive weapon had grown dull from repeated strikes, nearly on the verge of snapping. If they wanted to make full use of the carcass, they would need special tools.
This only made Beidou more awestruck at the absurdity of cultivators. A beast this powerful — slain in a single arrow by Ganyu. Her anticipation for cultivating immortality grew ever stronger.
The giant boar drew crowds immediately.
Countless Liyue citizens — and even foreigners temporarily living in the port — swarmed the streets, craning their necks to catch a glimpse. The massive carcass could only be transported along the main road, so even the rooftops and balconies filled with people.
Though the beast was dead, its overwhelming aura still poured out. Just passing by made people stagger back in fright. Only after it had gone some distance did they pat their chests in relief.
"It's huge… is this really a boar we know? Could it be some boar-shaped god?"
"I'd bet so! When that monster passed by, I felt crushed under its presence — and that was after death. How terrifying must it have been alive?"
"Then who killed it? Rex Lapis?"
"Fool! Rex Lapis wouldn't bother with such things. Besides, he's now the acting head of the Mount Shu Sect. With his current strength, if he struck, not even dust would remain."
"Could it be the Millelith?"
"They've trained in martial arts, yes, but too briefly. No way they could handle this thing."
"Then it must have been Lady Ningguang and the others. They're disciples of the Immortal Sect."
"Ninety percent sure. Amazing — just imagine, a beast that powerful, slain so easily by Lady Ningguang's group. Truly, cultivators are on another level."
"That settles it! I must join Mount Shu and become a cultivator!"
"Harder than you think. Rumor has it tens of thousands have already passed the preliminary test. When the real exam begins, there'll be over a million applicants."
"One thousand chosen from a million… that's way beyond one-in-ten-thousand odds."
"Still worth trying. Cultivators live terrifyingly long lives. If we miss this chance, who knows when Mount Shu will open its gates again?"
"We're just mortals. For Mount Shu, even a century between openings is nothing. But for us — we can't wait."
"True…"
The discussion about the boar quickly shifted to immortal cultivation. The noise in Liyue Harbor grew louder.
"Wow! Just imagine how much wood it'd take to make a coffin for that thing. My Hall would make a fortune!"
A jarringly inappropriate voice cut in. People turned to see Hu Tao leaning on a railing, gazing at the massive boar.
The townsfolk immediately twitched their lips and slipped away — lest the Hall Master start selling coffins again.
"Cultivators face beasts like that all the time… doesn't that mean their death rate is super high?"
Hu Tao hadn't noticed the crowd leaving. She rubbed her chin in thought.
"If I could bring the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor into Mount Shu, wouldn't that be…"
"Hehe! In my hands, Wangsheng will flourish! Not just all over Teyvat — we'll take business into the cultivation world too! Grandpa, if you can see me from the afterlife, you'd be proud, right?"
Hu Tao giggled, then dissolved into a flutter of golden butterflies.
She hadn't been very interested in joining Mount Shu before. Now… she felt it would be almost inappropriate not to join.
As the boar was hauled along, news spread quickly. Crowds flocked to gawk at the massive beast.
Baiwen ignored them, instead repeatedly sending messages to bring the equipment to Liyue's largest plaza. Disassembling this beast would be no easy task.
But the closer they got, the more clogged the streets became. The plaza itself was packed solid. Baiwen sighed — Liyue people really loved their spectacles.
Helpless, she leapt atop the boar's head, overlooking the crowd. With her inner power amplifying her voice, she shouted:
"Everyone clear the way! Do not gather at the plaza! The Millelith are transporting vital resources for Liyue — disperse!"
Thankfully, while the people loved excitement, they were still reasonable. Under Millelith guidance, the crowd withdrew in order, and a cordon was quickly established.
"Instruments — bring them in! Quickly!"
Baiwen barked the order, then jumped down to Beidou.
"Captain Beidou, I'll trouble you to help the Millelith unload this boar."
"No problem. Just remember to forge me a batch of bone weapons afterward. The Alcor will buy them at a high price."
Beidou reminded her. Baiwen smiled and nodded.
"Of course. The Alcor is part of Liyue's strength — you have priority."
Beidou grinned, wrapped an arm around one of the boar's tusks, and shouted,
"Come on! Give me a hand — this thing's heavy!"
With the help of a squad of Millelith, they finally managed to heave the carcass off its transport.
It landed with a tremendous thud that shook the entire plaza. The ornate paving stones shattered instantly.
Baiwen winced at the damage, but quickly consoled herself — just the batch of weapons for Beidou's crew would cover the cost many times over.
"Quickly! Instruments in place! Start the disassembly!"
She urged again. Before long, Uncle Tian arrived with a large group.
Seeing the colossal boar, he let out a low whistle.
"What a monster. Far bigger than any fiend we've seen before. Baiwen, how did you even kill it?"
Baiwen gave a bitter smile.
"We couldn't have. If we faced it head-on, even a thousand innate-stage warriors would have died. It was slain by Lady Ganyu — this was a late Foundation Establishment beast."
Uncle Tian's pupils contracted. His face turned serious.
"Late Foundation Establishment? Incredible… what a prize, truly a prize! We'll reap a harvest from this one."
"Move! Hurry! Disassemble it! Store the meat in jade containers — don't waste too much spiritual energy. Collect the blood as well — none of it should be wasted!"
Uncle Tian transformed into a slaughter foreman, directing the Millelith as they worked the instruments to dismantle the beast.
But then, the supposedly indestructible instruments — tools that could easily cut crystal ore — all shattered the instant they touched the boar's bones.
At once, Uncle Tian and the others looked at each other in shock.
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