The office wasn't very large, and with four people inside—on top of the fact that Liyue wasn't exactly cold at this time of year—the air should have felt warm.
But after hearing the debt collector's words, everyone felt a chill that seeped straight into their souls.
A flicker of dread flashed in the Cryo Archon's eyes. She didn't speak further.
Rosalyne clenched her teeth. At last, she understood why, when she had first met Lisa, her very soul had screamed at her to run.
So… back then, hadn't she almost been dragged out and devoured by Lisa?
A demonic cultivator, indeed!
Cultivating with living souls—such a technique…
"No, wait!"
Arlecchino snapped back to her senses, frowning at the debt collector.
"Using living souls to cultivate… such demonic arts run completely counter to Mount Shu's precepts. How could they possibly tolerate her?"
Though Arlecchino hadn't been here long, she had already learned quite a bit about Mount Shu.
Mount Shu's core mission was to slay demons, expel evil, and uphold righteousness. How could they permit a demonic cultivator in their ranks?
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency, I wouldn't dare deceive you."
The debt collector hurriedly bowed his head.
"Lisa is indeed a demonic cultivator. She practices with living souls—with Mount Shu's full acknowledgment."
"I've heard from Baiwen that as long as she keeps to Mount Shu's precepts and does not abuse her powers, Mount Shu treats her no differently from others."
"Besides Lisa the demonic cultivator, there's Diluc the Buddhist cultivator, Qiqi the corpse cultivator, Yae Miko the yokai cultivator…"
"Mount Shu isn't composed solely of sword cultivators."
"Also, I've heard that the Rock King Emperor's cultivation method is…"
"…the Invocation Spell."
The moment he said it, the three of them were stunned.
"What? The Rock King Emperor invoking gods?"
The Cryo Archon stared at him in shock—this was the first time her emotions had flared so violently.
But who could blame her?
Who could have imagined it?!
Morax—the Rock King Emperor, the God of War, the strongest Archon in all of Teyvat—
Had gone to Mount Shu… to learn invocation?
Invoking who, exactly? Barbatos? Beelzebul?
The Cryo Archon had imagined many things—like Zhongli setting aside his martial ways to become a spellcaster—but she had never imagined him taking the path of invocation.
This was, without question, the most earth-shattering news she had heard in five hundred years.
"Your Majesty, I've heard he invokes a true Immortal from the Upper Realm—a Golden Immortal, none other than the Celestial Court's God of War, Erlang Zhenjun."
The Cryo Archon took a moment to process it. After a pause, she spoke softly:
"Erlang Zhenjun? A Golden Immortal? What exactly does that mean…"
"It's a cultivation realm for immortals," the debt collector explained vaguely. "Golden Immortals are considered among the strongest in the Immortal Realm."
He had only overheard scraps of information while tagging along with Tartaglia and the others—he had never joined Mount Shu himself, so what could he truly know?
The Cryo Archon didn't press him. Even reaching the Spirit Transformation stage was already out of her league—talk of immortals was meaningless.
"Go on."
She nodded for him to continue.
The debt collector recalled the fragments of information Baiwen had revealed earlier and spoke slowly:
"Mount Shu has seven branches. Each branch has its own specialties—Tongtian Peak, Dragonhead Peak…"
Before he could finish, the Cryo Archon interrupted:
"Tartaglia—what branch did he join?"
"This… I don't know."
He looked a bit embarrassed.
"But I do know that Young Master is now an inner disciple. Later, he was taken by the Dragonhead Peak's Head to meet the Sect Leader on Tongtian Peak."
"Which peak he finally ended up in, I can't say for sure… but I'd guess Dragonhead Peak."
The Cryo Archon nodded thoughtfully at that.
"You mentioned the Heart-Testing Array earlier… This assessment of Mount Shu's—was it only the Heart-Testing Array?"
The debt collector nodded, a flicker of melancholy in his eyes.
The Cryo Archon noticed instantly.
"What is it? Something troubling you?"
He quickly shook his head.
"No, it's just… Mount Shu's assessment is nothing else but the Heart-Testing Array."
"So you mean to tell me a single formation eliminated so many people that quickly?"
Arlecchino looked at him suspiciously. He nodded.
"I wouldn't dare lie to you, my lords. Mount Shu's assessment really is just the Heart-Testing Array."
"Pass the first layer, and you become an outer disciple, allowed to stay in Mount Shu."
"Pass three layers, and you become an inner disciple."
"But the vast majority are eliminated right at the start—I was one of them."
As he spoke, shame colored his expression.
The Cryo Archon frowned.
"What exactly is this Heart-Testing Array?"
The question was crucial. Her future plans depended on it.
If cultivating immortality truly offered the greatest path forward, perhaps her old plans were meaningless.
If Ganyu at Refining Spirit Peak could already obliterate a top-tier Archon in an instant…
Then Morax and the others, having reached the late stages of Spirit Transformation, must already dominate Teyvat—unafraid even of Celestia.
For her own plans, reaching Spirit Transformation Peak would be more than enough.
If she could join Mount Shu, none of her problems would remain.
But first, she needed to know the truth of the Heart-Testing Array.
"The Heart-Testing Array…"
The debt collector wet his lips before continuing:
"It's an illusory array meant to test whether a seeker's Dao Heart is firm, and to reveal their true nature."
On the surface, it didn't sound too troublesome.
But could an immortal sect rely on something so simple? Could such a thing eliminate so many?
The Cryo Archon didn't believe it.
"Tell the truth."
Arlecchino's brows furrowed as she fixed her gaze on him.
He panicked, blurting out:
"I swear I'm not lying! It's just… the formation is unlike any illusion we know."
"It's… too sinister!"
"Once you step inside, you forget everything about cultivation—and then…"
"…you live another life, from birth until death."
All three women froze in shock.
"What do you mean?! Speak clearly, from beginning to end!"
Rosalyne's eyes bored into him. He nodded and began:
"When I entered the formation, it felt like falling into a bottomless void."
"When I came to, it was as though I had returned to Snezhnaya. All memory of cultivation was gone."
"There was no trace of Mount Shu or immortality at all."
"I lived day after day, in peace… until—"
His voice wavered.
"Until, in that world… Your Ladyship died. The Balladeer disappeared. And I had a chance to take a seat as Harbinger. Then…"
"I used… some disgraceful means. And that was when I was expelled from the formation."
By the time he finished, Rosalyne's expression was black as soot.
Her voice was icy:
"So, in your heart, I deserve to die, is that it?"
"No! Lady Rosalyne, no!"
He panicked.
"After I was eliminated, I overheard inner disciples speaking. They said the first layer of the formation was forged by the Sect Leader using fragments of Teyvat's own destiny."
"That's why… the events inside are things that could very well happen."
"In my trial, Your Ladyship perished in Inazuma during the hunt for the Gnosis."
"So please… be cautious."
Rosalyne sneered coldly.
"Cautious? Wouldn't you rather I went to Inazuma and died, so you could take the seat for real?"
Her fury was obvious—if not for the fact that he was their only source of information, she would've frozen him solid already.
"Rosalyne, calm yourself—it was only an illusion."
The Cryo Archon's eyes flickered darkly, but she believed about seventy to eighty percent of his words.
Given Rosalyne's temperament, and the Raiden Shogun's ruthlessness…
What he said was not impossible.
She thought for a moment, then spoke softly:
"Even if it was an illusion, since it was crafted by that incomparably powerful Sect Leader, we should still be wary."
"Rosalyne, you need not undertake the Inazuma Gnosis mission anymore."
"Besides, the importance of the Gnoses has already been downgraded. For now, cultivation takes precedence above all."
Rosalyne nodded quietly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
But she still shot the debt collector a venomous glare.
True, she wanted to stay in Liyue to pursue cultivation—but not with this excuse!
"So… you lived a whole life in an instant, and when faced with choices, made decisions unworthy of Mount Shu. That's why you were cast out."
The Cryo Archon summarized coldly. The debt collector lowered his head in shame.
"The Heart-Testing Array is unfathomable. There's no way to prepare for it."
"Baiwen and the others said: the array condenses an entire life into a single fleeting moment."
"That's why Mount Shu never worries about anyone cheating. Even if you know beforehand what it is, you can't prepare."
"Life's test is not one you can cheat."
"Those were Baiwen's exact words."
Hearing this, the Cryo Archon and the others fell silent.
Indeed—once inside, all memories of cultivation vanished.
Day after day, year after year, you lived anew.
Decades of life weighing down on you—how could anyone cheat that?
Immortal sect techniques were not things mortals could defy.
The Heart-Testing Array's effects were undeniable, but…
So what if you knew?
You could cheat on other exams—but could you cheat in your own life, forever?
If someone truly could, they were a genius, and Mount Shu would gladly take them.
But the key point was—this was only the first layer!
Nine layers in total—didn't that mean you had to live nine lives?
What kind of monster could endure that?!
"To join the inner sect, you need to live three lives… Tartaglia lived six? Seems I underestimated him."
Rosalyne rubbed her temples with a sigh.
The debt collector scratched his cheek, speaking softly:
"Actually… it wasn't just six. Young Master passed the sixth layer and even entered the seventh. He didn't last till the end, but was sent out early."
"Strictly speaking… six and a half lives."
The Cryo Archon couldn't help but praise:
"That alone proves his willpower is formidable. I didn't expect this of him."
Hearing his superior commend his leader, the debt collector puffed out his chest with pride.
"In truth, Your Majesty, the first layer is the simplest. Each one after grows incomparably harder."
"Though I couldn't even clear the first, I overheard Baiwen explaining—"
"The first layer is only the foundation. Beyond that… it's truly like ascending to heaven itself."
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