"You're awake?"
"Does anywhere still feel uncomfortable?"
Lin Feng had barely opened his eyes when Tighnari's concerned voice rang beside him.
"My mouth tastes horrible!"
Only when he saw the bowl in Tighnari's hand did he realize the strong bitterness coating his tongue — like biting through the sugar shell of childhood herbal pills.
"That's the tonic I fed you while you were out. Mostly for recovering stamina."
"Sleeping an entire day just from touching a statue… you really need to improve your nutrition."
Tighnari glanced at Lin Feng's still rather thin frame, worry in his eyes.
"Anyway, forget that for now — check your body and see if there's an extra glass orb anywhere."
He tapped the Vision on his waist.
"Something like this."
Clearly, Tighnari thought the earlier phenomenon was divine acknowledgment. Considering the elemental surge and Lin Feng's control at the time, it made sense to assume he'd received a Dendro Vision.
"Nope. Nothing."
Lin Feng didn't even bother hoping.
His experience back then felt nothing like being granted a blessing — more like he'd strolled into a god's storeroom and walked out with a full sack.
—Good thing this was Sumeru. If it were any other nation, some Archon might appear on the spot demanding an explanation.
"That's strange… your body shows clear signs of enhancement, and your attraction to elemental energy has also increased. It's all very similar to a new Vision wielder."
Tighnari frowned in visible confusion.
"How do you feel now?" he asked. "If everything's fine, let's step outside. Try seeing whether you can actually command Dendro."
"I've never felt better. Let's try it."
"But I've never used elemental power before, so… not sure how well this'll go."
Lin Feng was just as eager.
"Here should do."
Tighnari stopped on a small clearing with two training targets ahead.
"This is where I practice archery. Try binding both targets with vines."
He stepped aside to give Lin Feng space.
"I'll try my best."
Lin Feng took a deep breath. Recalling the earlier sensation, the green motes in the air once again became visible.
He willed them forward.
"Bind!"
A soft shout.
"BOOM!"
What stood before him… was no longer a target.
It was splinters.
Huge, thorny vines had erupted directly through the wooden targets, crushing them like rotten fruit.
Lin Feng stared.
This is supposed to be… binding? Something's definitely off.
"Well now, that's impressive. Far beyond expectations. You really are something special, Lin Feng."
Tighnari looked at the thigh-thick "vine" and felt his understanding of combat power forcibly rewritten.
"The activation is a bit slow, but the destructive force is absurd. This level… even surpasses some elite Dendro monsters."
He scribbled furiously in his notebook.
"Let's continue," he said with a spark of excitement in his eyes.
"Wait."
"That's enough for today."
Seeing Lin Feng looking tired, Tighnari ended the session.
He glanced around—
—The once flat training ground was now filled with crater-like holes, thorny vines everywhere, and even nearby plants had grown taller from the overflowing Dendro energy.
"Finally done? I—I'm exhausted…"
After half a day of nonstop bombardment, Lin Feng finally had a clear grasp of his power.
Honestly…
He was strong. Ridiculously strong.
Despite his low level, his raw output surpassed even Level 51 Tighnari.
His only weakness was the lack of a proper weapon like Tighnari's bow, so his methods were still simple:
—"Bind," forming vines
—"Thornspikes," drawing Dendro from the earth
—"Burst," compressing Dendro into a projectile and detonating it
As for the overwhelming power behind them, it was almost certainly thanks to his Elemental Affinity 7 — the equivalent of several hundred percent elemental damage bonus if translated into game stats.
"You have a natural gift for elemental manipulation."
Tighnari closed his notes and approached him.
"Even without a Vision, your control far exceeds most Vision wielders."
"Truthfully, many Dendro Vision holders can't even solidify vines. They merely coat their weapons with elemental energy for support. For you to manage this on your first day… I think only one friend of mine can match you in battle."
It was honest praise.
"Of course, your flaws are obvious too — poor precision, little battle experience, and your skills lack variety."
"But those can be fixed. With you around, I can finally relax a little. Clearing monster camps every day was starting to make my ears sag."
Tighnari smiled from the heart.
"You mean… I'll be helping you clear monster camps from now on?"
Lin Feng picked up the hidden meaning.
"Of course. Didn't you say you wanted to travel the Seven Nations someday? Combat ability is essential."
"I originally planned to teach you archery, but now that you have elemental power, I'll need to add a few more lessons."
Tighnari twirled his pen and chuckled.
"Come on, let's head back. After dinner, I'll be buried in paperwork. You rest for tonight."
"There's a Hilichurl camp nearby. Tomorrow, I'll take you to experience a real fight. Sleep early."
Leaving this promise, Tighnari hurried off — clearly facing a mountain of reports after spending the day testing Lin Feng.
"Hilichurls, huh… wonder what they really look like?"
Back in his room, munching on a freshly bought grilled meat wrap, Lin Feng felt both expectant and curious.
As a Mondstadt daily quest speedrunner, he'd farmed thousands of Hilichurl masks in-game.
But since arriving in Teyvat, he hadn't met a single real Hilichurl.
Looking forward to his first actual combat, Lin Feng washed up and went to bed early.
A strange drowsiness washed over him—
—and soon, he drifted into sleep.
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