Lin Mo felt that, rather than risking angering the Heavenly Principles,
temporarily accepting the Divine Gnosis wasn't unacceptable.
At the very least, it would stabilize the Heavenly Principles first.
Only then could he find a way to pull the derailed storyline back on track.
Why was it so important to keep the plot steady?
Because…
With his own strength alone, he simply couldn't defeat the Heavenly Principles.
At least, not for now.
Wait—hold on.
Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Mo.
Why not take advantage of this opportunity
and test just how powerful the Heavenly Principles truly were?
He organized his thoughts, looked straight at the Heavenly Principles, and said solemnly,
"Before I accept the position of a god, I hope you'll agree to one request."
"What request?" the Heavenly Principles asked, puzzled.
"I want to challenge you—to understand the gap between us. That way, I can properly assess my own strength," Lin Mo said, his gaze unwavering.
Venti was instantly shocked and hurriedly tried to stop him.
"Lord Barbatos! Absolutely not!"
"…Hm."
Hearing that title, Zhongli finally understood.
So this was why the ever-lazy Barbatos had traveled thousands of miles to support Liyue.
Even so, Zhongli couldn't understand why Lin Mo wanted to challenge the Heavenly Principles.
Lin Mo should know better than anyone—
Even at his peak, Zhongli himself had been unable to defeat the Heavenly Principles.
And what Lin Mo possessed was only the fragment of Zhongli's demonic godly origin, damaged after countless battles.
Though his strength ranked among the top of the gods,
at best, he might barely be able to injure the Heavenly Principles. Nothing more.
At this moment, the Heavenly Principles looked at Lin Mo's resolute expression and asked,
"You've already felt my power. Knowing you can't win, why insist on confirming your own limits?"
"I only believe in strength,"
Lin Mo smiled faintly. "This concerns my attitude toward my duties."
He was certain—
this was a reason the Heavenly Principles would accept.
"…Very well. Come, you may attack me," she agreed without hesitation.
"You've misunderstood,"
Lin Mo shook his head. "I want to duel you—fairly."
"Fairly?"
The Heavenly Principles narrowed her eyes.
"How much of your strength do you think I have?" Lin Mo countered.
"About thirty percent," she answered immediately. "Why?"
"Thirty percent…"
Lin Mo's cheek twitched slightly.
He couldn't help but glance sideways at Zhongli,
his look clearly saying: Brother, I'm using your power—how did it get underestimated this badly?
Zhongli felt that gaze and sighed helplessly.
A newborn calf truly fears no tiger…
The reason the Heavenly Principles stood above all gods, even ruling over the Seven,
was because she possessed absolute power—power that could not be overthrown.
The gods of the Dark Sea were all losers of the ancient Archon War.
In truth, their strength wasn't much different from Havria, the God of Salt, or Guizhong, the God of Dust.
Even possessing thirty percent of the Heavenly Principles' power
would be enough to dominate the Dark Sea with ease.
"Don't overthink it. Thirty percent is already generous," the Heavenly Principles said calmly.
"So what's the point of this question?"
"Since you're so confident,"
a hint of provocation flashed in Lin Mo's eyes,
"why not use only thirty percent of your strength and duel me fairly?"
Thirty percent?
A fair duel?
Why did Lin Mo's words sound… strange?
Venti tilted his head in confusion.
"A fair duel? Fine. Come," the Heavenly Principles said without the slightest fear.
From the moment Teyvat was born, she had already existed.
She had even defeated two other primordial goddesses from beyond the firmament.
The title of strongest being in the world was no empty boast.
She wasn't even thinking about a true duel—
just casually defending would be enough.
She believed that even with only thirty percent of her power,
Lin Mo—who hadn't fully mastered his godly strength—couldn't possibly hurt her.
"Then I'm coming," Lin Mo said as a reminder.
"Mm. Go ahead," she nodded.
Lin Mo raised his right hand and gently placed it over his chest.
The next instant—
Mount Tianheng blazed like a roaring sun.
The summit erupted in dazzling light.
From Lin Mo's chest, a radiant hilt began to emerge.
As he slowly drew it out,
a brilliant, blinding golden glow surged forth.
A golden blade was being pulled directly from his heart.
"Musou no Hitotachi…"
Venti frowned slightly.
This was the strongest sword technique in all of Teyvat,
its power rivaling the Geo Archon's Starfall Cataclysm.
But Starfall was better suited for crushing massive foes.
Against the humanoid form of the Heavenly Principles—
Compared to the slash that had once split the sea and annihilated Osial,
this strike felt noticeably weaker.
Could such an attack truly threaten her?
Under the watchful eyes of Venti and Zhongli,
Lin Mo finally drew the blade completely free.
The dark-golden longsword seemed to contain the power of an entire celestial body.
The Heavenly Principles looked at Lin Mo's stance, sword in hand.
The trace of contempt in her eyes vanished, replaced by seriousness.
From that blade, suffused with flowing dark-gold light,
she sensed an extremely dangerous power.
Then—Lin Mo moved.
He raised the sword and swung it forward with all his strength.
A dazzling arc of dark-gold light tore through the air.
"…This—impossible…"
Venti stared at the scene, unable to believe his eyes.
Even Zhongli's pupils shrank slightly.
At the moment the blade descended,
dark-red elemental cubes, radiating a terrifying aura, suddenly formed around the Heavenly Principles' wrist.
She tried to block the strike with that crimson energy.
But—
Her wrist was severed in a single slash.
The energy cubes she trusted only delayed the blade for a moment
before being sliced clean through.
Her severed hand, blood flowing, fell to the ground before her.
"…I must admit,"
the Heavenly Principles said calmly,
"the skill behind this strike surpasses that of the one from Inazuma."
"The power you wield rivals forty percent of mine—perhaps even fifty."
"I misjudged you. You win."
As her words fell,
the severed hand on the ground floated back up, reattaching itself seamlessly to her wrist.
Lin Mo stood there in a daze.
He couldn't quite believe that he had actually broken through the Heavenly Principles' defense.
"Hey! System!!"
"She admitted defeat!"
"Why aren't you saying anything?!"
"What about the reward you promised—three wishes?!"
Lin Mo shouted furiously in his mind.
The reason he had proposed a "fair duel"
was precisely to achieve this result—
Feign weakness, make the Heavenly Principles underestimate him,
then seize the moment to win.
At last, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Um… technically, the task requirement was to defeat the Heavenly Principles in a direct confrontation."
"Your method—having her lower her power to spar with you—doesn't strictly count."
"What?!"
"Your task description was unclear! I did it, and now you're saying it doesn't count?" Lin Mo protested angrily.
"It's not that it doesn't count… but it does deviate from the task's original intent."
"How about this—since it was my oversight and the task description wasn't precise…"
"I'll compensate you with one wish. Is that acceptable?"
An apology?
Compensation?
Why does this feel exactly like something miHoYo would do…?
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T/N:
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