After the conclusion of Liyue's storyline, who had the hardest time coping in the miHoYo community?

That would undoubtedly be the Honest Truthseeker.

At the time, his lengthy analysis led many players to believe something huge was coming.

Turns out, it was a huge letdown.

What miHoYo actually meant by releasing those two character illustrations was simply that Mu Yang and Ningguang played major roles in resolving Liyue's crisis.

Mu Yang's illustration just happened to coincidentally align with the line "The God of Contracts was murdered."

Mu Yang: "It's all a coincidence, fake, just like iced tea—pure water."

Now that the truth has come to light, not only was Mu Yang not the assassin who murdered Rex Lapis, but he also saved countless Liyue citizens during the crisis.

In the end, he even charged headfirst into battle, slashing off Osial's five heads in one furious strike.

He tanked the boss's ultimate head-on and straight-up blew himself up with it.

This bought Ningguang enough time to drop the Jade Chamber.

While other players were thoroughly entertained, the Honest Truthseeker was left miserable.

Now, he's become:

The wildest in Gotham, the busiest in the circus,

Standing guard at McDonald's, the Joker in the deck.

Straight-up turned into a clown.

The Honest Truthseeker could only lament:

"Damn it, these riddlers ruin lives!"

"Dainsleif! I'll fight you to the death!"

That analysis post of his had been trending for an entire version update.

The more he enjoyed the clout back then, the harder the backlash hit him now.

After all, once players had placed him on a pedestal, he hadn't held back from stepping on others.

He'd spent every day arguing with the entire community.

But the comment section didn't care about any of that. What they cared about was:

[Dashing Youth · King of Litang]: "Bro, I just love hearing the truth—when are you topping up constellations? I'm six Keqings short."

[BYD Try My Lung-Tickling Rage]: "A C6 Childe is so damn OP, I wanna try it @Honest Truthseeker"

[Falling King of Jujutsu High]: "Can you cash it out? Plane tickets would work too."

Everyone was more interested in getting their constellations topped up.

In the end, the Honest Truthseeker, unable to take it anymore, posted several videos in a row:

"It's so hard, bros, the pressure's killing me lately..."

"Bros, I might've told a little white lie..."

"I'll top you up a damn—"

"I can't even afford eggs! Get lost!"

And so, the community was once again filled with joyous laughter...

——————

Compared to this kind of "liveliness" in the miHoYo community, the video section was much simpler.

The final battle animation released by miHoYo that very night soared to the top of trending lists everywhere.

#Meteor's Gleam, Snowflakes Drift—One Sword Leaves No Trace#

#Mu Yang Slays a God with One Strike#

#The Art of the Giant Ice Dragon#

#Ningguang Smashes the Jade Chamber#

...

Reaction videos of big streamers watching this animation were compiled and spread rapidly, dominating trending sections across all platforms.

Guinaifen dropping her cup in shock was amusing, but it paled in comparison to Sampo lighting a mosquito coil upside down.

"Before Sampo, there was no sky; upside-down coils defy the divine."

Thanks to Mu Yang's sword strike, this became a lasting meme.

Even platform queens who usually just provided companionship without playing games—

Motherly streamer Kafka started playing Genshin Impact because of Mu Yang's feat.

[Mom has a new child now, I'll scavenge for food myself.]

[Wuwu, Mom, you can't play favorites...]

Her chat was flooded with cries of despair...

Foreign streamers' reactions were also compiled into highlight reels.

Their exaggerated responses mostly stemmed from:

The wuxia-style attire, the unique sword techniques, the lifelike Eastern dragon—

This was pure dragon-country confidence, leaving foreigners utterly bewildered.

[When I Grow Up, I'll Be an Astronaut]: "I think the hardest laugh goes to the modelers—that giant ice dragon sculpture lasted two whole seconds before getting its head ripped off, lol."

[Enlightened at Tongliao Dragon Dojo]: "This sword strike... I've truly attained enlightenment."

[Rain Never Stops]: "I'm wet."

[Ohma Zi-O]: "That lotus-step move... All I can say is, 'Damn, I lack the vocabulary—just gonna yell holy shit and call it a day.'"

[Umbrella and Knife on a Rainy Night]: "Lotus steps? More like walking on thin ice."

[Orange Cat Watching Under Real Name]: "Osial: Am I not the one walking on thin ice?"

Mu Yang's popularity skyrocketed, both domestically and internationally, within and beyond the fandom...

——————

Chenyu Vale.

Yilong Wharf.

Mu Yang's Cottage.

After days of bed rest, Mu Yang had finally recovered.

While recuperating, he had browsed the parallel Earth forums, so he was well aware of everything happening over there.

Many fans even made heartfelt compilation videos for him, set to somber background music—and honestly, it hit right in the feels.

"At least that hit I took wasn't in vain..."

Mu Yang got out of bed and stretched.

Now that he was mostly recovered, it was time for the second simulation—to see just what kind of being that Chenyu Vale Archon was.

"System, prep for simulation. Fill in the missing details."

System: "Apologies. Insufficient popularity points. Simulation unavailable."

Mu Yang was baffled. Insufficient popularity?

That shouldn't be possible. After days of hype, there should be more than enough.

Unless... simulating that Archon's story required an absurd amount?

Mu Yang frowned, suddenly realizing something.

This doesn't add up. Something's off.

"Be honest—did you skim some off the top?"

The system said nothing and simply played back Mu Yang's own voice:

"I'll split the popularity points with you!"

System: "You said it yourself. How is this skimming? Good thing I keep receipts."

System: "Trying to accuse me of eating two bowls of rice?"

Mu Yang: "Oh, sure, take things out of context—excerpt from Don't Take Things Out of Context."

"Didn't I say 'Today's popularity points, split in half'?!"

System, sophistry mode: "But weren't all those points earned from that day's iconic moments? Me taking my half is perfectly reasonable, no?"

Mu Yang almost got tangled in the system's logic.

"Hmm—that almost makes sense... Wait, no it doesn't!"

The system seemed delighted by his reaction.

"Hahaha, alright, I'll stop messing with you. Most of it went into keeping you alive."

"Tsk tsk, did you forget how weak you are? Your backstory isn't even complete, yet you stood there and tanked a God's ultimate with your pretty face."

"If I hadn't been sustaining your life the whole time, you'd have died the moment the Jade Chamber fell."

"Be glad I don't feel like losing you yet."

Now Mu Yang felt a pang of regret.

"Dammit, I overdid it... Should've just dodged. Took a beating for nothing."

"No choice. Guess I'll have to launch that player event earlier than planned."

After preparing a few gifts, Mu Yang set off for Liyue Harbor again.

This time, though, he didn't stop by the blacksmith for a sword.

Instead, he used his remaining popularity points to create a high-grade replica—

"Withering Glory: Snow Burial Over a Thousand Peaks."