In the following days, Mu Yang wandered around Liyue Harbor.

All preparations were left to the Qixing to handle.

His only responsibility was providing rewards and funding.

"Haven't seen Lumine lately. Did she take a commission and return to Mondstadt?"

Or perhaps she went with Zhongli to investigate the matter of the Salt God.

Mu Yang entered Wanmin Restaurant. By now, he was a regular customer and had tried almost everything on the menu.

Xiangling came over to greet him. "Want to try the Yunlai Giant Octopus today? Freshly caught!"

"Make it well-done, lightly spicy."

Xiangling turned her face away and muttered, "Tch—didn't trick him this time."

Mu Yang was speechless. Could you be any more obvious?

No need to guess—she definitely wanted to serve it raw. Would he give her the chance?

Chongyun walked in. "Ah, Adeptus Mu Yang! What a coincidence, you're here for lunch too?"

"Coincidence my foot!" Mu Yang thought. This kid had been ambushing him every other day.

He was running out of stories to tell him.

Today, Chongyun had brought Xingqiu along, though Xingqiu looked worse for wear with dark circles under his eyes.

The two familiarly sat down across from Mu Yang.

Mu Yang "concernedly" asked about Xingqiu's condition.

"Xingqiu, my friend... insomnia?"

No way. Could it be because of the cliffhanger in Battle Through the Heavens? Heh heh!

Chongyun stifled a laugh beside him.

Xingqiu sighed. "Ah, such is life, such is fate!"

As expected, the story unfolded just as Mu Yang had predicted.

Xingqiu begged to be allowed to guard the arena in exchange for the next chapters of Battle Through the Heavens...

Later, Baizhu also informed Mu Yang that Qiqi had given herself an order.

She would help Mu Yang because she really liked that mechanical finch.

She also thanked him for the precious medicinal herbs he had gifted her.

Now, everything was truly ready...

——————

Version 1.2 began.

Mu Yang scheduled the event for the latter half, so everyone had to explore Dragonspine first and complete its activities.

In his hotel room, Mu Yang opened the system panel.

He planned to watch Guinaifen's stream while eating—given the environment of Dragonspine, she'd be miserable for a long time.

Sure enough, the event part was manageable, but when it came to In the Mountains, it was pure torture.

Especially during the challenge missions—the water ring that once provided safety had now become a liability.

Watching a frozen Diluc get killed again...

Guinaifen: "Barbara, oh Barbara, please stop!"

[LMAO, ultimate sabotage]

[She just refuses to bench her, huh?]

[Stop trying to create content, streamer]

"Let me clarify once more—I'm genuinely bad, not faking it for content."

Guinaifen was shamelessly defiant.

"Barbara was the one Adeptus Mu Yang told me to build. Why would he lie to me?"

'Thank you Mu Yang for the Super Chat': "Don't be like this, Little Gui. After all, I'm not the Control Devil either." (10,000 Yuan)

After enduring the Electrohammer Vanguards and various ice monsters, Guinaifen finally completed In the Mountains...

"Damn, why's this so hard? What was the dev thinking?"

It wasn't just Guinaifen who found it difficult—many players agreed the quest was brutal.

Stepping in water easily led to freezing, and in Dragonspine, you had to constantly monitor your Sheer Cold level.

"Ah, what a thrilling journey of eating dirt!"

Upon reaching the summit, Guinaifen couldn't help but sigh.

[That's one way to put it]

[Accurate]

[No idea, never tried it]

Little did she know, there were still puzzles ahead.

"What's that glowing thing? A hint?"

Guinaifen suddenly noticed a shimmering object at the peak and interacted with it.

Obtained a 「???」.

Unlocked hidden achievement: "Take It for Now—Might Be Useful Later."

Mu Yang frowned. Was this here before?

It had been so long that he couldn't quite remember.

Even the item itself was entirely labeled as 「???」, its appearance blurred.

The only description read: "One day, you'll find a use for it."

[Seriously? Not even an image?]

[Maybe they just got lazy and didn't finish it]

[Now they're selling us unfinished drafts as promises? How dare they scam veterans like this?]

[I'm rebellious—I refuse to pick it up. What's it gonna do?]

Guinaifen opened the achievement details. "It'll give you 200 Primogems."

[Hehe, on my way!]

[Say no more—I'm taking it]

On the forums, players speculated wildly about this overly obvious "hidden achievement"—especially since it offered the highest Primogem reward.

But with so little information, the discussions eventually died down.

Could they really expect miHoYo to explain?

——————

Time flew by.

On parallel Earth, Mu Yang's event began.

Guinaifen guided her character to Katheryne in Mondstadt to trigger the storyline.

Meanwhile, in Teyvat...

After completing the Dragonspine adventure, Lumine was at the Adventurers' Guild turning in commissions.

Paimon stretched. "Whew—what a thrilling adventure!"

"Lumine, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Lumine pocketed the Mora. "Other than food, what else would you think about?"

Paimon grinned cutely. "Hehe, you know me so well. After enduring such bitter cold, I'm craving something spicy!"

"Wanmin Restaurant's Spicy Stewed Fish and Fragrant Chili Chicken sound perfect!"

When doing commissions in Liyue, Wanmin Restaurant was their go-to spot.

Xiangling was warm and welcoming, and her cooking was delicious.

Of course, Lumine wouldn't tell Paimon that the real reason was Wanmin's affordability and generous portions—perfect for keeping her fed.

If they went to Xinyue Kiosk or Liuli Pavilion, they'd be broke in no time.

Lumine also wanted to return to Liyue to check if the "opportunity to breach the thunderstorm" Zhongli mentioned had arrived.

So, she and Paimon headed to Chihu Rock.

Looking at the bustling crowd around them, Paimon asked,

"Lumine, don't you think it's livelier here than before?"

"A little. Maybe it's because we've been in Dragonspine too long—hardly anyone there..."

Entering Wanmin Restaurant, they found it nearly full—and it wasn't even mealtime.

Moreover, the patrons were all dressed like martial artists.

Their orders were straight out of wuxia novels—three catties of wine, two catties of beef.

This was unusual. Wasn't Liyue Harbor a merchant's domain?

Xiangling, delivering dishes, spotted them. "Lumine! Paimon! Long time no see!"

"Long time no see, Xiangling! Any seats left?"

"Plenty, plenty!"

Xiangling led them to a table in the restaurant's backyard.

Lumine couldn't help but ask, "Xiangling, is there some festival in Liyue Harbor lately?"

"The Lantern Rite is coming soon, but I think you're wondering why there are so many martial artists here."

Paimon: "Martial artists?"

Xiangling explained that the Qixing were hosting an event recently.

Rumored to be sponsored by an adeptus, they had sent out heroic invitations to martial artists across Liyue.

"They say those who ascend to Yujing Terrace can win ten million Mora, adeptus artifacts, and even receive guidance from an adeptus!"

Xiangling sighed. "If only the rule wasn't 'sword users only,' I'd love to see those artifacts."

"Ten million Mora?!"

Paimon's eyes turned into Mora symbols.

"Lumine, let's go check it out after eating!"

Event Activated—"Yujing Terrace Sword Challenge"!