[Hahaha, "Junior sister, don't panic! I'll help you!" Lumine is so hilarious!]

[So satisfying]

[Use the waters of Guyun Stone Forest to wash her mouth out]

"Starting to feel a bit of that 'sassy Lumine' vibe now."

Mu Yang, standing atop the mountain, hadn't expected such an entertaining turn of events.

Luckily, he'd been watching the whole time, or he might have missed it.

Over on her end, Lumine clapped her hands and noticed a commotion on the other side of the arena.

They really didn't want to mess with Lumine anymore and were now fighting for second place.

Even the quarterfinalists would receive prizes prepared by the Qixing.

Though not as lavish, they wouldn't leave empty-handed.

"Hm?"

Lumine frowned, then swiftly dashed forward, intercepting a blade aimed at Jinyou.

She saved him from a masked assailant.

"He already surrendered. Why go for the kill?"

Jinyou had conceded—his right hand was bleeding, and he could barely hold his sword.

Yet this masked figure had clearly intended to finish him off.

The masked man said nothing. Instead of engaging Lumine, he immediately fled.

"Go get treated first."

"Cough... Thanks..."

Jinyou dragged his injured body off the stage.

Lumine was annoyed. She scanned the crowd.

Despite the distinctive appearance, she couldn't spot the masked man.

"Did he turn invisible like a Debt Collector?"

The crowd was too dense and chaotic to pinpoint him.

"Fine. Then I'll just end this selection quickly. You'll have to show yourself eventually."

With that, Lumine joined the fray.

Soon, only two remained on the field: Lumine and an oddly dressed old man.

The referee abruptly declared the fourth division's matches concluded.

The old man transformed—he was the masked man.

"Hehehe. How was my little scheme, great hero?"

Lumine shot him a glance. "I hold grudges. Hope you don't get eliminated before I get to you."

Lumine left the arena, feeling irritated.

Falling for such a "drive the tiger to swallow the wolf" tactic was unacceptable.

Still, that old man's lethal strike against Jinyou hadn't been an act.

Whatever. Even if she and Jinyou weren't exactly friends, she couldn't just watch him die.

Paimon floated over. "Lumine, you okay?"

"I'm fine. Where's Jinyou?"

"He left his wallet with you as thanks, exchanged a few words with Zhongli, and then took off."

[So he attained enlightenment, huh]

[Damn, that was the Geo Archon's guidance!]

[Paimon: Go ask that flower-tending, bird-watching street wanderer. Remember, I'm your benefactor.]

The other divisions, lacking Lumine's overwhelming strength, took longer to produce results.

Lumine didn't feel the need to scout her opponents—without Visions or elemental energy, there wasn't much to glean.

Since the knockout rounds were in the afternoon, she might as well rest and eat in the break area.

Paimon said she'd check the results and report back later.

——————

Mu Yang glanced at the other three divisions.

Yanxiao's advancement surprised him.

Though he'd once been a martial artist, the real advantage came from the arena's ban on Visions and elemental power.

The runner-up of the "Chihu Rock Free Combat Tournament" and Master Ma's two disciples weren't as lucky—they were eliminated early.

Paimon returned with the quarterfinal results.

"The draw's out too. Your opponent is 'The Judge.'"

"'The Judge'?"

Paimon shared the intel she'd gathered.

"Apparently, he's not just skilled with a sword but also deadly with a judge's pen. Since the knockout rounds have no restrictions, he'll probably use it."

"Oh, and he wields a Hydro Vision."

Lumine had no idea what a "judge's pen" was.

But she was more concerned about the masked man.

"You mean 'Qingshan,' the one who advanced with you? He was in Yanxiao's group."

At the mention of Yanxiao, Paimon grew indignant.

"That guy just took one look at 'Qingshan' and forfeited on the spot!"

"He probably scurried back to Wangshu Inn already. No idea what he was so scared of."

Lumine: "Seriously?"

Paimon: "Yeah! I wanted to ask him, but he just bolted."

——————

The break passed in a flash.

Thanks to Yanxiao's forfeit, the first match was skipped.

Lumine stepped onto the stage to face "The Judge."

Without wasting words, she unleashed a flurry of Anemo attacks, defeating him in a few moves and advancing to the semifinals.

The semifinals were just as effortless—she stuck to Anemo the whole time.

She knew "Qingshan" was watching, so she held back as much as possible.

Just like during her fight with Childe, she kept her Geo abilities hidden.

——————

The finals.

Lumine vs. "Qingshan."

The two sized each other up, waiting for the signal to begin.

[Why does this old guy give me the creeps?]

[It's that creepy mask, right?]

[Not sure, but my gut says something's off.]

The battle began. Lumine started with her usual Anemo-infused close-quarters strikes.

But "Qingshan" moved unnaturally fast, dodging every time.

Something felt off to Lumine—whenever she got close, a chilling sensation prickled her skin.

Yet she observed no Cryo Vision on him.

After testing each other's moves, they got serious.

"Qingshan's" sword slithered like a viper—sinister and lethal.

Every strike aimed to kill, forcing Lumine to retreat step by step.

The audience gasped.

"Since when did Liyue have such a vicious sword style?"

"His first two opponents were smart—one forfeited, the other surrendered after a few exchanges."

"The great hero's on the back foot now."

But Lumine's combat experience was vast. She feigned weakness, waiting for the perfect counter.

"Qingshan" grew impatient and lunged.

His blade stopped three centimeters from Lumine's neck.

He lost.

Lumine's sword was longer. Mimicking Noelle, she channeled all her Geo energy into the Dull Blade.

Boosted by Anemo, the strike crippled "Qingshan."

[We breezed through this fight, so why's the animation ending so dramatically?]

[Gotta make it cinematic. A straight-up stomp wouldn't be fun to watch.]

Paimon flew over to celebrate, but Lumine warned everyone to clear the area.

Her instincts were right.

"Qingshan" vanished into a cloud of smoke, the eerie aura intensifying.

His mask twisted grotesquely as his body swelled unnaturally.

Lumine had never seen anything like this. Gripping the Dull Blade, she hesitated.

"Make way, make way! Leave this to the director!"

A lively girl descended from above. "Eat well, drink well, farewell!"

With a thrust and sweep of her polearm, fiery butterflies scattered.

"Qingshan" disintegrated into ash.

Hu Tao clapped her hands. "Done and dusted."

Lumine sheathed her sword. "So... he was part of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's business?"

Paimon finally caught up. "No wonder Yanxiao ran like that..."

Hu Tao sighed.

"To think this old trickster fooled even me. How careless."

Paimon squinted. "I don't buy it."

Hu Tao grinned. "Hey now, how about I treat you two at Xinyue Kiosk? Lumine put in serious work today."

She wasn't lying—she'd been duped at first.

She'd let it slide to see Lumine's capabilities.

At the mention of food, Paimon instantly switched sides, indignantly declaring:

"Even Director Hu got tricked! That 'Qingshan' was truly despicable!"

"Mhm." Hu Tao nodded approvingly, then told them:

"There's still some cleanup left, so I'll take my leave now."

"For the meal, just find our consultant. He'll foot the bill."

And with that, she vanished.

"Hey—wait—?!"

...