As expected, Zhongli did not disappoint and indeed took the two to Xinyue Kiosk.

[Wait, bro, you're actually going?]

[If the boss is footing the bill, why not?]

[Tonight's expenses are on Director Hu!]

After eating and drinking her fill, Lumine went to rest.

The staff of the Qixing had informed her that the real highlight would be the next day.

The defenders of the arena were all top-tier experts of Liyue.

For the players, the screen faded to black.

"After a night's rest, the next day arrived."

——————

Early the next morning.

The platform in front of the Feiyun Commerce Guild.

This place connected Yujing Terrace, the harbor, and Chihu Rock.

Even at this early hour, a sizable crowd had already gathered.

Some had secured good vantage points upstairs, all just to catch a glimpse of the upcoming "Sword Challenge" tournament.

The tournament hadn't started yet, and the challenger, Lumine, hadn't arrived.

The only person on the field was a blue-haired boy.

Holding a book in his hands, he paid no attention to the surrounding gazes.

Xingqiu was already in character, though he was slightly dissatisfied that the location he had to defend was right outside his own home.

But since neither his father nor his elder brother had lectured him about it, Xingqiu didn't mind.

How could they possibly lecture him? They were too busy laughing to themselves.

To Xingqiu's father, this "Yujing Terrace Sword Challenge" was jointly organized by the Tianquan of the Qixing, Lady Ningguang, and the Adepti.

For his son to earn their recognition—and even be personally chosen by the Adepti to defend the arena—was a certification of his strength.

Now, he couldn't stop boasting about it to everyone he met, feeling utterly delighted.

At this moment, he was standing with his eldest son, holding up a sign to cheer for Xingqiu.

Mu Yang never expected these two to take the comedic route.

"Why does this feel a bit like Uncle Da and Stephen Chow…?"

Beside them, Xiangling and Chongyun seemed completely unfazed.

Chongyun asked Xiangling, "Xiangling, you're closer to that Traveler. Do you think Xingqiu can hold his ground?"

"It'll be tough. Lumine's performance during that Archon-level battle was no worse than your idol's," Xiangling told him. "Plus, she takes on so many commissions every day—Xingqiu can't compare to her in terms of combat experience."

As they chatted, the crowd at Chihu Rock parted to make way.

Today's protagonist, Lumine, had arrived.

She walked straight to the center of the field. "So, you're my opponent?"

Xingqiu looked up, closed his book, and drew his sword.

"Xingqiu of the Guhua Clan. I await your guidance."

"Lumine, Traveler from Another World."

This was actually Paimon's idea.

After all, introducing herself as the Honorary Knight of Mondstadt or the Great Hero of Liyue would've felt awkward in this setting.

Then, Lumine drew her sword.

The ordinary onlookers around them were baffled—they only saw her make a motion, but there was nothing in her hand.

"Is this… 'a blade beyond blades'?"

"Damn—you can even do it like this?"

This was Lumine's new experiment from last night.

If she could infuse Geo into her Dull Blade to reinforce it like Noelle, could she do the same with Anemo?

This was the effect of Anemo—an "Untraceable Sword." (A nod to King Arthur's Excalibur.)

For this reason, she had specifically switched to the " Sword of Dawn that Splits the Horizon and Points to Victory"—aka the Harbinger of Dawn—that Kaeya had given her.

This was to mislead her opponents, making it impossible for them to gauge the true length of her blade.

The only downside was that a single sword couldn't simultaneously exhibit the effects of two elements.

Xingqiu's interest was piqued. He could sense Anemo in Lumine's hand, confirming that she wasn't just pulling some "the sword is in my heart" nonsense.

"An invisible blade… this just got a lot trickier."

The surrounding crowd had an epiphany and nodded knowingly.

Of course, the Great Hero would wield such a divine weapon.

She must've used the Dull Blade yesterday because no one was worthy of her seriousness—that had to be it.

——————

There was no referee here. The moment Lumine stepped in, the match could begin at any time.

However, Lumine didn't make the first move.

She knew very little about this bookish young man before her.

In contrast, she had already revealed her dual elements yesterday—he was bound to be prepared.

Seeing that Lumine wasn't moving, Xingqiu decided to attack first.

His swordplay came from the "Raincutter", one of the three great secret techniques of the Guhua Clan.

Xingqiu assumed his stance, running two fingers along the blade before slashing toward Lumine's midsection.

Lumine blocked with her sword.

Xingqiu immediately changed tactics, following up with a horizontal slash and then an upward strike—"Raincutter's Elegy!"

Lumine reacted swiftly, blocking the horizontal slash before leaning back to dodge the upward strike.

When his attack failed, Xingqiu retreated slightly to a safe distance.

"As expected of someone who fought an Archon-level threat. Your reflexes are insane."

"You're not bad either—you're stronger than everyone I faced yesterday. My turn now."

Lumine didn't hold back. With a single swing, she whipped up a whirlwind to obscure Xingqiu's vision.

Then, she stepped forward with her right foot, using "Starfell Sword" to block his retreat and force him into a specific position.

"Starfell Sword!"

With her left hand, she summoned a Geo construct to launch Xingqiu into the air.

Lumine charged up, ready to end the fight in one strike.

To her surprise, the moment Xingqiu was sent flying, he summoned "Raincutter's Rainswords".

Using the Rainswords as footholds, he didn't lose his balance—instead, he used the momentum to lunge forward.

[Lumine: Oh? You're not running away but coming right at me?]

[Xingqiu: If I don't get closer, how can I beat you up?]

Xingqiu attacked with all three Rainswords in tow.

Lumine had no intention of dodging them. She stood her ground, focusing solely on the sword in Xingqiu's hand.

In the end, Xingqiu didn't charge at Lumine—instead, he redirected his attack to the side and sheathed his sword.

Turning back, he clasped his hands in salute. "I concede."

Lumine mirrored his gesture. "Well fought."

Paimon was baffled. "Wait, why did he just surrender?"

Many in the audience were equally confused.

Of course, there were also those who understood and offered their analysis:

"Those three Rainswords were just a feint. The real killing move was the sword in Xingqiu's hand."

"The Traveler didn't dodge because she saw through it. That invisible sword of hers was the key to victory."

"If her sword's reach was longer than Xingqiu's, then he was doomed to lose."

Xingqiu had indeed thought the same. He had assumed Lumine would panic at the sight of the Rainswords.

But Lumine was far too composed—her gaze made it seem like victory was already assured.

She was just waiting for Xingqiu to step into her range.

And how far was her range?

Xingqiu didn't know, because he couldn't see her sword.

This was just a spar. Xingqiu could have gambled.

But in a real life-or-death battle, who would dare bet their life on it?

This round, he had lost.

——————

In the live stream, Guinaifen commented:

"This is way too abstract, folks. Feels a bit like a Gu Long novel."

[Oh, so you're an expert on Gu Long now?]

[The streamer's just pretending, huh?]

[Could it be that Mu Yang told them to go easy on her?]

[That's way more likely.]

Guinaifen replied:

"I'd believe it if Mu Yang went easy himself. But asking others to go easy? Isn't that kinda disrespectful to Lumine?"

"I mean, our girl Lumine is the protagonist. Her name's literally 'to illuminate —how could she not win?"

[Aether: You better watch your mouth.]