"Next, we have the late Foundation Establishment cultivators—True Lord Liuyun and True Lord Songchen."
"Oh, right. If you enter Mount Shu, you must never call them 'immortals' or 'true lords' while within the sect."
"Cultivators are very strict about the word 'immortal.' If you address them that way, Liuyun and the others may not be pleased."
"If you become part of Mount Shu, you should address them as senior brother or senior sister."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in understanding, taking careful note.
"After them, there are the mid-Foundation cultivators: Lady Ningguang, Lady Keqing, Doctor Baizhu, Miss Lisa, Miss Shenhe, and others."
"Doctor Baizhu's combat strength isn't high, but he is currently the disciple of Great Bamboo Peak most skilled in alchemy."
"So Lady Ningguang and the rest still treat him with courtesy—because an alchemist is…"
Baiwen didn't finish, but everyone present had read cultivation novels before. They all knew what an alchemist meant.
In the cultivation world, alchemy was the most sought-after branch.
"Among mid-Foundation cultivators, Miss Lumine and Miss Klee are the strongest."
"Both are bearers of legendary divine physiques: the Glass Sword Heart and the Crimson Emperor's Heaven-Burning Physique."
"Miss Lumine inherited the simplified Unity Divine Lightning Sword Art directly from the Sect Master, making her half a personal disciple. As for Miss Klee, she cultivates the specialized Crimson Emperor's Heaven-Burning Art ."
"Note this carefully: Miss Klee's status in Mount Shu is unique. Even the First Seats must treat her with respect—because Miss Klee is the Sect Master's only true inheriting disciple."
The moment these words fell, everyone grew solemn.
A personal disciple of the Sect Master…
To put it bluntly, that was training aimed at preparing the next Sect Master.
A divine physique…
The crowd burned that keyword into memory.
"The rest are early Foundation cultivators: Captain Jean, Diluc, Kaeya, and so on."
"But among early Foundation cultivators, the strongest is Paimon."
Baiwen cast a somewhat complicated look at the tiny creature chatting with Lumine.
"That little one?" Furina tilted her head in doubt.
She really couldn't see anything special about Paimon.
"Paimon is the third of Mount Shu's great divine physiques: the Starborn Body. She cultivates the Sect Master's foundational True Mantra Scripture. Her spellcasting is extraordinary. In the future, she is set to inherit one of the Sect Master's Eight Divine Mantras—specifically, the Pure World Mantra."
"She too is counted as half a disciple of the Sect Master."
"These three are, at present, the most gifted disciples of Mount Shu."
"They were also directly exempted from the Heart-Testing Array and accepted into Mount Shu by the Sect Master himself."
The crowd fell silent. None of them had ever heard of "divine physiques" before. Hearing it now, it all sounded absurd.
Cultivation…
It was never a fair beginning.
No matter how hard an ordinary person trained, it was nearly impossible to catch up to the chosen.
Geniuses, in every world, were always favored.
Everyone sighed inwardly, though they did not dwell too much on it.
Childe glanced at the incense burning nearby. Only half a stick remained.
He immediately spoke:
"Miss Baiwen, is there anything else about Mount Shu we should know? If we're fortunate enough to enter, we wouldn't want to accidentally break sect rules."
At this, Baiwen turned her gaze on Childe, studying him deeply. He didn't look away, simply waiting quietly for her answer.
After a long moment, Baiwen replied softly:
"What I know of Mount Shu mostly comes from what Lady Ningguang occasionally mentioned to me."
"The most important thing: never violate the Hall of Discipline's laws."
"Even First Seats cannot escape punishment if they do. I've heard that First Seat Venti has been caught many times by First Seat Zhongli."
"He lost a great many contribution points."
"Contribution points?" Furina asked curiously.
"They are the internal currency of Mount Shu. To earn them, one must complete tasks from the Hall of Merit, or make some form of contribution."
"With contribution points, disciples can exchange for many things—spirit stones, pills, magical artifacts. They are the most important cultivation resource."
"Spirit stones are equivalent to Mora in the outside world, but also serve as consumables for cultivation."
"But spirit stones can now only be obtained through the Hall of Merit—or by monthly stipends given to First Seats and elders."
"As for pills and artifacts, those are too complex to detail, and only true cultivators can make use of them."
"Besides that, there is the matter of Mount Shu's world itself."
Baiwen lifted her head, gazing at the towering seven peaks, unable to hide her reverence.
"The Seven Peaks of Mount Shu form the sect's seven great branches."
"Each peak has its strengths. Disciples are assigned to a peak according to their talents and tendencies."
"Tongtian Peak, Longshou Peak, Great Bamboo Peak, Bamboo Peak, Windreturn Peak, Sunset Peak, and Morning Sun Peak."
"That is the true structure of Mount Shu."
Hearing this, the crowd grew all the more intrigued.
Childe asked curiously:
"Miss Baiwen, do you know which peak is the strongest?"
"Do you think you'll have the right to choose when you enter Mount Shu? Do you think you're like Miss Lumine and the others, born with a divine physique?"
Baiwen shot him a sidelong glance and snapped back.
Childe didn't mind, smiling cheerfully:
"Just asking ahead of time. I wouldn't dare try to be picky."
Baiwen noticed that the others also looked at her eagerly, and so lowered her voice a little:
"Each of the Seven Peaks has its own domain. Great Bamboo Peak is famed for alchemy. Lishui is the peak's senior disciple, temporarily overseeing matters."
"But the greatest alchemist is Doctor Baizhu—especially skilled at the Rejuvenation Pill."
"They say that as long as someone still has a breath left, within a quarter of an hour they can return to peak condition. Severed limbs regrow. Illnesses vanish."
At this, Dehya clenched her fists tightly.
The Rejuvenation Pill…
That kind of medicine could surely save Dunyarzad.
"Miss Baiwen, how could one persuade Doctor Baizhu to refine such a pill?"
"Difficult…" Baiwen shook her head.
"Though the ingredients aren't too rare, only Doctor Baizhu and the Sect Master are skilled enough to refine it."
"Doctor Baizhu is devoted to the Dao. Unless requested by the Sect Master or First Seats, he rarely opens his furnace."
"It can only be exchanged through the Hall of Merit."
"However, Great Bamboo Peak's second disciple, Miss Lisa, is also skilled in alchemy. But her specialty is more in Qi-Gathering Pills for cultivation."
"She can refine the Rejuvenation Pill, but…"
Baiwen pursed her lips, her voice dropping lower.
"It is said Miss Lisa cultivates a rare demonic art. Her temperament is unpredictable, and she only befriends those she finds pleasing."
The crowd was startled.
"Demonic art?" Furina asked, surprised.
Baiwen gave a small nod.
"According to Lady Ningguang, it requires the souls of the dead to cultivate. But Miss Lisa abides strictly by sect rules—she uses only the souls of beasts."
Hu Tao frowned faintly in discomfort but held her tongue.
"How peculiar…" Childe muttered, then asked:
"What about the others?"
"Windreturn Peak excels at artifact forging.Liuyun and Songchen are both masters of the craft, capable of creating high-grade artifacts."
"Morning Sun Peak specializes in formations. Its acting First Seat is Mondstadt's Anemo Archon—Lord Venti."
"Sunset Peak excels at beast-taming. Its senior disciple, Baisheng, commands over a dozen early-Foundation demons."
"But Sunset Peak has the fewest people. Currently, it is only Baisheng alone."
"These four peaks are called Mount Shu's four 'secondary branches.'"
Childe blinked in realization.
"So… they're not very focused on combat?"
"Not focused on combat?" Baiwen gave a small laugh.
"Miss Lisa can burn a demon god's soul to ash with a single hellfire. Liuyun and Songchen can combine Yin-Yang Thunder to slay even top-ranked demon gods."
" Xianyue's Seventy-Two Heavenly Star Array can suppress an entire nation."
"And Baisheng, with his beasts, could unleash a tide of monsters at will."
"In Mount Shu, none of the Seven Peaks lack battle strength. Each has its own specialty."
The crowd listened with growing yearning. The mysteries and might of cultivation left them utterly enthralled. They wished nothing more than to join Mount Shu at once.
"But if we're speaking purely of combat power, the strongest are Tongtian Peak, Longshou Peak, and Bamboo Peak."
At this point, Baiwen's tone shifted slightly, tinged with awe.
"Miss Shenhe of Bamboo Peak bears the Pale Yin Body and wields the Seven Killing Order of Ghosts and Gods."
"When she issues a Killing Order, even gods and spirits tremble. Once, with only mid-Foundation cultivation, she fought a top-tier demon god who had yet to cultivate—and within ten moves, nearly slew him."
"She is already designated as the next First Seat of Bamboo Peak."
"Lady Ningguang, with the Tongtian Talisman in hand, can summon torrents of thunderous sigils at will."
"Even Barbara, though newly joined, has cultivated formidable arts—her battle power is by no means weak."
"Bamboo Peak is composed mostly of female cultivators, but its strength cannot be underestimated."
"Longshou Peak even more so. The Great Sage Who Subdues Demons stands at the peak of Foundation Establishment. And the Geo Archon himself invited down from the Celestial Court a golden immortal war god."
"Bamboo Peak and Longshou Peak are Mount Shu's two main outward-facing, battle-oriented branches."
"Their martial might is unmatched; they value strength above all."
The crowd listened as if to some grand and wondrous saga. If only there were snacks and tea, it would be perfect.
"And Tongtian Peak?" Furina pressed curiously.
Baiwen fell silent for a moment, then said in a hushed voice:
"Though the other peaks are each mighty in their own right, the strongest of all is Tongtian Peak."
"Because… Tongtian Peak houses the Grand Hall of the sect. It is the heart of Mount Shu—the supreme seat of authority."
"It is directly overseen by the Sect Master himself."
"Beneath him are cultivators at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, like Lady Ganyu, and sword-body prodigies like Lady Keqing."
"There is also Qiqi, with her yet-unawakened special constitution."
"And all three of Mount Shu's divine physiques reside under Tongtian Peak."
"You only need to remember this: Mount Shu is also known as the Mount Shu Sword Sect. The sect values the sword above all, and its most renowned arts are sword-based."
"Tongtian Peak gathers the strongest sword cultivators of the sect."
"At equal cultivation, disciples of Tongtian Peak are almost always unmatched in their realm."
"Though Tongtian Peak does not lead external conquests, it is Mount Shu's final and greatest trump card."
"For now, the strength among the seven branches is fairly balanced—but Tongtian Peak is supreme because it is guarded by the very heart of Mount Shu."
"The stabilizing pillar of the sect—the Sect Master himself, at the pinnacle of Return-to-Void."
"As long as the Sect Master stands, Mount Shu shall never fall."
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