After Ningguang finished speaking, she stepped down. As the Tianquan, head of the Qixing, it was impossible for her to oversee the entire summit.
Replacing Ningguang was a female official from the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs, thoroughly familiar with the summit's proceedings. Standing on the high platform at the front of the arena, she began to explain the preliminary rounds.
Due to the overwhelming number of participants, it was necessary to eliminate those with weaker skills. To this end, three preliminary challenges had been designed:
1. Profound Rock Array: Located directly on the arena stage, this labyrinthine maze was filled with hidden mechanisms, testing both physical prowess and mental acuity.
2. Jade Wind Trial: Conducted at sea, this challenge assessed balance and reaction speed. Participants who fell into the water were in no immediate danger, as Millelith soldiers were stationed below to retrieve them.
3. Millelith Phantom Array: Contestants who cleared the first two rounds would enter a combat formation of phantom Millelith soldiers powered by Elemental Energy. While the phantoms' attacks weren't particularly strong, their formation was rigorous and required participants to breach it within a strict time limit.
Only those who successfully cleared all three trials would qualify for the subsequent arena duels.
After the female official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs finished her introduction and stepped off the stage, countless massive Profound Rock Slabs rose from the center of the arena, quickly transforming the entire arena into a labyrinth.
The labyrinth's top was sealed by a Wind Wall, allowing spectators to glimpse the general layout within.
The competition token Lumine had been carrying suddenly vibrated. As the female official had previously explained, this indicated that participants could now proceed to the arena to begin the competition.
"Lumine, are you going to compete now? Good luck!" Paimon cheered.
Lumine smiled and gently patted Paimon's cheek. "Wait for my good news."
"Mhm! Paimon will be here waiting for you!"
Lumine stood up, drawing the attention of the surrounding spectators.
"It's the Traveler!"
"Has the Traveler been sitting here the whole time? How did I not notice?!"
"That little one next to her must be the famous Paimon~"
"..."
Lumine waved to the crowd and followed the guiding lights down from the viewing platform.
Paimon, her cheeks flushed with pride, puffed out her little belly, basking in the compliments.
-
A corner of the arena.
Among the hundreds of people who descended with Lumine, she immediately spotted Kaeya in the crowd.
"Yo, Traveler! What a coincidence! We're in the same group."
"Kaeya, fancy meeting you here."
"Ha ha, it's been ages since I've seen such a lively crowd. As expected of an arena crafted by the gods—this place is enormous! And that maze looks like it'll be quite interesting."
Kaeya cracked his knuckles, his competitive spirit flaring. Representing Mondstadt, he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
With many already charging into the maze, Kaeya called out to Lumine, "Traveler, I'll make my move first. Let's hope we don't meet again in the later rounds."
Lumine glanced up at the towering maze and followed the crowd into its depths.
-
Player World.
Three trials unfolded before the players, each representing a distinct domain.
Chen Xiyao guided Lumine into the Maze. After a brief loading screen, she found herself facing over a dozen identical doors. She randomly chose one and entered.
Since this is just the preliminary round, it shouldn't be too difficult. But I need to be careful. If I fail, I'll never hear the end of it from the others.
Chen Xiyao had been basking in the cheers from the spectators' stands earlier. The Traveler was a household name in Liyue; she couldn't afford to embarrass herself here.
She proceeded cautiously, but sometimes being too cautious can backfire.
On the game screen, the floor beneath Lumine suddenly collapsed. Before Chen Xiyao could react, Lumine plummeted downward.
The screen flashed a heartbreaking message:
[You have been eliminated.]
"Ah—what the hell?! That's it?!"
Chen Xiyao's eyes widened in disbelief. Fortunately, after a brief black screen, Lumine reappeared at the starting point.
Instead of rushing to choose another door, Chen Xiyao discreetly glanced at the chat.
[Haha, the streamer's just like me! Feeling better now.]
[Don't get complacent, streamer! You're barely through the first stage. Just wait until you start losing your mind later.]
[Compared to that, the first stage was relatively easy. You won't know what real disgust is until the second stage. Venti is inhuman!]
[If I were actually participating, I'd have been eliminated long ago.]
Chen Xiyao took a deep breath and chose the same door as before. This time, she didn't hesitate and immediately sprinted forward.
Behind her, the floor crumbled piece by piece, a terrifying sight but no obstacle for the sprinting character.
After crossing the path, she entered a wider area where the surrounding slates began to move. The Traveler needed to navigate through them within a set time limit.
After reading the instructions, Chen Xiyao controlled Lumine to charge in.
The slates moved rapidly, their paths constantly shifting. A single misstep would trap the Traveler, crushing them between the slates.
"Aiya!"
Chen Xiyao was squeezed out again, back at the entrance to the slate room.
"You can't escape if you make a mistake here! How am I supposed to get through this?!"
After several failed attempts, Chen Xiyao couldn't help but complain.
She glanced at the chat for tips and saw a suggestion: "Run slower and wait for the slates to move before choosing your path."
Skeptical but willing to try, Chen Xiyao followed the advice—and it worked!
Damn it! First they tell me to run fast, now they say to slow down!
-
On the arena platform, the Maze had two exits: one at the front and another on the side. Those emerging from the side exit had already failed and been eliminated, and within just a few minutes, some competitors began to emerge.
One by one, the dejected contestants shuffled out, placing their registration tokens into the large box prepared by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The front exit was reserved for contestants who had successfully navigated the Profound Rock Array. So far, no one had emerged from that path.
Soon, a contestant emerged from the front exit—a young man in his early twenties, dressed in tight-fitting martial attire.
After emerging, he immediately headed toward the second trial.
Before long, a steady stream of competitors began to emerge from the maze. The first trial wasn't particularly difficult; roughly half of the competitors managed to pass.
Lumine easily reached the second trial.
Unlike the first trial, the second trial took place at sea. Participants had to walk across floating logs on the water, buffeted by strong winds. Scattered throughout the course were turbulent wind fields.
Contestants could choose to traverse the sea on foot or soar above it using Wind Gliders.
This stage was a breeze for Lumine, but far less forgiving for the other competitors.
This round eliminated another sixty percent of the remaining participants.
Before long, Lumine reached the third stage, located on an island shrouded in mist within the Sea of Clouds.
As she approached the mist, she saw the Millelith Phantom Array surging toward her. Gathering her Anemo energy, Lumine unleashed a powerful ultimate, sending the phantom soldiers flying. She then chased after the tornado she had created, quickly clearing the third stage.
"Impressive, Traveler!" Kaeya remarked. "I entered the third stage earlier than you, yet we emerged at almost the same time."
Lumine flashed a harmless smile.
"I'm heading to the arena to check things out. Want to join me?"
"Sure, Paimon's still waiting for me over there."
Due to the large number of participants, the formal arena matches wouldn't begin until tomorrow. However, gathering information about the competitors beforehand was no bad thing, especially those Venti had specifically pointed out.