The western grandstand was reserved exclusively for Liyue's high-ranking officials and specially invited guests, noticeably elevated above the other stands.
The Liyue Qixing, Zhongli, Venti, and even Xianyun, who had recently descended from the mountains, were seated here. Zhongli's table held a pot of clear tea, while Venti's featured Dandelion Wine brought from Mondstadt.
Between Zhongli and Venti sat a woman dressed in white.
Tianquan Ningguang, seated in the main seat, occasionally glanced their way. After Zhongli's numerous interventions, his true identity was no longer a secret to her.
However, this knowledge remained confined to Ningguang alone. To everyone else, Zhongli and his companions were simply her guests.
In Ningguang's mind, the woman seated beside Zhongli and Venti could only be the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata of Sumeru...
-
The first round of matches lacked any particularly thrilling clashes, as none of the stronger contenders faced each other.
Lumine and Paimon made their way to the northern stands, where they could get a clear view of Cyno's match.
In the small, ring-fenced arena, Cyno faced off against a Millelith Captain.
This Millelith Captain lacked a Vision. Despite his formidable martial skills, he stood no chance against Cyno.
Perhaps due to the competition being held in Liyue, Cyno refrained from immediately defeating his opponent. Instead, he sparred with him for some time before finally driving him back.
The Millelith Captain, sensing Cyno's deliberate restraint, bowed deeply in respect before withdrawing from the arena. The gap in skill was simply too vast; he had no hope of victory.
The second round soon began. This time, a familiar face entered the arena: Tartaglia. His opponent proved intriguing—a Fatui Skirmisher - Debt Collector.
When the Debt Collector realized his opponent was Lord Harbinger himself, the expression beneath his mask must have been priceless.
"L-Lord Childe, I..."
"Come now," Tartaglia said, assuming a combat stance. "Fleeing mid-battle isn't the Fatui way." He didn't even bother drawing his weapon.
"Then, forgive me."
The debt collector vanished into the shadows and lunged forward. Twenty seconds later, Tartaglia tossed him off the arena.
Tartaglia shook his head. This level of combat held no interest for him, but he wasn't worried. Plenty of skilled combatants were participating in the Summit, so he'd surely find a worthy opponent eventually.
As he left the arena, Tartaglia nodded toward his sister in the stands.
Angie rolled her eyes and turned away.
Finally, it was Lumine's turn in the third wave.
Since Lumine had friends in every nation, her match drew the most attention. Even Venti and Zhongli were watching closely.
However, her initial opponent proved disappointingly weak—a wandering samurai Lumine easily defeated.
Not only Lumine, but Chen Xiyao from the Player World also breezed through her match.
This wandering samurai, aside from having slightly more health, was no different from those encountered in Inazuma.
Wave after wave of arena battles continued.
With Venti, Zhongli, and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata overseeing the matches, they intervened whenever a fighter faced potentially irreversible injuries or life-threatening situations.
After all, this was merely a friendly competition, not a life-or-death struggle.
Angie, Chasca, Fidelle, Kaeya, Rosaria, Kujou Sara, and the others dominated their opponents, securing crushing victories.
Just as Lumine thought the first round was wrapping up, the first truly captivating match of the tournament finally unfolded on the arena.
Mu Qingxu was facing Xingqiu.
One was the younger sister of the former Kaiyang and Cloud Retainer's newly accepted disciple, while the other was the heir to the Guhua School and the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Both wielded Hydro Visions.
When Lumine saw the two facing off on the arena, she and Paimon immediately rushed to another viewing platform.
"Hurry, Lumine! They're about to start fighting over there!"
Paimon was so excited that she sprinted ahead, leaving Lumine to follow, offering apologetic smiles to the spectators as she hurried past.
Qingxu's parents were also in the stands. Her father's once-jet-black hair had turned significantly whiter over the past year, and wrinkles had begun to etch her mother's face.
They had come specifically to watch their daughter's match. When they saw her opponent was Xingqiu, the young swordsman from the Feiyun Commerce Guild, they grew deeply worried.
They knew Xingqiu well—a Hydro Vision wielder and formidable fighter!
Although their Qingxu had been training with an Adeptus for over six months, could she possibly defeat Xingqiu with just half a year of training?
-
On the arena stage:
"Qingxu, I didn't expect we'd face each other so soon."
"Please don't hold back, Brother Xingqiu."
Xingqiu was somewhat troubled—it was actually her!
His concern wasn't because she was a girl—in Teyvat, being female was hardly a sign of weakness.
Consider the previous Kaiyang and the Yuheng: anyone who thought they could afford to hold back against women would probably be beaten to death soon.
Xingqiu's dilemma stemmed from Qingxu being younger than him, the sister of the previous Kaiyang, and a close friend. If he could, he'd rather avoid fighting her altogether.
Qingxu also hadn't anticipated facing Xingqiu in the first round. Though surprising, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
She drew Tidesong Jade Splinter, the spear she had just received from her master, performed a spear flourish, and assumed the opening stance her sister had taught her.
In the stands, Zhongli and Venti's pupils trembled almost imperceptibly.
Rola had learned quite a bit of her spear technique from Qingge, mirroring her opening stance exactly. Qingxu, having learned basically from her sister, naturally adopted the same form.
Xingqiu unsheathed his sword. "Xingqiu of the Guhua School, I seek your guidance!"
As soon as the words fell, Xingqiu flicked his left fingertips, rapidly forming three Rain Swords that appeared around him, slowly orbiting like a crystalline shield.
Qingxu stomped hard on the arena, gripped her spear with one hand, and stepped forward with her right foot. A surge of water erupted, momentarily obscuring Xingqiu's vision.
With a slight twist of her right wrist, Qingxu sent the spear tip, imbued with the power of a tsunami, hurtling straight toward Xingqiu's face.
Clang!
Xingqiu parried with his sword, sliding back four or five meters. The clash shattered one of the Rain Swords orbiting him.
Qingxu pressed her attack, unleashing a rapid three-strike combo so fast it left only afterimages. Each thrust sent geysers of water erupting from the ground.
Sensing a sharp pain beneath his feet during a brief lull in Qingxu's assault, Xingqiu leaped high into the air, flipping over Qingxu to land behind her.
"Raincutter!" Xingqiu hissed, pointing his sword skyward.
The air instantly coalesced into a dense curtain of rain, which rapidly transformed into water swords. In an instant, hundreds of shimmering blades hung suspended in the air like stars.
Xingqiu thrust his sword forward, launching the rain of swords toward Qingxu.
In the stands, Cloud Retainer leaned forward anxiously, craning her neck to see how her disciple would counter this attack.
"Thousand Tides... Bury the Divine!"
A phantom figure, shimmering in ethereal blue light, materialized behind Qingxu, silencing the arena. The specter was none other than Qingxu's sister, who had fallen in battle at The Chasm!
The sisters gripped their spears simultaneously. As their weapons crossed in a blinding flash, a colossal wave surged from the ground. The phantom spear mirrored the real spear, tearing through the rain curtain and cleaving the torrential downpour of water swords in two!
"That girl..."
In the stands, Fidelle watched in astonishment.
Could it be...? Qingge's spirit was still with them?