In the region of Tianqiu Valley.
As the current Sect Master of the Taixuan Sect, Guizhong's days were filled to the brim with work.
Even back when she served as the Grand Elder, she had little rest — but now, holding the mantle of Sect Master, her responsibilities had only multiplied.
In truth, she could have delegated most of these affairs to capable hands like Morax, whose steadiness she trusted completely.
But Guizhong refused.
Gu Chen had entrusted the Taixuan Sect to her — how could she let another bear that responsibility?
Under her leadership, the Taixuan Sect advanced steadily, step by step, until it became the holy land of cultivation across all of Teyvat.
The sect now held dominion over the Seven Authorities, and even the Authority of Heaven and Earth itself.
Out of that divine framework, the Vision — the Eye of God — naturally came into being.
However, the method to obtain a Vision was far too demanding, and its potential was vastly inferior to that of true immortal cultivation.
In the present-day Taixuan Sect, the most talented disciples had already reached power comparable to — or even surpassing — the ancient Archons.
That once-ridiculed saying, "to match and surpass the Archons," had now become indisputable truth.
Even Morax himself had once stated bluntly:
"The path of cultivation is vast beyond measure — there seems to be no end to it."
That day, Sect Master Guizhong journeyed across the lands to inspect the heavens and earth, examining the labors of the many divinities under the Taixuan lineage.
In this era, those deities basked in the faith of mortals.
Faith accelerated their cultivation, while mortals reaped divine blessings in return — timely rain, good harvests, freedom from illness.
The whole of heaven and earth was filled with joy.
Except for Guizhong.
Her heart carried a regret — one she could never erase.
So she drowned herself in work to numb the ache.
The moment she arrived in Tianqiu Valley, however, Guizhong froze.
Her brows furrowed ever so slightly.
The world before her eyes… was shifting.
It was an odd change — as if she had suddenly fallen into a realm that was both familiar and foreign.
This seemed to be Teyvat… yet its laws felt alien. Everything was subtly different from what she knew.
"What is happening…?"
Confusion flickered across her gaze.
She lifted her eyes — and saw the lingering light curtain in the sky.
Then another light curtain appeared right before her.
Within it was something called a chat group, where lines of text scrolled rapidly — all of them saying "Welcome, Sect Master's Wife!"
"What… is this?"
Her voice was soft, yet her words were sent into the chat.
[Guizhong]: What is this place?
[Nilou]: !!! Sect Master's wife! Let me explain everything!!!
Guizhong blinked, momentarily taken aback.
"Sect Master's… wife?"
Was that how they were calling her?
A complicated emotion crossed her face.
Once, she had dreamed of being the Sect Master's wife — yet fate had made her the Sect Master instead, while the man she loved had become one with the heavens, a being beyond all mortal feeling.
A familiar sorrow rose in her chest.
But as she read the chat — as people eagerly explained, with others chiming in — confusion gave way to shock, and then to a faint, trembling joy.
[Guizhong]: You're saying there are two Teyvats? That everything I experienced happened in another world — and that I've now crossed into your so-called "real Teyvat"?
[Paimon]: Yup! You've traveled here! The mighty power of the Exposure System brought you over! (Paimon: smug~)
[Venti]: @[Gu Chen] Sect Master, say a few words! (mischievous face)
[Gu Chen]: …What exactly am I supposed to say? (Paimon: shocked)
Gu Chen's emotions were tangled.
It was like this — imagine playing a game and meeting an NPC you liked. You enjoyed their company, but in the end, the quest reward still mattered more.
Once the quest was done, the NPC disappeared. You felt a little nostalgic, but you moved on.
That was what it had been like for him.
He had truly liked Guizhong, yes — but during the cycles of reincarnation, his focus had been on completing his tasks.
Now, though?
That same NPC… had descended into reality.
His in-game wife had literally appeared before him.
[Guizhong]: According to what you're all saying, the Gu Chen from my world and the Gu Chen here… they're the same person, aren't they?!
Her message came through almost trembling — she was desperate for a definite answer.
[Paimon]: @[Kaeya] You're the leader of the Sect Master's fan club — you explain!
[Kaeya]: Fine, fine. Good thing I prepared this ahead of time.
[Kaeya]: Here's how we've come to understand it — and most people agree. The Gu Chen in those videos is the same as the real Gu Chen, but not entirely. Their personalities differ in some ways. So we think each "video version" of Gu Chen is a fragment of the real one. Collect all the fragments, and you'd have the perfect, complete Gu Chen.
[Venti]: Indeed — his heart shattered into countless pieces, and every piece fell in love with someone different. (snickering)
[Tartaglia]: Sounds a bit like the Doctor and his "segments." (thoughtful)
[Dottore]: You flatter me.
[Diluc]: Hardly. He's not worthy of comparison.
[Dottore]: …
[Guizhong]: I see! @[Gu Chen] What about you? How do you feel? That's what matters most!
Her impatience was palpable.
[Gu Chen]: I agree wholeheartedly with what Nilou and Collei said. (nod)
Everyone knew Nilou and Collei were the most diehard shippers of Gu Chen × the video heroines.
Their greatest wish? That he'd marry them all.
[Guizhong]: I understand now!! (Klee: yay~)
[Nilou]: Aaaaahhh!!! Let's gooo!!! (Venti: throwing confetti)
[Collei]: Gu Chen × Guizhong — total victory!!! (Klee: big yay!!)
[Lumine]: Welcome to the family. (Paimon: smug hum)
[Raiden Makoto]: (Yunjin: quietly hopeful)
[Yae Miko]: So, the next video features brother-in-law again? Which lady this time, I wonder~? (Yae: sly grin)
[Venti]: Morax… in a dress. (snicker)
[Zhongli]: …You have chosen death. (Zhongli: black lines forming)
[Collei]: By the way, what's this "Derivative Series" video they announced? Could it be about Gu Chen too? (Venti: eyes sparkling)
[Paimon]: You just got your ship to sail and you already want a sequel? (Paimon: shocked)
[Collei]: Ehehe~ (Hu Tao: cute pose)
[Albedo]: "Derivative series" likely means "secondary creation." We'll find out soon enough. But what intrigues me more is Zhongli's reward — a memory, but one that includes everything about the Taixuan Sect. That's no simple matter.
Deep beneath Mount Hulao, beside the Dragon-Falling Tree.
Ten minutes earlier, Zhongli had stood perfectly still.
A flood of memories surged through his mind.
At over six thousand years old, his soul was firm as gold, and soon he finished assimilating it all. Yet his amber eyes were wide with astonishment.
Watching the video had been one thing — the Taixuan Scripture had seemed powerful, yes, but not extraordinary.
Now that he had truly remembered it…
He realized how naïve that impression had been.
This wasn't merely powerful — it was all-encompassing.
Cultivation to a certain realm granted true immortality.
And unlike the Visions, this strength came entirely from within.
What's more — cultivation refined not only the body but the soul, making it clearer and purer. A steadfast soul and a firm Dao-heart could even resist erosion!
Erosion — that dreaded, creeping decay of spirit.
Azhdaha was living proof of its horror.
Yet Zhongli now knew — even a mid-tier immortal scripture from the Taixuan Sect could cure that affliction completely.
"Old man, how is it?" Venti asked eagerly.
Zhongli's expression remained grave, his eyes still reflecting awe.
He nodded solemnly.
"Every memory — from my birth to my time as the Taixuan Earth-Law Enforcement Celestial."
"Good heavens…"
Venti was stunned. Then his eyes gleamed.
"With that knowledge — all of it intact — do you think these cultivation techniques could spread across our world?"
"They could," Zhongli admitted, then shook his head. "But not without the Sect Master's permission."
Though he himself hadn't yet practiced the immortal arts in this reality, with those memories he could easily do so and master them swiftly.
Yet to teach them to others? That would be forbidden.
After all, every scripture, every immortal art, originated from Gu Chen. He alone was their rightful owner.
If Gu Chen disapproved, Zhongli would not reveal a single word.
"Of course," Venti nodded gravely. "To spread it without his consent — what would that make us?"
Zhongli's gaze softened slightly.
For all his usual frivolity, this bard could be serious when it counted.
"Still… what do you think the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles would make of this?" Zhongli mused.
"Her?"
Venti glanced upward toward Celestia, lips curling.
"Even in her prime, she couldn't defeat the Sect Master. And now she's half-crippled. Don't forget — from the first time I met him, I couldn't see through him at all. Maybe Kaeya's theory really is the truth."
Zhongli blinked, then slowly nodded.
"If that's the case… then this Exposure System — its videos, its rewards, like this 'Gu Chen's reward' — doesn't it feel like it's trying to repair the world?"
"Wait."
Venti raised a hand, eyes narrowing in thought.
"Think about it. Ei and Guizhong both died long ago. Now they've reappeared — not as undead, but as though they'd simply taken a different path. Their stories continued."
"The Gu Chen's reward, too — a clear sign of progress."
He paused, eyes widening.
"If the Sustainer's death would cause the world to collapse, yet you now have the knowledge to let people cultivate… and if the Sect Master approves, the world could thrive again… then doesn't it seem like every reward the system gives is meant to improve Teyvat?!"
Zhongli stared, stunned — then fell into deep thought.
Indeed, every video so far had imparted valuable lessons.
And every reward had strengthened the world in some way.
Venti's theory wasn't without merit.
"But why?" Zhongli murmured.
"If the Sustainer's fall leads to collapse… and she's already weakening… then maybe the Exposure System is gathering power from other worlds to keep this one alive?"
"That… may very well be the truth."
Zhongli's tone grew heavy.
After all, Gu Chen's reward this time was Gu Chen's reward itself.
And if that device truly worked as the name implied, then Venti's hypothesis could not be dismissed.
On Celestia.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles stood in silence, her expression complicated.
Her strength was waning by the day, forcing her into long sleeps to endure the pain.
She had considered the same possibilities Zhongli and Venti now voiced.
Her vision reached further — and the truth she saw only deepened her unease.
"So… is this because the world is destined to perish, and the system is absorbing the strengths of other worlds to prevent that?"
She murmured to herself.
Her gaze turned toward Gu Chen.
Gu Chen's reward.
Teyvat was teetering, ever on the brink of collapse.
If that device could truly anchor the world… both she and Teyvat desperately needed it.
Yet — there was enmity between them.
That alone filled her with frustration.
What was my past self thinking?
From her vantage high above, she could see everything — even mortals understood what she herself once failed to grasp.
The realization stung.
"They were right to curse my former self," she muttered bitterly. "She really was blind."
She exhaled softly, the resolve in her voice returning.
"No matter what… I have to meet with Gu Chen. Stabilizing the world comes first."
At the Gu Residence.
Gu Chen stood before a peculiar object, lost in contemplation.
Gu Chen's reward.
Its base was carved from solid white jade, inscribed with intricate runes that spiraled inward — all pointing toward an empty center.
"So this is Gu Chen's reward. What does it actually do?" Paimon asked, scratching her head.
"It needs to bind to something," Gu Chen explained. "Say I bound it to you. Then your spirit's reflection would appear inside. If anything happened to you, the device would react, showing it instantly. With a few adjustments, I could stabilize your essence and restore you — simple as that."
"Ooh~"
Paimon's eyes lit up in understanding — then widened again.
"Wait a sec! You didn't get any memories — so how do you know all this?!"
Beside them, Lumine and Raiden Makoto smiled knowingly.
Gu Chen spread his hands casually.
"Everyone knows I'm just that good. Knowing a few extra things shouldn't be surprising."
"You're like a walking encyclopedia!" Paimon huffed, crossing her arms.
Gu Chen didn't respond — and the two women didn't press.
Makoto, ever gentle, changed the subject softly:
"Guizhong is coming soon. Shouldn't you prepare something?"
Gu Chen froze for half a heartbeat, then slapped his forehead.
"Right! I still haven't built that Glaze Lily Cave Heaven I promised her!"
He rushed off immediately, flustered but smiling.
Lumine and Makoto exchanged glances, laughter dancing in their eyes.
"If it weren't for us," Lumine chuckled, "this household would fall apart."
Then, after a pause, her tone turned mock-serious.
"Come on, Sister Makoto — help me change. If Guizhong's coming, I need to show her the dignity of the first wife."
Makoto's soft laugh filled the air.
Lumine — mysterious in age and ageless in spirit — was usually composed and kind, but once familiar, she revealed a playful streak and a touch of mischief.
Now, declaring herself the "main wife," one might think she meant to intimidate Guizhong.
But in truth, once the two met, she'd probably end up clinging to her affectionately, calling her Sister Guizhong, and before long —
they'd be sharing laughter, secrets, and the same warm quilt beneath the same star-filled sky.
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