Teyvat.
Across the vast land, countless towering peaks rose from the mountains. One ridge after another formed a unique forest of stone pillars. Wrapped in drifting morning mist and bathed in the first rays of sunlight, the landscape looked almost otherworldly—like a realm of immortals.
On a mountain outside the peak forest, a young man lay sprawled on the grass.
He was around 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a brightly patterned casual outfit, with refined and handsome features.
A moment later, his fingers twitched.
Slowly, groggily, the young man opened his eyes. Holding his forehead, he pushed himself up into a sitting position.
"Where… am I?"
As his blurry vision gradually cleared, the young man froze.
Before him stretched countless mountain peaks shrouded in drifting clouds.
The view was breathtaking—so beautiful it almost suffocated him.
"…Hey, what the hell kind of place did you dump me in?"
"Is this even still in my country?"
After snapping back to his senses, Qiu Nian muttered to himself.
He remembered sitting on the airplane, gazing out the window.
Then suddenly, a sharp emergency alarm rang out. The entire aircraft shook violently.
After that, everything went black.
He had woken up once midway, only to find himself falling through the sky—before losing consciousness again.
And when he woke up this time… he was already here.
"So… the plane crashed?"
So this is how it ends
Qiu Nian looked up blankly, still feeling dazed.
Not only that—there was also a strange panel floating before his eyes.
Player Madness System.
"…So not only did I crash, I transmigrated too?"
Looks like i'm back
"But what world is this supposed to be?"
Rubbing his chin, Qiu Nian muttered in confusion.
Transmigration, huh…
His previous life—calling it that should be correct.
Back then, he had grown up without family. From childhood to adulthood, he lived in an orphanage.
Later, after working hard for years, he finally achieved some modest success.
But right when life seemed to be improving, disaster struck.
He was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
After donating most of his money to the orphanage that had raised him, he decided to take a plane and travel—to finally see the world beyond.
Who would have thought…
Fate had other plans.
The plane crashed.
…Though, in a strange way, it wasn't so bad.
Wasn't this still a way of seeing the world?
Gazing at the indescribably beautiful scenery before him, Qiu Nian revealed a faint smile.
"System, what exactly can you do?"
"And more importantly… what world is this?"
Right now, the most important thing was figuring out where he had ended up.
A mechanical voice sounded in his mind.
"Replying to host. This system is called the Player Madness System."
"The host may freely design their character's background story. As for when the character enters the event banner, the host may decide that as well."
"As long as players become increasingly 'crazy' about the character and the character's popularity rises, the host will grow stronger."
"As for this world… it is the world of Genshin Impact."
"The world of Genshin!"
"It's actually the world of Genshin!"
Qiu Nian's eyes lit up with excitement.
In his previous life, the game he had spent the longest time with was Genshin Impact.
The beautiful landscapes within that world had always captivated him.
It was even the reason he decided to travel and see the world for himself.
No wonder the scenery looked so familiar.
This should be Jueyun Karst in Liyue, right?
But…
Wasn't this version of Jueyun Karst a little too large?
It stretched endlessly beyond the horizon—far bigger than anything in the game.
And far more breathtaking, too.
"…Hmm."
For the next while, Qiu Nian began studying the system.
After tinkering with it for quite some time, he roughly figured it out.
Simply put, he could create and define his own character background.
And once the background was set, those events would become experiences he had truly lived through, granting him the corresponding power.
However, he only had one chance to set it.
Once finalized, it could never be changed.
And it would also permanently alter the reality and history of Teyvat—and even other worlds involved in the story.
Finally, there was the banner system.
That part was simple to understand.
Whenever he wanted his character to appear in the character banner, it would happen.
At the moment, these were all the system's functions.
"If I can define my own background… and gain the power that comes with it…"
"Then I might as well make it something explosive."
As he thought this, Qiu Nian began crafting his character.
A mysterious gentleman who appeared in Liyue.
A man who knew the hidden secrets and forgotten past of ages long gone.
Someone whose body carried untold stories buried deep within time.
Next came the character illustration—the appearance.
Naturally, Qiu Nian made himself ridiculously handsome.
Height: 1.83 meters.
Long black hair tied with a bamboo hairpin.
A flowing Han-style robe in pale cyan and white, patterned like ink-wash paintings, paired with a large cloak.
The overall look was light and elegant—almost ethereal.
His face was refined and strikingly handsome.
His pupils were a normal shade of black.
At first glance, he looked like a gentle scholar.
In his right hand he held an ancient sword without a sheath. The blade was engraved with mysterious patterns.
Qiu Nian named the sword Zhanxi.
As for why he didn't have a Vision—well, that was tied to the background he had created.
The moment Qiu Nian finished the setup and pressed the confirm button—
It felt as if countless ages passed before his eyes.
Fragments of scenes flashed through his mind.
There were adepti.
There were gods and demon gods.
There were colossal beasts so enormous they defied imagination.
And there was also…
The starry sky.
And endless darkness.
Every scene carried overwhelming emotion.
At the same time, his power surged wildly.
Growing stronger to an absurd degree.
After the visions ended, Qiu Nian's expression was not twisted or overwhelmed as one might expect.
Instead—
He looked calm.
Unusually calm.
There was not even a hint of joy at obtaining such power.
Even the scenery before him now felt strangely familiar.
The wind of Jueyun Karst brushed gently past.
Qiu Nian closed his eyes slightly and let out a soft sigh.
"The aftereffects are really strong…"
Opening his eyes, he looked out over the now golden dusk of Jueyun Karst, his expression somewhat complicated.
If he had known, he wouldn't have written such an outrageous background.
While crafting the story earlier, he had spent over ten hours inventing it.
And as he wrote, he had become completely immersed in it.
His imagination had run wild.
People often fantasize about becoming someone else.
From suffering to strength.
Facing powerful enemies in desperate battles—first losing, then making a dramatic comeback.
Or imagining themselves as a savior.
But when those fantasies truly become reality…
When they become experiences you've actually lived through…
Only then can you understand what it really feels like.
That's right.
The story Qiu Nian spent more than ten hours imagining…
He had now personally lived through it across thousands of years.
"…Now I finally understand Morax a little better."
Qiu Nian looked up at the vast blue sky and chuckled softly.
He raised his hand slightly.
The sword Zhanxi in his hand vanished instantly.
A moment later, an aura surged around his body—white with faint streaks of crimson.
The clear white energy mixed with threads of pale red gave off an almost immortal, transcendent feeling.
Then he withdrew the aura.
"Oh right… I forgot to ask the system what era this is."
"Have Lumine or Aether already begun their journey?"
Qiu Nian thought to himself.
And why did he say "so-called system"?
Because the moment he pressed the confirm button…
In a certain sense—
This "system" itself…
Was something he had created.
Handsome in appearance, and carrying himself with calm, elegant grace.