Song of the Heart Sword

Read Yangyang's WavesLine message

Go see Suisui off

Yangyang: Suisui... are you sure you won't stay a few more days?

Suisui: Come now, don't give me that face, darling. When I'm gone, get plenty of rest, eat on time, and don't push yourself when things get hard. And...

Suisui: Well, I meant to slip away quietly. I didn't expect Yangyang to catch me halfway.

Suisui: What, going to miss me already?

Rover: It's very sudden, that's all. Has something pressing come up in Mengzhou?

Suisui: Nothing major. It's just now that I've found my little sister, and she's grown strong enough to stand on her own, I can relax and return to minding the Guild's affairs.

Suisui: Moreover, I plan to make full use of the Guild's connections and channels to dig into Zhuojun Atelier. Into Muyu.

Yangyang: Muyu... He fled the last battle inside a puppet vessel. We still don't know where his true body is, or what he's scheming.

Yangyang: For now, I'll join the Ministry of War patrols around Xuanfang Hold to search for any sign of him.

Suisui: To think, that man sowed chaos on such a scale in Xuanfang, yet Mengzhou City Hall shows so little concern... Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Rover: So you're going back to Mengzhou to try to find answers.

Suisui: I am. That's where I shine. You have bigger fish to fry. Like tracking down a certain Mengzhou SentinelHsin the Moon Fox I once made a deal with.

Suisui: She never told me where She was, but I've always had the feeling She was close to Xuanfang Hold. And wouldn't you know...

Suisui: The Elseway Shroud I entered before has appeared again.

Rover: The Sentinel is our best chance at understanding what's happening in Xuanfang.

Rover: You obtained Her token and saw her frequency at Fogveil Pagoda. If there are clues anywhere, they'll be there.

Suisui: Relax, darling. I am esteemed Chairwoman of the Zhaoming Commerce Guild. The eldest daughter in a family of musicians. And... Yangyang's big sister!

Rover: I trust you, Suisui. But if anything happens that you can't handle alone, you need to contact us.

Suisui: ...I was really trying not to make a fuss.

Suisui: ...I grew far too fond of the time we all spent together. So before I leave, one last reminder—

Suisui: Take care of Yangyang. If you let her get lost... you'll have to answer to me.

Yangyang: Sister... I can hear you, you know...

Suisui: Well then, let's say goodbye now. One of these days, I'll give you both a proper tour of Mengzhou!

Yangyang: That qin music... I think I've heard it before.

Rover: ...It sounds expectant. Like the person playing is waiting for something.

Qingxiao: ...Hsin.

???: ...Qingxiao the Perfected? Are you there?

???: Qingxiao the Transcendent? Little, Qing, Xiao—

Qingxiao: I am listening.

???: So, when will you finally consider moving to Xuanfang Hold? I've even had a quiet room set aside for you in the Sanctum.

???: No need to hide away on this cold, lonely mountain. Hm... the damp is getting to my tail.

Qingxiao: This place is quiet. Remote. Free from worldly disturbance. It suits cultivation.

???: That answer again.

???: Now it feels exactly like the day we first met.

Qingxiao: ...Hsin. You did not come only to chat.

Hsin: I did not. I do have something to ask of you this time.

Hsin: Paragon Qingxiao, should disaster one day befall Xuanfang Hold, I hope you will raise your sword for its people.

Hsin: Should the tide become irreversible, then you may exercise mySentinel authority in my stead.

Qingxiao: You... What has happened?

Qingxiao: Qingxiao accepts your charge.

Hsin: With you here, I am at ease. Perhaps soon... you will find the answer to that which you have asked the heavens.

Qingxiao: ...Where will you go now?

Hsin: Shh. That is still a secret.

Qingxiao: So the time has come.

Qingxiao: Let us descend the mountain.

Abby: Hmph... Ugh... Pretty sure I just heard Yangyang. Did she leave already?

Rover: Up at last? Suisui's already on her way to Mengzhou City, and Yangyang's out on routine patrol.

Abby: Aw, what? Everyone's gone... So where are you off to, then?

Rover: Fogveil Pagoda, where Hsin's frequency appeared before.

Head to the Elseway Shroud Suisui mentioned

Rover: This is the path Suisui described. But I'm not seeing any of the Disorienting Fog she mentioned.

Abby: (...Yep, even I can't smell that nasty head-spinning fog anymore. Seems like it's all cleared out.)

Rover: Let's go inside and take a look around.

Enter the Elseway Shroud

Qingxiao: Be on guard. Tacet Discords have escaped from nearby Censure Cages.

Rover: You must be... Paragon Qingxiao. We've met before.

Rover: But the siege at the Hold's gates didn't give us much time for introductions. What brings you here?

Qingxiao: A Rafter Kite guided me. I am searching for someone of great importance.

Qingxiao: I know of your deeds in Jinzhou. Alongside Jué and the Jinzhou Magistrate, you resolved the Temporal Disruption on Mt. Firmament.

Qingxiao: Do not trouble yourself. Few know the details.

Qingxiao: I came seeking Her too, only to find many Censure Cages failing, and the fog meant to confuse Tacet Discords has dispersed.

Qingxiao: A nearby secret chamber stores the Sentinel's Relic. It may have been affected as well.

Rover: By "Sentinel's Relic"... do you mean something like this?

Qingxiao: It does resemble an ornament worn by Hsin.

Rover: Not long ago, Suisui met the Moon Fox in that very secret chamber and was given this Prism of Fate.

Rover: Paragon Qingxiao, we're here for the same reason. Why don't we travel together? Watch each other's backs?

Qingxiao: I suppose we can.

Qingxiao: ...From now on, please just call me Qingxiao.

Investigate the fallen Autopuppet nearby

Qingxiao: No external damage. Unlike last time, it has not been corrupted by Reverberations.

Rover: Meaning this isn't one of Muyu's tricks?

Qingxiao: Yes, it seems they have simply shut down.

Rover: This should be the entrance to the secret chamber. Looks like... nothing's stopping us from just walking in.

Qingxiao: It seems whatever ward kept it sealed is no longer in effect.

Head to Hsin's Chamber

Abby: Hey, do you smell that? Something weird is nearby. Sniff, sniff... Huh?

Qingxiao: ...

Abby: Uuugh... Rover, she's lookin' at me funny!

Abby: Yessiree! So uh... hi there. Nice meeting ya, I'm Abby.

Qingxiao: Hello. Abby... I'll remember that name.

Qingxiao: There is no trace of Hsin nearby. She is not here.

Rover: The Prism of Fate isn't responding either...

Abby: Oh, I found where that smell is coming from. This way!

Rover: What's this...?

Abby: Its frequency is a lot like that weird-smelling Autopuppet kernel from last time.

Rover: Hmm, Suisui did mention an informant who met her outside Fogveil Pagoda before—

Suisui: ...If there were no hiccups, the Cat of the Nether Lamp should have made contact with Muyu by now.

Suisui: ...He is one of our people inside Zhuojun Atelier. But our cooperation with him has limits. Mutual limits. We don't even know his true name.

Suisui: ...Identifying traits? The Tacet Mark down his eye, a Qingfucopper coin pendant on his belt, and... an odd lamp that's always burning.

Suisui: The Guild's intelligence says a special spiritRemnant Creature is sealed within the lamp. That's where his Jianghu moniker comes from.

Rover: If the informant wore a similar pendant, this didn't wind up here by accident. He likely left it on purpose.

Qingxiao: Hm, he likely did so because he anticipated that someone would come here soon.

Qingxiao: And those who come to this chamber are either connected to Hsin or seeking Her.

Rover: Then this may be a clue that's meant for us.

Abby: Mm... I don't get it. Why only a pendant? A note or a letter would've been a whole lot more obvious.

Rover: Could've been... that he had no time to leave a message, just something he carried on him.

Qingxiao: I know little beyond that. The people of Xianling Village should be more familiar with them.

Rover: Then let's go ask around Xianling Village. We don't have any other leads.

Rover: Once we understand its significance, we can figure out what this "Cat of the Nether Lamp" was trying to tell us.

Qingxiao: I will go with you.

Qingxiao: These disruptions in the ancient order are not trivial. If more Tacet Discords escape, the people around Shaftpost Yard will suffer first.

Head back to the special Elseway Shroud

Continue your earlier adventure

Qingxiao: That is... the Four Chime Shaftpost alarm.

Rover: She can fly on her sword...

Eliminate the Tacet Discords

With the Tacet Discords eliminated, the villagers quickly gather around you.

Changluan: Whew... Thank you for saving us, Paragon Qingxiao. And... Ah, you're the great hero who helped the Wardens defend Xuanfang Hold.

Xinyuan: Well... ever since the last incident, there haven't been many working ones left around the village.

Xinyuan: They'll be standing fine one moment, then just drop the next. Even the Ministry folks couldn't fix them.

Rover: (...That sounds exactly like the Autopuppets we encountered back at the Pagoda.)

Changluan: These days, we rely on the Ministry's soldiers to keep us safe. But they're run ragged. Too much to do, not enough hands.

Qingxiao: Do not worry. The Four Chime Shaftpost has sounded. The Xuanfang Wardens will arrive shortly. I will brief them myself.

Xinyuan: Oh, that? She lights incense before the Sword Transcendent's spirit tablet. Prays for good luck and health. Some of the older folks believe in such things.

Rover: ...

Qingxiao: There is something I would like to ask you.

Rover: We'd like to know what this pendant means in Mengzhou.

Changluan: Not a good place to talk. Too many ears... But word is, they're a lawless bunch. "Thieves," through and through.

Xinyuan: That's not really fair. Some say they are righteous wanderers, too.

Changluan: Hmph, if you want the full telling, go ask Granny Yanshu by the village gate.

Xinyuan: She's not a bad person, it's just... most folks in the village have their reasons for keeping a distance.

Qingxiao: I see. I will go speak with her.

Rover: Sounds like this "Granny Yanshu" has some connection to those Nethermancers.

Qingxiao: I know the old woman they mentioned.

Qingxiao: ...Her late husband was a Nethermancer.

Rover: This is...

???: Ah... I thought there would be no need to send a Xuanling to trouble you.

???: But Bladepuppets alone could not hold back this tide of Tacet Discords...

Qingxiao: Evacuate the others. I will handle what remains.

Rover: ...?

Qingxiao: What troubles you?

Rover: The figure in that old portrait... is that you and a Xuanling Bird?

Qingxiao: Yes. It never could settle. Always pecking at my hair.

Qingxiao: No need for formality. A Cultivator seeks to live long and see true. Age holds little meaning to me now.

Qingxiao: She has come.

Yanshu: Heh heh. An ancestor of mine left that painting a hundred years back. Said it would ward off evil and invite good fortune. Look at those colors, haven't faded a bit after all this time...

Yanshu: Oh, Paragon Qingxiao! You are here too. If I'd known, I would have prepared a pot of good tea.

Qingxiao: Please do not trouble yourself. We came to ask you about a pendant.

Rover: We found this inside Fogveil Pagoda.

Rover: The villagers said the copper coins on it have ties to Mengzhou's Nethermancers.

Yanshu: You have likely heard the ugly rumors. But in truth, they are a band of "old-world relics" who do not hold their own lives dear.

Yanshu: Since olden times, Mengzhou has had many places of strange fengshui where Reverberations gather. Left untended, they grow into Mirage RealmsSonoro Spheres, and from them, Tacet Discords are born.

Yanshu: Nethermancers practice Vein Prospecting, the art of reading the land's hidden golden veins. Their trade is exploring Mirage Realms. It is an old, old craft.

Yanshu: Hehe... Far less noble than that, I'm afraid. Nethermancers dispel Mirage Realms to stop disasters, yes. But also peddle the ownerless relics they find inside. That is the Jianghu way.

Yanshu: Their rules are loose, their ranks mixed. They walk where the dead walk, so misunderstandings cling to them like flies to honey.

Yanshu: There are fewer Nethermancers each year. Few in that line meet a peaceful end. My late husband, Sandao, was no different... He did not even leave me a keepsake.

Yanshu: Forgive me. I have drifted from the question. The pendant you asked about is a common token they carry.

Yanshu: It is a mark of reverence for gods, spirits, and the dead. In a Mirage Realm, such a token often serves a special purpose.

Qingxiao: Do Nethermancers always bring such pendants when they enter one?

Yanshu: Yes. Rarely do they go without.

Rover: (Then the reason he left it behind likely has to do with a Mirage Realm. The anomalies in Fogveil Pagoda may be linked to whatever he did.)

Yanshu: Wait. This knotwork... I think I've seen it before...

Yanshu: Could this belong to... Jing? But how...?

Yangyang: Rover, Paragon Qingxiao!

Yangyang: A nearby Censure Court has stopped functioning. We need to evacuate these people to Xuanfang Hold right away.

Qingxiao: The Celestial Ring Formation...?

Qingxiao: A few Tacet Discords slipped past the formation already. I will deal with them swiftly.

Rover: I'll go with you. We need to keep the evacuation route clear.

Qingxiao: Shaftpost Yard needs you more.

Rover: It'll be fine. Yangyang and the Wardens have that side covered.

Eliminate the Tacet Discords in the sword formation

Qingxiao: The Tacet Discords inside the formation have been mostly cleared.

Rover: To the Sky Pier, then. Yangyang and the others must be ready to set off.

Head to the Sky Pier at Shaftpost Yard

Qingxiao: Your Cloud Ride...

Rover: What about it?

Qingxiao: The Ministry of War issued me one. I never could grow used to it.

Rover: Signs of evacuation everywhere. Most people have already left.

Help the Xuanfang Wardens eliminate the Tacet Discords

Rear Guard Soldier: Our thanks for the assistance. We'll regroup with Watcher Yangyang and the others straightaway.

Evacuating Civilian: Phew, thank you! Lucky for us you were here.

Head to the Sky Pier at Shaftpost Yard

Meet up with Yangyang and the others at the Sky Pier

Yangyang: You're here! This is the last group of people. You should board the Skybarge too.

Yangyang: There are still plenty of seats inside. Enough for everyone.

Qingxiao: There's no need. I will ride escort from the sky, in case anything goes wrong.

Yangyang: Under the Ministry's contingency plan, Commander Qiuhong has already set up a receiving party for those who left earlier.

Yangyang: No time to waste. Let's go.

Head to the Ministry of War

Abby: (Pheeew... We finally got everyone to the Ministry of War in one piece.)

Rover: You say that like you did it all yourself.

Abby: (Uh, I did stuff too! That kid's shoe? The old man's bag? Who zoomed into the middle of those TDs to snatch 'em back? Me, that's who!)

Rover: I know, I know. Everyone was quick on their feet this time. Soldiers and civilians both.

Abby: (Yeah, well, the same thing happened not long ago. Everyone has an idea of what to do now.)

Meet up with Qingxiao at the Ministry of War

Injured Soldier: Ngh... Mm...

Helpless Girl: He looks like he's really hurting.

Worried Mother: Is the pain from his wound keeping him conscious? What did the Huaxu medic say earlier?

Calm Father: The wound is dressed, and it will not worsen. But... we've no medicine for the pain. He must endure for now.

Worried Mother: A young man barely in his first posting... He threw himself in front of us. Took those strikes so we wouldn't.

Helpless Girl: Lady Transcendent, please help him. Can you?

Qingxiao: I will.

Injured Soldier: Ah... It's... Paragon... Qingxiao...

Injured Soldier: ...How pathetic. I've dragged everyone down again...

Qingxiao: You did well. Now rest easy.

Qingxiao: ...The pain will not trouble him for now.

Helpless Girl: Thank you... Thank you!

Qingxiao: It is only a simple Quietude Art. It can help induce sleep, nothing more.

Qingxiao: Come. The Warden Commander is expecting you up ahead.

Rover: How are things looking right now?

Qingxiao: The contingency measures have proved effective. Only a few were injured during the evacuation, and most Tacet Discords remain outside the Hold.

Qingxiao: Still, we have taken a heavy blow. Even with aid from other cities, we are short on supplies.

Rover: We can't let this drag on. Our priority should be to find the source of this disturbance.

Head to the Sky Pier at Shaftpost Yard

Learn what's happening from the Warden Commander and the others

Qiuhong: ...The Hold's Autopuppets have all shut down. Even our defensive apparatuses, including the Xuan Shield, have failed.

Qiuhong: Holding the main gate is no longer viable. We must fall back, line by line, and rally everyone around the Ministry of War. It is the sturdiest ground we have left.

Yangyang: Only a few Tacet Discords have slipped into the Hold so far. We still have time to set up our defenses... Ah, you're here.

Rover: Any word on what caused this incident?

Qiuhong: Our tally shows nearly three in ten Censure Courts have stopped cold. The Ministry of Development has yet to determine why. This is not a simple malfunction.

Yangyang: Earlier, while patrolling near the Skyworks with the others, we ran into a pack of Tacet Discords that had just broken loose.

Yangyang: We fought our way through and found a nearby Censure Court shut down. Autopuppets fallen all around. It was as if every mechanism... gave out at once.

Qiuhong: If anything could trigger anomalies of this magnitude, it would have to be...

Qingxiao: The Sanctum.

Qingxiao: It is Hsin's residence, and the control mainframe of Xuanfang Hold.

Qiuhong: Precisely. There may have been a change inside. Looking back, we overlooked something in our earlier operations—

Qiuhong: Tacet Discords and Autopuppets were not a concern within the Hold, so we assumed the Sanctum was safe. We posted only a handful of guards along the main approaches.

Rover: When the Ministry of War searched for Muyu's true body, did anyone search inside the Sanctum?

Yangyang: During the fight... Muyu hinted that his attack on Xuanfang Hold had another purpose—

Muyu: ...Pathetic fools. You have guarded this Hold for over two hundred years, yet still you're blind to its fundamental nature.

Muyu: I am but a single step away from my destination. Anything that stands in my way now is nothing more than a momentary diversion.

Yangyang: He sowed such chaos. Threw lives away... just so he could clear a path to the Sanctum.

Rover: We can't be sure yet, but too many signs point to the Sanctum: Muyu's escape. The Censure Courts shutting down. The Sentinel missing.

Rover: It may well be the source of this disturbance. If we're lucky, we might find the truth and some trace of Hsin the Moon Fox there.

Qingxiao: I will go with you. The Sanctum's mechanisms are intricate and ever-shifting. A moment's carelessness could make you lose your way.

Qingxiao: Hsin once received me there as a guest. I can serve, at least, as a guide.

Qiuhong: "None may enter the Sanctum without the Sentinel's leave" has always been the Hold's iron law. But now... we cannot afford to observe it.

Qiuhong: If the Mengzhou City Hall assigns blame afterward, I will bear full responsibility. Let them strip my rank again. It matters not. But...

Qiuhong: The city's fortifications are not yet finished. I must ask you both to stay the night and leave at dawn. We can't be too careful.

Yangyang: I'll see the rest of the preparations through with the Wardens. Come what may, we'll be ready.

Yangyang: Rover, you and Paragon Qingxiao should relax tonight. Prepare for whatever awaits you in the Sanctum.

Qingxiao: Then I will rely on you, Yangyang.

Rover: ...Qingxiao?

Qingxiao: I have preparations to attend to.

Talk to Yanshu

Yanshu: Bless you, child. Paragon Qingxiao looked after me well, and the young lady Yangyang was a great help too.

Yanshu: His full name is Jingran. Sandao and I raised him. He followed at Sandao's heels, learned what he could, and became a Nethermancer himself.

Rover: He's one too? Does the name "Cat of the Nether Lamp" mean anything to you?

Yanshu: Heh... What a strange Jianghu moniker. Jing never spoke of it, but it does sound like something he would dream up.

Yanshu: ...It has been years since I last laid eyes on him. He said he wanted to travel the world alone. But for six months now, pastries and money have been showing up at home every so often.

Find a good place to rest

Rover: (This is... the same music I heard after saying goodbye to Suisui.)

Rover: (No, not quite the same. This time it sounds... sad.)

Follow the sound of the guqin

Rover: (So... it's her.)

Rover: Couldn't sleep either, I see.

Qingxiao: ...

Rover: So this is what you meant by "preparations."

Qingxiao: Yes.

Qingxiao: Through music, I can pass a wisp of my Sword Intent to another.

Rover: I saw that same light in Xianling Village.

Qingxiao: It is a sword without form, forged from my will. If danger comes, it will release Sword Energy to keep its bearer alive.

Rover: You're worried something may happen out here while we're in the Sanctum?

Qingxiao: If more Censure Courts fall, it is hard to predict what may happen. A few safety measures put my heart at ease.

Qingxiao: How are the wounded?

Rover: The Ministry of War has people looking after them. There's no need to worry.

Qingxiao: ...

Rover: We go to the Sanctum while the Wardens guard the Hold. Everyone agreed this was the best arrangement for now.

Rover: Just as they trust us to do our part, we should trust them to do theirs.

Qingxiao: ...Xuanfang Hold should never have come to this. As the Xuan Paragon, I cannot shirk my duty here.

Qingxiao: The recent chain of incidents started with an abnormal Tacet Discord reading in one of the Censure Courts. I was on the investigation team.

Rover: I heard... you stayed behind to cover the retreat so they could escape the rogue Autopuppets.

Qingxiao: ...That was exactly what Muyu wanted.

Qingxiao: He laid the trap. He split our ranks. He bet that I would go back for the soldiers dragged deep into the Courts.

Specter of Muyu: Paragon Qingxiao. These Autopuppets cannot stop you. These Tacet Discords cannot defeat you. Even an entire Censure Court cannot bar your way.

Specter of Muyu: But... can the same be said of these Wardens? Frail. Trembling. Mortal.

Specter of Muyu: So, stay to protect the weak and be buried by endless enemies, or walk away and save the next battlefield? Your choice.

Specter of Muyu: Come to think of it, during the Fortress and Gorges War, did our great Sword Transcendent not choose to send a group of soldiers... to their deaths?

Qingxiao: ...I know this was the best everyone could do. But... there may have been a better choice...

Rover: We've already made our choice now, haven't we?

Rover: Now we just have to see this choice through. The same way you always have.

Rover: Think of all the people who are still here because you stayed true to that choice.

Rover: Tomorrow, we finish the investigation as fast as we can and rejoin the others. Then no more worrying. Not about Xuanfang, or these impossible choices.

Qingxiao: ...Very well.

Keep Qingxiao company in the pavilion until dawn

Rover: Was that... a taste of her Quietude Arts?

Go meet up with Qingxiao

Yangyang: That's good. We don't know what awaits in the Sanctum, so conserve your strength.

Rover: Is everything all right here?

Yangyang: Jinzhou answered at once, but recent activity from the Threnodian in the Norfall Barrens has tied down their main force.

Qingxiao: Ovathrax...

Yangyang: Only a small group could come, but they're elite Rangers. They will make a difference.

Yangyang: We can manage the Tacet Discords within the Hold. It's just... some strange mechanism parts have appeared nearby. Look—

Yangyang: It's like they spilled over from somewhere else into the Hold. The Ministry's Artisans examined them, and so far, they don't pose any danger.

Qingxiao: I will complete the Sanctum investigation quickly. Once the situation is clear, I shall return at once.

Rover: If things get bad, don't risk yourself needlessly.

Yangyang: Mm. You too. I'll hold the line with everyone. Xuanfang Hold will remain standing.

Qingxiao: Yangyang.

Qingxiao: This blade is shaped from my Sword Intent. It cannot break an army, but it should be able to protect you.

Yangyang: Paragon Qingxiao... Please come back safe, both of you.

Head to the Manifold Sanctum with Qingxiao

Qingxiao: These strange parts look as if the mechanism itself fell into a state of disorder.

Qingxiao: A few Tacet Discords are here too.

Rover: Let's make it quick.

Head to the Manifold Sanctum gate

Rover: Just as I expected, it's locked tight.

Qingxiao: In the past, Hsin would send an attendant to receive those seeking an audience. If She did not wish to see guests, She would say so plainly.

Qingxiao: But now...

Rover: Looks like... that won't work.

Qingxiao: In that case—

Qingxiao: We break the gate open.

Rover: ...Wait, what?

Abby: Hey, that coin pendant you picked up is reacting to your Resonance Ability!

Rover: ...That door looks like a Mirage RealmSonoro Sphere entrance.

Qingxiao: It connects to a passage. It may lead directly into the Sanctum.

Abby: ...So this coin pendant is the key?

Qingxiao: The one who left that pendant in the secret chamber must have foreseen that its finder would eventually seek out Hsin at the Sanctum.

Abby: Hmm... So that shady guy left you a side door into this fancy schmancy place on purpose. Where d'ya think he is now?

Rover: Maybe we'll find out once we're inside.

Abby: Bleh... It stinks in there. So, uh, if there's nothing else, I'm headed back. Yell if you need me!

Step through the mysterious gateway

Qingxiao: A compact Mirage Realm created by Resonance Ability. And I see quite a few Reverberations around us...

Head through the passage

???: Give me a number. How many years of life to crack this passage open?

???: Half a year.

???: Hah... Greedier every time, ain't ya?

???: Take it or leave it. And keep your voice down unless you want him to find us!

???: Cough—

???: Oh, you rotten brat... Four months!

???: Deal.

Rover: Those voices...

Qingxiao: The Reverberations must have captured them not long ago.

Qingxiao: Conceal your presence.

Rover: This fog... has Reverberations mixed in with it.

Qingxiao: ...Someone is here.

???: Well, well. Who dares trespass in the Sanctum?

???: Just a lackey on door duty.

???: Whew. No beating you, huh? I surrender.

Qingxiao: ...Muyu.

Muyu: Oh? Seems there's no need to bar your way. Catch me... if you can.

???: That's my cue.

???: Catch ya... in the underworld.

Qingxiao: They escaped.

Qingxiao: That man was testing your skill... Is he the Cat of the Nether Lamp?

Rover: I think so. Probably checking if I was worth working with. But with Muyu watching, he couldn't risk blowing his cover.

Qingxiao: Look ahead, Rover.

Rover: That's...

Qingxiao: The control mainframe. It governs every mechanism in Xuanfang Hold, great and small. Reverberations have already eaten into it.

Rover: Muyu used Reverberations to alter Autopuppet programming before. This looks like a similar trick.

Qingxiao: Then this is where the disturbances we're now facing began.

Rover: ...The Prism of Fate is flickering?

Fall to the valley floor

Rover: ...

Rover: (Did we fall all the way here from the air...? Why couldn't I fly with my wing?)

Rover: Qingxiao... Are you all right?

Qingxiao: ...I'm fine. It happened so suddenly. The impact stunned me, that is all.

Qingxiao: We were still inside the Sanctum only moments ago. But now...

Rover: Can the Hold's structures transform into what we just saw?

Qingxiao: I have never seen such a thing.

Rover: I wonder if Yangyang and the others in the Hold were affected. We need to find a way back.

Rover: My Terminal won't connect... It looks like the signal got cut off.

Rover: ...Abby. Abby?

Qingxiao: This valley is no ordinary place. It may not even be real.

Rover: The Prism of Fate flickered, and we ended up here... Could this be something Hsin the Moon Fox is doing?

Qingxiao: ...That is, she can make mechanisms multiply... or decrease.

Qingxiao: There are signs of fighting all around us, as if a great battle occurred not long ago.

Qingxiao: We should leave the valley and find open ground.

Return to the Manifold Sanctum

Talk to the villager greeting you

Outgoing Villager: Oh, Sword Transcendent, you've come down the mountain! Some time has passed since your last visit.

Qingxiao: You are...

Outgoing Villager: Is that so... Can't say I've seen you before, sir. Are you from outside Xuanfang?

Outgoing Villager: You've not heard of them? The great airships flying overhead. If they had not fought in the battle a while back, we'd have been done for.

Rover: "The battle a while back"? I don't recall seeing any of these Cloud Shuttles before.

Outgoing Villager: It happened about half a month ago. They said a Threnodian vanguard attacked. Tacet Discords blackened the land as far as the eye could see.

Outgoing Villager: We thought we were doomed. But then the Shuttles came down, all together. In one day and one night, they destroyed every last monster.

Outgoing Villager: Yes, that's the one! Fancy name, sounded fierce enough. But in the end, the Shuttles and the Autopuppets still sent it running.

Ask the nearby villagers what's going on

Ask around among the nearby villagers

Cheerful Villager: The Sword Transcendent herself! What a surprise to see you here. Are you here to help someone?

Qingxiao: I would ask about "the great battle" that happened not long ago.

Cheerful Villager: Ah, I only know bits and pieces. Grandfather, Grandmother, and I were too frightened to leave the house for those two days.

Cheerful Villager: Yes, Retroact Rain! People who came back alive said they saw phantoms of the past. Even family who had long since passed.

Cheerful Villager: The Cloud Shuttles and Autopuppets weren't bothered by that strange rain. After they cleared the Tacet Discords in Xuanfang, they went on to the Gorges of Spirits and destroyed the source of the outbreak.

Qingxiao: ...Is Yuan Fortress still standing?

Cheerful Villager: Sword Transcendent... Why do you ask? Yuan Fortress is fine, of course.

Cheerful Villager: Just follow this mountain road and you'll see it for yourself.

Rover: Ovathrax, Retroact Rain, and the Gorges of Spirits... They're talking about the battle that occurred years ago.

Qingxiao: ...The Fortress and Gorges War, two hundred years past.

Rover: If their perception of events is true, then we might be standing in some kind of illusion.

Head to the cave ahead

Head to Yuan Fortress

Rover: That grand structure... Is it the gate to Yuan Fortress?

Qingxiao: A fortress built not with the Sentinel's wisdom or divine might, but by mortal hands.

Rover: Yangyang told me about it. A City of Mechanisms, built long before Xuanfang Hold. The Mengzhou Ministry of Development led it, and Zhuojun Atelier carried out the construction.

Qingxiao: Then you know what became of it...

Rover: Yes. It was destroyed in the Fortress and Gorges War. A last resort to stop the Tacet Discords.

Ask the nearby people what's going on

Confused Young Man: That's odd... Why is the mountain gate closed?

Kind Old Man: Heh. You're not from around here, are you, lad? The gate is under repair. No one will be allowed through for a while.

Confused Young Man: Oh, I see. I came from Taoyuan Vale to visit my brother. He's an Artisan in the Fortress.

Kind Old Man: Taoyuan Vale? Heard it's about to become part of a new city. Soon enough, you'll all be calling yourselves Jinzhou folk.

Confused Young Man: Yes. The war is over. Mingting's decree has been proclaimed. Huanglong is soon to have its sixth city.

Qingxiao: Excuse me, if I may ask... has Xianling Village fared well?

Kind Old Man: Sword Transcendent, it has been some time since we offered incense to you. Please do not worry. When the Tacet Discords came, the whole village took refuge in Yuan Fortress. Every soul is safe.

Qingxiao: Then all is well.

Kind Old Man: If you wish to reach the Fortress, you will need to find another way. The mountain gate is closed today.

Go check out the mountain gate ahead

Qingxiao: This resembles Xuanfang from two centuries ago, yet history has taken a different course. The Fortress and Gorges War left no deep wounds, and Yuan Fortress still stands.

Qingxiao: It all appears so real... This is no ordinary Mirage Realm.

Rover: The villagers we met all seemed to know you. They called you "Sword Transcendent"...

Qingxiao: At this point in time, I hadn't yet accepted Hsin's request to serve as the Xuan Paragon. The "Sword Transcendent" title only came from an embellished tale.

Qingxiao: With the gate closed, we either detour, or—

???: Ahhhh—! That almost killed me!

Rover: Is that... an Autopuppet?

???: Eep...! Mercy! Mercy!

Jadie: I-I'm Jadie! I know I look suspicious, but please believe me! I'm here to help.

Jadie: If you want to uncover the secrets of this place, find a way to get to the sky.

Jadie: Look! The Cloud Shuttles are coming!

Qingxiao: So those are Xuanfang Hold's Cloud Shuttles.

Jadie: It may look like regular cloud and mist, but get up close and you'll see what it really is.

Jadie: To catch those Shuttles, you need to head for that lightway... Go through the Barrier to reach the RenHuman Realm...

Qingxiao: It laid out a route for us, at least... A fork nearby leads straight to that lightway.

Rover: As we were falling from the Sanctum, we saw Xuanfang Hold flying on those very Cloud Shuttles.

Rover: It could be lying or telling the truth. Either way, we need to see for ourselves.

Set out for the distant lightway

Rover: Flying on a sword. And here I thought I'd seen everything.

Qingxiao: Sword Flight is not as rare as you think. I've seen Magistrate Jinhsi and her counselor both possessing the skill.

Rover: ...You know Jinhsi and Changli?

Qingxiao: Shortly after the Magistrate took office, Counselor Changli visited Xuanfang Hold for a Ministry of War conference on regional defense. That was where I first met her.

Rover: When all this is over, how about a few lessons?

Qingxiao: ...Teaching is not my strength. I once instructed a disciple of the Thunder Spells. She spent most of her time trying to escape.

Rover: Don't worry, I'll be the judge of whether your methods suit me. Plus, I trust you.

Qingxiao: ...As you say.

Head to the lightway

Rover: When all this is over, how about a few lessons?

Qingxiao: ...Teaching is not my strength. I once instructed a disciple of the Thunder Spells. She spent most of her time trying to escape.

Rover: Don't worry, I'll be the judge of whether your methods suit me. Plus, I trust you.

Qingxiao: ...As you say.

Rover: The lightway is just ahead. Looks like this mechanism track will take us right up to it.

Qingxiao: This realm does not allow ordinary means of flight. Our fall taught us that.

Qingxiao: What lies ahead demands vigilance.

Charge for the Skyend Barrier

Qingxiao: Brace yourself. The lightway is just ahead.

Rover: The power...?

Qingxiao: Here.

Qingxiao: Focus on the sword.

Qingxiao: Remember, will and sword as one, that the edge follows your heart.

Explore the Cloud Shuttle

Qingxiao: You may credit your unique constitution and disciplined foundation in swordcraft.

Qingxiao: My Heart Sword technique is simple: keep an unshaken will, and your Sword Intent will cut through anything.

Rover: So, does that make me your disciple now, Qingxiao?

Qingxiao: ...

Explore ahead to learn about the current situation

Qingxiao: Those Artisans ahead may know a thing or two.

Explore the Cloud Shuttle

Ask the Artisans what's going on

Friendly Artisan: A pleasure. Welcome to Xuanfang Hold—or rather, to the Cloud Shuttle.

Qingxiao: I remember you. You are Anyan.

Anyan: Indeed, I am. I was once with the Ministry of Development's Defenseworks. Now, I serve on the Cloud Shuttle's maintenance crew.

Anyan: Had you not held back the Tacet Discords when Yuan Fortress was first built, none of us would have lived to see Xuanfang Hold rise.

Rover: This is the City of Mechanisms built with the aid of Mengzhou's Sentinel, right?

Anyan: Sentinel...? Forgive me, but I don't quite follow.

Qingxiao: Sentinel Hsin, the Moon Fox. Isn't she the reason Xuanfang Hold and these Shuttles exist?

Anyan: Why would you also—Never mind. I shall brief you on the recent tidings.

Anyan: A Transcendent excelling in mechanist arts came to Xuanfang and taught us wondrous techniques. It was like learning how to turn stone into gold.

Anyan: Mountains, pebbles, pearls, rough stone—anything could be turned into a mechanism. And those mechanisms could evolve and replicate on their own. With that knowledge, the Ministry and Zhuojun Atelier raised this magnificent city in just a few months.

Anyan: As for the Shuttles, they were first tested in real combat two weeks ago.

Anyan: We were on board, yet we barely had to lift a finger. They hunted and exterminated the Tacet Discords on their own.

Anyan: And for the tight spots they couldn't reach, we deployed Autopuppets. Like soldiers falling from the sky, scouring the earth clean.

Anyan: In a single day and night, from Yuan Fortress to the Gorges of Spirits, the Threnodian of War's vanguard was reduced to nothing.

Anyan: Now, our Shuttles provide reinforcement across all of Huanglong. One fleet has already left for the Norfall Barrens, to protect the newly founded Jinzhou City.

Rover: ...I'd like to know more about this Transcendent.

Anyan: Strange thing is, none of us can remember his face. Or his voice. Probably another one of his mystical tricks.

Anyan: If you want answers, board the Shuttle at the head of the fleet. The Transcendent is staying there.

Qingxiao: A Xuanfang Hold with no Sentinel, but a Transcendent who preaches mechanist arts...

Rover: Whoever he is, he's probably connected to Muyu.

Rover: To the lead Shuttle, then. Let's see who's really pulling the strings in this shadow play.

Explore ahead

Rover: Those Autopuppets over there... They look like they're guarding the Shuttle.

Head for the Cloud Shuttle at the very front

Defeat the rogue Autopuppets

Qingxiao: ...It seems we've been flagged as hostiles.

Rover: Then we'll just have to cool their systems down.

Talk things over with Qingxiao

Qingxiao: These Autopuppets show no signs of malfunction, yet they attacked us without hesitation.

Rover: We'll know if this was just an isolated glitch at the next Shuttle.

Qingxiao: The airflows between the Shuttles are remarkably stable. Perfect for Sword Flight.

Rover: You mean...

Qingxiao: Let's fly to the next one. Manifest a blade from your Sword Intent, then guide it at your will.

Keep exploring ahead

Qingxiao: As we suspected. The first attack was no isolated incident.

Rover: Does this mean... the entire fleet is turning against us?

Defeat the rogue Autopuppets

Talk over the situation with Qingxiao

Rover: This mechanism looks like your sword formation.

Qingxiao: Years ago, a Court of Savantae Artisan had me test a similar device designed to snare Tacet Discords.

Qingxiao: I do not know its inner workings, but I know how to break it. Strike the "core," the eye of the formation, with a flying sword.

Qingxiao: I will handle this side. You take the other.

Continue forward

Qingxiao: All change in this world is but a shift in frequency. When you face an obstacle, find its pivot. Strike true and your blade will do the rest.

Rover: The way you describe martial arts is always a bit... quaint.

Qingxiao: ...What I mean to say is, these mechanisms can be dismantled with flying swords.

Keep going

Use Sword Flight to reach the next Cloud Shuttle

Qingxiao: Focus on the sword. I'm with you.

Fly to the next Cloud Shuttle

Use Flying Swords to disable the Mechanism Control

Qingxiao: This one is more intricate. You must locate all the cores.

Explore ahead

Rover: (Looks like I'll need to form more blades with my Sword Intent to break it.)

Check the frequency on the nearby Swordlight

???: ...Are you the legendary Sword Transcendent from the mountain?

???: I am not the one you seek.

???: If not you, then who else could it be?

???: Please, Sword Transcendent. The Tacet Discords are coming! Can you help us? They roam the Clouded Cliffs and are almost at our village!

???: Lead the way. And your name is...?

Ruoyun: Ruoyun. Ruo as in "if," Yun as in "cloud."

Rover: What I saw just now, was it a memory from your past?

Qingxiao: Yes... that girl was the Court of Savantae Artisan I mentioned. She grew up in Xianling Village.

Qingxiao: When I first came to the Land of Xuanfang, the Xuanling Birds guided her up the mountain to seek my help. She returned often after that, though usually on behalf of others.

Qingxiao: But... why would I see Ruoyun here?

Use the flying sword to undo all the mechanisms at once

Qingxiao: Well done. Leave the final core to me.

Wait for Qingxiao to undo the last mechanism

Rover: Qingxiao, you've been trying to teach me this whole time, haven't you?

Qingxiao: Was it that obvious? I told you, I'm not good at this.

Rover: Quite the opposite, actually. Come on, let's keep moving.

Keep going

Qingxiao: Up here, this land looks exactly as it was...

Head to the next Cloud Shuttle

Qingxiao: The Artisans here seem completely blind to the rogue Autopuppets.

Defeat the incoming Autopuppets

???: Sword Transcendent? We didn't expect to see you here. This way, please!

Talk to the rescued Artisans

Shitang: That sudden rampage from the Autopuppets caught us off guard. It's like their alert systems just triggered for no reason.

Qingxiao: ...It seems only you two noticed what was happening.

Shitang: It's more like a habit. When we are assigned to a Shuttle, we tend to lose ourselves in the work.

Shitang: Though now that you mention it, more and more of us have been working around the clock. Some don't even know when to stop anymore.

Chigong: It is strange... My mind has been hazy for a while. I don't feel much of anything lately.

Shitang: That happened to me as well. I can't even enjoy a good novel like I used to.

Qingxiao: Have you met a certain Transcendent who teaches mechanist arts? Does the name "Muyu" sound familiar?

Chigong: Hmm... haven't seen anyone by that name, no. But we did host a Transcendent recently. Helped us solve a few technical hurdles.

Shitang: I heard he's on the lead Shuttle now.

Shitang: If you are heading that way, could you check on a friend of mine? She's sitting at the bow, watching the scenery.

Shitang: She's been acting very strange lately. It's like she's lost interest in everything and everyone.

Rover: So... this Xuanfang Hold isn't as perfect as it seems.

Go talk to the Artisan who's acting strangely

Lianqing: I watched the sunrise earlier. My memory told me it was beautiful, but I felt nothing. Just emptiness.

Lianqing: I can no longer feel as a human should. It is as if I've become just another gear in this Shuttle's mechanisms.

Lianqing: What if... I jumped?

Lianqing: ...I will not, of course. But the thought does not trouble me. Nothing does.

Lianqing: ...

[You try to press for more, but she falls into a heavy, dead silence.]

Qingxiao: ...

Rover: What's wrong?

Qingxiao: I remember these people. Most of the Artisans on these Shuttles died when Yuan Fortress was destroyed during the war.

Rover: And they are only alive here because this Xuanfang survived it?

Qingxiao: No. I was... with the defending troops in the Gorges of Spirits.

Qingxiao: By the time I returned to Xuanfang, the Fortress was already in ruins.

Rover: This can't be called a better world. Everyone we've met here isn't in a normal state of mind.

Qingxiao: Something is suppressing their feelings.

Rover: That "Transcendent" isn't just handing out lessons. I think he's done something to them.

Qingxiao: Mm. Onward, then.

Keep going

Head to the next Cloud Shuttle

Try using the mechanism to pilot the Cloud Shuttle forward

Qingxiao: Careful!

Rover: ...Nearly lost my footing there.

Qingxiao: Follow the airflows ahead. Navigate your sword to get closer.

Muyu: At last, you arrive. I hope my little "roadblocks" weren't too much trouble for you.

Muyu: And where is that ignorant, chattering little girl? The strike she landed last time... It left an impression.

Qingxiao: I will grant you a swifter end this time.

Muyu: Easy now, Sword Transcendent. Surely you realize I am but a phantom.

Muyu: Why not stay for a chat? You must have questions. I would be disappointed if you didn't.

Rover: What have you done to the minds of the Artisans in this Mirage Realm?

Muyu: This is Xuanfang as I have shaped it. A better version of what stood here two hundred years ago.

Muyu: Those Artisans are shadows of the past. I offered them a kindness— adjusted their perception, excised their emotional flaws. Now they are on their way to becoming perfect.

Muyu: You should understand, Qingxiao. A heart unsullied by desire or feeling, is that not the ideal state you Cultivators chase?

Qingxiao: Cultivation is not about making oneself an unfeeling lump of wood.

Muyu: Lump of wood...? No, no. This is perfection. Xuanfang Hold as it was always meant to be.

Muyu: Everything you see runs itself. Perfect order. Perfect efficiency. With mechanisms like these, we could fight another Fortress and Gorges War and lose no one.

Muyu: I am sick to death of those "Hero Plays" about devotion and sacrifice.

Muyu: They stir the heart, yes. But that is all they do. The weak swallow them because the truth is too bitter to bear.

Qingxiao: You have no right to judge them, Muyu.

Muyu: Heh... I built Yuan Fortress. I understand the limits of humanity far better than powerful Resonators like you.

Muyu: When the Fortress fell, when our struggle meant nothing against the Lament, the one meant to "guide civilization" just stood there. Watching.

Muyu: The Xuanfang Hold you see now? This is what it was supposed to be. I just restored it from the blueprints in the database. Which is to say—

Muyu: It could have changed the course of the war. So what do you think? Did our Sentinel Hsin lack the power? Or... did She lack the will?

Rover: Suspect the Sentinel all you want. Your fall from grace is your own doing.

Rover: All I see is a coward hiding in a Mirage Realm, running experiments that are only fooling himself.

Qingxiao: Wherever your true body is hiding, I will find it. And I will end you.

Muyu: I look forward to it. There's just one thing...

Muyu: Where did you get the idea that this place couldn't affect reality?

Defeat the incoming Autopuppets

Qingxiao: The fog disrupts the stability of our Resonance Abilities.

Qingxiao: Skywatch Lancers... Another Autopuppet series that never made it past the prototype stage.

Rover: You've seen these before?

Qingxiao: They were Ruoyun's work, too. She asked me to test them once, and I ended up shattering the prototype.

Go check on the mysterious Autopuppet

Jadie: Yep. You two are so fast. Took me forever just to catch up to you.

Qingxiao: The Fortress gate is indeed far from here. We thought you had gone offline when we left.

Jadie: Ah! I just ran out of juice. Lucky me, I woke up and found some spare power cells from the others. Then I flew all the way here!

Jadie: The sky here is split into levels. Right now, we're in the RenHuman Realm. Up there will be the DiEarth Realm.

Jadie: If you're after that creepy one‑eyed jerk, just keep heading up, up, up!

Qingxiao: Why is this Mirage structured in such levels?

Jadie: Because it's extra special! Don't worry, you're super close to the source of it all now.

Rover: You know things we don't, and it's clear you've been keeping them from us this entire time.

Jadie: ...If I could help it, I wouldn't want to be like this either.

Jadie: Mm-hmm. A lot of evil things are swarming toward it as we speak. If you take too long, things might get really bad.

Qingxiao: ...

Yangyang: Commander Qiuhong's Rafter Kites have detected a large Tacet Discord swarm approaching from the eastern peaks. All units, prepare to engage!

Yangyang: I will intercept the biggest threats. Vanguards, stick to the formation we practiced. Do not break ranks.

Soldiers: Yes, Watcher Yangyang!

Yangyang: Rover, Paragon Qingxiao... It's been so long...

Yangyang: Please, please come back safely.

???: Think I'd let you fight without me, Yangyang?

Liangyu: Watcher Liangyu, reporting for duty.

Yangyang: Liangyu? But your injuries...

Liangyu: Do not worry. My injuries have mostly healed. I was only staying at the Ministry of War because the medics insisted on quiet rest.

Liangyu: Word is, those roaming Tacet Discords have begun to close in on the Hold. I will not let you face this alone.

Liangyu: We will fight together. The new Xuan Triad... Well, duo, for now. I will not let Qingzhi and Duzhong down.

Yangyang: Yes. Shoulder to shoulder, once more.

Liangyu: The villagers... are they safe?

Yangyang: Don't worry. Even the final stragglers have been evacuated behind the defensive line.

Yangyang: Huh? What is that...

Messenger Soldier: Watcher—

Messenger Soldier: An urgent report from the Ministry of Development. Another Censure Court has just gone offline.

Yangyang: I see... Thank you.

Jadie: I know you're here to save the Hold. You don't need to trust me, but I'm trusting you.

Qingxiao: It is true your words have not been false.

Jadie: Please, Qingxiao. You both have to keep going.

Qingxiao: I never told you my name.

Jadie: It makes your head all spinny. You ran into a bit of it earlier.

Qingxiao: Are you not coming with us?

Jadie: I'd just slow you down. But don't you worry! I'll catch up as soon as I'm ready!

Head to the lightway leading to the Skyend Barrier

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": (...Guess I'll just leave it here.)

Continue forward

Leave a clue for that person

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": (That's about all I can do for now. Time to go play nice with the crazy man.)

???: Are you sure they will find that little breadcrumb you left?

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Sure? Nah. But you don't win bets by not playing. And so far, I'm on a roll.

Head to the Cloud Shuttle ahead

Pass through the Spirit Portal

Go meet up with Muyu

Muyu: You've been gone for quite a while.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Not every day I get to hitch a ride on a fancy airship like this. Had to do a little sightseeing.

Muyu: Hmph. I'm interested to know what the Reverberations of the dead mean to a Nethermancer like yourself?

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Still hung up on that? They're just lingering obsessions.

Muyu: To me, they are the raw materials of transcendence. Resources to be shaped as I see fit.

Autopuppet?: Where... am I...

Muyu: You are on a Xuanfang Hold Cloud Shuttle. Get acquainted with your new body. Go on.

Muyu: Before, I proved that Reverberations could influence an Autopuppet's behavioral logic. Now, I have gone a step further...

Muyu: Reverberations can drive a shell entirely on their own. Granting it new life.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Waking the dead from their nap? You sure they won't have a bone to pick with you?

Muyu: I have adjusted their perceptions. Scrubbed away the redundant emotions and petty desires.

Muyu: Trifles no longer trouble them, so they have no reason to care about things like that.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Not quite alive, and not quite dead. This really what you wanted?

Muyu: Progress takes time. For now, they are just the "intermediate products" of my experiment.

Muyu: Which is why I need a small favor... Dispose of that sample for me.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": I agreed to help you out, Grand Helm's orders. I didn't agree to being your trash man.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": ...How dull.

Muyu: Impressive. A necessary cost, nothing more. One must discard the defects to make room for perfection.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": I guess you know that Rover and the Paragon have entered this Mirage Realm. Doesn't that concern you?

Muyu: ...That "fox" actually did us a favor.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Hah. Well, you'd better pray when they find you. I'm not sticking around to fight them.

Muyu: Guardians always suffer from the same delusion. They think that if they strike down the mastermind, the problem vanishes.

Muyu: But the end was decided long ago. Until the time is right, I shall let them play their little game.

???: (Boy. Why have me save the Reverberation from that broken puppet? Keeping it as a souvenir?)

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": (Just let it go. Same as always.)

Investigate the anomaly nearby

Qingxiao: This must be the Reeling Fog Jadie warned us about. We shouldn't stay in it for long.

Rover: Do you hear that? The Autopuppets nearby are speaking.

Qingxiao: They are not hostile.

Explore the area

Qingxiao: These mechanisms have been corrupted by the fog, but our flying swords can still dismantle them.

Examine the Autopuppet wreckage nearby

Qingxiao: The cut on this Autopuppet is clean. It has not been down for long.

Rover: The frequency left on it feels like the Cat of the Nether Lamp's Resonance Ability. Probably his work.

Look around

Qingxiao: It is as if... they live here as people do.

Friendly Village Chief?: We... have no home. We... gather here.

Qingxiao: It carries Reverberations, just like the Autopuppets Muyu controlled during the Siege of Xuanfang Hold.

Friendly Village Chief?: ...Seems I can speak normally now.

Friendly Village Chief?: Much has faded from my mind. But I remember being human. I lived in Xianling Village long ago.

Rover: Do you remember what happened back then?

Friendly Village Chief?: We fled back to the village during the chaos. Not long after, we were trapped by these strange mechanisms.

Friendly Village Chief?: Many villagers were left out there... If you leave, could you help them?

Friendly Village Chief?: Thank you. I just remembered... a young lass I did not recognize left a sword here. She said to give it to the outsiders who would come.

Qingxiao: Did she have any distinguishing features?

Friendly Village Chief?: Forgive me, I can no longer recall her face. Let me fetch the blade for you.

Qingxiao: ...Muyu implants the Reverberations of the deceased and binds them to these shells. Forces them to "live" like this.

Rover: Another one of his sick experiments. What he did in the Ren Realm... this goes much further.

Qingxiao: ...Huff.

Qingxiao: We should examine that sword. It is likely the one we have seen before.

Rover: You don't... look well.

Qingxiao: I'm fine. It will not hinder our mission.

Qingxiao: The fog thickens. The anomalies here are worsening.

Explore your surroundings

Feel the Sword Intent in the sword

Ruoyun of the Past: Sword Transcendent, I have come to bid you farewell. It was Lingfang who finally convinced me to do this.

Qingxiao of the Past: Where are you going?

Ruoyun of the Past: I am staying in Xuanfang Hold. The construction is nearing completion. I just... wanted you to know.

Ruoyun of the Past: I love this land. I love the people here. I want to use my mechanisms to give everyone the strength to protect themselves.

Ruoyun of the Past: That way... I will not have to keep sending Xuanling Birds to beg for your help.

Ruoyun of the Past: I have a question. If you spend your life chasing a goal so difficult that it has already cost you dearly, is it still worth it?

Qingxiao of the Past: ...I cannot answer that for you.

Ruoyun of the Past: That's alright. I have plenty of time ahead of me to think about it.

Ruoyun of the Past: Farewell... Qingxiao.

Qingxiao: What you saw just now was the day Ruoyun came to say goodbye.

Rover: Where did she go after that?

Qingxiao: The Fortress and Gorges War broke out soon after. She was in the squad tasked with the Fortress's self-destruction.

Qingxiao: Later, I returned to the ruins to search for her... I found nothing.

Leave the "Autopuppet village"

Qingxiao: ...Onward. We should be able to break this seal together.

Qingxiao: Well done.

Keep going

Rover: Autopuppets are attacking those "villagers." We should help them.

Eliminate the rogue Autopuppets and rescue the "villagers"

Talk to the "villagers" in the Netherworld Domain

Composed Soldier?: Thank you. Some friends... they are trapped on the Shuttle ahead.

Composed Soldier?: You are from the world outside, aren't you? How is Yuan Fortress now?

Qingxiao: ...What do you mean?

Composed Soldier?: I... I remember defending that Fortress. So many of us... we did our best. But the Tacet Discords were endless. Tell me... did we lose?

Qingxiao: You did not. It was your sacrifice that ensured two centuries of peace for Xuanfang.

Composed Soldier?: That's good... Somehow, my chest does not feel quite so empty.

Keep going

Rover: There are no Reverberations bound to the Autopuppets that attacked the villagers.

Qingxiao: Muyu must have been controlling them directly, just as he did back in the Ren Realm.

Trapped Kid?: Why... why did you save me?

Trapped Kid?: I can move now. But... I don't know where I should go...

Qingxiao: Careful.

Defeat the Autopuppets

Keep going

Rover: (Those unique frequencies again. I should use the pendant.)

Examine the book someone appears to have left behind

Keep exploring ahead

Keep going

Qingxiao: The Autopuppets up ahead look like they're repairing those heavy artillery pieces...

Talk to the Autopuppet beside the mechanism

Artisan Repairing Mechanisms?: A Cloud Shuttle's most advanced defense system. It can track and fire on multiple hostile targets at once.

Artisan Repairing Mechanisms?: Think of it as a very powerful automated cannon.

Artisan Repairing Mechanisms?: Almost there... I will fix them.

Keep going

Defeat the rogue Autopuppets

Defeat the incoming rogue Autopuppets

Rover: So, Qingxiao. Between that cannon and your flying swords...?

Qingxiao: ...Within a hundred paces, the sword is faster.

Keep exploring ahead

Qingxiao: Ugh...

Rover: Let's stop and find somewhere to rest.

Qingxiao: Okay. Let us board that looming Shuttle.

Artisan Repairing Mechanisms?: Go on ahead. I'll stay to maintain the Xuan Bombards.

Artisan Repairing Mechanisms?: I will not let any rogue Autopuppet get past this point.

Muyu: Welcome aboard this Cloud Shuttle, modeled after the Ministry of War headquarters. Though, as you can see, it no longer requires the service of human soldiers.

Rover: Muyu... you've bound the Reverberations of the dead to these machines, but you still send Autopuppets to hunt them down. Why?

Muyu: Because they are failed experiments.

Muyu: Failing minds, faded memories, with nary a shred of self left to act on their own... It is time for a fresh batch of samples.

Qingxiao: You defile the souls of the innocent treating them as disposables for your experiment.

Muyu: I prefer to call it... "resource optimization."

Muyu: They were nothing but Reverberations haunting the ruins of Yuan Fortress. Left alone, they would have inevitably devolved into Tacet Discords.

Muyu: But now, they serve a great experiment. If Reverberations can be perfectly fused into mechanical shells, the line between life and death vanishes. Immortality becomes possible.

Muyu: Please. The Flowerveil Puppet sees nothing beyond Mengzhou's gilded little playground. Do not compare me to that narrow-minded woman.

Muyu: How about we discuss a topic you find more pressing? Say... the Ministry of War in the real world?

Muyu: Take a guess. As the Censure Courts continue to release Tacet Discords, how long do you think those Wardens can hold the line?

Muyu: They might survive the wave from one Court. But two? Three? Even if they hold, what will it cost?

Rover: You underestimate the people of Xuanfang. Just as you never understood what they fight for.

Muyu: Hmph. You cling to the fragility of emotion and human will. Blind to the truth that only in superior technology will you master your fate.

Muyu: They will break soon enough. All I am doing... is accelerating the inevitable shutdown of the Censure Courts.

Qingxiao: ...Xuanfang Hold and its people will survive.

Muyu: No matter how great you are, Paragon Qingxiao, you cannot protect those beyond your reach.

Muyu: You... what have you done?

Muyu: This can't be... your frequency is all but drained...

Muyu: This whole time, that unique frequency the Shuttles detected affecting the real world... that was you?

Muyu: How many are you propping up? The garrison? The entire city?

Muyu: Or could it be... the Land of Xuanfang itself?

Muyu: You are even more foolish than I thought, Sword Transcendent. Do you really think you can shield them forever?

Muyu: You of all people should know how fragile human lives are compared to a Resonator's. Xuanfang Hold will fall, and those people will fall with it.

Muyu: You cannot change what is coming. Everything you are doing is just piling more weight on your own—

Qingxiao: ...Hm?

Rover: Muyu's illusion being here means we're closing in on his real location.

Rover: You look pale. Leave the rest of the fighting to me.

Qingxiao: You need not worry about me... Keep your focus on the enemies.

Destroy the Autopuppets Muyu is controlling

Keep destroying the incoming Autopuppets

Qingxiao: Hahh... Rover.

Rover: What do you need me to do?

Qingxiao: I am fine...

Rover: Not good enough, Qingxiao. I'm your partner, and if I'm going to keep you safe, I need to know what's happening to you.

Qingxiao: ...Ever since the Siege of Xuanfang Hold, I've spread my Sword Intent among the people. I've been using most of my Resonance Energy to sustain the link.

Qingxiao: With the battle intensifying, I have had to... Overclock... to maintain the link. Once the pressure eases, I will recover.

Rover: ...Easy.

Qingxiao: Remember what you said last night? "See your choice through." This is me doing just that.

Qingxiao: I will not allow another tragedy to befall the Land of Xuanfang. To protect everyone, this is the only certain path.

Rover: You can't expect to carry the world on your own shoulders.

Qingxiao: If it had been you...

Qingxiao: The Sword Intent I gave out was only seeds. What made them grow was each person's will.

Qingxiao: Cough... cough...

Rover: Let's go. Somewhere the fog can't reach.

Help Qingxiao into the corridor

Qingxiao: You should go after Muyu, Rover...

Rover: Partners should watch each other's backs.

Rover: You also taught me Sword Flight. And you've not stopped teaching me since.

Rover: We need to lose that Shuttle.

Qingxiao: Hahh... Y-yes...

Keep supporting Qingxiao

Qingxiao: Put me down... You will move faster without me.

Destroy the Autopuppets blocking the way

Qingxiao: I... will aid you with my swords.

Rover: You need rest.

Qingxiao: ...Do not worry. I know my limits.

Keep clearing the nearby threats

With the area cleared, go back to Qingxiao

Rover: You holding up? Let's get you inside that cabin above there.

Qingxiao: Mhm... I have burdened you.

Rover: Promise me, Qingxiao. No more carrying everything alone.

Qingxiao: I promise.

Help Qingxiao into the cabin

Qingxiao: I have always had a fiery temperament... Each pluck of the string helps to restore my balance and calm my mind.

Rover: ...You? Fiery?

Qingxiao: ...Before I took to the mountain, I had only my sword. I fought the Tacet Discords as if my life did not matter.

Qingxiao: My master saw the unrest in my heart... and taught me the guqin to calm my spirit.

Qingxiao: Ngh... Please... watch over me for a moment. I will recover soon, then we may move forward.

Rover: ...Your playing sounds unsettled.

Qingxiao: I—Ugh...

Qingxiao: Promise me one thing... Rover.

Qingxiao: If, in the moments to come, I turn my sword on you... do not hesitate.

Qingxiao: Argh...!

???: Save me... Sword Transcendent...

???: Tacet Discords... They just keep coming!

???: Everyone is dead... Even the Xuanling Birds...

???: Sword Transcendent... Where were you? Did you... abandon us?

???: Sword Transcendent.

Qingxiao: ...Ruoyun.

Ruoyun?: Qingxiao, you don't have to be so tense all the time. I know you are not the ice-cold statue you pretend to be.

Ruoyun?: Inside, you are just like the rest of us. You feel joy, anger, resentment... and regret.

Qingxiao: You died... You died two centuries ago when Yuan Fortress was destroyed.

Ruoyun?: Dead? And? No one sewed my mouth shut.

Lingfang?: I should thank you for looking after my descendants.

Lingfang?: After all these centuries, it seems you still... cannot let go of that war.

Qingxiao: ...You are just a manifestation of my fractured mind. The Inner Demon I must destroy.

Qingxiao?: Heh... Once again, you stake mortal lives on your sword. All for a rescue that means nothing.

Qingxiao?: Come now. This long duel between us shall meet its end today.

Rover: (The cabin has been affected by the fog. Qingxiao...)

Feel the Sword Intent in the flying sword

???: Those villagers... what were they to you?

Qingxiao of the Past: They gave me a bowl of food.

???: So you risked your life to protect the mortals from a whole tide of Tacet Discords.

Qingxiao of the Past: I was frail anyway. Not long for this world. Better to take those monsters with me.

Jingwei?: With a broken blade...? Jingwei is my name. Would you like to become my disciple and walk the path of cultivation with me?

Jingwei?: Your Resonance Ability has always been unstable. For longevity, you must anchor your heart in absolute stillness.

Qingxiao of the Past: Seeing people get hurt just... makes me sad. And when those monsters attack, it makes me so angry my blood boils.

Jingwei?: Then close your eyes. Cover your ears. Distance yourself from the world. Quiet your mind, and your desires will fade.

Jingwei?: Remember, do not let the world stir your heart. Forsake earthly attachments.

Jingwei?: ...You left the mountain to hunt evil again.

Qingxiao of the Past: I went only to purge the Tacet Discords. I formed no bonds. My heart did not waver.

Jingwei?: Saving mortals from the Lament is like trying to push back the tide. The tide always returns.

Qingxiao of the Past: If I sit back and do nothing, how is this long life of mine any different from the cold existence of a stone? Even you, Master... you saved me once.

Jingwei?: ...Then tell me, what is your Way?

Qingxiao of the Past: I have... yet to find my answer.

Keep exploring ahead

Jingwei?: One need not rush. A few hours here are but a fleeting moment in the world outside.

Rover: Are you... Qingxiao's master?

Jingwei?: I am but a lingering frequency. Besides, my Qing already knew how to fight when she came to me. I merely taught her the methods of cultivation.

Rover: These bodies... what happened here?

Jingwei?: We who walk the path of cultivation must shed all worldly desires. Cut down our Inner Demons.

Jingwei?: What you see are the remnants of her past duels with herself. This duel... is the final reckoning.

Jingwei?: Fellow Cultivator, since you have found your way here, it means she has chosen you to be her sword.

Rover: Her... sword?

Jingwei?: Should she succumb to her demon...

Jingwei?: Strike her down.

Check on Qingxiao

Qingxiao?: Why do you involve yourself in Xuanfang's affairs? You don't belong here. Or have you forgotten?

Rover: ...Qingxiao. Wake up?

Qingxiao: Because—

Inner Demon: Two hundred years since the Fortress and Gorges War. And you still have not found peace.

Inner Demon: That day, the Xuanling Bird told you the Gorges of Spirits and Yuan Fortress were burning. Where did you go?

Qingxiao: I went to the Gorges of Spirits.

Inner Demon: Ah, yes. So confident. So sure your blade could cut down the Lament's source. Save everyone. And then—

Inner Demon: You were held back. Trapped by Retroact Rain. Pinned down by the Threnodian's blade of ruin. By the time you returned to Xuanfang, what did you find...?

Inner Demon: A brutal end. A silent battlefield.

Follow the Inner Demon

Check on the people of the past

Dying Soldier: Sword Transcendent... Yuan Fortress... is gone.

Qingxiao: I am here. You are safe now.

Qingxiao: (This man... He once sent a Xuanling Bird to beg for my help. Civilians were trapped in a mountain flood.)

Dying Soldier: Ugh... P-please... help them...

Qingxiao: I will. Rest now.

Inner Demon: Liar! You know he is beyond saving. Just like all the others.

Qingxiao: (I remember this man from the Waking Moon Festival. He was haggling over a lantern for his two-year-old child.)

Inner Demon: He even taught the child to cheer your name. "Sword Transcendent! Sword Transcendent!"

Qingxiao: (A Xuanling brought me her wish. She prayed for her missing family to come home.)

Inner Demon: You followed that stupid bird's lead and searched half the mountain. Eventually, you found her father at the bottom of a cliff.

Qingxiao: Lingfang...

Inner Demon: Ruoyun's childhood friend. One of the first you saved in Xuanfang. A musician who marched off to war and threw her life away.

Lingfang: ...Ah, you've come, Sword Transcendent... Ruoyun... She is still in the Fortress... waiting for you...

Qingxiao: I understand. I will find her.

Lingfang: Then... I can rest my eyes now...

Inner Demon: Another hollow comfort. You searched every crater left by the Fortress's collapse. You never found anyone alive.

Follow the Inner Demon

Inner Demon: The years pass. Your cultivation advances. But the memory of this failure only becomes clearer and clearer.

Inner Demon: Everything you once saved in Xuanfang was ground to dust by the Lament.

Qingxiao: ...

Inner Demon: So, let us begin.

Question the gravely wounded soldier

Heavily Injured Soldier: We lost the Central Plains... They came too fast...

Qingxiao: Save your breath, soldier. The bleeding has stopped for now.

Heavily Injured Soldier: Thank you... Please... The Threnodian is just ahead...

Qingxiao: I know. Leave the rest to me.

Inner Demon: How confusing. They are long dead, so why the tender words? They are only your memories. Proof of your futile rescue.

Inner Demon: You are back at the Gorges of Spirits... The battlefield that haunts you. Your fear. Your regret.

Qingxiao: I will destroy the source of this Tacet Discord outbreak.

Inner Demon: Show me, Sword Transcendent. Prove your resolve with your sword. Answer their pleas.

Inner Demon: This time, will the tragedy of the Fortress and Gorges War be redeemed?

Eliminate the Tacet Discords

Inner Demon: Remarkable. These monsters cannot withstand your onslaught. You are faster than you ever were back then.

Inner Demon: A pity you cannot reach Yuan Fortress in time. The defense there is crumbling. One soldier after another...

Face the Threnodian's blade of ruin

Qingxiao: The Crownless... the Threnodian's blade of ruin.

Inner Demon: It now stands at the zenith of its strength. And you? You have already given away most of your Sword Intent to shield those mortals.

Defeat the Crownless at the height of its power

Qingxiao: Yes, as long as the Threnodian's power flows, it will continue to rise from the dead.

Inner Demon: Ovathrax is watching now. Its dominion is absolute, undefeated since the dawn of its birth.

Inner Demon: Your sword can split mountains and rivers. But it cannot shake war from its throne, nor the countless engines of war born from civilization's shadow.

Sever the Threnodian's power to hold back the Tacet Discord outbreak

Inner Demon: This time, it seems you have finally repelled the Threnodian's puppeted blade and cut down the source of the outbreak.

Rush to the battlefield in Yuan Fortress

Rush to Yuan Fortress

Inner Demon: Yuan Fortress still stands. You might actually make it in time.

Inner Demon: Truly impressive. You were still fighting the Crownless when you heard the Fortress explode into rubble all those years ago.

Inner Demon: Your Resonance Energy is nearly exhausted... how much longer can you force this?

Qingxiao: ...Hahh... Hahh...

Inner Demon: Onward... just a little further. The gates of Yuan Fortress are almost in sight.

Inner Demon: You killed the Crownless and flew back to Xuanfang without a moment's rest. And still... too late.

Inner Demon: Mortal lives are but motes of dust. You know this. Even if this war had never come, another would. Or the Lament would burn it all to ash.

Inner Demon: Since this ending is already destined, why did you bother? Why destroy your inner peace for a lost cause?

Inner Demon: Qingxiao, this is your inner world. You can try again. But you know, every single time—

Qingxiao: Every single time, I realize my own weakness.

Qingxiao: From Yuan Fortress, to the Gorges of Spirits, to the Land of Xuanfang... No matter how hard I try, my sword cannot save everyone.

Qingxiao: But this is the path I chose. I must go. There are people waiting for me.

Inner Demon: No, no, no... That shouldn't be your reaction.

Inner Demon: You should be drowning in agony. You should be trapped in a loop of futile attempts until you break...

Inner Demon: ...Until you can endure no more and fight me. Like every time before.

Rover: ...Qingxiao?

Inner Demon: ...You didn't block?

Qingxiao: Ngh... Do not run.

Inner Demon: You want my power?!

Inner Demon: Have you lost your mind? I am the Sanshi PoisonThree Corpses Poison in your body! The emotions and desires you cut away for the sake of cultivation!

Inner Demon: Every dark thought, every shadow your sword ever cast... They are me! Other Cultivators would have slain me long ago, yet you seek my help?

Qingxiao: ...Our Heart Swords were always meant to be one.

Inner Demon: You... You kept me for two centuries. Fed me your feeings. All so you could use me when the day came.

Qingxiao: You are Qingxiao too, after all.

Qingxiao: Cultivation is, above all, being true. If I killed you... how could I claim an honest heart?

Inner Demon: You will regret this. I will eat away at you until nothing is left. No mind. No heart. In the end, your own hand will tear down everything you tried to protect.

Qingxiao: Even if that day comes... I have someone by my side who can stop me. I am willing to entrust myself to him.

Inner Demon: Qingxiao, the things you treasure are not the things I treasure. You care for the world. But I...

Inner Demon: I only care about your Way.

Qingxiao: Yes. I know.

Inner Demon: From this day forth, you will never be able to sever the full tide of mortal feeling, or break free from the karma of this world.

Inner Demon: You will be bound to me forever. Never to see through the world's illusions. Never to transcend. Never to attain the Way.

Qingxiao: I was never a Transcendent. I need not bother with any great Way. Besides... I have already found my answer.

Qingxiao: How very stubborn... I amyou are.

Qingxiao: I used my Inner Demon's strength to replenish my depleted Resonance Energy.

Qingxiao: Forgive me. I forced you to bear the risk of my losing control.

Rover: It's alright. If that Inner Demon had really taken control, I still would've found a way to wake you up.

Qingxiao: Now, I feel a flood of stray thoughts swirling within me. But I need not, and will not, suppress them.

Rover: Is that for the better or the worse?

Qingxiao: Neither. They are simply my thoughts.

Rover: At any rate, you're still the Qingxiao I know.

Qingxiao: I am nothing but a prideful mortal, always believing there was nothing my sword could not protect. Sometimes I even forgot—

Qingxiao: I started cultivating just to stay alive. Back then, I was only a wanderer whose hometown had been taken by the Lament.

Qingxiao: This thread is all my family left behind. It is the only link between the Sword Transcendent and Qing, the wandering village girl.

Qingxiao: I wear it to remember where I came from. No matter how many years pass, I cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of others.

Qingxiao: Strength has its limits, but I only ask for a clean heart. Even if my sword cannot promise a perfect end, I will not stay my hand.

Rover: Even if it's not enough...

Rover: There will always be another to carry yourour burden. And another after that. YouWe aren't walking this road alone.

Qingxiao: You... truly are different from who you were two centuries ago.

Qingxiao: At the end of the Fortress and Gorges War, when I was about to fall, I heard a Loong's roar echoing across the battlefield. I looked up and saw—

Qingxiao: The Golden-Eyed One and Jué.

Qingxiao: You struck the source of the disaster. You rewrote the fate of that war.

Qingxiao: I looked for you after the battle, but you were gone. I wanted to know if someone like you ever had to face such impossible choices.

Rover: I still don't know my past. And nothing I've been through since I woke up has been simple or easy.

Rover: But even though we didn't always know how things would turn out, we still followed our hearts anyway. And we gave it everything we had.

Qingxiao: Yes, we did. I must confess, Rover, I... lied to you.

Qingxiao: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs's reach is not that wide. I actually traced your footsteps by asking many people.

Qingxiao: ...I want to be honest with myself. Since I taught you Sword Flight, I do consider you my disciple.

Qingxiao: You need not answer, but I shall call you such... even if only for this short while.

Leave the inner landscape when you're ready

Qingxiao: ...That strand of Lifebound Sword Intent I gave you has, to a certain extent, bound our lives to the same wellspring.

Qingxiao: When my Resonance Energy ran dry, my Inner Demon surfaced. My inner landscape began to collapse. That is how you were pulled in. But...

Qingxiao: It was also my wish. If I failed, you would've had the strength to stop me.

Qingxiao: Yes. I have you by my side.

Qingxiao: I have been sensing the battle through my Sword Intent. The line is holding. The soldiers and people of Xuanfang stand united. They will protect the Hold.

Qingxiao: But that is all we can burden them with. The rest falls on us... We must end Muyu's schemes without delay.

Move forward and leave the cabin

Qingxiao: Looks like we don't need to do anything.

Rover: The pendant is reacting... It's guiding us forward.

Follow the Qingfu pendant's guidance

Qingxiao: While we were in the cabin, others were keeping watch outside.

Follow the pendant's guidance

???: Heh. Rover, Paragon Qingxiao. Took you long enough. Any later, and I wouldn't've held out.

"Cat of the Nether Lamp": Just a Jianghu alias to earn my keep. Let me introduce myself proper—

Jingran: Haha! Heard stories 'bout your style. Had to see for myself if the rumors were true.

Rover: Your cover must be blown now, right?

Jingran: I hit him first.

Jingran: While he was running his mouth at you, I gave him a little love tap in the back. Shame he slipped away behind a wall of Autopuppets.

Qingxiao: I see... that's why Muyu's phantom vanished so suddenly.

Jingran: Right, let's skip the chit‑chat. We're all hunting the same soulless fart, so why not team up?

Rover: You've helped a great deal, and I've no reason to refuse. I need your intel. But you... what do you need from me?

Jingran: You get right to it, huh? Love it. I want to stick with you because it's better odds for making sure Muyu doesn't get away again.

Jingran: I don't have any of your "noble" motives, just an old score to settle with that bastard.

Rover: That's your only condition?

Jingran: Yeah, well... if we trip over any Sanctum relics or Hsin's secret stash of treasure, maybe toss one my way? Hah. Kidding.

Jingran: Let me be clear, no Nethermancer stands by while someone toys with the dead's Reverberationsobsessions.

Jingran: Likewise.

Qingxiao: Where's Muyu's true body hiding?

Jingran: He took the Shuttle up to the top level. The TianHeaven Realm. That's his playground.

Jingran: According to "Lucky," there's a sea of Reverberations up there. Almost like... all of Xuanfang's Reverberations got sucked into one place.

Lucky?: To hell with you, I told you that's not my name! You forgetful brat!

Jingran: Tch. Always so lively... That's just a foul-mouthed Lynx Spirit I caught. Pay it no mind.

Qingxiao: ...What's Muyu's true intention?

Jingran: In a coded letter to Zhuojun Atelier, he claimed he'd get his hands on "Sentinel technology." The mechanistic mojo Hsin used to build the Hold.

Jingran: But think about it. If all he wanted was to steal something in the Sanctum... isn't all this chaos a bit unnecessary?

Rover: He's been running experiments on the mechanisms. It's like he's trying to figure out how they work before he does something.

Rover: Either way, we need to find him quickly.

Qingxiao: This is the last Shuttle, but I see no lightway to the Skyend Barrier.

Rover: Let's check near that Swordlight.

Head over to the Swordlight

Jingran: Huh, it's been quiet for a while... That's not a good sign.

Feel the Sword Intent carried by the Swordlight

Fortress Warden Commander: ...We cannot let the escaped Tacet Discords into Mengzhou. We are running out of options...

Fortress Warden Commander: Anyone willing to follow me into the Fortress mainframe, step forward!

Voices of the People: I'm with you!

Fortress Warden Commander: The rest of you... Guanchuan is in command now. Stick to the plan. Cover the evacuation and withdraw immediately!

Ruoyun of the Past: I'm going with you. I know a shortcut to the mainframe.

Fortress Warden Commander: ...Savantae girl, this is not your fight. Get to safety.

Ruoyun of the Past: Commander, this is my home. I'm from Huanglong, but I'm a daughter of Xuanfang too.

Ruoyun of the Past: Just like everyone else here, I want to make sure more people can live to see the sunrise.

Qingxiao: ...These are memories and emotions from the past. From before Yuan Fortress self-destructed.

Qingxiao: I have never forgotten them.

Qingxiao: ...Stay alert. Something is coming.

Jingran: Same portal I opened for you back then. It cuts a passage between any two places thick enough with Reverberations.

Jingran: As soon as I got there, I walked right into Muyu collecting data. Played along, got cozy. After my cover blew, I stole a Shuttle to give his toys the slip. That's how I ended up here.

Jingran: Lucky or not, you two showed up. With a parade of those things. Heh. Gotta say, you really know how to wear a guy out.

Jingran: Right before the siege, Muyu and I reached a secret chamber in Fogveil Pagoda. He didn't find Hsin's trail, so he geared up for the Sanctum.

Jingran: Time was tight, so I left that pendant behind as a breadcrumb. Laced it with my Resonance Ability. Then I followed him.

Jingran: Oh, I cut a deal with the "debt collector" in this lampLife Lamp. Traded a bit of my lifespan. Just enough to juice that pendant.

Jingran: Add in the passage to the Sanctum? A year or two off the clock. I figure that's a tidy price for you and the Paragon on my side.

Jingran: The snake needed a hand from within Zhuojun Atelier to get supplies moving to lay the groundwork. That hand... just happened to be me.

Jingran: But he was paranoid. Notes at drop points, never a face. Didn't get a meet‑and‑greet 'til all hell broke loose with the Autopuppets.

Jingran: He kept me at arm's length. Used me like a doorman. If you two hadn't've scared him, he never would've let me come this far.

Defend the Cloud Shuttle's deck

Jingran: Tch. Sent a big one after us. Muyu must be getting desperate.

Conquest Control Orb: Status: Autonomous attack mode activated. Deploying combat units.

Qingxiao: Focus on the defense of our own Shuttle first!

Rover: Prepare for battle.

Jingran: Heh, with you two around? I almost feel safe.

Get close and activate the Xuan Bombards with the flying sword

Jadie: Hello, hello—can you hear me? I just connected to the Cloud Shuttle control room.

Jadie: The Xuan Bombards on deck are all ready to fire. Use them as much as you want!

Rover: Jadie?

Jingran: Hold on, who's that?

Jadie: Let's blast those bots to pieces!

Use the flying sword to activate the Xuan Bombards

Protect the Xuan Bombards

Jadie: Watch the flank! Another wave incoming!

Defeat the enemy Autopuppets

Jadie: Uh‑oh, that big bully just wrecked our best cannon!

Jingran: These Autopuppets are a lot tougher than the last batch.

Qingxiao: Don't let them stall us. We need to end this quickly.

Defend the Cloud Shuttle you're on

Jadie: Those grapples are messing with the Shuttle's flight stability... If this keeps up, we'll be in big trouble!

Head to the enemy Shuttle with Jingran

Qingxiao: I will hold the line here. You two go deal with those Shuttles.

Rover: Got it. Jingran, can you keep up?

Jingran: That far? Heh, don't sell a Nethermancer short.

Clear the attacking rogue Autopuppets

Conquest Control Orb: Warning: Foreign object intrusion detected. Threat level updated.

Jingran: Doesn't matter how many minions they throw at us. Minions are still minions.

Destroy the enemy Cloud Shuttle's control kernel

Jadie: Hurry, destroy the Cloud Shuttle's core! Bring it down!

Head to the second enemy Shuttle

Conquest Control Orb: Warning: Sub-vessel power insufficient. Crash imminent.

Jingran: That's one down. Time to take down the next.

Jingran: Tsk... still hate the feeling of this portal. Makes my head spin every single time.

Clear the attacking rogue Autopuppets

Conquest Control Orb: Warning: Sub-vessel core region under attack. Requesting emergency reinforcements.

Jingran: Tch. That voice is really starting to get on my nerves.

Rover: Destroy that orb, then we're done here.

Destroy the Autopuppets moving in on the deck

Destroy the enemy Cloud Shuttle's control kernel

Jingran: Heh, easy peasy.

Jingran: Phew, our side's clear. Wonder how the Paragon's doing—

Check how the battle is going on Qingxiao's side

Qingxiao: It is done.

Talk over the situation with your companions

Jadie: Incredible work, team! The enemy Shuttles are pulling back, and the Autopuppets have stopped attacking!

Jingran: Yeah, but the fog's still here. Doesn't feel like a win to me.

Jingran: My gut tells me this is a trap.

Rover: It probably just pulled back into the fog. Getting ready to hit us again.

Qingxiao: ...Brace yourselves. That Shuttle is approaching once more.

Hold off the Autopuppet assault and defend the deck

Conquest Control Orb: Directive: Full assault. Unit deployment intensity raised to maximum.

Defeat the final wave of incoming Autopuppets

Rover: (We can't expect to board it yet. Gotta clear the deck of Autopuppets first.)

Qingxiao: Leave it to me.

Qingxiao: That Shuttle is the source of the fog. Until it falls, this will not end.

Rover: Then we board it and destroy the control orb.

Jingran: Interesting... so we're trading "bases"? Autopuppets are still pouring in. If we all leave, this place is done for.

Jadie: Everyone—we're here!

Jadie: It's finally my turn to fight. Sheesh... Took me forever to fix these guys up.

Jadie: You go take down that Cloud Shuttle! Leave this place to me and my Lancers!

Jingran: Sure you can handle it? I'll stay back for a bit and help you hold the line.

Rover: Good. We'll make this quick.

Defeat the Autopuppets along the way

Conquest Control Orb: Directive: Activating emergency defense mode. Eliminate all intruders at maximum capacity.

Rover: It's trying to slow us down with the Reeling Fog.

Qingxiao: I activated my Sword Intent. It should help us resist the fog's effects for now.

Eliminate the rogue Autopuppets in your way

Jingran: I'm back! Time to sink this behemoth!

Qingxiao: End them together.

Eliminate the last of the elite Autopuppets

Conquest Control Orb: Warning: Main vessel core under threat. Eliminate all intruders immediately.

Rover: Its defenses won't hold much longer.

Find the right spot and clear the fog with the flying sword

Jingran: Impressive... We really clicked there.

Deactivate all the corrupted Mechanism Controls at once

Qingxiao: The final obstacle lies ahead.

Destroy the main vessel's core

Jingran: This flying piece of junk's been playing hide-and-seek long enough. Let's put it down!

Conquest Control Orb: Warning: Core integrity decreasing... Crash imminent... Crash imminent...

Talk to Ruoyun

Jadie: Hehe. After all, they are my proudest cre—ugh, partners!

Qingxiao: You... Why have you been helping us all this time?

Jadie: I want the city out there to be okay! If we don't fix things here, that place is gonna be in big, big trouble too.

Jadie: Alrighty! Now I'll scoot us along to the next level—

Rover: The Prism of Fate...?

Jingran: Whoa. So that's the Moon Fox's relic from Fogveil Pagoda? Figured it ended up with you.

Qingxiao: Ruoyun?

Ruoyun: Uhh... How was I supposed to know the Sentinel's relic would reveal my true form like that?!

Ruoyun: Wait, this Prism of Fate, the Lexicon Axis, and the Sanctum... Are the knowledge restrictions lifting?

Jingran: Good, saves time. The story goes that the Savantae crew didn't just vanish after building the Hold. They just... "upgraded." Celestials, they call 'em. Been watching over the city's mechanisms ever since.

Qingxiao: The Fortress and Gorges War broke out before Xuanfang Hold was even finished. Ruoyun, what exactly are you...?

Ruoyun: Very good. I am a Celestial. But my case... was a little different.

Ruoyun: Long ago, I triggered the self-destruct at Yuan Fortress's mainframe—

Ruoyun of the Past: ...I'm... still alive...? Did I... make it...?

Ruoyun of the Past: ...If that wasn't enough... What do I do now... Everyone has...

Hsin of the Past: You have already done more than enough.

Ruoyun of the Past: ...What...? Is that... the Sentinel's... voice?

Hsin of the Past: Your will and heart have reached me. The rest is for me to handle.

Hsin of the Past: Ruoyun. In a moment, you will die from your wounds. But I offer you a choice—

Hsin of the Past: Cast aside your mortal body and become part of Xuanfang Hold, guarding it for what may be eternity. Or accept the peace of death here.

Hsin of the Past: Endless restraint, or quiet release. I wish to know what you can truly accept.

Ruoyun of the Past: ...I gave my word that I'd be one of the Celestials... I want to keep... protecting my people.

Hsin of the Past: This path is not easy. Time may wither your spirit. There will be no turning back... even if you beg.

Ruoyun of the Past: ...I'll let... my future self... worry about the regrets.

Hsin of the Past: Then entrust the whole of your being to meXuanfang Hold.

Ruoyun: —To be a Celestial is to accept a leash. You bind your life to the Hold and swear never to reveal its secrets.

Ruoyun: But this crisis is endangering its people. I did what I had to and projected my consciousness into an Autopuppet to guide you.

Rover: And you can speak the truth now because of this? Why only now?

Ruoyun: The restrictions have been lifted for now. Likely because we're near the core data zone, and your connection to the Sentinel has grown stronger.

Rover: Then tell me, what is this place? And how is it connected to the Hold?

Ruoyun: You're in the Hold's control mainframe, a space called the Xuanyuan Domain. It stores vast amounts of the region's historical data.

Ruoyun: Muyu uploaded outside Reverberations, twisting the execution logic. He tried to take full control of the Mirage Realm, but it ended up triggering all these anomalies.

Ruoyun: If this continues, his Reverberations will continue their contamination until everything collapses. In the end... the Hold itself will fall.

Muffled Voice: First Instance activated...

Muffled Voice: Simulating... Xuanfang Hold... Reconstructing... Future possibilities converged...

Rover: (This voice. It sounds like the one I heard in Rinascita's Civilization Capsule. If Imperator wasn't the only Sentinel that left a relic storing legacy data...)

Rover: Is this control mainframe actually a Civilization Capsule? Could we be inside it right now?

Ruoyun: I... That data is restricted under the highest clearance. Even now, it hasn't lifted.

Ruoyun: There's the lightway to the Skyend Barrier. This is as far as I can take you.

Ruoyun: Muyu turned guardians into killers, and souls of the departed into toys. I beg you... Please stop him.

Qingxiao: I accept your request. Take care.

Ruoyun: Qingxiao, do you remember... our farewell back then? You never gave me an answer.

Qingxiao: ...It was worth it.

Fly forward and find a place to land

Jingran: There it is. The Sanctum's Shuttle. Muyu's little fortress.

Qingxiao: That barrier of warped machinery won't yield to a simple strike.

Rover: Look. Two weak spots in the perimeter. We can force a breach there.

Jingran: Hold on. I got a better idea—See that Shuttle over there?

Qingxiao: That, over there, is worse than the Skyend's dangers. Even with a Shuttle as a shield, you'll be putting your life at risk.

Jingran: Safe paths don't lead to lost places. If there's an opening, I'm not letting it go to waste.

Rover: Jingran, what are your odds?

Jingran: Haha, ninety percent shot I get you two inside.

Rover: No, I mean, what are the odds you come back alive?

Jingran: Some things, you don't know 'til you try. Besides, we're running out of time. Those openings could disappear any second.

Jingran: Look, I've always known my wick was shorter than most. But how I burn it? That's my call, even if the gods themselves disagree.

Jingran: So go save Xuanfang, big hero. I'm not planning on checking out just yet.

Qingxiao: This wisp of Sword Intent may not work miracles. But with your resolve fueling it, it will not fail you.

Jingran: Rover, Paragon Qingxiao...

Jingran: I'll leave that corpse-fiddling creep to you, then!

Head to the front of the deck and begin Sword Flight

Head to the weak spot on the mechanism barrier

Change course and head for the other weak spot

Rover: There seems to be a figure ahead.

Qingxiao: The wound was fatal. It must have been the strike Jingran landed earlier.

Rover: If he's dead, then who's controlling those Reverberations? Who sent the Cloud Shuttles and the Autopuppets? This can't be over that easily.

Qingxiao: The Reverberations of the dead... They still pour in without end. They still cause the anomalies...

Muyu: The emotions in those Reverberations are weak little things. But they do make excellent fuel for transcendence.

Muyu: So... the two closest to the Sentinel. You've managed to find your way here.

Rover: Muyu, this corpse... Is this another one of your tricks?

Muyu: This is my true flesh. The mortal vessel I cast aside. I'm being entirely honest with you.

Qingxiao: You...

Muyu: Your vision has narrowed, Paragon Qingxiao. I expected someone as elevated as you to understand this path sooner.

Muyu: We were never enemies, truly. This time, you twoXuanfang Hold simply happened to stand in my way. Save or destroy. Neither has ever interested me.

Muyu: To break that fox's tedious restrictions and taste the fruit of true knowledge, I had to take a path... from which there is no retreat.

Qingxiao: I don't care about your plans. I came to take your life.

Rover: And this time, you will pay for everything you've done in Xuanfang Hold.

Muyu: Then you shall make ideal test subjects.

Muyu: ...I came here to dissect the Sentinel's design. To understand the blueprint of divinity. Then build myself into its equal.

Muyu: And now, I've reached the pinnacle of mechanist arts...

Qingxiao: He's above us.

Muyu: I have shed my mortal flaws—

Muyu: To become the perfect Celestial.

Muyu: And you, Qingxiao...

Muyu: Born to transcend

Muyu: Yet brought low by useless emotion and your pity for insignificant mortals.

Qingxiao: They matter to me.

Defeat Calamity Effigy

Rover: "Celestial"... You just copied the Savantae craftsmen and transferred your consciousness into an Autopuppet.

Muyu: Those slaves bound to the Sentinel are unworthy of the name. I am the true Celestial, free of all chains.

Muyu: I have taken the most fragile thing in this world and made it my road to perfection. I have arrived at a future you cannot even fathom.

Qingxiao: You are nothing but a monster feeding on the dead.

Muyu: You both stand with mortals. Again and again, you protect. Have you ever thought about why they are weak?

Muyu: Flaws must be burned away. Excess must be shed. Only then can an ant one day stand beside a god.

Qingxiao: You just want the world to be a mirror of yourself.

Qingxiao: Every soul has its own light. The "perfection" you speak of is a hollow lie.

Qingxiao: I fight for the lights of the living. Each flame is a life, distinct and irreplaceable.

Muyu: This is not over. This is not my destination...

Muyu: Just a moment more... A moment more, and I will cast off this shell and ascend...

Rover: This grotesque puppet show ends now.

Defeat Calamity Effigy again

Muyu: The Reverberations from the DiEarth Realm... I'll have them all... Every last drop of rage, sorrow, and resentment—

Muyu: AHHH—What... did you do?

Qingxiao: I shared my Sword Intent with the Autopuppets you experimented on.

Muyu: ...You... The guqin you played... Has your cultivation addled your wits? You'd even protect the Reverberations of the dead?!

Qingxiao: Even Reverberations should not be sacrificed to conspiracy and ambition, nor stripped of their right to exist.

Muyu: ...What a Sword Transcendent. What a Xuan Paragon.

Rover: You infiltrated the Sanctum to steal the Civilization Capsule we're in, didn't you?

Muyu: Xuanfang is but one corner of the chaos in Mengzhou. Unfortunately, I have no interest in Balanophora's petty schemes.

Rover: So she's the "woman in red" you mentioned before? A Fractsidus Overseer?

Muyu: It's irrelevant now... You defeated me because you were strong enough. Not because my path was wrong.

Qingxiao: Unrepentant to the last.

Muyu: I accept the consequences of my work. To regret it now would be to dishonor all the "materials" I used to get here.

Muyu: Look at this skybarrier trying to stop us... Doesn't it remind you of the Etheric Sea?

Muyu: Soon, the Reverberations' corruption will bring it all down. You may escape to reality, but Xuanfang Hold is doomed.

Qingxiao: ...I will not let that happen.

Muyu: This wretched city was built on the Sentinel's meddling. Every life it saved was a debtcause that must eventually be paid.

Muyu: Just like your protection. It has only delayed the inevitableeffect.

Muyu: And now, above you, the bill has arrived. The Tacet Discords. The dead. The destruction Xuanfang was always meant to face.

Rover: So that was the plan? Trigger a collapse, destroy the barrier, and slip away in the chaos?

Muyu: I told you. I do not care about what happens to the Capsule. And I care even less for this Hold...

Muyu: I want the Sentinel's knowledge exposed to the light of Solaris. Whether it saves the world or sets it on fire... Frankly, you two, I don't give a damn.

Muyu: Leave it to the Sentinel? Better that knowledge in human hands. In my hands.

Qingxiao: You're driven by nothing but greed and a hollow ego.

Muyu: At least you understand my "madness." I never once hid my intentions from you.

Qingxiao: I will stay here.

Qingxiao: My Resonance Ability can purge the malice from these Reverberations. As long as someone stands against this "falling sky," this place will endure.

Qingxiao: Hahh... So...

Rover: Hsin asked me to vow that I would never forsake this city. And I promised you... that you wouldn't walk this road alone.

Rover: Master.

Qingxiao: ...Yes.

Rover: Whatever comes next, we'll face it together.

Press deeper into the Tian Realm

Return to the mysterious garden

???: Oh, you have both worked very hard indeed.

Qingxiao: ...Hsin?

Hsin: Thanks to the two of you and the people of this city, the Reverberation corruption in the control mainframe was largely purged. I handled the anomalies that remained.

Hsin: With the mainframe restored, the Censure Courts and Autopuppets will function as they should. The Tacet Discords will be contained in due time.

Hsin: In short... Xuanfang Hold has weathered the storm.

Hsin: Uh... Paragon Qingxiao! Calm yourself!

Qingxiao: Where exactly have you been all this time?

Rover: Xuanfang has bled again and again, and its Sentinel was nowhere to be seen. Whatever your reasons were, you owe us an explanation.

Hsin: Very well. Then let us begin with the chaos Muyu sowed.

Hsin: When Muyu invaded the Sanctum, I was not blind to it. But for certain reasons, I could neither intervene directly nor send word.

Hsin: In desperation, I trapped him inside the Xuanyuan Domain, within the mainframe, and strengthened the barrier to keep him from escaping.

Hsin: I believed he sought to extract the mainframe's core data. But to break my restrictions, he weaponized the Reverberations to collapse the mainframe itself.

Rover: Hold on. Back in the Sanctum, the Prism of Fate flickered. Was that you? Did you guide us into the Xuanyuan Domain?

Hsin: Only by stopping Muyu's chaos from within, together with my power, could we minimize the harm that spilled beyond.

Rover: One more thing. Is the Hold's control mainframe actually Mengzhou's Civilization Capsule? Muyu certainly believed it was.

Hsin: Not entirely. It is merely one small part of it...

Hsin: This situation exceeded even my calculations. Fortunately, you two were there. You saved Xuanfang from far greater loss.

Qingxiao: The Rafter Kite that led me to Fogveil Pagoda... You used the excuse of a meeting to lead me straight to Rover, didn't you?

Hsin: Heh... so you figured it out after all.

Hsin: With my clever allySuisui placing the Arbiter on the board as a wild card, I rather hoped you two would form a natural partnership.

Qingxiao: The visions of Xuanfang we saw in the Domain...

Hsin: I know your question. Those Cloud Shuttles and mechanisms were real, recorded blueprints. As for why they were never deployed during the Fortress and Gorges War...

Hsin: Qingxiao... the answer is simple. There was not enough time.

Qingxiao: ...Time.

Hsin: Besides, technology that outstrips its age is as much a curse as a blessing to the people of Mengzhou. It was never meant for the mortal world. It has already warped too many fates.

Hsin: Muyu's ruin is proof enough of where that path leads.

Rover: I'm not here to judge your past choices. But if some of Xuanfang's problems began with its Sentinel, then its Sentinel should see them through.

Hsin: Arbiter... I...

Hsin: Arbiter, Paragon Qingxiao. When the time is right, I will give you and Xuanfang the answers you deserve.

Hsin: When that day comes, bring the Prism of Fate and come see...

Storyteller: And so—thousands of swords pierced the heavens, scattering the darkness.

Storyteller: The ominous force over Xuanfang was swept away. Mechanisms whirred back to life, and Tacet Discords were locked away.

Storyteller: Above the Sanctum, it seemed as though a river of stars had descended.

Storyteller: As the dust settled, the righteous returned in triumph.

Storyteller: Soldier and citizen cheered as one. Peace, at last, filled the city once more.

Storyteller: Yet before the sounds of celebration had faded, a certain garden collapsed without warning.

Storyteller: As for the secrets it buried... that shall be a tale for another time.

Meet up with Yangyang at the Ministry of War

Rover: (Suisui seems to want to discuss something. I'd better head to the Ministry of War and find Yangyang first.)

Suisui: ...Thank goodness you're both safe. Yangyang, come closer and let me get a good look at you. Are you hurt?

Yangyang: Rover, please don't praise me like that in front of my sister...

Suisui: Alright, alright. Enough flattery, you two. Let's talk business. I'm speaking as Chairwoman of the Zhaoming Commerce Guild now.

Suisui: After returning to Mengzhou, I used the Guild's connections to dig into Muyu's past and contacted the main branch of Zhuojun Atelier.

Suisui: Muyu was a prodigy in Automata Mechanics. He designed Yuan Fortress two centuries ago, was a senior figure in Zhuojun Atelier, and had deep collaborations with Huaxu Academy.

Suisui: About twenty years back, he was supposed to succeed the Flowerveil Puppet as the next Grand Helm. Instead, he announced his departure from the organization and vanished.

Yangyang: After that... he probably hid in Xuanfang under another identity. Biding his time. Refining his plan.

Suisui: The Atelier has officially cut ties with him. They even offered to share information to help with the Guild's investigation.

Suisui: ...Really? So he hasn't been seen since the Sanctum... Typical. A proper ghost of the Jianghu. I wouldn't be surprised if he just shows up again one day.

Rover: I'm sure he also made it out safely.

Rover: But did Muyu have dealings with the Fractsidus? He mentioned an Overseer's name before we ended him.

Suisui: We've only got one lead, from the Grand Helm herself. She said Muyu traded technology with the Fractsidus years ago, but the relationship didn't last.

Suisui: Hard to say if that's true or just the Atelier trying to cover its tracks.

Suisui: Hmph. In Jinzhou, at least they served me tea while I waited. This time... they shut the door in my face. Said Mengzhou's Magistrate wasn't receiving visitors.

Suisui: Xuanfang's been hit by one disaster after another, yet City Hall remains eerily quiet. It's suspicious.

Yangyang: At least it has made good on its promise: a group of personnel and supplies will arrive from Mengzhou City soon. Another shipment of aid from Jinzhou has also arrived.

Suisui: Things are indeed looking up. You two needn't worry about City Hall, I'll think of something.

Rover: Thank you, Suisui.

Suisui: Your tone betrays you, darling. I can tell there's a lot on your mind. But you'll try to unwind, won't you?

Rover: Yeah... Things are peaceful in Xuanfang for now.

Yangyang: I hope that won't change for a long, long time.

Suisui: Very soon, the Waking Moon Festival will be celebrated across Mengzhou. Xuanfang will be no exception. You should both take the chance to relax.

Suisui: Well then, see you soon. Don't forget about our... "next time," alright, Rover?

Yangyang: Rover, what did my sister mean by "next time"...?

Rover: ...One day, we're all gonna visit Jinzhou together.

Yangyang: I'd like that.

Read Qingxiao's WavesLine message

Head to Qingxiao's training hall in the Eastern Xuan Peaks

Qingxiao: You're here.

Rover: ...So this is your training hall?

Qingxiao: When I first settled here, it was nothing but an abandoned shack. Over the years, the local folk have helped me repair it of their own accord.

Qingxiao: I owe them a great debt. Cultivation may not need worldly comforts, but if I am to found a school, I should at least have a proper training hall.

Rover: ...Found a school?

Rover: Where are you at with this?

Qingxiao: ...Still at the very first step. Finding my first disciple.

Qingxiao: The first disciple is the foundation, the face the school shows to the world. I must choose with the utmost care.

Rover: Well, you did teach me to fly with a sword not long ago. Doesn't that mean...

Qingxiao: Back in the Xuanyuan Domain, I called you "disciple," yes. And you called me "master." But that journey has already ended.

Qingxiao: I have not truly guided you. Your swordcraft already stands on its own. I've no right to claim you as disciple.

Qingxiao: So... it must be your choice.

Rover: Qingxiao. If you'll have me, then our journey doesn't need to be over.

Qingxiao: ...Very well.

Qingxiao: According to how my own master accepted me, taking on a disciple requires two steps. This shall be the first.

Rover: This is...

Qingxiao: A sword talisman. I carved it myself over the last few days. My lifebound Sword Intent lives inside it.

Jingwei of the Past: To be my disciple, you must sever worldly ties, cast aside the six desires, and leave karma behind.

Qingxiao of the Past: And if, in the end, I cannot?

Jingwei of the Past: Then by that time, you will have found a Way of your own.

Rover: So, now comes the second step, I guess?

Qingxiao: I treat you to a meal.

Qingxiao: I believe it's called an Initiation Feast. When my master accepted me, she broke years of fasting just to share a meal.

Qingxiao: Bring along your adorable little friend as well.

Rover: "Adorable"... You mean Abby?

Return to Qingxiao's training hall

Fly to Xuanfang Hold with your sword

Have a meal with Qingxiao at Yuan's Flavors

Fillet Fairmaiden: Mengzhou Fish in Vinegar—coming right up! Caught from the Luo River just this morning. You won't find fresher!

Abby: Mmm, yum-yum-yum-yum-yum!

Abby: Blegh! So sour! What's wrong with this fish?!

Qingxiao: This was the signature dish of "Yuan's Flavors" in the late Fortress. I received an invitation to eat there once. One bite, and the taste has never left me.

Qingxiao: Disciple, would you like to try some?

Qingxiao: Before I always saw the people... as those who quietly waited to be protected.

Qingxiao: But the truth is, they've always had the heart to protect themselves.

Qingxiao: To save for a day, or to save for a lifetime... Neither compares to teaching them the means to save themselves.

Rover: So... that's the real reason you're founding a school?

Qingxiao: Many years ago, a fellow Cultivator passed through Xuanfang with his disciple during their travels across Huanglong. He came up the mountain to visit me.

Qingxiao: Only then did I learn that to solve Temporal Disruption for future generations, he had to set a plan in motion with a "golden-eyed oneyou" at Mt. Firmament. It cost him dearly. His lifespan was nearly spent.

Qingxiao: Even if one can no longer walk their Way, or devote their life to "peace under heaven," there will always be... someone to take their place.

Qingxiao: That is the lesson you taught me, not so long ago.

Rover: So, as your first and most devoted disciple, it looks like I'll be helping with the teaching too.

Qingxiao: ...You already have.

Qingxiao: Well...

Excited Kid: Did you hear? That Transcendent lady is incredible! They say she's the master of the greatest martial arts school in the whole wide world!

Confused Kid: What's it called again?

Excited Kid: Uh, Xuan... Xuanyuan School! Yeah, it's the best in the world!

Qingxiao: In that case... Xuanyuan School it shall be.

In this life, we part more than we gather. Nine times out of ten, the world is not as we wish.

But may we, humble as we are, pass the torch, and never cease to rise.

Fillet Fairmaiden: Hm? Did Paragon Qingxiao leave this behind?

Fillet Fairmaiden: ...Swordcraft of the Golden-Eyed One?

Read the WavesLine message you just received