Barbara scrambled up from the ground and ran forward in a panic.
But before she could reach the center of the smoke, a slender figure broke through the dust and was sent flying backward.
"Sister Jean!" Barbara cried out in surprise.
The soles of Jean's shoes screeched sharply
That was the sound of friction against the overgrown ground, carving two deep grooves along the path Jean slid back.
Before she could stabilize herself, Yilan was already upon her, chasing after with the West Wind Sword in hand.
"——!"
Jean stamped one foot into the ground to halt her retreat, then raised her Windblade-infused sword, clashing against Yilan's strike.
The world fell silent.
Sparks scattered through the air as the West Wind Sword and the Windblade clashed directly. Just this simple impact caused a powerful burst of energy to erupt outward.
Moments later, a deafening boom followed.
A dome-shaped shockwave exploded outwards, centered around the two combatants. The blast wave, spanning over ten meters, tore up soil, grass, and stone, flattening the surroundings.
But even as the dust flew, neither fighter remained at the center.
Instead, a figure wrapped in green Anemo energy and another wrapped in purple Electro energy clashed continuously at blinding speeds.
Each collision stirred violent gusts — being caught in it even once would instantly turn someone into sauce — Barbara was painfully aware of this!
In fact, as a Vision holder herself, she could barely follow their movements. What shocked her even more was
In this clash, Jean — who had always been the strongest in Barbara's heart — was completely suppressed!
Brother Yilan is actually stronger than Sister Jean?!
Barbara felt her worldview shatter.
Clang!
After another collision, Jean retreated skillfully, then propelled herself forward close to the ground using a burst of Anemo power, racing toward Yilan at an astonishing speed.
In response, Yilan only smiled faintly and stomped heavily on the ground.
The Geo element exploded upward with a bang, and a wall of earth several meters wide rose abruptly before him.
Jean had no choice but to slash through the lifted earth mid-charge, but in the very next instant, Yilan's smiling face burst through the flying rubble and appeared right in front of her.
Bang!
Jean was sent flying for the third time, sliding back more than ten meters before she managed to stop.
Looking at Jean, still standing despite the blow, Yilan couldn't help but praise her:
"Jean, your mastery of elemental manipulation is truly impressive."
Throughout the fight, Jean had been cloaking herself in a thin wind armor —
Unlike Geo shields that bluntly absorb damage, the wind armor deflected attacks by altering their trajectory, reducing impact force.
If a rock shield represented ultimate hardness, then Jean's wind armor was ultimate flexibility.
Each time Yilan struck, much of his force was subtly redirected, preventing him from completely overwhelming Jean in one strike.
Of course, he was only using dual-elemental energy and hadn't even drawn his Dreamblade yet — after all, that weapon was too conspicuous.
Jean gave a bitter smile and suddenly sheathed her Windblade.
"Not fighting anymore?" Yilan asked, a little surprised.
It was rare to encounter such a skilled opponent — he had wanted to continue sharpening his swordsmanship.
Seeing his disappointed look, Jean felt a rare sense of helplessness —
Why do I feel like I've just been used as a training dummy?
She had fought with all her strength, yet Yilan hadn't even broken a sweat!
Just how much strength had he really used? Eighty percent? Fifty percent?
Jean couldn't help but think: even if Grand Master Varka were here himself, he probably wouldn't have suppressed her so effortlessly!
"No, no more fighting," Jean said, her face reddening as she recalled that it was she who had asked Yilan to go all out.
Shaking her head, she added, "I just wanted to test your strength, Yilan. There's no need to take it further."
"Fair enough."
Yilan also sheathed his sword.
Barbara, who had finally caught up, quickly ran over and began using Hydro healing magic to treat their minor wounds.
Meanwhile, Yilan turned to Jean and asked, "So, what exactly is this mission? Why was it so important?"
Jean handed Yilan a letter stamped with Ningguang's seal and explained:
"The Fatui have been targeting Yuheng Mountain in Liyue recently.
Liyue wishes to handle the matter without involving the Adepti, so they've asked Mondstadt for assistance."
"Although it's not ideal to intervene in another nation's affairs," Jean continued, "considering what the Fatui once did to Mondstadt, I believe giving them a setback would be beneficial."
"Yuheng Mountain?"
Yilan frowned, searching his memories — but he couldn't recall ever hearing of such a place.
That was strange.
He couldn't possibly know the name of every mountain in Liyue, but if Yuheng Mountain was important enough to attract the Fatui, he should have remembered it.
Seeing his confusion, Jean elaborated:
"In Liyue's legends, Yuheng Mountain was created by an Adeptus to protect the people during the great migration.
It's said to possess the ability to absorb negative karma, ward off evil, and heal sickness…"
Yilan's eyes widened in shock.
He didn't hear the rest.
Only one thought roared through his mind—
My Sim came to life?!
——
Liyue, Moonsea Pavilion.
The seven Liyue Qixing, who usually handled their own affairs, had gathered together — naturally to discuss matters concerning Yuheng Mountain.
Even among the top officials of Liyue, opinions differed.
For example, Keqing, the Yuheng Star herself, firmly believed they must protect the mountain.
By contrast, Ganyu, who had deep emotional ties to it, quietly advocated for its destruction.
However, regardless of internal disagreements, they were unanimous about one thing:
The Fatui must be driven out first.
"There's news from Mondstadt," Ningguang said, shaking a letter in her hand.
"Acting Grand Master Jean reports that Mondstadt will send a representative: the 'Shining Knight,' Yilan, to assist."
"The 'Shining Knight' of Mondstadt?"
Keqing lightly tapped her chin with one slender finger, her casual gesture full of elegance.
"I've heard of him before… but it's said that his strength is only…"
Keqing trailed off, not finishing her sentence — it would be rude to belittle a foreign ally behind their back.
Still, her meaning was clear.
But Ningguang shook her head.
"Jean writes that this 'Shining Knight' not only possesses dual elemental abilities but also defeated her head-on."
Dual elemental powers?!
Even the experienced Qixing were visibly stunned.
This wasn't the game world where common soldiers could master the Four Elements.
In reality, except through using both a Vision and a Delusion (Evil Eye), no one was known to command two elemental powers simultaneously.
And Jean would never endorse someone wielding a Delusion.
"It seems Mondstadt isn't as weak as we thought," Tian, the Tianshu Star, sighed.
Seeing everyone accept this unexpected ally, Ningguang continued, "Jean says Yilan will arrive tomorrow.
Since he has traveled so far, Liyue should properly receive him. Who among us will greet him?"
Although Ningguang posed it as a question, her gaze drifted toward Ganyu, who was quietly recording notes in the corner.
As the Qixing's secretary and emissary, Ganyu was usually responsible for welcoming honored guests.
"M-me?"
The blue-haired girl hesitated under the attention of everyone present.
The bells on her horns trembled slightly.
Blushing, she stammered, "I… have some pending matters. I'm afraid I can't spare the time…"
—That was a lie.
The real reason was the name:
Yilan…
The similarity hit too close to home.
Although Ganyu had long moved on from her grief, she didn't want to get involved with anything that might dredge up those sad memories.
"Then I'll go!" Keqing stood up briskly.
"Since the Yuheng Mountain issue involves land management, it falls under my jurisdiction anyway."