Chapter 102 Descending the Mountain

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five months had passed.

Still on the familiar summit of Mount Aocang, Ling Feng stood in an open space, holding the Jianli Longyin in his hand, with several wooden stakes placed before him.

"Blazing Flames, Lightning Flash."

Ling Feng swung his sword, first unleashing a blade energy slash of fire, followed by a purple sword aura. The two attacks struck a thick wooden stake in quick succession.

Bang!

Instantly, the lightning and fire overloaded, causing an explosion that blew away several nearby wooden stakes. The thick stake itself was shattered into pieces, with wood fragments scattered everywhere.

Faint traces of flames and weak electrical arcs still lingered on the ground.

[Ding! No training world this month. 800 Wish Power has been dispensed.]

"Hoo..." Hearing the system notification in his ear, Ling Feng calmly sheathed his sword. He seemed accustomed to it, but couldn't help but vent his dissatisfaction with a few words.

"Five months. System, did you swallow the monthly training? Freebies are nice, but I feel like I've lost so much. 4000 Wish Power in five months.

A single training session usually nets me four to five thousand, so over five months, that's about twenty-five thousand. The difference is glaringly obvious."

『Host, you can't blame me. If no worlds are invaded by chaotic energy, where would training worlds come from?』The system said with a hint of grievance, its tone making it hard to be angry.

"Fine," Ling Feng sighed and continued to practice the fluidity of the Burning Flame Saber Art and Thunderous Sword Technique combos.

Over these five months, his cultivation had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, not far from the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. He had also finally turned 18 and come of age.

The Thunderous Sword Technique was one of the two blue lights he received from twenty draws in the past five months. It was a four-star technique, a lightning-attribute sword art.

First Layer: Lightning Flash. The weapon is imbued with lightning power, dealing lightning element damage to targets. It can paralyze targets and also release sword energy containing lightning power.

Second Layer: Roaring Thunder. Unleash heavenly thunder to attack targets.

Although this Thunderous Sword Technique was far inferior to the Burning Flame Saber Art, it gave Ling Feng an idea: to create a self-reacting combo. With the special ability of Jianli Longyin to absorb fire and extinguish lightning, the damage would be even higher.

However, chaining these saber and sword energy attacks would cause a stutter when switching techniques, making the attacks not smooth enough. Therefore, Ling Feng had been practicing diligently, seeking a way to make his attacks fluid.

The other blue light was Hundred Refined Fine Iron, a five-star material that could be used to forge magical treasures, weapons, and equipment.

Besides the blue lights, there were only two green lights. All the others were white lights, indicating terrible luck.

The two green lights were the Three-Star Inverted Five Elements Array Disk and Three-Star Elementary Artifact Refining Technique.

...

"Ling Feng."

Hearing the familiar voice, Ling Feng stopped his training and looked towards the source of the sound. Cloud Retainer and Shenhe stood to his right.

"Master, is there something you need?"

Ling Feng sheathed Jianli Longyin and asked. Cloud Retainer would not seek him out without reason.

"Ling Feng, you have been cultivating on the mountain for half a year. The Immortals have taught you, and you have comprehended what you needed to learn. You now possess the power to protect yourself on the Teyvat continent, and it is time for you to return to the mortal world."

"Master, do you mean I should go down the mountain?" Ling Feng was momentarily stunned, then slightly pondered before understanding Cloud Retainer's meaning. She was telling him to descend the mountain.

"Yes, the time has come. It is time for you to return to the human world. I have discussed this matter with the other Immortals, and they all agree. You have graduated. Your future cultivation must be explored by yourself. When you reach Liyue Harbor, you may seek out Granny Ping to learn her specialized immortal arts and, in the process, integrate into human society."

"What about Senior Sister Shenhe?" Ling Feng looked at Shenhe.

"Shenhe..." Cloud Retainer was about to speak when Shenhe preempted her, saying, "My cultivation is not yet sufficient; I must remain on the mountain to continue my practice. When I can fully control the killing intent in my heart, I will descend the mountain to find you. I have not forgotten our promise."

Since Shenhe had said so, Ling Feng had nothing more to say and could only nod, "Yes, let me know when you come to Liyue Harbor."

"Ahem, as Shenhe said, it is not yet time for her to descend the mountain. Therefore, this time, you will be descending alone. Be careful on your journey, and be sure to carry the feather I gave you." Cloud Retainer instructed Ling Feng meticulously, like a doting mother.

"Yes, Master." Ling Feng nodded. He had already placed the feather in his Spirit-Containing Pot and kept it close to him.

"When you return to the mountain in the future, don't forget to bring some delicious food. And if you find any ingenious mechanical creations in the human world, remember to bring them back for me to see."

"Yes."

"Speaking of which, you previously rolled down the mountain..."

Hearing these words, Ling Feng's face immediately darkened. He quickly shouted, "Master, I'm going back to pack my things. Goodbye!"

With that, Ling Feng exerted all his might, moving at the fastest speed he could muster, and fled back into the grotto-heaven, fearing that Cloud Retainer would say the rest.

During these five months, Ganyu had visited. Unexpectedly, while chatting with Ganyu, Cloud Retainer had revealed his embarrassing past of rolling down the mountain.

Seeing Ganyu's sympathetic gaze, Ling Feng wished he could disappear into the ground.

This also made Ling Feng realize one thing: one must never let Cloud Retainer start talking. When you hear that embarrassing stories are about to be revealed, run as far away as possible.

"So hurried? Speaking of which, Shenhe, you."

Seeing Ling Feng suddenly run off, Cloud Retainer looked confused and turned her gaze to Shenhe.

To her surprise, Shenhe also gave Cloud Retainer no chance to speak. She said calmly, "I'll go help my junior brother," and also darted away.

Returning to their dwelling in the grotto-heaven, with Shenhe's help, Ling Feng quickly packed the items he needed to take and stored them in the system space. As he was about to leave, he realized it was noon.

So, before departing, he made a delicious meal for Cloud Retainer and the others.

When he left in the afternoon, Ling Feng stood at the doorway of his room, scanning it with a gaze full of memories.

Although he knew he would leave sooner or later, he hadn't expected it to be this soon. This room had recorded half a year of his life; joys and sorrows were all contained within these walls.

"Goodbye."

Ling Feng whispered, as if bidding farewell to the room. After all, the number of times he would return in the future might be few. Now that he had entered human society, he would surely buy a house of his own.

After bidding farewell to the room filled with memories, Ling Feng found Shenhe and Cloud Retainer, said his goodbyes, and then left the grotto-heaven.

Standing on the path down Mount Aocang, Ling Feng stretched his arms, adjusted his clothes, and gazing at the sea of clouds, he said deeply, "I'm here."