"L-Let go already!"
Guizhong glared at Ryen in embarrassment and irritation.
Ryen coughed lightly and immediately released her hand, putting on a serious expression.
"Relax. Since you also pursue visual effects, and you even gave me this divine power crystal, "
"I absolutely won't let you down."
"For the next while, I'll put aside all research on the Seven Elements and devote myself entirely to your Authority of Dust."
"I've already come up with a lot of handsome, elegant, and grand techniques."
"What do you think sounds better?"
"Sand Coffin, Sandstorm Funeral, Infinite Sand Great Breakthrough?"
"Or Shifting Quicksand, Forbidden Guard's Wall, Trial of Dust and Sand?"
Pingzi and Cloud Retainer were both covered in black lines, staring at the two of them speechlessly.
Yet Guizhong actually thought about it very seriously. After a long moment, she muttered,
"These skill names are too vulgar… and they sound way too murderous."
"Do you have something that fits a beautiful young lady's image, elegant, but with hidden killing intent?"
Ryen froze for a moment, then looked at Guizhong with admiration.
"You really have gone far down this path already…"
"Don't worry, there are plenty like that!"
"And even if there weren't, I'd design them for you!"
"How about Dragonfall Meteor?"
Guizhong was taken aback.
"Dragonfall Meteor? It does sound cool, but it feels like the name is too short."
"When you shout it out, it doesn't feel imposing enough."
"And it doesn't sound very elegant either, Morax's Planet Befall still sounds better."
Ryen waved his hand meaningfully.
"The name may be short, but the presentation is insanely cool."
"I even tried to persuade Zhongli to remodel Planet Befall before."
"One meteor is too monotonous, Dragonfall Meteor is way better."
"Imagine countless meteors raining down from the sky, dense and overwhelming, grand and majestic."
Guizhong's eyes lit up.
"Like a meteor shower?"
Ryen nodded solemnly.
"So cool!"
Stars practically sparkled in Guizhong's eyes. Then she scoffed disdainfully.
"That Morax guy really has no sense of aesthetics."
"Isn't this way better than his Planet Befall?"
"His move is just a big ugly rock falling out of the sky, what's so good about that?"
A flash of golden light appeared as Zhongli arrived with Venti and the others.
The moment he appeared, he spoke calmly,
"From the standpoint of general rationality, so-called Dragonfall Meteor disperses its power."
"It cannot achieve the same concentrated, indissoluble point of attack as Planet Befall."
"The more elemental energy is output, the lower the actual damage becomes."
"Flashy, but impractical."
Ryen and Guizhong rolled their eyes in perfect sync and said in unison,
"Who cares! As long as it looks cool!"
The moment the words left their mouths, both froze.
They exchanged a glance, and a powerful sense of mutual understanding surged between them.
This was what a true kindred spirit felt like!
Zhongli's mouth twitched.
"My elemental power has not yet reached the point where it can be wasted on… visual effects."
"No aesthetic sense. No understanding of art."
Ryen muttered, and Guizhong nodded vigorously beside him.
After a pause, Ryen continued,
"Then why don't you use Tengai Shinsei? That move condenses power instead of dispersing it, hardly flashy without substance, right?"
"A meteor descends from the heavens, tears through the clouds, and strikes with crushing, annihilating momentum."
"Isn't that both cool and powerful?"
Zhongli rubbed his forehead with a headache-inducing sigh.
"Yes, Tengai Shinsei is indeed powerful, but, "
"By general principles, condensing even a single meteor is already extremely taxing."
"Even Planet Befall cannot be used without restraint."
"And yet you want me to summon three at once."
"And you insist the meteors must descend slowly, to give enemies unprecedented psychological pressure."
"And after impact, there must be a world-shaking explosion that petrifies all enemies."
"This is a bit…"
Before he could finish, Guizhong said with shining eyes,
"That's amazing! That's art!"
"Exactly! You think so too, right?"
Ryen looked at Guizhong with deep emotion.
Zhongli fell silent.
At this moment, he truly felt,
Ryen and Guizhong were the two people he found hardest to deal with.
One was a close friend he couldn't beat.
The other was a sister-figure he felt guilty toward.
And both of them were wildly imaginative, utterly unrestrained thinkers.
Now that these two had teamed up, Zhongli had a very strong feeling,
His days of peace were over.
As for Ryen's Tengai Shinsei concept, Zhongli admitted it.
It was powerful, but,
What did it mean that the meteor had to descend slowly to maximize psychological terror?
What did it mean that three had to be condensed at once, so that despair would be followed by even deeper despair?
And preferably, Zhongli himself had to stand in midair with arms crossed and say something like,
"You dealt with that one, what about the next?"
"Such insignificant sand, not even worthy of half my power."
"This world is too small, only enough for me to toy with."
Those lines…
That was mortifying.
"Just ignore him!"
Guizhong turned excitedly toward Ryen, eyes full of anticipation.
"Can I use that Tengai Shinsei move?"
Ryen rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I don't yet know how far your Authority of Dust can go."
"Can you condense sand and dust into a meteor?"
Guizhong thought carefully.
"Condensing it would be difficult…"
"But if I output all my divine power, it should be possible."
"Then we're set!"
Ryen clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"This move will be your ultimate, screen-clearing finisher."
"Condense three meteors, then smash them down one by one."
"The enemy finally deals with the first meteor, only to realize there's another one."
"After struggling to destroy two, a third one comes crashing down."
"The sheer intimidation of a meteor descending from the heavens, combined with the psychological pressure of never knowing how many attacks are left, "
"I declare this move the strongest!"
Guizhong nodded repeatedly.
"I've written it down. When I test it, I'll call you to come watch!"
Pingzi sighed softly, a little helpless.
"This move is powerful, but it consumes all of your divine power in one burst."
"You'll fall into a prolonged weakened state afterward."
"And the enemy doesn't necessarily have to keep attacking your meteors."
"Between a helpless, exhausted god and a meteor that clearly looks dangerous,"
"anyone would choose to eliminate you first, wouldn't they?"
"After releasing Tengai Shinsei, you wouldn't even be able to fight a normal monster."
"That's a self-destructive move, it cuts off your own retreat."
Guizhong froze, then turned to look at Ryen.
Ryen had no intention of letting the like-minded soulmate he'd finally found lose confidence.
He immediately waved his hand dismissively.
"No problem!"
"Guizhong can still use her staff, and she has Totems of Undying to instantly restore herself to peak condition."
"And if worst comes to worst, I'll be right beside her when she uses Tengai Shinsei."
"With me around, no one is laying a finger on my like-minded artistic soulmate!"
Guizhong beamed and patted Ryen happily.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
"I'll be beautiful like a flower, and you'll beat all my enemies into the ground!"
Everyone shook their heads with helpless smiles as Guizhong enthusiastically took notes.
"Besides Tengai Shinsei, are there any other moves?"
"Preferably ones with beautiful names and really gorgeous effects!"
Ryen thought for a moment, then said softly,
"What about Grand Finality of Earth-Shattering Roar?"
"You could even perform some very flashy motions before releasing it."
Guizhong scrunched up her face, thought it over, then shook her head.
"Too rustic! Sounds awful! Next."
Ryen didn't feel her standards were high at all.
On the contrary, this kind of demanding taste made him feel relieved.
At last, someone who truly understood his obsession with visual effects.
"In that case, I'll have to bring out my secret stash."
Ryen solemnly took out a notebook, moved closer to Guizhong, and flipped through it with her.
"How about Armored Warriors Shattered on a Hundred Battlefields?"
"Hmm… it sounds philosophical, but not elegant or flashy enough."
"Then Broken Halberds Sink into the Sands, Iron Still Unrotted?"
"Too murderous! That doesn't suit a beautiful young lady!"
"Then… Desert Sands Like Snow?"
"Mm… it feels like something's missing. A bit too plain when shouted."
"Ryen… am I being too picky?"
Ryen waved his hand excitedly.
"Picky? Not at all!"
"Pursuing art requires exactly this kind of rigorous, serious attitude!"
"No worries, I've got plenty more. We'll just keep looking!"
"What about this one, Starfall Tempest?"
Guizhong's eyes lit up, and she nodded thoughtfully.
"So when I unleash the sandstorm, I shout this?"
"It definitely sounds better than Morax yelling Planet Befall or The Heavenly Principles Ever Move."
"Write it down, write it down!"
"That's the second one, help me find another!"
Ryen nodded earnestly, deeply moved.
"I just love people like you, people with ideas and pursuits!"
"Leave it to me!"
The two leaned closer and closer, until they were practically whispering to each other.
Zhongli and the others sighed helplessly.
They hadn't expected Ryen and Guizhong to be this perfectly in sync over something like this.
Perhaps…
People with unconventional minds were simply alike.
Zhongli chuckled softly, shook his head, and quietly sipped his tea.
"Old man,"
"seeing Guizhong and Ryen this close, don't you feel anything?"
Venti grinned mischievously and leaned over to whisper in Zhongli's ear.
Zhongli glanced at him calmly.
"How many more times must you suffer the Punishment of Eating Rock before you remember, "
"that Guizhong and I are merely comrades-in-arms?"
"Ehe~"
Venti shrugged and said no more.
"But even as comrades," he pressed on,
"you treat her like a younger sister. If your 'sister' ends up with a guy like Ryen, whose romantic luck is overflowing, "
"you really don't mind?"
Zhongli paused, then replied calmly,
"Each person has their own fate. I have no right to interfere."
"Back in the days of Guili Assembly, I fought day and night."
"I returned only a handful of times."
"Though we were said to rule together as allies, in truth, "
"Guizhong bore the responsibility of caring for the people alone."
"That life of constant war, never knowing if tomorrow would come,"
"was too oppressive for her. It stifled her youthful nature."
"I think… allowing her more freedom now is a form of compensation."
Venti didn't say anything further.
No matter how he looked at it, Zhongli didn't seem like someone who understood romance.
Which, for Venti, meant one less source of amusement.
"Sorrow and the west wind seem to have an appointment, meeting together every clear autumn…"
Zhongli softly repeated the verse Ryen had just whispered to Guizhong, a trace of appreciation crossing his face.
"A fine poem."
"It seems Ryen brought writings from his former world to craft these visually pleasing techniques."
"If there's a chance, I might ask him to let me take a look."
Meanwhile, Ryen and Guizhong continued exchanging thoughts on dazzling combat techniques.
With nothing else to do, Zhongli and the others casually chatted about that other world.
After an unknown amount of time, Ningguang and the rest finally arrived.
The moment they stepped inside, they immediately noticed the strangely intense, heated atmosphere between Ryen and Guizhong,
And their expressions turned rather odd.
~~----------------------
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