The group enjoyed a magnificent dinner, and by eight o'clock in the evening, Yoimiya's latest video was finally released. Although it was framed as a scenic documentary, the breathtaking vistas of the Fountainhead Palace and the blooming Sacred Sakura left the audience in awe.
In the footage, the celestial realm was filled with the mist of spirit springs, and cherry blossoms carpeted the mountain. Such a dreamlike sight instantly ignited a longing in the hearts of the people.
Yae Miko sipped her tea, smiling contentedly. "It seems little Yoimiya's filming techniques are becoming quite professional... the transitions, the framing—it's perfect."
"Hehe, I'm learning as I go. Big Brother Su Han gave me a lot of pointers on the angles," Yoimiya replied, sticking out her tongue playfully.
While the video was short, its viewership skyrocketed. People across the three nations began speculating where this "Celestial Realm" was located. To visit such a place even once would be the fulfillment of a lifetime.
Just then, Li Yingqi flew in from the outside. Seeing the transformed palace, she gasped in shock. "This... is this a dream? Is this truly the immortal realm?"
She had been summoned from her cultivation on the World Tree and hadn't expected the Jade Chamber's Secret Realm to change so drastically. The spiritual energy here was now so dense it rivaled Emei itself.
"Ah, Yingqi is here! Want some grilled fish?" Yae Miko offered. "We made plenty, and these are still warm."
"Thank you, Sister Miko!" Li Yingqi wasn't one for rigid formalities; her personality was that of a classic wandering hero. She took a skewer and began to eat, her eyes fixed on the massive glowing Sakura tree.
"What do you think? Do you and Lian Xing want to move into the Jade Chamber?" Eula asked. "You can teach swordsmanship by day and return here to cultivate by night."
"Would that... be an intrusion?" Li Yingqi asked hesitantly. She knew many of Su Han's companions lived here and didn't want to overstay her welcome.
"The Fountainhead Palace alone can house thousands," Eula laughed. "Many promising elites are already permitted to study here. You two would fit right in."
The Father of Spirits
The next morning, Su Han brought the Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Essence Heart-Core to the World Tree. His arrival, as always, acted as a magnet for the lower-tier elves. To keep the peace, he signaled for Windsor to maintain order.
"Father God, even if I tell them, the sisters admire you too much to stay away..." Windsor sighed.
"Tell them a glance is fine, but don't disrupt the work," Su Han said.
"Mhm! Also... Father God, could I... have your autograph?" Windsor's face turned bright red. She had read about this in some of the novels Su Han brought—the idea that a signature from a hero was a priceless treasure to comfort one during their absence.
Su Han laughed. "Just this once, alright?" He used his power to etch his name onto a photograph Windsor produced—a picture of the two of them standing together two days prior.
Leaving the starstruck elf behind, Su Han climbed toward the crown of the tree. The three Elemental Queens hadn't awakened yet, but he hoped the Essence Core would accelerate their hatching.
As he reached the summit, the consciousness of the World Tree greeted him. "Welcome back, Master... I missed you."
"I brought you a treasure," Su Han said. "But you must promise not to refine it. You are to protect it, understood?"
When he revealed the pulsing, emerald Heart-Core, the World Tree's consciousness wavered. It felt a power it couldn't possibly refuse—a primal urge to consume it.
"It looks... delicious..."
"No eating," Su Han warned, his tone firm. "If you eat it, the benefit is one-time. If you protect it, it will benefit you and the entire world forever. If you disobey, I'll be very angry."
The World Tree yielded instantly. It couldn't refuse a direct order from its Sovereign.
The Radiation of Life
Su Han entered a secret chamber located beneath the "hatching room." This was the absolute core of the World Tree, a place forbidden to everyone but him. At the center lay an oval-shaped orb pulsing like a heartbeat—the seed of the tree itself.
He placed the Wood Essence Core on a pedestal beside the seed.
Immediately, ripples of life energy began to radiate outward, moving like a tide. The first to feel it were the residents living upon the tree.
"What is this feeling?"
"My body feels so light..."
"Is the World Tree evolving?"
Even Dvalin, who was napping on a branch, felt the green light wash over him, and his old lingering wounds began to knit together rapidly. Venti, nursing a hangover, suddenly sat up. "Whoa... what a refreshing power."
The radiation continued to expand until it reached the Jade Chamber. Sucrose, watching the crops in the laboratory, saw the Spirit Grains and Maples begin to sprout new leaves at an visible rate. "This is going to save us so much work..."
Further out, in the medical labs of Liyue, Baizhu froze. He felt the Dendro energy in the air vibrating. He dropped his notes and sat in meditation; within ten minutes, he broke through a bottleneck he had been stuck on for years.
In Liyue Harbor, the common folk felt a surge of vitality. Chronic aches vanished; the elderly felt a spring in their step.
In her hidden room, Arlecchino was initially terrified, thinking she had been detected. When she realized it was a wave of pure nourishment, her eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"Is this Su Han's blessing? He's nourishing the entire city at once?" She realized that if the people of Liyue were bathed in this energy daily, their baseline physical strength would eventually surpass that of ordinary soldiers in other nations.
"Do the Fatui truly have a chance against this?" she whispered to herself.
Arlecchino had always been decisive, often acting with a cold pragmatism that even Tartaglia feared. But facing this level of casual, god-like benevolence, she felt a crack in her confidence. She decided to observe longer. The price of betraying the Tsaritsa was heavy, but the price of opposing Su Han was starting to look like total annihilation.
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