Now that they had identified the type of seal, progress was assured. However, due to the unique nature of the Light-Guiding Mechanism, it required two specific conditions tied to sunrise and moonset to activate.
Until then, all they could do was wait.
The next morning.
Ji An opened his eyes in his tent, feeling his arms were unusually heavy. He glanced to his left and saw Hu Tao's pretty face, a tiny strand of drool at the corner of her mouth.
"…"
He looked to his right and saw the fuzzy face of a brown-and-tan panda.
"Guoba, how did you—??"
'Didn't I zip up the tent last night? How did these two get in?!'
'What in the world!'
Utterly speechless, Ji An tried to carefully extract his arms, inch by inch
"…"
?
Why can't I pull free?!
He screamed internally.
Hu Tao he could understand—she was a Vision holder. But this Guoba? What's with a panda having this much strength? Is that appropriate?!
Finally, through persistent effort, Ji An managed to free himself from the human-and-panda confinement. He crept out of the tent as quietly as possible.
Outside, the sun had just peeked over the horizon, casting a pale golden light.
"Master Lu, you're up this early?" Ji An said, surprised to see the figure hunched over the stele.
"Couldn't stop thinking about this ruin mechanism. Tossed and turned, so I got up," Master Lu Ban replied, straightening up with a smile. "By the way, did you hear a strange rumbling from underground last night?"
"Uh… I didn't notice that," Ji An admitted sheepishly. "I'm a pretty heavy sleeper."
He looked at the stele, already half-lit. It seemed Master Lu had been busy.
"Master Lu, ahem, there's something I need to do. I'll be away for a bit."
"Go ahead, go ahead," Master Lu said with a chuckle, not pressing for details.
Grateful, Ji An nodded and left the temporary camp, heading southwest through Tianqiu Valley.
"Where exactly is that place Zhongli mentioned?"
He wandered along the mountain path, eyes scanning his surroundings.
'System, has the corresponding geographical condition been triggered?'
[Host, geographical condition not triggered]
'System, still not triggered?'
[Geographical condition not triggered]
'Can't you just scan for it?'
[Reminder: Host, the special geographical scanning function is on cooldown for six more days]
Ji An gritted his teeth. 'Fiiine.'
Just as he reached a steep cliff face, the system notification finally chimed.
[Arrived at location corresponding to simulation item. Loading data…]
[Acquired data for 'Rockbore Pangolin's Heartscale']
[Obtained Specialty Fragment: 'Child of Bedrock']
[Host, would you like to activate the 'River of Time' simulation mode now?]
[Note: Due to the simulated individual's innate traits, this simulation will include special effects]
"Huh? This scale is from a pangolin?" Ji An eyed the palm-sized scale suspiciously. He'd seen pangolins on nature documentaries, but never one with a scale like this.
And from the system's wording, this simulation might not be about a person, but a pangolin.
That feels a bit weird.
Previous simulations had given him all sorts of strange bonds, but at least they were with people. This time, if it's an animal, that's one thing, but it won't end up creating a bond with some strange monster… right?
"…"
An image involuntarily popped into Ji An's mind:
A massive Frostarm Lawachurl crashes down from the sky, grabs his hand, and proclaims, "Brother! From this day forth, my fate is yours, my body is yours! Command me, for my loyalty is absolute!"
Before the stunned Ji An can speak, an equally massive Stonehide Lawachurl leaps out, shouting excitedly, "What he said!"
…
Ugh, what nonsense is this!
Ji An shuddered violently and shook his head.
"Should I simulate or not? Maybe I should just skip it. Do as Zhongli said—find a spot to bury the scale and be done with it."
Yeah, yeah.
Ji An nodded, thinking that was the safest course.
'System, I've decided not to simulate. Just let me…'
[Understood. Simulation commencing.]
???
[Activating special 'River of Time' simulation mode for this session]
[Loading Time Fragment: 'Child of Bedrock']
[In this mode, attribute points and talent skills will use a fixed template with no initial numerical limits]
[In this mode, the final evaluation score will have a base increase of 60 points. Additional points are not influenced by the simulated life, but solely by the host's choices]
[In this mode, this simulation will not affect reality]
'System, you're ruthless!'
Ji An gave a mental middle finger to the void. Since it was already running, he focused his attention on the new simulation.
[Applying fixed template for attributes and talent skills]
Attributes (Assessed relative to species baseline):
[Looks]: 8
[Physique]: 105
[Intelligence]: 6
[Background]: 5
Ugh, another freakish set of stats.
Not only was the Physique baffling, but the Looks score made him a veritable heartthrob among pangolins.
Ji An felt somewhat numb, even indifferent. But he was curious—what did a Physique of 105 mean for a pangolin? How would it manifest? Pangolins usually lived around 10-15 years. With such a heaven defying physique, could this one live for a century?
The talent skills loaded next—three this time, and seemingly normal.
[Favor of the Mountains]: Your spiritual wisdom is under protection.
[Darling of Bedrock]:You are born with great fortune, the most beloved child of the mountain's bedrock.
[Heartscale]: A blessing from bedrock. Your Physique +100 (Already applied)
All were gold-tier talents. But aside from [Heartscale], the effects of the other two weren't immediately clear to Ji An.
'Well, let's just run the simulation.'
Ji An pressed 'Start New Life.'
The system began:
[0 years old: You are born, a male pangolin. The unusual phenomena accompanying your birth stir the entire mountain forest.
Your parents are ecstatic, whispering to you:
"My son, from the day you were born, the very mountains of Liyue have whispered your name."
"You are the darling of bedrock, the pride of the peaks."]
Ugh, system, you're definitely adding your own flair here, aren't you?!
[1 year old: You live in the mountains. Blessed by bedrock, you display extraordinary talent. You quickly master the skills of your kind.]
[2 years old: With your exceptional gifts, you become the most dazzling fellow in the pangolin community. Mountains other pangolins can't penetrate, you drill through with ease. Ground others can't break, you treat like paper. Your fame spreads across the peaks. Even Cuihua from the neighboring mountain falls for you.]
This sense of déjà vu… Rebirth: I, the Pangolin Prodigy?
[3 years old: Having swept unchallenged through the mountains, you meet your lifelong rival—]
At this point, a system prompt suddenly appeared.
[The simulation has reached a pivotal character turning point. Enter immersive state to experience?]
[Note: Entering this state increases the likelihood of acquiring special skill mastery.]
Immersive mode again? Having learned from last time that it only brought benefits, Ji An didn't hesitate for a second.
"Enter!"
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