After finishing lunch with Junze, Ganyu went off to work, while Junze moved about in the courtyard.
He practiced Trail of the Qilin, deepening his proficiency with the two skills.
Once Ganyu had fully entered her work state, Junze opened the system.
He planned to complete today's daily tasks, as well as the task he had obtained yesterday from Uncle Tian.
Junze first opened his [Status] panel.
Sure enough, [Skill · Trail of the Qilin] had appeared clearly on it.
[Skill · Trail of the Qilin]
[Description: Four-star skill, a secret art of the qilin lineage. Lotuses bloom with every step, the body becomes ethereal. Due to the effect of Focused Stillness, the host has mastered it]
"Huh? A secret art of the qilin?"
Junze froze, clearly not expecting this skill to be a secret art.
He had only learned it because of [Attribute · Focused Stillness].
"No wonder it's a five-star attribute. So as long as I study seriously, even things not suited to me can still be mastered."
Originally, Junze had doubted the effect of Focused Stillness and felt it did not deserve five stars.
But after seeing this result, he realized he had been completely wrong.
"Still, a skill like Trail of the Qilin is only four stars. Just how strong would a five-star skill be?"
Muttering to himself, Junze opened [Wish].
Looking at the skill card for Celestial Shower, Junze grew increasingly tempted.
This skill was clearly very suitable for someone like him who had already mastered Cryo power.
He touched the card on the interface. "If only…"
But before Junze could finish the thought in his fantasy, the entire interface suddenly changed.
The Wish screen turned into a starry sky, and a purple shooting star flew out.
Junze first stared blankly, then glanced at his elbow.
His elbow had been pressing right against the "Draw Once" button.
Junze sucked in a sharp breath. "Good thing it's a limited banner right now. Otherwise I'd have lost big."
He stepped back a few paces.
He decided that whenever it was not a limited period, he would absolutely stay at least one meter away from this interface.
"Still, a random pull like this getting a four-star isn't bad."
Junze looked at the card he had drawn.
[Attribute · adeptusl Bearing]
[Description: Four-star attribute. One gains the bearing of an adeptus; aptitude for adeptal arts cultivation increases]
"It's even a limited one!"
Junze stared at the attribute card in surprise.
For a moment his eyes even turned moist. "Even if it's purple, that's still a one-pull jackpot!"
Without another word, Junze used it.
The instant he did, Junze suddenly felt his comprehension of Trail of the Qilin deepen further.
He had a premonition. He understood how Ganyu's ethereal grace was manifested.
All morning, Junze had easily mastered the release of the ice lotus, yet he could never achieve Ganyu's drifting, flowing steps.
It was not a matter of talent. This secret art simply was not originally meant for him.
So even though Focused Stillness had allowed Junze to grasp Trail of the Qilin, that Adeptus bearing was something he could not display.
Fortunately, this attribute card solved the problem for him.
After using it, the [Status] interface underwent a major change.
All the contents, originally printed in standard black regular script, transformed into flowing ink calligraphy, filled with Adeptus elegance and airy grace.
"So cool!"
Junze looked at the ancient-style interface before him, delighted.
He loved it.
Of course, the greatest change was Junze's own temperament.
His figure became airy and Adeptus-like, faintly carrying a sense of standing apart from the mortal world.
One felt compelled to admire from afar, yet dared not approach.
That exquisite face invited closeness, yet remained distant.
Like a banished Adeptus descended to the mortal realm.
If Cloud Retainer were to see Junze now, she absolutely would not recognize him as a taotie.
She might even mistake him for some kind of illuminated beast.
That was the effect of Adeptus Bearing.
"If someone runs into me again, the rumors of an adeptus will probably be taken as fact."
As he marveled at his new state, Junze recalled how he had previously been seen and mistaken for an adeptus.
Now, with this aura, anyone would think he was one.
After sighing for a bit, Junze opened the mission interface, preparing to first complete the outward tasks.
Junze's body vanished from the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Shenhe, who had been watching Junze from the back mountain, frowned even more tightly this time.
"He disappeared again."
"And why has an adeptal aura appeared on him?"
Having long accompanied adepti, Shenhe was very familiar with that kind of presence.
She herself faintly carried it as well.
But hers had formed over years of exposure, while Junze's had changed in an instant.
"He was perfectly normal just now."
Even Shenhe, who normally cared little for surrounding matters, now felt considerable curiosity toward Junze.
"No wonder Master told me to keep an eye on him."
Shenhe nodded.
Then she vanished from where she stood.
Since Junze had temporarily disappeared, she planned to search the surrounding area. Perhaps she might discover something.
[Arrived at mission point]
[Main Mission: The Rampaging Vishaps]
Junze landed.
This time he intended to first complete the task of helping Uncle Tian deal with the Geo vishaps.
After all, if he delayed too long, the Millelith would step in and wipe them all out.
Then he would lose quite a few Primogems for nothing.
"Hm? There are others here too."
From a distant rock outcrop, Junze looked down and saw a group of people entangled with two massive Geo Vishaps and six juvenile Geo Vishaps.
It was a cargo transport caravan. Numerous guards gripped their weapons, desperately protecting the goods.
Within the group, a knightly girl wielded a greatsword against the rampaging vishaps, while behind her a coral-haired girl continuously unleashed flames.
The knightly girl had short blue hair with white-tipped bangs, circled by a black lace headband.
She wore a fitted black knight's outfit that combined sharp practicality with elegant bearing.
The flame-wielding girl dressed lightly, wearing a red headpiece.
From her coral hair extended antler-like horns, white fading into yellow, branching outward from both sides of her head.
She was not human.
"Eula! Yanfei!"
Junze stared in astonishment at the two girls fighting the vishaps, extremely surprised.
The task he had obtained from Uncle Tian had actually led him to encounter these two.
But with them present, did he really still need to act?
Junze looked again at the mission and noticed it had already begun turning translucent.
Clearly, once the vishaps were defeated, the mission would count as failed.
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