On the way back to school, Lu Chen noticed that Venti had gone quiet.
After the recording, the atmosphere on the bus was buzzing with excitement. The students chattered nonstop about how nerve-wracking the choir performance had been and how they had managed to deliver an exceptional result by passing it twice under pressure.
Even Tony was excited, and everyone was eagerly imagining the day their music album would finally be released.
Only Venti didn't join in the discussion. He silently stared out the window at the sky.
Following his gaze, Lu Chen saw a lone white cloud drifting overhead.
The sky had cleared, and the last cloud was slowly being blown away by the sea breeze, leaving behind nothing but a vast expanse of blue.
It was beautiful, yet somehow felt a little empty.
Lu Chen understood the meaning behind the song. It came from someone Venti once knew—an old memory from 2,600 years ago, back in Old Mondstadt.
A story of freedom and resistance, war and sacrifice.
Not wanting to interrupt Venti, Lu Chen looked away and took a bag of pastries from his backpack, handing it to Ei beside him.
"Hungry?"
"Not really."
She shook her head but still took the pastries.
She slowly unwrapped them and popped one into her mouth. She might not be hungry, but that didn't mean she wouldn't eat. That's exactly why Lu Chen had brought them.
"Venti, just now..."
The perceptive Raiden Ei had sensed something was off with Venti earlier. Her inquisitive violet eyes turned toward Lu Chen.
"It's nothing. He probably just remembered something from the past." Lu Chen smiled and shook his head. Venti never dwelled on sad memories—he wasn't like Ei, who tended to get stuck in them.
Raiden Ei didn't press further.
The challenge mission was complete, and the system prompt appeared right on cue.
[Challenge Task: Anemo Archon's Ode at the Seaside]
[Help Barbatos lead the students of Haizhou Academy in performing a beautiful melody by the sea.]
[Mission Complete]
[Mission Reward: 4,800 Primogems, 4.8 million yuan in real-world currency]
This was by far the biggest reward he'd ever received—enough for thirty consecutive pulls.
With that many Primogems, statistically, he was bound to pull something golden—maybe even something totally unexpected.
With that hopeful thought, Lu Chen instinctively opened the wish interface.
The familiar azure sky appeared, mirroring the view outside the bus just before the weather had cleared. As he tapped the pull button, streaks of shooting stars suddenly lit up the screen.
The shooting stars fell, their glow growing brighter and more dazzling.
Finally, the light burst into brilliance.
Sure enough, Lu Chen saw the golden glow he'd been hoping for—he'd pulled a gold.
Since it was a thirty-pull, there were lots of blue items, so Lu Chen focused his attention on the purple-tier and higher rewards.
[Purple Item—Maiden's Heart-Stricken Infatuation (Artifact: Feather of Death)]
[Purple Item—Maiden's Distant Love (Artifact: Flower of Life)]
The artifact set bonus read: Equipping 2 pieces increases healing effectiveness by 25%.
"..."
The first things to appear were two soft pink artifacts.
Isn't this Maiden Beloved? A healer-exclusive set. Why do I keep pulling healing gear?
Sure, a 25% healing boost would be amazing in real life, but Lu Chen hadn't encountered any life-or-death emergencies yet.
Hopefully, the system would be considerate and send him on a healing mission soon. Otherwise, he'd be stuck using this set to play a traditional herbalist. Maybe he could even turn it into a side hustle...
Putting the grumbling aside, Lu Chen continued checking his rewards.
[Purple Item—Attribute Experience Book (Choose 1 point to add to Intelligence, Charisma, Stamina, or Agility)]
Without hesitation, Lu Chen added the point to Stamina, bringing it up to 6.
According to the system, 5 points marked a qualitative change. Pushing further would bring experiences far beyond normal human capabilities—like 8 Intelligence granting photographic memory.
Right now, Lu Chen felt like his body was overflowing with power. His old, weak self was already becoming a thing of the past.
...
He kept scrolling down.
[Purple Item—Wings of the Blue Sky and Clear Wind (Wings of the Wind)]
"These specially crafted Wings of the Wind are highly durable in any environment."
"Use wind currents or terrain to take off."
"When flying, pay attention to wind speed and direction to maintain stability."
"Observe traffic conditions. Do not fly under the influence of alcohol!"
For some reason, Lu Chen instinctively glanced at the drunkard Venti.
The guy had already shaken off his earlier silence and was casually responding to Tony and the students, his usual carefree grin back on his face.
This city didn't have many places suitable for using Wind Wings, as the terrain was mostly flat. Unless you jumped off a skyscraper, which would be a bit much.
However, Lu Chen had previously mastered the talent [Song of the High Sky], which solved the wind current issue perfectly. From now on, he could take off from anywhere.
Bringing his thoughts back to the system screen, Lu Chen saw that he'd received two golden rewards from the thirty-pull:
[Constellation—Storm of Struggle]
[Vision (Pyro)]
The first was actually Venti's Seat of Fate, but it had been modified by the system and felt even more powerful.
[Storm of Struggle: Reduces enemy Anemo resistance by 20%. After obtaining elemental particles, increases Anemo damage by 25%. This burst damage lasts 10 seconds.]
It was like a hybrid of Venti's Constellation and a talent—practically an Elemental Burst, though with a long cooldown.
The second was a brand-new Vision. A dazzling ruby-like gem lay quietly in the system storage, waiting for Lu Chen to activate it.
Even in his previous life as Inazuma's top master, he had never experienced the feeling of wielding two Visions. His original Vision had been Electro.
No human on Teyvat had ever truly possessed two Visions.
Kazuha had once briefly activated his late friend's Vision. The Fatui Harbingers could use multiple elements, but those were through Delusions.
As for the Traveler Lumine, she didn't have a Vision at all—she wasn't even mortal.
Suddenly, Lu Chen had a thought. Could it be that, someday, he would gather all seven Visions?
With just himself, he could trigger Vaporize, Melt, Freeze, Electro-Charged, Overloaded...
The power of a mortal rivaling that of the gods—the image was too awe-inspiring...
Lu Chen even felt a renewed desire to challenge Celestia itself.
Beyond the noteworthy rewards, there were also plenty of blue items—ores, experience books, materials, and weapons to stockpile in his inventory...
All in all, a bountiful haul. Lu Chen's level had reached Lv30, his leveling speed like a rocket.
The completion rate of the mission [Archon Quest: Reopen the Gate to Teyvat] had jumped to 2.5%. As expected, the elemental energy of this world was growing stronger.
Watching the scenery blur past outside the bus window, he began looking forward to his next challenge...