"I see, but I still hope Zhongli comes back soon."
"It's too chaotic out there right now—who knows what might happen?"
Hearing Qiu Bai's explanation, Hu Tao finally felt somewhat reassured.
"Haha, so the Hall Master is worried about Zhongli?"
"Don't worry, he'll be fine."
Qiu Bai chuckled, looking at Hu Tao's uneasy expression.
How could anything happen to the God of Geo? After all, he and Zhongli were the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Sigh, whatever."
"You're just like Zhongli."
Hu Tao waved her hand dismissively, acting as if she didn't care.
"Alright then, I'll go prepare a room for Qiu Yue."
She turned to Qiu Yue with a smile.
"Come with me, Qiu Yue."
"I'll show you to your room."
Qiu Yue glanced at her brother.
"Go on, Qiu Yue. Don't trouble the Hall Master."
"If you need anything, just ask her."
Qiu Bai spoke calmly as he met his sister's gaze.
After receiving his approval, Qiu Yue nodded and followed Hu Tao toward the attic.
…
"By the way, Hall Master!"
"I need to take care of something, so I'll be heading out for a bit."
Hu Tao stopped in her tracks, turning back to Qiu Bai with a puzzled expression.
"Qiu Bai, it's a mess out there. You really shouldn't be wandering around right now."
She looked at him with concern, worried something might happen.
"Relax, Hall Master, I'll be fine."
Qiu Bai gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Hu Tao. My brother will be okay."
Qiu Yue also chimed in softly, glancing at Hu Tao.
"Alright, alright, but make sure you come back soon."
Since even Qiu Yue backed him up, Hu Tao had no choice but to relent.
"Then I'm off."
With a creak, Qiu Bai pushed open the door and stepped outside.
"Goodbye, Brother!"
Qiu Yue smiled as she watched his departing figure.
"Hmm…"
"Alright then, let's go check out your room, Qiu Yue."
With that, Hu Tao took Qiu Yue's hand and led her toward the attic.
…
Stepping out of the house, Qiu Bai stretched lazily.
At that moment, a voice from a thousand years ago suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ding! The Strongest Archon System requests to rebind with the host!"
Hearing that familiar notification, Qiu Bai froze for a moment.
"System? Didn't you unbind yourself a thousand years ago?"
"Why are you back now?"
He was baffled—he hadn't expected the system to request a rebind.
More importantly, the system had clearly told him a thousand years ago that he no longer needed it, so why was it suddenly returning?
"The system didn't want this either!"
"But… my performance didn't meet expectations, so I got sent back!"
"Waaaahhh… (┮﹏┭)"
"Host, you have no idea how long it took me to make my way back here!"
For the first time, the system's usual mechanical voice carried a strangely human-like tone of grievance.
Qiu Bai's mouth twitched.
Seriously? You got kicked back because you didn't meet your quota? You slacked off and got caught, and now you're the one feeling wronged?
If I were your boss, I'd have fired you on the spot.
"Please, Host, take me back!"
"I promise I won't slack off again! And as a sign of goodwill, I'm offering you a welcome-back gift!"
Hearing the mention of a gift, Qiu Bai raised an eyebrow.
A freebie? Well, now, refusing that just wouldn't be his style.
"Alright, System, I'll take you back."
"Bind."
With a single thought, Qiu Bai reestablished his connection with the system—after a thousand years.
And this system... it was still the same one from before—an old companion.
Thinking about it, what kind of system grants a tenfold increase in combat power and then just disappears?
A proper system is supposed to help the protagonist become invincible.
At this thought, Qiu Bai's mouth twitched again. No wonder its performance had been subpar.
"Thank you, Host!"
"I love you so much, Host!"
"Ding!"
"Please open your consolation gift package!"
With a thought, Qiu Bai activated the package.
"Ding! Host has obtained the Yin-Yang Chaos Sword!"
Weapon Rating: Ten Stars!
Qiu Bai examined the long sword carefully. It was vastly different from the one he had forged with his divine power.
Measuring about three feet four inches, its surface constantly shifted between black and white, yet never settling on either. It exuded an aura of pure chaos.
Anyone who saw it would instinctively blurt out, "Damn, what an overpowered sword!"
Weapon Description: Forged from the fundamental Yin-Yang laws of Teyvat, this sword's every swing affects the heavens and earth, triggering divine phenomena! The sword continuously evolves based on the host's strength.
Note: Can only be wielded by those who possess the divine essence of a Yin-Yang Archon.
"What the hell—this is insane! System, you're cracked!"
Even after a thousand years of composure, Qiu Bai found himself momentarily overwhelmed.
"Ten stars? Does Genshin even have weapons of this level?"
His mouth twitched at the sight of the absurd weapon ranking. This was the first time he had ever encountered a ten-star weapon.
"Ding!"
"Host, there's no need to be surprised."
"Complete system-assigned tasks for even greater rewards!"
Qiu Bai stroked his chin thoughtfully. More rewards just for completing tasks? Now that sounded promising.
It had been ages since he last checked his system panel. He was genuinely curious about his current stats.
"System, open my status panel!"
Identity: Teyvat's Creation, Archon Meleaus
Current Gender: Male
Divine Power Level: Upper-tier Archon (Peak)
Note: Archon strength classifications—Ordinary, Lower, Intermediate, Upper, Top-tier.
Yin-Yang Abilities:
Space TeleportationYin-Yang AvatarFlight
Archon Authority:
Power of Yang: Resurrection, Healing, Purification, RestorationPower of Yin: Destruction, Curses, Soul Communication, Soul AnnihilationPower of Yin-Yang: Gender Transformation
Weapon: Yin-Yang Chaos Sword
Qiu Bai rubbed his chin, surprised at just how strong he had become.
But when he saw his Divine Power Level, his mouth twitched.
He hadn't expected that after all this time, he was still classified as an Upper-tier Archon.
"System, what's Morax's current strength level?"
Qiu Bai asked out of curiosity.
"Ding! Replying to Host—Morax is at Half-Step Top-tier Archon level."
The system responded.
"What?!
"Damn, the guy's a veteran actor. No wonder he's survived for six thousand years!"
Qiu Bai couldn't help but laugh. He had actually thought he was stronger than Morax by now.
Even though Zhongli still had his Gnosis, his power had been worn down over millennia.
Yet even with that disadvantage, Morax still outclassed him.
Qiu Bai's mouth twitched again.
Worn down and with his Gnosis still intact, Zhongli was somehow still stronger.
"Looks like I'm far from being invincible."
And above all, there was still Celestia looming over everything.
"System, give me a mission."
"Hurry up—unless you want your boss to find out you've been slacking off at work."
Qiu Bai smirked as he teased the system.
"Ding ding ding!!!"
"New Mission: Use the authority of an Archon to curse the Fatui Harbinger Dottore's segments!"
"Reward: Unknown."
"Host, please reconsider—calm down, you're acting like a villain!"
Curse Dottore, huh?
Qiu Bai chuckled.
He hadn't actually tried using that ability yet.
"Dottore… guess your body will be my test subject."
…
Far outside Liyue Harbor, miles away—
Dottore suddenly stopped in his tracks, his entire body shuddering.
"Doctor, what's wrong?"
"Shut up!"
SMACK!
A sharp, crisp slap rang through the air.
"Ow! What was that for?! That hurt!"
"Waaaahhh…!!"