Genshin Impact, the spear remains.

That's something that makes ordinary people feel ashamed in front of geniuses.

That's what hinders mutual understanding between people.

That was what separated the two of them, even though they were so close.

That is—the 'high wall'

No one knew what it was better than him; no matter how much you give, some things are insurmountable.

Is it impossible for him to never give up and keep moving forward?

Is it really impossible for him to keep honing his skills and constantly challenging his limits?

Is it not acceptable for him to uphold his beliefs and pour everything he has into it?

Yes, the so-called "high wall" is just such a thing.

There are always high walls in this world that cannot be crossed no matter how hard you try.

As if he were hallucinating, a gentle, soothing female voice rang in his ears.

Perhaps his heart has begun to accept this reality.

However, he was unwilling to give up so easily. Even for a moment, even if it meant risking his life, he wanted to see the world behind those high walls and see if he could cross them and reach the girl.

As his consciousness continued to sink, the outline of the girl in front of him became unusually clear.

The hands, reaching out with all their might, seemed to have actually touched something.

Some are small, yet exceptionally hard.

He instinctively grabbed it in his hand.

—If, I mean if, we could save this girl, if we could keep talented people here, if we could help our friends escape from this disaster—then perhaps it wouldn't matter if someone like me dies here.

An unknown belief seemed to come into being, surging from the boy's body and touching the 'crown' lying in his palm.

In an instant, a bright blue light burst forth, illuminating the dark surface of the water.

The girl who slept here had her face covered with streaks of blue light.

Pure and sacred.

"Whoa! What is that?!"

As Ying struggled to stay afloat, Paimon, floating beside her, noticed the unusual blue light underwater.

But Ying was still busy searching for a way to break through the stone wall, and had no time to pay attention to her.

She gritted her teeth and continued to channel the wind elemental power within her body upwards.

She wants to smash this stone wall!

"But if there truly is some kind of power capable of crossing high walls..."

The crown transformed into flowing water, wrapping around the boy's arm and forming a faint, almost invisible pattern.

"...That must be the power called 'longing'."

The next second, a blue light several times stronger than before shone in the boy's backpack, and the problematic apple that he had been carrying with him had now transformed into something like a sapphire.

Water elemental force constantly coiled around it, carrying the beat of a heart, as if something was encasing it within.

"Don't be surprised, don't panic, follow the guidance of your heart."

The gentle female voice rang out again, calming the boy's fluctuating emotions.

He could feel an incredibly pure water elemental force continuously flowing into his body from behind.

As elemental power continued to accumulate, it seemed as if something was about to emerge from his mind.

It was a string of words, a spell.

He didn't understand its meaning, but some inexplicable feeling made him read it aloud involuntarily.

Originally a cave filled with seawater, for some reason, the boy's voice echoed throughout the cave from beneath the water.

"Imperial Edict!"

"In this deep and mysterious land, draw forth the roaring sound of the raging waves, and let the wisdom of heaven, earth, and humanity guide me!"

"Starlight flows, the celestial sphere moves lightly, from Xihe on the left to Wangshu on the right."

"The morning star rises in the east, and the evening star sets in the west."

"With the light of the canopy and the majesty of the North Star."

"Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, Yao Guang."

"The stars do not shine, yet all things revolve, to prove the azure sky!"

"To prove it to be true, Azure Sky!!"

A deathly silence enveloped the entire cave.

Everything around him seemed to have stopped. The wind stopped blowing, the seawater stopped flowing in, the world stopped clamoring, and even the vortex that had been tearing at him had stopped spinning.

It was as if the boy was the only person in the entire world.

Only his voice echoed continuously within the cave, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

The contract has been signed.

After an unknown amount of time, a somewhat familiar voice rang in his mind, and a warm current flowed through his chest.

The next second, time began to flow again.

Blue light continuously surged from behind him, wrapping around his body as if he were wearing a thick layer of armor.

—Is this... the power of water element?

Although he didn't know what had happened, Bai Qiyun could observe that an astonishing amount of water elemental power was gathering on his body, and the overflowing blue light was proof that the water elemental power was extremely concentrated.

Moreover, he always felt that these elemental forces were like his body, connected to the seawater that submerged the cave.

It was as if he could command them with a single order.

The boy's throat moved slightly, and he slowly raised his hand.

Instantly, the seawater flowed backward, and a layer of water automatically spread out around Bai Qiyun's body, keeping the surrounding seawater out.

The elemental force of water continuously condensed and compressed in his hands.

The seawater flowing through the cave seemed to be responding to him, gathering together to form the shape he had imagined.

The cave, now drained of seawater, instantly became empty. The underground cave, which had been constantly gushing seawater, no longer overflowed. Ying was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and get some rest.

The blonde girl descended from the sky and looked up to see a lifelike water dragon hovering in mid-air, surveying its territory like a monarch.

That was the elemental creature that Bai Qiyun conceived based on the image in his mind. It gathered the seawater in the entire cave and continuously compressed its original enormous size, eventually turning it into this shape.

However, although this solved the immediate problem, Bai Qiyun had never manipulated elemental power before, let alone possessed the full power comparable to a captain.

He was already struggling to control the water dragon in the air. In order to prevent this huge creature, which was filled with terrifying elemental power, from exploding in the cave, he was even careful with his breathing.

"Ugh, you're so clumsy. Let me do it."

The previously vanished female voice rang in Bai Qiyun's ears again, only now it seemed subtly younger.

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Qiyun felt a lightness in his body, and his water elemental power was being commanded more uniformly by some entity.

As if suddenly receiving some information, the water dragon hovering in mid-air raised its head and rushed towards the sky above the cave.

The incredibly thick roof above the cave was instantly ripped off by the water dragon, leaving not even a trace behind.

"roar!!"

A dragon's roar exploded in the sky, and the water dragon, dragging its long body, went far away and disappeared into the horizon.