While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

"Huh?" She turned to Zhongli, who was tidying up the tea set. "Didn't Xu Chuan come back with the guest elder?"

Zhongli put the teapot back on the shelf. "After the ceremonial ceremony, he accepted Tianquan Ningguang's invitation to go to Qunyu Pavilion."

Hu Tao narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling that something was amiss.

Knowing that guy's personality, he should at least have a proper get-together tonight before he sets off for Mondstadt.

Besides, I have a lot to tell that guy.

"Since you're not coming to find me," Hu Tao said without hesitation, stepping towards the door. "Then I'll come find you."

Zhongli watched her figure disappear into the night without saying a word.

Before long, Hu Tao arrived at Baiju Inn.

There was only Old Man Lu in the lobby of the inn, sitting behind the counter doing his abacus work. The clattering sound was particularly crisp in the quiet night.

Seeing Hu Tao push the door open and come in, he looked up, smiled and greeted her.

"Little Walnut, what brings you to this old man?"

"Grandpa Lu," Hu Tao said, walking to the counter and placing her hands on the countertop. "Is Xu Chuan here?"

“Young Master Xu,” Old Lu stopped his abacus and shook his head, “hasn’t returned since he left this morning.”

He paused, then added, "Did Little Walnut want to see him about something?"

"Since he's not here, I'll come again tomorrow."

As Hu Tao stepped out of the White Horse Inn, her brows furrowed.

Where did this guy go?

Is it still in Qunyu Pavilion?

When did he get so close to Ningguang?

She stood on the steps at the entrance of the Baiju Inn, looking up at the night sky.

The Jade Pavilion hangs high above, brightly lit.

From here, all you can see is a blurry ray of light.

I can't see the people up there, nor can I hear their voices.

When passing by a stall selling candied hawthorns, Hu Tao stopped and bought a skewer.

I took a bite, and it was delicious—sweet and sour.

But it just didn't taste as good as the candied hawthorns I had that day.

She was chewing on a candied hawthorn as she walked down the street.

"Never mind," she muttered to herself, "I'll settle the score with him tomorrow."

Chapter 143 Giving Hope

Xu Chuan sat on the soft bed, closed his eyes, and leaned back.

The mattress sank into a comfortable curve, and the bedding was as soft as a cloud, much more comfortable than the bed at Baiju Nilv.

The room was filled with a faint, soothing aroma of incense.

The aroma gradually soothed my mind and body.

However, given Xu Chuan's current energetic state, sleep is no longer a necessity.

Unless his body becomes extremely weak, he can stay awake for days and nights without closing his eyes and still be full of energy.

A god who is full of energy and does not think of sleep is just like that.

Having cultivated the Golden Light Mantra to this point, Xu Chuan's level has advanced by leaps and bounds.

Now it can maintain the golden light as a constant state, constantly tempering its own life force.

In other words, he is getting stronger every moment.

The golden light that was originally visible, dazzling and like a flame, is now completely contained within his body, forming an indestructible defense.

From the outside, he was just an ordinary person.

Only he himself knows what kind of power lies hidden beneath his skin.

Ordinary physical attacks can be largely ignored.

Thanks to his amazing adaptability, his resistance to various elemental forces gradually increased.

This is especially true for the elements of wind and rock.

After lying there for a while, Xu Chuan slowly opened his eyes.

A ray of golden light flashed across his pupils before quickly sinking into his eyes.

He stared at the ceiling, reviewing Ningguang's words and actions, and gradually he gained a better understanding of the situation.

Ningguang tried various methods to recruit him, showing genuine sincerity.

Unfortunately, he wasn't really into the idea of ​​treating scholars with respect.

He was happy to do business with Ningguang, but he wouldn't risk his life for her.

His purpose in becoming a guest advisor at the Rebirth Hall was primarily to get in touch with Master Zhongli.

If it were any other powerful individual, with the added advantage of being one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, they might have directly become Ningguang's subordinate.

Xu Chuan had anticipated this when Ningguang extended the invitation to him at Bubulu.

At that time, she may have only valued his formidable strength.

Despite the unpleasantness with Kurumi, the situation is complicated by the passing of the Geo Archon, the Fatui's treacherous schemes, and the delicate relationship between the Sage and the Liyue Sept.

Having an additional high-level combatant by her side would be a huge help to Ningguang.

However, Ningguang's current offer is clearly not enough to sway him.

Xu Chuan sat up, got out of bed, and closed the window.

The ring on the ring finger of his right hand flashed, creating ripples in the space.

Inside the grotto, the celestial scene remained unchanged.

Floating islands hang in the clouds, emerald bamboos sway in the wind, distant mountains are like dark eyebrows, and waterfalls cascade down.

The air was filled with a sweet fragrance, mixed with the scent of bamboo leaves and earth.

Skvornugg is displaying the core of the first tiller.

This thing is much larger than the core of a cannon.

Since he couldn't put it into his body like Dain did, he simply threw it here along with the flesh and blood of the Star-Devouring Whale.

Xu Chuan walked over, his pace neither fast nor slow.

Skvornug turned his head: "My lord, shall we continue our training?"

Xu Chuan casually flicked out a golden light, which swept up the core of the tiller.

The core was enveloped in golden light, suspended in mid-air, and slowly rotating.

The patterns on the surface are clearly visible under the golden light.

"Did you see something from Kanria and start thinking about her?" Xu Chuan asked rhetorically.

Skvornugg was silent for a moment.

The translucent soul trembled slightly.

"I do feel a bit nostalgic," he said, his tone much softer than usual.

Five hundred years ago, the destruction of Kanria brought about the curse of immortality.

For the cursed Kanriyans like Skofnug, the apocalyptic scene of that year was deeply etched into their memories.

But the past cannot be changed, and reminiscing about it will only add to the troubles.

Skvornugg shook his head, his tone returning to calm.

"Besides reminiscing about the past, I'm also thinking about how to become stronger."

Xu Chuan raised an eyebrow.

He couldn't help but scrutinize Skvornugg.

The soul entity floating in mid-air before me was extremely weak after losing its physical body and the power it had absorbed.

It seems that even after completely losing his physical body, the obsession with becoming stronger remains deeply rooted in his soul.

Like an immortal curse, it is deeply ingrained.

His determination gave Xu Chuan an idea.

Skvornugg looked down at his hands; his translucent fingers trembled slightly in the air.

"In my current state, staying in this space will probably not be of any help to the master."

He paused, then turned to look at the core of the tiller that was enveloped in golden light.

"However, after seeing this thing, I had some thoughts."

"what idea?"

Skvornugg reached out, his fingers passing through the golden light on the core's surface and touching the cold, metallic outer shell.

"For example, mechanical creations such as guardians of ruins that can be controlled by the soul."

Xu Chuan looked at his hand.

The translucent finger pressed against the metal casing, and the core vibrated slightly, as if in response.

Xu Chuan nodded, a hint of relief in his eyes.

This was indeed his initial assessment of Skvornugg.

In this way, he no longer needs to use golden light to control the puppet body of the cannon.

But seeing how ambitious Skvornugg was, and how loyal and devoted he was to him, he was truly impressed.

Xu Chuan decided to give him more responsibilities.

He will never mistreat those who truly follow him.

Xu Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking directly at Skvornugg. "I have a way that might fulfill your wish."

"As you might have guessed, this is also a path related to mechanical creation."

Skvornugg looked up, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Indeed, his choice to follow the person in front of him was absolutely the right one.

"If everything goes smoothly, it might even give you a chance to touch the realm of the gods."

Skvornugg's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he could hardly believe it.

In Teyvat, the status of gods is still highly prestigious.

Even though Kanria was a godless kingdom, he still had some understanding of the power of the gods.

When the seven gods descended upon Kanria to suppress the dark calamity, their power far surpassed that of someone who relied on the power of devouring.

Looking back now, he seemed to vaguely sense the power of that god in the abyss of layered rocks.

Xu Chuan spoke calmly, without concealing the risks involved.

"Of course, there are also extremely high risks involved."

"If you make one wrong move, you will die completely."

Skvornugg did not hesitate, a faint smile appearing on his face.

That smile contained no fear or hesitation, only a fearless composure.

"I have nothing left to lose."

Every word he spoke resonated deeply: “The Lord has given me such an opportunity, how could I possibly give it up?”

Xu Chuan looked into his eyes.