Lying in his room with the door locked from the inside, Wende's brow was tightly furrowed, and a cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
In the dreamscape, Wende stood upon a void. Before his eyes was a pair of Yin-Yang fish, as magnificent and vast as the galaxy itself.
His Master's words echoed in his mind like a phantom.
"Yin and Yang are the way of heaven and earth, the guiding principle of all things, the parents of change, the origin of life and death, and the abode of the gods."
When Yin and Yang are in harmony, there is life. When Yin and Yang are separated, there is death!
Wende, you are a special existence. You can control the very Yin and Yang within things…
Only through the true harmony of Yin and Yang… can one reach… true "immortality"…
Though you are a physician, what you must heal… is not merely "people."
His Master's voice grew increasingly faint, and Wende's consciousness gradually sank into the pair of Yin-Yang fish before him.
In the inn's main lobby, everyone from the Trailblaze team, except for Wende, was sitting obediently on the sofas. On the other side, Tingyun and Yukong sat upright and formal on their chairs, their gazes complicated as they looked at the newcomer.
"Er… does my arrival make you all this tense?"
Looking at the group, who were all on "high alert," Jing Yuan actually felt a little awkward himself. But only a little. As the General of the Luofu, he was accustomed to such scenes.
"For General Jing Yuan to grace us with his presence, it is already a great offense for us to have kept you waiting. Please forgive us, General."
Welt, that old slicker of the diplomatic world, spoke first with smooth tact.
"Hahaha, my friends from the Astral Express, there is no need for such formality. I did not come here today to cause you trouble, but rather to clear up your doubts."
Casually grabbing a nearby white plastic chair and sitting down, Jing Yuan appeared very easygoing.
"I heard that our Helm Master Yukong came to receive the distinguished guests from the Astral Express. As the great General of the Luofu, I naturally cannot neglect the proper etiquette for hosting guests."
Jing Yuan smiled harmlessly, as if he had truly just come to welcome the members of the Astral Express.
Yukong crossed her arms, glancing sideways at Jing Yuan.
"Helm Master Yukong, rest assured. The internal affairs of the Xianzhou will naturally not be interfered with by outsiders. However, the Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters are by no means in a cooperative relationship. In a sense, they should be mortal enemies, right?"
Raising an eyebrow, Jing Yuan smiled and shifted his gaze to Welt.
"Since we are not enemies, then I believe the Astral Express's accidental entry into the Xianzhou must have been the result of some villain's machinations."
Jing Yuan very naturally gave the Astral Express an out. This text is hosted at n0velfire.net
"The General is absolutely right. The Astral Express was indeed lured into the Xianzhou by the Stellaron Hunters. The eruption of a Stellaron… that was a reason we could not ignore."
Hearing Welt's reply, Jing Yuan nodded with a smile. It was always convenient to talk to smart people.
"However, since you have all come all this way, how could we let you return empty-handed? There are indeed matters on the Xianzhou where we require your assistance. And it is something that… only you can do."
Jing Yuan smiled with deep meaning.
Looking at the two flames, one black and one white, in the palms of his hands, Wende fell into deep thought.
Yin and Yang… this was the ability controlled by his 5-star Destruction Path.
It sounded very esoteric… and in reality, it was very esoteric. It was the kind of ability that couldn't be easily explained.
But that wasn't the main point. He was currently more concerned with his Master's words about "harmonizing Yin and Yang" and the so-called "immortality."
He pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with any ideas, so he decided to just stop thinking about it.
Getting up from the bed, he looked at the time on his phone. Had he only slept for three hours?
He walked to the washroom. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Wende smiled helplessly.
A white, silk-like flame surged in his palm. The power of "Yang" immediately flowed through Wende's entire body. Under his control, the dark circles under his eyes vanished in an instant.
He had not yet fully mastered this power, as it was too complex, almost touching upon the concepts of "Dao" and "De."
Dao is the principle.
If he could truly master these two powers…
Wende looked at the person in the mirror and smiled helplessly.
Wouldn't he have a seat for himself among the stars?
But thinking about that was still too far off. For now, it was best to start from the basics and master this power first.
"But… when did this set of clothes appear on me?"
The corner of Wende's mouth twitched. Looking at the lewd outfit he was wearing, his face instantly darkened.
Fortunately, this wasn't a game. He could just change back into his previous clothes.
Seeing his normal self restored, Wende breathed a sigh of relief.
For now, it was best to stick to using the power of [Abundance]. He had a feeling that the Destruction Path's "Yin" and "Yang" could stir up some serious trouble.
Recalling the Mara-struck from his memories, Wende's brow furrowed.
If one were to understand long life through the concept of Yin and Yang, then it was a massive infusion of Yang into a person's body. Although it would extend one's lifespan to infinity, the near-infinite Yang suppressed the Yin, becoming an almost exclusively dominant presence.
Without the restraint of Yin, Yang would grow infinitely… until the person lost their last shred of sanity and transformed into a "Mara-struck."
And Wende's ability to balance Yin and Yang could forcibly "balance the Yin and Yang" of someone who had already fallen to the Mara.
Although the person would be freed from the Mara-sickness, due to the balance of Yin and Yang, their original "immortality" would disappear under the influence of Yin. The so-called "blessed long life" would be broken in this situation.
Wende was keenly aware of the monstrous waves his ability could stir up on the Xianzhou, but what he didn't know was that the General of the Xianzhou was already aware of his power.
For now, however, only Jing Yuan and that Cloud Knight captain knew the specifics.
For the sake of the Xianzhou, Jing Yuan would certainly not tell this to others.
As for the Cloud Knight captain… their entire squad owed their lives to Wende. As Cloud Knights, knowing gratitude and repaying it was one of their most fundamental virtues!
The official Honkai: Star Rail account posted another update. However, this update was very vague. The officials didn't pair it with any accompanying text, instead just posting a black silhouette.
[??? Did your account get hacked?]
[Whose silhouette is this?]
[It can't be a new satellite, can it!]
[Could it be that blue man?]
[Could it be! Are they finally releasing the splash art for 5-star Wende!]
[I'll say a number! All players get him for free!]
[You there. How many drinks did it take to get that drunk? Didn't even have any peanuts with it?]
[Tonight's materials have been secured.]
[Huh? You guys have already evolved to the point where even a silhouette is enough!?]