Immortal

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

“An ache swelled in my chest until it hurt, of wanting something so much yet fearing it was out of reach. Hope was an indulgence I rarely allowed myself. When your days are dark, you forget the existence of dawn.”

This passage hints that something is missing in Liyen’s life. While she blames it on her physical manifestation of illness, the real issue is something she lacks internally. This later becomes apparent when she remembers her memories of her past as an immortal and her romance with Zhangwei.

“The immortals will show us no mercy. Their God of War will burn Tianxia to the ground.”

This passage reveals the mercilessness of the gods and their lack of patience and empathy for mortals. They expect utter devotion while simultaneously considering mortals beneath them. This quality of immortals irks Liyen, who believes mortals should be treated as equals to immortals and given the same opportunities.

“You must hide Liyen until the Divine Pearl Lotus has merged with her body. Only then will its presence be concealed, and she can safely return here. Once the lotus has bonded with another, it cannot be seized—only gifted through a willing heart.”

This is the first mention of how the lotus must be willingly gifted. This detail seems small at first, but as Liyen becomes more emotionally connected with Zhangwei, this information poses a larger threat and creates tension in the narrative. Given her previous distrust of immortals and their apathetic greed, there remains the potential worry that Zhangwei’s feelings are a pretense to help him gain control of the lotus.