Xianyun

Overview

Xianyun is a playable Anemo Catalyst character from Genshin Impact who is the human persona of Cloud Retainer, one of the illuminated adepti of Liyue. Formerly residing in solitude at Mt. Aocang, she eventually relocates to Liyue Harbor, adopting the mantle of a skilled artisan and mechanical inventor among mortals. Combining a proud adeptal heritage with a mastery over mechanical devices, she acts as a deeply benevolent elder figure who offers guidance and support to those around her.

Appearance

Xianyun appears as a tall woman with black and cyan hair styled in a high ponytail, secured with a decorative hairpin and tassels. She has blue eyes, wears multi-colored lipstick, and sports red-framed glasses. Her attire features a tight-fitting black and blue dress with an open back paired with black bodystockings. She also wears a blue-green cape reminiscent of crane feathers, accompanied by hanging ribbons and tassel accessories.

Personality

Although Xianyun considers herself quiet and modest, others perceive her as a warm, talkative, and humorous individual with a deeply caring nature. She harbors intense affection for her disciples, Ganyu and Shenhe, though she frequently embarrasses them by sharing funny stories from their youth with acquaintances. Xianyun takes immense pride in her engineering skill, possessing a passionate artisan spirit when developing and fine-tuning her unique mechanical inventions.

Abilities

In combat, Xianyun wields a Catalyst to channel Anemo power. Her Elemental Skill grants a special triple-leap state that allows her to dive down in crane form, unleashing a shockwave that enhances her team's plunge attack CRIT rate. Her Elemental Burst summons a mechanical device named Staricker, which continuously heals all party members based on her Attack stat. It also empowers active allies with increased jump height to perform devastating plunge attacks boosted by Anemo follow-up DMG. Additionally, her passive ability increases the party's gliding speed.

Background

As one of Liyue's illuminated adepti, Xianyun fought alongside the Archon Morax during the ancient Archon War. She earned the title Cloud Retainer after purifying a deadly drought and miasma that plagued the land. Following the war, she secluded herself at Mt. Aocang in crane form, mastering adeptal mechanics and raising disciples such as Ganyu and Shenhe. In modern times, desiring to observe human progress, she took on human form, assumed the name Xianyun, and relocated to Liyue Harbor with her young disciple Shuyu to live among mortals.

Relationships

Xianyun maintains a peaceful acquaintance with Zhongli, the human guise of Rex Lapis whom she once served. Ganyu and Shenhe are her beloved disciples; despite occasionally embarrassing them, she deeply cherishes their well-being. She shares a long-standing bond with her old friends Streetward Rambler (Madame Ping) and Guizhong, frequently chatting with Ping in Liyue. She also helped her former bird disciple Yuandai recover lost memories, and currently lives with her newest young pupil, Shuyu.

Trivia

Her alias Xianyun is derived from the Chinese idiom "Xianyun Yehe," signifying a life of peaceful freedom detached from worldly cares. Her red-framed glasses are purely cosmetic accessories worn to give off an approachable impression to humans. She possesses a passion for inventing mechanical items, creating unique contraptions throughout her storyline such as the Supreme Cuisine Machine, Good Dream Shadow Machine, and Flower-Feather Moon Machine.