Intervallo VI: Spring Cultivation
For information about the mini-game featured in this story chapter, see Thirty Days of Classes.
Intervallo VI: Spring Cultivation is the ninth side story in Limbus Company, taking place between Canto VIII: The Surrendered Witnessing and Canto IX: The Unsevering.
It released alongside the event Spring Cultivation on August 28th, 2025.
Summary
The Sinners and LCB's plans to train Jia Xichun into a worthy Hierarch hits a snag when the council of Daguanyuan finally gathers. Jia Yuanchun, who has learned that Xichun never inherited the Xianhuang Anamnaworm and has not been prepared for the role as H Corp.'s Hierarchs traditionally are, attempts to oust her younger kin from power. Yuanchun calls for a vote of no confidence, repeatedly commenting on Xichun's inexperience and attempting to undermine her authority so that she might take the title and effective power of Hierarch away from her. As many members of the other families have been arrested for conspiring against Hongyuan, the council is now made up of Wang Zhao representing the Wang family, Xue Baochai representing the Xue, and Shi Huazhen representing the Shi, all of whom hold doubts and grudges towards Xichun and are easily swayed against her. The stand against Xichun is only halted once Sinclair protests and Zigong makes a timely intervention. Here, the latter reminds the council that the Hierarch has rightfully conquered her title, and requests that Xichun be given the chance to prove her worth to the families of Daguanyuan. Xichun is thus given thirty days to train, with the condition that every six days she would have to participate in a sparring match ("midterm") against other scions of the four great families.
As Zigong and Wei are busy with working on paperwork, the duty of training Xichun falls to the Sinners, supervised by Zilu. Initially the Sinners present their own lesson plans, but Zilu finds them unsatisfactory and discards them one by one. During his turn, Sinclair excitedly explains that he'd dreamed of being a teacher growing up, but Zilu, Saude and Zigong stop him to explain he will not be taking a teaching role, and will instead join Xichun as a pupil. This kicks off a bond between them, as Sinclair explains various concepts such as those of a "bestie" and a "deskmate", to an appreciative Xichun, who had never been able to attend a normal school.
The lessons start, and the Sinners teach classes meant to develop the three qualities necessary for a leader: "Zhi"(智), or Wisdom, "Yong"(勇), or Courage, and "Ren"(仁), or Humanity. The first bout of classes feature:
- Yi Sang, whose class discusses Mirror Technology. Yi Sang presents Xichun and Sinclair his Mirror, and although the class briefly touches on the study of Mirror Technology itself, Yi Sang instead encourages the two to look into their reflection, and consider how much they've changed. While Xichun ends up reflecting on her past, coming out of it more in touch with parts of herself she'd learned to keep hidden, Sinclair appears avoidant, commenting on how he can only see his own face.
- Don Quixote, whose class teaches Fixer history. Through excitable tales and games, Xichun and Sinclair compete to see who can correctly answer the most of Don Quixote's specific and obscure trivia questions. After the class, the two begin understanding their teacher's fascination with Fixers and their heroic deeds.
- Faust, whose class teaches engineering. Faust teaches the two about the Singularity of the old H Corp., which is what governs the room system of Hongyuan and its "Restructuring Days". Xichun pays great attention, as she aims to one day dismantle this structure and allow the people to live without fear of remaining with no room to stand on.
- Gregor, whose class discusses the history of the Smoke War, with Gregor recounting his first-hand experiences. He provides tangible information of the dynamics of war, with Xichun being deeply affected by the thought of the horrors that a grand scale conflict could cause; she resolves to protect Hongyuan from any such future. Gregor himself struggles during the class, and even at the end he remains distressed by the memories of his past.
- Hong Lu, whose class aims to teach how to better survive Hongyuan. With the help of Lin Daiyu, Hong Lu presents Xichun and Sinclair with a series of poisoned bowls, and teaches the two how to follow their intuition to recognize unseen threats.
After the first six days of classes, Xichun faces her first midterm, which sees her sparring against Shi Huazhen. The two discuss the fate of the Shi family after the end of the Evaluations, with Huazhen lamenting how many of his family members have been arrested and locked away. Xichun hears his frustrations, and explains to him that she's been working to figure out what his family's involvement was, and that they will be freed if found innocent. Having obtained a certain understanding of the dangers of war, she comments that she will not take actions that could throw Hongyuan in further chaos. During the match, Xichun defeats Huazhen, although the latter is touched by the young Hierarch's words and resolution, and by her remembering his name.
The second bout of classes includes:
- Ishmael, who wishes to teach the two about exploration and survival. While Ishmael had planned several, far more dangerous expeditions, all of them were rejected. Instead, she plans a class based on Jianghu Journeys (J&J), a tabletop roleplaying game. During the game, Xichun and Sinclair take the role of two adventurers, and explore the world as described by Ishmael. The class itself is soon forgotten, but the game helps Xichun, Sinclair, and even Ishmael bond with each other. Sinclair also learns the value of acting assertively to ensure people get the help they deserve.
- Meursault, whose classes attempt to teach the two to limit their superfluous emotional responses to enhance productivity. Because Rodya had once commented on Meursault's unique ability to keep a straight face, the class aims to teach Xichun and Sinclair the same skill.
- Outis, whose class focuses on intelligence acquisition, extorting information from enemies. While Xichun initially understands this to be about physical torture, which she has rebuked since the times of La Manchaland, Outis actually refers to rhetorical manipulation and influencing enemies with the power of words.
For her second midterm, Jia Xichun faces Shi Sijing. Through some clever words, Xichun gets him to spill that his parents are currently hiding to avoid arrest for potential treason. After besting him in combat, she explains that she already knew this, and hadn't made any moves to arrest his parents because there wasn't any actual evidence against them. Shi Sijing leaves the conversation contemplative after coming to understand that Jia Xichun has no plans to make more enemies for herself by thoughtlessly arresting innocent people.
The third bout of classes includes:
- Ryōshū, whose class focuses on child caretaking. She borrows Wang Qingshan's little brother and, in a striking contrast to her usual behavior, takes care of him with considerable care and competence. Sinclair and Xichun see another side of Ryōshū, and Xichun cements a desire to make Hongyuan a place where children can play outside without fear.
- Rodion, who aims to demonstrate how to control one's emotions. Her class takes the form of a mahjong game where the students' goal is to keep her from winning. After Rodya eggs Wei into joining their game, the two of them grow intensely competitive, taking over the class to the point that Wei takes to a full on celebratory cheer after winning.
At her next midterm, Xichun is greeted by Wang Zhao. While Wang Zhao acknowledges that Xichun has grown since the Evaluation, and favors her over Jia Yuanchun, he does not believe that Xichun is yet capable enough for the role of Hierarch. He ultimately steps aside, leaving Wang Qingshan to be Xichun's opponent in battle. After Xichun wins, Qingshan criticizes her for giving her little brother false hope about the future of Hongyuan during Ryōshū's class. Xichun insists that she wasn't making empty promises, and that Yuanchun's lead will not make Hongyuan a better place. Wang Qingshan leaves in a hurry, conflicted.
The final bout of classes includes:
- Heathcliff, whose class focuses on brawling. His class is initially introduced after the third midterm, but takes place in full after the fourth. There, he encourages the two students to form a backbone, and has them spar against one another. Sinclair performs surprisingly well against Xichun, and Dante remarks on the power the mark on his forehead lends him. Afterwards, Xichun and Sinclair share their experiences in leaving home with one another, and the struggles they've faced in life. The conversation is cut short after Sinclair pivots the topic towards Heathcliff's reasons for returning to Wuthering Heights, which lead the Sinner to dismiss class early.
- An unexpected lecturer: the Night Drifter, sent by Jia Yuanchun. He teaches Xichun and Sinclair his personal combat techniques, which focus on spirit and mindfulness. During, Xichun reflects on her struggle between practicality and kindness, having killed others since a young age yet also sacrificed her Heishou Pack in order to save Wei's life. The Night Drifter forms a strange impression of Sinclair and pins him down as someone who is proud, cocky, and afraid of understanding himself. He leaves the Sinner with an ominous warning that Sinclair must act when the time comes, or else risk rotting inside his shell.
Finally, Xichun faces off against Xue Pan, who claims to be there for the fun of it. After Xichun wins in their spar, Xue Pan encourages her to kill him, suggesting that she use his death as a means of intimidating others into respecting her leadership. Xichun rejects his suggestion that she rule through fear, and Xue Pan calls her answer boring, before asking her how long she thinks it'll take for the two of them to break. While he saunters off in his usual demeanor, Jia Xichun leaves disturbed. She falls into a depression, wondering if proving her right to the role of Hierarch would even mean anything. To help her out of her slump, Sinclair suggests to Wei that he and Xichun "play hooky" and skip school for the day to recover their spirit. In the end, they visit a once rotten bog which has recovered into the form of a beautiful pond, and Jia Xichun finds her motivation to keep trying amidst the inspiring scenery.
After returning in full spirits, one last lecturer awaits:
- Dante, who was unsure what to teach, discusses a mystery with their students. The group uses anonymous reports to find out which one of the Sinners had recently struck Dante over the head with a clock, to which is is revealed that Yi Sang and Sinclair were co-conspirators. It turns out they had panicked while sneaking into Dante's room while curious about whether or not Dante's fire produced heat. Afterwards, Sinclair has a short moment of honesty with Dante, where he confesses to an understanding of why he was chosen as a student alongside Xichun: as "compensation" for not yet delivering on something the company has been expecting of him. Dante reassures him that no one quite knows what the future holds.
After thirty days have passed, Jia Xichun leaves for her exam, to prove herself to Jia Yuanchun once and for all. Back in the class pavilion, Xue Baochai, whose engagement to Hong Lu has been broken, makes a quick visit to the Sinners, where she attempts to reach out to Hong Lu and obtain his affection again, but the Sinner denies to walk back on his decisions. With a hint from Baochai, the group realizes that Xichun's trial was a trap, and that she is being taken to somewhere her life would be in danger. Wei rushes after Xichun immediately, and the Sinners make their way there through another path, fighting off the Heishou of the Si Branch that have been sent by Yuanchuan. Once there, the LCB runs into Wei again, who's become corroded and mutated by his Heishou boluses. As he has lost all sense of reason, the Sinners are forced to end his rampage through battle.
The Sinners then finally meet with Xichun, who has been set up to fight against the Night Drifter. Despite his betrayal, it's clear that he has become genuinely fond of her and Sinclair, and does not truly desire to kill her. At his beckoning, Xichun clashes with and triumphs over her former master. He dies, never to be revived.
Back in Daguanyuan, the motion of no confidence does not go through, as Xichun has managed to convince everyone to support her through her actions, words, and spirit. Jia Yuanchun is forced to abandon her plan to yield power of H Corp., and retreats to Q Corp. with Baochai to make further plans. From there, Jia Xichun officially starts her life as the Hierarch of Hongyuan. The Sinners, pleased with her success, stay at Danguanyuan with her for a little while before departing to their next destination.
Enemies
Gallery
Trivia
- This is the first major story chapter (everything excluding mini-episodes) in Limbus Company not to introduce a single new named character.
- The name of Ryōshū and Hong Lu's Combo Combination, "Omniscient Artist's Viewpoint", is a reference to the South Korean webnovel Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by singNsong.
- The ending cutscene of 8.5-11 changes depending on whether Jia Xichun has 800+ levels in all three virtues or not.
- This is the first occasion of in-game cutscenes changing depending on the player's performance.
Story Chapters
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| Detour Tales | Intervallos | ||
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