Sky Screen

Biodata

Power Progression

Purpose and Function

The Sky Screen, a mysterious and powerful phenomenon first appearing shortly after the establishment of the Akademiya Branch, periodically manifests across the Douluo Continent to serve a multifaceted purpose rooted in revelation, judgment, and reward. Although observers commonly associate it with the Akademiya because its first descent coincided with the branch's founding, its actual controller is unknown: Nahida could neither perceive nor identify it, instead sensing a resemblance to the force that transported her to the Douluo Continent 1. Its primary functions—displaying rankings, evaluating characters and factions, and bestowing rewards—are consistently demonstrated through its various appearances. The Sky Screen does not merely inform; it actively shapes perceptions, exposes hidden truths, and incentivizes growth and competition among the continent’s powers.

First and foremost, the Sky Screen is a mechanism for publicly ranking entities on the Douluo Continent, using criteria that elicit widespread attention and controversy. Its earliest known ranking was an inventory of the top ten young powerhouses under the age of fifty, a list that sparked intense curiosity and ambition among figures like Bibi Dong, Liu Erlong, and Dai Mubai, while excluding older veterans such as Tang Hao and Flender 1. Subsequently, the Sky Screen shifted to ranking the top ten forces on the continent. When the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire were placed outside the top ten, their rulers reacted with disbelief; the Sky Screen justified this by evaluating both empires as lacking high-level combat power, corrupt nobility, impoverished commoners, and lax military discipline 37 38. This revealed that the rankings were based primarily on concentrated strength and internal integrity, rather than mere territorial size or historical prestige. Later, the Sky Screen ranked forces like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in tenth place, displaying their history and showcasing the clan leader Yu Yuanzhen’s power and secret technique 38. Other rankings included a “Top Ten Beauties of the Spirit Beast Realm,” which sparked a competitive campaign among spirit beasts 52. The very act of ranking—whether individuals, factions, or aesthetic attributes—serves to create a public ledger of status and power, forcing every listed party to confront their position relative to others.

Beyond simple rankings, the Sky Screen functions as a tool for deep evaluation and critique of characters and factions, often exposing hidden secrets, analyzing past actions, and issuing warnings. When evaluating the Heaven Dou Empire, it listed specific systemic failures: “The nobility is corrupt, the commoners are impoverished, the military is lax, authority is fragmented, and high-level combat power is absent” 37. Similarly, it dissected the Star Luo Empire, revealing its own corruption, rotten military, and internal struggles 38. The Sky Screen does not refrain from personal exposure; it has revealed Bibi Dong’s true Martial Soul and her status as the Heir of the Rakshasa God, shattering her carefully maintained image and forcing Qian Daoliu to accelerate his plans 15. It further broadcast Bibi Dong’s brutal period in Slaughter City and her acquisition of the Rakshasa God’s inheritance without censoring the violence, publicly reopening memories she wished to suppress 17. It recounted the Angel God’s fall and the history of Spirit Hall, exposing both its noble founding mission and the corruption that had crept into its ranks, prompting an internal purge 48. In another instance, the Sky Screen evaluated Sea God Island, ranking it fifth and issuing a pointed warning about “faith-based fraud,” which led to an overconfident Poseidon challenging Scaramouche and suffering defeat 51. It also provided biographical evaluations of individuals such as Cyno, the General Mahamatra, displaying his judgment of criminals and his partner Taje’s sacrifice, thereby explaining the principles of justice and atonement the Akademiya upholds 21. Even historical figures are not spared: the Sky Screen broadcast Qian Daoliu’s past wager with Tang Chen for Bo Saixi’s affection, exposing his embarrassment and long-held resentment 43. Through these evaluations, the Sky Screen acts as an impartial arbiter that forces transparency, challenges complacency, and exposes both virtue and vice.

The third core function is the provision of rewards to those who make the lists, a feature that directly incentivizes competition and advancement. From its very first appearance, the Sky Screen announced that those ranked among the top ten young powerhouses would receive rewards 1. This promise repeated across force rankings: the Sky Screen declared, “Inventory of the Top Ten Forces: All those who make the list shall receive rewards” 37. The nature of the rewards can be transformative. Nilou received two levels of Soul Power and a God-Bestowed Soul Ring, reaching the Titled Douluo realm at the age of twenty-one 3. Sethos, Tighnari, and Candace respectively received increases of 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 years to the age of every spirit ring 4 6 9. Cyno received the Avatar of Hermanubis, substantially increasing his strength 23. Martial Soul Hall’s sixth-place reward resurrected the Angel God, while Sea God Island’s fifth-place reward evolved Poseidon’s Seagod Trident into a Super Divine Artifact—a significant power boost that nonetheless led to his overconfidence and subsequent humiliation 49 51. The Sky Screen’s greatest known reward came after the Akademiya placed third among the continent’s forces: Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was resurrected, allowing her reunion with Nahida 70. Although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan’s reward was not immediately disclosed upon its tenth-place profile, later events identify it as the True Dragon Nine Crowns 38 40 82. The Sky Screen also appears to dispense rewards for other types of rankings, such as the beauty contest among spirit beasts, where Bi Ji received a Hydro Vision after winning first place 52 53. The precise mechanism by which rewards are granted remains unexplained, but the effect is clear: the Sky Screen actively shapes the power landscape by bestowing tangible benefits that can alter the balance of strength among the continent’s factions.

In addition to its rankings and rewards, the Sky Screen functions as a cross-world archive and broadcaster. It has shown recorded histories, current events, dreams, alternate scenarios, and events taking place far beyond the Douluo Continent. Its subjects include the False Sky and the fall of the Three Moon Sisters 61, the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm 320, Sandrone’s creation and personal memories 319 429, and the war between the Heavenly Principles and the Dragon Kings 380. It has also chronicled ancient Teyvat, Nibelung’s creation of the Three Moon Sisters, the War of Funerary Flame, the Archon War, and the Creation War 153 305 306 310 311 379. Its broadcasts further extend to the opening of Aaru and Jeht’s reunion with her deceased father, Dottore’s final defeat during the collapse of Irminsul, and the Dragon Sovereign Clan’s Moon Screen Project 422 461 496. It can also display anomalous phenomena, including a phantom airship manifested by a high concentration of Lunar Moment Force 249. However, the accuracy and framing of these broadcasts are not absolute. After its account of the war between the Heavenly Principles and the Dragon Kings, it explicitly warned that the content might not be entirely true 380. The Three Moon Sisters likewise disputed its portrayal of their supposed surrender to the Heavenly Principles during the Creation War 379. Later broadcasts appeared deliberately fragmented and paired with mismatched voices in ways that encouraged viewers to reach misleading conclusions 401. Thus, the Sky Screen is an extraordinarily influential source of information, but not necessarily a wholly reliable one.

These functions—ranking, evaluating, rewarding, and broadcasting—are interwoven. The Sky Screen’s evaluations are often the basis for ranking decisions; its rewards are the consequence of appearing on those rankings. Beyond these primary purposes, the Sky Screen also demonstrates a capacity for entertainment and misdirection. It has been known to play pranks, such as broadcasting a parody of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo’s past, causing them discomfort 232, and it teasingly withholds plot details to build suspense, a behavior described as “playing coy” 234. It has also exposed private or embarrassing exchanges, including Alice and Klee’s conversation concerning Alice’s intimate relationship with Klee’s father 280. These incidents suggest a degree of agency or playful intelligence behind the Sky Screen, though its central mission remains unclear. In every instance, the Sky Screen functions as a catalyst for change—forcing characters to confront their own histories, reassess their enemies, and strive for greater heights in the hope of appearing on its luminous surface.

Abilities and Rewards

• Broadcasting Images and Information: The Sky Screen can display visual broadcasts across the Douluo Continent, showing rankings of powerhouses, evaluations of empires, past events, personal secrets, and occurrences from Teyvat and other worlds. For example, it revealed the corrupt state of the Heaven Dou Empire 37 and the Star Luo Empire 38, exposed Bibi Dong's identity as the Rakshasa God's successor 15, and replayed historical battles such as Morax sealing Azhdaha 101. It also broadcasts live or recorded footage, like Cyno judging criminals 21 and Candace's combat skills 7. Its scope extends to major historical revelations, including the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm, the War of Funerary Flame, the Archon War, and the war between the Heavenly Principles and the Dragon Kings 320 306 310 380. It can additionally display formal documents and criteria, such as the Angel Assessment Requirements used in Zibai’s evaluation of Nicole 501.

• Bestowing Rewards: The Sky Screen can grant tangible rewards to individuals, factions, or entities based on its evaluations. These rewards include powerful artifacts, such as the evolution of Sea God Poseidon's Seagod Trident into a Super Divine Artifact after his island ranked fifth 51. It also bestows power enhancements, like granting Cyno the Avatar of Hermanubis ability, significantly boosting his strength 23, increasing Sethos's, Tighnari's, and Candace's spirit-ring ages 4 6 9, and raising Nilou to the Titled Douluo realm through Soul Power increases and a God-Bestowed Soul Ring 3. Other rewards include living creatures, such as gifting Nefer a cat named Asheru 11, and extraordinary restoration, such as resurrecting the Angel God and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata after Martial Soul Hall’s sixth-place and the Akademiya’s third-place rankings 49 70. Rewards are not always immediately shown; the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's tenth-place profile initially did not reveal its prize, which was later identified as the True Dragon Nine Crowns 38 40 82.

• Selective Editing and Withholding: The Sky Screen can control its framing and omit information. It ended a broadcast showing Dottore tearing open the False Sky abruptly 61, raised its viewpoint to skip Varka and the Traveler’s discussion of their plan against the Moon Hunter 234, and has presented scenes in chopped-up arrangements that may lead viewers toward mistaken conclusions 401. It similarly cut away from Dottore’s exchange with the Traveler and Scaramouche inside Irminsul, as well as the imminent danger surrounding Uji during the Moon Screen Project broadcast 458 496. This ability makes it capable not only of revealing information but also of shaping how audiences interpret it.

• Questionable Historical Reliability: Despite its ability to reveal otherwise inaccessible history, the Sky Screen has acknowledged that its content may not be entirely true after displaying the ancient conflict between the Heavenly Principles and the Dragon Kings 380. Its claim that the Three Moon Sisters surrendered to and aided the Heavenly Principles was also directly contested by the sisters themselves 379. Its presentations should therefore be treated as influential evidence rather than unquestionable fact.

• Apparent Agency and Playful Nature: The Sky Screen exhibits a degree of independent will and a mischievous personality. It deliberately withholds information to build suspense, such as refusing to show the plan to counter the Moon Hunter, teasing the audience with suspense 234. It also plays pranks on viewers, such as broadcasting a parody of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo's past, causing them public discomfort 232. Its broadcasts can be abrupt, teasing, or selectively edited, suggesting that it enjoys controlling the narrative and the reactions of its audience.

Notable Appearances

• First ranking of young powerhouses: The Sky Screen descends for the first time, announcing a ranking of the top ten powerhouses under fifty years of age on the Douluo Continent, sparking widespread interest and investigation 1.
• Revelation of Nilou’s ranking: The Sky Screen reveals the 21-year-old Nilou as tenth place, showcasing her elegant dance and combat skills, confirming her affiliation with the mysterious Akademiya, and granting rewards that elevate her into the Titled Douluo realm 2 3.
• Tighnari and Candace’s rewards: The Sky Screen grants Tighnari a 2,000-year increase to each of his spirit rings and grants Candace a 3,000-year increase to every spirit ring after her placement among the young powerhouses 6 9.
• Sethos’s reward: The Sky Screen increases each of Sethos’s spirit rings by 1,000 years after ranking him among the young powerhouses 4.
• Evaluation of the Heaven Dou Empire: The Sky Screen reappears to rank forces and critique the Heaven Dou Empire, exposing its deep-rooted corruption and shocking Emperor Xue Ye into fainting 37.
• Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan enters the rankings: The clan is listed at tenth place; the Sky Screen displays its history, Yu Yuanzhen’s strength, and the Dragon Transformation secret technique 38.
• True Dragon Nine Crowns: The Sky Screen’s reward associated with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is later identified as the True Dragon Nine Crowns, whose absorption by Luo Sanpao contributes to its transformation into a Radiant Sacred Dragon 40 82.
• Qian Daoliu’s past and the Clear Sky Sect: The Sky Screen updates with the Clear Sky Sect’s ranking and reveals Qian Daoliu’s past wager with Tang Chen and his rivalry for Bo Saixi’s affection, causing him great embarrassment 43.
• Angel God’s resurrection: After ranking Martial Soul Hall sixth, the Sky Screen resurrects the Angel God, restoring the divine founder of Martial Soul Hall 49.
• Origin of spirit masters and spirit beasts: The Sky Screen traces the common origin of spirit masters and spirit beasts to the Silver Dragon King, showing her injuries, healing, and the formation of her followers 52.
• Top Ten Beauties of the Spirit Beast Realm: The Sky Screen ranks Bi Ji first among the spirit beast realm’s beauties and awards her a Hydro Vision, while also evaluating the Spirit Beast clan as fourth among the continent’s forces 52 53.
• Evaluation of Cyno and reveal of Scaramouche as first place: The Sky Screen evaluates Cyno, reveals his past with Cyrus, and grants him the Avatar of Hermanubis reward; it also shows Scaramouche as the first-place winner of an undisclosed ranking 23.
• Resurrection of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata: After evaluating the Akademiya positively, the Sky Screen grants it third place and resurrects Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, leading to a heartfelt reunion with Nahida 70.
• Broadcast of Albedo’s trial: The Sky Screen broadcasts the trial of Albedo for murder, presenting evidence and testimony, and capturing the attention of both Teyvat and the Douluo Continent 84.
• Dragon Sovereign Clan ranked first: The Sky Screen reveals the Dragon Sovereign Clan, represented by Apep, as first in the Power Ranking and displays its surviving and deceased Dragon Kings 97.
• Ancient Teyvat and the Four Great Wars: The Sky Screen chronicles ancient Teyvat, Nibelung’s creation of the Three Moon Sisters, the devastation of the War of Funerary Flame, and the lengthy Archon War that produced the Seven victorious Archons 153 306 310 311.
• Khaenri'ah Cataclysm: The Sky Screen broadcasts the downfall of Khaenri'ah, including the kingdom’s attempt to control abyssal power, the role of the Traveler’s sister, Dainsleif’s coup, and the Five Great Sinners’ absorption of abyssal power 320.
• Parody of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo: The Sky Screen plays a playful parody of the two Douluo’s past, causing them discomfort and highlighting its mischievous nature 232.
• Ancient war and disclaimer: The Sky Screen depicts the Creation War and the Heavenly Principles’ subsequent war against the Dragon Kings, then cautions viewers that the account may not be entirely true 379 380.
• Aaru opens: The Sky Screen shows the Seven Pillars opening Aaru, permitting released souls to meet the living and allowing Jeht a final reunion with her father 422.
• Dottore’s funeral clip explained: During Dottore’s defeat and Nahida’s purification of Irminsul, the Sky Screen identifies its earlier funeral footage as a clip taken from those events 461.
• Moon Screen Project: The Sky Screen presents the Dragon Sovereign Clan’s attempt to conceal the moon through the Moon Screen Project, only to abruptly interrupt the broadcast as danger emerges 496.

Trivia

• The Sky Screen exhibits a playful and mischievous nature, often teasing viewers with suspenseful pauses and deliberately withholding plot-critical details, such as Varka's plan against the Moon Hunter 234. It also broadcasts parodies of private moments, like the past of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, deliberately causing them discomfort 232.
• The Sky Screen first descended immediately after the establishment of the Akademiya Branch at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, leading many to associate it with the Akademiya. However, this connection is unconfirmed: Nahida could not perceive the Sky Screen and considered it similar to the unknown force that transported her to the Douluo Continent 1.
• The Sky Screen maintains direct connections to multiple deities and divine figures through its broadcasts. It has displayed a statue of Thoth, the Ibis King, and its revelations frequently involve gods such as the Silver Dragon King, Hermanubis, the Scarlet King, the Heavenly Principles, and the Four Shades 7 23 52 61 232.
• The Sky Screen has a demonstrated ability to intentionally withhold or truncate information. Beyond teasing with incomplete reveals, it ended a broadcast showing Dottore tearing open the False Sky abruptly, and it has been known to cut away at dramatic moments, keeping the full truth from its audience 61 234.
• The Sky Screen’s broadcasts are not guaranteed to be fully accurate. It explicitly appended a disclaimer that its account of the Heavenly Principles’ war against the Dragon Kings might not be entirely true 380.
• Some broadcasts appear deliberately edited to misdirect viewers. During the events surrounding the Covenant of Linghan, observers noted that the footage was fragmented and combined with different voices in a manner that encouraged incorrect speculation 401.
• After concluding the young-powerhouse ranking, the Sky Screen announced that a new ranking would be released in one month. Its return to begin the Top Ten Forces ranking occurred exactly one month later 31 37.
• Viewers consider the Sky Screen petty enough that they refrain from cursing it; some are said to have previously tried and feared being struck by lightning as a consequence 234.
• The Moon Screen Project broadcast in Chapter 496 concerns ancient Dragon Sovereign Clan technology designed to conceal the moon; despite the similar name, it is presented by the Sky Screen rather than identified as the Sky Screen’s origin or mechanism 496.