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7. The Rock Turned Green and Became a Flying Sword?
"This question..."
Jiang Yan frowned slightly, the purple-gold runes between his brows shimmering like waves on water.
"What's wrong? If it's inconvenient to answer, there's no need to force it," Zhongli said.
Jiang Yan shook his head.
"No, it's just that the system of immortal cultivation has existed for so long that even I don't fully understand its origins," he admitted.
"But..."
Jiang Yan raised his hand, and a white jade scroll appeared in his palm.
Zhongli and the others had never seen the script before, yet, strangely, they could understand its meaning at a glance.
Huang Ting Yu Jing Jing.
It was the very scripture Jiang Yan had been reciting earlier. However, Gan Yu distinctly remembered that the version she had seen was an old, yellowed paper book.
Jiang Yan gazed at the scroll in silence before chuckling softly.
"The Great Dao is fifty, but Heaven allows only forty-nine. One escapes."
"That 'one' represents a glimmer of hope. No matter how impossible something seems, there is always a chance."
"To cultivate as an immortal is to cultivate one's ability to escape—to continuously break through one's limitations and emerge anew from the brink of death."
Zhongli was lost in thought before nodding slightly.
"A sliver of hope within the vast heavens and earth..."
"I understand. Your immortal cultivation seems to be far more profound than our own immortal traditions."
Liu Yun, standing to the side, clicked her tongue in frustration but said nothing.
Jiang Yan smiled, waving his hand dismissively.
"As I mentioned earlier, I don't look down on the immortals of Teyvat."
"True cultivation is about learning from the strengths of others. Every world has its own merits."
"But from our perspective, being born an immortal is not the path. Immortals should not be created by nature but should attain immortality through cultivation. That is the core belief of our path."
"A being born an immortal may have great power, even innate divinity, but they lack the opportunity to transcend further."
"The path of immortality is sacred, a pursuit above all else. That is why cultivators are so strict in their definitions of what it means to be an immortal."
Zhongli seemed to grasp the meaning, and Liu Yun's expression softened.
"So, your classification of cultivation realms is incredibly strict," Zhongli remarked.
Jiang Yan nodded.
"Exactly."
"Then, are you saying that you're not actually an immortal yet?" Liu Yun interjected, frowning.
"You're not lying to us, are you? With the strength you displayed earlier, I feel like you could easily defeat the Emperor."
Zhongli's expression darkened slightly beneath his hood. He sighed inwardly—Liu Yun was as blunt as ever.
Jiang Yan, however, shook his head helplessly.
"I have no reason to lie to you."
"It may seem like I'm just one step away from immortality, but that single step is an insurmountable chasm for many cultivators."
"Even the most talented among us may take thousands—or even tens of thousands—of years to break through this barrier."
"You still don't fully grasp what immortality means to cultivators."
As he spoke, Jiang Yan lifted his hand, and a brilliant multicolored light flickered in his palm.
It resembled a vast sea of stars, swirling with endless mysteries.
Zhongli instinctively tried to sense its nature, but aside from its sheer power and profundity, he could discern nothing.
"Zhenjun Liuyun, I was not exaggerating when I spoke earlier."
"True immortals live as long as the heavens and earth, shining alongside the sun and moon."
"They have transcended the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, freed from the constraints of the Three Realms and the Five Elements."
"They roam the North Sea and the endless sky, plucking stars and shifting the heavens, even creating worlds of their own. That is the power of immortals."
"To put it simply, immortals exist beyond the world itself. In Teyvat, at least, they are something far greater than the gods."
Zhongli sighed, his heart filled with admiration. Even Liu Yun's eyes shone with excitement.
The mere fact that their immortals stood apart from the world meant they had already surpassed the immortals of Teyvat.
"What an incredible cultivation system," Zhongli murmured. "Compared to it, perhaps calling ourselves immortals is an exaggeration."
Liu Yun grumbled in frustration but remained silent.
Jiang Yan shook his head.
"There's no need to think that way. I have seen the immortals of Teyvat. Many of them possess extraordinary abilities, no weaker than those of an immortal cultivator."
"But in terms of combat strength... you are somewhat lacking."
Liu Yun glared at him but couldn't argue.
Jiang Yan moved on, continuing his explanation.
"Just as humanity begins with mortals, the path of immortality begins with cultivators."
"To cultivate is to constantly struggle forward without end."
"If one day, your progress halts and you feel you've reached the pinnacle—"
"It doesn't mean your journey is complete. It simply means you've reached the limit of what you can achieve."
Jiang Yan looked up at the sky, his voice tinged with emotion.
"Mortals wish to cultivate immortality, cultivators wish to become powerful, the powerful seek to ascend to immortality, and immortals wish to become sovereigns of the immortal realm."
"Sovereigns seek enlightenment."
"And after enlightenment? Perhaps they, too, continue their journey, just as I am now."
"This is a road that no one can stop walking. A one-way path with no turning back."
He seemed to be speaking both to Zhongli and to himself.
No one interrupted.
After a moment, Jiang Yan exhaled softly and smiled.
"Heaven and earth are limited, but the human heart is infinite. That is why immortals seek from within, not from without."
"Only by cultivating oneself and walking the path of the Dao can one become a true immortal."
Zhongli had the distinct feeling that Jiang Yan was teaching him how to cultivate immortality.
However, he wasn't certain of Jiang Yan's intentions, so he patiently continued his questions.
"The ability you used earlier was neither elemental power nor divine power. Is that something unique to your cultivation?"
Jiang Yan extended his hand again. This time, they all saw it clearly.
First, the basic elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—circulated in turn. Occasionally, they even morphed into the seven elements of Teyvat.
Strangely, these elements, which should have reacted with each other, mixed together in perfect harmony.
The sheer control over multiple elements at once was astonishing.
Then, Jiang Yan performed an intricate hand seal.
In an instant, his entire body was enveloped in golden light. Zhongli frowned slightly—he realized he might not be able to break through Jiang Yan's defense.
It was utterly absurd.
Jiang Yan casually dismissed the light, then raised a single finger.
Suddenly, his gentle aura transformed into something sharp and awe-inspiring, like an unsheathed sword.
The air itself seemed to split apart.
A flash of cold steel sliced through the sky, and suddenly, a chunk of green rock—one of Zhongli's own artifacts—broke free from his control.
The stone, as if possessing its own spirit, danced around Jiang Yan joyfully.
Zhongli opened his mouth to speak, but his ears twitched as he turned toward the sea of clouds.
Jiang Yan stood tall, the green rock shifting beneath his feet as if carrying him into the sky. His long black robes billowed in the wind, his forehead rune shining brilliantly.
Behind him, countless swords emerged from the clouds—ancient, new, broken, pristine—all floating like a blooming epiphyllum.
The flower of death spiraled outward.
Zhongli's eyes widened.
"This... Without elemental power, what is this?"
More immortals arrived, stunned by the sight.
"Do not panic," Zhongli said calmly. "This is Fellow Daoist Jiang Yan testing his sword."
He looked up at the man in the sky.
"Fellow Daoist, does this move have a name?"
Jiang Yan's lips curled slightly.
"Sword Control Technique."