"What a marvelous Sword Control Art!"
Zhongli praised in a deep voice, then added,
"Would you stop here? Otherwise I fear we may draw unwanted trouble."
Jiang Yan inclined his head slightly. His sword fingers moved, and the countless blades scattered like a shower of petals, each one returning to where it had come from in perfect order.
In the blink of an eye, only the Vortex Vanquisher beneath Jiang Yan's feet remained.
In Teyvat, this sword was considered a divine weapon. But to Jiang Yan, honestly, it could still be reforged and improved.
Unfortunately, he lacked the materials; although he had gained the ability to forge, he wasn't familiar enough yet to justify reforging it now.
This had been his first time using the Sword Control Art, yet there was no awkwardness—it was as if the skill had been etched into his very bones since birth.
Truthfully, this wasn't a basic technique, though not a high-level one either. Used well, it could be extremely powerful.
When the Sword Control Art reached its pinnacle—Ten Thousand Swords as One—it would rival even the Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder.
In battle, seizing an opponent's weapon with this technique was also quite effective.
And of course, it wasn't limited to swords.
But that was beside the point—having obtained the Sword Control Art, Jiang Yan had finally been able to truly enjoy a bout of sword-riding.
Yes, he could already fly, but sword-riding… was simply more stylish.
Guiding the Vortex Vanquisher, Jiang Yan descended slowly to the stone platform. The sword slipped nimbly from under his feet, circling him like a reluctant companion.
Indeed, as a divine weapon that had endured the trials of time, it seemed to have developed a hint of its own spirit.
Zhongli chuckled helplessly and shook his head.
"This sword has followed me for over a thousand years, yet the moment it meets you, it forgets me. Fate, it seems…"
Jiang Yan smiled, tapped the table, and conjured three extra chairs and cups of tea, nodding to Xiao and the others who had just arrived before replying:
"This sword has some spirit to it."
"If you like, you may have it," Zhongli said lightly.
"A divine sword chooses its master. I believe you would make it stronger."
Jiang Yan was tempted—how often did one receive a divine weapon for free? Even if its level was a little low by his standards, he could reforge it later.
And besides… it looked good.
He didn't agree right away, instead asking after a pause,
"If you give me this sword, what will you use?"
"Do not worry." Zhongli shook his head.
"I seldom use longswords in battle. Even if I did, I have the Vortex Vanquisher, which suits me better.
Besides, in this age of peace, I have little need to fight.
The Vortex Vanquisher was always more of a ceremonial blade, carved from pure jade. Strength-wise… it may fall short. I hope you can accept that."
"I don't care about its current strength," Jiang Yan said with a smile.
"A cultivator should always have side skills. I happen to be skilled in forging, alchemy, and formations. Later, I can reforge it—likely to the level of a spirit weapon."
"Spirit weapon?" Zhongli's interest stirred.
Jiang Yan nodded.
"In cultivation, battles are unavoidable. And in battle, you need a weapon that fits you perfectly.
Weapons have ranks—though explaining the whole system would take too long.
If you wish, I could reforge yours in the future. A cultivator's weapon must have formations and runes inscribed, making it far stronger than a randomly crafted divine weapon."
His tone was polite, but Zhongli could sense his mild dissatisfaction—almost as if it pained him to see good materials wasted.
As Zhongli was mulling over the idea, Jiang Yan formed a hand seal, and the Vortex Vanquisher transformed into a stream of light that disappeared into his abdomen.
Everyone froze.
Ganyu stared for a moment before leaping to her feet, rushing over and patting his side in alarm.
"Jiang Yan! Why would you stab yourself with a sword? That's dangerous! Wait—where's the sword?"
Jiang Yan blinked, genuinely surprised.
"You people of Teyvat… don't know what a dantian is?"
"Dantian?" Ganyu repeated blankly.
"It's… well, where do you usually store your energy?"
Ganyu thought for a moment, then pointed to her Vision.
"For ordinary people with Visions, their power is stored here. For us adepti, our adeptal power is mostly in the soul."
"…"
Now it was Jiang Yan's turn to be shocked.
"So if your Vision is taken, you lose your abilities entirely?"
"That's… basically right," Ganyu admitted after some thought.
Jiang Yan pressed his lips together but didn't criticize their tradition. He simply moved on:
"In cultivation, true essence is stored in the dantian. The dantian isn't like a Vision or soul—it's an organ everyone is born with.
The more spacious it is, the more power it can hold—and the stronger you can become.
If the dantian is destroyed, the cultivator becomes crippled. That's why it's the most heavily protected spot.
Attacking another's dantian is considered an act of utter enmity—many would slaughter an enemy's entire clan in revenge. Cultivation is never without bloodshed."
He continued,
"I stored the Vortex Vanquisher in my dantian.
First, it's convenient to summon; second, my true essence can nourish it for future reforging.
Any powerful artifact a cultivator owns is usually stored in the dantian.
That way, it can both protect and even expand the dantian."
Then Jiang Yan glanced at Zhongli.
"You… don't know about dantians either?"
Zhongli coughed awkwardly.
"I truly did not. But now, at least, I know where my divine power is stored."
Jiang Yan smiled politely.
"Back to the point—you've seen most of my abilities already."
At this, Ganyu raised her hand eagerly, eyes shining.
"There's one you haven't shown! That amazing lightning sword you used during tribulation—was that your weapon? I didn't sense any elemental energy in it.
And… what kind of lightning is gold-colored?"
She was genuinely excited, rattling off questions.
Jiang Yan chuckled.
"That wasn't my weapon. Like the Sword Control Art, it's another of my techniques—Divine Sword Commanding the Thunder.
And you guessed right—it doesn't use elemental energy at all. It's about controlling Heaven and Earth, creating something from nothing.
In the end, all the abilities you've seen from me are, at their core, simply the spells of a cultivator."