The Innate Dao Body—just hearing the name was enough to know it was extraordinary.
Yet, in truth, everyone present had only a vague idea of what it really meant.
Only Alice, who had read countless novels, had a clear understanding. She knew precisely what this constitution was supposed to be.
If cultivation really followed novels to the letter, then it would be far too narrow a world.
The Innate Dao Body could only be far more powerful than she imagined.
"So, what exactly is the Innate Dao Body?"
Zhongli frowned slightly and asked subconsciously.
In cultivation, anything that carried the word "Dao" was never something simple.
Before Jiang Yan could explain, Alice interjected:
"The so-called Innate Dao Body is a constitution supremely suited for cultivation."
"To be named after the Dao itself means that this physique is the closest existence to the Dao."
"It is the favored child of the Dao."
"How to describe it exactly, I'm not quite sure. But in the novels I've read, the Innate Dao Body isn't merely a special physique."
"It is a fundamental essence of life itself. For others, their bodies are merely talents. But the Innate Dao Body is an existence whose very life level is aligned with the Dao."
"A constitution that exists only in legends."
Hearing this, Venti couldn't help but ask:
"If it only exists in legends, how do you know about it?"
"Because all the main characters in novels have the Innate Dao Body!" Alice answered matter-of-factly.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
As expected, Alice's words still carried a fair amount of… questionability.
"Master, is what Elder Alice said true?"
Ganyu looked at the gentleman with joy in her eyes. The greater the gentleman's talent, the happier she became.
Jiang Yan smiled faintly and replied vaguely:
"More or less. The Innate Dao Body indeed exists only in legend, but that doesn't mean it has never appeared."
"Rather, those who possess such a physique all became myths of the myriad worlds."
"For instance—the Five Sovereigns, the Four Emperors, the rulers of the Heavenly Court."
Everyone stared at Jiang Yan in a daze.
They had thought their own talents weren't bad, some even possessing unique constitutions.
The distance between them and Jiang Yan shouldn't be so vast…
Yet it turned out—
They weren't even on the same level.
For a moment, a sense of dejection spread among the group.
"Wake up."
Jiang Yan's voice rang lightly, yet it exploded in their hearts like a great bell. Everyone jolted awake.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan spoke seriously:
"There is no need to be disheartened by talent. Fate may be determined by Heaven, but deeds are done by men. This has always been the creed of cultivators."
"Strong talent does give one an advantage hard for others to catch up with—but talent does not decide everything."
"On the road of cultivation, talent, comprehension, perseverance, and fortune are all indispensable."
"I've seen countless prodigies who died young or vanished into mediocrity."
"Only with unyielding will can one continue to climb the immortal path and reach greater heights."
"If you spend your life believing you can never catch up because your talent is lacking, then what point is there in cultivating immortality?"
This was the first time anyone remembered the gentleman sounding angry.
But hearing his words, everyone felt ashamed.
Seeing their expressions, Jiang Yan softened his tone slightly:
"Once, I heard of a peerless genius—a divine body known as the Myriad Sects Profound Yellow Body."
"He ranked nineteenth on the Heaven's Chosen list of the cultivation world, a talent that stood at the pinnacle of his age."
"But so what?"
Jiang Yan asked rhetorically, then said slowly:
"The so-called prodigies in mortal eyes—are they not but ants in the eyes of cultivators?"
"And those cultivators, in the eyes of true prodigies—are they not also ants unworthy of mention?"
"The most dazzling genius of the lower realms—upon ascending, when placed among the myriad geniuses of the Immortal Realm, how small do they become?"
"There is always a higher mountain, always a deeper sea."
"To judge solely by talent, one can never tell who will truly stand as number one beneath Heaven."
"To us, observing ants is as easy as reading the lines on our palms."
"From above, when greater beings observe us—is it not the same?"
"Talent is but the foundation. How far you walk depends on your will and your fortune."
He paused, then continued once he saw they were listening intently:
"That so-called peerless genius with the Profound Yellow Body—he was arrogant, believing his divine body destined him for supremacy. He neglected his cultivation, drowning himself in mortal praise."
"Indeed, he eventually ascended to immortality."
"But so what?"
"In the higher realm, geniuses like him were everywhere. Countless were stronger than he."
"He was nothing more than another slightly gifted immortal among many."
"At that point, he regretted—but his will had already rotted, his heart demon took root."
"With the aid of an Immortal Sect, he barely dispelled it. Only then did he begin to strive earnestly."
"After countless kalpas of effort, he finally became a Celestial Immortal."
"And his greatest honor…"
"Was being one among the hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers who stopped Sun Wukong from wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Court."
Hearing this, everyone felt the cruelty unique to the cultivation world weigh on their hearts.
Talent was bestowed by Heaven—but cultivators believed fate lay in their own hands.
Without the will to wield it, even the greatest gift was just another tale of wasted genius.
Across the myriad worlds, prodigies abounded.
But did all of them become great immortals with ease?
Once this truth sank in, everyone felt as though a fog had been lifted from their minds.
They all cupped their fists and bowed:
"Thank you for your teaching, Master."
Jiang Yan, pleased by their quick comprehension, nodded slightly.
"As long as you've understood. When you go to the Scripture Pavilion in the future, read not only cultivation methods, but also the stories within."
"Those stories too are treasures that temper the heart. In the Scripture Pavilion, there is no jade slip that is useless."
"For now, if there is nothing else, you may all leave. Spend the next few days cultivating well, and prepare for the exploration of the Nine Nether Secret Realm."
"Zhongli, you take Venti and the others to the Scripture Pavilion. After they have chosen their techniques, show them around and help them settle."
"As for Elder Alice… since Klee is still young and needs care, you may stay temporarily on Tongtian Peak."
"However, the daily patrols of the Hall of Discipline must still be done. Make sure Elder Alice learns its rules."
With that, Jiang Yan closed his eyes and began cultivating.
Seeing this, the others refrained from speaking further. One by one, they bowed and left the Sect Hall.
They did not fly recklessly; only after leaving the peak of Tongtian did they part ways to handle their own matters.
Before long, only Zhongli, Venti, and a few others remained together.
Venti glanced back at the Sect Hall, then winked at Zhongli.
"Old man, should I start calling you First Seat Zhongli from now on?"
Zhongli's mouth twitched. He shook his head.
"Forget it. Hearing you call me that feels strange."
"You are the First Seat of Morning Sun Peak, your position equal to mine. There is no need to address me so."
"Alice, you as well."
Venti chuckled, spreading his hands.
"You're right. Mount Shu has many rules, but judging by Master's attitude, he doesn't seem unreasonable."
"He probably won't care about little things like this."
Zhongli shook his head lightly and said softly:
"Still, one must always show due respect to the Master."
"Of course."
Venti nodded, then urged:
"Come on, old man, let's hurry to the Scripture Pavilion! After that, we need to tour Mount Shu—I also need to return to Morning Sun Peak. Master wants me and Xueyue to quickly rebuild the Star-Picking Tower, but I've no idea where to start."
Zhongli produced several flying swords and handed them to Venti and the others.
"These are the standard issue flying swords of Mount Shu disciples. Before you learn proper Sword Flight, these swords will carry you automatically."
"As for the Sword Flight Art, I will teach you later."
After all, Jiang Yan had already finished his weekly sermon, and rules would not be broken just for the sake of new disciples.
Zhongli could only pass it down in his stead.
In truth, the technique wasn't difficult. With their talent, they would grasp it swiftly after learning the chant.
As for further mastery, that would take time.
"Come. Follow me to the Scripture Pavilion. On the way, I'll explain some basics about cultivation methods."
"I've already entered once this week, so I cannot accompany you inside."
"Once you enter, everything will depend on yourselves."
With that, Zhongli led them slowly toward the Scripture Pavilion.
Back in the Sect Hall, Jiang Yan finished sorting through his recent gains.
The forging and alchemy materials he stored temporarily in the Mount Shu Treasury for later use.
The rest of what was useful to him amounted to—
a mountain of Primogems, the equipment Alice had brought from other worlds, and Venti's essence imbued with the power of time.
The Primogems were straightforward—he had already studied them yesterday.
They were the crystallization of willpower. With the quantities Ningguang had brought yesterday, and the additional ones today, they were more than enough for Jiang Yan to significantly improve his spiritual sense.
As for Alice's equipment, their quality was extremely high, some rivaling spiritual artifacts.
They merely needed reforging and spiritual awakening.
Then they could be stored in the Mount Shu Treasury, to be exchanged later for contribution points once Ningguang established that system.
For his personal use?
Jiang Yan already possessed the top-grade spiritual weapon Primordial Jade Cutter and the supreme treasure Pure World Glazed Bottle.
Attack, defense, and healing—he lacked nothing.
The most crucial, however, was Venti's trace of essence touched by the power of time.
Circulating the Huangting Yujing Sutra, Jiang Yan stripped Venti's power away in an instant.
What remained in his palm was only a wisp of time's aura.
It flickered there, making the surrounding space ripple faintly.
But in terms of quality and quantity, it was of little use to Jiang Yan.
With a sweep of his true essence, the aura was drawn into his Sea of Consciousness.
There, endless Dao resonance dismantled the time aura, unraveling its strands one by one, replicating its essence in full.
After who knew how long, Jiang Yan's boiling spiritual sense finally calmed.
He opened his eyes slowly and sighed with mixed feelings.
"In the end, this is but the time-force of a small world. A few gains, but… better than nothing."
The power was too low in quality. To call it time was generous—it was closer to a closed loop of spacetime.
Had it helped? Somewhat.
What he most desired—using it to probe the mysteries of time itself—was impossible.
But on the other hand—
He could now control the flow of time within Teyvat.
Yet Teyvat was but a small world. Not only himself—even Zhongli and the others would not linger here long.
Eventually, they would all leave.
So this power was a bit of a chicken rib—tasteless, yet a pity to discard.
Still, it had its uses.
Jiang Yan looked around at the mountain of Primogems. After his analysis of the time-force, hundreds of thousands had been drained completely.
Only fragile fragments remained.
Sensing within, his spiritual sense had been refined, nearly a tenth stronger than before.
That was already astonishing.
To increase one-tenth of a Refining Spirit cultivator's Sea of Consciousness—what concept was that?
It seemed Teyvat's Primogems were indeed of great value. He only wondered whether they could regenerate.
With his divine sense reinforced, every spell now flowed smoother and stronger.
Even the Eight Great Incantations felt less abstruse when circulating.
Altogether, today's gains were tremendous.
At this pace, even without great fortunes, Jiang Yan was confident he could reach the peak of Refining Spirit in just three years.
That was terrifying progress.
Cultivators lived long and grew strong, but equally—
their cultivation normally consumed vast spans of time.
He was musing over this when he suddenly gave a soft "Hm?"
His gaze pierced through space, falling upon the Scripture Pavilion.
More precisely—on the first floor, where Klee was.
A moment later, Jiang Yan nodded in satisfaction.
"As expected of my disciple. Not only is her talent exceptional, even her fortune is extraordinary."
"It seems Klee is destined to become a legend of her own."
To read 220+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554