After briefly instructing Zhongli and the others to introduce the Seven Lineages of Mount Shu so that Furina and the rest would have a basic understanding—allowing their future placement into the lineages—
Jiang Yan closed his eyes, turning his focus fully toward observing the rewards.
Zhongli, though stirred with excitement, still maintained the composure befitting the First Seat. Restraining himself, he spoke in a low voice:
"The Sect Master has matters of great importance to Mount Shu to attend to. Next, I shall convey to you what every Inner Sect disciple must know.
"First, is the Seven Lineages of Mount Shu. I imagine you already know some, but understand—these lineages do not merely hold supreme status, they also shoulder the responsibilities that come with it.
"Especially as disciples of the Seven Lineages, you must bear this duty."
He paused briefly, then began:
"First is Tongtian Peak, where the Sect Master himself resides…"
Outside, Zhongli's words flowed slowly.
Compared to the Outer Sect disciples, the teaching given to Inner Sect disciples was far more detailed.
For in Mount Shu, only Inner Sect disciples were the true geniuses—the future pillars who could hold the sect aloft.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan's mind was fully immersed in the rewards.
The first gifts were techniques for himself—
the Seventy-Two Earth Fiend Techniques and the divine power of Samadhi True Fire.
These were famed throughout the heavens.
No need for lengthy explanation.
The Seventy-Two Earth Fiend Techniques encompassed all manner of techniques: delving into the nether, summoning or banishing spirits, shouldering mountains, binding waters, borrowing the wind, veiling the sun, creating pocket worlds, moving with divine speed, plucking the moon…
Every possible wonder was contained within.
It was not exaggeration to call this the pinnacle of spellcraft.
This was a true immortal treasure of a technique. And those who had mastered it?
The Monkey King, Sun Wukong.
The Second Deity, Erlang Shen.
The Bull Demon King.
Each one a Golden Immortal of renown in the Upper Realm.
For Jiang Yan, this was an immense surprise.
He had never dreamed that as a mere cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Transformation stage about to enter Union of Void and Dao, he would be able to learn such an authentic immortal art.
This was no mere sword art like the Unity Divine Lightning-Smiting Sword Formula, barely classified as an immortal technique.
The Seventy-Two Earth Fiend Techniques were born as immortal arts, and among them, ranked at the top.
Even in the Upper Realm, countless immortals dreamed of this spell.
Among all his current techniques, even compared to the Eight Great Taoist Mantras, this was the strongest.
But its true might still depended on the user.
If Erlang Shen used the "Borrowing the Wind" art, the gale summoned would be divine Samadhi wind.
If Jiang Yan did the same, it would be only a strong wind of the cultivation world.
This art scaled with cultivation.
To wield it properly, he would need at least Celestial Immortal strength.
Past the Fiend Arts—there was Samadhi True Fire.
This was not just an art—
This was true divine power.
Its origin was even more exalted.
The Supreme Lord Laozi himself.
The Red Child.
This was the same fire that even the Golden Immortal Sun Wukong could not withstand, nearly burning him to death.
At full force, it could reduce a great world to ashes.
Yet again—it scaled with cultivation.
Its range was vast, its ceiling terrifying.
For Laozi, it was the flame for alchemy.
For the Red Child, a heaven-sent inborn power.
In essence, it was a divine power at the Golden Immortal level, even touching upon the realm of the Taiyi Immortal.
For Jiang Yan, however…
Even igniting the tiniest spark would drain nearly all his essence.
But that spark alone could likely burn away half of the Quantum Sea.
This was a trump card for life-and-death.
Still—
Did he, Jiang Yan, standing at the peak of Spirit Transformation, about to enter Union of Void and Dao, need such a card to survive in this small world of Teyvat?
Even in the Quantum Sea, facing the Imaginary Tree, he would not flinch.
His foundation was vast.
With the Unity Divine Lightning-Smiting Sword Formula, the Eight Great Mantras, the Seventy-Two Fiend Arts, and Samadhi True Fire—
plus the supreme treasure, the Pure World Glazed Bottle—
he could already roam freely through a Medium Thousand World.
Against a cultivator of Union of Void and Dao, he could at least resist a few blows and escape.
If even that could be done, what fear had he here in Teyvat?
Still…
The true battlefield for these arts might not be here.
He remembered—the portal to his Xuanyin Minor World had yet to open.
And besides…
This time, he had even been given Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower.
Within it, if memory served, was sealed the Heavenly Demon Emperor, at the very peak of Union of Void and Dao.
The Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower…
Thinking of it gave him a headache.
Was this good fortune or misfortune?
Only a few days ago, the Divine Son had been yearning for it. Now, it had returned on its own.
On the bright side—
The tower had nine levels, each spanning a lifetime. One day outside equaled a year inside.
It was also the symbol of Mount Shu's strength.
Its return was, on the whole, a blessing.
But the dangers inside surpassed even the Nine Nether Secret Realm.
Within, beasts of Spirit Transformation prowled the lower six levels.
The upper three belonged to beasts of Spirit Transformation and Union of Void and Dao.
Even Jiang Yan dared not venture above the seventh level now.
Fortunately, each level was sealed with a Golden Immortal's prohibitions.
No beast of Union of Void and Dao could descend.
That was at least some relief.
After much thought, Jiang Yan decided to bring it out.
But he would need to instruct his disciples carefully about its perils—
lest they rashly march to their deaths.
The other two treasures were the Tea of Enlightenment and the Bodhi of the Way-Seeking.
Each was a branch of a higher realm's ancestral tree.
Though far less than the originals, for cultivators not yet ascended, their effect was immense.
With these two, Jiang Yan was confident he could undergo tribulation within a year and step into Union of Void and Dao.
Other than the Mount Shu Demon-Sealing Tower, the rest were all personal boons for him.
But the final two rewards held even greater meaning for Mount Shu as a whole.
First—
The sect's treasure vault, now fully open beneath the level of supreme treasures.
Jiang Yan swept his divine sense through it once, glimpsing a vault-realm as vast as Teyvat itself, overflowing with treasures.
One could only imagine how rich it was.
The Hall of Merit could now expand rapidly.
And finally—
The specialized cultivation methods of the Seven Lineages of Mount Shu.
This had been Jiang Yan's greatest concern.
Before, it was manageable—Inner Sect disciples could all practice Zhou Tian circulation temporarily.
But now with the influx of Outer Sect disciples, it was improper for the Inner Sect to continue cultivating the same.
This reward was timely beyond measure.
Carefully reviewing them, Jiang Yan sighed in admiration.
As expected of the strongest sect, Mount Shu—
not one of the Inner Sect's lineage scriptures was anything short of a direct path to immortality.
Beyond the Guiding Scripture of Dragonhead Peak that he had acquired earlier,
the rest were now all present.
The Dust-Severing Scripture of Tongtian Peak,
the Doushuai Scripture of Great Bamboo Peak,
the Pure Maiden Scripture of Bamboo Peak,
the Pure Yang Scripture of Windreturn Peak,
the Inner Vision Scripture of Morning Sun Peak,
and the Deliverance Scripture of Sunset Peak.
With all seven immortal scriptures returned, Mount Shu's Inner Sect would surely rise swiftly.
Yet upon closer inspection, Jiang Yan was surprised.
Each of the seven bore traces of the Jade Essence Scripture of the Yellow Court.
It seemed…
as though they had split off from it.
That in itself was a mystery.
But unable to resolve it, Jiang Yan set the thought aside.
He gathered his rewards, planted the Enlightenment Tea and Way-Seeking Bodhi behind the sect's main hall,
and finally opened his eyes.
Just then, he caught Furina asking:
"First Seat Zhongli, to what level must one cultivate to suppress Teyvat's laws of heaven and earth? Comparable to the mightiest archons?"
Zhongli was about to answer when Jiang Yan spoke first:
"The late stage of Refining Essence into Qi. With a mighty treasure and supreme spellcraft, such archons could be slain with ease.
Even without treasures or peak techniques, at the pinnacle of Refining Essence into Qi, it is sufficient.
"But if one wishes to truly master Teyvat's laws of heaven and earth, at the very least the mid-stage of Refining Qi into Spirit is required."
Furina froze, turning toward Jiang Yan.
Zhongli and the others brightened with joy.
"Sect Master."
Jiang Yan nodded lightly, smiling.
"This time, the gifts of our ancestors are extraordinary indeed. You all will surely advance by leaps and bounds."
At this, everyone was stirred.
"Sect Master, have you gained something great?"
Keqing couldn't help but ask eagerly.
Jiang Yan only smiled, glancing at Furina and the others.
"I will tell you later.
"But for now—have you come to understand the true meaning of Mount Shu, and of cultivation?"
The group fell silent.
After a moment, Tartaglia nodded:
"I understand.
Cultivators walk against the current, fighting heaven itself, to grasp long life, overwhelming strength, and the momentum of heaven and earth."
Jiang Yan nodded with satisfaction.
"That is the gist. But above all, cultivation is the pursuit of the Dao. This must be remembered always, in any time or place."
Everyone nodded.
Jiang Yan's gaze grew distant, his eyes seeming to pierce into their very hearts.
In that instant, even the starry seas seemed to bow within his eyes.
The Inner Sect disciples shivered, quickly averting their gazes.
"It has been said—the path of seeking Dao is a road of life through death.
If you cannot find vitality within the Dao, then to seek it is the same as seeking death.
"Upon stepping on this road, there is no turning back.
You have only two choices.
"To waste away, muddling through a long life of mediocrity.
"Or to fight with all you have, seeking a chance of transcendence amidst endless calamity.
"If you find it, you live. If not, all dissolves into nothing."
"Are you ready for this?"
At that, Tartaglia grinned.
"Isn't that just perfect?"
"???"
Hu Tao and the others looked at him, bewildered.
They were prepared for hardships, yes—
but why did this guy sound like he was eager for death? Was he really this insane?
"Life should be lived with fire and thunder. Given such a chance, I must seize it.
Even if I die, at least I will have lived thrillingly.
"Better that than being a frog at the bottom of a well, never knowing how vast the world or how high the heavens.
"If I can die as a cultivator, upon the path of seeking Dao—that would be a perfect curtain call.
"And besides, a life filled with battle at every turn—
that is the life I've always dreamed of.
"Of course, if I can keep on living and reach greater heights, all the better."
The others curled their lips.
He sounded mad indeed, but at least he wasn't stupid.
One by one, they nodded, agreeing with Tartaglia.
They had already come this far.
If they were going to be frightened off by Jiang Yan's words, they shouldn't have come in the first place.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan said nothing more, only spoke softly:
"Then…
prepare to formally become disciples of the Inner Sect."
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