Chapter 15

Zhongli glanced at the somewhat dazed Xiao; he could certainly understand Xiao's breakdown.

After all, he was touted as the strongest in Liyue under Zhongli, and the one among the adepti closest to a god.

Now he discovered that, in the cultivation system, he had merely reached the end of the very first realm.

Such a disparity was indeed not something one could accept quickly.

"Xiao is indeed the adeptus closest to a god."

Zhongli nodded in acknowledgment, then added:

"Then what about ordinary Vision holders?"

"Ordinary?"

Jiang Yan laughed in spite of himself, shaking his head as he said:

"I haven't seen other Vision holders, but you can compare them yourself; Ganyu and Shenhe, in the cultivation system, do not exceed the middle stage of Refining Essence into Qi."

"If those two are already top-tier powerhouses among Vision holders, then I suspect many Vision holders haven't even reached the stage of Refining Essence into Qi."

Everyone gasped inwardly.

With such an intuitive comparison, they could clearly and directly understand the formidable nature of the cultivation system.

"Thank you for helping to answer my questions and resolve my doubts."

Zhongli sighed, then immediately shifted his attention to another very important term Jiang Yan had mentioned earlier.

"You said just now that you are... the Sect Leader of Shushan?"

Jiang Yan's lips curled upward, and he nodded decisively.

After chatting for so long, it was finally time to get to the point.

11. Jiang Yan's Great Lie, the Struggle of the Great Luo!

Although Liyue had countless famous mountains and rivers, what kind of beings were those present?

Aside from Shenhe, even the youngest, Ganyu, was over a thousand, or even several thousand years old.

These adepti had been rooted in Liyue for years; it wasn't just that they knew every rock in the Liyue territory like the back of their hands.

At the very least, even if it were a small mound of dirt, they were very familiar with it.

Not to mention Zhongli, who, as the Geo Archon, had an extremely deep understanding of mountains, rivers, and lakes.

There wasn't a mountain range within Liyue that Zhongli didn't recognize.

Then...

"Forgive my bluntness, but I am familiar with many mountain ranges in Liyue and have never heard of Shushan; even among the many famous mountain ranges of Teyvat, there is no mention of Shushan."

Zhongli pondered for a moment, somewhat dazed.

"So, Shushan... is it a mountain range from your original world?"

"And then, what is a 'Sect Leader'..."

Before he could finish, Zhongli saw Jiang Yan shake his head and laugh, which made him feel a bit curious.

"Is there a problem?"

Jiang Yan restrained his smile and said softly:

"If I must explain, Shushan is indeed a mountain range from my old home long ago; to ordinary people, Shushan is indeed just a precipitous and towering mountain range."

"But the Shushan I speak of is a cultivation sect where many cultivators gather to seek the Dao and immortality."

"Just like the many martial arts sects in your Liyue."

Zhongli's gaze flickered, and he nodded slightly, as if contemplating something.

Originally, he thought Jiang Yan was the only cultivator to come to Teyvat, but now it seemed...

He had a background.

It was difficult for Zhongli to judge the specific strength of a sect that gathered countless powerful cultivators.

If every cultivator within it was like Jiang Yan, even if they were only at the Refining Essence into Qi stage, that was not a force Teyvat could afford to provoke.

However, based on his current interactions with Jiang Yan, it was relatively easy to be on good terms.

Zhongli was very interested in many of Jiang Yan's cultivation theories; if he didn't mind, Zhongli would like to chat with him more.

By drawing inferences, he might just be able to figure out something useful.

For instance, a way to deal with erosion.

"Are you wondering how many people are in Shushan?"

Suddenly, Jiang Yan said with a light laugh.

Zhongli did not deny it, maintaining his silence.

Regarding this, Ganyu and the others were also somewhat curious.

Jiang Yan's gaze became somewhat wistful, and he said slowly:

"The Shushan Sword Sect is the largest cultivation sect in a certain cultivation world."

"Among them, cultivators at the Refining Essence into Qi realm are merely outer sect disciples; only those at the Refining Qi into Spirit stage can be called inner sect elite disciples."

"And cultivators like me, at the Refining Spirit into Void stage..."

Jiang Yan gave a self-deprecating smile and shook his head.

"Can only serve as Law Enforcement Elders; those at the even higher Refining Void into Dao stage are the true foundation of the sect."

"And the Shushan Sword Sect is not only the largest sect in the mortal realm; the number of powerhouses who have ascended to immortality throughout the ages is countless."

"In the Immortal Realm, it is also a top-tier immortal sect that shakes one side; it is rumored that there are even powerhouses at the Great One Golden Immortal level within it."

"That kind of existence is second only to the supreme Great Luo of the heavens and myriad worlds."

"Even a Great One Golden Immortal can make worlds rise and fall with a wave of their hand, and reverse time and space in the blink of an eye."

Jiang Yan felt quite impressed with his own ability to weave stories.

Yes.

Everything above was something he had made up.

The so-called Shushan was just a name he had picked for the sect he was about to establish.

Even if there really were a Shushan, the existence of a Great One Golden Immortal was impossible.

In the heavens and myriad worlds, the Great Luo is supreme.

Below the Great Luo is the Great One.

Could Shushan have an immortal at the Great One level?

Then Shushan would have to reflect the heavens and become one of the true sources of myth.

What is a Great Luo?

The myths of the heavens and myriad worlds have long reflected it.

Nüwa created the world and fashioned humanity.

Fuxi opened the heavens with a single stroke.

The Vast Heaven God governs the infinite.

The Three Pure Ones of Daoism hold the causality of the beginning, the process, and the end.

Those who each possess creation myths are the Great Luo.

And what of the Great One?

The Torch Dragon opens its eyes to create day and closes them to create night.

The Five Emperors of the Five Directions, Shaohao, Taihao, and so on—these are the Great One.

Even the widely popular Erlang Shen and others are merely Golden Immortals.

A mere Shushan producing a Supreme Unity?

Jiang Yan figured he might see some claim in Daoist mythology that Shushan was one of the ancestral courts of Daoism.

That Supreme Unity ancestor of Shushan would have to be worshipped in the Daoist temple in a position second only to the Three Pure Ones.

But if he didn't say that, how could Jiang Yan build up the prestige of Shushan, and how could he motivate Zhongli and the others to cultivate hard after joining Shushan?

How would the play continue?

Jiang Yan didn't like this, but since the system wanted him to spread true cultivation,

then he would do it to the best of his ability.

Not to mention becoming famous throughout the heavens and myriad worlds later, at the very least, he had to dominate one side.

Calculating in his heart, Jiang Yan sighed sincerely.

This time, the emotion was quite real, perhaps because he felt that acting like this was, in the end, difficult for him.