“Immortals and Taoist priests are not divine beings; they cultivate essence and qi to attain the true way.”
“The wondrous sounds of a young boy are hard to hear, jade books, red cinnabar scriptures, and crimson texts...”
The peak of Jueyun was always cold and desolate, rarely visited by anyone. Besides the three-eyed five-manifestation immortal of Liyue, only unintelligent demonic beasts resided here.
But in the middle of the day, under the bright sun, the silent Jueyun peak echoed with a voice reciting scriptures.
Upon closer listening, it was a gentle male voice, calm and reassuring.
Whether it was the power of the voice itself, or the influence of the "Yellow Court Classic", a Taoist text renowned for its methods of longevity and immortality, was uncertain.
The Yellow Court Classic is divided into the Inner Classic of the Yellow Court and the Outer Classic of the Yellow Court.
The Outer Classic of the Yellow Court primarily focuses on tales of gods, ghosts, and strange occurrences, legends of immortals, and includes some esoteric methods of cultivation.
But the Inner Classic of the Yellow Court is a genuine treasure trove of Taoist cultivation and longevity techniques.
In the past, Lü Dongbin, the Immortal Lü, once said: “The secret of the elixir is passed down for thousands of years, the Yellow Court Classic, two scrolls recited by mouth.”
Alas, Lü Dongbin is just a legend in another world.
But now...
On Jueyun peak, there is a tangible "True Immortal" of Liyue.
Jueyun peak belonged to the high mountains of the Cloud Retainer, a true immortal.
A stone table that had been left vacant for a thousand years was now back in use.
One person, with a healthy wheat-colored complexion, wore red-framed glasses, had a slender figure, and an elegance reminiscent of a crane. She was clad in a simple, pale blue and white robe.
She was an undeniable intellectual beauty.
This was the mistress of this mountain, the Cloud Retainer, an individual Jiang Yan knew well from his previous life.
This elegant immortal had many titles, like the "Chatty True Immortal" or the "Yandere True Immortal."
None of them related to her name, Cloud Retainer.
Two others sat beside the Cloud Retainer. One appeared non-human, with black and red fleshy horns on her head and delicate, refined features.
She rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching the gentle young man who sat cross-legged on a boulder in the distance, reciting the Yellow Court Classic.
Her peculiar and bold attire seemed perfectly natural on her.
This was the Cloud Retainer's eldest disciple, or rather, her adopted daughter, Ganyu.
As for the other, her figure was slender, bound by red ribbons. Her expression wasn't cold but rather indifferent to everything.
This was the Cloud Retainer's second disciple, Shenhe.
On this day, a reclusive immortal, a stoic little aunt, and an overworked true immortal were gathered together for the first time.
The reason for this gathering was the young man sitting on the boulder opposite them.
He wore a dark, tailored robe and sat cross-legged on the boulder, a beautiful scroll of scripture laid out on the stone table before him.
Behind him stood a tall, pale yellow tree as a backdrop.
His sharp features didn't appear aggressive, instead, they were exceptionally gentle.
He continued reciting from the scriptures, but he didn't seem to turn the pages. His gaze was calm, perhaps looking at Ganyu and the others, perhaps at the cloud sea behind them.
It was enough to make a certain qilin maiden blush shyly.
Jiang Yan felt a calm within. He had recited the Yellow Court Classic ninety-nine times and had studied it for ninety-nine days.
He knew it by heart, its meaning, while not completely grasped, was at least understood five to six parts out of ten.
This was his one hundredth day in Teyvat, and the reasons for his arrival were no longer important.
Upon arriving in Teyvat, Jiang Yan awoke with a system.
But his system had a personality. It had no name, no beginner's package, and upon appearing, it immediately slammed a task onto Jiang Yan's head.
“Reading a hundred times makes the meaning clear, within a hundred days, recite the Yellow Court Classic a hundred times, the system will officially activate.”
This was all the system said.
After that, there was only the Yellow Court Classic, and no matter how much he called out to it, the system remained silent.
He had arrived in such a dangerous place, and the system was unreliable. Even with his good temperament, he couldn't help but curse.
But luckily, the Cloud Retainer, who was collecting Qingxin for Ganyu, encountered him.
Perhaps she found his appearance pleasing, or perhaps it was to give Shenhe, who was becoming increasingly isolated, a companion.
Regardless, the Cloud Retainer took him in and even made a cave dwelling on her mountain peak for him to stay temporarily.
Afterwards, Jiang Yan began his long process of reciting the Yellow Court Classic a hundred times.
It was boring at first, but after reading for a while, Jiang Yan discovered that his previous, somewhat frivolous mentality...
And the feeling of anxiety and fear he had when he arrived in Teyvat, helpless and defenseless...
were all smoothed out by the Yellow Court Classic.
Initially, he had been forced by the task, but now, reciting the Yellow Court Classic once a day had become a habit.
Perhaps due to the system's influence, or perhaps because of the Yellow Court Classic's unfathomable abilities...
Not only was Jiang Yan's understanding progressing rapidly, but reciting the scriptures also had a calming and purifying effect, bringing peace and tranquility to those who listened.
This was also the reason Ganyu and the others liked to wait for Jiang Yan to recite the Yellow Court Classic.
Even now, they would find time to listen to Jiang Yan sit in meditation and recite the scripture.
It even led to Ningguang suspecting that Ganyu wanted to resign, and she was discreetly trying to give her psychological counseling.
Jiang Yan's words flowed continuously, but this didn't affect his ability to multitask.
Perhaps this was also a skill acquired through his recent meditation on the Yellow Court Classic.
Today was the one hundredth recitation of the Yellow Court Classic, and also the one hundredth day since he had arrived in Teyvat.
His mysterious system seemed to be about to activate.
Even with the calmness cultivated by the Yellow Court Classic over these many days, he couldn't help but feel a stir within him.
Mentality was one thing, but power was another.
Coming to Teyvat, this dangerous world, if the Cloud Retainer and the others hadn't taken him in…
Honestly, Jiang Yan couldn't even defeat a Slime.
His combat power was probably on par with Paimon.
In a world like this, it wasn't wrong to desire power.
He wasn't sure if the three beauties opposite him could understand the Yellow Court Classic.
Come to think of it, after the Cloud Retainer and the others asked a few questions about what scriptures they were, there hadn't been any further discussion about the Yellow Court Classic.
They probably considered it a story or a unique form of poetry recitation?
The Yellow Court Classic was indeed obscure and difficult to understand, and besides, the immortals of Teyvat were not the same as the immortals described in the Yellow Court Classic.
The Cloud Retainer was not Zhongli, so she probably didn't understand it, and she might even be too lazy to understand it.
After all, she was into playing Gundam; cultivation was her side hustle.
Perhaps it was because the system was about to activate today, but Jiang Yan was feeling good today.
He glanced at Ganyu. The little qilin seemed lost in thought, her cheeks flushed, and she looked bashful.
This startled Jiang Yan a bit.
Could the Yellow Court Classic actually have this effect?
As for Shenhe...
Well, they had barely interacted in the past few months, and Shenhe seemed to be intentionally avoiding him due to her personal problems.
Jiang Yan wasn't going to force the issue and make her uncomfortable.
He continued reciting the Yellow Court Classic, approaching the concluding chapter, the Bathing Section.
Ganyu and the others perked up, even stretching lazily.
As Jiang Yan had suspected, the three of them, knowing he was an outsider, simply treated his daily recitations of the Yellow Court Classic as a mandatory exercise for those in their world.
As for understanding…
Sorry, they wouldn't understand even if they were reading it themselves.
But the sound of the recitation was indeed soothing, and the three of them had grown to consider it a form of mental massage.
Well…
They looked forward to this part of the day and even enjoyed it.
However, Ganyu had a mission today.
She wanted to bring Jiang Yan to Liyue Harbor. After all, there was no benefit for mortals to be near immortals, and besides, Shenhe was still adjusting to interacting with people.
Jiang Yan was an outsider, and he would definitely have unique abilities, so Liyue wouldn't mind being lenient and employing him.
Moreover, in the past three months, they had conversed with Jiang Yan and had truly seen his out-of-the-box thinking.
He seemed particularly familiar with Liyue's national system, and many of his suggestions had been helpful to Ganyu.
They needed Jiang Yan to use his talents in Liyue.
Of course, that was the objective reason.
If we consider the subjective reason…
Ganyu wanted Jiang Yan under her command, and her specific reasoning was more personal.
As Jiang Yan was about to finish his daily recitation, Ganyu's eyes shone even brighter.
She clenched her fists silently, as if encouraging herself.
During their chat later, she absolutely had to coax...bring Jiang Yan to Liyue Harbor.
Only there could he truly unleash his potential!
Lost in thought, she noticed that Jiang Yan had completely finished his recitation for the day.
Ganyu's face lit up, and she quickly got up, intending to pull Jiang Yan over to sit with them.
Suddenly, she was shocked to discover that the purple qi, stretching endlessly across the sky, had condensed, with a faint scent of sandalwood and pine that brought a sense of tranquility.
The Cloud Retainer and Shenhe were also moved, getting up and standing in front of Jiang Yan, along with Ganyu.
Jiang Yan closed his eyes calmly, his robe billowing without wind, and a golden light enveloped him like a thin membrane.
His black hair, which had grown to shoulder length over the past three months, seemed to be injected with a growth hormone, extending to his waist at a visible rate.
The endless purple qi condensed in the sky, pouring into Jiang Yan from the top of his head.
This sight filled Ganyu with unease.
“Don't worry, this immortal can sense that it won't harm him.”
The Cloud Retainer reassured her gently. Ganyu nodded silently, only clenching her fists tighter.
The three of them didn't notice that a tall figure, shrouded in the shadows of the trees nearby, had silently approached.
He gazed quietly at this scene, or more precisely, at Jiang Yan.
But all of this was none of his concern.
The endless purple qi completely entered Jiang Yan's body, and before their very eyes, a delicate, pale golden symbol materialized on his forehead.
It was a complex structure that defied description, at least the Cloud Retainer couldn't understand it.
She only sensed that there seemed to be a mysterious and inscrutable power hidden within it.
Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes, and the purple qi lingered for a moment before disappearing into his pupils.
“Jiang Yan! Are you alright? Is anything bothering you?”
Ganyu looked at him with concern, but she dared not approach him as the thin golden light on his body hadn't fully dissipated.
“Ganyu…”
Jiang Yan's gaze was gentle, and he stared quietly into Ganyu's eyes.
After a moment, a smile curved his lips.
“Thank you for your concern. I'm...I'm perfectly fine.”
Only he could see the shining golden system panel, the system's true name, hidden for so long, finally revealed in the form of ink.
“Cultivation and Ascension System.”
The name was simple and straightforward, clearly outlining the system's purpose.
Jiang Yan wasn't sure about other systems, but his system was straightforward, simple, and besides its name, all it had were tasks…
To be blunt, it didn't even have a store.
Jiang Yan didn't mind too much, and he looked down.
“Reading a hundred times makes the meaning clear.”
“Reciting the Yellow Court Classic a hundred times daily for a hundred days, cultivating your mind and aligning with the Dao.”
“Reward: The Inner Classic of the Yellow Court, real cultivation Realm and mental state synchronized, currently at Small Accomplishment;
Spells: Sword Control Art, Golden Light Spell, True Art of the Godly Sword Commanding Thunder.
Basic Elixir Dao Compendium, Basic Artifact Refinement Compendium, Basic Talismans Compendium, Basic Spell Compendium.”
He felt the surging immortal energy and true essence flowing through his veins.
Jiang Yan took a deep breath.
Truly, the saying, “When the wind and clouds meet, a dragon transforms,” is true.
Like now, he knew…
From this moment forward, he, the cultivator who had crossed over to Teyvat...
was invincible!
(No more stalling, no more stalling! New book released, my dear parents, old author, new book, please give flowers and reviews!)