Despite having already heard Jiang Yan talk about many things related to cultivation, the sudden influx of new terms left Zhongli and the others somewhat confused.
Gan Yu, on the other hand, let out a sigh of dejection, resting her chin on her hand as she muttered:
"I was hoping you would join Moonsea Pavilion, but it seems you already have a place to work…"
Jiang Yan chuckled, seeing the slight disappointment in the small qilin's eyes, and said good-naturedly:
"A place to work? So that's how Gan Yu sees it."
Gan Yu blinked curiously, asking:
"Isn't it?"
"I suppose you could say that."
Jiang Yan shook his head, not contradicting Gan Yu.
He turned to Zhongli and asked softly:
"Do you have any questions?"
Zhongli nodded slightly.
"You mentioned Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness... is this a unique strength system for you cultivators?"
Jiang Yan nodded.
"That's right, cultivators have a strict system of cultivating strength, divided into different levels."
"Then, you're at Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness…?"
Zhongli asked curiously, taking another look at Jiang Yan.
He confirmed once again that the other's strength was truly astonishing.
With that in mind, he pondered:
"I'm sure you think Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness is a very powerful state, don't you?"
Before Zhongli could finish his question, Jiang Yan calmly spoke his thoughts.
Zhongli remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Jiang Yan then looked at the others. Unlike Zhongli, they didn't readily admit it.
But their expressions clearly showed they also felt Jiang Yan was incredibly powerful.
Jiang Yan sighed softly.
"Before I tell you about the strength system of cultivators, I have a question."
"How do you in Teyvat differentiate your strength levels?"
This question stumped everyone.
Teyvat's strength levels?
It seemed there weren't any clear and strict regulations.
Elementally powered beings in Teyvat had never been officially categorized in terms of strength.
The descriptions were always very general.
Some Archons were powerful enough to fight Adepti, even gods.
For example, the Fatui Harbingers from Snezhnaya.
Even the weakest, Tartaglia, could fight against Cloud Retainer and the others, and he might not necessarily lose.
After all, Cloud Retainer and the others weren't exactly specialized in combat.
The higher-ranking Harbingers, it was said, were not weaker than the seven Archons.
Although Jiang Yan thought that claim was a bit exaggerated.
Perhaps they could fight an average Archon, but to say they could compare to a War God like Zhongli…
That was simply absurd.
If the Tsaritsa had such powerful subordinates, why would she still need to scheme and make deals with Zhongli?
Even so, this was enough to show that Teyvat's strength system didn't have strict rankings.
After pondering for a moment, Zhongli shook his head.
"In over six thousand years, I have never heard of a specific strength categorization in Teyvat."
"If you have to classify them, it would be Archons, God's Descendants, and Gods."
Jiang Yan chuckled, continuing,
"Is that so? Well, aside from that, for Gods, who is stronger, you, Morax, or the one next door, Barbatos?"
This time, Zhongli didn't answer.
Cloud Retainer let out a proud laugh, raising her snow-white neck.
"Naturally it's the Geo Archon! He is the oldest God still alive today, and the universally recognized War God of all Teyvat."
"This title was earned through the Archon War, where the Geo Archon fought his way to the top."
"It is also a title respected by the other seven Archons."
"Barbatos, while also a founding ruler, would not be able to defeat the Geo Archon in battle."
Jiang Yan nodded slightly, looking at Zhongli.
"So, you are stronger than other Gods, but still within the same God level?"
Zhongli was taken aback, realizing what Jiang Yan meant.
As a God, he, Zhongli, dared to say he was stronger than all other Gods in the world.
The Electro Archon of Inazuma could claim to be able to defeat anyone but Zhongli.
Further down, there were even Gods who weren't even strong enough to defeat some Archons.
Was "God" a level of power, or a state of being?
For a moment, Zhongli fell into deep thought.
However, after thinking for a long time, he couldn't come to a conclusion, so he turned to Jiang Yan and asked:
"How do you cultivators classify yourselves? What about your Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness?"
Jiang Yan's eyes flickered with amusement as he calmly replied:
"In the cultivation system, it is generally divided into two levels: the Mortal Path and the Immortal Path."
"I mentioned earlier that mortals have the Mortal Path, and immortals have the Immortal Path."
"The mortals have their own stages of cultivation, and the immortals have theirs. "
"And Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness is just one stage on the Mortal Path, and not even the final one."
As he spoke, Jiang Yan became more interested.
"There are many different ways of classifying cultivation stages, but overall, the direction is consistent."
"Therefore, we use the most simple classification."
"From the mortal stage to the immortal stage, there are four major realms."
"Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit into Emptiness, and Refining Emptiness into Dao."
"Once you have completed the Refining Emptiness into Dao stage, you can prepare to transcend the tribulation and ascend to become an Immortal."
"I, at present, am merely a cultivator at the late stage of Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness."
Zhongli remained silent. Even though he knew Jiang Yan's cultivation system was more rigorous and had unimaginable limits, he never expected that with Jiang Yan's current level of power, he was still one major realm away from ascending to Immortality.
If Jiang Yan was only at Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness, then he…
"Late stage Refining Qi into Spirit."
Before Zhongli could ask, Jiang Yan answered for him.
Zhongli was taken aback, looking at Jiang Yan with a hint of surprise.
"Can you read my mind?"
"At this point, I don't have that ability. Even if I did, I wouldn't just read minds at random."
Jiang Yan shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"Actually, your thoughts were just too obvious."
Zhongli didn't argue, asking instead:
"According to your cultivation system, I am only at the late stage of Refining Qi into Spirit? Then what about Celestia…"
"I've never met her."
Jiang Yan said softly.
"But based on your description, she should be at Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness. I don't know if she's early or mid-stage."
"Why not late stage?"
Gan Yu asked, Jiang Yan smiled but didn't answer, simply looking up briefly.
If Celestia were at the late stage of Spirit Refinement and Returning to Emptiness…
It wouldn't be her hiding from the things outside, but rather, she would be the one actively seeking trouble.
It might seem like just a small difference in level, but in this cultivation system, even a genius would have a hard time crossing levels in combat.
At best, they could barely survive a level difference.
Even a slight gap meant a huge difference in power.
"If I am at the late stage of Refining Qi into Spirit, then… "
"In my opinion, most Gods are at the Refining Qi into Spirit stage."
Jiang Yan turned to Xiao and said softly.
"As for the Yaksha, the Great Demon King, in my eyes, he should be at the peak of Refining Essence into Qi. The Great Demon King's strength, I assume, is very close to that of a God, wouldn't you say?"
Zhongli looked at Xiao, who seemed lost in thought, and he could understand the other's shock.
After all, Xiao was considered the strongest in Liyue after Zhongli, and the Adeptus closest to a God.
Now, he found out that within the cultivation system, he had only reached the end of the first stage.
This kind of gap wasn't something he could easily accept.
"Xiao is indeed the Adeptus closest to a God."
Zhongli nodded in agreement, then asked,
"Then what about the average Archon?"
"Average?"
Jiang Yan chuckled, shaking his head.
"I've never met any other Archons. But you can compare for yourselves. Gan Yu and Shenhe are not beyond the mid-stage of Refining Essence into Qi in the cultivation system."
"If they are already top-tier Archons, then I speculate that many Archons haven't even reached the Refining Essence into Qi stage."
The group looked at each other with wide eyes.
This direct comparison helped them clearly understand the power of the cultivation system.
"Thank you for clearing up our doubts."
Zhongli sighed, then shifted his attention to another crucial term mentioned by Jiang Yan earlier.
"You said you were… the headmaster of Mount Shu?"
Jiang Yan's lips curved into a smile, and he nodded decisively.
After all this talk, it was finally time to get to the point.