Jiang Yan's words about crossing the tribulation left Zhongli and the others silent for a long time.
Just now, watching Jiang Yan cross the tribulation effortlessly, it seemed he didn't expend much effort.
They hadn't expected that there were so many crises involved.
Every step seemed like walking a tightrope high in the sky, a slight misstep would lead to disintegration.
After a long while, Zhongli sighed softly.
"Going against the heavens naturally comes with a risk of death, this applies to any world."
"But perhaps because of this, your cultivators are so strong."
Jiang Yan didn't refute this. After such arduous cultivation, what's the use of cultivating if you don't get the corresponding reward?
Pausing for a moment, Zhongli's eyes flickered with a hint of complexity.
As if he was holding back his words, Zhongli still said:
"May I ask, does cultivation... "
Jiang Yan immediately understood what Zhongli wanted to know and nodded with a smile.
"That's right, cultivation won't cause any wear and tear."
Zhongli felt a bit of melancholy, and the others like Liu Yun looked like they didn't know what to say.
"Is that so..."
Zhongli sighed wryly.
"From this perspective, I am truly envious."
Jiang Yan explained softly:
"Cultivators seek power from the heavens, and their lifespans are also granted by the heavens."
"Therefore, the lifespans of cultivators are naturally in their own hands."
"In other words, as long as they pass the Heavenly Tribulation, their destinies are controlled by themselves before their lifespan ends."
"Your so-called wear and tear is frankly a shackle imposed by the heavens on your long-lived beings, just to restrain you."
"Therefore, it naturally cannot affect those of us who seek to break the rules of the heavens."
"In terms you can understand, we cultivators are a group of people who don't follow the rules, especially the rules of the heavens, we dislike them the most."
"Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, your wear and tear should also affect your souls and Dao hearts, right?"
"When it attacks, it should make you become unfeeling and act like a madman."
Zhongli nodded solemnly, pursed his lips, and said somewhat conflicted:
"From the perspective of your cultivators, is it similar to the so-called "Original Self Heart Tribulation"?"
Jiang Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"It's somewhat similar, but the nature is different. The Original Self Heart Tribulation is a tribulation imposed by the Dao, it's a debt that cultivators must repay."
"Your wear and tear is actually more man-made..."
Jiang Yan didn't explain everything, but the smile in his eyes as he looked at the sky made Zhongli understand a lot.
Zhongli felt a nameless fire in his heart and clenched his fists, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
"Do you know how many years it takes for a cultivator to reach the stage of the Original Self Heart Tribulation?"
Jiang Yan suddenly asked softly.
Immediately, Zhongli and the others looked at him curiously.
Jiang Xuan gently held up four fingers.
"Four thousand years?"
Liu Yun mumbled, thinking it was a reasonable time frame.
After all, the time it took for Ruotuo's wear and tear to attack was roughly four thousand years, and Zhongli also started accumulating wear and tear three thousand years ago.
However, Jiang Yan shook his head.
"At the very least, four Yuanhui."
"Yuanhui? What is that?"
Ganyu looked at Jiang Yan blankly, feeling that this way of reckoning time was strange.
Jiang Yan gently spread out his hand.
"The years of cultivators are long, long enough to witness the demise of countless worlds."
"Therefore, time gradually becomes less valuable in the eyes of cultivators."
"Cultivators call the cycle of a world from its beginning to its end a Yuanhui. One Yuanhui consists of twelve Hui, one Hui has thirty Yun, one Yun has twelve Shi, one Shi..."
Jiang Yan paused, quietly scanning everyone's faces, and said slowly:
"Thirty years."
Zhongli's palm suddenly clenched, cracks appearing on the teacup.
"One Yuanhui is twelve thousand nine hundred years, so your Original Self Heart Tribulation..."
Jiang Yan shook his head and casually said:
"Those who can reach the stage of the Original Self Heart Tribulation are all powerful figures in the Immortal Realm, each with a lifespan equal to the heavens, shining as bright as the sun and the moon."
"With a flip of their palm, worlds are created and destroyed. Time has no meaning to them."
"Only when they reach this stage can they truly experience the terror of the Original Self Heart Tribulation after being washed away by time."
"Cultivators fear not battle, but questioning the Dao and their hearts."
"However, all of this is still too far away for me. I'm just an insignificant, even unascend to immortality, little cultivator."
Zhongli looked Jiang Yan up and down, noticing the aura of a higher-level life form that emanated from him.
Not ascend to immortality?
Well, they don't cultivate the same type of immortality.
He sighed wryly in his heart, but deep down, he still had many questions he desperately wanted to unravel. Zhongli felt that if he continued talking, he would gain invaluable insights.
So, Zhongli said again:
"Earlier, you kept mentioning the Dao. What is this so-called Dao?"
Everyone noticed that after asking this question, Jiang Yan's expression immediately became extremely solemn.
He no longer had the gentle and slightly artistic demeanor he had before.
"Dao... is Dao."
"Dao can be anything, it can be nothing."
"Dao can be one, it can be countless."
"I can't explain it to you, I can only say that everyone's Dao is different. There are countless Dao, none are higher or lower."
"But only when you find your own Dao can you truly achieve a broader future."
"Cultivating, is cultivating the Dao."
Zhongli seemed to understand a little, but in Liu Yun's ears, what Jiang Yan said was just nonsensical and useless words.
She curled her lips in disdain.
If it weren't for the current chaotic situation, she hadn't yet sorted things out, and her expert chat skills would have been unleashed.
"One more question..."
Zhongli pursed his lips and apologized slightly:
"Is it too forward? You just crossed the tribulation today, you should also need some time to rest."
"If you feel tired today, we can talk about the remaining questions another day."
Jiang Yan shook his head, gently tapping the stone table with his hand, his wide black sleeves seemed to stir up a light breeze unintentionally.
The next moment, the tea on the table seemed to be rewinding time as it was filled to the brim, and the surrounding trees were miraculously blooming with strange and fantastic flowers in that breeze.
The fragrance filled the air, instantly restoring Ganyu and the others' somewhat weary spirits to their peak.
Jiang Yan smiled gently.
"Just a little trick of cultivator techniques, don't be surprised."
"No need to talk about it another day, crossing the tribulation isn't tiring at all."
"What we're doing now is something cultivators often do, discussing the Dao."
"Referring to the cultivation experience of others to verify your own Dao."
"Being able to discuss the Dao with the oldest ruling figures in Teyvat is a rare opportunity for me."
Upon hearing this, Zhongli felt somewhat comfortable in his heart, but his wide hood concealed his expression, so it was impossible to tell from his appearance.
He simply seemed to nod slightly.
"You flatter me... it's also my honor to witness cultivation schools from other worlds."
"Then I shall continue asking questions..."
Zhongli paused, pondered for a moment, then said slowly:
"How does the Dao of cultivation emerge?"
As soon as these words came out, Liu Yun and the others perked up, looking at Jiang Yan expectantly.
They didn't quite understand the other questions, but they didn't care much.
But this one...
It seemed to relate to the fundamental reason for the cultivators' immense power.
This was very important to them.