Seeing that Jiang Yan had no intention of speaking further about those bygone events, Zhongli simply followed his lead and changed the subject.
"So, you mean to rebuild Mount Shu here, and reopen the mountain gates?"
Jiang Yan nodded.
"If you'll allow it, I'll settle here."
Naturally, none of them would object. At this stage, keeping Jiang Yan in Liyue was the most important thing.
With such a powerful ally—one who spoke lightly of creating worlds—Liyue would truly be impregnable.
"Of course you may," Zhongli said solemnly. "In the name of Morax, I can make a contract with you."
"Then I thank you," Jiang Yan replied with a faint smile. "If Liyue should face any trouble beyond your means, I will lend my hand."
That promise drew a rare smile from beneath Zhongli's hood.
This time, they were truly secure.
Even if he himself should one day succumb to erosion, Liyue would not fall.
Jiang Yan could live for a very long time—indeed, grow stronger the longer he lived—and erosion could not touch him.
A golden thigh indeed.
And besides…
Recalling the divine might Jiang Yan had displayed earlier, and his words about the Myriad Worlds and the art of resurrection, even Zhongli's calm heart stirred.
Perhaps…
He himself might try walking the path of cultivation revered across the Myriad Worlds.
To truly roam the worlds beyond, instead of being trapped within this false firmament called Teyvat.
With that thought, he found himself asking before he could stop:
"There's something I wish to know—about Mount Shu recruiting disciples…"
At that, Cloud Retainer and the others lit up, almost wishing to shout, The Lord of Geo is wise!
Cultivation—who would refuse to become stronger, live longer?
And if one achieved true immortality, perhaps one could see with their own eyes what the immortal realms truly were.
As it happened, this was exactly the topic Jiang Yan had been planning to raise.
"I was just about to speak of that," he said. "I intend to recruit disciples here in Teyvat. I may need you to make things easier when the time comes."
"That's only natural," Zhongli said, reassured. "We have no reason to refuse the path of cultivation."
"If you're willing to cultivate, all the better for me," Jiang Yan said earnestly, looking around at them with complete sincerity. "Cultivation is not a solitary way—exchanging insights with others is an excellent form of practice.
"What's more, you are all beings born under the blessing of this world's laws. Your aptitude for cultivation should be far from poor. Combined with your current strength, if you chose to cultivate, your achievements would not be small."
Such frank recognition made even Zhongli feel a small thrill of pride—though he kept his tone modest.
"You flatter us."
Jiang Yan studied them for a moment, then said, "There is something I must tell you in advance. Cultivation is indeed the road to the Great Dao, and a means of limitless ascension. But for that very reason, talent matters greatly.
"The greater one's talent, the faster the progress. The poorer the talent… some may never even be able to take the first step onto the path. You should be prepared for that. In this world, truly gifted individuals are always the minority."
At that, Ganyu and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
"You mean…" Cloud Retainer said quietly, her lips pressed together, "we might not have the talent for cultivation?"
"No, that's not what I mean," Jiang Yan said at once, shaking his head. "For those of you here, I have no such concern. I haven't examined your aptitudes in detail, but clearly, they are not poor.
"What I mean is that most people are ordinary. Even if Mount Shu opens its gates wide, those in Liyue with the qualifications for cultivation will be few."
Relieved, Cloud Retainer and the others relaxed. So long as they themselves were not barred from the path, the rest was acceptable.
From the start, they had not expected everyone to be able to cultivate.
After all, even Visions were granted to only a few, let alone something greater.
"All things are a matter of fate," Zhongli said slowly. "If you open your mountain here, it will already be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for ordinary people to touch the extraordinary."
"If one only seeks extraordinary power, that's not so hard to come by," Jiang Yan mused. "Even in the cultivation worlds, not everyone has the qualifications to cultivate. Most are still ordinary.
"Those unable to cultivate devised martial arts of their own. Though they can, at best, rival cultivators of the Essence Refinement into Qi stage, and their lifespan gains are slight, it still plants a seed of the extraordinary.
"For those devoted to seeking longevity and the Dao, that seed may be insignificant—but it is a seed nonetheless."
Zhongli found himself intrigued. From Jiang Yan's words, these martial arts seemed little different from the fighting arts of Teyvat.
But his phrasing—a seed of the extraordinary—suggested they were far beyond mere exercises for health.
Such methods could be… very useful for training an army.
Still, now was not the time to raise that.
"You say cultivation requires aptitude. How is that determined, exactly?" he asked.
"There are many ways to measure it," Jiang Yan replied. "But across all the cultivation systems I know, the most common and reliable is the measure of one's spiritual root."
He brushed a hand over the stone table, and true essence condensed into a flawless mirror upon its surface.
"A spiritual root is the most fundamental measure of a person's talent. The stronger the root, the greater the aptitude for cultivation.
"It's not a perfect measure, but for most cases, it's enough—exceptions are rare.
"The most common are the Five Element roots: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Nearly all cultivators fall into these types.
"Then there are rarer variant roots—wind, thunder, ice, dust, and many more. These are not necessarily stronger than the Five Elements, but they have powers the Five lack, and their bearers find it easier to master related techniques.
"For example, a cultivator with a thunder root will always be stronger in the lightning arts than one without."
The logic in Jiang Yan's explanation was unlike anything Zhongli and the others had heard before—yet it was precise, coherent, and strangely fascinating.
Cloud Retainer suddenly brightened as a thought struck her.
"If someone had multiple roots—say all five elements, and several variants—wouldn't that mean…"
"A crippled body," Jiang Yan said flatly.
Cloud Retainer froze. "What did you say?"
"I said that someone with multiple roots is, in the cultivation world, among the most hopeless of cases. Even with great fortune, reaching the Refined Essence stage would be remarkable.
"In my memory, I have never seen such a 'waste body' rise to greatness. Those detected with multiple roots are usually sent back to the mundane world, where they fade into obscurity."
Cloud Retainer's lips tightened. "How could that be…?"