"Immortals and Daoists are not born divine; they refine essence and gather qi to attain the truth."
"The wondrous tones of the Yellow Lad are hard to hear; jade scrolls and crimson scripts inscribed with cinnabar characters..."
Jueyun Karst had always been cold and desolate, rarely visited by outsiders. Those who lived here were either the Adepti of Liyue—those legendary "Three-Eyed, Five-Manifestation Immortals"—or magical beasts without true sentience.
Yet at this very moment, beneath the blazing midday sun, the silence of Jueyun Karst was broken by the sound of rhythmic chanting.
If one listened closely, it was a warm, gentle male voice—calm, yet carrying a power that soothed the heart.
It was hard to tell whether that sense of comfort came from the man himself, or from the mysterious Daoist scripture he was reciting: the Huang Ting Jing—the "Yellow Court Classic," a text famed in legend for granting longevity to those who mastered it.
The Huang Ting Jing was divided into two works: the Yellow Court Inner View Jade Classic and the Yellow Court Outer View Jade Classic.
The Outer View version was largely filled with tales of gods, spirits, and Immortal Lords, mixed with obscure health and longevity techniques.
The Inner View version, however, was an authentic Taoist manual on cultivation and attaining immortality.
In ancient times, even Lü Dongbin, the Patriarch Lü of legend, had said:
"The cinnabar seals are a thousand-year transmission; by mouth we recite the two scrolls of the Yellow Court."
Unfortunately, Patriarch Lü was but a figure of another world's mythology.
But here and now…
There was a real, tangible Adeptus of Liyue in Jueyun Karst.
Jueyun Karst lay within the mountains under the domain of Cloud Retainer, the Crane Adeptus.
The stone table here had sat unused for a thousand years, but now it had been brought back into service.
Seated there was a woman with sun-kissed, healthy wheat-colored skin, wearing red-rimmed spectacles, her figure tall and slender, her bearing as elegant as a crane. She wore a plain, old-fashioned robe of cyan and white—a true picture of intellectual beauty.
This was none other than the mountain's mistress, Cloud Retainer herself—a name Jiang Yan had heard often in his previous life.
This graceful Adeptus was known by many titles—"True Lord of Endless Conversation," "Possessive True Lord"—none of which actually had anything to do with the name "Cloud Retainer."
Two others sat beside her. One appeared not quite human, with delicate, refined features and black-and-red horns curling from her head. She rested her chin in one hand, gazing quietly at the young man seated cross-legged on a giant boulder, reciting the Huang Ting Jing.
Her attire was bold and unusual, but somehow, on her, it felt perfectly natural.
She was Cloud Retainer's eldest disciple—or perhaps adopted daughter—Ganyu.
The other was a tall, shapely woman bound by red cords, her expression not cold exactly, but carrying a certain indifference to all things.
This was Cloud Retainer's second disciple, Shenhe.
Today, a homebody Adeptus, a stoic "three-no" aunt, and an overworked immortal had, against all odds, gathered together.
The reason was the young man on the boulder across from them.
He wore a fitted black robe, sitting cross-legged with a scroll of magnificent scripture unfurled on the stone table before him, the ancient yellowed crown of a great tree looming behind.
His sharp-featured face was not harsh at all—instead, it radiated warmth.
His lips moved continuously in chant, yet he never turned a page. His gaze was serene—perhaps on Ganyu and the others, perhaps on the sea of clouds behind them.
Whatever it was, it had Ganyu's cheeks tinged with bashful pink.
Jiang Yan's heart was calm. He had recited the Huang Ting Jing ninety-nine times, studied it for ninety-nine days. He knew it by heart, and could understand at least half its meaning.
This was his one hundredth day in Teyvat. As for why he had come here… that no longer mattered.
The moment he had crossed over, a system had awakened within him.
But this system was… unique. It had no name, no newbie gift pack—only one blunt, unceremonious mission:
"Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself. Within one hundred days, recite the Huang Ting Jing a hundred times to activate the system."
That was all it ever said to him.
After that, there was only the Huang Ting Jing. No matter how he called out to it, the system never responded.
For a man dropped into a world full of danger, an unreliable system was… frustrating, to say the least.
Luckily, he had met Cloud Retainer, who had been picking qingxin flowers for Ganyu at the time.
Maybe she liked the look of him. Maybe she thought Shenhe, with her growing aloofness, needed company.
Either way, she had taken him in, even giving him a cave-dwelling atop her mountain to stay in.
And so began his long, monotonous process of reciting the Huang Ting Jing a hundred times.
At first, it had been boring. But after a while, Jiang Yan realized his once-restless heart had grown calm. The fear and unease of being powerless in a strange new world had been smoothed away.
What had begun as a reluctant chore had become a daily habit.
Perhaps it was the system's influence, or perhaps the scripture truly held some unfathomable power—but not only did he progress in understanding it quickly, his recitation could also cleanse the mind and soothe the soul.
It was the reason Ganyu and the others kept coming to listen every day.
Even Ningguang had begun to suspect Ganyu was considering resigning, and had started dropping subtle hints to dissuade her.
Today was the hundredth recitation—the hundredth day in this world. His mysterious system seemed poised to finally awaken.
Even with his cultivated calm, Jiang Yan felt a ripple of anticipation.
Calmness was one thing; power was another. In a dangerous world like Teyvat, without Cloud Retainer's protection… he honestly couldn't even beat a slime.
His combat strength was probably about on par with Paimon.
Across from him, the three beauties—he wasn't sure if they could understand the Huang Ting Jing. Aside from some initial questions, they'd never really discussed it.
Most likely, they took it as some sort of poem or story reading.
After all, the text was obscure and difficult, and the "immortals" of Teyvat were not quite the same as those described in the scripture. Cloud Retainer, unlike Zhongli, probably hadn't understood—or perhaps simply didn't care to.
She was a tinkerer of machines; cultivation was a side hobby.
In good spirits today, Jiang Yan's gaze drifted again to Ganyu. The little qilin's cheeks were aflame with shy blushes.
Could it be the Huang Ting Jing had such an effect?
As for Shenhe… well, their interactions had been minimal. Given her tendency to avoid people, he wasn't going to force awkward conversations.
His chanting moved into the final section—the Bathing Chapter.
Ganyu and the others straightened, some stretching languidly.
They didn't understand the scripture, but the sound was a balm to the spirit—a kind of "mental massage" they had grown to look forward to.
But today, Ganyu had come with a mission: to bring Jiang Yan to Liyue Harbor.
A mortal living so close to Adepti was rarely to their benefit, and Shenhe, in particular, was uncomfortable around people.
Jiang Yan was an outlander—surely he had special talents. Liyue was more than willing to make use of them.
And in the three months they'd known each other, she had found his unconventional ideas surprisingly helpful—especially on matters of governance.
She wanted him under her command.
And… perhaps for other, more personal reasons.
Her eyes brightened as his chanting neared the end. She clenched her fists slightly—an unspoken pep talk to herself.
Once he finished, she would invite him to Liyue Harbor.
But before she could, the air suddenly changed—purple qi condensed endlessly across the heavens, carrying even a faint, comforting scent of pine and sandalwood.
Cloud Retainer and Shenhe rose instantly, joining Ganyu in standing before Jiang Yan.
He sat calmly, eyes closed, his robe billowing despite the still air. A thin membrane of golden light enveloped him.
His shoulder-length hair grew visibly, flowing down to his waist in moments.
The endless purple qi poured into him from above.
Ganyu's heart clenched in alarm.
"Do not worry," Cloud Retainer said softly. "This one can sense—it does not seem to harm him."
Ganyu nodded but gripped her hands tighter.
None of them noticed the tall figure watching silently from the shadow of a nearby tree, eyes fixed on Jiang Yan.
Before their eyes, the last of the purple qi vanished into him, and a delicate golden sigil formed between his brows—a pattern of indescribable intricacy. Even Cloud Retainer could not discern its nature, only that it held a mysterious, unfathomable power.
Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes, the lingering purple qi sinking into their depths.
"Jiang Yan! Are you all right? Do you feel unwell?" Ganyu asked anxiously. The golden glow still clung faintly to him, and she dared not approach too closely.
"Ganyu…"
His gaze was warm as he met hers, lips curling into a small smile.
"Thank you for your concern. I feel… better than ever."
On the golden system panel only he could see, the long-hidden name finally bloomed like spreading ink:
"Dao Transmission Cultivation System."
A simple, blunt name that made its purpose crystal clear.
Jiang Yan didn't know how other systems worked, but his was direct—no store, just tasks.
He looked down at the new text:
"Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself."
"Recite the Huang Ting Jing a hundred times in a hundred days; align mind and Dao with the heavens."
Reward:Practical realm and mental state of the Huangting Jade View Classic—Minor Attainment
Spells:Sword Control Technique, Golden Light Mantra, Divine Sword and Heavenly Thunder Art
Foundations:Basic Alchemy Canon, Basic Forging Canon, Basic Talisman Canon, Basic Spell Canon
Feeling the surging immortal essence within him, Jiang Yan took a deep breath.
It was true—when fate stirs, dragons rise with the storm.
And now, he knew—
From this moment on, he, the cultivator who had crossed into Teyvat…
Was invincible!