When Jiang Yan's words sank in, the group's curiosity sharpened.
He led them forward at a measured pace, speaking as they walked.
"In the cultivation world, not everyone can tread the path to immortality. Yet the cultivation world is perilous, and ordinary mortals must seek shelter."
"If they cannot become cultivators, they settle at the foot of sect mountains. Over time, villages, towns, even nations take root."
"Though Mount Shu keeps apart from worldly affairs, it does not turn a blind eye to mortal suffering."
"If demons or evil spirits attack, Mount Shu sends its disciples to suppress them."
"In time, such settlements take the sect's name, offering tribute in exchange for protection in this treacherous world."
"Cultivation sects have no need for mundane wealth, but cultivators are not all hermits—many have family who cannot cultivate. This… is where they may live."
"A small part of the tribute trickles upward, but most is returned to help mortals develop their civilization."
"It is a symbiotic bond."
"In the future, if Mount Shu's disciples increase, there will inevitably be those whose family cannot cultivate. This will be a home for them."
"With abundant spiritual energy, even an ordinary mortal can live longer. Consider it one of the sect's few welfare benefits."
The village wasn't large—at least, not yet.
By the time Jiang Yan finished, they had already walked through it.
Keqing sighed softly.
"I only hope my family could all cultivate. Otherwise, to live long and watch them fade away… would only be more bitter."
Ningguang said nothing—she had no family to lose.
Beyond the village lay a vast plaza.
Before anyone could ask, Jiang Yan explained,
"This is where Mount Shu holds its disciple recruitment ceremonies. Here lies the Dust-Severing Heart Array, along with formations that test both character and talent."
"In the old days, when Mount Shu flourished, the Tempering Plaza opened only once every hundred years, and disciples were recruited just as rarely."
"Now… such formalities are unnecessary."
He guided them on like a calm tour guide.
"But… many mortals do not live a hundred years," Ganyu ventured. "If they miss the chance, what then?"
Jiang Yan smiled faintly and shook his head.
"For a cultivator, fortune and opportunity matter as much as talent. If the moment never comes, then it is simply not meant to be. One cannot force such fate."
"Still, Mount Shu has elders who travel the world. Should they find a worthy genius, exceptions can be made."
"You needn't worry. Each of you is blessed with talent—any cultivation sect would fight to take you in."
He left it at that, leading them around the plaza.
For Ningguang and the others, the reality of cultivation's cruelty was already plain:
To a cultivator, a hundred years was the blink of an eye.
To a mortal… it was already a lifetime.
If the chance never came, there would be no second try.
At last, they came before the Seven Peaks of Mount Shu—or rather, they had seen them for some time, but the mountains had seemed so impossibly vast that none had dared to guess their true scale.
They rose like seven pillars propping up the sky, each disappearing far into the sea of clouds above.
Around them stretched a realm of fantastical landscapes: dense, endless forests; waterfalls plunging as though from the ninth heaven; fathomless chasms; and vast mirror-like lakes.
Jiang Yan said nothing, letting them take it in.
In a few years, the beasts here might become spirit beasts or even demon beasts, and this world would grow stranger still.
This was not merely a sightseeing trip—Jiang Yan had said he was teaching them the paths up the mountain. Without sword-flight, the climb would kill them; and even with the ability to fly, without the right token they'd be stopped cold by the sect's protective formations.
He led them along a narrow path marked by wooden railings.
"At present, the formations guarding the Seven Peaks are dormant. In the future, without a disciple's token, anyone trying to walk here will simply be sent back to where they started. Remember that."
They passed through a final barrier—a veil of light like a curtain of water.
Beyond it stretched an endless forest of swords.
Blades of every kind jutted from the ground, their auras occasionally flashing like shooting stars. Sharp eyes could pick out finely crafted flying swords among them.
These were Jiang Yan's work from the previous night—a quick forging session using what materials he had. None rose above the rank of magic weapon, yet to the newcomers, they were already remarkable.
In time, he would fill this place with spirit weapons, perhaps even treasures.
"This is Mount Shu's Sword Forest."
Jiang Yan waved his hand, and countless flying swords rose, swirling around him in a glittering storm.
But the Primal Rock Jade bristled at their presence, slashing the air to drive them away.
"This is only my rough version. The original Sword Forest held no weapons below spirit rank; treasures were common, and there were even immortal weapons waiting to be awakened by fate."
"In the past, disciples who had proven themselves could come here to awaken their life-bound weapon. Think of it as the sect's armory."
"Right now, I wouldn't recommend you explore—it's not as if you even have true essence yet—"
He broke off as a streak of purple-blue light tore through the air.
A domineering sword, edged in violet lightning, scattered the other blades and circled Jiang Yan once before halting in front of Keqing.
The weapon's blade shimmered with arcs of thunder, its aura so sharp that Keqing instinctively stepped back—only for the sword to follow her closely, quivering as though urging her to take hold.
She hesitated. The sword's power eclipsed her own Lion's Roar many times over.
When she failed to move, the blade seemed to grow impatient.
A sudden wave of sword qi lashed out—too fast for even Zhongli to intercept.
In the blink of an eye, it passed through Keqing.
She froze, hand drifting to her waist. No wound… but—
Clang.
Her Lion's Roar fell to the ground in two pieces.
The violet-blue sword hovered arrogantly before her.
Jiang Yan sighed.
"What a domineering fellow…"
"The gentleman," Zhongli asked gravely, "what is the meaning of this?"
"It's… a good thing," Jiang Yan said, though his glance at the ruined weapon was rueful.
He beckoned, and the violet-blue sword came to him, its aura softening. Behind him, the Primal Rock Jade bristled, flaring with its own sword qi in challenge.
"This was forged last night from a strange ore I found in the Dark Sea, combined with the remnants of a blade that, though broken, had never lost its edge."
"It is one of the strongest weapons in the forest right now—a mid-grade magic weapon, the Azure Frost Sword."
"As for why it destroyed your Lion's Roar… Keqing, I should congratulate you. This sword has taken a liking to your sword body."
"It intends to follow you."
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