While this story contains strong cultivation elements and draws inspiration from Xianxia, it is not a pure Xianxia novel. Instead, it blends fantasy storytelling with cultivation themes. If you're here for epic cultivation, breathtaking fights, and character-driven narratives, you'll find them. But expect a slightly different tone, one that made sense when I was planning this novel.
I'm also writing this story on two other sites (RR and Scribblehub) under the usernames The_Omni_Slayer and The_Omnipotent_Slayer.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
.
.
.
Before time could be measured by mortal minds, before the stars flickered into being and the heavens wept their first light, there was only Guixu.
In those days, the Guixu World was not merely a realm among others, it was The Realm. A singular, godly world composed of a large continent surrounded by endless seas, its sheer size beyond mortal comprehension. Hundreds of millions of times larger than the landmass of Earth, it stretched farther than the eye could see, and deeper than any soul could fathom.
This land was a throne upon which Immortals walked, beings who had transcended the cycle of life and death. Here, their sects stood like palaces of heaven, mountains reached into the heavens, oceans sparkled with living stars and the very air sang with power.
But paradise, by nature, is fragile.
Eons ago, a war erupted, a war not of mortals, but of gods. Two mighty Immortal factions, bound by ancient hatred and pride, turned their weapons on each other, using everything in their arsenal to come out on top. Swords that could split planets, Techniques that rewrote the laws of nature, for a thousand years, they battled, and when the last blow fell...
The continent was no more.
The once-whole land was torn asunder, shattered into ruin. The foundation of the Guixu World itself was damaged, its planetary core destabilized, and the Qi of the heavens disrupted. The once Celestial Guixu was cast down from its divine throne. No longer the solitary peak of its universe, it became just one among millions of Upper Worlds, still mighty, yes, but fallen all the same.
And yet... even broken, Guixu remained vast, Larger than any world around it. Endless oceans, forbidden zones lost to time, entire civilizations hidden within its undisturbed lands, it was a world of mystery, of danger, of dormant potential. Anybody, with a little bit of luck, could find ruins of ancient times and reach the peak of their life.
Among the countless fortunate souls in the world, three individuals rose above the chaos to become pillars of stability, imposing order upon the shattered skies. From their efforts, three great factions were born: the Celestial Empire, the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the Northern Buddhist Temple.
Each faction came to control a vast region of Guixu, lands rich in resources, opportunity, and people. Yet, even combined, their territories encompassed less than half the world. The remainder was known simply as the Wastelands, not because it was barren, but because it was lawless. No single power laid claim to these regions.
Still, the Wastelands teemed with opportunity, drawing bold cultivators from the safe domains of the three holy factions, each seeking fortune, enlightenment, or glory in the untamed wilds.
...
On the southern reaches of the Guixu Upper World, within the vast territory ruled by the Celestial Empire, lay a vibrant region known as the Yunzhou State. As one of the hundreds of states within the Empire, it was a fertile land of plains and rivers, where life thrived and cultivation flourished.
And within Yunzhou, nestled among the dozens of counties, stood a place called Wanshu County.
Wanshu owed its name to the great forest that dominated half its land, a sprawling sea of trees. Though the forest teemed with danger, it also offered opportunity. Thousands of adventurers came seeking fortune almost every day, but most never returned.
Still, life bloomed at its edges.
Near the western border of the forest, built around a crystalline spiritual pond, stood a modest yet elegant compound. Small stone bridges arched over blue waters. Pavilions, shaped like hexagons and octagons, glimmered in the afternoon light. Pink flowers bloomed along the walkways, and tall, palm-like trees swayed in the breeze.
This was the residence of the Li Family.
A young and rising Foundation Establishment clan, the Li Family had only recently secured their place in Wanshu. While their numbers were small, their foundation was stable as few dared underestimate them because of their low numbers. Their greatest resource was not their wealth, nor their land, but their bloodline.
Inside one of the many villas surrounding the pond, behind a sliding wooden door that let in the gentle scent of lotus and incense, a young boy no older than ten sat silently on a floor pillow.
He was still, utterly still.
Li Tianlei, the young heir of the Li Family, sat with his legs crossed and his back straight. His eyes were closed, but his expression was calm and focused. The rise and fall of his chest followed a steady, deliberate rhythm.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
A long silence passed. Then, like fireflies awakening in twilight, tiny bluish particles of light began to appear around him. They shimmered faintly in the air, dancing with the wind before being gently pulled toward the boy's nostrils. With each inhale, the light particles vanished into him. However, none returned with his exhale.
Time passed.
One hour. Then two.
He remained as he was, unmoving, unshaken, and quietly immersed.
Then, without warning, Li Tianlei's eyelids slowly lifted. His gaze was sharp but peaceful. His lips parted, and a soft murmur escaped:
"It feels like you're asleep... yet completely aware of everything around you."
He blinked, then slowly pushed himself to his feet. His limbs moved with surprising energy as if no time had passed at all. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, testing his body with a few playful hops.
A wide grin broke across his face.
"My body feels totally recharged," he said, stretching his arms overhead with delight. "It's like I just woke up from the most perfect nap... Is this what cultivation feels like?"
The giddy smile stayed on his lips for a moment longer before he took a deep breath, calming his thoughts once more. He sat back down cross-legged and gently closed his eyes again.
And this time, he looked inward.
Within the darkness of his mind, a radiant scene unfolded.
It was as though a divine eye had opened inside him, an inner vision that traced the mystical landscape of his own body. Through this mental lens, he could see faint, glowing particles still drifting within him, flowing like tiny comets along winding passageways no doctor from Earth with perfect anatomy knowledge could define.
These channels known as the meridians, guided the particles toward a point deep in his lower abdomen. There, resting like a still pond in moonlight, was his dantian, the spiritual core of his being.
Within it, a faint ball made of Qi had begun to take form. It was barely one percent filled, yet it pulsed faintly with light and life.
Li Tianlei could feel it. More than that, he could control the qi inside of the ball of energy.
With a curious grin pulling at the corners of his mouth, he focused his mind and willed the Qi to move. It responded instantly, swirling to life and rushing into the meridians. He guided it down to his legs—and as it flowed, his muscles felt denser and his bones sturdier.
Then to his arms, chest, and his whole body.
The sensation was strange and exhilarating. It felt like discovering a new limb, or a new sense altogether. Li Tianlei laughed, low and excited, as he sent the Qi swirling and circling again and again. He played with it with childlike joy as time passed, but he hardly noticed.
At last, his eyes snapped open, bright and brimming with pride.
"I can be considered a cultivator now!" he declared, a brilliant smile lighting up his young face.