The rising sun spilled golden light across the sea of clouds, dyeing the mountains in hues of crimson jade. From the mountainside downward, drifting mists coiled like silken veils, separating the mortal world from the immortal realm. Between them came faint sounds—the rustle of pines drinking in the wind, and the cry of a crane soaring through the morning glow.
This was the Qingyuan Mountain Range, named after the Qingyuan Sect that resided within it.
Ever since Daoist Qingyuan wandered here, founded his sect, and gathered disciples, more than twelve hundred years had passed. The sect's heritage ran deep, its roots long and ancient.
Its domain spanned three thousand miles, ruling over the mortal kingdoms of Yun, Chen, and Zhao, and governing millions of ordinary people.
Within its gates were nearly a thousand disciples, many of whom had reached great cultivation heights. The sect's Golden Core inheritance had continued unbroken for generations.
Inside a quiet courtyard on Little Qian Peak, Gu An sat cross-legged upon his bed, facing the dawn's purple aura. His expression was calm and steady, without joy or sorrow. A faint blue light shimmered over his body, flickering like ripples on water—he was at the critical moment of his breakthrough.
The Water Origin Technique's spiritual power flowed along his meridians, repeatedly striking at the barrier of the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm. Each impact carved another crack, and now seven or eight lines crossed the obstruction like spiderwebs.
Gu An circulated his spiritual power again—but this time, instead of ramming the barrier, he let the energy gather just before it. The blue spiritual power churned violently, swelling until his meridians could bear no more.
Then—
Boom!
A roaring surge of azure energy erupted like a furious dragon, slamming into the barrier.
Crack.
The barrier shattered. The blocked spiritual energy cascaded forward like a river bursting its banks.
Qi Refining, Mid Stage—Breakthrough!
Yet Gu An did not immediately withdraw his power. Instead, while the dawn's purple qi still lingered, he seized every moment to stabilize his realm.
That was a habit he had cultivated over the years—never wasting even a breath of cultivation time.
He had entered the Qingyuan Sect at the age of six. Now, eight years had passed.
Eight years of drawing in the morning's purple qi, absorbing moonlight by night, meditating, refining energy, and studying the Dao—never once slacking.
And today, at last, he broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
"Phew…"
After a moment, Gu An exhaled a long breath of turbid air. In the morning light, that breath shimmered blue-green, like mist curling through the air.
"So this is the famed ability of mid-stage Qi Refining—the spiritual energy can now leave the body… truly marvelous."
At this stage, the most notable sign of progress was precisely that—spiritual power could exist outside the body. From this point onward, a cultivator could no longer be harmed by ordinary mortals, and could begin manipulating elements like water and fire. Their combat strength rose exponentially.
"Since I've reached mid-stage, it's time I learned some new spells. The Light Body Technique and Cleansing Spell are convenient, sure—but they've got no real bite."
"I've got Water, Wood, and Earth spiritual roots. Water's my strongest, wood's decent, and earth… well, earth barely qualifies."
"My cultivation method is Water Origin Technique, so in terms of spells, Water Spear and Water Shield both look good—one for offense, one for defense. Add Vine Bind to control the battlefield, and I should be set for the entire mid-stage."
"It's a pity the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion doesn't have any dual-attribute techniques for Water and Wood. My wood root's not weak either. The Water Origin Technique is too basic—its efficiency and the quality of spiritual power it produces are both average. Hah… if only I had a Heavenly Spiritual Root, things would be different."
"Still, I should be grateful—I can cultivate at all. That alone is heaven's mercy."
A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes.
For Gu An was not of this world. In his previous life, he had been a university student on Blue Star. One day, while taking a walk, he came across a group of elderly women holding a "life release" ritual—freeing captured animals. Out of curiosity, he watched, only to realize they were about to release a land turtle into the sea.
He couldn't just stand by. Saving a life was supposed to be a good deed, right?
But the old lady refused to listen to reason. Gu An, young and not exactly a master of arguing with stubborn aunties, quickly got overwhelmed by her relentless bickering.
In the heat of frustration, his chest tightened—he had a heart condition—and before he knew it, everything went dark.
By the time he woke again, he was no longer on Blue Star—but in a mother's womb. Soon after, he was born into this world.
Fate, it seemed, had a twisted sense of humor. His name here was still Gu An.
His parents owned a tavern in Blackstone City of the Yun Kingdom—a comfortable life. He thought he'd spend this new existence as an ordinary man, living and dying without fanfare. But destiny had other plans.
When he turned six, the Qingyuan Sect's Ascension Envoy came to Yun Kingdom to hold a Recruitment Ceremony. Gu An personally saw an immortal descend from the clouds—a flying spirit ship parting the skies, a figure in white robes untouched by wind, bathed in divine radiance, surrounded by mist like living light.
It was the most awe-inspiring sight of his life.
Having read tales of cultivation in his past life, and now seeing a true immortal before him, a fire ignited in Gu An's heart.
Once you've glimpsed the heavens, how could you bear to crawl in the mud?
He could not—would not—live and die as dust beneath the sky.
He wanted to become an immortal. He wanted eternity.
Fortune favored him—his Water, Wood, and Earth roots gave him enough talent to enter the Qingyuan Sect.
And thus began his path: to study the Dao and chase immortality itself.
But the road to immortality was long and cruel. Though his talent was decent, his resources were scarce.
The sect provided only three spirit stones per year as a stipend, and two more per month from simple tasks. His cultivation speed was steady but slow. Only now, after all these years, had he finally broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
"Gu An! Time to head to work—if we're late again, Steward Liu's gonna chew us out!"
A voice called from outside the courtyard.
Gu An rose, put on his shoes, and pushed the door open.
Standing there was a tall, broad-shouldered man, muscles visible beneath his tight-fitting outer disciple robes.
Gu An grinned and called out, half teasing, "Brother Song, don't be in such a rush—come see what's changed with me today."
The man was Zhang Song, Gu An's neighbor. When Gu An first joined the sect at six, he knew no one, rarely left his area, and saw others only during monthly lessons. Zhang Song had looked after him ever since; the two had become close.
By sect rule, any disciple past their fifth year no longer received stipends—they had to take missions from the Administrative Hall to earn their resources.
Three years ago, Zhang Song had gotten both of them a job tending spirit chickens on Cui Bamboo Peak—a task his grandfather, a steward in the hall, had arranged. It was considered a cushy posting.
"Not in a rush, huh? You'll say that till Liu's yelling your name again—wait… hold on, you broke through? You're at Qi Refining Fourth Layer now? You little monster—you caught up to me!"
Zhang Song's jaw dropped as he looked Gu An up and down.
He was already twenty years old and only at the same stage. Sure, he had four spiritual roots, but with a steward grandfather backing him, he'd had far better resources than Gu An.
And yet this kid had caught up?
Damn these spiritual roots—they were a curse!
Gu An chuckled. "Brother Song, don't tease me. Your Body Tempering stage is already at mid-level. Give it two, maybe three years, and you'll be at the fifth layer for sure."
"Hah! Maybe so. Alright, let's go. From Little Qian Peak to Cui Bamboo Peak is no short walk."
With that, the two activated their Light Body Techniques, leaping through the morning mist toward the distant mountain.
Cui Bamboo Peak was where the sect raised all sorts of spirit beasts; Little Qian Peak was home to the outer disciples' quarters.
The distance between them was over twenty miles—normally a full stick of incense's time to traverse.
But today, with Gu An's breakthrough, his speed was vastly improved.
Barely a quarter of an hour later, the two had already arrived at Cui Bamboo Peak.