Chapter One: The Chief Disciple of Jade Void

Wang Xuan, his eyes heavy with sleep, stepped out of the internet café. He had spent the night immersed in the game, and now, at dawn’s first light, exhaustion washed over him.
“At last, I’ve reached level 50. Tomorrow, I can challenge the Celestial Sovereign in a PK match,” he mused.

“Fengshen”—the first globally immersive virtual game of the twenty-fourth century—drew from the wellspring of Chinese mythology, weaving together hundreds of tales: Classic of Mountains and Seas, Investiture of the Gods, Journey to the West, Mount Shu, and more, resurrecting an ancient era of immortal heroes.

Wang Xuan was an orphan, his parents gone since childhood. The gold they left behind ensured a life free of want. With the arrival of “Fengshen,” he found himself captivated, choosing the Yu Xu faction of the Chan Sect, apprenticed to Qingxu Virtue Celestial among the Twelve Golden Immortals, assisting the Kingdom of Xiqi against the Shang Kingdom’s Jie Sect.

Morning dawned, the sky a hazy blend of darkness and light. The streets were empty. Wang Xuan, fighting fatigue, headed home. Though he owned a computer, he preferred the internet café for the company; since his parents’ deaths, solitude had become his companion, and the loneliness drove him to lose himself in the virtual world.

The world of immortals—free and unbound, soaring with swords, traversing mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas—filled him with longing. The game’s ninety-nine percent realism made immersion inevitable.

Thunder suddenly roared overhead. A bolt of blue-red lightning crashed down from the heavens, striking Wang Xuan and reducing him to ashes in an instant.

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When Wang Xuan regained consciousness, he could scarcely believe his eyes.

Green mountains and clear waters, mist drifting gently, peaks rising in succession, majestic ridges towering above. Spirit beasts ran back and forth—cranes soaring, monkeys offering fruit, tigers and deer frolicking together.

He drew a deep breath and felt his mind refreshed, his spirit cleansed.

“How could this be?” Wang Xuan tried to move, only to discover he had neither arms nor legs. He was now a treasure tower wreathed in azure energy, twelve tiers in all, its primordial aura contained within, myriad symbols and runes swirling through it.

[Lower-grade Primordial Spiritual Treasure: Qingxu Tower]
Grade: Level 1
Immortal Realm: None
Divine Power: Earth Escape

Merit: None
Karma: None

As Wang Xuan examined the Azure Tower, a stream of information surfaced in his mind, leaving him dumbfounded.

A primordial spiritual treasure? Was he now a primordial spiritual treasure?

“Could it be that I’ve transmigrated? Usually, transmigration happens by accident, lightning strikes, or death in sleep... Looks like that’s the case. Still, transmigrating into a primordial spiritual treasure isn’t bad at all!” Given the circumstances, it was clearly a scenario straight from a novel. Wang Xuan quickly accepted it; he had always been alone, without ties, and transmigration was his secret dream.

For someone who loved classical mythology, Wang Xuan knew well the significance of primordial spiritual treasures—they were born at the dawn of heaven and earth, possessed unimaginable power, harmonized with the Dao, and could be comprehended to achieve immortality.

“Earth Escape? Divine power?” After calming his mind, Wang Xuan focused on the sole power available to him.

As the name suggested, Earth Escape allowed him to burrow into the earth, much like Tu Xing Sun from Investiture of the Gods.

Whoosh!

With a thought, he activated Earth Escape. The Qingxu Tower flashed with blue light and sank beneath the ground, leaving the surface undisturbed.

He delved a hundred zhang deep before feeling his strength wane and returned the way he came.

“This is wonderful! With Earth Escape, I can cover hundreds of miles with ease. If danger arises, I can hide underground. And as a primordial spiritual treasure now, my defense should be formidable!” Wang Xuan thought to himself.

“I am Yuqing Primordial, deeply attuned to the Dao. Today, I establish the Chan Sect, to elucidate virtue, align heaven and humanity, and with the primordial treasure, the Pangu Banner, as the sect’s sacred artifact—Chan Sect, founded!”

Suddenly, these words echoed across heaven and earth. As the voice faded, the sky split open, resplendent colors and boundless radiance erupted, purple energy suffused the heavens, golden lotuses bloomed from the earth, the stars shone bright—all of creation rejoiced.

“Chan Sect? Primordial Heavenly Sovereign?” Wang Xuan was astonished. It seemed he was now in the Great Wilderness, not long after Pangu’s creation.

“I have attained the Dao. Tomorrow, Kunlun Mountain shall open. Those who are neither witch nor demon, nor born of heaven and earth, may not approach. Only those fated may enter my sect.” Before Wang Xuan’s surprise had settled, the voice of Primordial Heavenly Sovereign thundered again, stirring a tempest across the land.

To be accepted by Primordial as a disciple meant becoming a saint’s follower—one would hear the teachings of the Dao day and night, and their status would rise beyond compare. In future travels across the Great Wilderness, even those who listened to the Dao in the Purple Cloud Palace would show deference.

In the chaos, Pangu split heaven and earth, the Great Wilderness emerged, after the battles of dragons, phoenixes, and qilins, and the clash between Hongjun and Rahu—the epochs passed, and Nuwa and Supreme Purity had already achieved sainthood.

[Kunlun Mountain Map]

After Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s announcement, a map and route to Kunlun Mountain appeared in Wang Xuan’s mind.

Overjoyed!

What thrilled Wang Xuan even more was that he was already near the outskirts of Kunlun Mountain. He immediately used Earth Escape to begin his journey toward Jade Void Peak.

Within half a day, Wang Xuan arrived at Qilin Cliff. Before him, Jade Void Peak soared skyward, towering above the rest, standing out in Kunlun like a crane among chickens. The Jade Void Palace sat at its summit, accessible by a single path. As Wang Xuan entered the Jade Void path, countless illusions beset him—worldly sights and temptations came flooding in, threatening to drag him down. Only a steadfast heart could resist.

Just as Wang Xuan was about to succumb, the Qingxu Tower, true to its status as a primordial treasure, shielded him instinctively, dispelling the illusions.

He ascended Jade Void Peak effortlessly, though the journey had nearly depleted the tower’s spiritual power.

At the summit, he gazed down—white clouds encircled the mountainside, all of Kunlun lay beneath him. At the center of the peak stood a cluster of palaces: the sanctum of Yuqing Saint, Primordial Heavenly Sovereign—Jade Void Palace!

As Wang Xuan took in the scene, the world suddenly shifted. He found himself in a grand hall—white jade beneath his feet, glazed tiles above, golden pillars adorned with dragons and phoenixes. At the north-facing altar, three tiers of seats stood, each with forty-nine steps. On either side, cranes exhaled purple virtue, and a great cauldron at the hall’s center was marked with the eight trigrams and nine palaces—a supreme immortal sanctuary. Yet Wang Xuan had no mind to admire it; his gaze was drawn to the altar, where a Daoist sat serenely upon a cloud bed. His bearing was majestic, dressed in moon-white robes, a jeweled crown upon his head, a jade ruyi in hand, immortal light enveloping him, his face appearing in his thirties.

“Disciple pays respects to Master!” Upon seeing the Daoist, Wang Xuan knew at once it was Yuqing Primordial Heavenly Sovereign and hurried to bow, forgetting that he now had neither voice nor movement, being but a tower.

“Lower-grade primordial spiritual treasure? Not a bad aptitude. Henceforth you shall be my first disciple, bestowed with the Dao name Qingxu.” Primordial’s expression revealed a hint of joy.

With a touch of immortal light, the Qingxu Tower transformed—revealing a youth in his twenties, handsome of face, dressed in azure Daoist robes, his eyes bright with spirit, holding the Qingxu Tower in his hand.