The Great Zhou Dynasty, Imperial Capital.Zijin Palace. Royal Study.
Yu Wenxiu's eyes snapped open. He drew a sharp, gasping breath, and like a startled carp leaping from the water, he sprang upright from the desk where he had collapsed in slumber. Harsh, ragged breathing filled the study.
"Your Majesty!"
An elderly eunuch, his dust whisk sweeping in agitation, scurried in with hurried steps, stopping before Yu Wenxiu with a face pale and brimming with worry.
The other eunuchs within the room had already prostrated themselves in a terrified silence, their heads bowed low, not daring to utter a sound.
At eleven years old, Emperor Yu Wenxiu of the Great Zhou already possessed a nascent air of majesty. He flicked his sleeve, and the trembling eunuchs immediately withdrew, leaving only the elderly attendant behind.
Yu Wenxiu frowned deeply, his heart tangled in confusion.A dream? Merely a dream after all? This so-called immortal destiny... like a ridiculous farce.Yet if it was just a dream, why did it feel so vivid?
Lu Fan's unfathomable and otherworldly means left a lingering dread in his heart."Heavenly Jade Capital, twelve towers and five cities..." he murmured to himself, raising a hand to his forehead, where a dull pain throbbed faintly.
Suddenly—His pupils constricted.
A flicker of pale blue light flashed across his brow. In the blink of an eye, gales howled within the room. A stream of azure energy, like a divine dragon, coiled around Yu Wenxiu's body and surged through his brow toward his dantian.
"What is this...?"
Yu Wenxiu stood stunned, at a loss for words. That wisp of energy carried a power so immense it felt as though it would rupture his very frame.
Within the study, the elderly eunuch's blood and qi surged uncontrollably, provoked by the spiritual energy emanating from Yu Wenxiu.
"Your Majesty! What is that thing?!"
The old eunuch's hunched figure straightened abruptly. His gaze grew sharp as a blade as he stared at Yu Wenxiu with deep worry.
Crack! Crack! Crack!Seven consecutive blasts echoed from his body.
The unassuming old eunuch turned out to be a martial grandmaster of extraordinary cultivation!
Yu Wenxiu, still but a child, was growing increasingly panicked.
"Summon the Grand Preceptor! Immediately!"
His voice trembled with unease. He didn't know whether this energy drilling into his abdomen was a blessing or a curse. His thoughts were a chaotic storm.
In that moment, he remembered the ethereal figures within that mysterious space—the Six Dao Immortals.Could this energy writhing within him be the legacy of one of those transcendent beings?
Yu Wenxiu was plagued by confusion.
The old eunuch obeyed without hesitation, darting out of the study like a flash of lightning.
But just as he crossed the threshold, his body shuddered.
In the distance, an old man in flowing robes and a tall headdress was approaching at a measured pace.
The eunuch's face flushed red as he forcibly suppressed his qi and blood.
"Greetings, Grand Preceptor," he said, respectfully stepping aside and bowing low.
"I am already aware of His Majesty's condition," the Grand Preceptor replied calmly. "Guard this place. No one is to enter."
The old eunuch lowered himself even further.
Without sparing him another glance, the Grand Preceptor stepped into the study.
Inside, Yu Wenxiu was disoriented and helpless. The strange energy coursing through his body was about to burst forth like a flood. His face flushed a deep crimson, almost to the point of bleeding.
Though he had dabbled in martial arts, his skills were rudimentary at best—merely for strengthening the body.Now, he found even his blood and qi slipping out of control.
The Grand Preceptor entered the room.Yu Wenxiu clung to him like a drowning man grasping at driftwood.
"Master! Save me!" he cried.
"Calm your mind. Steady your breath. Harmonize your spirit," the Grand Preceptor said gently, his voice a steady balm."Essence, energy, and spirit as one—there is a righteous energy that pervades the heavens and earth, and it resides within the human form as well. Do not fear, Your Majesty. Learn to command it."
His voice was soothing, and Yu Wenxiu's frantic heart slowly quieted.With deep breaths, the spiritual energy within him gradually settled, circulating through his body, imbuing him with radiant vigor.
"This is..."
Yu Wenxiu's soul quivered in awe.
An immortal destiny... This was truly the mark of the immortals!
"Your Majesty," the Grand Preceptor said, eyes deep and serene, "tell me—what exactly happened?"
…Western Liang.Within the military camp.
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes burst open. His qi and blood roared like thunder, sending the tent's curtains fluttering in disarray. His black hair bristled like steel needles piercing the air.
Boom!
He struck his own forehead with a palm. There, a soft glow pulsed as an eerie wisp of energy was forcefully suppressed by his overwhelming vitality.
A pair of delicate, porcelain-white hands stretched from behind, wrapping around his broad chest.A soft murmur echoed as silken hair cascaded down, moonlit skin glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Shaoyun, what's wrong?"
Her voice was gentle, like a nightingale singing in a secluded valley.
"Did I wake you, Mingsang?"
The ferocity in Xiang Shaoyun's gaze melted away. His voice grew tender, full of warmth—a steel-hearted man with a soft soul.
The face that emerged behind him was one of exquisite beauty. She was his childhood companion, Luo Mingsang.
Her delicate hand lay over his, worry shimmering in her eyes, clear as spring water.Xiang Shaoyun grasped her hand in return, another brushing her smooth hair as he offered quiet comfort.
Once Luo Mingsang had been coaxed back to sleep, all tenderness vanished from Xiang Shaoyun's face.
Sensing the strange wisp of energy that even his powerful blood and qi could barely contain, a look of astonishment and uncertainty flickered in his eyes.
"What is this energy... truly?""That trickster... was he really an immortal?""Could it be... that immortals truly walk this world?!"
…Beiluo City.Lu Residence.
Lu Fan sat in his wheelchair, eyes gleaming with sharp brilliance.Moonlight poured in through the window, casting a silver glow upon his face.
"The Daoist Transmission Platform… quite the fascinating artifact. Not unlike a coding tool," Lu Fan mused.
As his thoughts stirred, a soft azure light gathered in his palm, quickly forming a faint, ethereal three-legged furnace the size of his hand.
"Myriad Dharma Furnace."
"Still too low in refinement—unable to fully manifest in the physical realm?" he muttered softly.
This Myriad Dharma Furnace could simulate cultivation techniques, consuming spiritual energy to convert martial arts and blood-moving arts into authentic methods for cultivating qi.
Even this alone made its value immeasurable.
And now it was only at Level 1. What might it be capable of at higher tiers? Could it truly simulate immortal techniques?
Lu Fan exhaled slowly and dispersed the furnace. Rising from his wheelchair, he approached the window.
He lifted his gaze.
Upon the rooftop, Ning Zhao sat cross-legged, bathed in moonlight, two streams of spiritual energy coiling around her form and radiating ethereal brilliance.
By the courtyard's stone-paved edge, maidservant Yi Yue, her fox-like features glowing with fierce determination, practiced martial arts beneath the moon. Her whip danced like lightning, her body soaked in sweat.
She was striving with all her might to become a first-class warrior—so she could earn the right for her master to pass on the immortal destiny.
Nearby, Ni Yu rested against a food box, her chubby chin nestled atop it as she dozed, a thin line of drool trailing from the corner of her mouth.
Lu Fan smiled gently. The scene was beautiful and full of warmth.
"Side quest triggered."
Suddenly—A system prompt flashed before his eyes, breaking the tranquility.
Lu Fan blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected to trigger a side quest so abruptly.
A moment later, the system interface appeared.
Host: Lu FanTitle: Qi Refiner (Permanent)Refinement Level: 1 (Progress to Level 2: 10/100 wisps)Soul Strength: 6.5Physical Strength: 0.5Spiritual Energy: 1 wispTransformation Reward:Creation of the Profound Qi Refinement ScriptureWorld Level: Five Phoenix Continent [Low Martial World]Permissions:Quests, Daoist Transmission Platform, Spiritual Energy DeploymentSub-permission:Myriad Dharma Furnace (Level 1)
Lu Fan's soul strength had reached an unprecedented height of 6.5.
All five attribute points from his transformation reward had been allocated to it. Just 2.5 more would bring him to 9 points.
According to the Profound Qi Refinement Scripture, 9 points of soul strength could be exchanged for 90 wisps of spiritual energy. Add the 10 basic wisps extracted from his legs, and he would have a perfect 100—enough to advance to Level 2 refinement.
As he scanned the attribute panel, his gaze suddenly locked onto the "Quest" permission.It was flickering…