"Heaven and Earth are merciless, treating all beings as straw dogs."
Qingyun Sect. Tongtian Peak. Yuqing Hall.
Within the sacred Yuqing Hall atop Tongtian Peak, a heavy stillness hung in the air like a suspended storm.
The hall, grand and solemn, was the heart of Qingyun Sect a place where countless cultivators dreamed to one day stand. Today, however, it bore witness not to pride, but to grief.
Seated at the center on a high jade dais was Taoist Master Daoxuan, the Sect Leader of Qingyun.
Draped in immaculate white robes that shimmered faintly with spiritual light, his bearing was serene, yet his eyes held the piercing wisdom of one who had weathered centuries.
Around him stood the six Peak Masters venerable figures who each ruled one of Qingyun's sacred mountains. Their presences exuded might, their gazes sharp as blades.
Before them stood two young boys.
The first, Lin Jingyu, stood ramrod straight, fists clenched tightly at his sides.
His expression was taut with restrained sorrow, his voice low and steady as he spoke of the massacre at Caomiao Village their home, razed overnight by forces unknown.
Though he tried to remain composed, pain rippled through every word.
Next to him, Zhang Xiaofan remained silent, head bowed.
But deep within, a storm churned.
Three nights ago, he had been an ordinary modern youth burning the midnight oil on video games, procrastinating sleep like always.
But after one particularly long gaming session, he awoke to a world he only knew from fiction.
He was no longer in his own body, no longer in his own time.
He had become Zhang Xiaofan.
The tragic protagonist of Zhu Xian.
Not only was he trapped in a cultivation world filled with wonders and horrors he had landed squarely into the body of one of its most ill-fated characters.
It was both terrifying… and exhilarating.
Taoist Master Daoxuan listened intently as Lin Jingyu recounted their village's destruction.
A rare flicker of sharpness passed through the sect leader's usually tranquil eyes. Though calm on the surface, a faint fury brewed beneath.
For Caomiao Village to be annihilated so close to Qingyun Sect's territory was not only a tragedy, but an insult.
Still, vengeance would take time. The demonic forces responsible had long since vanished into the shadows.
What lay before him now were two survivors two boys with unknown destinies.
Turning to the six Peak Masters, Daoxuan's voice rang clear through the hall:
"This calamity occurred at the base of our very mountain.
Though we were unaware, the fault is partly ours.
These two children have lost everything. One of you must take them in."
The elders glanced at each other, then turned their gaze back to the boys.
Lin Jingyu stood out immediately. His spiritual roots were pure and refined, his temperament calm, his potential unmistakable.
Zhang Xiaofan, in contrast, looked ordinary almost disappointingly so.
Shang Zhengliang, the refined master of Chaoyang Peak, was the first to step forward. "Sect Leader, this child Lin Jingyu… I sense great karmic affinity with him.
Permit him to join my Chaoyang Peak."
Taoist Tianyun of Luoxia Peak gave a light chuckle, stroking his long beard. "Affinity? Brother Shang, you seem to discover new 'affinities' every few months.
How many disciples have you taken in this year alone?"
A ripple of amusement passed among the elders.
Then came the voice of Tian Buyi, master of Dazhu Peak short, stout, and blunt-spoken. "By comparison, my Dazhu Peak is practically empty.
I have only seven disciples, and most of them are half-useless. Sect Leader, perhaps I should—"
He didn't finish.
Cangsong, the elegant yet calculating master of Longshou Peak, interrupted with a courteous smile. "Junior Brother Tian, why not take in Zhang Xiaofan? He looks like he'll need your… patient guidance.
As for Lin Jingyu, his potential is immense. He must not be wasted. Longshou Peak is best suited to nurture such talent."
Tian Buyi's face flushed with anger. He slammed the table. "Cangsong, drop the act! You just want to snatch Lin Jingyu away for yourself!"
"Enough," Daoxuan's voice echoed through the hall. Though quiet, it left no room for argument.
"Lin Jingyu shall enter Longshou Peak. Zhang Xiaofan will join Dazhu Peak under Tian Buyi."
The elders fell silent.
The decision was made.
Daoxuan stood and issued a final order to investigate the truth behind Caomiao Village's destruction, then swept from the hall in a flutter of white robes, like a passing cloud.
Tian Buyi gave a disgruntled snort and turned away. "Daren, take your new junior brother back to Dazhu Peak."
Without a backward glance, he departed.
Song Daren, Tian Buyi's eldest disciple a broad-shouldered, kind-eyed man walked over and gave Zhang Xiaofan a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't mind Master's temper.
He's harsh on the outside, but not so bad inside. Come on, little brother. From now on, Dazhu Peak is your home."
Outside Yuqing Hall, the clouds drifted lazily through the sky.
Song Daren summoned a gleaming flying sword Ten Tigers its surface engraved with ferocious beast patterns that glinted under the sun.
Taking Zhang Xiaofan's hand, he stepped onto the blade and beckoned him forward.
Zhang Xiaofan hesitated only a moment before stepping on as well.
The sword trembled, then soared into the sky, cutting through the wind like lightning.
The earth fell away. Mountains rolled beneath them like waves. The wind whipped at his robes, and Zhang Xiaofan's heart surged.