Chapter 1 — The Awakening of Nothing
The universe, as it is now, is not the universe that always was.
At the edge of a realm untouched by time, where space itself was yet to stretch its limbs, a single point of potential flickered. It was neither energy nor matter, neither light nor shadow — it simply was, in a form too subtle for any conventional senses to perceive.
Within that formless point, consciousness stirred.
Gu An awoke there. Not in a bed, not in a city, not even in a world. His first sensation was the absence of sensation, the silence before creation, the vast emptiness that was everything yet nothing at all.
He blinked, though there were no eyes, and he breathed, though there was no air. Something deep within him whispered: "You exist. What will you do with existence?"
He did not understand. How could he? He had no memories, no past, no origin. But one thing was clear — he was alive. And that spark of life burned bright against the endless void.
The First Step
Gu An instinctively reached toward… something. What, he did not know.
At first, nothing happened. His hands moved through airless emptiness. But slowly, a ripple of awareness spread. He felt a subtle flow, like water running through stones, or wind through trees that did not yet exist.
This was the energy of existence itself, raw and unshaped. It whispered of stars that would shine, of planets that would spin, of life that would awaken. And in that whisper, Gu An felt a connection — a resonance deeper than thought or instinct.
If I can understand this… if I can grasp this… perhaps I can become something more than I am now.
The First Universe Within
Hours, days, or perhaps centuries passed — time had no meaning here. Gu An concentrated, not on controlling, but on observing, feeling the flow of energy.
A tiny speck formed — no larger than a grain of sand in his perception — and inside it, he sensed potential.
He reached in and, with a thought born of instinct more than knowledge, stabilized it. The speck did not collapse. It held itself together.
He smiled, though no lips moved. The first world seed had been planted.
Background — The World Before Worlds
Gu An's universe would not be like other stories. There were no gods watching, no sects training cultivators, no stars born in neat patterns. Here, the laws themselves were raw, forming only under the will and understanding of those who could perceive them.
In this void, Gu An was both the observer and the creator. To survive, to grow, he had to learn everything from scratch: how energy flows, how stars are born, how galaxies breathe, how intelligent life awakens — and, eventually, why nothing exists without origin.
Every step forward would test him. The energy could overwhelm him. The paradoxes could erase him. The nothingness itself could reject him. But that danger only sharpened his focus, honed his mind, and strengthened his soul.
The First Lesson — Observation Before Action
He reached further. Within the speck of his first world, he felt currents of energy and dust, stirring randomly. They were unformed, chaotic. He did not yet have the skill to create life, to shape stars, to weave laws, but he could observe, and in observation lies understanding.
This was the first principle of his cultivation:
"Before you create, you must understand. Before you act, you must perceive. Before you exist, you must awaken."
The void around him seemed to pulse in response, as if acknowledging his first step. He was small. Insignificant. Yet in that moment, he understood something that would guide him forever:
He was no longer just alive.
He was a beginner in the art of eternity.