As recorded by the Immortal Archivists of Shenya Sanctuary
From the dawn of time, when mountains had no names and rivers had yet to carve their paths, the Gods shaped the world out of spiritual essence. At the heart of this creation shone Solaris, the God of the Sun, whose radiance breathed life into all things. In his boundless compassion, Solaris gifted every mortal a spiritual core—an inner vessel capable of absorbing and channeling the Breath of Creation, the spiritual energy. From this divine gift emerged the four great paths that shaped early civilization: Tamers who communed with beasts and spirits, Forgers who molded spiritual essence into artifacts of incredible power, Magicians who commanded the elements, and Channelers who healed, mastered spiritual arts, and harnessed the sun itself.
For a time, harmony flourished. Mortals grew strong beneath Solaris's light, building kingdoms, nurturing spirit beasts, and uncovering the mysteries of cultivation. Yet mortal hearts, ever fragile, soon succumbed to envy and ambition. Power that once united them now drove them apart, and the world collapsed into an age of betrayal and greed. Kingdoms waged war over spiritual treasures, clans fought for dominance, and the land trembled beneath unending conflict.
Grieved by the suffering, Solaris journeyed to the peak of Sun Mountain, where the first dawn had once touched the newborn world. There he cultivated the sacred Solaris Bloom, each petal pulsing with pure sunlight. To restore order, he bestowed these flowers upon mortals whose hearts remained untainted by greed, granting them immense spiritual strength and immortality. Among the blessed rose four unparalleled figures whose names would echo through eternity: Lian Feng, Master of Winds and supreme among Magicians; Xiao Huan, the Beast-Heart Sovereign, beloved of every divine creature; Jin Mu, Golden Hand of Creation, greatest of all Forgers; and Shen Ya, the Channeler who could nurture life even from ashes.
But while Solaris raised heroes, the shadows birthed monsters. Desperate for power that Solaris denied them, corrupt mortals called out to Merso, the God of Death, whose presence lingered in the abyss between worlds. Merso answered. He offered power drawn from fear, hatred, and despair—strength nourished by negative spiritual energy. Those who accepted the pact surrendered their humanity and became demons, immortal in body yet hollow in soul. Thus began the long and bitter Demon War, an age drenched in blood and despair.
For centuries, the Four Heroes led Solaris's armies, battling demons across land and sky. The war shattered mountains and boiled seas, but in the end, righteousness prevailed. The corrupted mortals were sealed away in a separate dimension where no sunlight could reach—a bleak domain devoid of the Solaris Bloom's warmth. That realm would forever be known as the Demon Realm.
Victory brought peace, but the Heroes understood mortality well. They knew that greed was not so easily extinguished. To protect the Solaris Blooms from future corruption, the Four Heroes made a sacrifice beyond mortal comprehension. Using their own souls and spiritual cores, they wove an immense, invisible barrier around Sun Mountain, concealing it from all unworthy eyes. With this act, they transcended their mortal forms and ascended, creating four new celestial domains in their image. These Upper Realms—Fengyun, Huanling, Jinmu, and Shenya—became the everlasting homes of immortals, guardians of the world's balance. Mortals remained in the Lower Realms, farther from the divine radiance.
But this separation carried a cost. Distance from Sun Mountain gradually weakened Solaris's blessing. Over the generations, mortals were born with fragile spiritual cores—some with waning strength, others with none at all—while immortals flourished in the Upper Realms. The balance tilted, and power drifted ever upward.
Still, Solaris's compassion endured. To ensure that mortals would not lose hope, he established the Ascension Trials, a grand contest held every three years. The victor would receive an Immortality Pill refined from the essence of the Solaris Bloom, earning the right to ascend to the Upper Realms. To preserve fairness among immortals, another decree was created: every ten years, during the Solaris Bloom Rite, one immortal would be chosen to enter Sun Mountain and strengthen their spiritual core by channeling the energy of a freshly bloomed Solaris Flower.
Thus, the Realms settled into a delicate peace. Mortals and immortals pursued the Four Great Paths as best they could, though none were able to master more than two. Thousands of years passed, and though the world grew quieter, the hearts of mortals and immortals remained unchanged. Ambition lingered. Desire whispered. Greed, like a shadow cast by the brightest sun, endured.
And beneath this fragile calm, the Solaris Realm once again waited for the turning of fate.