Prologue

"Wake up."

A deep voice rang throughout Ye Xian's consciousness, awakening him and summoning his soul into a mysterious realm of mixing and fading colors. There was nothing in sight, nor anything for his feet to rest on. In every direction he turned his head, there was only an infinite expanse of colored spots that appeared and disappeared chaotically.

"Where am I!?" he screamed helplessly as he waved his body in a futile effort to resist. His kicks landed on nothingness, and his wails only served to increase the brightness of the colors that littered his vision.

Ye Xian was thoroughly terrified. He had personally witnessed the inhuman feats the cultivators of his clan could perform, but none of them made him feel so helpless- so insignificant. He felt unbelievably feeble, as if his soul could be extinguished with but a thought from the entity that summoned him to this realm.

He hesitantly questioned the air as if he were insane, "Senior, is there anything you need from me? If not, I request you release me from here."

If his physical form was present, it would undoubtedly be soaked with sweat. Right now, it was only life or death, and the line between the two didn't appear to be that large.

The myriad of colors paused before climbing in radiance and slowly expanding in Ye Xian's vision. The scene filled him with endless horror, but he tried to calm down as he thought of a possibility.

'Could he be...'

It started off as a complete fantasy, but the more he contemplated, and the bigger the lights seemed to glow, it became increasingly logical. Regardless, he had to try.

His eyes that were once expanded to their limits slowly dropped back into their normal positions, and the waves which crashed through his sea of consciousness calmed into a still, serene pond.

"Senior, if you're going to kill me, there's no need to do it so slowly. Are you testing this junior?"

It was as if time stopped. The colors that had reached a peak in luminosity froze before fading into nothingness, introducing a blackness that felt even more threatening.

"You're not as dumb as you look," the voice commented. "And seemingly, not as spineless either."

It seems that Ye Xian would live for another day.

Ye Xian inwardly sighed in relief, but for some reason, he felt as if it didn't go unnoticed by the mysterious entity. But that wasn't something he needed to concern himself with at the moment.

"Senior," Ye Xian inquired. "Is there a reason you've summoned me here?"

"Hmph," the voice harrumphed. "Take this and cultivate well. The worlds will soon be thrown into chaos, and if you're not strong enough to be useful, then you and your family will die without even knowing how it happened. I'm sure you don't want that- do you?"

After the voice had finished its piece, waves of information began to fill Ye Xian's mind, overwhelming his spirit and driving it back into unconsciousness. Seeing this, the origin of the voice flashed into perception for an instant before exiting Ye Xian's dream realm.

...

Ye Xian darted from his bed as if a monster was lying there with him. When he realized that he was back in reality, and that the presence of the 'monster' had faded, he deeply exhaled, his heart rate slowly slowing back to normal.

'That senior...' Ye Xian reflected back to last night in anxiety. 'Who was he? And why did he grant this opportunity to ME of all people?'

'The worlds will fall into chaos, and everyone from the immortal gods to the average person will be affected. Whatever that senior's intentions were for me, I have to obtain power. Fast.'

Ye Xian sunk into contemplation, ruffling his hand through his black hair in hopes of pulling an answer from it. He was but a mortal of an ordinary clan of cultivators, and, judging from a preliminary glimpse at the Vital Scriptures in his memories, he would need much more energy to advance than a normal cultivator at his level.

When this issue popped up in his mind, he suddenly noticed that his body was filled with a strange energy that was simply waiting to be absorbed. Feeling this, Ye Xian became slightly relieved. 'At least that senior didn't leave me completely in the lurch.'

Considering the profundity of the <Mortal-Celestial Immortal Law>, it would be impossible to even reach the first few levels with the resources given by the clan. Although the energy within his body wouldn't be able to help him eternally, it would give him a good starting point to build from.

'Clearly, that senior wants me to pass through trials and tribulations to gain strength.'

Ye Xian smiled.

'Great.'

'That's how it should be.'