Chapter One: The Baptism

Thunder rumbled through the void, lightning flashing amidst a tumultuous storm. In that moment, a brilliant streak of light split the heavens—a massive blue bolt of lightning crashed straight down to earth, scattering sparks in all directions. The fire sparked by the strike ignited both stone and tree; if not for the stone’s resistance to combustion, even it would have been scorched black.

The surrounding trees, however, fared far worse, consumed in an instant by the leaping flames. If but a single spark possessed such power, what of the person caught within the tribulation in the void above? What fate awaited them?

The people below could only watch from afar, their imaginations failing to grasp the reality. They gazed up at the heavens, awe and envy in their hearts. This was the path to divinity—the forging of a god. Should one survive the heavenly tribulation and ascend, a new god would be born. Would she be so fortunate?

Another deafening crash split the air, causing those below to tremble in fear. This roll of thunder was even more formidable, its force reverberating through the sky. Even the figure in the void above seemed to struggle beneath its might, and as if to confirm her ordeal, a single drop of blood essence fell from her, plummeting toward the earth.

Wherever this drop of blood essence landed, madness followed. Scions of great families and the strongest warriors of the world surged forward, desperate to claim it for themselves—a fierce battle erupting over this precious prize.

Whether or not the person in the void succeeded in overcoming her tribulation, this drop of blood essence was invaluable, a heavenly boon for their descendants. For those standing at the peak already, such a treasure meant little for themselves, but for their heirs or disciples, it could make all the difference—perhaps even surpass their own achievements, for such gifts only elevated, never weakened.

Yet again thunder roared, and another bolt of lightning crashed down, its power even greater than before. The radius of the falling sparks expanded, almost engulfing those below who fought over the blood essence.

Now, some among them faltered. The spot where the blood essence fell was much too close to the celestial tribulation; one misstep, and annihilation awaited. Survival was the priority—what hope for immortality if obliterated utterly?

Unlike the one enduring the calamity above, whose strength had reached the pinnacle of mortals, they had no hope of resisting heaven’s wrath. Only once one achieved divinity could the flesh become sanctified, enduring for eternity.

Faced with the proximity of disaster, many chose to relinquish their claim to the blood essence, leaving the contest to the foolhardy. Fortune favors the bold, as the saying goes; some refused to back down, still risking everything for that single drop.

Then, a thunderclap louder and fiercer than all before rent the heavens. The lightning took on human form, its overwhelming might pouring down like a torrent. With each step, it sent lightning crashing to earth, striking every living thing beneath.

The wrath of the heavens was kindled; the tribulation was truly incensed by this persistent challenger.

To ascend the Dao and become a god—how could it be so easy?

At that moment, not far away, a woman with dragon horns atop her head resolved to hold nothing back. Victory or death—she was determined to meet her fate head-on.

If she succeeded, divinity awaited her. If not, she could always begin again; she still had another chance. This was her trump card. Without it, she would never have dared to challenge heavenly judgment, to attempt such a bold path to godhood.

“Come then! Do you think I would fear you?” the Dragon Maiden shouted.

With those words, she brandished her divine weapon and charged, colliding headlong with the lightning figure.

Boom! The sound of their clash echoed ceaselessly. Their movements were so swift that no one could see what transpired in the void; only a blue and a green point of light could be seen, colliding again and again—now here, now there. In the blink of an eye, they had clashed countless times.

No one knew how long it lasted. At last, the sky began to clear, and calm returned to the void. The Dragon Maiden, however, fell from the sky and crashed to earth.

Had she succeeded or failed? No one knew, nor dared to find out. The only thing anyone dared to do was scramble for the blood essence that had fallen to the mortal realm.

But by then, it was gone—someone had already claimed it, using a secret earth-moving technique to escape far beyond the clouds.

Even so, the thief was gravely wounded, struck by a spark of lightning. If not for his cultivation of the Earth Dao, famed for its defensive power, he would have been reduced to ash, unable to escape with his life.

The Earth Dao was renowned for defense, but its offensive power was limited—a perfect path for survival.

A decade slipped by. At the village of Fireflame, nestled in the Flaming Mountains, the air was festive. The village was hosting its grand baptism ceremony.

“Mother, after the baptism, will you tell me Father’s story?” a ten-year-old child asked, clinging to his mother’s side.

Not far ahead stood a great furnace, with the village elder and clan elders in attendance. Today was the day the children underwent their baptism: the furnace was filled with medicinal concoctions and the essence of a beast core.

A few days earlier, while hunting, the villagers had discovered the corpse of a beast at the peak of the Vital Energy Realm. Once they confirmed it was safe, the village chief, accompanied by two clan elders of the same cultivation, carried the precious find home.

Upon closer inspection, they realized the beast had reached the pinnacle of the Vital Energy Realm. At this level, the beast’s inner core was fully formed—far superior to ordinary medicinal baths, working faster and more effectively. Since none of the villagers practiced alchemy, nor could they reliably identify herbs, the ingredients were thrown in fresh, unfiltered. The medicine was potent, even dangerous—especially for children of ten.

But if the baptism succeeded—if thirty-two meridians and energy seas could be unblocked—it would be an immense boon.

When the chief saw this opportunity, he immediately retrieved the clan’s treasure, the Eight-Treasure Cosmos Pouch, and sealed the beast’s essence inside.

Now, a few days later, it was time to use it for the children’s baptism. Fireflame Village was a simple, harmonious place—unlike the world outside, rife with danger and intrigue.

“All right, I’ll tell you the story. Go on, now,” the mother replied.

“Really, Mother?” the child asked.

“Really.”

“Wonderful! Did you hear that, Little Azure?” the boy exclaimed to the small green snake wrapped round his shoulder.

The snake could not speak, but it was intelligent; it wriggled happily in response.

Overjoyed, the boy hopped like a rabbit toward the furnace.

When all the children had gathered, the village chief brought out the precious beast core and placed it into the furnace.

But as soon as the core hit the mixture, it tried to escape. The chief, however, had anticipated this. The three clan elders, standing at the four corners of the furnace alongside the chief, pooled their spiritual power to pin the core in place.

At once, the herbs began to fuse with the beast core, which released a steady stream of refined essence into the bodies of the eight children, beginning their baptism.

Just then, the little green snake on the boy’s shoulder dove into the pool as well, slipping to the bottom to join in the baptism.

The chief considered intervening, but realizing what was at stake, quickly abandoned the idea. The children’s baptism could not be interrupted—any disruption would spell failure.

So be it. The little snake’s fate would have to be its own.

At first, the baptism went smoothly. The children felt little discomfort, but as time wore on, the ordeal grew increasingly unbearable. Halfway through, three children could endure no longer and leapt from the pool, refusing to continue.

Such torment was beyond the endurance of any ten-year-old. Even older children might have faltered.

But five remained, and the chief was gratified. Their efforts had not been wasted—the youth of the village were its future, and the elders would spare no effort to help them grow.

Gradually, another third of the process was completed. Two more children could not withstand the fierce medicine and fled the pool.

Three remained—not a complete loss.

A quarter of an hour later, the baptism neared its end. Only one final push remained, but to everyone’s surprise, yet another child emerged, unable to bear it. Now, just two remained in the pool. If nothing went amiss, they would soon complete the baptism and step onto the path of cultivation.

One had to admire the fortitude of these two. The others, lacking fate or will, had failed at the final hurdle. Perhaps next time, their chance would come—who could say when that would be?

At last, with a deep breath, the baptism ended. The two children had unblocked their meridians; invisible pillars of light shot toward the heavens. They had succeeded.

But the real spectacle was yet to come. Not only had two children completed the baptism, but so had the little green snake.

A dazed little girl emerged from the pool. Except for her arms and eyes, which were not fully human, she was almost indistinguishable from any other child. All eyes turned to her.

Bewildered, she looked at the boy and threw herself into his arms, pressing her head into his hand for comfort.

It was extraordinary—even the little green snake succeeded, surpassing some of the children.

Thus, two children and a snake completed the baptism, officially embarking on their journey to cultivate and seek the Dao.