Chapter 1: The Vast Land of Nine Provinces

The vast land of the Nine Provinces is home to countless races and living beings, stretching over billions of miles with an expansive ocean covering approximately 80% of its surface, leaving only 20% as land.

Viewed from the distant stars, it resembles a colossal water sphere, its blue and green hues creating a breathtaking sight.

According to human exploration records, this world is called the Huarong Realm. It is said to have existed for over ten billion years, though the exact duration is unknown.

The land is divided into nine provinces: Qingzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Binzhou, Xuanzhou, Yunzhou, Huazhou, Youzhou, and Jizhou, each spanning no less than a million miles.

This is a world belonging to cultivators; an ordinary person could spend their entire life without traversing even a single province.

South of Jingzhou lies countless islands of varying sizes, numbering in the tens of thousands. Some large islands are as big as half a province, while small ones are only a few hundred miles across. Numerous smaller reefs and islets are scattered throughout.

This is the outer region of the Nine Provinces, abundant in marine resources due to its proximity to the sea. The inhabitants of the inland islands live off fishing. Elderly fishermen tell tales of terrifying sea monsters lurking beyond the outer seas.

These monsters vary in form and are incredibly fierce, with man-eating incidents occurring from time to time. Stories tell of sharks dozens of feet long and turtles the size of small mountains, but the truth of these tales remains uncertain.

Since then, fishermen have only dared to live and fish within a thousand miles of the inner seas. Beyond the islands of the South Sea lie vast oceans and lands inhabited by powerful races such as sea demons, monsters, and barbarians.

Qingzhou is located in the southwest of the Nine Provinces, bordering Jizhou to the north and Jingzhou to the south.

To the west of Qingzhou and Jizhou lies a vast primordial forest inhabited by powerful monsters. It is a land filled with mountains and rivers, and trees that reach hundreds of feet high cover the land.

Monsters thrive here, feeding on spiritual woods, herbs, and mineral ores, making it a forbidden land that humans dare not easily tread.

Since the birth of the human race a million years ago, the monster race has existed for several million years longer. They have long lifespans, often several times that of humans.

Their longevity and powerful physiques make them favored by the heavens.

Humans envy the monster race's innate talents, but the difficulty of advancing for monsters is much greater than for humans.

Low-level monsters have the intelligence of infants, but once they reach the third level, their intelligence greatly increases. The powerful strength of the monster race subtly suppresses that of the humans.

The Nine Provinces frequently suffer from monster invasions and beast tides, each one a life-and-death trial for human cultivators. Thus, humans and monsters have been natural enemies since ancient times.

In the vast seas south of Jingzhou and east of Yangzhou and Binzhou, even more powerful sea demons live. The land-dwelling monsters are merely a branch of the sea demon race.

It is said that some sea demons migrated to land millions of years ago. After millions of years of evolution, they have adapted to land and given rise to many rare and exotic beasts, each with different innate talents.

Today, the Nine Provinces are the result of countless powerful beings battling for hundreds of thousands of years, creating a habitat through wars between humans and monsters.

North of Youzhou lies a vast desert and grassland inhabited by the barbarian race.

These barbarians are the offspring of humans and monsters, varying in size and shape, often with wings and the bodies of bulls but the heads of humans, combining traits of both races. Their innate talents are extraordinary.

The barbarian lands are rich in fire and metal spiritual resources, making them a paradise for cultivators with fire and metal attributes.

Qingzhou, Jizhou, and the monster lands are abundant in wood, metal, and earth spiritual resources, while Jingzhou and Yangzhou have many water attributes.

In the Nine Provinces, Yunzhou and Xuanzhou are the largest, each bigger than Qingzhou and Jizhou combined.

Yunzhou and Xuanzhou are the centers of human civilization, rich with high-level cultivators, thriving trade, and abundant resources. These provinces are home to many sects and families, making them a paradise for cultivators.

As the human race grew, the resources of the seven provinces became insufficient for their needs.

Qingzhou and Jizhou were territories humans gradually conquered from monsters over the past tens of thousands of years.

These regions are complex, with many unknown spiritual veins, mineral deposits, and herbs, attracting numerous adventurers seeking treasure and training.

The human race now numbers in the billions, with 99% being ordinary people.

Cultivators are rare, born only with spiritual roots, a trait found in one in ten thousand ordinary people. Most of these have the most common four or five spiritual roots, making it hard for them to achieve significant progress without extraordinary opportunities.

Children born to cultivators have a much higher chance of having spiritual roots, often better quality ones. With proper training, they have a higher chance of building their foundation.

Single-spiritual-root cultivators have a much easier path, and if they don't die prematurely, they can almost guarantee reaching the Golden Core stage, and even have a chance at the Nascent Soul stage.

However, the quality of spiritual roots does not determine a cultivator's ultimate potential. Many prodigies die young, while some with average talent defy fate to reach the pinnacle of human cultivation.

It is rumored that tens of thousands of years ago, a five-spiritual-root human ancestor reached the Nascent Soul stage within a thousand years and successfully ascended. Such extraordinary individuals are rare but not unheard of over millions of years.

The path of cultivation is one of defying fate, filled with countless dangers and tests. Even a minor misstep can lead to becoming crippled or death.

Despite this, the desire for immortality remains strong.

In the cultivation world, realms are divided into the Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, and the Transformation Stage.

The Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core stages are each divided into nine levels: early stage (1-3), middle stage (4-6), late stage (7-9), with the ninth level being the peak.

The Nascent Soul stage and above are divided into early, middle, late, and peak stages.

In the Huarong Realm, monsters and barbarians cultivate their bodies, while humans cultivate their spiritual power.

Ordinary people live about sixty years, with eighty considered old age. Qi Refining stage cultivators can live up to 120 years, Foundation Establishment stage 250 years, Golden Core stage 500 years, Nascent Soul stage 1200 years, and Transformation stage 3000 years.

Golden Core stage cultivators can fly, move mountains, and fill seas, entering the ranks of high-level cultivators.

The thirst for power is insatiable.

The monster and barbarian realms mirror human cultivators' levels. First to fifth-level monsters have early, middle, and late stages.

First-level monsters correspond to Qi Refining stage, second-level to Foundation Establishment stage.

Third-level monsters gain high intelligence and correspond to Golden Core stage; fourth-level monsters can transform into human form, their abilities matching the Nascent Soul stage; Transformation stage monsters are indistinguishable from humans.

Tens of thousands of years ago, Jizhou and Qingzhou were monster territories. After a hundred years of war, dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators fell, and countless low-level cultivators perished.

It is said even Transformation stage monsters died, though the truth remains uncertain.

Since then, the monster race voluntarily ceded the two provinces as a buffer zone. For them, the vast territories were insignificant.

For nearly ten thousand years, humans and monsters have lived in relative peace. Beast tides occur occasionally, but they are small-scale and involve low-level monsters that do not threaten the core of either race. Both sides restrain themselves, focusing on recuperation and growth.