"Today's history lesson will be a special one. Yes...a lesson that goes back much further than I, or any of your previous instructors will have covered. Today, we will talk about those who rule over the Heavens.
Some of you may have the barest fraction of knowledge of them already. Indeed, their power is so great, their presence extends beyond the world of the heavens themselves and to worlds such as the one you hail from. The Dimension Governors are researching just how this occurs, for it does not appear to be something they enact consciously. In the case of your world, their influence manifested in the form of a tale that is, as far as we have found, a not wholly inaccurate allegory.
I am speaking, if you have not yet guessed, of the Zodiacs. How many among you are familiar with the tale?"
I raised my hand, as did Shokoya, Jong, and most of the others, including Jue Zhu but not including Quan or Shai Shan. For my part, I'd run across the story of the Chinese Zodiac during my research into the concept of cultivation in general, back when I was preparing to enter this virtual world. The Head Instructor repeated the story in brief, for those few who hadn't already heard it. "In truth," he said once the story had finished, and no one could fail to notice the gleam in his eye, "the 'animals'--Rat, Ox, Pig, Dog, Tiger, Snake, all of them—were no mere beasts, but cultivators. They were a group of friends who did something that all in the Heavens, from the lowliest mortal here to the most potent immortals in the Supreme Heaven, save for perhaps the Celestial Emperor himself, thought totally impossible: they completed the Celestial Emperor's Legacy. That journey somehow became the 'race' in the story your world knows.
It began when the last Celestial Emperor made history by becoming the first cultivator—or perhaps the only one known—to surpass the 9th Rank. When he did so, it is said that he transcended physical form itself and truly became one with the infinite multiverse. Upon this transcension, he left behind words that spread through all the Nine Heavens:
"I name as my successor, one born of the Mortal Heaven. Within 1,000,000 years, such a one who presents themselves at my palace shall claim my crown."
In other words, a cultivator who climbed all the way to the Supreme Heaven from the Mortal would become the new Celestial Emperor. All who dwelled in the Supreme Heaven thought such a thing could never happen, let alone in a mere million years. Yet in that time, not one cultivator made that journey, but twelve! Sometimes they worked together, sometimes they fought against each other, but the dozen remarkable cultivators all reached the Celestial Palace—the last two doing so mere months before the millionth year from the Ascension came to an end.
From that day forth, the Nine Heavens have been ruled by the Council of Zodiacs, each of its members obscuring their true names and becoming known by the animals stated in your world's own tale.
But it does not end there, students! Long ago, less long than the time of the Celestial Emperor's Legacy, but still long enough that none of the grandparents of the grandparents of any who now dwell in the Mortal Heaven had yet been born, each of the Zodiacs created their own Legacy. In the Mortal Heaven, they raised twelve mighty temples, made to house trials so difficult, they would shatter all but the most worthy. To find the worthy, they upraised and empowered a number of animals of their namesake, which have since multiplied to become the races known as the twelve Sacred Beasts, whose powers dwarf all other magical beasts save for true Divine Beasts.
Also within the Zodiac Temples, it is said, there are treasures incredible enough to make the idea of repeating the feat which the Zodiacs accomplished not so impossible. However, only one out of hundreds of cultivators who attempted them survived a temple's trials. Over time, people simply ceased to try altogether, to the point the Sacred Beasts themselves are regarded as ill omens at best, and the Zodiac Temples are now mere glorified tourist attractions."
I was starting to get creeped out. The Head Instructor didn't sound like a teacher anymore—he sounded like a fanatic. There was a far away look in his eyes, as he continued, rapturously...
"The illustrious founder of the Dimension Governors sought to correct this situation. If few to none of the world of the Heavens had what it takes, he said, we would look to worlds outside them altogether. That is the true purpose of the very Academy itself: to seek out and nurture those with the courage and potential to revive the Zodiac Legacies."
The Head Instructor looked right at Jue Zhu. "In this room, there is at least one who may have that potential. I wonder if any of the rest of you also have the courage to grasp it?"
"It's really impressive, don't you think? Few VRMMOs I've ever played set their main plots up half as well as this Zodiacs business," said Shokoya. We were taking a short break from sparring and drilling during Free Practice. "I mean, I know that Permanent Virtual Environments are supposed to be even more immersive than the best games, but I wasn't expecting such a grand quest to present itself like this."
"Yeah, it explains a lot—including providing an 'in world' reason for death not to be permanent. Being able to try again, even with penalties, certainly gives an edge in taking on one of these Zodiac Temples.
What I don't get though, is why the developers went to such lengths to incorporate a 'link' between this world and the real world. As I understand it, any PVE that doesn't allow for communication from it to the real world—so basically all of them except for the Infinite Paradise the fatcats running things upload to—barely acknowledges that the people who upload weren't born in their 'world.'
I think something's going on with this place. I just hope whatever it is, is something where we can get on with our lives without it coming to haunt us."
Shokoya got up and took a ready stance. I did the same, and we continued to talk as we continued training. "So, do you think you'll get to challenge one of these Zodiac Temples?" he said.
"It's a little early to say," I admitted, "we don't even know everything that's required, just that we have to get the attention of one of these Sacred Beasts. And who knows how to do that?"
"That's a good point," said Shokoya, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Maybe after we've graduated, and become members of proper sects, we can find some leads. Though we might want to be discreet about it, if they're really treated as bad omens these days."
Although, do I WANT to take on a Zodiac Legacy? It's really not what I had in mind when I signed up...
But could it really be possible for someone like me to reach the top? To be one of the stars, instead of one of a thousand mostly hopeless hopefuls struggling in the bush leagues, gathering tribute for the ones at the top? I'm more powerful here, even relative to other players, than I've ever been in my gaming career...
I think I do want to go for it.