In the fifty-third year of the Dexuan era, early March, a side courtyard of the Marquis of Zhendong's residence in the capital.
It was early spring. The heavy snow that had blanketed the capital throughout the winter had only recently melted, yet the air remained biting with cold winds.
Xia Chen, dressed in thin clothing, swung his blade tirelessly in the frigid wind, sweat dripping from his brow.
His fair, handsome face was flushed with exertion, his qi and blood surging within him. A resolute determination shone in his eyes.
Gripping a long blade in his hand, its crimson edge gleamed as he slashed through the air, sending ripples outward as if slicing through the very wind itself.
With each swing, a line of small text appeared within his field of vision:
[Successfully swung once, Basic Blade Technique proficiency +1]
[Successfully swung once, Basic Blade Technique proficiency +1]
[Successfully swung once, Basic Blade Technique proficiency +1]
…
[Basic Blade Technique has reached perfection. You have comprehended an advanced blade technique from it—Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade!]
[Your qi and blood have reached the peak of Ninth-Rank. Would you like to break through now?]
As these words materialized, a hint of joy flickered across Xia Chen's handsome face. The crimson blade in his hand seemed to transform at that moment. The qi and blood within his body boiled and churned fiercely, wisps of it seeping through his skin and gathering behind him to form a blazing crimson sun.
This red sun resembled the primal yang of the world's dawn, cleaving through chaotic darkness, radiating vitality and searing heat.
Under the blessing of this sun, Xia Chen's entire body trembled violently. He glowed like molten lava, his qi and blood surging to their peak, as if capable of boiling rivers and seas!
The process didn't last long. Xia Chen's gaze sharpened, his still-youthful face now etched with solemnity. With a single swing of his blade, it was as though the entire courtyard shifted from the depths of winter into early summer.
One slash altered the heavens and earth!
At the same moment, a crisp crack resounded within Xia Chen's body, as if an invisible shackle had shattered. His raging qi and blood found an outlet, rushing forth like the Yangtze River flowing into the sea. In that instant, his aura reached its zenith.
The Eighth-Rank Refining Essence Realm was achieved!
Xia Chen slowly opened his eyes, a glint of brilliance flashing within them. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though his pupils doubled, merging into one—like the legendary double pupil.
But the phenomenon vanished as quickly as it appeared. Xia Chen's presence calmed, his aura retracting until he resembled an ordinary young man once more.
"It's been two months since I arrived in this world, and I've finally broken through to the Eighth-Rank Realm!"
A faint smile curved Xia Chen's lips. Two months ago, he had realized he'd entered an early version of that mysterious game ahead of schedule.
In his previous life, the game had appeared suddenly on Earth. No one knew its origins, only that a select few "chosen ones" were granted access to this startlingly vivid world.
This was the era of Emperor Wen of the Dawu Dynasty, a period Xia Chen wasn't particularly familiar with. After all, he had entered the game early—by the time the official closed beta launched, it was already the era of the Empress.
"It's currently the time of Emperor Wen's 'Two Dragons Vying for Succession.' Five years from now, the Third Prince will stage a coup, march his troops into the capital, breach the White Tiger Gate, storm the palace, and kill the Crown Prince. In a frenzied rampage, he'll slaughter every last member of the royal bloodline—but the ultimate victor won't be him!"
Xia Chen pieced together the timeline, recalling the events of this period. Unfortunately, in his past life, he had only entered this world during the first public beta, six years into the Empress's reign.
Thus, he hadn't delved deeply into this earlier history and only knew the broad strokes.
On the surface, this era's struggle appeared to be a contest between two princes for the throne, but in truth, another figure lurked in the shadows. Five years later, during the Coup of the Gate, the Second Princess would descend like a divine soldier from the heavens, wielding the Founding Emperor's sword and leading her cavalry through the White Tiger Gate.
That night, the palace would echo with the sounds of slaughter, the blood staining the snow-covered ground crimson. In the end, the Second Princess would quell all rebellion.
But Emperor Wen, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and every male of the royal bloodline would perish in that coup, slaughtered to the last.
Ultimately, Dawu would welcome its first Empress, ushering in a glorious era…
"Is it because of this jade seal that I was able to enter this world eleven years early?"
Xia Chen opened his palm, revealing a jade seal imprinted there like a totem, visible only to him.
The seal was adorned with nine dragons, their mouths exhaling chaotic mist. A faint aura of primordial purple qi swirled around it. Dimly, Xia Chen could make out the sun, moon, and stars orbiting the seal, with the Sun, Moon, and Ziwei Star at its core!
He wanted to examine it further, but the jade seal suddenly dimmed, as if it defied scrutiny.
Xia Chen withdrew his gaze and exhaled a turbid breath, calming his mind. Regardless of the seal's mysterious powers, his priority now was to increase his strength and influence.
In Emperor Wen's era, the court was in disarray, banditry plagued the land, and though the realm appeared stable on the surface, it had already fractured into four warring factions.
This was his chance. Heroes were forged in times of chaos—only in such turmoil could one rise to prominence.
"I need to act quickly. Once the Empress ascends the throne, quells the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, and consolidates Dawu's power, the era of Great Unification will begin."
Xia Chen knew he had to plan ahead!
While the Great Unification era would bring safety, economic prosperity, and cultural flourishing, opportunities would dwindle.
By then, the Dawu Dynasty would stand as the sole hegemon, its might suppressing the four seas and commanding the eight wildernesses. Whether it was the Buddhists, the Daoists, or the so-called "players," all would bow beneath the Empress's rule.
Only later, when the Spiritual Energy Revival version launched and the Fusion of Myriad Worlds occurred, would this world become fully real.
The ceiling of martial prowess would rise, the Empress would vanish, the Dawu Dynasty would crumble, and the era of Immortal Dynasty Wars would begin, presenting new opportunities…
As Xia Chen mulled this over, he fetched water himself and picked up a towel to wipe down his sweat-drenched body.
In this life, his starting point was decent—he had been born into the household of the Marquis of Zhendong.
Eight hundred years since Dawu's founding, 637 years ago, Emperor Ling had favored eunuchs and relied heavily on his wife's relatives. The Rebellion of the Feudal Lords erupted, and the capital fell.
Emperor Ling's eighth son, Emperor Wuzong, reorganized the realm, campaigned northward, reclaimed the old capital, and restored order, establishing the current nineteen provinces of Dawu and extending the dynasty's qi yun for another 600 years.
The first Marquis of Zhendong, Xia Xuanzhen, had risen from a mere foot soldier at Emperor Wuzong's side on the frontier to become a legendary divine general known throughout the land.
During Emperor Wuzong's northern campaign, the army split into three routes. Xia Xuanzhen led the eastern front. When the other two routes faltered and the campaign seemed doomed,
Xia Xuanzhen led 5,000 cavalry on a daring thousand-mile raid, striking into the heart of the enemy like a sharpened blade. He breached the capital, took the enemy leader's head, and turned the tide of war, helping Emperor Wuzong secure the realm.
At the conferment ceremony, Emperor Wu had laughed in front of his ministers, saying, "Strong on the outside, wise within—his sharpness crowns the world!"
Thus, Xia Xuanzhen's merits surpassed all others, earning him the title of Marquis of Zhendong.
Rumors claimed that with his achievements, he could have been made a king, but due to the ancestral law forbidding foreign surnames from such a title, he was named Marquis instead—otherwise, he'd have been the King of Zhendong.
Now, the title of Marquis of Zhendong was in its seventeenth generation. The family had flourished without decline. Though still called the Marquis of Zhendong's residence, it had long since become a household boasting three marquises.
"Though I'm not favored in the household, compared to some, this is already an excellent start."
Xia Chen was satisfied with his beginning. From what he knew, many players who entered during the closed beta of his past life started as nameless nobodies—some even as roadside beggars, a true hellish opening.
According to the game's balancing rules, the earlier one entered, the worse their starting identity. Yet Xia Chen had defied this pattern, beginning his journey in the household of marquises and generals.
"Young Master Three, there's a letter from Second Master!"
At that moment, a figure hurried in—a young servant in green robes, panting heavily, his cheeks flushed, either from the cold wind or from running.
PS: The world of this book is vast. The plot will take off after ten chapters. I promise it will get more and more exciting as you read on. Please be patient, my friends.