This world is called Haotian Continent. Like Earth, it is a star in the vast universe, revolving around some unknown star, with four seasons, stars, mountains, rivers, seas, and land. The seas are distributed on all four sides of the surface, while in the middle lies a landmass—the only landmass on Haotian Continent. Although there is only one piece of land, it is vast. Legend has it that a mid Nascent Soul stage expert once set out from the East China Sea and flew westward; after ten years, he still had not reached the Central Plains in the center of the continent, and finally had no choice but to stop. Rumors say the ocean is even broader than the land, several times larger, and inhabited by ferocious beasts capable of stirring up towering waves. The people living along the coast only venture into nearby waters and dare not go far, lest they suffer the fate of both person and boat being destroyed.
Haotian Continent resembles a chicken egg—long from north to south and narrow from east to west—composed of five regions: Eastern Province in the east, Southern Province in the south, Western Province in the west, Northern Province in the north, and Central Plains in the middle. Among them, the Central Plains is the most prosperous, occupied by three major clans and five major sects. With abundant Spiritual Energy, the Central Plains is also the place with the strongest cultivation power in this world, and it is rumored to be guarded by a Deity Transformation cultivator. The remaining provinces cannot compare to the Central Plains, but they each have sects occupying key locations, guarding their respective territories and acting as their leaders.
Western Province contains a total of twelve domains. Thick Earth Domain lies at the far west, bordering the ocean to the west in a long, north-south strip. As far as Haotian Continent is concerned, Thick Earth Domain is considered a barren land with very limited Spiritual Energy and resources. There are three mortal countries in Thick Earth Domain, from south to north: the Chu Country, the Qi Country, and the Zhao Country, with the Zhao Country situated in the middle. Each of the three countries is garrisoned by a sect. The Imperial Sword Sect is one of the three garrisoning sects of Thick Earth Domain, managing the Zhao Country. The other two sects are the Beast Taming Sect in the south managing the Qi Country, and the Illusion Demon Sect in the north managing the Chu Country. The highest cultivation level in the Imperial Sword Sect belongs to the Great Elder Mu Xin, who is in the late Golden Core stage, while the Sect Master is in the early Golden Core stage. All other elders and stewards are at the Foundation Establishment stage. The three major sects of Thick Earth Domain must also jointly defend against the beast tides coming from the ocean. During each beast tide, neighboring domains send people to help. To defend against the beast tides that occur once every fifty years, the three major sects lose a large number of cultivators every time.
Therefore, after every beast tide, the three major sects suffer a period of decline, and their disciples wither away even more. Just as they recover and develop again, the time for the next beast tide arrives. This endless cycle keeps the peak strength of the three major sects in Thick Earth Domain at a mere Golden Core stage, barely supporting this realm. Compared to other domains, the gap is immense; sects in other domains typically boast several Golden Core cultivators, and stronger ones even have Nascent Soul cultivators—though Nascent Soul cultivators generally go to cultivate in the Western Province's central city of Bachen, where resources are richer, or head to the Central Plains to pursue greater fortuitous encounters for themselves.
The Imperial Sword Sect suffers from a lack of talented successors. Although it has a late Golden Core stage expert guarding it, talent for the future is even scarcer, with several dozen Foundation Establishment disciples and fewer than two thousand Qi Condensation disciples. Every five years, when the sect recruits disciples from the Zhao Country, only a few dozen possess cultivation aptitude. Therefore, Qi Condensation disciples form the backbone of the sect. Those in the mid Qi Condensation stage can enter the inner sect to obtain more resources and cultivation assistance.
The secular Zhao Country requires two patrons to be stationed there. Because the secular world lacks cultivation power, and top-tier martial artists are only equivalent to those at Qi Condensation Layer 2 or 3, dispatching one cultivator from the mid Qi Condensation stage and one from the early Qi Condensation stage is generally sufficient to awe the secular nation. Within the sect, the dispatched cultivators are usually those who entered the mid Qi Condensation stage after the age of fifty; because even if they cultivate to the late Qi Condensation stage, they cannot successfully achieve Foundation Establishment and have no choice but to work for the sect. The other early Qi Condensation stage cultivator is someone undergoing sect trials; early-stage cultivators must undergo trials for one year and complete sect missions before they can continue cultivating, otherwise they will be punished by the Penal Hall.
Zhao Yi cultivated to Qi Condensation Layer 4 at the age of eighteen, and two years later advanced to Qi Condensation Layer 5, making him quite impressive within the sect. However, because he once had a conflict with a relative of the steward in charge of the sect's Mission Hall, not only did he fail to enter the inner sect, but he was also exiled to the Zhao Country to serve as a patron. Not daring to voice his anger, Zhao Yi had no choice but to come to the Zhao Country along with another Qi Condensation Level 3 cultivator named Tian Junjie to serve as patrons.
Upon arriving in the Zhao Country, he did not even go to meet the royal family and current rulers, instead having Tian Junjie handle that. He hurried back to the meditation room to cultivate. Harboring resentment and feeling restless, his blood and Qi failed to circulate smoothly during cultivation, leading to chaotic Qi, shattered meridians, and sudden death. Coincidentally, the later Zhao Yi transmigrated, his soul entering the former's body, allowing Zhao Yi to survive once more.