At forty-two, Li Xue is a dual master's degree supervisor at the National Defense University. An orphan abandoned because of congenital heart disease, he was cured with state funding. Grateful for the kindness of Director Zhang at the orphanage, he grew into an upright, warmhearted man who values loyalty and never lets a grudge go unanswered.
While being hunted, the dragon-patterned jade he carries bursts with golden light and takes him to another world, where he becomes Zhao Yan, the spoiled young master of the Zhao family in Qingyang County, Great Xia. Though Zhao Yan is an idle layabout who neglects his studies, he is exceptionally clever and hates evil. His current martial arts level is Warrior, Stage Three.
The dragon-patterned jade contains a golden dragon artifact spirit and the “Panlong Secret Realm.” Its nine-story tower corresponds to the stages of martial cultivation, and only a Martial Venerable can reach the top. The golden dragon helps him train, protects him in times of danger, and can eventually transform into a true dragon.
Martial cultivation in this world consists of nine stages, from Martial Apprentice to Martial Saint, followed by the Divine Venerable realm. Five great powers hold sway: the spirit-beast faction, the Spirit Ruins Realm, protects nature; the Dark Nether Palace practices sinister arts and harms living beings; the Burning Heaven Palace expands through force; the Purple Firmament Alliance upholds order but is rife with factions; and the Treasure Gathering Pavilion controls the economy and gathers intelligence.
Great Xia values civil pursuits over martial arts, at odds with the rest of the continent, where martial power reigns supreme. In Zhao Yan's identity, Li Xue must use the knowledge from his previous life and his golden finger to shed the name of a good-for-nothing, face conflicts between the various factions, and grow amid the turmoil of this strange world as he strives to attain the rank of Divine Venerable.
