Setting: A fictional “Jinghe Era of the Eastern Zhou.” The Zhou Son of Heaven’s power has waned, and the feudal lords rule their own territories. Regional “governors” hold military and political power in place of traditional feudal lords, avoiding overlap with historical figures. Along the borders, barbarians and demons launch raids, while cultivation forces lurk inland, divided into three categories: “Orthodox Sects,” “Unorthodox Cultivators,” and “Rogue Cultivators.”
- Cultivation system, starting at low levels and gradually advancing:
- Basic Realm: Qi Refining, levels 1–9. Requires absorbing “spiritual energy,” which can be obtained or converted through natural treasures, spiritual energy nodes, and special materials, leaving room for the protagonist to use modern skills.
- Advanced Realm: Foundation Establishment. Requires a stable cycle of spiritual energy and can be aided by a “spiritual medium vessel,” which the protagonist can create by repurposing embalming supplies.
- Later Realms: Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and so on. These will unlock as the story progresses. The protagonist advances through “skill conversion” rather than cultivation alone.
- Core conflicts: territorial disputes among governors, and cultivation forces’ struggle over secular power