Chronicles of the Primordial World: Zhenyuan, the Lucky Carp

When Heaven and Earth first opened, the embers of chaos nourished the East Sea's spiritual spring. Canglan, the first scarlet-gold koi in creation, hatched into the world. Seven-colored clouds of light pierced the heavens, the tides of the Four Seas bowed in reverence, and the top-grade innate spiritual treasure Cangming Auspicious Pearl was born alongside him. He awakened the innate divine ability “Foretell Fortune and Avoid Misfortune.”

Unlike the Primordial World cultivators swept up in the frenzy of competing for sainthood and treasures, Canglan lives by the principle, “Go with the flow, but protect life when the tide turns.” He uses the Great Dao of Water to govern life across the Four Seas, the Great Dao of Karma to untangle the bonds binding all beings, and the Great Dao of Heavenly Secrets to observe the course of the Primordial World. The three Daos share one source, sustaining and aiding one another.

After establishing his Dao foundation on Fangzhang Immortal Island, he accidentally enters a rift in chaos and obtains the Wheel of Karma. He inherits the legacy of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, learning to arrange the stars like pieces on a board. He refines the spiritual root of bitter bamboo into the Bitter Profound Cangjun Staff, each step following the path of protecting the world. At Zixiao Palace, he does not compete for the Primordial Purple Qi, declaring, “There is no hierarchy on the path of the Dao. Only the heart can be righteous or wicked.” He forms bonds with Laozi, Nuwa, Tongtian, and the other sages. During the War of the Liches, he uses a star maze to protect rogue cultivators and the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls to subdue the raging tides of the Four Seas, helping Houtu establish reincarnation and repair the Primordial World's flaws. When the Investiture of the Gods calamity begins, he untangles karma and reduces bloodshed, breaks formations with talisman arts, resolves disputes through Confucianism, and purifies karmic burdens with Buddhism.

His Talisman Ancestor incarnation resonates with myriad talismans; the Dean of the Literary Pivot Academy gathers the literary fortune of the Primordial World; and Cangming's Universal Salvation Buddha unites water and Buddha as one. The three incarnations complement each other, creating a new order in which all paths coexist. He takes in the auspicious cloud deer Xiaohuan, the dragon Aorui, the Human Ancestor Cangjie, and the Fire Spirit Lu Ya as disciples. With Kong Xuan as his mount, he roams the Primordial World, forging his Dao foundation with merit and protecting living beings with fortune.