The Nine Provinces Continent, where myriad races stand tall and countless beings thrive, spans billions of miles. Oceans cover nearly eighty percent of its surface, leaving only twenty percent as land.
Seen from the distant skies, it resembles a giant water orb, a blend of azure and green—breathtakingly beautiful.
According to records of the Human Race, this realm is known as the Illusory Mist Realm.
It is said to have existed for tens of billions of years, though the exact duration is uncertain due to its ancient past.
The land is divided into nine provinces: Qing, Jing, Yang, Bin, Xuan, Yun, Hua, You, and Ji—nine vast territories.
Each province is immeasurably large, spanning millions of miles. For mortals, it would be nearly impossible to traverse even a single province within their lifetime.
To the south of Jing lies more than ten thousand islands of various sizes: the largest are half the size of a province, the smallest only a hundred miles across, with countless islets mere tens of miles wide.
This region forms the outer area of the Nine Provinces Continent. Being close to the sea, it is rich in aquatic resources. Cultivators and ordinary people alike live on the islands of the inner sea, making their living primarily through fishing.
It is said that terrifying demonic beasts dwell beyond the outer sea. They take various forms, extremely ferocious, and incidents of man-eating occur from time to time. Tales speak of nightmare demons hundreds of kilometres long, and spirit turtles as large as mountains, though whether these stories are true remains uncertain.
Because of this, humans dare not live more than a hundred miles from the inner sea, surviving mainly through fishing and aquaculture.
Outside the vast southern seas and islands, beyond the mainland, powerful races like the Sea Demons, the Demon Race, and the Xulin Race can be found.
Qing lies in the southwest of the Nine Provinces, bordered by Ji to the north and Jing to the south.
To the west of Qing and Ji, the mighty Demon Race dwells, inhabiting a vast primordial forest filled with endless mountain ranges and rivers, where towering trees hundreds of feet high dominate the land.
Here, demonic beasts multiply and thrive, feeding on Spiritual Trees, Spiritual Medicines, and mineral ores. It is a forbidden land, rarely visited by humans.
Since the birth of the Human Race a million years ago, the Demon Race has proliferated for several million years. With lifespans far exceeding humans—sometimes several times longer—the Demons stand as favored children of the heavens.
Their long lives and powerful physiques have always been the envy of human cultivators. Yet the path of advancement for the Demon Race is far more difficult than for humans.
The intellect of low-order monster beasts is no greater than that of a young child. Only Third-Order demonic beasts and above gain significant intelligence.
For millions of years, the Demon Race's strength has subtly overshadowed that of the Human Race.
The Nine Provinces Continent is often plagued by their havoc. Beast tides attack frequently, each wave a test of life and death for human cultivators.
Thus, the Human and Demon races have been natural enemies since ancient times.
Beyond Jing to the south, and east of Yang and Bin, lies a vast sea inhabited by the even more powerful Sea Demon Race. The land-dwelling Demon Race is but a branch of this lineage.
It is said that millions of years before the birth of humankind, part of the Sea Demon Race migrated onto land.
After countless generations of evolution, these sea creatures adapted to terrestrial life, giving rise to many exotic beasts with unique innate gifts.
Today's Nine Provinces Continent has been forged through tens of millions of years of wars between the Human and Demon races, with countless mighty beings rising and falling.
To the north of You lies a vast expanse of deserts and prairies, home to the wild Xulin Race.
They are humanoid in shape but bear wings upon their backs and bovine split tails upon their torsos. Known for their strong elemental affinity, the Xulin are gifted with extraordinary talents.
Their lands abound with fire and metal-attributed Spiritual Objects, making them a paradise for cultivators of those elements.
Meanwhile, Qing, Ji, and the Demon Race's territories are rich in wood, metal, and earth Spiritual Objects, while Ji and Yang are more abundant in water attributes.
Among the Nine Provinces, Yun and Xuan are the largest, each bigger than Qing and Ji combined.
Yun and Xuan form the central regions of humanity. After hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation heritage, these two provinces have become hubs for High Order Cultivators. With prosperous trade and abundant resources, they host countless sects and clans, making them paradises for cultivation.
As the Human Race grew stronger, however, the resources of the seven provinces were no longer enough.
Over tens of thousands of years, Qing and Ji were gradually seized from the Demon Race.
Their complex terrains, hidden spiritual veins, mineral ores, and Spiritual Medicines attracted countless adventurers seeking treasure and experience, turning them into hotspots for cultivators' journeys.
Today, the Human Race numbers in the hundreds of billions, though 99% are ordinary mortals.
A true cultivator is rare, for only those born with Spiritual Roots may cultivate. Among mortals, only one in ten thousand bears a Spiritual Root. The vast majority have the common Four or Five Spirit Roots, making Core Formation nearly impossible without extraordinary opportunities.
Children of cultivators, however, are more likely to inherit superior roots. Many are born with Three or even Two Spirit Roots, giving them a real chance at Foundation Establishment.
Those with a Single Spirit Root are the rarest of all. For them, the path is smooth—Golden Core is almost certain, and even Nascent Soul is within reach.
Of course, the quality of a Spiritual Root does not guarantee one's fate on the Dao. Many so-called geniuses fall prematurely, while ordinary cultivators sometimes defy the heavens to reach the peak.
Cultivation itself is an act of defiance against heaven. Every breakthrough carries immense peril, with failure often leading to crippling injury or death.
Yet this danger never diminishes the cultivator's longing for immortality.
In the cultivation world, the known realms are: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divinity Transformation.
Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment each span nine levels: one to three as the early stage, four to six the middle stage, seven to nine the late stage, and finally the Great Perfection.
Beyond this, the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divinity Transformation stages are divided simply into early, middle, late, and Great Perfection.
In the Illusory Mist Realm, Demons cultivate their bodies, while Humans and Xulin cultivate Spiritual Power.
Mortals live little more than seventy years, with ninety considered old age. A Qi Refinement cultivator lives about 120 years, Foundation Establishment around 210, Golden Core more than 400, Nascent Soul about 1,200, and Divinity Transformation over 3,000.
At the Golden Core Stage, one gains the power to soar through the skies and reshape landscapes, stepping into the ranks of High Order Cultivators.
The pursuit of power becomes an ever-deeper obsession.
The cultivation system of the Xulin corresponds to that of humans. For the Demon Race, realms are divided from First to Fifth Order, each with early, middle, and late stages.
First-Order beasts match Qi Refinement, Second-Order Foundation Establishment. Third-Order beasts awaken Spirit Wisdom, equal to Golden Core. Fourth-Order beasts can transform into human form, rivalling Nascent Soul. Fifth-Order beasts are akin to Divinity Transformation cultivators.
Tens of thousands of years ago, Qing and Ji still belonged to the Demon Race. Wars between humans and demons lasted for millennia, costing countless lives. Even Nascent Soul experts fell by the dozens, and rumours say that even Divinity Transformation elders perished, though such tales remain unverified.
In the end, the Demon Race ceded Qing and Ji as buffer zones. Compared to their vast lands, the loss of two provinces was negligible.
For nearly ten thousand years since, humans and demons have coexisted in uneasy peace. Beast tides still erupt, but on a smaller scale, involving only low-order beasts. They cause no lasting damage to the foundations of either race.
Over tens of thousands of years, both humans and demons have exercised restraint, quietly recuperating and growing.