vrcanaries Chapter 1: Death
Chapter 1: Death
After failing to win the lottery for 444 consecutive days, Shen Yao died of a fit of anger and frustration.
As my soul left my body, I clearly saw myself lying face down on the desk, frowning, clutching my heart, my lifeless face still revealing indignation and resentment.
Before they could react, they were sucked in by a burst of white light and entered a dark, empty, unknown space.
"Am I in hell?" Shen Yao thought to herself.
"Impossible! Although I haven't done many good deeds or accumulated much merit in my life, I've never done anything bad. I've never even uttered a few swear words. At most, I've lived a poor and destitute life and cursed God a few times for being unfair. It's not like I'm going to hell, is it?"
"Where is the Bridge of Helplessness? Isn't it said that everyone who goes to hell has to cross the Bridge of Helplessness? It's pitch black here, there's nothing there. Where's the bridge? Where's the river?"
She didn't know how much time had passed in this dark and unknown space when suddenly a sonic boom rang out, startling Shen Yao's spirit body.
Then a bolt of lightning struck her spirit body. After the blinding light dissipated, Shen Yao's spirit body began to dissipate, turning into specks of starlight and disappearing without a trace.
The back hill of Lingcaotang is filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, and the lush forest is full of greenery.
Shen Yao lay on a clearing outside the dense forest, exposed to the scorching midday sun.
"Why is it so hot? My face feels so painful." Shen Yao slowly woke up: "Painful? Wasn't I dead? My soul was struck by lightning and scattered, how can I still feel pain?"
Shen Yao sat up abruptly, her eyes wide as she looked around in bewilderment: "What's going on? Where am I?" Then she looked at the scorching sun.
"No wonder your face hurts. You must have been exposed to such a strong sun for a long time. Your face must be peeling."
Thinking this to herself, but there was no mirror here, and she, a grown woman, couldn't just take a bath and look at herself right there, so she thought she would find a place to check her face after figuring out the situation.
Her gaze shifted to the emerald green sleeves of her clothes, then to the light emerald green hem of her skirt.
"Huh? What material is this? It's so beautiful, with its iridescent luster."
"Could it be that I've transmigrated into the body of a young lady from a wealthy family in ancient times? But why would a young lady from a wealthy family be lying here in broad daylight? And I've transmigrated into her body? Strange, really strange."
"Daughter, you're awake?" A childish voice reached Shen Yao's ears, sounding like a cute little boy.
"Who's speaking?" Shen Yao called out softly, looking around but seeing nothing.
"Girl, what are you looking for?" The childish voice rang out again.
Shen Yao was terrified. She saw a ghost in broad daylight? How could someone who had died once see a ghost in broad daylight?
Shen Yao was terrified. Considering that she was new to the area and alone in the mountains, with no way to escape, she mustered her courage and shouted, "Sir, stop playing tricks and show your true form!"
"She really is a bit silly," the little boy muttered. "Girl, squat down, look down, and look at the blade of grass next to your left foot."
Shen Yao, without suspicion, squatted down and looked at the grass next to her left foot.
On the tip of a long, emerald-green blade of grass, about the thickness of a finger, rested a ladybug the size of a palm.
The ladybug was reddish-black, with dense spots on its back, tinged with purple, clearly indicating it was highly poisonous! The ladybug was moving its two long, bamboo-like antennae.
The little boy's voice came from the antennae: "Daughter, can you see me? Can you see your dad?"
Have you seen your dad?
Shen Yao felt her worldview had collapsed. She could accept that ghosts existed and that she had been resurrected, but she couldn't accept that she had been resurrected as a ladybug spirit!
"You you you you you..." Shen Yao pointed a trembling finger at the ladybug on the tip of the grass and said, "Was it you who was speaking?"
"Can't you see? Who else could it be but me?" The ladybug spread its wings and slowly took flight.
"Are you my father?" Shen Yao still couldn't believe it.
"Yes, my dear daughter."
Shen Yao felt her vision go black for a long time before she recovered. She then pointed at herself, trembling, and asked, "Am I a ladybug spirit?"
"What ladybug spirit?" the young boy asked, his voice full of confusion.
"You're my dad, you're a ladybug, so wouldn't I be a little ladybug, a ladybug spirit?" Shen Yao said, feeling wronged and heartbroken.
"Pah! What ladybug spirit? What bad luck! Your father carefully selected this cool and handsome Purple Cloud Golden Beetle as my vessel in this world. You ignorant little thing, all you know is ladybugs!" The little boy cursed without any politeness.
Shen Yao glanced at the golden beetle: "The color of your outfit has absolutely nothing to do with golden armor."
"That's because when your dad was taking you through different dimensions, he lost too much energy, so he had to parasitize the larvae first. The Purple Cloud Golden Beetle is a bit ugly when it's young, but it'll grow up to be handsome," the little boy said nonchalantly.
"Transmigrating to another dimension? Transmigrating? Then I'm the original body that transmigrated? I'm not an insect spirit?" Shen Yao asked in a series of questions.
"What are you thinking? Your original body was burned to ashes long ago. I brought your spirit to this world. The original owner of this body accidentally touched the pistil of the Crimson Cloud Flower while gathering herbs on the mountain and is already dead. From now on, you are her and will train in this world of cultivation."
After saying that, the Purple Cloud Golden Beetle emitted a burst of light from its antennae, and after a moment, it said, "I have transmitted the information of this world to you. Digest it yourself. We can rest for two more hours at most before we have to return to the sect."
Shen Yao glanced at the sun, then at the woods, raised her hand to signal the golden beetle to fly onto her sleeve, and led the beetle toward the shade of the trees.
It turns out this is a world of cultivation, a world rich in spiritual energy and abundant in spiritual treasures. A true god once appeared there, causing a great shock to the world. This true god once led the three races of immortals, demons, and monsters with his own power, and the world of cultivation enjoyed a long period of peace.
Later, the true god suddenly disappeared, leaving behind countless treasures and fragments that aided in the cultivation of the god. The original six disciples of the true god maintained world order and awaited the return of the true god.
However, after ten thousand years, with the fall of the true god's disciples and their disciples, the world once again became a chaotic place where the strong were respected and interests were paramount.
In the struggle for resources, the three races of immortals, demons, and monsters fought each other incessantly. The world was divided into three major race territories by the three races of immortals, demons, and monsters. These three race territories were further divided into countless sects and sects by various forces of different sizes.
The body Shen Yao transmigrated into was originally owned by Bai Luo, who was a disciple of a small sect on the edge of the Immortal Clan's territory.
In this world of cultivation, aptitude is divided into ten grades of spiritual roots, and each grade of spiritual root is further divided into three levels: superior, middle, and inferior. The superior grade of spiritual root is the best, and the inferior grade of spiritual root is the worst.
First-class spiritual roots are extremely rare. Legend has it that the true god possessed a first-class superior spiritual root, capable of simultaneously absorbing the ten natural forces of earth, wood, water, fire, metal, wind, thunder, ice, qi, and soul, cultivating all of them at an extremely fast pace.
The vast majority of cultivators awaken only one spiritual root in their lifetime, and most of them are of medium to low grade. Their lifespan is no different from that of ordinary Blue Star people, a mere seventy or eighty years. In the world of cultivation, such a lifespan is like a fleeting speck of dust, and it's best not to mention it.
Awakening two types of spiritual roots is grade nine, awakening three types of spiritual roots is grade eight, and some small sects are already willing to recruit those with grade eight spiritual roots.
The four spiritual roots are ranked seventh, and those with four spiritual roots are already qualified as outer disciples in intermediate sects.
A person with five spiritual roots is ranked sixth, which is quite outstanding and makes them suitable as an inner disciple of a mid-level sect.
Having six spiritual roots is considered to be of the fifth rank, which means one can stand out from the crowd and easily enter a major sect.
The seven spiritual roots are classified as fourth grade, which is already considered genius talent. Once someone is born, all the major sects will send their elders to compete to take them as disciples.
Eight spiritual roots are considered the third grade, and are rare in the world. Nowadays, only the sect leaders and elders of major sects have third-grade spiritual roots.
Nine spiritual roots are considered second-class, and there are only a handful of such individuals in the world. Legend has it that the disciples of that true god all possessed second-class aptitude.
In the long history of the cultivation world, there has only been one true god who possesses the ten spiritual roots of the highest rank.