——All things have spirits, and heaven and earth are self-formed.
I. Basic Concepts of the World
Xuanhuan is a vast fantasy world based on the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, composed of countless lives, civilizations, natural laws, and unknown existences. This world was not created by any god, nor does it have a single creator. The formation of heaven and earth was a long process with an untraceable origin. The initial chaos gradually differentiated into heaven, earth, stars, oceans, and various natural phenomena. As time passed, life began to appear, civilizations gradually formed, and eventually evolved into the world as it is today. Xuanhuan is not a world that strictly follows human cognition. Mountains and rivers may possess consciousness, rivers may retain memories, plants may develop independent thinking abilities, and certain inanimate objects may also develop spirituality due to prolonged exposure to spiritual essence. Natural phenomena are not necessarily just physical changes; some storms, tides, earthquakes, and celestial phenomena may even be the result of some yet-to-be-understood life activities. There is no absolute order of good and evil in the world; the actions of living beings are usually influenced by their environment, culture, interests, beliefs, and their own perceptions. Different races and civilizations may have completely different understandings of the same event. Xuanhuan has no single center, nor can any race represent the entire world. Civilizations in different regions have their own histories, languages, systems, and beliefs, and there is both exchange and conflict between them. The core principle of the entire world is: Heaven and earth do not exist for any life, and life does not necessarily obey the will of heaven and earth. All beings exist, evolve, and perish under their own conditions.
II. World Structure and Spatial Hierarchy
The space of Xuanhuan is not simply composed of the ground and the sky, but is formed by different levels of space. These spaces are interconnected but not necessarily accessible through ordinary means. The world is mainly divided into nine layers, collectively known as the Nine Heavens. The Nine Heavens are not nine heavens in the traditional sense, but nine different spatial states and levels of laws.
First Layer: Mortal World. The Mortal World is where the vast majority of life lives, encompassing continents, oceans, mountains, forests, deserts, and various natural environments. Humans, spiritual beings,异生 (Yi Sheng - strange beings), and other races establish civilizations here. The laws of heaven and earth in the Mortal World are relatively stable, with clear conversion rules between matter and spiritual essence.
Second Layer: Spirit Realm. The Spirit Realm is a space where spiritual essence is highly concentrated, usually found in ancient forests, special mountains, the deep sea, and at the confluence of major spiritual veins. Life in the Spirit Realm often possesses stronger spirituality than in the Mortal World, and some places even feature natural landscapes independent of real space. Some Spirit Realms have their own time flow and ecological cycles.
Third Layer: Star Domain. The Star Domain is a space related to stars, sun, moon, and celestial bodies in the universe. Stars are not merely luminous celestial bodies; some stars possess special spiritual essence and may even contain information left by ancient civilizations. The Star Domain contains a large number of celestial bodies and spatial structures that cannot be discovered through ordinary observation methods.
Fourth Layer: Divine Ruins. The Divine Ruins are remnant spaces left by ancient civilizations and divine beings. Here, a large amount of lost knowledge, artifacts, and fragments of laws are preserved. Divine Ruins are not necessarily fixed locations; some appear in the Mortal World, while others exist in independent spaces.
Fifth Layer: Celestial Balance. The Celestial Balance is a space where the laws of heaven and earth are more completely manifested. Basic principles such as time, space, life, and death have a more direct form here. Very few beings can enter the Celestial Balance, and ordinary life forms may not be able to understand the environment even if they reach it.
Sixth Layer: Sea of Myriad Phenomena. The Sea of Myriad Phenomena is not a true ocean but a vast area composed of projections of different worlds, spatial fragments, and possibilities. Scenes from different worlds may briefly intersect here, and some spaces even have contradictory natural laws.
Seventh Layer: Silent Void. The Silent Void is a space lacking stable matter and spiritual essence. Sound, light, and general life activities are difficult to sustain here, and some matter entering the Silent Void gradually loses its original form.
Eighth Layer: Primordial Chaos. The Primordial Chaos is believed to be a spatial trace left before the formation of heaven and earth. Its existence lacks reliable evidence, and existing records are mostly from ancient stone tablets and documents from the Divine Ruins. Legend has it that the initial state of heaven and earth is preserved here.
Ninth Layer: Nameless Heaven. The Nameless Heaven is the layer with the least data in the Nine Heavens. No one can confirm its existence, nor is there a reliable way to prove its spatial location. All records about the Nameless Heaven contain varying degrees of contradiction.
The Nine Heavens are not cultivation realms, nor do they imply that the beings residing within are necessarily powerful. They are merely different levels of spatial structure in the world.
III. World Geography and Five Major Regions
The Mortal World of Xuanhuan is mainly composed of five major regions: Qingheng Continent, Cangming Continent, Chihuang Continent, Hanyuan Continent, and Zhongtian Plain. There are extensive natural and cultural differences between the five regions, each forming independent ecological, political, and civilizational systems.
Qingheng Continent—Land of Mountains and Myriad Woods
Located in the east of the world, Qingheng Continent is a vast region with mountains, forests, river valleys, and lakes as its main landforms. The climate here is mild with abundant rainfall, and the variety of plant species is extremely rich. The history of many ancient forests even predates existing civilizations. Qingheng Continent has a large number of natural spiritual veins, and plants and animals are easily influenced by spiritual essence, developing into life forms with special abilities. Some ancient trees in the forests have independent consciousness and can communicate with other life forms through their roots, flowers, and scents. The local civilization values natural balance, knowledge inheritance, and land relations. Main products include spiritual wood, medicinal herbs, natural ores, plant fibers, and various rare seeds. Major settlements in Qingheng Continent are usually built along mountains and rivers, with urban architecture making extensive use of wood, stone, and natural materials. Some ancient cities even incorporate living giant trees as part of their architectural structure.
Cangming Continent—Land of Oceans and Islands
Located in the south of the world, Cangming Continent has vast seas, numerous islands, bays, coral reefs, and tropical forests. The civilization here relies heavily on marine resources, with highly developed navigation, shipbuilding, fishing, water magic, and underwater harvesting techniques. Cangming Continent is home to a large number of marine spiritual beings, some of which are highly intelligent and have established underwater city-states and settlements. The ocean is not entirely explorable; the deeper one goes, the more unstable the spiritual essence environment becomes. Some deep-sea areas have special spatial rifts that cause anomalies in ocean currents, direction, and time perception. Main products include sea crystals, pearls, deep-sea minerals, marine medicinal materials, and special biological materials. Local culture values contracts, maritime heritage, and collective cooperation.
Chihuang Continent—Land of Ore Veins and Blazing Fire
Located in the west of the world, Chihuang Continent is characterized by deserts, volcanoes, canyons, exposed mountains, and vast mining areas. The climate is dry, and some areas are affected by high temperatures and sandstorms year-round. It is rich in metals, crystals, and special ores, making it an important center for refining and industry in Xuanhuan. The civilization of Chihuang Continent is mainly organized into city-states, workshops, and commercial alliances. Its inhabitants are skilled in smelting, forging, construction, and mechanical technology. The locals value technical ability, trading credit, and practical results. The volcanic areas of Chihuang Continent have special spiritual essence structures, and some lava contains minerals that can absorb and release energy. The main products of this region include metals, spirit stones, ore crystals, mechanical parts, and high-level artifacts.
Hanyuan Continent—Land of Ice and Ancient Memories
Located in the north of the world, Hanyuan Continent is a vast region covered by glaciers, snowfields, permafrost, and polar mountains. The cold climate has led to unique survival methods for local life. Some plants grow under the ice, while some animals can hibernate for extended periods in extremely low temperatures. Hanyuan Continent has abundant ice crystal veins, and some ice crystals can preserve sounds, images, and traces of spiritual essence, leading to the development of unique memory preservation techniques. The inhabitants value history, bloodlines, traditions, and collective memory. Many important events are recorded on ice tablets and stone pillars. The main products of Hanyuan Continent include cold crystals, ice-based materials, special furs, polar medicinal materials, and ancient documents.
Zhongtian Plain—Land of Civilization and Exchange
Located in the center of the five major regions, Zhongtian Plain is the core area for transportation, culture, and commercial exchange. The terrain is relatively flat with crisscrossing rivers, vast plains, hills, and lakes. The climate here is moderate, agriculture is developed, the population is dense, and cities and towns are widely distributed. Zhongtian Plain has no single supreme ruler; instead, it is composed of multiple dynasties, city-states, academies, and sects, forming a complex political landscape. Various races interact here, forming a multicultural society. Zhongtian Plain is also the main center for education, healthcare, commerce, and transportation in Xuanhuan. Its main products include food, textiles, magic tools, formation diagrams, books, and goods transported from other regions.
IV. Basic Laws of Heaven and Earth
The natural operation of Xuanhuan is based on five fundamental laws: Life, Death, Time, Space, and Order. These five laws are not rules set by gods but are the basic conditions for the existence of the world.
The Law of Life is responsible for the formation, growth, reproduction, and change of life. It does not represent pure good, nor does it guarantee that life will continue. All life is influenced by the Law of Life, but different lives have different understandings and applications of life force.
The Law of Death is responsible for the end, disappearance, and return of life and things. Death is not mere destruction but part of the world's cycle. After life disappears, its matter and some spiritual essence return to heaven and earth.
The Law of Time maintains the sequence of events and the flow of time. Time is not uniform across all spaces; some special areas may have different time flow rates, but altering time requires extremely high power and understanding.
The Law of Space maintains distance, position, and spatial structure. Space is not just the distance between objects but also includes the relationships between different worlds, dimensions, and layers.
The Law of Order maintains the basic order of the world, preventing different forces and natural phenomena from falling into complete chaos. It does not represent moral order but maintains the stability of the world's operation.
In addition to the five laws, the world also has a large number of derivative attributes, including wind, thunder, fire, water, ice, earth, wood, metal, light, shadow, mist, dreams, sound, stars, and moonlight. Derivative attributes can combine with each other and may also produce different changes depending on the environment.
V. Spiritual Essence and Life System
Spiritual essence is the most basic form of energy in Xuanhuan, existing in heaven and earth, matter, life, and space. Spiritual essence is not merely a source of power but also participates in life activities and natural cycles. The spiritual essence in different regions has different properties, influenced by landforms, climate, celestial phenomena, and life activities.
Spiritual essence is mainly divided into natural spiritual essence, life spiritual essence, material spiritual essence, and law spiritual essence.
Natural spiritual essence exists in the air, water sources, land, and natural environments, and is the main source of most magic and cultivation activities.
Life spiritual essence exists within living organisms and is related to life activities, spirit, and physical condition.
Material spiritual essence exists in ores, metals, crystals, and special materials. Some materials can store spiritual essence for a long time.
Law spiritual essence is related to the basic laws of the world, is extremely rare, and can usually only be observed in special regions, ancient ruins, or abnormal phenomena.
Spiritual essence flows naturally, forming special structures called spiritual veins. Spiritual veins are like the circulatory system of the world, connecting the spiritual essence of different regions. Large spiritual veins may span entire continents, and some deep spiritual veins may even connect with the Nine Heavens.
When a spiritual vein is damaged, the surrounding environment may experience long-term abnormalities, such as wilting of plants, loss of spirituality in rivers, migration of animals, and changes in local climate.
VI. Classification of Life and Races
Life in Xuanhuan has no single origin. Different races may have evolved naturally, been influenced by spiritual essence, created by ancient civilizations, or nurtured by special environments.
Mortals are the most widespread category of life, including humans and ordinary plants and animals. Mortals do not necessarily possess special abilities but can change themselves through learning, technology, and cultivation.
Spiritual beings are life forms that have developed intelligence through long-term influence of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, including wood spirits, mountain spirits, water spirits, spirit beasts, and some plant life. Spiritual beings do not necessarily have a fixed form; some can transform between different forms.
异生 (Yi Sheng - strange beings) are life forms with special formation methods, possibly originating from spatial anomalies, law fusions, ancient experiments, or natural mutations. The appearance, abilities, and life structures of 异生 vary greatly.
Ancient Descendants are races with blood, spiritual, or law connections to ancient beings. Some Ancient Descendants have long lifespans and special talents, but not all Ancient Descendants possess great power.
Divine beings include ancient gods, the will of heaven and earth, avatars of laws, and other existences beyond the comprehension of ordinary life. Divinity does not equate to omniscience and omnipotence, nor does it represent absolute good or evil.
There is no absolute power ranking between different races. Life abilities are influenced by environment, culture, knowledge, and individual differences. Some weak races can establish powerful civilizations through technology and collective cooperation, while some powerful beings may gradually disappear due to a lack of adaptability.
VII. Cultivation and Power System
The application of power in Xuanhuan is collectively known as the Spiritual Path. The Spiritual Path is a method of understanding and utilizing the spiritual essence of heaven and earth. Not all beings must cultivate, nor do all cultivators pursue the highest realm.
The Spiritual Path is mainly divided into eight directions.
Martial Path: Enhancing physical strength, power, speed, and sensory abilities.
Magic Path: Using spiritual essence to form various spells, including elements, light and shadow, space, and spirit.
Alchemy Path: Researching medicines, life activities, spiritual essence harmonization, and material fusion.
Artifact Path: Researching the creation of artifacts, materials, spirituality, and special tools.
Formation Path: Creating special effects through runes, spatial structures, and spiritual essence arrangements.
Spiritual Plant Path: Researching plants, medicinal herbs, natural life, and ecological cycles.
Spirit Taming Path: Establishing connections with other beings and utilizing their abilities through cooperation and contracts.
Mind Path: Researching spirit, will, perception, memory, and self-awareness.
There are nine stages of cultivation realms: Sensing Spirit, Drawing Essence, Condensing Veins, Forming Core, Spirit Platform, Returning to Truth, Penetrating the Profound, Questioning Heaven, and Formless.
Sensing Spirit is perceiving the spiritual essence of heaven and earth; Drawing Essence is drawing spiritual essence into oneself; Condensing Veins is establishing a stable spiritual essence circulation system; Forming Core is forming a structure within the body to store spiritual essence; Spirit Platform is the high integration of spirit and spiritual essence; Returning to Truth is understanding the essence of one's own power; Penetrating the Profound is observing some laws of heaven and earth; Questioning Heaven is contacting the deeper order of the world; Formless is the legendary highest realm.
Realms do not equate to actual combat power. Knowledge, experience, technology, environment, and individual talent all affect the actual application of power.
VIII. Civilization and Social Systems
Xuanhuan has no unified world government. Each region forms its own political system based on its history and culture.
Dynasties are usually based on bloodlines, military power, and land management, responsible for city governance, agriculture, taxation, and public order.
Sects are centered around cultivation inheritance and power organizations, responsible for education, magic research, ruin management, and security in some areas.
Academies are primarily for knowledge research and education, usually having relatively independent academic systems.
City-states are based on commerce, transportation, and local autonomy, with residents jointly managing public affairs through councils, chambers of commerce, or local representatives.
Chambers of commerce are responsible for cross-regional trade, resource transportation, finance, and market information.
There is cooperation, competition, and conflict of interest between different forces. Some large sects can influence dynastic policies, and some commercial alliances even possess resources sufficient to influence regional economies.
Ordinary people constitute the majority of the population in the world. Agriculture, construction, healthcare, education, handicrafts, and commerce remain the foundation of civilization's operation. Cultivators are not the only important group in society.
IX. Technology, Transportation, and Life
The civilization of Xuanhuan is in a developmental stage that integrates traditional craftsmanship with spiritual essence technology.
Cities use spiritual essence lamps for lighting, and some large buildings maintain temperature and structural stability with spiritual essence formations. The medical system combines herbal medicine, elixirs, surgical techniques, and spiritual essence conditioning. Transportation methods include carriages, ships, flying devices, and special teleportation arrays.
Teleportation arrays are mainly used for transportation between large cities and important locations, requiring a large amount of spirit stones to maintain, and are subject to limitations in distance, direction, and spatial stability.
Ordinary residents still use ordinary currency for transactions, while cultivators and large organizations use spirit stones as a medium of exchange.
Currency is mainly divided into gold, silver, copper, and spirit stones. Different regions also have their own local currencies and exchange systems.
Daily necessities include storage artifacts, lighting stones, temperature regulators, simple protective formations, and spiritual essence communication devices. These technologies have not completely replaced traditional lifestyles; many places still retain classical architecture, handmade products, and local cultures.
X. Religion and Belief
There is no unified religion in Xuanhuan.
Different regions have different understandings of heaven and earth, life, and death.
Some civilizations worship the sun, moon, and stars, believing celestial bodies to be symbols of world order; some civilizations revere mountains, rivers, and ancient trees, believing nature itself possesses consciousness; some civilizations believe ancient gods still exist but have left the mortal world; and some civilizations do not worship gods at all, viewing the laws of heaven and earth as objective existences.
Religious organizations usually function in areas such as sacrifice, education, healthcare, historical preservation, and social relief.
Belief does not necessarily equate to reality. Some beings worshipped as gods may simply be powerful spiritual beings, while some true divine beings may never have been discovered by any civilization.
XI. Natural Ecology and Resources
Xuanhuan has a highly diverse ecological environment.
Qingheng Continent features ancient forests, spiritual plant communities, mountain beast herds, and plant life with consciousness.
Cangming Continent has underwater forests, deep-sea leviathans, coral spirit groups, and special aquatic races.
Chihuang Continent has heat-resistant plants, rock-dwelling creatures, desert communities, and volcanic ecosystems.
Hanyuan Continent has icefield beast herds, underground tundras, cold crystal plants, and life forms within the ice.
Zhongtian Plain has extensive agricultural ecosystems, grasslands, forests, rivers, and human settlements.
Natural resources mainly include timber, ores, medicinal herbs, crystals, spirit stones, special biological materials, and water sources.
The formation of resources is influenced by landforms, spiritual essence, and ecological cycles. Over-exploitation can damage spiritual veins and lead to local ecological imbalance. Therefore, some regions have established nature reserves, forbidden spiritual plant areas, and resource collection systems.
XII. World History
The history of Xuanhuan is divided into five major eras.
Primordial Era: Heaven and earth had not yet formed stable order, and life forms and natural laws were still evolving. There are almost no reliable historical records from this era.
Divine Court Era: Some powerful beings began to understand the laws of heaven and earth and established early divine civilizations. Many ancient ruins, artifacts, and special magic techniques were formed during this time.
Myriad Spirits Era: Life proliferated, different races established civilizations, and city-states, dynasties, sects, and belief systems gradually emerged.
Era of Broken Balance: Large-scale chaos occurred in the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, some regions disappeared, ancient civilizations declined, and the spatial connections between the Nine Heavens were damaged. The true cause of this catastrophe remains unknown.
New Huan Era: The current era. Civilizations in various regions have gradually recovered, cultivation systems have been re-established, and cross-regional exchanges are becoming more frequent, but many problems left over from ancient times still exist.
XIII. Major Forces
Myriad Woods Academy: Located in Qingheng Continent, it studies spiritual plants, ecology, the laws of heaven and earth, and ancient history, and is an important academic institution in Xuanhuan.
Celestial Balance Alliance: Composed of multiple sects, dynasties, and city-states in Zhongtian Plain, it is responsible for coordinating regional order and major affairs.
Blazing Fire Palace: Located in Chihuang Continent, it possesses advanced refining, forging, and artifact research technology, as well as powerful martial cultivation strength.
Memory Guardian Palace: Located in Hanyuan Continent, it preserves a large amount of historical data, memory crystals, and ancient documents.
Myriad Tides Association: Located in Cangming Continent, it is responsible for maritime trade, navigation research, deep-sea exploration, and water resource management.
The five major forces are not the supreme governing powers of their respective regions but organizations with extensive influence. They cooperate and compete with each other and do not represent the stance of all residents in their respective regions.
XIV. World Anomalies
Although the natural laws of Xuanhuan have basic stability, there are still some anomalies that cannot be fully explained.
Spirit Tide: The spiritual essence of heaven and earth gathers in large quantities during specific periods, forming temporary energy peaks, which may cause plants to bloom early, special creatures to awaken, or local environments to change.
Spatial Erosion: The spatial structure is affected by unknown forces, causing positional displacement, changes in distance, or localized spatial closure.
Starfall: Some stars suddenly change their orbits or even disappear from the night sky, causing special spiritual essence fluctuations in some areas.
Silent Zone: Sound, light, and spiritual essence activities in a certain area gradually weaken, and life entering the Silent Zone may lose some sensory abilities.
Silent Tide: An extremely rare and dangerous anomaly. It erodes the spiritual essence in the local environment, causing plants to lose their life activities, rivers to lose their spirituality, and even affecting the memories and perceptions of some beings. The Silent Tide is not an ordinary disaster, and its true origin has not yet been confirmed.
These phenomena are not all hostile, nor do they necessarily indicate that the world is heading for destruction. Some anomalies may be the result of natural evolution, while others may be related to ancient civilizations and spatial structures.
X V. Basic Principles of World Operation
Xuanhuan has several basic principles that do not change regardless of civilization, race, or individual.
First, all life is limited by the laws of the world, and no life can break the laws of nature without consequence.
Second, power and knowledge are not the same; possessing great power does not mean understanding the world.
Third, life has different values and ways of survival; there is no absolute racial superiority.
Fourth, the rise and fall of civilizations have multiple causes; no force can maintain rule forever.
Fifth, the world will not stop operating because of any individual; all events have their own history and causality.
Sixth, death, disappearance, and change are part of the world; there is no guarantee that all things can be preserved forever.
Seventh, historical records do not necessarily equate to truth; different civilizations may have different versions of the same historical period.
Eighth, the unknown does not necessarily mean danger, and the known does not necessarily mean safety.
Ninth, heaven and earth do not have a will that can be directly applied with human morality; natural laws only maintain their own operation.
Tenth, the world does not have a predetermined unique ending.
X V I. Overall Positioning of the World
Xuanhuan is a complete world based on Eastern fantasy culture, integrating natural spirituality, ancient civilizations, fantasy ecology, cultivation systems, and multi-layered spatial structures.
It has a vast geographical scale, diverse life forms, independent civilizational systems, and complex historical context.
Dynasties will rise and fall, sects will change, cities will expand or disappear, races will migrate, forests will grow, oceans will change, and ancient ruins may reawaken over long periods.
No one is the center of the world, nor can any being represent the entire Xuanhuan.
This world can accommodate countless different types of stories, including adventure, exploration, politics, war, commerce, academics, racial exchange, natural disasters, the rise and fall of civilizations, and unknown phenomena.
Different stories can take place in different regions, different eras, and between different civilizations, and they may not have direct connections.
The essence of Xuanhuan is a world that does not depend on any character.
Haven and earth have their own ways of operating, life has its own way of survival, and history has its own direction of evolution.
Even if no one records it, the world still exists; even if no one understands it, heaven and earth still operate.
All things have spirits, and heaven and earth are silent.