P R O L O G U E

                                    

                                          
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Prologue: The Black Book
"Haa, this is good," the Hidden Gem Feng Xi found in the spectacular novel titled "The Black Book." Feng Xi grinned while he continued reading the letters on the book pages.
Despite its title, "The Black Book," one might wonder if it's a tale of horror, a thriller, or perhaps something akin to the anime Death Note.
However, upon delving into its pages, one is met with exquisite prose that dances through the imagination—perfection in written form! It serves as a poignant reminder not to judge a book by its title.
The narrative unfolds within a realm of cultivation—a universe where martial artists, both noble and nefarious, pursue the elusive goal of immortality.
At the heart of this tale is Wu Qingge, an outer disciple of Mount Hua Peak's Master Mo Xian. Despite his status and frail meridians, Wu Qingge remains steadfast in his solitary training endeavors, while his peers—the inner disciples—enjoy the privilege of training halls. In contrast, outer disciples like him are relegated to menial tasks on Mount Hua Peak.
The cultivation practices bear the names of flowers—a lotus, peony, plum blossom; it matters not. If it's a floral cultivation technique, its origins trace back to Mount Hua Peak.
Mount Hua Peak was resplendent, adorned with an abundance of flowers. These were not mere decorations; the flowers possessed spiritual qi or inner energy. Outer disciples had the duty of watering them with Shen Shui, the divine water from the river at Mount Hua Peak. This river, brimming with purified spiritual qi, earned its divine moniker for this reason. When Shen Shui is applied to the soil containing flower seeds, it gradually purifies the soil and imbues the seeds with spiritual qi, allowing them to blossom into exquisite divine flowers.
Wu Qingge held the humble position of sweeper at Mount Hua Peak's entrance. As an outer disciple, his place was quite literally outside the peak—a commonality he shared with his fellow outer disciples. This was due to Master Mo Xian of Mount Hua Peak being a compassionate individual who believed in treating all disciples equally.
However, Liu Xiao, the foremost disciple of Master Mo Xian and known as "The Rising Star Meihua" in the cultivation world, disagreed with this egalitarian approach. He believed that inner disciples, being more competent, should not be seen as equals to their outer counterparts. In his view, Master Mo Xian's kindness was misguided. Although Liu Xiao wished to express his concerns to his master, he feared causing him distress.
Consequently, Liu Xiao directed his frustration towards the outer disciples in secret. Unable to tolerate their equal standing, and resentful that they did not show him the same respect as they did his master—due to their perceived equality—he resorted to bullying them. What a shallow person! If you want to be respected just because you're stronger, then you should've joined the Demon Cult!
Well, he seemed a bit reasonable because it's like when you were assigned to a group and were tasked with doing something. Then you were the only one who contributed, but the names of your members were written in the "List of those who contributed" paper. It just felt unfair, right? Yes.....
╮(╯▽╰)╭ Well, moving on to the story... Wu Qingge was a very hard-working disciple. Chen Yi, Mount Hua Peak Master Mo Xian's second disciple, and the so-called "Autumn Fairy Juhua," Since Juhua symbolizes autumn, Chen Yi always looked sad but, at the same time, strong. She fell in love with the hardworking main protagonist, Wu Qingge.
(Juhua means Chrysanthemum in Chinese.)
Tragically, Liu Xiao was deeply infatuated with Chen Yi, bordering on obsession. He envied Wu Qingge after witnessing Chen Yi steal glances at him during his solitary training sessions. This envy drove Liu Xiao to torment Wu Qingge.