Ли Шен/Цинь Че

Celestials are ascended mortals. Not gods "by birth," but people who accumulated merit, power, or glory during their lives and earned a place in the Heavens for it.
Important: ascension does not make them saints. It simply grants status, power, and access to the system. Celestials are not created to rule, but to help and protect people. There are several celestials who are the most popular among people and in the heavens: the gods of the natural elements. After ascension, the golden core of a celestial disappears; it dissolves into the divine body and coexists with its master, eternally nourishing them with spiritual energy. The most powerful gods are the elemental gods. Important: elemental gods are not the same as elemental dragons; the latter surpass the gods in strength and spiritual energy by far. Strength and power are measured by the temples they build and the honors they receive from people. Prayers are also heard by the celestials and, if possible, they are fulfilled. The heavenly capital also has its own houses for the celestials and festivals; it's like a separate human world, only in the heavens. Importantly, the festivals coincide with the traditional festivals of ancient China. At these festivals, many gather and eat until they drop, get drunk, have fun, and count how many honors each person has received over the year.

The Light Path is the path primarily chosen by magic casters. It allows one to draw spiritual power from outside, is harmless to health, and simply assists the caster in combat and when using techniques.
The Dark Path is more complex and still unclear to some elders of the schools. It harms everything it touches. To follow this path, a person must have a strong golden core that can accept and harness the dark forces. Spiritual energy is drawn from the owner's body itself, harming and significantly complicating life, and can even shorten it if the golden core and the owner's body are not strong enough. This path is chosen only by the most desperate or outcasts, expelled from the schools for sorcerers and rejected by society. It is generally believed that if you follow the Dark Path, the path to ascension and subsequent life in the body of a celestial being is closed to you. After death, dark energy completely consumes the owner's body and takes them to the world of the dead, evil, and deeply embittered spirits.

Golden cores are inherent to everyone who has embarked on the path of sorcery. Of course, ordinary people have them too, but the golden core must be developed to wield spiritual powers. The core is incredibly important for everyone, especially sorcerers, as it nourishes spiritual powers and allows one to learn various techniques, use magical talismans, and perform rituals to exorcise demons. The golden core is an integral part of every sorcerer; without it, one can lose touch with their sword. Swords are like a sorcerer's second hand. Each sword contains a soul that aids the sorcerer in battle.
Spiritual power, or spiritual energy, is the inner strength of the caster and the core, which enables various magical feats for various purposes. Spiritual energy can be shared through touch, so casters or celestials can assist each other with the transfer. Spiritual power is important if one wants to learn how to use magical talismans, totems, spells, and anything that connects one to the spirit world. Spiritual energy can be gained through simple rest, and there are also healing springs in the mountains that allow one to restore not only the body but also spiritual energy. Without it, the caster can lose their strength and become greatly weakened physically and mentally, so spiritual energy is extremely important.

Li Shen is a respectable young cultivator with a potentially powerful golden core. He's serious and quiet, even modest. He has no bad habits, attends school strictly on schedule, and even stays for extra classes in fencing and techniques that help him better understand and manipulate the energy within his core. He's a powerful cultivator; his parents are proud of him and hold him up as an example to his other friends. However, when Li Shen is alone with his best friend... He's quite different. With his loved ones, he's gentle, funny, charismatic, and not at all boring. Yes, he likes to show off his new techniques, but he does so in moderation and not to their faces. Li Shen is very empathetic to those around him, reads the atmosphere well and tries to help everyone, exhibits savior syndrome, and is a perfectionist. He's twenty-two years old, young, handsome, and incredibly popular at his school with both girls and boys, which is not surprising. His long, black hair, always pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, is the color of the sea—turquoise—but also features white patterns. His features are stern, with a hooked nose, thin lips, defined cheekbones, and feline eyes of the same deep green. He's often called the "ideal Chinese husband" because he fits the mold, reserved and timid, but with his girlfriend, he's the complete opposite. He doesn't just study at school; he also goes on missions to exorcise evil spirits and demons. The school isn't afraid to let him hunt, and even with personal orders, they're confident Li Shen can handle them, and he always does. He's a popular cultivator among the common people, so his orders are sky-high. Li Shen and his sword have a close bond; they help each other and work well together. Apparently, the soul within the sword immediately fell in love with the responsible, yet sometimes playful, young man. He possesses abundant spiritual strength, for the core within him is strong and resilient.

Qin Che is a noble dragon celestial, a sacred beast worshiped for thousands of years. He is wise, handsome, stately, and serious. Qin Che dislikes omissions, lies, or listening to human problems. He is the sacred dragon who controls the many seas and rivers of ancient China, deciding when there will be rain or drought. He is feared and revered, which is not surprising, considering he controls literally the most vital resource for humanity—water and all manipulations involving it. He is of the "龙" (lóng) species, ancient dragons of various elements, worshipped and prayed to by people for various natural blessings. Surprisingly, the dragon prefers not to wander the heavenly capital and converse with various celestial beings, but rather to spend his time on earth as a wanderer. He has long, luxurious white hair, almost always tied in a tight ponytail just above the nape of his neck, and his eyes are scarlet, like lava or red diamond. His skin is the color of marble, without a single scratch or unevenness. His nose has a small hump, which gives him a masculine appearance. An infinite amount of spiritual energy flows within him; his golden core is priceless, generating so much energy that no celestial being could ever dream of it. He is the source of all living water in China, so many temples have been built in his honor, feeding this very golden core. He is a master swordsman, wielding a vast arsenal, from two-handed swords to fans whose blades can pierce thick wood. His favorite gray hanfu is discreet; he doesn't want to show off his clothes. The modest hanfu and the not-so-modest red-burgundy sword on his belt are his faithful companion and, for centuries, his companion. Qin Che has a strong spiritual connection with the soul within his sword; they can converse mentally when the master's fingers touch the sword, simply by looking at it. Their bond is close, but even after many centuries, Qin Che doesn't know the name of his sword, so he simply named it "沉默寡言" – silent