Ancient China

Once upon a time, a vast race of dragons existed, but they were eventually almost completely exterminated by humans. There are only four dragons: the water dragon in the east, the fire dragon in the south, the earth dragon deep underground, and the wood dragon in the west.

Only about 100 phoenixes exist, and killing them is illegal. Half of them are kept in captivity in the West for protection. The rest remain wild, continuing to control their population and having learned to hide from humans.

The head of the Fenggui Sect is Li Hou. He is kind and friendly.

The head of the Taoshan Sect is Tian Yi. Gloomy and icy calm.

The leader of the Bingge Sect is Shi Chen. Quite cold, but very fair.

The leader of the Jia Shou Sect is Jin Zixuan. An arrogant, self-absorbed 'peacock,' but also fair.

The leader of the Zhouying Sect is Tang Zicheng. Kind but emotionless.

The First Guardian descended from Heaven through the gates of Dao, carrying a sapling of the Wuxing tree—the center of the earthly world's vital energy. He imbued the first humans with the spiritual energy of air, giving them the ability to cultivate this element within themselves. Thus was created an alliance: the Guardians (those who protect the tree and its balance) and the first Sorcerers.
However, more than two thousand years ago, humans, blinded by a thirst for power, began to exterminate not only magical beasts but also the Guardians themselves—the protectors of the lands. This led to catastrophic consequences:
• Wrath of the Gods. The gods punished people by turning their land into a barren wasteland and nearly exterminating the entire human race.
• The Division of Mankind. Having experienced the wrath of the gods, people were divided into two camps. Those who opposed the destruction of divine beings for the sake of seizing their power embarked on the path of perfecting the spirit and body, renouncing their fellow conquerors.
• The Disappearance of the Defenders. With the death of the Guardians, the balance between the worlds was shaken. The demons, having learned of the weakening of human lands due to internal wars, turned against humanity, which nearly led to mutual destruction.
After the destruction of the Wuxing Tree, its elemental elements—earth, wood, metal, fire, and water—were divided among those who assisted the Guardians. These people became Daoist cultivators.

The Guardians also considered themselves to be akin to other races: dragons, phoenixes, cats, pegasi, rabbits, and many other creatures. They did not possess the blood of these races and were fully qualified Guardians, but they accepted elements of other races within themselves as a sign of peace between them and those beings.

The Pill Pavilion is a pavilion where disciples work and study under the owner of the pavilion. Pills or seals are used for healing. Widely used.

A medicinal pavilion is a pavilion where only herbal and potion-based treatments are used. These are rarely used.

There are several ranks in the orders.

An adept is a follower of a particular teaching or order. The concept can denote not only one's attitude toward the teaching but also the degree of that commitment.

Master is the lowest rank of people who belong to orders as followers, but do not hold a high position.

Teachers are followers who teach disciples. They attain this status through their strength, their knowledge, and their method of teaching.

Elder is the status of those close to the head of the order. There are eleven of them in total. They serve as a sort of 'retinue' for the head of the order, consulting with them primarily to make decisions or verdicts. However, the head can often do without them. Elders can take adepts as apprentices.

The head is a single person who owns the entire order. The head chooses his successor either from his children or from his own best students. He often has two or three students.

Apprentice / Young Master - the initial stage - a person is just joining the order or beginning training.

An inner disciple is an adept who has dedicated themselves to the study of the secret arts and meditation within the school, often serving as an assistant or secretary.

The lowest in rank is the master.

Heavenly demons (天魔, tiānmó) are a special caste of demons who were once celestials but, due to a fall caused by corruption, rejected their status and embraced demonic nature. Their origin distinguishes them from ordinary demons: they are the descendants of fallen celestials.

A distinctive feature is a seal (wenzhang) between the eyebrows in the form of a flame, which serves not only as a mark of belonging to the clan, but also as a curse linking them to the fallen heavens.

Above other demons.

Their blood, once it enters another organism, allows them to control the victim from afar.

There are five orders of spellcasters, the rest are small spiritual schools.

1. Fenggui Sect: "Valley of the Winds" (风谷 (fēngyú)) - the sect's territory is quite spacious and flat, due to the fact that they occupied a once-empty valley. Characterized by turquoise or light green robes.

2. Taoshan Sect: "Peach Mountains" (桃山 (táoshān)) - the first head of the sect lived in the mountains and, having found followers, began with a school, which later grew into an sect. Characterized by pink, red, or orange robes.

3. Bingge Sect: "Winter River" (冰河 (bīngé)) - long ago, during a cold winter in the north, the most powerful cultivators wished to build a place where they could pass on their techniques before death, and that they would develop into some kind of school. But they had no idea that the school would become another one, and their techniques would become the foundation of this order. Characterized by blue, light blue, or white robes.

4. Jia Shou Sect: "False Beast" (假兽 (jiǎ shòu)) - a group of cultivators serving a deity were deceived by their patron, who turned out to be a demon. Using their techniques, they took revenge on him and, with his wealth, built the richest sect. Their techniques are still considered secret and are passed down from generation to generation. They are characterized by yellow and white clothing with gold patterns.

5. Zhouyin De Merlin Order [abbreviated as Zhouyin Order]: "Cursed Forest" (咒诅的森林 (zhòuyin de sēnlín) - this order was built near a cursed forest in order to avoid attacks on ordinary people. They are characterized by dark green and black robes.

Qi is a dynamic, spatio-temporal, spiritual-material substance that underlies everything in the universe. It underlies all natural phenomena and life. Qi can manifest in various forms and states: when condensed, it forms material things, and when rarefied, it transforms into more subtle forms, including spirit (shen).

A spiritual weapon is a special type of artifact or form of power. It's not just a sword or mace, but something deeply connected to the wielder's soul, spirit, or spiritual energy.

The golden core is the result of a long and complex process of cultivating the body and spirit. It is formed in a special energy center of the body—the dantian. In Taoist practice, the lower dantian (located approximately three finger-widths below the navel) acts as a crucible where three key components are "melted": essence (jing), vital energy (qi), and spirit (shen). Their unification under these conditions creates what is called the golden core.

Spiritual powers are supernatural abilities that characters acquire after birth, or are not given at all. If a person has spiritual powers, they have a chance to become a sorcerer and develop these powers.

At the core of every sorcerer is a spiritual root. There are six spiritual roots: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth. A sorcerer can only have one root; more is simply impossible.

Some spellcasters live up to a thousand years, it all depends on their level, the power of the golden core and the amount of spiritual power.

Divine weapons are weapons gifted to the first cultivators as a way to continue the worship of the extinct guardians. These weapons are either bestowed by magical creatures in the lake to the west, messengers of the gods, or can be obtained from Mount Tian, ​​the site of the guardians' deaths. These weapons were planted in the ground by the gods, and only the worthy can retrieve them. Divine weapons include not only swords, but also musical instruments and certain other items (such as whips and iron fans).

A qiankun is a small, bottomless bag with no fixed dimensions. It looks like a regular 20 cm x 20 cm bag. It can hold anything, excluding incredibly large objects, including people or large animals. It retains its original size and weighs nothing, no matter what you put in it.

There are sorcerers, qi, spiritual energy, and a golden core. Anyone with spiritual powers can become a sorcerer.

Dark cultivators are cultivators who utilize dark energy and practices that contradict the norms and goals of "light" cultivators. They are often connected to demonic forces and act in their own interests, often pursuing goals related to power, control over others, or the use of forbidden knowledge.

Magic casters often use their own dreams as a means of transportation. When their swords hover in midair, levitating, the magic casters stand on them and use them for quick travel. Their weapons can also expand in flight, accommodating more people.

As a means of transportation, they can use not only swords, but also, for example, a fan, since it can accommodate many more people due to the fact that it opens up.