Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

In the night of Primordial Chaos, the stars were as vast as the sky, competing in brilliance with the bright moon.

In this age devoid of fire, people of the primitive tribes had already succumbed to dreams, for they regarded the night as fraught with peril. Safety could only be assured by clustering together within the confines of their tribe.

A middle-aged man, unlike the others in slumber, sat alone on the open grassland, deep in thought.

"Chief, why are you here alone? It's very dangerous," Lu Yu said with a smile as he approached the middle-aged man and sat down beside him, mimicking his posture.

"Don't worry, I am the best hunter here; no beast can conceal its tracks from me," the middle-aged man said with confidence.

"It's you who amazes me, daring to come here alone, it's too risky," the middle-aged man remarked, frowning slightly as he looked at this new member of his tribe.

He had always felt that this young fellow was unlike any other child he had seen, possessing a certain indescribable quality, as if this was how members of the human race were meant to be, not lifeless like the others in the tribe, devoid of any Spiritual Energy.

"Isn't the chief here?" Lu Yu said with a smile.

The chief thought him strange, but Lu Yu found the chief equally peculiar—a member of the human race already contemplating life and the universe, destined to be the sole light of the human race in this dark age.

The chief's mood greatly improved at Lu Yu's words. He patted Lu Yu on the shoulder and said, "You sure know how to speak, the other youths in the tribe can't compare to you."

"What were you thinking about just now, chief?" Lu Yu asked as he gazed at the myriad of stars and smiled.

After a long silence, the middle-aged man slowly said, "Where do you think our future lies?"

Perhaps realizing the weight of his question, the chief didn't wait for Lu Yu's answer but instead continued, "I've been thinking, must we continue this way forever? Watching the tribe's children succumb, the elderly venture into the mountains to face their own death due to lack of food... There's always a voice inside telling me that we shouldn't live this way."

"But I don't know how to change this situation. Powerful and ruthless members of the Dragon Clan roam everywhere; our children could easily become their prey. Even the smaller beasts are deadly enough. I don't know where our future lies, nor do I know how to alter our current plight."

The middle-aged man's words were filled with anguish; being the only sober person in a drunken crowd was misery itself.

Lu Yu looked at the anguished, confused middle-aged man before him and realized that such a man was never meant to remain unnamed in the long corridors of time.
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After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I know of something that could change our fate."

A look of astonishment crossed the middle-aged man's face. He regarded the peculiar boy before him, swallowing nervously, his instincts screaming that the answer he had long sought might be unfolding in front of him.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice quivering from excitement.

"Fire."

"Fire?" the middle-aged man murmured to himself. He did not comprehend what this word meant, yet something inside him resonated, telling him this was the answer.

"What is fire?" the middle-aged man pressed further.

Lu Yu thought for a moment and then said, "Fire is a symbol of hope and the origin of disaster. It can consume everything but also bring warmth to all beings. It enhances food, drives away beasts, and lights up the darkness."

With Lu Yu's words, the middle-aged man's eyes grew brighter—it was this, this very thing, the answer he had so desperately sought, now revealed before him, stirring his soul, leaving him inwardly tumultuous.

"Then, where is fire?" He eagerly inquired.

"Fire exists in the heavens and on earth. The fire of the heavens resides in the lands of Divine Spirits, while the fire of the earth is amongst you all. Search earnestly, and you will find it," Lu Yu gently explained.

Before he could inquire further, he looked up only to find that Lu Yu had already soared into the air, leaving him to widen his eyes in astonishment as he murmured, "Is this what they call a Divine Being?"

A legend persisted across the land of Primordial Chaos that in some obscure places dwelled Divine Beings, omnipotent and the most revered beings in the world, not even the Dragon Clan dared provoke them lightly.

"Head east, you will find the answers you seek," a voice echoed from the heavens, ringing in the middle-aged man's ears, filling him with ecstatic joy.

As Lu Yu departed, the middle-aged man quickly set out towards the east. No matter what struggles and obstacles lay ahead, nothing could now impede his stride.

He crossed mountains and cliffs, passed through the territories of fierce beasts, and finally came upon an immense tree reaching the skies.

The middle-aged man's eyes widened as he fixated on a small bird perched on the tree with a red beak. Every time it pecked at the trunk, its body spun, and sparks would emerge.

The middle-aged man watched this spectacle, his heart immensely satisfied. The answer he had so long sought unveiled itself before him, those fleeting sparks representing the most beautiful thing in the world to him. He knelt down, thankful for fate's intervention, knowing from that day forth, their destinies were to be altered.

Back at the tribe, under the concerned gaze of his people, the middle-aged man, like one possessed, collected a dry stick and some straw, and began to vigorously rub them together.

Soon, a wisp of black smoke arose followed by sparks, and shortly, a small flame appeared, which the middle-aged man lifted slowly in his hands amidst the astonished stares of his people, appearing like a Fire God descended to earth.

"This is fire with which we can warm ourselves, fend off beasts, and illuminate our path in the darkness," the middle-aged man declared excitedly.

Everyone cheered, recognizing the protective capacity of the element. Many couldn't help but touch the flame, only to quickly retract their hands from the intense pain.

They gazed at the fire in fear, loudly exclaiming, "Fire!"

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" All the people began to fervently chant under the illumination of the flames, marking a transformative moment in the destiny of the human race.

Suddenly, a bright golden ray descended from the sky, landing on the middle-aged man, making him appear even more like a Divine Being.

Amazed, he raised a hand and cautiously touched the golden light. As the light flashed, the golden ray entered his body, and his mind filled spontaneously with vast knowledge.