The Ultimate Inheritance

The Ultimate Inheritance is an Eastern fantasy novel by the Hunan-born web novelist Yu Chenyu, serialized on Qidian from December 2008 and completed in April 2010, in 28 volumes and 765 chapters, totaling roughly 2.55 to 2.65 million characters. The story is set on the "White Emperor Continent," where magical beasts run rampant. To survive, humans must fight the savage beasts. Cultivators there fall broadly into two kinds: the Eight Gates warriors, who cultivate according to the eight gates of Rest, Life, Harm, Obstruction, Scenery, Death, Terror and Opening, and who are said to possess world-shattering power; and the adepts, who command the five elemental powers of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. There are also non-elemental ability users of telekinesis, bone, gravity and air. The legendary guardians of these powers can change the face of heaven and earth with a single thought. The protagonist, Lin Yi, comes from Seaman Town in the Kling Province; under his father Lin Qiang's guidance he trains hard in martial arts from childhood, makes his mark in the town's martial examination and enters Zongfan Academy. From opening the eight gates within his body and awakening his abilities, to mastering battle marks and domain power, and on through side journeys such as the Demon Source Cavern and the Peerless Gathering, he advances step by step to ever higher tiers and faces god-level foes. A central mystery runs throughout: are the eight gates and the five elemental powers already the strongest forces? What, ultimately, is the "true ultimate"? With its layered progression of systems, dense battle scenes and a young hero's unyielding heart, the novel is an early Qidian Eastern fantasy epic distinguished by its Eight Gates and Five Elements setting.