Immortal Treasure

ZhuQidian2015

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Word count
2M words

Tags

Girls' Fiction Time Travel Fantasy Complex HumanityPsychological InsightAcademic StudyFast-Paced FictionWeb NovelGlorious Splendor

Summary

In modern-day Jinling, Qi Xiang, the owner of a modest antique shop, is struggling to make ends meet. He buys a plain tortoise shell stained with earthy patina at a low price from a street runner. Following trade custom, he enshrines the shell in his home—a converted old temple—and purifies it with coarse incense left behind in the temple. To his astonishment, the smoke is entirely swallowed by the shell, the incense burner and altar collapse with a crash, and a large crater is blasted into the floor. The shell transforms into a treasure that resembles both gold and jade, gleaming with flowing light, then shoots into Qi Xiang's brow as a streak of radiance. He faints, and his consciousness enters a strange realm of swirling clouds and mist and endless palaces. From then on he embarks on an unconventional path of cultivation—"nourishing immortality through collecting"—using his keen eye for antiques to unearth heavenly treasures and rare materials from curios and relics, seeking the lost Ten Continents, Three Isles, and cave-heaven paradises scattered across the mortal world after the severance of heaven and earth, and advancing step by step toward building his foundation and attaining the Dao.

Editor's review

Immortal Treasure continues the antique-appraisal subject the author Zhu is known for, blending the tricks of the antique trade with urban cultivation. The "nurturing immortality through collecting" premise is quite novel, and the early plot of seeking treasures, appraising antiques, and forming connections moves at a relaxed pace, suiting readers who enjoy the thrill of bargain hunting. The drawback is that the later development is rushed; the author admits to a botched ending, and the cultivation system and main storyline are wrapped up rather hastily, so readers seeking a complete conclusion should be prepared.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read the first thirty chapters to get a feel for the blend of antique appraisal and cultivation before deciding whether to follow along
  2. Focus on the early-to-mid plot of antique bargain hunting and the tortoise shell encounter, and lower expectations for the ending
  3. Read alongside the author's Zhai Shi and Jian Bao to appreciate the continuity of his antique-appraisal style

About the publisher

Qidian

Qidian is a platform whose catalogue brings together online literature, with about 45,000 titles in the library spanning categories such as male-oriented fiction, Eastern fantasy, xianxia and wuxia, science fiction, selected fiction and quality web novels. Representative titles include Reincarnation Paradise, War Soldier Leon, The Fairy Is Fierce (also known as Tai Mang), The Expert Is Right Beside Me, Dragon Herder, You Should Cross the Mountains Like a Hero, The Adventures of a Clever Girl and Summoning Heroes of All Ages in Another World, with themes extending from fantasy and xianxia to science fiction and adventure. Representative authors available in the library include Na Yi Zhi Wen Zi, Chi Gua Zi Qun Zhong, Guan Guan Gong Zi, Chenxing LL, Luan, Chen Mo De Ai, Piao Yi Dao Zhang and Dong Tian Bu Leng. Their works mostly appear as serialized web fiction aimed at readers who prefer long genre fiction. Public information on its founding background and scale is limited, so no inferences are made here; the description is based solely on the library's titles and categories.

FAQ

Is this book completed? It is completed, with over six hundred chapters, but the author himself considers the ending rushed and botched.
Is there a female lead or romance line? The main text centers on antique appraisal and cultivation; the romance line is light, and this is not a romance-oriented work.
Can I read it without prior knowledge of antiques? Yes. Appraisal terms are explained as the plot unfolds and do not hinder understanding of the main storyline.

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About the author

Zhu Author

Zhu (烛) is a Chinese web-fiction author whose real name, nationality, and dates of birth and death are not clearly recorded in publicly available sources, so information about the person remains limited. Fifteen of the author's works are held in the collection, including Pick Treasures (Jianbao), Starting from an Artist, World Treasures, Xianbao, Zhai Shi, and A Small Landlord of the Tang Dynasty; Xianbao and Pick Treasures each appear under two entries. The works are commonly grouped under categories such as male-oriented fiction, urban fiction, female-oriented fiction, time-travel and alternate-history fiction, supernatural and paranormal fiction, and premium fiction, showing a considerable range of subject matter. Some stories center on the antique-appraisal and collecting trade or the art world in a contemporary urban setting, while others incorporate time travel, alternate history, and supernatural powers. The writing tends to rely on a specific industry background or historical setting, with an emphasis on plot momentum and character growth, and has attracted a certain readership among fans of urban and time-travel fiction.