Fairy Cage

Description

The book named Fairy Cage, this is the story of Yu Lie, a frail and unremarkable acolyte, and his quest for survival, power, and ultimately, Feathered Ascension.
The setting is a prosperous era of the Immortal Dao, where the Dao Court sits above the Immortal Court. Yet, this supposed golden age is founded on a brutal reality: “Dharma collapses, Dao deteriorates, and people mutually devour each other for survival”. In this world, Daoists exist in an elaborate cosmic food chain. The refinement of spiritual energy means that lower-tier Daoists essentially function as tools for those above them.
Yu Lie, aware of his humble origins and weak constitution, chooses a path both unorthodox and extremely risky to catch up on his cultivation and escape the dangers of Black Water Town.
The modern method of seeking the Dao is characterized by “Ingesting Life Force”, an updated version of ancient heterodox practices. Cultivators complete thirty-six transformations (Si Jiu Xuan Gong) by extracting the essence of extraordinary beings. Yu Lie embraces this, dedicating himself to the high-grade poison technique, the “Five Poisons Refining the Viscera Guidance Art” (Wu Du Lian Zang Dao Yin Shu). His grim ambition is to devour various toxic creatures—including fish and snakes—to forge a Body impervious to a hundred poisons.
His daily life begins in the Pill Chamber’s Poison Department, where he functions as a “butcher”, accumulating experience and skill in processing poisonous animal matter, laying the groundwork for the Blood and Flesh Pill Art. This art is critical, as mastering it allows a practitioner to refine blood artifacts.
Armed with his unique destiny and unwavering will, Yu Lie navigates the treachery of the Daoist world, seeking not merely long life, but Immortal longevity, destined for the final leap to Feathered Ascension.

Highlights

1. The Cosmic Food Chain of the Immortal Dao: The sources reveal a bleak philosophical foundation where the existence of Daoists and the flow of energy are sustained by mutual devouring. Spiritual energy is accumulated in a chain where the strong, including Immortals, prey on weaker beings, positioning them as the apex predators.
2. Unique and Unconventional Cultivation: The dominant method of cultivation is “Ingesting Life Force”. Practitioners forcibly absorb the power and form of other entities, using methods such as drawing blood, eating souls, and seeking essence to advance through the thirty-six required physical transformations.
3. The Dangerous Path of Poison Arts: Protagonist Yu Lie cultivates a dangerous but effective high-grade poison skill, the Five Poisons Refining the Viscera Guidance Art, requiring the ingestion of toxins. This relentless method, though high-risk, promises the rare achievement of a body invulnerable to all poisons.
4. Integration of Blood Crafting and Alchemy: The process of seeking the Dao mandates mastering one of the three great crafts: Pill refinement, Talismans, or Artifact refinement. Yu Lie focuses on the Blood and Flesh Pill Art, which requires practical anatomical knowledge and enables the crafting of blood artifacts that utilize vital essence.
5. A Grounded Portrayal of Low-Level Daoist Life: The narrative delves into the gritty reality of novice survival, featuring roles like ‘medicine slaves’ and ‘corpse slaves’. Yu Lie begins in the bloody, hands-on role of a “butcher” in the Poison Department, processing venomous creatures to earn status and resources, highlighting the ruthless competition among acolytes.