For six years, the ceiling of the medical suite had been Yuan’s entire sky. Paralyzed from the chest down, blind in his left eye, he had watched the world pass by through the muffled drone of life support monitors and the gentle sorrow in his sister’s voice.

Then came the neural capsule for Celestial Ascent, a revolutionary neural-dive world heralded as the peak of human immersion. His sister had spent six months of savings to secure a single headset.

“Just try it, brother,” Yu Rou had whispered, placing the sleek silver band over his temples. “Even if it is just a dream, you can run in there. You can feel the wind again.”

When the synchronization chime rang, Yuan opened his eyes to endless azure skies and emerald mountains floating amidst cascading waterfalls. He looked down. He was standing on both legs, feeling the soft crunch of dew-kissed grass beneath his sandals.

Before him, perched upon an ancient altar of white jade, lay an antique seven-stringed zither. Drawn by an instinctive tug in his soul, he touched the silk string. A single note resonated—pure, vibrant, and echoing across the nine heavens. The sky parted, revealing golden characters that burned into his status screen: Innate Talent Unlocked: Heavenly Harmony of the Primordial Dragon.