Cultivation in detail

Note: I will only talk about standard Immortal cultivation in this page. It's also not a very original system.

Immortal cultivation involves the purification of Qi in your body until eventually it transcends its earthly makeup. This allows for the creation of essence from Qi that allows you to connect with the heavens. From there one of the Wuxing is required to advance into the realm of a True Immortal

1. Qi Sensing

The most basic realm of all cultivation. It is in fact the precursor to proper cultivation and merely involves the sensing and getting used to Qi. The body contains 12 meridians all interconnected by various pathways. Through meditation these pathways closest to the skin can be trained to detect natural Qi. A beginner at this stage trains their ability to sense Qi before gradually absorbing it into their body. At this stage the Qi is not permanent and comes and goes. However Qi can be used to reinforce the body.

Qi sensing involves 5 steps

-Qi detection

-Qi absorption

-Qi Direction

-Body Enhancement (Organs, skin, and flesh)

-Meridian Opening (Can be any of the 12)

Meridians exist in the body and are used to store Qi as well as absorb Qi. While pathways an also absorb Qi meridians can do it many times faster. Once all 5 steps are completed, you officially step into Qi Condensation.

2. Qi Condensation (note: doesn't follow chinese medicine)

The first realm of Immortal cultivation and involves the use of Qi to open up all 12 meridians in your body. The order of of all but 2 meridians doesn't matter and each represents 12 sub levels called layers. For example a cultivator with 4 meridians opened is a 4th layer Qi Condensation. As more meridians are opened, the body becomes stronger as more and more quantities of Qi is both absorbed and stored. The meridian located at the upper chest and lower abdomen are special. There exist 12 layers to Qi Condensation.

-1st layer - 1 meridian (Can cast spells)

-2nd layer - 2 meridians

-3rd layer - 3 meridians

-4th layer - 4 meridians

-5th layer - 5 meridians

-6th layer - 6 meridians

-7th laye - 7 meridians

-8th layer - 8 meridians

-9th layer - 9 meridians

-10th layer - 10 meridians (Called martial gods in ordinary human kingdoms)

-11th layer - 11 meridians (Opens the lower abdomen meridian, this meridian opens up a passageway into a unique organ in the centre of the body known as the dantian. )

-12th layer - 12 meridians (Opens the upper chest, allows Qi to pool into the dantian. This is called the opening of the Qi sea. At this stage the body becomes extremely powerful and you have full control over your own body. You will also suffer no sickness.)

3. Foundation Establishment

The second stage of Immortal Cultivation. This realm is possibly the most important of all stages on the road of cultivation. As the name suggests, this stage involves the creation of a foundation on which you can build off of. There are 3 steps to this that split the realm into early, mid, and late.

-Early - construction of the base

-Mid - construction of Pillars above the base (More doesn't necessarily mean better)

-Late - construction of the Spiritual Palace

4. Core Formation

The dantian consumes the Spiritual Palace and hardens into an egg like Core or spiritual Dan. The colour of this core is determined by the quality of the Spiritual Palace of the previous realm. This core also heavily dictates your potential in reaching higher realms. The grades are in order:

- White (utter failure, give up now)

- Green (below average, not going anywhere)

- Blue (average cultivation, might be able to break through to Nascent Soul)

- Red (pretty good, likely but not guaranteed to break through to Nascent Soul and higher)

- Yellow (rare in small kingdoms, elite sects will have most disciples as this. Have the potential to become Xiantian)

- Black (very rare in in lower realms but not impossible to find. Have the potential to reach Crossing Tribulation)

- Gold (rare even in upper realms. Cultivators with this core have the potential to reach Human Immortal perhaps even True Immortal)

- Purple (extremely rare everywhere. Almost guaranteed to become True Immortals)

- Core with special images (nearly impossible to find. Determined to have near limitless potential)

5. Nascent Soul

This realm creates the Nascent Soul, a spiritual double of sorts that lives in the dantian. This realm is also divided into early, mid, and late. To break through, a Core formation cultivator will have to hatch their Golden Core, a Nascent soul will be born. Some cultivators can create multiple Nascent Souls.

- Early (Nascent Soul resembles an infant)

- Mid (Nascent Soul grows into it's teens)

- Late (Nascent Soul grows into an adult, it can now leave the body)

A cultivator with a Nascent Soul can survive even the death of the physical body however he/she will never break through into the next realm. Experts at this stage unlocks true flight.

6. Spirit Transformation

The Cultivation of the spirit or soul takes place. This involves using natural Qi to cultivate your own soul. This gives your spirit magical properties and also unlocks the Spirit Sense ability. In lower realms, experts this stage are considered overlords in certain areas while holy lands will have them as elders.

7. Xiantian

To reach Xiantian one must break away from earthly elements and recreate the body anew with heavenly elements. This process involves the combination between the spirit, Nascent Soul and flesh into one whole. Your body stops ageing and you can change your appearance to whatever you desire. You also gain advanced regeneration such as regrowing limbs. You can also leave the world and survive in space.

8. Essence Condensation

The second most important stage of Immortal Cultivation. This is the conversion of Qi along with parts of your spirit that includes your vitality or life force into essence. Essence greatly enhances all physical and magical attributes. The power boost from Xiantian to Essence Condensation is one of the largest. Essence also upgrades Spirit Sense into Immortal Sense, this allows for detection of more hidden concepts such as Heavenly Qi, Necroplasm and other phenomena.

9. Heavenly Connection

A cultivator uses their condensed essence to connect with one of the Heavenly Qi. One must be extremely careful to take small amounts only as any more then 0.1% can vaporise you. There are 5 Heavenly Qi known as the Wuxing, they are fire, water, metal, earth, and wood. This whole stage involves gradually getting used to the presence of the Heavenly Qi. This stage is the peak of lower realms. There are two sub levels

-Standard (one who has just experienced Immortal Qi)

-Pre Tribulation (a partially refined heavenly meridian)

This stage end with using a Heavenly Qi to refine any one meridian into a heavenly meridian. Completion of this act will automatically attract the 9 lightning bolt tribulation.

10. Crossing Tribulation

The human body is not meant to store Heavenly Qi no matter how heaven defying. As such it is necessary to refine the body until it is able to do so. Fundamentally Heavenly Qi is still Qi as such this stage deals with the refinement of all 12 meridians into heavenly meridians. This process requires using the small amounts of Heavenly Qi to refine any one of the 12 meridians. This automatically summons the 9 lightning bolt tribulation hence the name Crossing Tribulation. There 12 sub levels for each meridian hence there are 12 tribulations total.

-1-6 meridians (ordinary)

-7-12 meridians (named minor saints but this is only a title)

Any expert at this level is too strong and will destroy a lower world simply by existing. They must travel to an upper realm where it can accommodate them.

11. Martial Saint

Twelve meridians aren't actually enough to completely absorb the Heavenly Qi. Instead you must now refine minor meridians in the body. These meridians are no match for a true meridian hence you will need many of them. Every person has a different amount they need to refine but this amount doesn't decide combat power. The minor meridians in your body will begin to resemble a cosmos hence this realm is also sub divided into 3 levels

-Early - Solar system

-Mid - Minor galaxy

-Late - Major cosmos

13. Human Immortal

Any saint with a completed cosmos is automatically a Human Immortal. At this stage the Cultivator posses an incredible lifespan of 10,000 years. They will begin to fuse with the Heavenly Qi.

-Ordinary - completed Cosmos

- Elite - partial fusion with a Heavenly Qi

- Peak - near complete fusion with a Heavenly Qi (Hu Wenxi is here before chapter 1)

14. True Immortal

Considered by many to be the true beginning of cultivation. Becoming a True Immortal opens up to a whole new door of possibilities. A True Immortal can divine secrets of heaven, create avatars, destroy upper realms and even stars. A True Immortal can also be described as living stars. A True Immortal posses a perfect body that is made up of the Heavenly Qi. This realm is achieved through suffering the Heavenly Tribulation that will descend once a Human Immortal have completely fused with a Heavenly Qi. True Immortals are also unkillable by anything other then another True Immortal or higher due to the complete fusion of Heavenly Qi. They will also try to gain enlightenment and fuse a second Heavenly Qi.

note: Hu Wenxi is able to fight weaker True Immortals by himself however an expert can kill him easily.

True Immortals can use their connection with the heavens to travel between universes. They can survive in the void gap between universes. Remember, True Immortals are no longer human, they are quite literally cosmic level beings.

-Ordinary (1 Qi)

-Peak (Partially fused a second Heavenly Qi)

15. Profound Immortal

The legendary stage beyond True Immortals. A Profound Immortal makes even an army of True Immortals look like a joke. They are supreme experts in a universe and posses great power. It's not strange for a Profound Immortal to rule a Great World completely. An expert at this level have absorbed a second Heavenly Qi and fused a unified Immortal Core known as the Immortal Jindan. The Jindan allows for a far more intimated connection with the Heavenly Tao and is a stable core ready to complete cultivation of the Wuxing.

-Ordinary (2 Qi fused)

-Elite (3 Qi fused)

-Peak (4 Qi fused)

16. Primordial Immortal

The peak of cultivation for most people. Five Qi fused in a state known as 5 unified Qi. The fusion of all 5 Qi completes the Wuxing. This expert can convert their Qi into splender or flower. The aim is to cultivate 3 splenders of Qi, Life Essence, and Spirit.

-Ordinary (5 Qi unified)

-Elite (1 Splender)

-Peak (2 Splender)

-Overlord (3 Splender)

17. Heavenly Immortal?

18. ?

19. ?

20. ?