Author [Q&A]: The 'Cultivation' Setting
For a fun time (for myself, if anyone else enjoys it cheers!) I've decided to output some of this story's cultivation setting information in the form of a Q&A. With *really* lengthy A. The next 'story chapter' will be published in a few hours.
Warning, contains relevant setting information as *well* as occasional jokes - and thinly hidden satire. Oh, and a few references that won't entirely make sense until later in the story.
Are they spoilers? Not *really*, but if you are sensitive to those things then it can't hurt to skip reading this one. Or if you just don't want anything other than the story as I intended. Most of the actual 'details' will *eventually* be written into it at points they feel 'relevant' to me.
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Q: If these cultivators are 'special' compared to normal people where do they COME from?!
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Like most novels of this sort, the social environment is somewhat 'segregated' between those who can and those who cannot Cultivate. The often classist 'Mortals and Cultivators'. Disregarding having actual talent to grow their power, availability of information or resources, and other factors… it can be said that one in a thousand or so individuals might be 'capable' of walking the path toward Divinity.
This is the probability when mortals go and procreate that their child will just be 'better than them'. At least, eventually. Maybe.
Depends on if they got 'brought into the world and taken out' by the one who did the deed, just for being a 'bad' kid like some parents warningly threaten. Imagine being so temporarily upset you actually contemplate/joke about murder! I don't know anyone *COUGH* almost every 'face-slapped' cultivator ever *COUGH* that would be like that.
Moving on, the chances for the capacity of cultivating when a child is born under the union of a cultivator and a mortal rise to 1 in 10. Whereas two cultivators will conversely be rather saddened to 'gacha fail' a 'mortal' on average 1 out of 100 births.
The sadness stems not only from the expected selfish sources of hurt pride, but also because the number of children that can be formed by 'dual cultivation' is limited by the lowest realms of both the involved partners. In other words, the further along they both are in their *least* rank, the more children they can have.
But also, you know, children are *work* (and 'investments' to some) so many don't 'go for it' as quickly as they can. They instead 'tend' to wait until their life's momentum slows so that the little anklebiter doesn't harsh their cultivation game..
This restriction was guided by one of the first Divinities who foresaw the future population of these selfish energy users as potentially detrimental to the growth of the cosmos - and totally wasn't to lessen future competition. A demographic targeted population control, how rude and unheard of!
Though also they were not at all the only Divinity to enact something that *culls* cultivators for various reasons. Looking at you Master of the Void~ oh, right - you readers aren't supposed to know about that guy yet.
Ignore that.
Those at the Initial stages can have up to two children. In the Lower Realms this increases to 3-5-7. Then again to 9-11-13.
Yes, they *are* prime numbers and no, there is no *intended* reason other than my own dearth of caring to come up with my own number progression for the 'limited kid factoid' I'd intended when designing the story. I mean look at me, who even uses a word like 'dearth'? Clearly someone too lazy to use a thesaurus to come up with a less POMPOUS word.
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Q: A fuller explanation of this energy and cultivating. Now.
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Uh, not a question my imaginary interviewer, but sure!
The types of Cultivation are numbered three:
> Spiritual (Soul/Mental)
> Physical (Body)
> Essence (Qi/Mana)
The parentheses are merely different words to help you relate to other stories, as cultivation systems can be very varied.
For instance, for the one I made for this setting - every person *capable* of cultivating can and (eventually) does work at improving all three energies - they don't just tie their path to a single one like all the pleb non-MCs in the usual #overpowered stories (well, the ones that have multiple paths).
At least, those that are serious about progression conscientiously work all three! After all, one can only reach Defier after being peak tri-Breacher - or ascend to a Divinity as a truly peak Demi-god… which means all three energies have reached the Seventh Echelon of those ranking. Tri-Demi-god just looks funky, so I'm *never* going to call it that.
I just did?
Ew… Elua my sweet child, please give me an illusion over that sentence. It'll cost me *WHAT*? That's too - actually, yeah sure. I'll write that scene in (as well as how it blows up in your face~)
Hm? Nothing. I'm not smiling sinisterly, *you're* smiling sinisterly!
Oh, and what's an Echelon? Just an eye-pulling word for tier/level/step/grade to make the setting feel a little unique. The world is a little more 'Western' in *some* of its thematic parts - so I went with a fresh naming structure. That hopefully will make it 'memorable' to more people than it confuses~
Back to the energies, that otherwise would be elaborated a bit in a Soon™ part of the story that has 'Qatrand thinking about Elua's advice', but I'll also do it now to help you magi-science nerds out.
Physical is an 'inner energy' that works for/on the corporal form. Uh, the body that is. One common way of gaining it is eating and intentionally refining the material down into the raw - actually hold on, is it too late to start calling it Corporal Energy - because it sounds like the name of a military officer in a trashy space opera and it's kind of funny.
Yes? Too late? Not funny? Okay…
Anyway, the Aspect (Physique) gained is usually something kind of interesting, but doesn't often limit the range of life choices a cultivator can make. It just might make some decisions 'wiser'. Unless… you have an Anti-Acid Physique and pick on a scheming Acid Element user thinking 'I got this'. Then that's all on you. You didn't actually have it, but that's some good Corporal Energy you have going there.
*cough & crickets*
Essence is an 'outer energy' that exists in all things but does its *work* on things outside of the body. While there are no 'cores' here, the energy is accumulated similarly to that style of work… but here it is increasing essence density around the entire body by focusing on tugging at the ambient namesake energy suffusing the cosmos.
However, that does not mean *larger* people have a very notably weaker 'essence field' upon their forms at matching rankings due to a reason like 'the volume of essence being spread out'. Total capacities and requirements for breakthroughs do vary a little from person to person, but were long ago limited to a tight range of a few percent by a self-proclaimed Divinity of 'social justice'.
Basically using the energy is 'limited' magic, just like stories that have qi users throwing fireballs and then when they do it too much having to recoup the expenditure. In a manner of speaking, it does get a little 'less limited' to the sole aspected Element in the Upper Realms, but that is because [redacted].
The Element gained on the first breakthrough plays a pretty important role because it's the only cosmic thing a cultivator is able to manipulate and control - and later generate out of their essence reserve. It often makes people specialize in certain occupational fields that can make use of their ability much more so than Physique.
Spiritual is where it gets a *little* wonkier. It's something in between both and connected to both. An energy of the Self… as 'non-answer' as that comes across. You know, what does that actually mean for accumulating it - are they eating *soul* dust/fragments that just float around the cosmos like plankton? That sounds cool, but no… *makes setting notes for a different story*.
It's actually a bit more akin to a magic fire that burns stronger the longer it goes noticed. Or maybe more accurately an abyssal universal consciousness that looks further into you the more you look into it, until you merge together into one eldritch terror. Esoteric, right?
Nearly all fields of (real) mysticism have the ultimate representation of the self existing in a metaphysical form, so that's why the way in my setting to accumulate its energy more rapidly is mostly about 'meditating on yourself'. But the connection between the physical body's brain also can't be ignored - which is why the Astralisms have a tendency to be related to 'mental' seeming effects.
Then again, as a 'sort of like both' energy, it flips the tables once more and quite *generally* these effects are intended to target *others* - like how essence is meant to link and control things outside one's body, so too do spiritual Aspects.
Make sense now? No? Yeah, I don't get it eith- I mean, that's a shame. You're missing out on so much important CULTIVATION CONTEXT! Have you considered turning the content into Flash Cards? I wouldn't. I didn't.
I swear.
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Q: Your ranking names are weird, but I eat weird for breakfast. Can you elaborate on them so I can describe the taste I have in my mouth?
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… … !?
An Initial stage cultivator is not vastly different from a mortal. They are merely those capable of the sensing, and intentional accumulation of, the three energies. A practitioner of these 'arts' is evaluated between Early / Mid / Late based on the density of their accumulation in a given energy towards their breakthrough to Enchanter.
A Late stage physical cultivator might be considered pretty strong for their size compared to a mortal, but an adult mortal with more MUSCLES would still very likely knock out that snotty 'cultivator' without even knowing they were supposed to be 'better' than him.
Enchanter is where Aspects are unlocked, but I'll skip over explaining those for now. It's also considered the starting point of a real cultivator's path because the Aspects can kind of help define how they fit themselves into the surrounding world while they progress. But we aren't talking about Aspects right now!
…Aspects.
Okay, so for physical matters an Enchanter is 98.7% of times going to have more strength, higher endurance, five sense improvements, and all the many nice things about having an inner energy within your body that is sustaining and improving it in the background. Like resistance to mortal sickness, lowering consumption needs, and that sweet longevity.
This obviously gets better and better throughout the ranks, though the improvements between Echelons of the same are not as 'drastic' as the breakthroughs. The usual 'fighting up a whole title rank is hard' applies, but fighting and winning with only a few Echelon numbers in difference is not unheard of.
A physical Enchanter can also use a sort of 'focusing technique' in the middle levels that allows them to command the energy to manipulate hormone productions (yay *stopping* womanly cycles) and some other cellular functions (like pigmentation and hair growth). So hello full tan, goodbye tanlines and sun-damaged hair… or graying hair. Or shed/grow all and any of your hair if you want - it's a very 'body maintenance' skill!
In the next case, the very *first* breakthrough to Enchanter is actually the largest single 'general' improvement with 'diminishing returns'. A spiritual Enchanter can think clearer, intuit better, and has a stronger ability to use their spiritual sense outside of their own body. Think of it as going from the 'average' mortal to suddenly, almost always, feeling like they just had a full night's rest. Mentally they are now closer to being 'on top of their game'.
Oh, in that regard they also *need* less sleep - but may find sleeping and experiencing dreams to be a good meditative exercise all on its own.
Then we have the essence Enchanters who… well mostly just get their Aspect. This puts them in tune with a cosmic component that they can begin to learn to manipulate by expending this energy. This is a place where talent, knowledge, and doing the busywork comes in handy, as 'control' is not an instant thing for most.
Moving on to Primalists!
Physical ones get either a notably strengthened protection Aspect, secondary organ modification, or an additional 'trigger' effect depending on their original *type*. Yes, I did in fact give Elua such an action oriented type because of this consideration… because it 'limits' her to a few 'really powerful' moves. I already have them planned.
The Aspect was titled Ogre for a reason, and it's not just because my girl is secretly terrifying to make an honest enemy of despite how gently she controls herself to be. Though she is. Terrifying. And they do. Cross her line. Requiescat In Pace.
These Primalists can also do much more with their 'focusing technique', letting them 'reforge' their body in drastic and potentially dangerous ways (without equivalent knowledge and spiritual cultivation). Such major changes take a lot of time, energy, and concentration (which is the main call for spirit). On the other hand, they are also able to more easily 'defend' from exterior pressures at this rank by mobilizing the inner energy to 'press back'.
Spirituals usually become 'proficient' in intentionally manipulating spiritual sense because of how it is easier to move the vaster amount gained with this breakthrough - unless you are a cheating reincarnator or a 'genius'. Also spiritual barriers that have some effects on the other two energies can start being employed for the same 'quantity' reason… and also with the same 'Mary Sue' caveat.
Being reborn with all your knowledge and experience of practicing fine control is kind of a real cheat. No wonder why in various stories the lead always quickly 'stands out' after getting advice from a ghost trapped in some artifact (or equivalent of that trope).
Essence is similar to spirit for Primalists. A denser reserve leads to more ease controlling a larger amount of their Element all at once. Those with complex Aspects may find them more tolerable to manipulate. Also, while spiritualists get silly barriers, essence practitioners get… 'adhesion'. Basically, they can have their essence field 'magnetize' onto another that exists in a spiritless container.
So in exchange for concentration, one could do a 'chakra in the feet' run up a tree. Or use it in a sudden burst to counter their momentum. Pretend to be a spider. Increase their grip on their weapon. A number of little tricks, really.
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Q: When I asked, I didn't think I was going to get stuffed with half a whole short-story. Just round up the rest quickly!
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You're… really bad at the whole question thing, aren't you? It's fine. I'm bad at succinct answers.
Next are Breachers, so named because they are 'facing the doorway' preparing to breach into the Upper Realms of cultivation. Yes, really, I didn't just make it up on the spot! I mean, I did… but way earlier…
Defiers are the flipside to that. They've broken out of the Lower Realms willingly, defying one of the larger sets of impositions set in their way to Divinity by a predecessor or four. Their divine mandate first forced the need to intentionally become a maxed out triple Breacher to progress.
Then were the Three Trials assigned due to all three ranks and Aspects suddenly raising to the next in the one 'ascension'. As that is likely going to be a whole arc of its own, I'll shut the crap up right now~
I will say that lore-wise, it was intended to be a counterbalance to how the Divinity's imposed rule dividing the Upper and Lower was making everyone do it all at once had 'bad effects' on the area they happened in. In any case, if an Enchanter was finally a 'real' cultivator, then Defier is the 'no longer playing around' one.
A Demi-god finally is at the apex of 'cultivators', as a Divinity is something… more. I'll leave the capabilities of these end tiers to your imagination for the time being, so just enjoy their mentions when they happen in the story!
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Q: You do realize that you've made this randomly decided upon supplement piece *longer* - with all your babbling - than any chapter you might intend to post?
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I do. I love what I did anyway!
Thanks for reading until the end. Or if that's not why you're seeing this, thanks for scrolling down real fast for the TL;DR. Here you are, then: "Made up energies go brrr".
>> I appreciate any additional questions, comments, or power stones if you are into using those.