Cultivation Realms Explained 1
As he makes his way to the Library Pavillion, the scene of these disciples' movements and their busy lives fills him with a kind of peace. Also, there's envy in his eyes.
As the Holy Son of the Sect, he does not need to carry out missions in the Holy Land. So his life is somehow boring. He either cultivates, represents the Sect in Events, leading his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters to Secret Realms, leading them to subdue Monsters, opposing forces or rebels.
Although leading others is not a simple matter in itself, he still envied the busy lives of these disciples who are constantly fighting for justice, competing for resources and doing missions just to go a step further in this Path of Cultivation.
...
The Blessed Land of the Scarlet Heaven Holy Land is a Small World. And in this Small World, there are floating mountains, and Pavilions. Below these floating bodies, are other mountains and rivers, and arenas.It has one visible entrance and exit. Most Secret Realms do have one entrance and exit.
For the Scarlet Heaven Holy Land, if someone wants to come in from the entrance, they have to come in from a Gate on the ground, not a floating Gate. The Gate is a very huge scarlet Gate, covering about one hundred metres in length, and is as high as 75 metres.
Although its appearance is normal, it is engraved in arrayed runes, able to condense different formations ranging from teleportation, to attack, to defence, to concealment, and even illusion.
Inside the Holy Land, the few Floating Mountains are Holy Lord's Peak, which is the centralised 'Main' Peak of the Holy Land; the Holy Son's Peak, floating behind the Holy Lord's Peak to the left; and the Holy Maiden's Peak, floating to the right back of the Holy Lord's Peak.
The Elders'(First Elder to 9th Elder) Peak is to the North of the Holy Lord's Peak; the Great Elder's Peak is to the West of the Holy Lord's Peak; to the South is the Forbidden Area/Forbidden Peak of the Holy Land where most of the Ancestors and Supreme Elders are sealing themselves, waiting for a fool to provoke the Holy Land.
And the Floating Pavilions are located in the East, relative to the Holy Lord's Peak. And the Library Pavilion is the foremost of all the Pavillions when flying over from the Holy Lord's Peak.
Below, there are Mountains covered in Pavilions, and Cave Abodes, and Arenas. The whole array is:
The Central Court, where Core Elders and Core Disciples, and Direct Disciples Reside. A branch of the Teleport point to the Floating Pavilions is here. There is also the Grand Competition Arena where the Grand Competition of the Holy Land is held.
Outside the Central Court is the Inner Court, where the Inner Elders and Inner Disciples reside. Battle Arenas are the most notable structures in the Inner Court. The Inner Court is bigger and more busy than the Central Court.
And the biggest and most busy of them all is the Outer Court, because it accommodates the most disciples, numbered in their hundreds of thousands. The simple mode of the Pavilions and other important buildings of the Holy Land are also found here, especially the Arenas.
...
Before he knew it, Jiang Hou was alreading levitating before the Library Pavillion. As it was forbidden to fly into the Library Pavillion even as the Holy Son, he flew to ground and walked towards the Pavillion.
This is a huge building. There are a total of 12 floors, in the form of a Pagoda. As a precaution, there are layers of Protective Formations and Spatial Formations around the Library Pavillion.
Moreover, there is a Checkpoint, where someone's Identity needs to be verified before they can enter the Library. Also, a Supreme Elder of the Holy Land is Sitting in the Library, if someone with evil intention passes the Checkpoint, he would face probing by the Elder's Divine Will.
So, it can be said that the Library Pavillion is a very important Resource Point for the Holy Land. In fact, most Sects, Holy Lands, Clans and Halls use this same method.
Cultivation Techniques and Spells are essential for empowering a Cultivator. If a Cultivator has one but lacks the other, he would become an easy prey in the face of controversy.
The reason why Rogue cultivators, Small Cultivation Forces and mortals would seek out Cultivation forces, especially the Large Ones, is primarily to obtain Cultivation Techniques and Spells. Since these forces have monopolised them, it is difficult for rogue cultivators and mortals to obtain advanced and suitable Cultivation Techniques and Spells.
…
After passing through the Checkpoint, Jiang Hou proceeded to the Ground Floor. He felt the probing of a Divine Will, but he felt it was weak. This again puzzled him. This is exactly the reason why he would take time out to read some Cultivation Knowledge to know what his situation is, so that he can have a handle on his own life.
His target this time was the Ground Floor, where books and stories on the General Knowledge of the Cultivation World are stored. He entered it and began his reading.
As the Holy Son, he is entitled to enter up to the 9th floor. To obtain Qi Refining Techniques and Spells, disciples need to enter the First Floor. Qi Condensation Techniques and Spells on the Second Floor, and so on. In other words, apart from the Ground Floor, each ascension of the floor corresponds to the Realms of Cultivation.
The disciples who were going in and out of the Library, quickly noticed the Holy Son. But since it is forbidden to talk out loud in the library, they could only converse in whispers. Some even used the Voice Transmission ability that Cultivators possess.
Jiang Hou isn't bothered by their whispers however. What he was concerned about was how to quickly resolve his strange problem. He looked through many books.
Speaking of which, he has never been a fan of studying. It was too boring and tasking for him to read knowledge impacting books. He felt it was an even more daunting task than cultivating in Seclusion.
Now, however, he has to read, he has to study. Thus he began his 6 days of study. The Ground Floor is divided into the four Sections of Azure Dragon in the East, White Tiger in the North, Vermilion Bird in the West, and Black Tortoise in the South.
Starting from the Southern Section, which records the History of the World, its Geography, Politics, and Position in the Dao Realm; the founding of the Scarlet Heaven Holy Land, its Holy Lords and several other notable figures since the day of its founding; the Rise and Fall of the Qingyan Imperial Clan, etc.
Since the section has the most information, Jiang Hou spent a whole day going through all the books and notes. And it wasn't as boring as he expected. He experienced thrill and blood boiling reading about some notable figures of the Past; also notable figures of the Present.
The Western Section records General Knowledge of the Cultivation World. Since not all people can cultivate, there are mortals in this world. A mortal in this sense is not someone who can die, but someone who cannot harness the energy of heaven and earth, absorb it, refine it, and make it a part of their power.
Mortals may not be able to cultivate, but they are the backbone of the Cultivation world. Each of the forces in the world has a Mortal Dynasty, or Sect, or City, or Clan under them. They don't interfere in the affairs of the mortals as jointly agreed in the past.
Mortals only provide these forces with new blood in every generation. The constant inflow of new blood from the Mortal World is what keeps these Cultivation forces running. Including the Holy Lands.
Jiang Hou became more intrigued. He also discovered so many secrets he wouldn't have known. Like, while Mortals refresh the Cultivation Force's blood constantly, the Cultivation Force also needs to guard the Mortals under them.
If a Cultivation Force loses its mortal support, it will quickly go into decline, something all Forces are afraid of. So they send a couple of their Young Geniuses or some Deacons who have reached their limit, to guard the mortals under them over a specific period of time. This will ensure that hostile forces wouldn't be able to infiltrate their back gardens and cause irreversible damages to them through the mortals.
The Northern Section records information on Secondary Cultivation Professions. Cultivation is not all about practising and breaking through. There are some other aspects, and these aspects make Cultivation more fun. Once of which is the Secondary Professions.
Secondary Profession, as the name suggests, is secondary on the path of Cultivation. Well, in the early stages. These are paths to further enhance Combat effectiveness and Self Protection during battles.
There are several of these professions. A few of them are, Alchemy(the path of utilising Medicinal Herbs, Heaven and Earth Energy, and other Spiritual Treasures, to refine Pills), Weapon Refining, Wine Making, Formation Path, Talisman Refining.
In the early stages of Cultivation, the cultivator must put in 90% of his strength on his Main Cultivation, 8% on Secondary Professions, 2% on relaxation. You cannot work all the time, even as a cultivator.
On getting to the Eastern Section, Jiang Hou discovered that it had the least number of books. And though the books are fewer, they are… bigger, older, and even 'dusty?'.
Curiously, he picked one, wiped the dust, and saw, "Understanding the Cultivation Realms: An In Depth Study".
He opened the page and discovered the book went straight to discussing the Cultivation Realms. It didn't have a Title Page or some sort of Introduction.It began by saying,
"Cultivation, is it defying heaven, or defying oneself? You start by Refining Qi, which, in essence, is an advanced form of Body Tempering. A mortal cannot absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy out of the blue.
He has to start by tempering his body. Once the body is perfectly tempered, the body would generate its own innate qi, one strand in all, formed at the base of the navel. To generate more Innate Qi, the mortal needs to eat Spiritual Food, Wine, and Herbs. These things contain the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy that will aid the mortal in generating more Innate Qi. An ordinary Perfect Qi Refiner would have nine strands of Innate Qi, a genius would have 12 strands, a Tianjiao would have 21 strands.
Then at the Qi Condensation state, the strands would take the form of an Orb, hollow on the inside, with a thin membrane. The number of Innate Qi Strands determines the size of the Qi Orb formed. Normal Qi Orb is 3 inches in diameter, genius is 7, Tianjiao is 12. A perfect Qi Orb would have a tough membrane called a Dantian.
The Dantian Expansion Realm is the stage where the Dantian is continually filled with Innate Qi, stretched until it reaches a limit, then the Innate Qi would be used to temper it until it becomes tough again. It is repeated 13 times, for an ordinary person 15 times for geniuses, and 18 for Tianjiao. A Perfect Dantian would take a solid form where it cannot be stretched again, but it is now directly connected to the meridians and veins of the body, able to absorb Spiritual Energy directly from the world. From now on, they are no longer "Mortals".
The Golden Core Realm is 'Golden' in colour the Core takes only. Once the Dantian is solidified, it becomes golden and crystal-like. There are Nine grades for a Golden Core. Grades 1-4 are usually formed by ordinary cultivators. Grades 5-7, by geniuses. Grade 8 is formed by Tianjiao.
Grade Nine Golden Core can only be formed by an Unparalleled Genius that is not seen in a million years. Few people with the Ninth Grade Golden Core have appeared throughout the ages. And once it appears, he would dominate all sides. If he lives till the end, he would become an unrivalled powerhouse in that World, or Dao Domain. If he falls, he can only blame his hundreds of ancestors for bringing misfortune on him…"
As Jiang Hou reads on, he was so absorbed in it that he didn't notice the passage of time.
Although he knew these things, he didn't know these details. His Master believed him to have studied some of these things in the Jiang Clan, and didn't bother to educate him further. And when he was young….
Jiang Hou: Can we not talk about my earlier years now?
Anyway, what mattered was that these words in this book captured him, and he read with great passion.
He who has spent 3 days at the Western and Northern Sections, would spend another 2 days in this Eastern Section of the Ground Floor.
This first book he read in the Eastern Section contains some knowledge he's known before, and some details he didn't know, which benefited him a lot. With what he gained from the first book alone, he can become a Dao Teacher in the Holy Land. Of course he would not do that. He is the Holy Son.
Sometimes though, he might be invited to teach the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters in the Sect, which is not against the Rules of the Holy Land.
Jiang Hou continued to read. A day and a half passed in a flash. Just when he was about to give up, he saw a book on a shelf. It was the only book here. And the dust on it was much more than the dust on the previous books he's read in this Eastern Section.
He became curious, and a little angry. "This is a Library. Why does nobody even care for these books? Look at the dust on them! They must have been left unread for hundreds of years, right? And look at this one! It's probably been lying here for more than a thousand years!", he said out loud.
"Did I just think out loud?", he asked, out loud again. But no one was there to answer him.
"Well, I am the Holy Son", he said.
He moved to the shelf where the "Lone Book" was, he picked it up, dusted it and saw written on its Cleverly designed Cover, on which was written, "'The Untold Truths of the Cultivation Realms' Written By "'Green Fire Sovereign'".
"Green Fire Sovereign.. Green Fire Sovereign.. That's that Green Fire Sovereign?"Jiang Hou's eyes widened in surprise.