Chapter Eight: A Guide to Cultivation

"Beginner's Guide to Cultivation—let's see what it says." As soon as Tang Yi returned to the residence arranged by Elder Lu, he found Zhang Qiang already fast asleep, snuggling his quilt. With a muttered, "Just like a pig, as expected," he took out the "Beginner's Guide to Cultivation" and began to study it.

The Division of Cultivation Realms: There are twelve levels of cultivation: Early Foundation, Foundation, Radiant Mirror, Fusion, Heart Stirring, Spiritual Silence, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Divided Spirit, Integration, Tribulation Crossing, and Great Ascension.

1. Qi Refining: Begins with absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as one's own, laying the foundation for the next stage. At this level, one can use storage-type items. Generally, after three to five years, one can break through.
2. Foundation: This stage tempers and forges the body, allowing the use of simple talismans. One can bless, ward off misfortune, and heal. It takes eight to ten years to break through.
3. Radiant Mirror: The initial stage of genuine cultivation, signs of a cultivator become apparent, and talismans begin to show extraordinary phenomena—flight, igniting fire, explosions. In the dantian, a glowing lotus seed appears. Twelve to eighteen years to break through.
4. Fusion: The foundation of body and cultivation begin to merge, abilities improve rapidly. The lotus seed matures and blooms, a clear lotus flower grows in the dantian. Spiritual energy can be projected to the body surface, making it possible to use jade slips. Lifespan may reach three hundred years. Twenty-five to thirty-five years to break through.
5. Heart Stirring: The first dangerous threshold, the heart is stirred. The lotus blooms a unique heart; the two hearts' pulsations and the confusion towards true meaning characterize this stage. Thirty to fifty years to break through.
6. Spiritual Silence: After the turbulence, calm returns, entering the true precursor to cultivation. Talismans become highly effective, can transform appearance, manifest myriad illusions, and spells grow in power. Here, the difference from martial arts becomes fundamental. Eighty to one hundred years to break through.
7. Nascent Soul: The lotus heart develops into a true nascent infant, stepping into the inner sanctum of cultivation. One can now fly on swords. Spells and Daoist arts reach a new stage, talismans gain tangible properties. Ninety to one hundred twenty years to break through.
8. Out-of-Body: The nascent spirit can leave the body, allowing for observation, telekinesis, and influencing the minds of those with lesser cultivation. Control over objects increases further. One hundred fifty to two hundred years to break through.
9. Divided Spirit: Able to control avatars, multitask, and affect different places simultaneously. Can fly without any magical device. Lifespan may reach eight hundred years. One hundred eighty to three hundred years to break through.
10. Integration: The external spirit and nascent soul merge, avatars become almost physical, akin to creating another flesh-and-blood person. The body forms a self-sustaining loop. Able to fly through the void for as long as spiritual power allows. Lifespan up to fifteen hundred years. Two hundred fifty to five hundred years to break through.
11. Tribulation Crossing: As one nears Great Ascension, the body embodies the myriad phenomena of the universe, a perfect blend of energy and spirit. Conversely, an opposing energy arises, and the two forces draw toward mutual annihilation—hence the heavenly tribulation, which is inescapable. Crossing is against the laws of the universe; the duration depends on the individual and their method. Failure usually means death, or, if not, eventual decline.
12. Great Ascension: The consolidation of cultivation, accumulating power until perfection, then ascending in daylight! Few ever reach this stage, most hide away awaiting ascension. The time required is indeterminate.

Each realm can be further divided into early, middle, and late stages.

Classification of Items: Weapons and equipment are divided into Magical Tools, Magical Treasures, Spirit Tools, and Spirit Treasures. Each is subdivided into upper, middle, and lower grades, with exceptional treasures of utmost quality rarely appearing.

Talismans are a special category, generally ranked as inferior, common, good, refined, and supreme.

Medicines are indispensable in the cultivation world, classified as lower, middle, upper, and supreme.

On Formations: Formations are highly specialized in the cultivation world, and few study them. Using formations requires not just sufficient cultivation but also understanding the universe. Only by combining knowledge and power can one form a proper array. Those who can set up or craft formation devices are invariably prodigies.

Spirit Beast Compendium: By species, there are Spirit Beasts, Sacred Beasts, Divine Beasts, and Super-divine Beasts. Spirit Beasts are further divided into ordinary, good, superior, and rare. Sacred, divine, and super-divine beasts are so scarce there's no point in ranking them.

Generally, a spirit beast is considered mature when it reaches the Nascent Soul stage, at which point its abilities multiply. Some require reaching the Out-of-Body stage or higher to mature. The higher the grade of the beast, the later its maturity.

Spirit Stones: Spirit stones contain the essence of heaven and earth, filled with spiritual energy. Graded by concentration: upper, middle, lower, supreme. There is also an incomplete type with many impurities called semi-spirit stones, or inferior stones. Each is thumb-tip sized. Inferior stones are milky white; superior stones are translucent white; middle stones are light green; upper stones are glossy blue-green, clear as water droplets. Supreme stones are translucent emerald with a faint violet glow. The exchange rate is: 1 upper = 1,000 middle = 1,000,000 lower. Supreme stones are priceless, while inferior stones are undesirable due to their impurities—they are mainly used now as fertilizer in herb cultivation.

As for medicine and treasure materials, there are too many to list...

"So that's what this cultivation world is like. No wonder they say 'cultivation knows not the years.' All those who reach ascension are thousand-year-old monsters! ...But how does one actually cultivate Qi? Oh right, I saw some vendors selling manuals at the trade fair today. I'll buy one tomorrow and try it out. I still have ten middle-grade spirit stones—not bad. But with no money, I'll need to think of a way to get more stones soon." Tang Yi glanced at his pocket watch—almost midnight. "Damn, tomorrow that Su Xiong wants to duel me. I wonder what stage he's reached now. I can't gauge his thoughts, but according to this guide, he's at least reached Out-of-Body Realm—a real expert. I've got it! I'll use my precognition ability to see what tomorrow holds." With that, Tang Yi used his power to foresee the future.

"Strange! What I just saw looked like Earth, as if seen from the moon. Forgot—this ability isn't precise, only showing major events or turning points. Never mind, I can always travel through time and space, ha ha... Everything's settled. Time to sleep!" With that thought, Tang Yi felt much better and went straight to bed.

Theoretically, when a cultivator reaches the Fusion realm, they no longer need to eat, surviving solely on spiritual energy. Still, most continue with three daily meals, as grains contain a bit of spiritual energy that's almost fully absorbed by the body, so the habit endures—unless in seclusion.

The breakfast at Divine Sword Sect was plentiful: steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, pastries, porridge, and more. At Tang Yi's table, there were only the two of them; anyone else would have gone hungry. The two swept through the food like a whirlwind, leaving only empty bowls behind. "Excuse me, could we have another tableful?" Tang Yi called out. The female cultivator in charge of breakfast, who appeared to be in her forties, cursed him inwardly but showed nothing on her face—after all, Tang Yi and his friend were honored guests. She raised her right hand, her index and middle fingers forming a sword, spun her palm, and traced a few gestures before her fingertips emitted a white light. She chanted, "Swift!" The light enveloped the table, and after a few breaths, everything was spotless and sparkling. With a wave, she cleared the table; with another, a fresh, fragrant breakfast appeared before them.

After breakfast, Tang Yi dragged Zhang Qiang to the trade fair. It was the third day, and as more people arrived, the fair grew ever livelier. Squeezing through the crowd, they reached the booth of "Blessed Land and Cave Heaven."

"Boss, do you have cultivation manuals?" Tang Yi asked.

"I do. What kind of technique are you looking for?" The owner produced a few jade slips.

"Jade slips? Uh, we can't use those yet. Do you have any books? I just want the most basic Qi Refining method," Tang Yi said, a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, honestly, we don't carry those. Try another stall." The owner was baffled—what kind of people were these?

Tang Yi had no choice but to keep searching with Zhang Qiang. Eventually, they returned to yesterday's general store—Wu's General Goods. "Daoist Tang, we meet again. What brings you here today?" Wu called out.

"Boss Wu, hello! We're looking for some basic cultivation manuals—not jade slips, but books. The foundation-level Qi Refining kind," Tang Yi replied.

"Yes, yes, we have everything here! Look—Five Elements Qi Refining methods: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and others too—Lightning, Shadow, Yang, Profound, and so on. Which do you want? Or, if you know your body's type, you can choose one accordingly for better results." Wu produced a large pile of books.

"Qiangzi, have a look—see which you like," Tang Yi said.

"I’m not sure what my body type is, or which to pick," Zhang Qiang scratched his head.

"Haha, that's no problem! I have a mini body-type tester here. It checks not only your constitution but the elemental attributes of herbs and refining materials too. Special price—just ten low-grade spirit stones," Wu deftly promoted.

"All right, I'll buy it. Looks useful," Tang Yi agreed.

Wu took out a rectangular box, five sides sealed, one open for a hand, and nine beads on top. "Put your hand in, press this button, and in a few moments, the beads will light up. The glowing bead shows your attribute. Here, you put the spirit stone—no stone, no test."

"Qiangzi, you first." Tang Yi placed a middle-grade spirit stone in and gestured to Zhang Qiang.

"Okay!" Zhang Qiang put his hand in, Tang Yi pressed the switch, and a soft hum sounded. A purple bead lit up, marked "Profound."

"Remarkable! Daoist Zhang is of the Profound attribute—boundless prospects!" Wu congratulated him.

"Is that special?" Zhang Qiang asked.

"Let me explain," Wu said, eager to play teacher. "Most people are balanced in the five elements and yin-yang—ordinary, and the tester shows nothing. My own type is Earth—see, the yellow bead lights up. With balanced elements and an extra earth force, I get better results with earth techniques. However, too rapid progress can disrupt the balance. Lightning and Profound are rare, as people normally lack them. Those who do progress faster, without worrying about imbalance. This mini tester only gives a rough idea; for details, larger testers are needed—those are found in major sects and clans," Wu explained enthusiastically.

"I see," Tang Yi nodded. "Qiangzi, you pick a Profound technique. My turn now." He put his hand in and pressed the switch.

The machine buzzed loudly. All nine beads flashed, then with a clang, lit up together.

"Huh..." Tang Yi quickly withdrew his hand, not wanting to look like a freak. "What does that mean?"

"I've never seen that before," Wu admitted, stumped.

"So what kind of technique should I practice? Any, or none at all?" Tang Yi pressed.

Wu was speechless.

"What's this manual?" Tang Yi pointed.

"That one? It's a pure spiritual energy cultivation method, generally for mundane martial artists—it prolongs life, but nothing else," Wu explained.

"I'll take it." Tang Yi's intuition told him it was right for him.

He paid a middle-grade spirit stone, receiving a large bag of lower-grade ones in change. It was frustrating—everyone else had storage gear, but he couldn't use his yet. Time to hurry home and cultivate.

Back at the Divine Sword Sect's residence, Tang Yi and Zhang Qiang shut themselves away. After a few minutes, they emerged looking for food, then again a few minutes later, and again—seven or eight times in all. Finally, they just brought a mountain of food into the room.

Tang Yi had used his superpower to take Zhang Qiang into a time-stopping state for cultivation, explaining the odd behavior. In half an hour outside, they had eaten over a dozen meals each, spending the equivalent of seven or eight days. Zhang Qiang finally learned the Profound technique and reached the third layer—the method had twelve, and he was now at the early Qi Refining stage. Tang Yi, thanks to his powers, reached late-stage Qi Refining in half a day. Unfortunately, his realm was higher than his cultivation, so he kept working on it. To explain: the realm is like a mountain, cultivation is the reservoir you build on it, and spiritual power is the water. The mountain is big, but if you barely dig a reservoir, there's little water. Most people build mountain and reservoir together, reinforcing as needed. Tang Yi, on the other hand, enlarged the mountain first, barely digging the reservoir. Of course, the relationship among realm, cultivation, and spiritual power is more complex; increasing one can promote the others. Still, if other geniuses knew their speed, they'd probably bang their heads against a wall.

Finally able to use storage gear, Tang Yi found he had only a few spirit stones to store—nothing else. As he was celebrating his new ability to use a storage ring, Su Xiong arrived, his voice preceding him: "Tang Yi, come out and fight!"