[Requirements to Break Through Bottlenecks in Cultivation]
Stepping into the world of cultivation, the very first hurdle one must face is the "foundation" — more specifically, the presence of a Spirit Root (Linh Căn). If you have one, congratulations! You may proceed.
If not... you're destined to be a trash cultivator, a spiritual cripple, cannon fodder, background character #37.
But don't despair in this world, everything can be fixed with the right treasure. No Spirit Root? Grab yourself a Spirit Root Fruit or refine a Spirit Root Pill, and suddenly, you're back in the game.
In fact, in this story, the more Spirit Roots you have, the better. The methods are endless. Only the clever and shameless thrive.
Second Barrier: Willpower
Even if you have talent, without willpower, you're going nowhere. This stage tests your state of mind also called Heart Realm.
No clan support? No divine ancestor protecting you? Doesn't matter if your heart is strong enough to withstand loneliness, bloodshed, and the mockery of heaven itself, then you're already ahead of the weaklings.
The road to cultivation spans years, decades, even centuries. The higher you climb, the longer you must wander in search of enlightenment.
You will see friends die, lovers fade, sects crumble.
You will walk through spring and snow only to find... that time spares no one.
Final Barrier: Don't Die
Yes. That's it. The most important requirement to breaking through any realm, any arc, any world:
Don't. Freaking. Die.
Avoid random assassins. Dodge stray lightning tribulations. Don't accept tea from suspicious old men with long white beards.
You want to reach Nascent Soul? Saint Realm? Ascend to immortality?
Stay alive.
Because if you die, you're just one more ghost chatting with the King of the Underworld over tea, gossiping about which protagonist killed you.
[Stages of Cultivation – Path to Immortality]
Mortal Martial Artist
Estimated lifespan: Around 100 years or lessRealm: No official cultivation stagesFocus: Physical training, martial techniques, and wielding weapons forged from common metals and materials.
Mortal martial artists are the lowest rung on the ladder of power. Though they may temper their bodies and master combat skills, they remain bound by the limits of mortality.
To step beyond this realm and truly enter the Cultivation World, one must possess a Spirit Root. Without it, no amount of strength or determination can open the path to higher realms.
Qi Refining
Lifespan: 100+ yearsStages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
The first step in cultivation. By absorbing spiritual energy, the cultivator tempers both body and soul.Even at Early Stage, one can lift objects a hundred times their own weight with ease.
Foundation Establishment
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
Spiritual power is refined to purify the body, removing all impurities.
This stage builds a solid foundation, making the body fully compatible with the path of cultivation.
Core Formation
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
All of the cultivator's power condenses into a golden core within the dantian.This core becomes the source of their strength, marking them as a true elite among cultivators of the same realm.
Nascent Soul
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
The golden core shatters, giving birth to a miniature chibi-like version of the cultivator — the Nascent Soul.
If the main body dies, the Nascent Soul can escape and seek a new vessel to rebuild from scratch.
At this stage, cultivators begin using Divine Sense.
Soul Transformation
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
The Nascent Soul evolves, merging deeper with the laws of heaven and earth.Spiritual power becomes vast and refined. Divine Sense can cover miles, and mere presence can suppress weaker cultivators.
Void Refinement
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
The physical body and Nascent Soul begin to blur, gradually merging with void essence.
Attacks strike through space itself. Cultivators at this level can distort reality and move between dimensions.
Body Integration
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
In the Lower Realm, this is the highest combat realm, second only to Tribulation Crossing experts.Cultivators at this stage are usually in deep seclusion, rarely appearing unless seeking a breakthrough or if their sect faces annihilation.
Tribulation Crossing – Heavenly Thunder
Structure: Total of Eight Layers of Heavenly Tribulation
The first seven bolts of lightning increase in power, testing both the cultivator's defenses and strength.The final strike is the Heart Demon Lightning, which attacks the mind, exposing weaknesses in the cultivator's inner Dao and mental state.
Spiritual Baptism
A gift from heaven and earth for those who successfully overcome their tribulation.Absorbing it marks official entry into the Tribulation Realm.This blessing cannot be stolen — any attempt to do so will incur heavenly punishment.
Tribulation Stage
Lifespan: 5,000+ years
Stages: Early, Mid, Late, Peak
Transcends the limits of mortal cultivation in the Lower Realm.
Grants the chance to ascend to higher worlds such as the Immortal Realm or Demon Realm.
Must endure the Heavenly Tribulation, a divine trial sent by heaven and earth.
Due to its extreme danger, only a very small number of Body Integration cultivators ever reach this stage.
Semi-Immortal
The highest level of the lower worlds
Also considered the starting point for monks who have successfully ascended.
At this stage, the monk's energy becomes a mixture of Spiritual Power and traces of Immortal or Demonic Power.
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[Body Cultivation /Physical Cultivator]
One of the three primary paths to power
Body cultivators focus on tempering the physical body, representing an unyielding will that refuses to bow to fate.
They rely on flesh, blood, and sheer force — forging strength through pain and perseverance.
Introduction – The Path of Body Cultivation
In this world, everyone dreams of becoming a cultivator. But to cultivate, one must possess Spirit Roots.Yet not all mortals are blessed with such innate talent.Some, through painful and brutal training, turn to Body Techniques, forging their mortal flesh into vessels capable of enduring unimaginable agony.
Though Body Cultivation is often called the "easiest" path, in truth, it demands a level of unyielding willpower few can match.It consumes vast amounts of resources, medicinal herbs, and time.
Without resolve, you cannot cultivate.With extraordinary will, you are qualified to walk this path.
After all, each cultivation path has its strengths and weaknesses.Only by pushing to the very limits… will one truly understand.
Combat Style – Body Cultivators
Whether attacking or defending, Body Cultivators rely on the most primitive and brutal methods:
They deal overwhelming physical damage to their enemies and endure blows with their own flesh and blood.
Compared to Spiritual Cultivators, Body Cultivators possess superior raw power, especially when combined with Body Techniques, enhancing both strength and impact.
Do not assume that Body Cultivators become weaker at higher realms.
In a life-and-death battle, when spiritual reserves run dry, a Body Cultivator fights on like an unstoppable engine needing no fuel
While a Spiritual Cultivator must continuously absorb heaven and earth energy to generate force.
Additionally, while traditional body training requires tempering bones, veins, blood, and flesh,
there exists a sub-path known as Bone Cultivation, focusing solely on strengthening the skeleton.
Breaking Through Bottlenecks – Body Cultivators
Unlike Spiritual Cultivators, who absorb the energy of heaven and earth through cultivation techniques, or Soul Cultivators, who refine their soul, Body Cultivators face far greater difficulty in breaking through realm barriers.
In many ways, body cultivation is a path of suffering first, reward later — progress is slow, but each step builds terrifying physical power. And with each breakthrough, the intensity of "punishment" grows accordingly.
Typically, there are two main methods for Body Cultivators to break through:
1. Dual Cultivation Approach
Some choose to acquire Spirit Roots using rare treasures of heaven and earth (such as the fruit of the Spirit Root Tree),thus enabling the path of Dual Cultivation — strengthening both body and spiritual energy simultaneously.
2. Endless Battles and Tempering
Others stick to pure body cultivation by undergoing brutal trials:
Refining each part of the body through hardship and battle
Absorbing the flesh and blood of spiritual beasts to enhance vitality and expand meridians
Training in extreme environments, natural or man-made, such as secret realms or artifact-forged trial zones
Consuming and refining special resources like Barbarian Stones (Man Thạch) to enhance physical attributes
This is the path of the unyielding, those who choose to advance through pain, not by convenience.Each scar is a step forward. Each wound, a badge of progress.
Body Cultivator Realms – Lesser World (Lower Realm)
Similar to the Eightfold Spirit Realm System of Spiritual Cultivators, the realm of Body Cultivators is divided by "Refinements" (Chuyển).
Each stage is known as a Refinement Level, from the First Refinement to the Eighth, with every level further split into four sub-stages:Early Stage – Mid Stage – Late Stage – Peak (Great Perfection)
Refinement Stages:
First Refinement
Second Refinement
Third Refinement
Fourth Refinement
Fifth Refinement
Sixth Refinement
Seventh Refinement
Eighth Refinement
The higher the refinement level, the more terrifying the physical body becomes.Each advancement is a complete rebirth, bones, flesh, blood, and soul forged under pressure and pain.