Chapter 3: 3. Cultivation Level and Planning (Re-uploaded)
From the next day, Kai began to read all the books in the library to increase his knowledge about the world. His constant reading, except for eating and sleeping, started to worry his mother, Riya.
"Baby, you can't read all the time. It will be bad for your health," With that she took the book from Kai.
Kai turned his head and looked at her hopeful eyes "But Mom, I love reading books. Please let me read,"
"No, you can only read for two hours a day, and you need to go out and play," Riya gave up after seeing those eyes, but she imposed a restriction.
Kai had to follow his mother's demands; otherwise, she would prohibit him from reading any books. Considering his mother's concern for his well-being, Kai had no choice but to adhere to her conditions.
As time flew by, a year passed. Now, a young boy sat at the table, engrossed in a book. Despite being only three years old, he appeared much older, resembling a six-year-old child. His lustrous sky-blue hair and flawless milky-white skin hinted at exceptional attractiveness.
The young boy immersed in his reading was none other than Kai.
Having just finished the book, Kai began recalling all the information about cultivation.
Cultivation refers to a practice where people undergo meditation, training, and mystical arts to become stronger, extend their lives, and gain supernatural powers. These people are known as cultivators.
They absorb the ambient energy called Qi present in the surroundings to achieve longevity and immortality.
The cultivation levels are divided into six major realms, each with its own set of minor realms.
The major cultivation realms included the mortal realm, supernatural realm, divine realm, saint realm, supreme realm, and emperor realm. Additionally, there were minor cultivation realms:
The minor realms for each major realm are,
Mortal Realm
1. Body tempering,
2. Qi gathering,
3. Qi Sea,
4. Foundation establishment.
Supernatural Realm
1. Awakening,
2. Transformation,
3. Innate.
Divine Realm
1. Mortal shedding,
2. Divine transformation,
3. God realm,
4. God king.
Saint realm
1. Pseudo saint,
2. Saint,
3. Great saint,
4. Saint King,
5. Saint Emperor.
For the supreme and emperor realms, there is no information about them in the library. Kai also asked his parents, but they didn't know anything about these realms. Alex, being a deacon of a Saint-tier sect, wasn't qualified to possess such knowledge—after all, information is a form of wealth.
Riya, on the other hand, is a housewife.
Both of Kai's parents live in the God realm, which, while impressive, pales in comparison to royal families and powerful sects. The sects are categorized into saint tier, supreme tier, and emperor tier, corresponding to the major realms.
Notably, there is no divine-tier sect because they lack the qualifications to establish one—a limitation shared by families as well.
In an emperor-tier family or sect, even the lowest cultivator attains the God-king realm. This starkly distinguishes common families from powerful ones.
The mortal realm derives its name from the fact that cultivators here share a lifespan with ordinary mortals. However, there's a unique aspect in this world: the mortal lifespan extends to around 200 years.
Body tempering is a crucial practice, further divided into skin tempering, bone tempering, and blood tempering. In the skin-tempering realm, cultivators fortify their skin to make it exceptionally tough. Bone tempering involves strengthening bones with Qi, while blood tempering densifies the blood.
Achieving mastery in the body-tempering realm is essential for any cultivator aspiring to reach a higher level.
In the Qi gathering realm, a cultivator must open their dantian—the energy center within their body—using Qi. Once the dantian is accessible, they gather Qi from the surrounding atmosphere. This gathered Qi must then be stored within the dan tian.
However, opening the dantian is a formidable task, especially for those without a strong background. Each person's body is unique, and the location of the dantian varies accordingly. Carelessness during this process can lead to injury.
Moving on to the Qi sea realm, practitioners transform their accumulated Qi into a liquid state, creating a Qi sea within their dantian. Since the natural Qi in the surroundings exists in a gaseous form, converting it to a liquid state significantly enhances its potency when utilized in martial arts.
Finally, the foundation establishment realm involves refining the gathered Qi. Here, a cultivator can temper their Qi repeatedly, increasing its density with each iteration.
This realm plays a pivotal role, determining the upper limit of cultivation and offering hope for altering a cultivator's fate in subsequent realms.
The true divergence begins in the supernatural realm. Every cultivator here can awaken their innate talent, and the strength of that talent hinges on their foundational work. It serves as a turning point for everyone, even ordinary individuals.
With a solid foundation and the awakening of powerful talents, reaching the pinnacle of the cultivation world becomes feasible.
Transitioning to the transformation realm, this stage revolves around refining the awakened talent. Initially, a cultivator cannot wield their talent freely due to unfamiliarity and bodily limitations. However, this realm allows them to overcome those constraints and remove their limitations.
In the transformation realm, cultivators undergo a fundamental transformation of their awakened talent. Initially, when a cultivator awakens their talent, they cannot wield it at will due to unfamiliarity. Their body also imposes limitations until they can use their talent without harming themselves.
This realm enables them to overcome these self-imposed restrictions.
Moving on to the innate realm, the goal is to internalize the talent, making it as natural as breathing. In simple terms, cultivators in this realm must utilize their talent seamlessly, much like an inherent trait.
The entire supernatural realm revolves around hard work. With diligent effort, anyone can ascend to the peak of this realm.
Now, into the divine realm. Here, cultivators seek to comprehend the laws of nature—an endeavor that requires leaving behind their mortal bodies.
The first minor realm within the divine realm is known as mortal shedding or nirvana. In this stage, cultivators experience rebirth with the assistance of heavenly materials or even the heavens themselves. The quality of these heavenly materials significantly impacts the rebirth process.
Higher-quality materials facilitate a deeper understanding of the underlying law. Subsequently, cultivators strive to receive a chance directly from the heavens. However, such opportunities are reserved solely for the world's most exceptional talents.
It's not without cost; cultivators accrue karma owed to heaven. Remarkably, some emperor-tier families and sects can replicate this process using heavenly materials and powerful supreme-tier cultivators. Only a supreme or higher-level cultivator can orchestrate a flawless rebirth.
Finally, in the divine transformation realm, cultivators integrate their comprehended laws into themselves. This integration extends to their body, soul, and Qi—a harmonious fusion of understanding and power.
The God realm primarily revolves around comprehension. Within this realm, cultivators can understand up to 49% of their law. Upon breaking through the 50% comprehension threshold, they earn the title of God Kings.
In the God-King realm, a cultivator achieves complete comprehension, encompassing 100% of their law.
As for the saint realm, information is scarce in the library, and Kai's parents only mentioned that it involves transforming the law into a domain.
But he read interesting information about the emperor's realm. The emperor realm cannot be achieved by everyone even if they have enough background.
It can only achieved during the battle of destiny, which occurs only once in a generation.
During the battle of destiny, all people regardless of commoners or heaven chosen would compete for destiny and the final winner would proclaim himself an emperor.
Reflecting on this, Kai realized that the first two realms offer opportunities for everyone. Proper cultivation in the mortal realm, establishing a solid foundation, and awakening a potent talent during the awakening realm can pave the way to becoming a powerhouse.
Kai resolved to explore this path in the future.
Despite his undeveloped body, Kai refrained from intense physical exercise to avoid harm. Instead, he decided to focus on battle arts, laying the groundwork during his early years.
Anticipating that his talent would resemble his parents', Kai already contemplated surpassing its limits. He understood that hard work was essential to reach the peak.
Additionally, Kai planned to study his soul. He realized that it was different from when he was on Earth. He can feel the changes instinctively.