Chapter Nine: An Overview of Cultivation

In ancient times, there were indeed some low-level cultivators who managed to survive, but due to the scarcity of spiritual energy, they could not further their cultivation. When their limited lifespan, only a few times longer than that of ordinary people, was finally exhausted, cultivators gradually disappeared. Their disciples, left with insufficient spiritual energy and lacking precious natural treasures to assist their practice, could not even reach the Foundation Establishment stage and thus were not true cultivators. As time passed, even these elementary practitioners became ever fewer.

In truth, the spiritual energy on Naster Star was never abundant. This planet once bore a special mission; back then, many cultivators resided here, relying on the spiritual stones and elixirs they carried with them for energy. If they depended solely on the spiritual energy of the planet, they could at best reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Therefore, as the planet’s mission faded into insignificance, the cultivators gradually withdrew, leaving the planet to become a world solely for mortals.

In today’s cultivation world, the path of cultivation is divided into nine major realms: Qi Refining, Spirit Focusing, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Division, Unity, Void Refinement, and Great Ascension. According to legend, reaching the pinnacle of the Great Ascension stage would trigger the tribulation of ascension; those who succeeded would ascend to the Immortal Realm. Every three realms are grouped into a tier—lower, middle, and upper—and each realm is further divided into early, middle, and late stages. Once a practitioner enters the Qi Refining stage, they can begin to forgo food for short periods and their lifespan extends somewhat. With each advancement, their lifespan increases substantially.

To be specific: a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage can fast for about ten to fifteen days; at Spirit Focusing, for three months; at Foundation Establishment, for a year or two. Upon reaching Core Formation, having established an internal source of energy, complete fasting becomes possible. Only at this stage can a cultivator exist entirely without external sustenance—without food, water, even oxygen—enabling them to travel freely through space using only their physical body, and to teleport between planets within a star system. Before reaching this level, such feats require the aid of magical treasures. For instance, Foundation Establishment cultivators, without such artifacts, could survive without oxygen for only two or three hours.

The increase in lifespan follows a similar pattern: at Qi Refining, the lifespan is about one hundred years, only slightly longer than that of an ordinary person. At Spirit Focusing, it extends to about one hundred and fifty years; at Foundation Establishment, two hundred years. Upon reaching Core Formation, lifespan doubles to four hundred years. With each subsequent realm within the middle tier, lifespan roughly doubles again. As for those who reach the higher realms, few know their true longevity—some say tens of thousands of years, others hundreds of thousands, and some even claim it is limitless.

All of this, however, remains a distant prospect for Li Xingyu, whose cultivation has just reached the peak of early Qi Refining—a barely qualified low-tier cultivator. Any practitioner who can refine true energy in their dantian through breath and meditation lays the foundation for becoming a cultivator. Once they can guide this energy through the body’s meridians to complete a full cycle, the true energy naturally fuses with spiritual energy, forming true essence. Achieving the cycle and producing true essence marks entry into the initial Qi Refining stage.

Among mortals, those who practice internal martial arts are essentially Qi Refiners. Occasionally, a true genius may, using mundane internal arts, clear the Ren and Du meridians and form a cycle, condensing true power. In the mortal world, this is called reaching the level of an innate master, which in the eyes of cultivators is merely the initial stage of Qi Refining. If such a person possesses a suitable constitution and acquires genuine cultivation methods, further progress may be possible; otherwise, they will remain at the peak of early Qi Refining their entire lives. At this point, Li Xingyu still cannot use his true essence alone to cast spells or attacks, but with some low-level magical tools or talismans, he can channel his limited essence to activate them.

What are spells? In truth, they are simply techniques for skillfully employing true essence. Magical tools and talismans are created by high-level cultivators, who embed spell formations or seals into special items—tools become magical artifacts, paper becomes talismans. The primary difference is that magical tools can be used repeatedly, so long as the energy released does not exceed the capacity of the tool. Talismans, by contrast, store a set amount of energy and are usually single-use, though some high-level talismans can be used multiple times, albeit with a limit. The greatest advantage of talismans is that they consume little or no true essence when activated, whereas magical tools require essence to use.

Li Xingyu sensed that the flow of energy within him had grown so strong that completing another cycle was nearly impossible. He ended his cultivation, surmising that he had reached a bottleneck. He knew that once he broke through, he could continue to advance—he had experienced this before. When he first completed a full cycle, he entered the early Qi Refining stage; the next bottleneck was at its peak, after which he reached the middle stage; now, he faced the bottleneck to advance further. He had no idea how much time had passed, but upon examining himself, he discovered he was fully healed. Delighted by this, he sprang to his feet to plan his next steps. Though he did not know exactly how long he had been cultivating, he estimated roughly half a month, based on the time it took for each energy cycle and the number of cycles completed.

He reasoned that, having waited here for half a month—perhaps even longer, since he could not be certain how long he was unconscious after arriving—if the rescue team had still not come, then something unforeseen must have happened. Now that he had recovered, there was no reason to remain. He should leave, find out where he was, and attempt to contact the command center. Resolutely, he removed his spacesuit, folded it, checked the contents of the bag he had taken from the suit, drew out some nutrient solution and a multi-tool, then packed the suit into the bag. Slinging the small backpack over his shoulders, he chose a direction and set off.

His estimation of the time was accurate—he had indeed cultivated for half a month, and his unconsciousness had lasted less than a day. He had spent five years establishing a foundation up to the peak of mid Qi Refining—a respectable pace. In the cultivation world, someone with three of the five elemental attributes, practicing standard methods in an average environment, would typically reach the peak of late Qi Refining in ten to fifteen years, though this naturally varies with constitution, methods, the density of spiritual energy, and the use of elixirs. As for breaking through the bottleneck of Qi Refining, the time required varies dramatically—some succeed at once, while others never manage, depending on personal fortune, auxiliary elixirs, and the nature of their cultivation technique.

It is worth mentioning the importance of one’s technique. Most cultivation methods possess unique strengths and weaknesses. Some accelerate progress, some make breakthroughs easier, some excel in combat, and others have powerful rejuvenating effects. Yet, strengths come with corresponding drawbacks: rapid advancement may result in an unstable foundation and difficulty with breakthroughs; methods that ease breakthroughs often require slower progress or special conditions. Ultimately, success depends on opportunity and choice. In higher realms, reaching Spirit Focusing generally means thirty years or more of training; breaking through to Foundation Establishment typically means a cultivator’s lifespan already exceeds a century. Achieving mastery in Core Formation requires exponentially more time.

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