THE FIRST TWO STAGES
The cave was calm as always. If there are any difference from the usual it would be the light that filled the cave, albeit little and the human - the live one - that was sitting in the centre. It was unknown when was the last time the cave was exposed to light like this, It must be a few months at least. But that is something of little to no significance. What matters is the other anomaly.
For the first time in his life Lee decided to cast away his laziness and put some effort into something. It was really hard, after leading a life without any goals and always try to only put the bare minimum effort. The only thing that keeps him going is that he didn't want to become a sore loser by wasting literally a god given second chance. Then again he was always living in the dreamland in his last life. Only the ' dream comes true' was a bit different from what he had always envisioned. What he hoped was to be reborn as a Prince or a noble son. Instead he got.. Well.... This. A cave and a corpse.
That being said, it is really useless to sulk. Even though he did not ask for it, a second chance in life like this is not something that anyone can get. He is not that ungrateful. So he decided to achieve the next best on his list. A peaceful life, without always having to look out for enemies. A decent harem? Even if the members aren't world toppling beauties. For that he need sufficient strength. Even if someone doesn't go seek out for trouble, trouble will inevitably come and find them at some point in time. Success or failure of these dreams somewhat depends on the actions and decisions he will be taking in the immediate future. So he is determined to work his butt off and ensure his survival.
The first stage in spirt cultivation is called Elementary spirit realm. It is not anything special. It is just a door step. Absorbing spirit energy from the surroundings and circulating it through the spirit veins, Lee immediately broke through all 3 stages of Elementary Spirit realm. Which is not anything impressive. When someone awaken the spirit veins, they are already in the initial level of Elementary ream. And when they are capable of sensing the spirit energy surrounds them, it is considered as intermediate level. The final level is when someone is capable of absorbing the spirit energy.
The second stage of the Spirit cultivation, which is called 'True Spirit realm' can be achieved by successfully circulating the absorbed spirit energy. The newly formed spirit veins are actually in a dormant state. Getting familiar with it and waking it up from the sleep is all one do in the Elementary Spirit realm. This realm deos not actually provide any kind of boosts or advantages. Thus many people don't even consider the Elementary Spirit realm as a cultivation stage. In fact the true power houses in the world don't even consider anyone below fourth stage as a true cultivator. For them the first three stages are a single threshold that one must broke through if they want to consider themselves a real cultvator.
This kinds of thoughts are not without any reason. If physical capabilities are the only deciding factor, then some really strong mortals without any spirit energy assistance, can rival if not actually beat the peak third stage cultivators. There are even extremely few cases where some insanely strong mortals win against the low level fourth stage cultivators. Even though the mortals in this world can't actually absorb the spirit energy directly from nature like the cultivators do thanks to the absence of spirit veins, They live in a world that filled with it. So inevitability their bodies will be somewhat refined by the spirit energy that is unintentionally absorbed from the air they breathe to the food they eat and the water they drink. So even though generally called mortals, they are significantly stronger than the humans from earth. That is to say there is no overly significant difference between cultivators and non-cultivators in the initial stages. So, dividing the Elementary Spirit realm into further levels is in fact a bit of an exaggeration. Nonetheless it is for children after all, so no one really cares about it anyway.
A child who has entered the Elementary Spirit realm by manifesting the spirit veins, will most likely break through to the True Spirit realm within an year or two, unless some unexpected accidents happen or he/she is that much of a trash or simply lazy to the extreme. The talented ones do it under six months. It all about getting used to the spirit vein and spirit energy.
So Lee, who already knows this feeling breaking through the Elementary Spirit realm in one go is not anything worth mentioning. In fact it would have been an utter disgrace if he had failed to do so.
He continued to absorb and circulate the spirit energy. In the True Spirit realm, the cultivators use the spirit energy to strengthen their entire body, i.e their meridians, muscles, bones, tendons and blood vessels etc. while also loosening up the spirit veins for better and faster flow of spirit energy. The metabolic activities will be advanced and the physical capabilities will increase. The senses will be more accurate. Even though not much, A True Spirit realm cultivator just below 20 will have the strength that is equal to that of a normal adult person in his mid 20s to 30.
Even though it is not really necessary or unavoidable to use cultivation manuals in the early stages, it still is preferable and more safe. Building a solid foundation is without a doubt extremely important. So it is necessary to choose a compatible manual, if not their future as a cultivators will be limited. So those who can't decide on the cultivation path they want to follow that early will have to choose to cultivate without any help from manuals. Even though this method is slower and pose a bit of danger, it will help them to find their own suitable path and not have any regrets later.
As for Lee, the moment he broke through into the True Spirit realm, a cultivation manual directly appeared in his mind. It is more precise to say a set of instructions. He had taken a look at the cultivation manuals he got from the storage ring before. So he knew that what appeared in his mind is not exactly a cultivation manual but a guide note. It instructs the way he should circulate the spirit energy and how to temper his meridians and other important parts. Still it was extremely helpful as he didn't have to take a risk of inflicting harm to oneself by unnecessary experimenting. So the process was quite smooth and fast.
The True Spirit realm contains 5 levels if we are being magnanimous. But in fact, it is just two levels with the first level being 4 different parts. In the first level of the True spirit realm, one must temper their meridians & other nerves, bones & tendons, muscles & other soft tissues and blood & blood vessels with the spirit energy. In short the whole body. There is no specific order for this. It varies according to the cultivation manual and cultivator's choice.
After the whole body tempered separately, the first (or the first four) level is complete. Then the final level consists of combining or connecting the whole body into a single system. The human body or the bodies of all the creatures act as a single system or entity, despite containing several interdependent systems and organs. This is a natural thing. But the spirit veins is not a part of this natural structure. Thus one have to learn how to combine the spirit veins with the other organs and organ systems to become a single complex entity.
This is the final step in laying the foundations for the cultivation. Cementing the bricks and steel. Only after a person successfully combine the spirit energy part and the physical body part without disrupting any metabolic activities and acquire equilibrium and stability, he/she can truly enter the world of cultivation. After completing the requirements, there will be a small qualitative change in their whole body. Integrating the spirit veins with the rest of the body and breakthrough to the third stage. The 'Advanced Spirit Condensation Realm'. Also called 'Advanced Spirit' or 'Spirit Condensation' realm.