Chapter 4 - A new beginning

After a moment, Arthur sat down.

He looked at himself and the room around him one more time, as if trying to confirm something. He stops a few moments later, seemingly able to confirm something.

He decided to sort through all the information he had just gotten.

Firstly, he seemed to be living as a man called Lao Jianming at the moment. All the memories he was flooded with a moment prior were intricately linked to Lao, and his present circumstances mirrored the exact moment where the memories abruptly ceased, presumably signaling Lao's untimely demise.

He still didn't know how exactly that happened though. His newfound memories didn't get him closer to solving that mistery either. He could understand the concept of his soul settling in Lao's body after his death. His own soul took advantage of the void left by the absence of any lingering soul within Lao's then-vacant body and invited itself in.

However, there were still some unanswered questions regarding this. First of all, why did his soul even manage to keep itself together after his own death? Shouldn't it have gone to the afterlife? Did some problem arise in the fabric of reality that allowed his soul to survive?

Conversely, could the same thing have happened to Lao? Was Lao, in turn, residing in his original body? He quickly discarded that possibility. His former vessel was completely ruined, incapable of sustaining life. Vital organs dismantled, it seemed an unlikely host for any form of existence.

This cosmic conundrum left him grappling with questions that far surpassed his current understanding, delving into the foundational rules of the universe itself. Attempting to tamper with forces beyond his grasp seemed a futile endeavor at this point. 

Redirecting focus to the tangible and more direct aspects of his current reality seemed like a more manageable and productive approach.

He moved on to the second topic, which was the fact that he was no longer on planet Earth. In fact, it seemed he wasn't even in his original universe. From what he gathered, the rules that this universe was bound to were totally different than the ones his home universe adhered to. 

The change that left biggest impression in him was the fact that, in this world humans could transcend the limitations imposed by their mortal condition on Earth, reaching unprecedented levels of power. And this ability wasn't limited to just humans. Plants, animals, rocks, virtually every element of this world held the potential to ascend to incredible heights. 

In this world, a concept known as cultivation took center stage. Aptly named, it mirrored the process of tending to crops—sowing seeds, nurturing, and exerting every effort to ensure the robust growth of the plant. However, in this case, the cultivated entity was one's own body. 

And in this world, all of human society was centered on it. Human quest for power remained unchanged, even across different universes it seemed. Not that he particularly minded it. 

From what he could gather, it appeared as though cultivation could be divided into three distinct pathways. Each path carried its own set of strengths, weaknesses, and peculiar nuances, offering practitioners a diverse array of choices for self-development.

These were Qi Cultivation, Body Cultivation and Soul Cultivation. 

As different as they might sound, these cultivation paths were not weren't mutually exclusive. Far from it, in fact. Practitioners could embark on all three paths simultaneously, forging a synergy that compensated for the shortcomings of each. True perfection in this world demanded mastery across the three of cultivation paths, reaching the pinnacle of each path. 

Despite this, the majority adhered to a more focused approach. Most cultivators chose to dedicate themselves exclusively to one specific path. There were some more daring individuals who might try to venture themselves into 2 cultivation paths simultaneously, but the norm was a singular, specialized focus.

There were many reasons for this. 

The first, and most obvious one, was the dificulty level of the act of cultivation. Cultivation might have sounded like something light-hearted and simple from the previous description, but that was far from the case.

Cultivation, at its core, emerged as an act of defiance against the Heavens—an audacious rebellion against the inherent mortal limitations bestowed upon every being at birth. It was a journey to break free from the shackles of mortality, a relentless pursuit to challenge the very rules that governed the universe. In each stride towards self-empowerment, practitioners embraced a profound resistance to the predetermined boundaries, striving to transcend their earthly origins and ascend into realms beyond mortal comprehension.

The pursuit of even the slightest advancement in a single cultivation path demanded Herculean efforts from those who dared to tread this journey. Enduring immense toil, practitioners faced untold hardships—shouldering the burdens of sorrow, battling the pangs of loneliness, and confronting the isolating crucible of hellish training sessions. Their quest led them to constantly risk their lives, embarking on perilous expeditions in search of treasures and materials that held the promise of a fleeting edge in their relentless pursuit of improvement.

And, as it was to be expected, such massive undertaking was bound to breed far more failure than success. Despite the staggering efforts invested, the majority of cultivators fell short.

Let's not even mention reaching the pinacle of cultivation. Most Qi cultivators would never end up reaching a realm like Nascent Soul, for example. The arduous journey of cultivation claimed countless lives along the way, with practitioners succumbing to the overwhelming weight of the Heavens. Their names joined the silent multitude of forgotten souls, crushed by the insurmountable challenges, and lost to the relentless march of time. 

And this was true for cultivators who spent all their efforts into following a single path. Following a single path was hard enough as it was, who in their right mind would dare to follow another one? Most people who tried end up end up failing spectacularly on both fronts. 

Had they invested all their time and resources into one path, they probably would end up having far better results. The scattered focus and divided efforts incurred by attempting to master multiple paths simultaneously proved to be a perilous gamble, that, more often than not, would not pay off.

With all this said, there might be a question in your mind right now. Why couldn't a cultivator simply focus on a single cultivation path early on, achieving a major success in it. Then, when they get into a realm where their lifespan is longer, which gives them more time to work with, they start focusing on the other paths.

Well, the asnwer to that question is the second reason why you rarely see people following more than 1 cultivation path. 

Cultivation always followed the idea of balance. So, if you were to advance too quickly in of one of the Cultivation Paths, the harmony between the three Paths would be broken. One path would overtake and suppress the other two.

Once broken, this balance could never be molded back together. That is to say that, once a cultivator gets too far in one of the Paths, leaving the other two trailing behind in terms of attainment, he would never be able to cultivate those 2 paths ever again. 

The point of no return seemed to be exactly when a cultivator had reached a level in one of his cultivation paths that was 2 whole realms above his cultivation rank in another cultivation path. From that point foward, the cultivation path that had been trailing by 2 whole realms would be permenantly suppressed by the weight of the more dominant Path, preventing any further gains in it.

And so, this strategy, while clever, simply would not work. It seemed that the rules of the universe were specially crafted considering this exact situation. As if to mock whoever thought they were clever enough to fool the Heavens.

And so, the biggest question a young cultivator had in his mind wasn't wether or not he should follow one, two or all the cultivation paths. What he usually asked himself was which of the paths he should follow. 

And the answer for this question usually always the same—Qi cultivation.

The prevalence of Qi Cultivation as the most widely disseminated path in this world held a certain logic upon closer examination. Compared to the other two paths, Qi cultivation stood out for its inherent balance.

Soul cultivation, despite its formidable power, bore the vulnerability of leaving practitioners largely unguarded and defenseless. On the flip side, body cultivation endowed cultivators with unparalleled defense, vitality, and raw power, but had a clear problem with range, being virtually useless outside of close quarters.

The pragmatic appeal of Qi cultivation became increasingly apparent. While it might not excel as much in a specific area as the other two paths did, it cleverly avoided any glaring weaknesses that could be readily exploited. In a world teeming with dangers and the constant specter of death like that one, the absence of clear vulnerabilities within Qi cultivation proved to be a strategic advantage.

Following the teachings and lived experiences of ancient practitioners, society organically molded itself around the practicality of Qi cultivation. Despite the three available paths, it seemed, for the majority of people, as though only one path truly existed.

The societal infrastructure had ingrained itself deeply in favor of Qi cultivation. Sects and akin organizations were specifically designed for the propagation of this predominant path. The knowledge surrounding the other two paths had, over centuries of neglect, become obscured, creating a scarcity of teachers, texts, and techniques that seamlessly guided practitioners through these less popular paths.

The limited availability of crucial materials required to grew stronger in these paths further compounded the challenge Since market demand for them was meager, exploration and commercialization was financially unviable, which made obtaining the materials you required a very hard task, especially as you grew stronger.

Faced with such formidable obstacles and a societal structure heavily tilted towards Qi cultivation, the majority found little reason to ponder alternative paths. Success, it seemed, was synonymous with the adoption of Qi cultivation—it was the given and default choice for those aspiring to thrive. And so, the other 2 paths fell mostly into irrelevancy, at least as far as Arthur could tell. 

In terms of followers, the mostly followed was, of course, Qi Cultivation. This was due to all the reasons stated above.

In second came the Body cultivation. Albeit far less popular than Qi cultivation, Body Cultivation still saw some usage. This was mostly due to the lower talent requirements needed to start training in it when compared to the other paths. For people with very poor talent in Qi cultivation, body cultivation was their best alternative. 

And in a distant third came Soul cultivation. It was a known fact that soul cultivation had the harshest requirements to be cultivated. This, along side the dificulties that came from the stranglehold Qi Cultivation had on society, meant it was by far the least popular of the 3 paths.

For a comparison, we can compare how hard it would be to meet the requirements to follow a certain cultivation Path.

Everyone could cultivate Body cultivation. Individuals with modest talent in Qi often gravitated towards this path. However, the apparent ease of entry came with its own set of challenges. Body cultivation, while available to a broader audience, exacted a toll in terms of pain, stress, and the hefty demand for resources.

For Qi cultivation, 1 in 10 people would have the required talent to follow it.

And as for Soul Cultivation, only 1 in 1000 people would have the ability to do so. 

This meant that Soul Cultivators were an astonishingly rare sight in the area. So much so that Lao Jianming had never met one his entire life.

To finish off this not so quick consolidation of information he had just gotten, Arthur made a quick mental note about what each Cultivation Path roughly did.

Each path focused on the strengthening of the atribute they were named after. Qi cultivation directed its focus towards the accumulation and refinement of ki, harnessing the power within. Body cultivation delved into the tempering and fortification of the physical form, shaping it into an unparalleled vessel of strength. Soul cultivation, on the other hand, centered its attention on the intricate maneuvers and enhancements of the soul, transcending the confines of the corporeal realm.

And with this very quick overview of things, Arthur stops for a moment.

Before analysing any more information, Arthur decides to focus his attention on his own cultivation. He knew, from the memories, that Lao Jianming was a cultivator in his life. And quite the talented one at that. So, he was curious to see the exact level of achievement he had achieved reached in his life.

Arthur once again delves into the recesses of Lao Jianming's memories, seeking to unravel the enigmatic process through which Lao entered a state of internal introspection.