58 Chapter 58: Cultivation Levels & Time-Skip

Surprisingly this book was relatively small, and it didn't even have a table of contents; flipping to the first page, a smile adorned my face when I read the title at the top.

~Cultivation List.~

~The first step in cultivation comprises what is commonly referred to as the mortal level, which includes; Meridian Opening, Qi Gathering, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Half-step Saint. While these levels are looked down upon for being easy and weak, they're considered the most important in a cultivator's journey as they set the foundation for their future accomplishments; however, once you survive the first Heavenly tribulation and become a Saint, that is when you're officially regarded as a true cultivator.~

~The second step in cultivation is called the nourishment level, as, during this portion of cultivation, you're merely absorbing Qi to improve your strength and cultivation base. Saint, Saint Lord, Saint King, Saint Emperor, and Half-step Divine are the five ranks in the nourishment level.~

~By once again surviving the heavenly tribulation after stepping into the Divine Realm, you arrive in the third step, or what is called the insight level, as this is when you must start comprehending the mysteries of cultivation, and the ranks consist of; Divine, Divine Lord, Divine King, Divine Emperor, Half-step Celestial, Celestial, Celestial Lord, Celestial King, Celestial Emperor, and Half-step True God.~

~If you manage to survive the heavenly tribulation yet again and step into the True God Realm, by using all the knowledge you've gained about cultivation, you must apply that to yourself and fully develop your Dao Heart into a seed. True God, True God Lord, True God King, and True God Emperor are the four ranks that make up the fourth step or the seedling Level.~

~The fifth and final step in cultivation is called the embryo phase since you're required to comprehend your Dao Seed and help as it grows into a Dao Realm. The ranks for this phase comprise; the Tribulation Realm, Avatar Ascension, Deity Realm, Immortal Spark, Immortal Nascent Soul, False Immortal, and Half-step Immortal. It is unknown what comes after this as no one has surpassed the Half-step Immortal, though it's believed ascension to a True Immortal is what comes next.~

Setting the book down gently, I lean back into the chair and look up to the ceiling feeling depressed and defeated.

"Illumia, what's your cultivation base, and how long did it take you to achieve it?" Said Elif solemnly.

"I'm currently at the late stage of the True God King Realm, and it's taken me about one-hundred eons to reach this level." Answered Illumia, slightly chuckling at the sight of Elif's face full of despair.

'One-hundred eons, that's a One-hundred billion years; Illumia spent One hundred billion years cultivating, and she's only at the late stage of the True God King realm. Maybe I'm actually not that talented when it comes to cultivation?' Thought Elif, feeling greatly demotivated, having realized he hadn't even taken one step in his cultivation journey yet.

"Cultivation is an incredibly long process, your highness, and even with your exceptional potential, it'll still take some time to reach my level, let alone past that. So you should stop worrying that far into the future and take one step at a time; otherwise, you might get overwhelmed and start doubting yourself." Advised Illumia after seeing Elifs reaction.

"I haven't once doubted myself; I know I'll reach that level and surpass that; just realizing that I still have such a long journey ahead of me is quite shocking, to say the least." Said Elif arrogantly, having regained his composure and fixed his posture.

"Wait, if you're about a One-hundred eons old, and you're mother's follower, then doesn't that mean mother and father are roughly that age as well?" Said Elif as he looked to Illumia for confirmation, though all he got in response was a blank look.

"That is something you should personally ask their majesties about, not me." Answered Illumia calmly while avoiding the question.

Chuckling at Illumia's response, I stood up and waved my hand, coating all the books in my Qi before transferring them into my dimension ring to finish later, as while I enjoy learning, it's only fun in moderation; however, that's probably because I'm just an energetic child as grandmother calls me.

"Bye, great grandfather; I'll come to visit again soon." Said Elif, heading towards the exit of the royal library.

'Now then, with the tournament out the way, I can continue focusing on cultivation and reaching the Divine Realm, though just thinking of going through another heavenly tribulation annoys me.' Thought Elif, heeding Illumia's advice and taking one step at a time.

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"Dear, I know you wish to make Elaine's fourth birthday special, but don't you think that's a bit much?" Said Tiana, feeling exasperated as she watched Elif polish a statue that he carved of Elaine using incredibly rare minerals.

"Nope, today is my little sister's birthday, and the day she'll begin cultivating, so I have to make this a phenomenal memory." Responded Elif seriously while carefully adding the finishing touches to the statue to try and make it as life-like as possible.

'While the statues look great, I still wasn't able to capture the cuteness of Elaine; unfortunately, I've run out of time; Elaine is currently on her way to the dining room.' Thought Elif, examining the several statues of Elaine made out of various rare and precious minerals.

"Alright, Elif, quickly hide your presence; Elaine is about to enter the room." Said Marcus waving his hand, causing all the birthday decorations to disappear along with himself.

Clicking my tongue, I quickly hide my presence and appear beside father and mother, just in time, too, as Elaine opened the door to the dining room and scanned her surroundings.

"Ugh, where is everyone? Big brother wasn't cultivating in his room, and I couldn't even find my parents or grandparents if I wished to; I'd get lost in the hallways." Muttered Elaine, who no longer had as much baby fat on her body, and now looked like an adorable child, though currently, she was pretty irritated.

With a smile on our faces, every one of us simultaneously stopped concealing our presence and appeared behind the dining table along with the giant cake and several statues of Elaine.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELAINE!!" Yelled everyone energetically with enormous smiles on their face.

The shock and surprise that appeared on her face were great, but the happiness that followed afterward was infectious as I started to feel even happier.

"Woah, look at the size of that cake and those statues; they're all of me! Was this all for my birthday, mother and father!?" Asked Elaine with glee as she closely examined the statues.

"You're our daughter, so naturally, though Elif was the one who crafted the statues, with help from mother, of course." Said Maria as she looked at the several statues of Elaine that Elif and Tiana worked on, though Tiana mainly guided him while Elif did all the work.

"Thanks for the statues, grandmother, and brother!" Said Elaine with a smile as she ran and hugged Tiana before hugging Elif.

"Now, let's start eating breakfast; as I'm sure you know, today is a very important day for you, Elaine." Said Tyler with a smile before sitting down at the table, quickly followed by everyone else.

Everything went by relatively fast; we ate breakfast and then had some cake before leaving the dining room with an excited Elaine and arrived at the same forest where my spirit root was originally tested. After grandfather informed her about the acacia tree's ability, she swiftly left us and headed toward the tree; when she arrived, Elaine put her hand on the tree, and when she did, I saw Elaine make an expression full of pleasure.

"You looked just like her when your hand was on the tree." Said Maria, looking over at Elif with a teasing smirk.

"Well, the tree's Qi felt good; besides, I bet your experience wasn't any different from mine or Elaine's." Said Elif, feeling slightly embarrassed as he retorted back.

"You two, pay attention; the tree's leaves are changing color." Remarked Tiana, admonishing her child and grandchild for arguing during such an important event.

Ignoring mother, I paid close attention to how the tree leaves began slowly cycling through the various colors before eventually stopping at dark violet. While it couldn't be compared to my Immortal Spirit Root, it was still impressive. Shortly after, Elaine left the tree and started returning to us with an excited and confused smile.

"How'd I do!? Is my Spirit Root good!?" Asked Elaine in anticipation.

"Yes, dear, you did wonderfully. Like the four of us, you have a high God Spirit Root." Answered Maria with Elaine in her arms as she walked over to a bench in the distance.

Just like when it was my birthday, everyone explained the knowledge about Spirit Roots to Elaine, causing her to get even happier knowing that she was talented.

"Brother, what about your spirit root?" Asked Elif after hearing Charles mention that Elif had a different spirit root.

"Well, dear sister, among the five Royal Elves that were born with an immortal spirit root, I was born with the best; a high Immortal spirit root!" Answered Elif with a prideful smile as he puffed out his chest.