Cultivation and Monster Ranks

Mortal Level: This level of cultivation has 5 barrier points which can be difficult to break through. This means that one must cultivate to the very peak they are able too 5 times and break through each time to reach Virtue Level cultivation

These Barriers are divided into Lowest, Low, Mid, High, and Peak; These levels can be obtained with pure physical effort and time.

Virtue Level: This level has only 3 barrier points, but they are far greater challenges to pass through then the barrier points at mortal level. They are called Speech, Action, and Livelihood. To break through these barriers, for Speech one must understand the virtue of words over violence, for Action, one must act upon their understanding of what is right and just, and for livelihood one must commit oneself to living out the ideals

When one breaks through to Meditation Level, a second, lower dantian will form in their bodies.

Meditation Level: This level has 3 barriers, which are Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration. To break through the barrier of effort can be easy or hard, depending on the person, as it takes what was mastered in the Virtue stage and ingrains in into ones very soul. The act of carving it into ones soul is easier if one sufficiently believes in these values or is hard if they live these values for selfish reasons such as the desire for power.

To break through Mindfulness level, one must resolve themselves and imprint upon their mind, chaining themselves to stay on their righteous course. During this stage only, it becomes difficult to feel emotions, but ones instincts will always press them to do what is right.

Upon breaking through mindfulness one enters Concentration stage. Once they are sufficiently powerful, they can control/release the seal on their mind, drawing the energy into the mind and forming an upper dantian and enters Wisdom Level cultivation

Wisdom Level: This level has three barriers, which are View, Resolve, and Knowledge. To break through View stage, is to be able to witness your own body, by stepping outside of it with your mind. When the barrier is shattered, you gain the power to project your body in a spiritual form across vast distances.

To break through resolve stage is to project not just your spirit to another place, but your body as well. Your spirit remains fused to your flesh while being projected elsewhere, effectively teleportation.

To break through the knowledge stage and enter the Pseudo-Ascended Level is to cast aside ones flesh and create a complexly new and immortal body, which never ages. The immortal body of a Pseudo-Ascended being has a mighty Fused Dantion that is a monstrously high step up the original beings three Dantions.

Pseudo-Ascended Level is a unique case, as only three individuals have ever reached that level in the history of the world of Splendora, and they were all granted divinity by the gods soon after. The first stage of the Pseudo-Ascended level has been called the Liberation stage, though it is unknown whether or not there are levels beyond this or even the conditions required to move beyond it, if such a condition exists.

Dark Cultivation Method: There exists a separate cultivation method for those that aspire to evil. Not much is know of it, as every government on Splendora forbids it's use, and anyone caught practicing it or teaching it to others is executed. It is said that this Dark Cultivation is far easier than common cultivation, but you burn up more and more of your soul in exchange for power.

No one has ever reached Pseudo-Ascended stage through Dark Cultivation, though.

When it comes to monsters of the world of Splendora, each of these cultivation levels are further broken down into 3 sub-levels when determining a creatures combat potential. A latrogigantus, as an example, begins life at the third level of lowest grade of cultivation, and can reach up to the third level in low grade mortal cultivation. This is very rare, though, and second level of mortal low tier is the most common peak point of this creature.

Creatures of the mortal tier are called monsters or magical creatures. Monsters have no magic stone while magical creatures do. All creatures beyond mortal Tier level of strength have magical stones, though, so there is o separate designation beyond this point.

Virtue-equivalent creatures are called demonic or celestial beasts based on whether or not they are innately hostile to the sentient races of Splendora.

Meditation-equivalent creatures are called profane or sacred beasts, with the distinction again being based upon whether or not they are hostile.

Wisdom-equivalent creatures are called Divine beasts, with no distinct name to separate base on attitude towards sentient races. This is do to the fact that they are so rare, and they tend to be able to speak or even take human form.

No Pseudo-Ascended creatures are known to exist in Splendora.