Chapter 19: Rank 1, 2, and 3. The Foundational Stages.

The young emperor promptly replied. "The Foundational Stages refers to the first three stages in a cultivator's journey; Rank 1 – Body, Rank 2 – Mind, and Rank 3 – Heart."

Wuzhi nodded his head with a smile. "Your Majesty is correct. The Foundational Stages does indeed consist of the first three Ranks of the 'Nine Ranks Division.'"

Taking a deep breath, the young scholar then began to explain each of the three ranks.

"Rank 1 – Body refers to the first step wherein a regular, non-cultivating mortal steps into the world of cultivation. It consists of realising your Core, activating it, and completing a full cycle of Energy within your body's energy channels."

"The next step in Rank 1 is to process of attuning your body's physicality to suit whichever Path that you have decided to tread upon."

Extending his fingers, Wuzhi listed examples. "For example, say your majesty wants to cultivate the [Strength Path]. Rank 1 will constitute of training your body and increasing its strength until it reaches the required parameters."

"Or say, your majesty is to cultivate the [Wisdom Path]… then you will need to practise the methods that will increase your thought speeds, broaden your memory capacity, increase your calculation index, and other such factors."

"Depending on your chosen Path, a cultivator can either spend 10 years perfecting this rank or blaze through it within a single year! Paths such as the [Engineering Path], [Medicine Path], [Speech Path], [Luck Path], etc, do not require much in terms of physique. Therefore, a cultivator who has chosen to cultivate similar paths will spend very little time within this rank."

Pausing for a moment, Wuzhi then explained the second rank.

"Rank 2 – Mind refers to the acquisition of knowledge pertaining to your chosen Path. [Sword Path] practitioners will begin learning and practising [Sword Path Techniques]. An [Information Path] practitioner will begin gathering information and reinforcing his knowledge base; learning the most effective methods to utilise their Path."

"Cultivators that have chosen non-physical Paths such as those listed in the previous rank's examples will find themselves spending a long time in this rank. An [Engineering Path] practitioner, for example, must boast mastery before he can move on to the next rank. This will take 4-5 years at minimum, and 7-8 years at maximum."

"A cultivator will also start learning [Path Techniques] in this rank."

Smiling at the sight of the excited light within the young emperor's eyes, Wuzhi continued with explaining the final one of the Foundational Stages; the most difficult and abstruse rank to exist!

"Final of the Foundational Stages is Rank 3 – Heart."

"The 'heart' here refers not to your physical organ but to your thoughts and convictions. As a cultivator, having a firm 'heart' is imperative. It is only by having a firm heart, can one maintain their 'vision' and conviction towards cultivating the Paths!"

"Your Majesty as to remember something; cultivators are neither soldiers nor rulers. They are, first and foremost, scholars! And as a scholar, who is seeking to understand this world and unravel its mysteries, one must never lose their heart of curiosity. For the moment they lose this 'heart'…" Wuzhi paused dramatically.

"…they are nothing but beasts without reason!" He finished.

Wuzhi then peered into Alexandros' eyes to ensure that the young emperor had properly etched these words into his mind.

The 'heart' of a practitioner was a deceptively simple topic. Rank 3 was the most difficult rank and the tallest hurdle that every cultivator, who is seeking to journey far into the world of cultivation, must overcome.

The 'heart' of a human was difficult to measure or understand.

Some cultivators overcome this hurdle in mere days while some spend entire lifetimes unable to cross the Rank 3 threshold!

"I have a question now for your majesty." Wuzhi wore a teasing smile on his face and asked. "Why are these three ranks called the 'Foundational Stages' and not 'Introductory Stages' or 'Beginner Stages'?"

The young emperor was stumped by this question. His small face then puckered in thought as he seemingly pondered about the answer.

Wuzhi was in no particular rush and patiently waited for the emperor to answer. He understood the saying, 'an instant's inspiration was worth a lifetime's teaching.'

An answer that the emperor arrives at by himself was worth far more than anything Wuzhi can impart upon the former.

After a dozen minutes or so, the young emperor raised his head and haltingly spoke. "Is it because… the three ranks… represent not some 'transitionary' period that a cultivator has to simply overcome… but a foundation upon which the rest of their journey rests on?"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Wuzhi suddenly started clapping, startling the young emperor. Just as the young emperor seemed confused at his strange actions, Wuzhi began speaking.

"Your Majesty is blessed with exceptional insight and wisdom. This servant is in awe," praised Wuzhi, causing Alexandros to blush from the unexpected compliment. His little heart fluttered from genuine happiness.

"The first three ranks are called the 'Foundational Stages' because they are indeed the foundations upon which the rest of a cultivator's journey rests. Just because a cultivator has entered the next stage, Rank 4 and beyond, does not mean that they can stop training their body and acquiring more knowledge!"

"The Foundational Stages are of incomparable importance to the cultivator, both during the start of their journey and during the course of it. Should a practitioner fail to build upon this foundation, they will inevitably stumble later into their journey and ultimately fall!"

"This rule applies to cultivators of every rank. Not even a Rank 9 Sovereign is exempt from this!" A conniving light flashed across Wuzhi's eyes as he spoke this sentence.

By planting a 'Heart Demon' within Patriarch Mu's heart, Wuzhi had effectively created a huge hole in the Sovereign's foundation! Should he fail to properly resolve it in time, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the world would lose one of its three sovereigns!

Hearing those shocking words, Alexandros vowed within his heart and firmly etched the warning inside his mind. He vowed to never forget building upon his foundation as he progressed in his journey of cultivation.

As he thought about this, a question suddenly appeared within Alexandros' mind. Turning his curious citrine eyes towards his teacher, he asked. "What is your rank, Wuzhi?"

Faced with that question, Wuzhi flashed a mysterious smile and replied, "That's a secret, your majesty."

Hearing that reply, Alexandros pouted and cast a dissatisfied glance towards Wuzhi. The sight of his puckered mouth and puffed-up cheeks almost involuntarily drew a laugh from within Wuzhi's throat. Fortunately, he managed to control himself in time and not commit a faux pas.

Honestly speaking, it was not that Wuzhi did not want to answer his liege's question; it was that he couldn't.

Due to Wuzhi's unique situation, the traditional method of 'Ranks' that categorized a cultivator's journey did not exactly apply to him.

In terms of physique, Wuzhi was no different from a regular mortal. In fact, he was a bit on the frailer side for he had spent most of his early life stuck to books. Apart from the most basic of physical training, Wuzhi had done nothing to improve his physique.

In terms of knowledge and wisdom, Wuzhi could confidently state that he was not worse than a Rank 5 practitioner. Maybe even a Rank 6! His unique mind and strange nature placed him in a completely different realm from that of his peers. Even amongst the older generations, one would be hard-pressed to find someone as widely knowledgeable as Wuzhi.

As for the Path that he cultivated... that would remain a mystery until later.

In terms of Energy and Energy Usage, Wuzhi was… well, since he acted as the Core and used the world's Energy as his own; technically speaking, Wuzhi's usage of Energy was limitless.

Of course, this was only in theory and would definitely not translate in practice. However, seeing as how he had never faced a shortage of Energy while utilizing his various [Path Techniques] it sufficed to say that Wuzhi had quite an abundant reserve of Energy.

And finally, in terms of lifespan, Wuzhi was no different from a regular mortal once again. Since his utilisation of Energy was purely external and did not involve his internal mechanisms; the inherent purification and perfection of a mortal's physique was unavailable to Wuzhi.

Should he live a peaceful life, Wuzhi would be hard-pressed to cross the hundred-year threshold. To compare, a Rank 9 Sovereign to live up to the human limit of 1000 years!

[AN: 1000 years is the maximum limit upon reaching which a human WILL perish. Having said that, reality is often harsh. The oldest 'recorded' age in this world is 347 years old. This feat was achieved by a Rank 7 cultivator of the Heavenly Spirit Empire, some four centuries ago.

Upon reaching this 'oldest' age, the aforementioned cultivator ultimately committed suicide after being unable to maintain his 'heart' and falling into depression.

'It is not living forever that is impossible. It is living with 'yourself' forever that is impossible.']