Cultivation 101 (part 2)

The realms of cultivation unfolded before Chester's eyes as Yue continued her explanation. The human realm marked the beginning, with the first minor realm called Essence Gathering. The formation of the dantain, the storage vessel for stolen energy, held great significance and acted as an indicator of one's potential. Chester grasped the importance of nurturing the dantain and gradually condensing the Qi in the subsequent realm of Qi Nurturing, with its early, middle, late, and peak stages. 'The Qi veins sound like the skill tree path. And the meridians would be where the skill branch is located.'

"The Qi condensation starts when you start to further condense the liquid Qi inside your body. Once your dantain reaches the threshold depending on the breathing method it becomes possible to further refine the Qi. A good breathing method will allow you to eliminate most impurities from the natural essence you've gathered."

"After the Qi condensation stage comes the Qi foundation, this stage consists of using the purified Qi to strengthen the physical body. Once you feel that your body can handle the further refinement of Qi into a solid substance you can enter the Qi consolidation realm."

"In the Qi consolidation realm the Qi starts to form a core inside of your dantain. Once that core is formed you cross the limits of the human realm."

The prospect of skipping stages and directly entering the Qi Condensation realm intrigued Chester, although he understood the risks associated with such a choice. He absorbed the knowledge of Qi condensation and the subsequent stages of Qi Foundation and Qi Consolidation, which involved refining and strengthening the body through the use of purified Qi.

"The start of the Earth realm begins with the minor realm known as the Essence core realm, in this realm you shape the core formed by the purified qi into a form that will define your essence as a cultivator. The core will later help you absorb and refine the qi faster. In the last subdivision of the essence core realm, you can use the core to explosively release your Qi."

"After Essence Core realm you move to Core foundation, depending on your breathing method and constitutions you can form more cores inside your dantain."

"Once you can no longer build cores you move to the Core completion realm, the cores in your dantain will form paths between them and the energy you can release increases exponentially."

As Yue delved into the Earth realm, Chester's fascination deepened. The Essence Core realm offered the opportunity to shape cores within the dantain, enhancing the absorption and refinement of Qi. The progression through Core Foundation and Core Completion realms led to the exponential growth of energy release and further refinement. Chester breathed deeply when he heard about the Core realm, it shared a lot of similarities with his healing core. And the prospect of him being able to add the core of other classes excited him to no end.

"The Heaven major realm starts after that. Many cultivators die, or no longer live after if they fail to advance to this stage. The first minor realm is known as the nirvana realm, it consists of you destroying your cores and using the pure energy to rebuild your dantain. If you fail you can explode from the Qi influx, or end up as a cripple if you can't rebuild it."

"With the reformed dantain you can absorb a higher quality of energy that wasn't available to you before. Once you enter the next minor realm you can use the energy to nurture your whole body. Once your body becomes strong enough you can open your mindscape, or sea of consciousness. And that's as far as my knowledge goes. My uncle had remained in that realm for the past 15 years, so I don't know anything about progressing."

The pinnacle of cultivation, the Heaven major realm, loomed as a significant milestone. Yue's mention of the Nirvana realm, where cultivators destroyed their cores and rebuilt the dantain, put a stop to Chester's thoughts 'You can die from this?' As Yue concluded her explanation, Chester couldn't help but marvel at the depth and vastness of cultivation, realizing that he had only scratched the surface. He was eager to embark on this journey, to take that first small step and create a brand new magic system.

Chester stood up and bowed, imitating the gesture of the villagers that were expressing their thanks to him when he saved the village from the "goblins". "Yue, I can't thank you enough for enlightening me about cultivation. It's a whole new world of challenges, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from you. The depth and intricacies of cultivation are truly awe-inspiring. I'm eager to take that first step and begin my own cultivation journey. With your guidance, I believe I can find my path and hopefully make meaningful progress. I would also like to explain to you how my family art works, so that we can have a better understanding of each other."

Yue smiled warmly, appreciating Chester's enthusiasm and determination. "I'm glad I could share this knowledge with you, Chen. Cultivation is a lifelong pursuit, and I'm certain you have the potential to achieve great heights. Remember, patience, perseverance, and dedication are crucial on this path. If you ever need guidance or have questions, don't hesitate to ask. Together, we'll navigate the complexities of cultivation, fight against the heavens and forge our own destinies."