(SPOILER) Cultivation Levels

Uploaded upon request by TeDureShi (Discord).

Read the details at your own risk of getting spoiled. There will be some stuff here that I may not have introduced yet, or may not end up introducing ever (they are just there to keep the rules of my magic system in check).

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Mana Condensation

Every human has nascent mana well. It is small at first and it can be grown using two main methods. Either using the mana for spells, that push it to its limits or using cultivation methods.

- Early - Can perform cantrips (i.e. non-elementally aligned and simple magic. Does not stress the channels.)

- Middle - Can perform Tier-1 spells with minimum elemental alignment

- Late

Perfected resonance is an indicator that a mage is ready to breakthrough into Foundation Establishment

Foundation Establishment

To enter Foundation Establishment, one must have a cultivation method that resonates with them in some way. Cultivation methods give insights into their selves that helps them to develop a foundation in a concept or idea that speaks to them and form a Mana Body. People in this stage can perform Tier-2 to Tier-4 spells depending on their capacities (or boosts due to special physiques and bloodlines).

- Base (Mana Pond) - Reinforcing blood vessels

- Internal (Mana Lake) - Reinforcing internal organs and skeletal structure

- External (Mana Sea) - Reinforcing skin, muscles and external organs

Core Formation

Forming a core is the first step into transforming the base human into a post-human. Core Formation mages are no longer considered their base species. For beasts, the Core Formation gives them the ability to obtain a new form of their own choosing that aligns with their foundation. Furthermore, metamorphosed species can reproduce with any other species. This gives rise to special bloodlines and special physiques that manifest in full power when the offspring hits Core Formation stage.

Beasts usually have a predetermined and/or fixed metamorphosis lineage. A gryphon can remain a gryphon or morph into an archgryphon (still in the same base line). On the other hand, a snake can morph into a naga (kind of a different species). Humans do not have a prefixed metamorphosis lineage, there is openness here. But due to lack of such a pathway, it is harder for humans to hit Core Formation. Core Formation mages can use Tier-4 to Tier-6 spells, with some special species able to hit Tier-7 of any specific elemental or non-elemental flavoured spells that resonate with their cores.

- First Half (Fold mana sea to form a 3D schematic) - First step in materialising your cultivation. For a fire-centred mage, their blood could be charged with burning characteristics. For a swordsman, they can now infuse the cutting character to stuff.

- Second Half (Materialise the 3D schematic into functioning skeletal structure) - Not a big jump. Just attained through increased proficiency.

Note: Core can be absorbed from corpse after death, but this isn't a fully material core.

Core Condensation

Core Condensation stage is achieved after undergoing a tribulation. These can be physical or mental. The focus of the tribulation is to decipher a weakness in the mage's core and foundation and attack it. If the core destabilises the mage has to start again in making a core. If the foundation destabilises the mage dies

Tribulation is activated when Core Formation mage solidify their skeletal core. This is the point where a core becomes an actual physical organ. To manifest something abstract causes the world itself to rebel, thus the tribulation.

Core condensation has only 1 stage and that is to infuse new insights into the skeletal core to make it into a stronger fully formed self-sustaining 3D structure.

Core condensation mages can user Tier-7 to Tier-8 spells with specialists able to use Tier-9 spells.

Tesseract Transformation

To enter Tesseract Transformation stage, the core must be shattered and expanded. This process is painful and is a tribulation the mage chooses to do upon themselves. 

To form a tesseract, the mage must peer into their souls and pull it out of their body and merge it with their cores. This is the end point of cultivation because now the mage has reached liberation.

At this point the mage's physical and magical strength becomes stagnant, but they can advance their souls by performing introspection. As long as the soul is not stagnant, the mage can live to eternity.

Tesseract Transformation experts can perform Tier-9 and above spells.

Ascension

Mages that no longer want to continue advancing can choose to ascend. This is the process of pulling their tesseracts out of their body and affixing it to a point in the material world.

The point can be an object, an entity, or even an artificially created tear in space to create a mini-realm. This point holds the culmination of the mage's cultivation and can sustain a spectral life of theirs for practically eternity. This point becomes and Inheritance Artefact, since others can use it and gain insight into the original's cultivation.