Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

Understanding Basic Cultivation Stages (for New Readers)

If this is your first time reading a Xianxia-themed novel and you're unfamiliar with basic cultivation stages, here's a concise overview of the commonly used progression system seen across many such stories:

1. Qi Refining (气炼)

This is the foundational stage of cultivation, where a practitioner begins drawing in and refining Qi—the spiritual energy of the world—within their dantian. At this stage, Qi exists in a gaseous form and slowly fills the dantian like vapor gathering in a vessel.

Upon first absorbing Qi, the body expels impurities (杂质, zázhì) through the skin. This black, sticky sludge is the result of worldly pollution—residues from mortal food and life. The process may repeat over time, especially:

—After consuming mortal food,

—When ingesting low-grade pills (with residual toxins),

—Or during breakthroughs within a realm (e.g., early to mid-stage).

Each time impurities are purged, the cultivator's body subtly changes. Their skin clears, scars fade, and they appear more refined and youthful. This is more than vanity—it marks their gradual detachment from mortal limits.

Qi Refining also enhances the senses. Cultivators gain sharper vision, keener hearing, and heightened awareness. Their divine sense (神, shén)—akin to spiritual perception—is awakened. With practice, divine sense can be used to:

—Observe the environment over long distances,

—Communicate telepathically with others,

—Sense spiritual fluctuations.

However, divine sense can be intercepted by stronger cultivators, turning private thoughts into vulnerabilities.

2. Foundation Building (筑基)

Once a cultivator reaches the peak of Qi Refining and their dantian can no longer hold more Qi, they must compress it into a denser, liquid state. This marks the transition to Foundation Building.

This stage forms the "spiritual sea", (this is different with sea of consciousness where their divine sense and soul resides) and its size and depth depend on both the quality and quantity of your Qi. A strong, stable foundation is crucial—it determines how far a cultivator can go in the future. Without a solid base, progress beyond this realm becomes difficult, or even impossible.

3. Golden Core (金丹, Jīndān)

When the spiritual sea reaches its limit during Foundation Building, cultivators begin compressing the liquid Qi even further. This process forms a golden core within the lower dantian, also called the Golden Stove (金炉, jīn lú).

The resulting golden core becomes the source of a cultivator's power and longevity. Its purity, color, and toughness reflect the cultivator's potential. This stage is highly revered—forming a true golden core is a major milestone.

4. Nascent Soul (元婴, Yuányīng)

At the peak of Golden Core stage, when even the core can no longer absorb more Qi, cultivators attempt to shatter the core and give birth to a Nascent Soul, or Yuan Infant (Yuányīng)—a miniature spiritual self formed from highly refined Qi.

This process is dangerous and painful. If the core is damaged before the breakthrough, it can cripple a cultivator's progress, requiring rare materials and immense effort to recover. In some cases, the cultivator must start over from Qi Refining—if their body and meridians survive.

Upon success:

—Amputated limbs can regenerate.

—The cultivator can reshape their appearance once, choosing a new form that becomes their true self from that point forward.

—They gain a "second self"—as long as the Yuányīng survives, they can rebuild their physical body using rare resources.

—They may also create doppelgangers, powered by split divine sense and soul. Most cultivators can only form one, but stronger souls can create more. The body used for the doppelganger determines its strength and can range from rare treasures to unique constructs. (Note: This is distinct from puppetry.)

Cultivators in this realm are much harder to kill. Destroying the physical body is not enough; the Yuányīng must also be annihilated.

I usually call this stage as Nascent Soul and the 'infant' as Yuányīng.

5. Post-Nascent Soul Stages

After reaching Nascent Soul, the progression varies depending on the novel or author. Some examples:

Common in many Xianxia novels:

Divine Transformation; Returning to Void; Unity; Mahayana

In Su Min's story:

Divine Transformation; Dao Comprehension; Unity; Mahayana

In this Author debut story:

Divine Transformation; Divine Soul; Void Refinement; Unity; Mahayana

These stages serve as a general framework, though their names and exact breakthroughs may differ across sects or worlds. But the principles—refining the body, mind, and spirit—remain central to nearly all cultivation systems. For more detailed information about cultivation stage you can visit the link on the comments.

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In the Weiyu Realm, weapons were categorized into six tiers: magical tools, magical treasures, spirit tools, spirit treasures, ancient treasures, and mystic treasures.