Hey guys, Author here!
I thought I should make an auxiliary chapter explaining the basic information in the novel, like the power system at the beginning. You don't really have to read this, because as expected, this will all be mentioned in the novel as part of the info dumps, in different phases of the story +_+.
But I thought I should write this anyway, for those who want a general idea of the world, power system, and more before starting on the story.
There are also some general definitions of cultivation concepts for those who might not know the meanings of some terms that are used in cultivation. I included these from my own research because I know how daunting it can be, reading a cultivation fantasy, hearing about terms you can't make heads or tails of, so when I start dropping some random concepts in the middle of the story, you can come back to this chapter to look them up.
Though the further you go, the more possible light spoilers for the future chapters you will see. But they won't be that significant.
Enjoy!
1. World's Structure
In the boundless expanse of my verse, countless mortal worlds exist on the mortal plane, serving as the path of cultivation to transcendence, and the social-political hierarchy is tightly woven around each system.
At the heart of every mortal world lies a rigid power system. This will be the general structure going forward:
Noble Families: What gives weight to noble families in this story is that they are each in possession of qi and martial cultivation techniques as well as ancient bloodlines that give them an edge over other cultivators. Talent is often passed down genetically, and so being a noble somewhat guarantees higher potential than most. Families pass down cultivation manuals through generations, and so they command respect in the world, depending on their noble rank and political influence.
Sects: Martial orders and spiritual academies that train disciples in techniques ranging from sword arts to elemental mastery. Since they have their own techniques and resources, with prestigious sects having more than even the highest-ranking noble families, they have a lot of influence and control over the society. Noble families are forced to send their children to these prestigious sects since doing so guarantees maximum growth potential.
The Royal Family: Supreme rulers of the world. who act as the bridge or guiding hand between the different powers in a world, and as expected, they possess even more powerful techniques and bloodlines. They command a lot of respect and reverence. All powers and organisations are subservient to the royal family, even though the royal family has seen a huge decline in the quality of their descendants over the past years.
Do not be mistaken, though; these groups dominate governance, resources, and military strength, but they do not rule unchallenged. The difference in power is often dictated by powerful individuals in each of them, but the overall quality of cultivators contributes a large percentage.
What I'm saying is, in my novel, a thousand ants would not be able to bring down a single elephant. For the most part.
2. Independent Powers
These mostly operate on the edge of society, yet deeply embedded within it:
Assassins Guild
Black Market
Merchants Guild
Crafters Pavilion
Alchemists Association
Mercenaries Guild
Rogue Cultivators:
This mosaic of power is constantly shifting, with alliances, betrayals, and wars redefining borders and bloodlines over generations.
3. Beyond The World of Mistveil
In the wider universe, lie other worlds. Of course, this is a general piece of info people in the world are all aware of; there will be instances where we do meet otherworlders. And who knows, our very own young master might go around collecting flowers from other worlds :).
Other worlds will have other races, which I will mention later in the story, and more members of the human race. I don't want to spoil too much, so my apologies for the vagueness.
4. The immortal realm
Far above the mortal stratum is the World of Immortals; it is, of course, more of a myth at this point in this story.
.....
So this is how things stand
5. Power system
Primary Power source - Qi
Schools of cultivation
1. Qi Cultivation: drawing qi from the world into your body through pathways, purifying it, and storing it in your core.
2. Martial Cultivation: Mastering combat techniques and physical prowess.
3. Spiritual Cultivation: Enhancing one's soul and spiritual awareness.
4. Body Refinement: Using Qi to strengthen the physical body to withstand greater energies.
5. Dharma Cultivation: Studying and internalizing universal laws and truths.
6. Dual cultivation: Two individuals cultivating together to harmonize their energies by exchanging their yin and yang, through an intimate connection.
Not that the first 2, Qi and martial cultivation, are the standard cultivation techniques, the rest are unique to certain groups of people, races, families, or a cultivation stage.
For example, Dharma cultivation is a requirement for progressing further once an individual reaches the Nascent Soul realm.
Qi Cultivation Stages
1. Qi Condensation: Initial stage focusing on absorbing and refining spiritual energy.
2. Foundation Establishment: Stabilizing one's cultivation base for further advancement.
3. Core Formation: Condensing energy into a 'golden core' within the body.
4. Nascent Soul: Developing a spiritual infant representing the cultivator's soul.
5. Deity Transformation: Achieving a form that transcends the mortal realm.
6. Spatial Tempering
7. Body Integration
8 Grand Ascension:
There are also sub-stages within the realms: Early, middle, late, and peak
Stages 6-8 are advanced stages leading to true immortality and ascension to higher realms. This will be explained later in the story, as they are not really relevant to the novel at the beginning.
6. Additional Info
Weapons: Your ordinary day-to-day weapon, anyone can wield.
Spiritual Weapons: Made by powerful crafters. Swords and artifacts imbued with spiritual energy.
Talismans and Arrays: These are made by professionals in a branch of crafting. Used for protection, healing, or enhancing abilities.
Alchemy: Crafting pills and elixirs to boost cultivation speed or recover energy
Crafting: The forging and engraving of weapons
Heart Demons: Internal fears or regrets that can hinder progress.
Sects & Clans: Power often lies within sects (various masters, disciples, sect politics) and bloodline clans (familial prestige, arranged marriages, legacy cultivation paths)
Rogue or Hermit Cultivators: Those who remain unaffiliated, often with unorthodox techniques or darker secrets .
Spiritual Roots (elemental affinities): e.g., Fire or Metal roots affect cultivation speed and technique paths
Dantian & Meridians: Internal structures essential for Qi flow and breakthroughs. Dantians store and refine energy, while meridians distribute it. So think of dantians as nodes or points all over the body that act as connecting points for meridians, and meridians as channels for distributing Qi around the body and connecting Dantians.
Qi Deviation & Internal Demons: Failed cultivation practices can corrupt Qi or unleash inner demons, creating setbacks or character flaws
Hidden Realms/Pocket Dimensions: Tombs or resting place of a former powerhouse. These are areas with rare spirit plants, unique Qi, or demonic beasts, akin to dungeons in other stories
Cultivation Aids: Pills, elixirs, spirit stones, Qi-infused artifacts, and darker options like live-being energy harvesting done by evil cults.
Heavenly Tribulations: Divine tests, lightning, cosmic fire, triggered at threshold breakthroughs
Bottleneck Stages: Early, middle, late, peak sub-stages within realms; breakthroughs require new insights or perilous training methods.
False Immortals / Dead‑end Paths: Cultivators trapped in mid-stages due to failure or flawed methods
Chaotic/Brute-force Cultivation: Overloading one's body or merging multiple Qi types—dangerous but powerful .
Dao Heart: Core of willpower, morality, and mental resilience, sometimes even more crucial than talent for progression.
Ancestral Deities: Familial gods with karmic or spiritual debts; blessing or cursing cultivators.
Fate: The meaning behind fate will remain vague consistently throughout the story, and I've done so deliberately. The people in the novel's understanding of fate is something like this. A cultivator might be born with a "Heaven-defying fate" or a "Heaven-blessed destiny," which determines their potential, luck, and even lifespan.
This is all I could put together for now, but more detailed info will be in the novel itself. meaning I won't be making any changes to this auxiliary chapter, unless absolutely necessary!
Enjoy reading my story. Cheers!