Cultivator

## Cultivators

All but "Mortals" are generally refered to a "Cultivators", but those who are mainly refert to by this title are the "Omniscient-Cultivators".

Other groups include "Devilish-Cultivators", "Body-Refiners", "Buddhists", "Demons", "Netherbeeings", and "Ghosts".

### History

Cultivation. Always revered, the orign of the wise, of the few eternals transcending the world itself.

But has that always been the case? Were Cultivators truly always there, from the beginning of time until now? No.

A story. As so many it starts far in the past, far far too long ago. In a world not unlike the current, but not alike either. A world of Demons, Devils and Martial-Artists.

Empire.

Kingdom.

Province.

County.

All these concepts governing the current order have long since existed. Provinces contain Counties, Kingdoms Provinces and Empires Kindoms. The 3rd Covenant divides the Mortal-World into 3 Empires. Each Empire consists of 9 Kingdoms, containing varying amounts of Provinces and Counties.

Far, all too far in the past, prior to any Covenant there too existed Empires, not unlike today, if far smaller. Following the time of Divinity - only talked about in Legends of the Golden-Core - they had arosen, doomed to dessolve only decades later and be replaced. A cycle of Empires arising, Kingdoms rebelling and replacing them, only to fall again commenced. A chaoic world of countless Empires and Kingdoms and the mystical.

Mountain Gods.

Give a farmer a life, a house, field, a family to feed. Give him something to fear. Gift him salvation. Thus is the birth of a Mountain God. Perhaps a Ghost, a Demon or something weirder, everything may take such a position.

*Faith is power. There is Dao in everything. Faith is Dao.*

But not all is content. Instead they take forcefully, consume and rob. A world of Gods and Devils and Empires. And Martial-Arts.

Humans, wholly powerless in front of the mystical and divine found their own path in the Arts of War. Martial-Arts was born, suppressing those misusing Humanity and bringing order into the chaotic world. Thus is the beginning of the second Era - the Martial Era.

Provinces led by Martial-Clans, Kingdoms founded upon the Arts and Empires protected by its Martial-Sects. A world much unlike the previous, with power concentrated in the few Martial-Clans and conflicts, still numerous, but contained. The golden Era of Martial-Heroes and Legends birthed the first beyond mere Mortals, transcending the mundane. A world far beyond opened for all - priviliged enough - to see.

Cultivation.

Qi as the fundament of all. The breath flowing through the world, every living being. How about making use of this mystical of powers? Those who transcend humans come into contact with this fundamental part of the world, laying the foundation in its exploration. Long lost in history when - the Qi-Refinement Realm is deduced.

A Martial-Artist requires years and decades before attaining much. A Cultivator has the power of First-Rates after but a fraction of the time. Why waste your time raising the few if you could raise the many. Thus the Empires created armies of Cultivators and nobel families invested in their corrosponding protection.

The death of Martial-Arts. Or so it was thought. Empires and Kingdoms ignorant of the changes in time fell, while those who heeded prevailed. Soon Martial-Clans lost much of their power, while only the few Trenscendent remainded, ruling the world. Armies of Cultivators, Scholars improving their health and increasing their time on earth through Cultivation.

Scholars.

Kingdoms are founded upon war, kept alive upon its armies and families kept in power by their Martial-Arts and Cultivators. Sages of Arts, of knowledge, of teaching. All did they realise a world beyond the current. Those who transcended did more than merely extend their life by a few decades or attain another level of mastery. A fundamental truth of the world was at play. But they were but Scholars. Important as governers, lawmakers and burocrats, sure, but how dare they seek more!

With war ever frequent and conflicts broding how could these Scholars have time to research beyond the mundane, the truth of the world?

Thus is the beginning of the great divide.

*Why must we waste our time on the pains of the Mundane?*

*How dare you forget your duties!*

Where could duty weigh more but in us understanding the world?

*Will you eat your knowledge? Will it fight our battles for us? While you are studying the obvious, other countries are improving on their armies!*

*The simple will never understand the importance!*

Scholars, in search of what lies beyond the mere Earth and seeking Heaven stood in opposition to the Warriors. The few still strong Martial Clans stood by and watched.

Until the introduction of the tie breaker.

Transcendence.

To realise what remains unknown, attain an inherent truth of the world. Something unique to the fewest of Martial-Artists. That is, until a certain day.

Qi-Refinement. Refine your skin, muscels and bones. Refine your organs inner and outer and don't forget those of most vital importance. All until only the most mysterious, most non-understood of them all remains. But what comes after? For countless centuries this question loomed, while the two sides stalled. All until the day of the first Foundation-Establishment.

The balance shattered, the introduction of Talismans and Artifacts as well as the descend of the first rudementary Arrays, brought clear advantage to the Scholars in puruit of otherworldly knowledge, frightening even those Transcendent of it. The Martial-Clans, fearing their replacement as the true - though secret - rulers of the word, caused the first Warrior-Scholar War. But the difference was too great. Now with Gods amongst Men, huge advancements in technologie and the mystical Arts, the Scholars were far superior. Thus - leaving the world in ruins - after but a few years, the Scholars emerged victorious.

The Cultivation-Era of the 1st Covenant.

Unexpectedly, or should one rather say, as they had always promised, the Scholars did not claim power. Instead they reclused themselfs in the far mountains, always dedicated to their research.

*1st Covenant. §1: The Mortal World must remain untainted. Cultivator and Mortal must remain seperated.*

Learning of the desaster of war, the Scholars banned any interference of Cultivators into the Mortal World. This calmed the Martial-Clans and consequently led to the dissolution of most of the Warriors, who either chose to join the Scholars in the mountains or the Martial-Clans in their endevor of rebuilding. Only few devolved into the today Devilish-Sects, creating hideous techniques in hopes of one day retaking their lost powers.

But all this is far in the past and as Humans change, so does society itself. With the 3rd Covenant interference of Cultivators is still greatly limited, but interactions have become common. The Devilish-Sects have also transformed mulitiple times already, long ignorant of original goals and often also methods.

Today, most aristocratic families have or had some "Cultivator's" heritage, be it an ancestor or just some scriptures.

That, however, was not always the case. At the beginning the truly powerful where made up of mostly "Martial-Artists" and this remained the same for a long time even after the first "Cultivators" arose.

Only with time did the "Mortal-Empires" realize that raising a "Cultivator" of a certain stage was easier than raising "Martial-Artists" and they fell out of favor. The exact storie is long and complicated but what this resulted in was basically just a powershift. Instead of "Martial-Artists", "Cultivators" now filled the positions of warriors and generals and the ordinary "Scholars" were filled in by those "Cultivators" inept at battle.

Empires successfull in this transition swiftly triumphed over those who failed, causing this type of division to become mainstream and "Martial-Artists" to found their own clans outside of the countries jurisdictions.

The newly formed groups of "Cultivators" were known as the "Warriors" and "Scholars".

But nothing lasts forever, be it empires or established orders and so it was with the "Cultivators". After the few remaining empires entered an unprecedented era of peace, internal strife was rife and conflicts brewed, especially between the "Scholars" and "Warriors".

While the "Warriors" maintained the mentality of "Martial-Artists" seeking nigh but power, the "Scholars" instead pursued knowledge and advancement.

An outstandingly hot topic where of how to achieve the power of "Transcendent-Martial-Artists". The limit of a cultivator was the peak of "Qi-Refinement", making them inferiour and allowing some independent "Martial-Clans" to remain unsupervised.

The "Warriors" seeked to atain their strength, while the "Scholars" sought advancement in different areas, causing strife between the two groups.

The peace was broken by widespread carnage and destruction, causted by their disputes and the "Mortal-Emperors" lost control of the country.

Initially the "Warriors" where, thanks to their occupation, at a clear advantage until the "Scholars", after years of research and countless sacrifices, finally deduced the next step - the "Foundation-Establishment" realm. Until then the "Transcendent-Martial-Artists" stood by, but this caused their interference.

But it was to no avail. In fear of loosing their privileges the "Martial-Clans" joined the "Warriors", but the "Scholars", with their new found powers, were invincible.

Over just a few years, both the "Warriors" and "Martial-Clans" were decimated and outcasted. Different to expectations the "Scholars" refrained from taking power in the now ruined countries and instead retreated to the mountains after establishing the "First-Covenant", barring the interferance of "Cultivators" and the "Mortal-World".

These rules have long since dissapeared but layed the groundwork for the "Third-Covenant" and the current state of the world.

The "Martial-Clans" swiftly retook power afterwards, as the "First-Covenant" did not limit their influence, wheras the "Warriors" either dissolved or joined the newly founded "Sects".

Only very few went into hiding and devolved into the today feared "Devilish-Sects".