Cultivation

#### Qi Drawing

Consisted of using qi to draw aeth power through the meridian channels with the aim of slowly washing away the mortal impurities of the body.

After reaching this stage, a cultivator's impurities would be cleansed and purified. This made the person's flesh rich in vitality, bestowing the cultivator with the strength to split rocks and fight tigers.

The Qi Drawing layer is considered complete once one is able to circulate aeth power nine times around the body.

#### Inner Strengthening

Consisted of using a special technique to breathe aeth power, directing it to temper the inner organs and strengthen the qi senses.

At this level, a cultivator would be able to breathe in like a cow and their exhaled breaths would become akin to an arrow, giving the cultivator the ability to keep moving for extended periods.

For the Inner Strengthening layer, one needs to reach eighteen cycles before attempting to ascend to the third layer, Organ Opening.

#### Organ Opening

The True Martial third layer, Organ Opening, represented the opening of the five key organ dwellings that were linked to the five elements and was the foundation of a cultivator’s five elements.

At this stage, a cultivator would circulate aeth power through the five dwellings, connecting the inside and the outside, thus giving the cultivator the power to lift giant cauldrons and sprint like a tiger or leopard!

Therefore, this layer was also known as the Five Elements Opening Stage.

At this stage, a cultivator’s aeth power could circulate and cleanse the five organs, as well as nourish the meridians.

The Organ Opening allowed aeth power to circulate the body thirty-six times!

#### Orifice Unlocking

The fourth layer, Orifice Unlocking, referred to unlocking the orifices in the cultivator’s four limbs and skeleton. This amplified the cultivator’s focus which in turn made the cultivator’s qi and blood more robust.

Upon reaching this layer, the cultivator’s qi and blood would boil like smoke rising towards the sky, allowing the cultivator to be unafraid of cold, heat and evil spirits. The cultivator became more nimble and agile, with footsteps so light that no prints would be left on the snow. Even going three days and nights without food would not affect the cultivator’s concentration and focus.

The so-called Orifice Unlocking Stage was to unlock the acupoints and orifices in the entire body. The unlocking of orifices would strengthen the practitioner's spirit and resulted in abundant vital energy, qi and blood.

After reaching that stage, a person’s cultivation base would undergo transformation once again. Not only would their strength double, their entire body would be further tempered and the impurities inside would be removed.

#### Essence Refining

The fifth layer, Essence Refining, purified the marrow and essence of a cultivator’s muscles and bone.

A cultivator’s bones and essence would be tempered thousands of times upon breakthrough to the fifth layer and sparkle in a silvery shimmer. This was the reason why people said that blood refining resembled syrup and essence refining resembled frost.

#### Blood Igniting

The sixth layer, Blood Igniting, improved the blood in a cultivator’s body.

In that layer, as the name indicated, a cultivator would need to make their blood boil until it ignited and then vigorously course around the body.

Once a cultivator reached that layer, their skin membrane, muscles, bones, blood, essence, organs and the qi inside and outside their body would enter a state of true gold and could withstand even fire. Their life span would be extended beyond one hundred years.

At the True Martial sixth layer, aeth power could be circulated 108 times in the body which was also known as a single cycle of power. The blood in the body would boil like a furnace, burning with power.

#### Little Cycle

The seventh layer, Little Cycle, and the eighth layer, Big Cycle, were the same in that they were a comprehensive refinement of a cultivator’s flesh, blood, tendons, bones, acupoints, orifices and organs.

The Little Cycle was a preliminary refinement.

Upon reaching this stage, aeth power could be continuously cycled nine times! The cultivator’s aeth power would also undergo rapid development and begin to touch the true essence of circulation.

#### Big Cycle

The seventh layer, Little Cycle, and the eighth layer, Big Cycle, were the same in that they were a comprehensive refinement of a cultivator’s flesh, blood, tendons, bones, acupoints, orifices and organs.

The Big Cycle was a further refinement.

#### Aeth Transformation

The ninth layer, Aeth Transformation, refined the aeth power inside and outside the cultivator’s body to initiate a transformation.

### Spirit Dipper stage

The Spirit Dipper stage was divided into three lesser cultivation realms: Human Dipper, Earth Dipper, and Heaven Dipper. However, the aeth power reservoir was always the core of each stage.

Aeth power reservoirs were categorized into three grades, where first-grade was the best and third-grade was the worst.

Most Spirit Dipper stage experts had established third-grade aeth reservoirs and were considered ordinary Spirit Dipper stage practitioners.

On the other hand, first-grade and second-grade aeth power reservoirs were not achievable by just anyone. Only cultivators with outstanding talent, innate disposition, skeletal structure, and cultivation foundations had any chance of establishing higher grade reservoirs.

In addition to all these advantages, a cultivator also needed a certain amount of luck and opportunity to establish a first-grade aeth power reservoir.

#### Human Dipper

The opening of an aeth power reservoir in the sea of qi was a symbol of reaching the Human Dipper Realm. At that stage, dipper power would temper a cultivator’s aeth power and transform it into spirit dipper power.

#### Earth Dipper

The Earth Dipper stage consisted of creating a connection to the land’s qi: comprehending the might of the earth, gathering its qi, and using it as a link like duckweed that had taken root and would not be washed away by the water.

### Heaven Ascension stage

Cultivators able to reach the Heaven Ascension Stage would be able to comprehend and manipulate the Great Dao of heaven and earth, as well as open up a void hole in their body.

The void hole was like a cave dwelling of the great void, the embryonic form of one’s great dao. Once successfully refined, the imago power that a cultivator had mastered, as well as their insights, knowledge and martial arts would be stamped inside.

After the transformation, it became the Heaven Ascension Cave Dwelling. The void hole that held the embryonic form of the great dao was akin to a world opening up in a cultivator’s body. That was the Heaven Ascension Stage.

## Beast Cultivation

### Wild Beast

Jackals, minks, foxes, and mongooses were only considered wild beasts. Although they were fierce, ordinary hunters could kill them.

### Ferocious Beast

Ferocious beasts included beasts such as tigers, leopards, wild boars, bulls and bears. Their vicious aggressiveness made them able to take on and even kill beginner cultivators.

### Savage Beast

Savage beasts were completely different in that they were all overlords in the mountains and possessed considerable intelligence. Even the weakest savage beast could easily kill first layer True Martial Stage cultivators, while the strongest could make even ninth layer True Martial Stage cultivators flee in terror.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 5
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chapter 8
3. ↑ Chapter 29
4. ↑ Chapter 41
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 61
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 89
7. ↑ Chapter 119
8. ↑ Chapter 339
9. ↑ Chapter 540
10. ↑ Chapter 22