Xiantian

**Houtian & Xiantian** (后天 hòutiān / 先天 xiāntiān) – the names of two cultivation stages which appear in several novels, with the Houtian stage preceding the Xiantian stage.

* *Houtian* can mean Posterior Heaven / Postcelestial / Acquired.
* *Xiantian* can mean Anterior Heaven / Precelestial / Innate.

Very roughly, the idea is that something “Xiantian” is primordial and thus close to the Dao, while something “Houtian” is degraded or further away from the Dao.

“Houtian & Xiantian” are derived from Daoism and Internal Alchemy. There’s a belief that people are born with a small amount of Xiantian treasures (Essence, Qi and Spirit).

By practicing Daoist cultivation and internal alchemy, they can absorb and refine the Houtian Qi of the natural world to steadily increase their supply of Xiantian treasures (which grant health and longevity benefits).

## Summary

### **Returning to One's Origins**

The true meaning of Xiantian lies in how a baby breathes in the womb.

When humans are babies in the womb, they cannot breathe through their nose or mouth, but must depend on the mother to give them sustenance through their connection only. This is how they breathe. This is the characteristics of xiantian.

After the human is born then they can breathe through the nose and mouth. This worldly air is filled with impurities that gradually accumulate. This is the characteristics of houtian.

In the xiantian stage the soul enters a state of incomparable tranquility and peace. They body changes the way they interact with their surroundings and the soul becomes aware of the world and is able to communicate with nature, even being able to actuate the power of the heavens and earth with soul force. That is the true xiantian.

But from houtian to xiantian one must cut off every root in order to pass through and return to the state of being in the womb.

### **Acupoints**

If a martial artist’s meridians were a canal and the dantian was the source of water, then the muscles, skeletons, and organs were the farmland that needed to be irrigated.

After reaching the Xiantian realm, whether a martial artist was cultivating or attacking, the acupoints throughout their body would be constantly absorbing heaven and earth origin energy, gathering it into the dantian before releasing it into the meridians where it spread throughout the body.

This sort of passive method of transportation had a considerable limitation, and that was no matter what happened, it was difficult for the heaven and earth origin energy to penetrate deep into every part of the body.

Normally, whether it was combat or practice, even if the body’s energy was consumed to the limit and one was incomparably exhausted, there would always be some acupoints and meridians that weren’t used.

This is how top medicines and practice areas that penetrate deep into one's body such as the King's Cage takes effect. Only like this would their be a proper foundation to tackle the late Revolving Core and above.

## Description

The sign for the Xiantian realm was true essence forming an organized system within the dantian

* Qi starts to revolve inside the Dantian. Making the dantian more organized and efficient. Can have the ability of flight.
* The difference between the Houtian realm and Xiantian realm was the Xiantian breath within oneself. With this, one’s soul would enter into a tranquil state, and they would be able to communicate with heaven and earth origin energy. They could use their soul to understand the wisdom of the world and use their true essence to move the power of the heavens and earth.
* In the martial world, those that entered into the Xiantian realm would condense pre-natal energy within their bodies, returning to a fetus-like state where they breathed in energy and remained free from the pollution of the world. This could be called the time when one truly became a martial cultivator. Below the Xiantian realm, they wouldn’t be able to clear the impurities from their bodies, and remain only a mortal.
* When a baby was still in the mother’s body, they would rely on the umbilical cord transporting blood in order to breathe; this was the Xiantian breath.
* After a baby was born, they changed to breathing from their mouths and nose. Inevitably they would breathe the foul Houtian air, and there simply wouldn’t be any Xiantian breath.
* From Houtian to Xiantian, one had to rid themselves of worldly roots and change their Houtian breath to Xiantian breath.

## Mortal Nations

To mortal nations, a Xiantian master was simply a fable that existed only in legends.

Even in the Seven Profound Valleys where masters and powerhouses lurked everywhere, a Xiantian stage master had a pivotal status!

Regardless of if they were a Seven Profound Envoy or a Martial House Master, they would only be at the peak Houtian stage.

Although their status was higher than the emperor of Sky Fortune Kingdom, they still had to give some respect to the emperor. When they were issuing a decree, they also had to mind their tone.

But a Xiantian master was different. They were able to directly discard the emperor, and even set up a new emperor in place of the old!

If one did not obey their orders?

They would kill their way into the Royal Palace at night, and take the emperor’s severed head!

Who would dare to stop a Xiantian master?

Even if everyone knew perfectly well who it was that killed the emperor, who would have the ability to investigate?

To put it in layman’s terms, A Xiantian master was an existence that completely upset the natural balance. If a country had a Xiantian master, then the neighboring countries would have no courage to go to against this country. If it really came down to war, then one the very first day the generals of all the armies would die silently in their camps, and on the second day the emperor would also die in his Royal Palace. How could they continue fighting at this point?

But of course, there is a higher, much higher mountain than Xiantian.

## Stages

* Early
* Middle
* Late
* Peak

## Trivia

* A Xiantian master, if placed in a third-grade sect like the Seven Profound Valleys, would be an extraordinary character!
* A Xiantian master, if placed in a fourth-grade sect like the Divine Phoenix Island, would at least be an outer court elder to a middle-rate master. Extreme Xiantian masters can be treated as deacons and envoys.
* A Xiantian master, if placed in a fifth-grade sect like the South Sea Demon Region, would be only be a common disciple.

## References

1. ↑ Glossary of Terms in Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan Novels