True Essence

## General Wuxia Term

**Qi** (气 qì) – the vital energy which exists in all things. The cultivation of Qi is a major theme in Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan novels.

* Qi is sometimes written as “Ki” or “Chi”. It can be translated in *many* different ways, including Breath / Vital Breath / Pneuma / Vital Energy / Spiritual Energy. (etc…)
* Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth (天地之气 tiāndì zhī qì) – the natural energy of the world.

**Qi Circulation** (行气 xíngqì) – the act of controlling Qi to flow from the dantian, through the meridians, and back into the dantian in a cycle. The purpose of this varies between novels, but usually it helps replenish stamina, purify the Qi, or strengthen the meridians.

## Martial World

In the Martial World, Qi was the equivalent of True Essence.

Heaven and Earth origin energy was the basis for all martial arts cultivation. The so-called true essence was simply the conversion of heaven and earth origin energy to one’s own energy. True essence stones were also condensed from heaven and earth origin energy. Regardless of whether it was the Body Transformation stage, the Houtian realm, or even the Xiantian realm, a martial artist’s cultivation would always originate from heaven and earth origin energy.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Glossary of Terms in Wuxia, Xianxia & Xuanhuan Novels

## Martial Artist

Martial artists usually cultivated the body, rather than their true essence. True essence was water, and the body was a reservoir. Martial artists would constantly cultivate by forging their bodies to build up their strength. Their true essence capacity would then become increasingly large. Therefore no matter how one consumed true essence, even if it was to the very last drop, it would not affect cultivation.

As long as they cultivated for one or two days, their body would be restored to peak condition. However, as for the body, once the body suffers damage, then there would even be the possibility that their martial arts cultivation would drop an entire stage.

A martial artist that cultivated the essence gathering system had true essence circulate through their meridians and dantian. It was a system separate from the mortal body, linking the body’s 360 acupoints with heaven and earth origin energy.

### **Initial Stage**

If Strength Training and Flesh Training stage martial artists’ bodies were like small water puddles, then Viscera Training stage would be comparable to a pond. Altering Muscle and Bone Forging would be like a lake, and after that would be the Pulse Condensation Period, where the meridians would condense, and true essence circulation would accelerate, and the body would be like roiling rivers and raging streams. If all the true essence of the body gathered together and flowed at the same time, it would turn into a vast ocean. This would be the Houtian and Xiantian stages.

### **Transition to Essence Gathering**

With the true essence stone’s true essence transforming the body, it was just like a reservoir that had water forcefully poured into it. This would broaden and expand the reservoir. This sort of cultivation method had far less side effects than using pills, but the difference was that it was much slower, and the requirement of resources was much higher.