Still Learning To Live As A Cultivator

Cultivation & Other Glossaries

Author's note; this is only what I have invented so far and not the be all and end all of information. I will likely introduce new things when I feel like it!

Cultivation and Levels of Cultivation

Cultivating is usually performed meditating in a specific way.  There are many methods of Cultivation.  Those that are suited for some people are not always suitable for others. 

A person must have an awakened root in order to cultivate, but a person who does have an awakened root still may not have the ability.  If one is not determined, patient and have the time to cultivate, one should not try to step on the path.  If one has physical problems such as blocked meridians or a damaged innersea, one will have no ability to cultivate.

A dormant root is not necessarily an obstacle as there are pills that can awaken them.  It is not recommended that children over the age of ten attempt to awaken their roots.  The older a person is, the more likely they are to fail.  Failure will damage the root and shrink the meridians making it nearly impossible to fix. Life expectancy may also be reduced as well as overall physical health.

There is often a bottleneck between stages. 

Core Formation Stage

Core formation the time a Cultivator forms his inner core.  Peak stage simply means the Cultivator is soon to advance.  Some Cultivators do not recognise those that have not formed their core as being Cultivators.

Primary (a cultivator's first level after their roots awakened and they begin cultivating.)
Secondary
Tertiary

Body Tempering Phase

Body tempering is the transformation of the body, making it stronger, sturdier, physical impurities completely removed and ageing lessened considerably. Once this phase is complete, a cultivator can expect a very long life and no need to eat food, diamond like skin in both toughness and clarity. No longer likely to contract illness, plus all five senses greatly improved. Any physical impairment would also be fixed.

Each level has a low, mid and peak sub level. Each sub level is like reaching another initial level.

Quaternary
Quinary
Senary

Mind Tempering Phase

This is tempering of the mind; greater intelligence and reasoning, greater memory, much quicker of thought and greater mental senses; i.e. to danger, to atmospheric changes, to general moods. Any mental impairment, in theory, would also be fixed, but in Ren Zexian's world, this has yet to be proven.

Each level has five sub levels. We'll call them stars as this term is used in at least one of my favourite cultivation novels!

Septenary
Octonary
Nonary

Soul Tempering Phase

Soul Tempering Phase is considered the true path to immortality. In a middle realm, it is as rare as Phoenix teeth to reach this stage, however it is believed that there are those able to complete this path and reach the Heavens.

Each level has seven sub levels, making this the hardest phase to conquer.

Denary
Onodenary (this is made up, because apparently, an equivalent for eleven does not exist)
Duodenary (however, this word does exist!)

Who knows what, if anything, comes next!

Roots and levels of roots

Roots represent peoples abilities, so they are mostly elemental. The more roots a person has, the more difficult to tailor their needs with cultivation methods, plus their ability to advance is much slower, hence those with three roots are considered wastes.