Since this is a Xianxia story with the classic cultivation stages, here's how I'll be handling some terms:
-For the Nascent Soul stage, I'll refer to the "infant" within it as Yuányīng, but the stage itself will still be called Nascent Soul.
-You'll also see formal titles written in pinyin. For example:
*Jīndān Zhēnrén for Golden Core cultivators.
*Yuányīng Zhēnjūn for Nascent Soul cultivators.
The format usually goes like:
[Name] or [Dao Name] + Formal title,
[Cultivation Stage] + Formal title,
or simply [Formal title] by itself.
For higher realms above Nascent Soul, I'll mostly stick with English translations for the stage name + formal title.
This way, it keeps the original flavor of the story while still being easy to follow in English.
Manual and Technique were divided into:
Yellow —>Mystic —>Earth—>Heaven—>Saint
Grade or Tier:
Grade 1—>Grade 2—>Grade 3—>Grade 4—>Grade 5—> Grade 6 —> Grade 7 —> Grade 8 —> Grade 9—>Saint
Rank:
Standard→ Elite→ Perfect.
Proficiency:
Entry→ Proficient→ Master.
In this lower world, stage were divided into:
Qi Refining—> Foundation Establishment —>Golden Core —>Nascent Soul —>Divine Transformation —>Unity —>Tribulation —>the pinnacle: Mahayana.
Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment in this novel are roughly same as general knowledge. But the Golden Core is different.
Before the process can begin, four conditions must be met.
First, a proper cultivation technique. Without a stable foundation and a method suited for core formation, any attempt would be doomed from the start.
Second, the cultivator's soul realm must reach the necessary threshold. The spiritual sea must be vast and resilient, capable of withstanding the intense compression and restructuring of qi. If the soul is weak, the process will collapse under its own weight.
Third, there must be a sufficient reserve of spiritual energy. Elemental affinity plays a role here, but with enough preparation—pills, elixirs, or external resources—even mismatched elemental environments can be compensated for.
And fourth, a spark of fate. This could be an insight, a revelation, or simply a moment where everything aligns. Without this flicker of destiny, the door to the next realm remains closed.
Once these requirements are fulfilled, the cultivator settles into deep meditation. The world fades. Distractions vanish. All that remains is the rhythmic pulse of spiritual energy circulating within.
In the dantian, the previously liquid qi begins to shift. Slowly, carefully, it is compressed into fine grains—each one shimmering with concentrated power. These grains are not merely denser—they carry weight, substance, and latent force.
It is an excruciatingly delicate process. Every adjustment must be exact. Every breath, controlled. Should focus slip, the core might fracture, or worse, detonate within.
Here, soul strength becomes a shield and a scalpel, guiding each movement with unwavering clarity.
As the grains gather, they begin to spin, drawn into a vortex of their own making. Momentum builds. Faster. Tighter. Until all motion collapses inward, forming a singular, brilliant sphere—the Golden Core.
At this point, one could stop. By all standards, this marks a successful breakthrough. But for those with ambition, it is merely the beginning. The core can be refined further. Compressed. Sharpened. Honed down to the size of a true pill. With this comes the chance for something more: pill patterns.
These patterns are not ornamental. They are indicators of potential, of destiny. Some cultivators manifest one or two. The exceptional, more. Nine is the known limit, the mark of a legendary core.
And so, the cultivator continues. Refine. Compress. Sharpen.
The core tightens until no further compression is possible. This is the upper limit—the peak of the Golden Core stage. What follows is the final act: the engraving of pill patterns.
Each pattern carved into the core is like inscribing fate itself. A declaration of future strength. A glimpse of what might come.
It is said that a Golden Core bearing pill patterns stands as a foundation strong enough to carry one all the way to the Unity stage.
And with this, the Golden Core is complete.
No heavenly tribulation descends. No divine thunder crashes through the skies. Advancement at this stage is quiet, internal, personal.
Yet it is no less profound.
For those who succeed, the rewards are immense. A high-grade Golden Core technique may awaken one or two divine abilities—mystic arts etched into the soul, gifts from the Dao itself.
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Yun Jin also creating a new body refining manual that can be used without spiritual roots, called "Top tier martial arts". At first it was Yellow rank manual with stage:
后天阶段 (Hòutiān Jiēduàn), the initial stage
先天阶段 (Xiāntiān Jiēduàn) equivalent as Qi Refining
破碎虚空 (Pòsuì Xūkōng) equivalent as Foundation Establishment
In Immortal World cultivation stage:
天仙 (Tiānxiān): "Celestial Immortal."
金仙 (Jīnxiān): "Golden Immortal."
玄仙 (Xuánxiān): "Mystic Immortal".
仙帝 (Xiāndì): "Immortal Emperor."