The Grand Auditorium of Crimson Sky Academy buzzed with eager voices. Students from every hall had gathered, notebooks ready, minds sharp. Today was no ordinary lesson—it was the long-awaited lecture by Professor Qiu Zhen, renowned for his deep knowledge of cultivation sciences, bloodlines, and martial professions. The venue brimmed with excitement.
Professor Qiu stepped onto the crystal dais at the center. He was a slender man with graying hair and sharp eyes that missed nothing.
"Silence, everyone," he began, his voice firm yet calm. "Today, we discuss the foundational systems that govern your potential as cultivators in this world. By the end, you will better understand where you stand, where you can rise, and what limits you must break."
He lifted his arm, and a light projection bloomed above, displaying a twelve-tiered pyramid,.
The Twelve Stages of Cultivation,
Primordial Vein Opening – The initial awakening of spiritual meridians.
Pulse Tempering – Strengthening one's meridians to handle greater energy flow.
Essence Foundation – Formation of an inner core that stores essence.
Elemental Baptism – Alignment with elemental energies; cultivators begin forming elemental resistance or affinity.
Mystic Vein Expansion – Creation of mystic paths to increase spiritual and physical output.
Soul Awakening – Awareness of the Soul Sea and initiation of soul-based techniques.
Core Manifestation – The essence core transforms into a crystalline core to support higher arts.
Origin River Fusion – Linking of external and internal origin energy streams.
Heaven's Trial Stage – Cultivators face natural tribulations to temper themselves.
Astral Ascension – Expansion of soul, body, and spirit into astral potential.
Saint Refinement – Physical and soul rebirth through multiple refinements.
Eternal Transcendence – The final known stage; cultivators leave mortality behind.
Gasps and murmurs followed.
"Most students in your age range hover around stage three to five," Qiu continued. "But some—like Su Mengtian—have clearly surpassed these early boundaries."
A student from the Hall of Echoes raised a hand. "Professor, how does one's bloodline affect progression through these stages?"
Qiu smiled. "Excellent question. That brings us to the next section."
Tiers of Bloodlines (Now fixed canonically),
Mortal Grade – Common bloodlines with minor physical enhancements.
Awakened Grade – Bloodlines that offer an affinity boost or minor talent.
Spirit Grade – Grants access to racial or ancestral talents.
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Noble Grade – Rare and often inherited from renowned clans or warbeasts.
King Grade – Fewer than 3% of cultivators possess it. Greatly enhances one's combat path.
Emperor Grade – Considered legendary. Possess passive regeneration, aura suppression, or inherited arts.
Divine Grade – Almost mythic. Often leads to the awakening of sentient soul beasts within the user.
Primordial Ancestor Grade – Said to be closer to the origin of the world's creation forces.
Another projection appeared, illustrating each tier's mark within a cultivator's soul.
It said "Bloodline-Related Talents"
"Bloodline determines three key things," Professor Qiu said.
Innate Skills – Abilities passed down that manifest naturally as one advances.
Resonant Affinity – The ease with which a cultivator harmonizes with elemental or mystic forces.
Beast Soul Synchronization – Some powerful bloodlines allow partial beast forms or fusion arts.
Su Lingyue, sitting beside her twin Su Tianlei, whispered, "So... Mom probably had Divine Grade, right?"
Tianlei nodded. "And dad's must be Emperor Grade. Maybe higher."
Beast Core Absorption and Skill Types,
"Beast cores are condensed essence from magical beasts. By absorbing them, cultivators obtain skills—but only if their body and mind are aligned enough," Qiu Zhen lectured.
Types of Beast Core Skills:
Physical Techniques – Strength boosts, martial enhancements (e.g., 'Titan Fist', 'Shadow Step').
Elemental Arts – Fire manipulation, ice storms, thunder bursts.
Mental Arts – Illusions, suppression, fear inducement.
. Defensive Techniques – Scaleskin, elemental barriers, regenerative skins.
Support Skills – Speed boosts, health regeneration, spiritual healing.
Beast Emulation Forms – Rare. Grant partial forms or instincts of beasts.
"General Su Leilong, for instance," Qiu added, "absorbed the core of a 9th-rank Thunder Roc in his youth, gaining Sky Ripping Descent, a powerful thunderstrike martial art."
More than a few jaws dropped.
Professions in this world,
Qiu swiped the air again, and icons of professions appeared.
Combat Cultivators – Frontline warriors and martial artists.
Beast Tamers – Specialists in binding, training, and fighting with magical beasts.
Spiritual Artificers – Crafters of magical weapons and soulbound artifacts.
Alchemists – Create pills, potions, and elemental catalysts.
Formation Masters – Experts in terrain manipulation, defensive wards, and spiritual arrays.
Soul Weavers – Rare and respected. Use soul threads for enchantments and healing.
Mystic Scribes – Scholars of ancient scripts, knowledge-keepers, and rune enchanters.
Pathcallers – Prophets or fate diviners. Predict future events through celestial alignment.
A student from the Hall of Luminous Veil raised her hand. "Can someone train in two professions?"
Qiu nodded. "Yes. But specialization deepens power. Su Mengtian, for example, shows potential as both a Combat Cultivator and Formation Master."
Students whispered excitedly.
Another hand shot up. "Can bloodline influence profession success?"
"Yes," Qiu replied. "For example, a Fire-Elemental bloodline will assist an Alchemist, but might conflict with water-based Formation arts. Compatibility matters."
As the professor scrawled another diagram across the luminous blackboard, a student's hand rose in curiosity.
"Professor, what about Guardian Spirits? I've heard some top-tier cultivators have them. Are they related to bloodlines?"
The class buzzed with renewed interest.
Professor Qiu Zhen adjusted his crystal monocle and turned, a rare smile on his lips. "Ah, Guardian Spirits... now that's a realm of wonder not often touched until the higher stages. These are manifestations of ancient will and martial ancestry. Think of them as armored warriors from a bygone battlefield—fierce, towering beings that emerge from the soul sea of a cultivator possessing a sufficiently noble or awakened bloodline."
He gestured, and an illusory projection appeared above the dais: a translucent warrior clad in obsidian armor, wielding a thunder-forged glaive, standing protectively behind a phantom cultivator.
"These spirits cannot be summoned by willpower alone. Their emergence requires three things: bloodline resonance, a spirit-binding ritual, and a moment of absolute clarity—often in life-or-death battles. Once awakened, Guardian Spirits can act independently to shield their masters, bolster their techniques, or even clash with enemy skills head-on. They are, in essence, extensions of one's bloodline will."
A student with a flaming tattoo on his arm asked, "Can Guardian Spirits grow stronger too?"
"Indeed," Professor Qiu Zhen nodded. "They evolve alongside their master's cultivation, especially if the bloodline is fed with powerful beast cores, spiritual contracts, or trials of ancestral memory. Some ancient clans even forge entire techniques based on harmonizing with their Guardian Spirits."
He let the image dissolve before continuing. "Now, let us also address a closely related concept—special body constitutions."
At this, several students leaned forward eagerly.
"Body constitutions are unique physical makeups that enhance one's cultivation path. They may arise from heritage, rare herbs taken in childhood, or extraordinary events during fetal development. Some amplify elemental affinity, others increase absorption rates, and a few allow simultaneous dual-cultivation of multiple paths."
He flicked his sleeve, bringing up a ranking chart:
Heavenly Constitutions: Rare as phoenix feathers. These often defy conventional cultivation bottlenecks entirely.
Divine Constitutions: Legendary, often recorded in ancient texts. They grant unimaginable affinity with a single element or path.
Mystic Constitutions: Often related to elemental harmony or physical resilience.
Common Awakened Constitutions: A result of spirit herb exposure, alchemical baptism, or minor bloodline influence.
Ordinary Constitution: What most citizens possess. Not a barrier to cultivation, but lacking innate advantages.
The students sat in stunned silence, many already fantasizing about their own ancestral spirits clad in ethereal armor or discovering their hidden constitutions.
Yue Mei whispered to Mengtian from her seat beside him, "You already carry so much… I wonder what your Guardian Spirit looks like."
Su Mengtian didn't answer. Deep within his soul sea, something stirred—a ripple across a battlefield long forgotten by time.
As the lecture concluded, Professor Qiu Zhen closed with this:
"The professor said, his voice lowering to a grave tone. Your potential is not fixed. Bloodline may guide your path. Talent may set your speed. "Guardian Spirits and Body Constitutions may be gifts, but cultivation is a journey won through resilience. What you're born with sets your path, but what you do with it defines your legacy. Willpower carves the road. Study, train, understand your nature. Only then will your future be forged in stars."
The students rose in unison, offering a bow.
Outside, the academy wind carried new purpose.
A world of layers had just been unveiled.
And in the heart of it all, Su Mengtian listened, his thoughts calm but calculating.
For even greater revelations awaited him.