All cultivation begins from Nothingness, the purest state.

Upon nothing a soul is wrought, creating the foundation.

From foundation life flourishes and mind incubates, preparing for its existence.

Nothingness withers, replaced by destiny, filled by life, soul, and mind. Three wrung from one.

Destiny guides all, running dry faster than nothingness. Only now can heart come about.

However, heart is not guaranteed. Without heart, Three reduce to none. And the cultivation returns to nothing.

With heart, begin the journey of truth. Truth is vague, indistinguishable, and horrid, but worst of all; it lies.

Live in truth, resign to it, and refuse cultivation. An existence of failure.

DESTROY TRUTH, THREE RETURN TO ONE! DESTROY ONE!

See past Nothingness. See beyond Nothingness. See the world that lies beyond purity.

A weathered heart of cultivation endures. Every step is painful, but every further goal is another truth. Another lie.

Galaxies unknown, stars to seek, worlds to conquer. Cultivation never ends, but destiny must. Never stop destroying truth, but seek to resolve regrets. Only regrets last forever.

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Everything returns to life, and cultivation is no different. No cultivator is born with their powers, they may only live and continue on the path. Not continuing is akin to forsaking the path to accept mediocrity, however for some that may be an aspiration. Only one hard rule of cultivation exists,

‘Only regrets last forever’

No matter what you do, no matter what choices you make, never regret them. That should be the only thing that determines your choices.

Keywords:

The Three – Refers to the three parts of a human. Life, soul, and mind. All three work together to create the living being known as a human, and for one without cultivation all three are needed for survival.

Qi – An energy originating from the universe. A primal energy predating existence, appearing in the same instance as time and space. All three silently supporting and upholding each other. Years of trial and error, as well as numerous enlightenment, have led humans to discover methods to absorb this natural, primeval energy and refine it, enhancing themselves to greater and greater extents. The secrets this energy holds are unimaginable.

Dantian – An independent space contained within a specific point in the body. This space requires a relatively large volume of Qi to form, such that it only forms at through completion of the Life exploding tribulation. The independent space is used to store a cultivator’s Qi from that point on, with some exceptions at higher stages, making it harder to attack the core of a person. The location is dependent on the path taken.

Tribulation – Test given by the universe to confirm your capabilities on the path. These tests take a wide range of possibilities, from confirmations of your will to divine smiting. There are three results to a tribulation: Losing, enduring, and winning. The first ends in death and the universe treats all as equals in this. Enduring is a success, but you will forever become something mediocre. Only winning over your tribulation can allow for true ascension.

Core – An accumulation of all the Qi within your dantian finding its destiny. The core’s exact nature is dependent on your destiny, such that a person swept by the sword will form a sword core. But an alchemist will form a medicinal core, both types provide unique effects. A core is a construct purely created from Qi, only slightly modified by destiny. Its ability to output strength is far above spirits.

Sins – A concept of morality placed on all living beings as constraints. In our everyday life we may never notice the shackles, but as you commit sins the weight associated with each will begin to drag you down. With the universe as the judge, jury, and executioner, it does not take lightly to those who skirt its desires.

Heart core – A core capable of seeking truths. You may look into the laws of existence, but first the core must be steeled to withstand those truths. Understand yourself and accept it, only then can you withstand the dreadful reality. Through this the heart core’s limit will increase, use Qi to improve your strength further.

Core of questioning – A core sprouting with the desire to know the secrets behind truths. By understanding more questions in truths you slowly poke more holes in existence, slowly building up the strength of the core. However, questions only increase the core’s limit, you still require Qi to improve your strength

Truths – A representation of the universe. Something presented to us in the form of laws or information, a quantifiable thing that gives inexperienced minds safe refuge. The box is a box because the universe defines it as so, it gives the qualities of a box and displays it to us, but that is a truth. It is a falsehood that must be seen past because it is only a box as by definition. Truths are lies, they keep up safe at night from the infinite beyond, but they are not wrong.

Laws – A subset of truths. These are truths that define our natural world, simply denying these things will not remove them though. You must also understand what about them is a lie, and then step into a place without those imposed truths.

Nothingness (One) - The initial truth, the oldest truth. Created by the void to cover itself, nothingness is a simple concept used to shield the minds of every living thing from a world they should not see. In turn, both are compassionate towards life, but to cultivators they remain a respectable foe. We do not hate nor worship this unrelenting force, instead spreading its truth willingly, as it was a truth that saved our lives up till the point we escaped it.

Flame of existence – A physical representation of your existence. It’s not actually a flame, but most visualise it as such for convenience. Your life force, Qi, mental energy, soul force, Truths, questions, and everything gathered up to this point reside within. A true coagulation of experiences, such is a cultivator.

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1st line – Natural gathering stage – Like a new life starts from two self-serving cells, cultivation starts from two separated objects that must be brought together. At the start there is nothing, whether the space before conception or the empty body of a cultivator. But by bringing together two parts you can start creating your foundation.

The energy of Heaven and Earth, Qi, must be collected and combined with one of the Three to begin cultivation.

This decides your path of cultivation, although taking multiple paths is possible, it is strongly advised against. Even geniuses will only take a second path if they realise a high potential in both paths. A person reveals their highest potential in this state without cultivation, as it is their earliest point in life without any truths imprinted onto them.

2nd line – Spirit forming stage – By combining an ample volume of Qi with one of the Three, of your choice, you create a spirit of cultivation within your body. A personification of your ideals and path. The form your spirit takes depends on your beliefs as an individual, such that a good-natured person that sees themselves as evil will observe a demonic-looking spirit.

The spirit will begin as a faint outline and slowly condense into a solid form with every step taken on the path, upon complete solidification you will know that you reached the bare minimum foundation.

However, only those aiming for poor results stop here. After completing a single spirit, you may repeat this method to complete a second, identical spirit. Each spirit reinforces the foundation, a necessity for later sections.

Six spirits are the bare minimum to be considered ‘average’.

3rd line – Life exploding tribulation – The path of cultivation is fraught with dangers and tribulations form a part of this. Life exploding utilises two parts, a test of will and power.

It's hard to keep your head straight in life, and this spells defeat in some cases. You will spend a fleeting period in a dream world, every sense as real as can be. In this scene you will come across a multitude of personal and worldly tragedies, in which your choices determine everything. Although only seconds will pass in the outer world, some individuals report spending over a year in their tribulation. Be prepared for an extensive trial.

However, it is never this simple.

Upon entry to this dream you retain your original strength, but that is slowly sapped with every passing moment. You must prove that your abilities exist beyond strength, and that your mind is capable of supporting life.

Withstand the tragedies to endure, or crush them to win. It is an individual’s choice.

Either way you form your dantian, however beating your demons will result in a larger, stabler dantian.

4th line – Destiny chasing stage – Probably the most complex stage thus far. Destiny is an extremely complex topic that few understand, even those at the current peak would deign to stare too far into destiny. To chase your destiny and understand it are two different concepts though.

This realm asks of you to find your own goals, a faint whisper from the depths of your mind that reminds one of their truest desires. In most cases this results in strong desires for a specific martial path, such as the sword or spear, while others desire supplementary pathways, such as alchemy or formations. No matter the choice, learning more about your true desires will slowly allow you to form a core in your dantian.

Finding your destiny will force all your Qi to form a core, and learning more about your destiny will increase the maximum allowed size of your core. Gathering your own Qi to enhance your core is still a necessity.

Your body obtains an upgrade in every function, most notably is a mortal’s lifespan increasing to 250 years.

5th line – Heart rending tribulation – The first extremely dangerous tribulation thus far. This tribulation poses extreme damage to your surroundings, and should be completed in a barren location. It will also instantly kill anyone below spirit forming, while those with few spirits will die from a single strike.

Some geniuses with at least 12 spirits can attempt to use the power of these tribulations to enhance their bodies.

This tribulation is formed in five sections, following the natures of the five auspicious beasts:

Starting from the northern flood of destitution, these waters erode away existence. The surrounding land is left desolate of life. Part the ocean to succeed.

Following are the eastern storms, sharp winds and powerful lightning strike the cultivator during the tribulation. These winds can easily cut through a Destiny chasing stage cultivator, while the lightning will either scorch your or directly destroy your body. Chase off the storm to succeed.

Southern embers of kindling will reintroduce potential into the soils, but will also return you to ash. The barren land becomes extremely fertile farmland through this. Bathe the land in embers to succeed.

Next are the westerly roars of the world. These sound attacks attempt to shake your body to such extremes that you shatter into millions of pieces. Roar back at the world to succeed through dominance.

Finally you stand at the last challenge, the weight of the world. From above the weight of your actions will attempt to crush you, the world judging you for every sin carried out. Every virtue cancelling a sin of equal value, there is no way to avoid your sins. There will not always be a sky above to support you.

Standing firm in front of the world signals victory, buckling under it represents enduring.

Collapsing results in execution. Finally over, you may form a heart core.

6th line – Heart forming stage – A cultivator must now find what they represent and cement it into their heart core. The stronger these beliefs the higher a core’s potential.

Denying your existence, however, will weaken you. Denying your heart will shatter your core and return your dantian to emptiness. Only death awaits a fool unaccepting of their true nature, although through strong stimuli you can change yourself. Just like any man, woman, or child, nothing is set in stone.

Accept your heart, grow from it, and completely form your heart core. Each major improvement of the heart core offers an extra 100 years of lifespan.

7th line – Law questioning stage – Laws are not resolute. They twist and turn, lie and deceit, ruin and abhor. A truth of the world is merely an illusion to be broken, to break a truth depends on the individual. Agreeing with a truth makes you its slave, something that may never be lost in your life.

Everything contains a truth, even truths itself, but they are all breakable. Every truth is merely a comfort that a weak mind begs for, only by ignoring the heat of the safe campfire can one understand the lies within.

Do not trust your senses, nor your experiences, because all are tainted by truth. Only a firm heart can find the crux of truth and break past it. Seek the laws, and ignore them. Every ignored law will slowly accumulate in your heart core until a Core of questions forms.

Every additional question will enhance the core.

8th and 9th line – Truth destroying tribulation – The universe intercepts and impedes you now. Unwilling to allow more to grow past its truths. Failing here will forever destroy your heart core and place the universe’s shackles on you, from this point on you have become a target for misfortune and destitution. Bad luck plagues you and Qi actively works to annihilate you quicker.

Only through destroying the truth with questions can you seek that which lies beyond the universe. Understand the world for what it truly is but do not take pleasure in this beyond, it is also another truth that must be ignored. With truth destroyed you must shatter the Three, reforming them into the original one, nothingness.

Nothingness, another false truth, impedes your once more. Those accepting of it only realise their end. The original comfort destroyed, now the bounds at which you see can truly open. Truth still exists, but it no longer blinds you.

Your core of questions vanishes and is replaced by the Flame of existence.

As a solitary being you no longer require others to designate your life, as long as the flame has tinder you will live. Without fuel it will fade, but even the smallest embers can be reignited.

10th line – Exceeding void stage – Nothingness is merely a comfort we take part in to ignore the messy image behind it. More always existed, but our mind cannot comprehend such things. Now, after all this pain and effort, you yanked off the curtain called nothingness. Different from a truth, which directly lies, nothingness simply ushers you away. It understands its own dangers and gives a safe way to ignore it. Now that the mental block of nothingness is destroyed you may move past it, understanding what void truly is and entering a place the universe’s lies can no longer reach you.

Nothing is ever void, and if it were then it would be nameless. The fact that it is named nothingness is enough alone to know a lie exists, one it never hid. Void is no different, the true form of nothingness, and endless worlds with infinite possibilities. Just because you see nothing in the void does not mean nothing exists, because everything began here. Understand the origin that contains everything, and move forward.

Creation is simply another part of existence, an ignorable part for cultivators. From this point on you dismiss the Three, severing all mortal ties. If you cannot sever your ties then you may wait for them to untie around your neck.

Prepare, because this penultimate step only reveals the blank wastes beyond.

11th line – Realm after realm – Reality is cruel. Step after step is taken, and it never seems to end.

Every realm signifies another campfire, another truth, another lie.

Never stop ignoring them, you have grown beyond truth, and their lies no longer halt you. Only by accepting a truth will your journey come to an end, otherwise they can only look at your passing unwillingly.

Truths living an existence without value, they cannot spread their lies and endlessly hope for new guests. Every so often they obtain one, but those guests always end up vanishing. From here there is no direct way to cultivate, every path branches further and further out without end. As cultivators we mark our way through these lands, hopefully finding the next true wonder to behold, and beginning our true jump on these shared lands.

Find your journey and walk it, and hopefully ignore all truths on your way.

12th line – A life worth living – Cultivators exist to dispel truth, but life does not. Existence grants a way to seek meaning, but it also grants a multitude of emotions and experiences. You may sever all mortal ties, but more can always be created.

The only question is ‘was it all worth it?’

A brief look into the doctrine of cultivation. From start to end there is a goal, but some people ignore whether or not it holds any meaning.