The cave was silent except for the faint sound of Xuan Tian's breathing. His body was weak, but his mind was sharper than ever.
He had succeeded once in circulating Qi using the technique he had created. Now, he needed to deepen it.
---
Discovering the Truth
As he meditated, he recalled every lesson he'd ever heard about cultivation.
The elders always said, "Only those with strong spiritual roots can advance."
But Xuan Tian had none.
> "If I follow their path, I'll be nothing forever. But if I create my own…"
He pressed his palm against his dantian, feeling the faint flicker of Qi within.
> "Qi is life itself. If I can understand it from its source, I can grow without limit."
He began to experiment once more, focusing on how Qi moved in and out of his body. Each mistake tore at his meridians, each success widened his understanding.
By the third night, he had achieved something impossible for a boy like him: his Qi now circulated steadily, forming the foundation of his first realm.
---
The Cultivation Realms of the World
As Xuan Tian worked, he recalled how the cultivation world measured strength:
1. Mortal Body – ordinary people with no ability to sense Qi.
2. Qi Gathering Realm – sensing and absorbing spiritual energy, opening meridians. (Where most disciples remained their entire lives.)
3. Foundation Establishment Realm – condensing a stable foundation for higher realms, enhancing lifespan and strength.
4. Core Formation Realm – forming a "Core" within the dantian, marking true entry into the ranks of cultivators.
5. Nascent Soul Realm – cultivating a soul embryo; one's consciousness begins to transcend the body.
6. Soul Transformation Realm – complete mastery of the soul, body, and Qi; can destroy mountains with a flick.
7. Void Ascension Realm – step into the void, transcending mortal limitations.
8. Immortal Ascension Realm – those who ascend can live for thousands of years, standing at the peak of the mortal world.
9. Immortal Sovereign Realm (ancient, rarely achieved) – command over laws of heaven and earth, worshipped as living deities.
> "The world says reaching Immortal Sovereign is the limit… but what if I create something beyond it?"
For the first time, Xuan Tian realized his dream: he would not only seek revenge, he would create a path that could reach realms no one had ever seen.
---
The Spark Grows
As he circulated his Qi, something strange occurred. He felt the cave itself resonate with his breathing. The air thickened with spiritual energy, drawn to him as if he were a magnet.
> "This… this is different. My technique is pulling Qi faster than any manual I've ever seen!"
But his body was too weak to handle the influx. Agonizing pain tore through him, blood dripping from his nose and lips.
He gritted his teeth.
> "No! If I stop here, I'll always be weak. I must endure!"
Hour after hour passed as he tempered his fragile body. His once-scrawny frame began to harden, his meridians thickening.
Finally, at dawn, Xuan Tian opened his eyes.
His faint Qi had now become steady and solid. He had stepped fully into the Qi Gathering Realm, not through inheritance or help, but through a technique born from his own hands.
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The Heaven-Defying Path
Xuan Tian looked at his small hands and whispered:
> "This is only the beginning…"
He would climb every realm, not by following the heavens, but by breaking through them.
And when he returned, those who destroyed his sect would learn that the boy they abandoned had become their greatest nightmare.
> "I will become… the Dao Creator."