Discussion Cultivation Question

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by CookieNinja, Oct 10, 2016.

  1. CookieNinja

    CookieNinja Well-Known Member

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    So I've read several cultivation novel and somehow I'm still confused on what cultivation is... If someone can kindly explain it to me that would be great. Several things i want to know is that is there a general idea on cultivating? like i know there's stages and the common pattern in there (I think) is like tempering the body->Then the soul?->then picking a dao path or something? Sorry but thats the general view i have right now...:( i would be grateful if someone can elaborate more on the concept of this.

    Also if anyone can explain to me on the structure of how sect's works it'll help a lot because sometimes whenever i read those type of novels it feels like its written for people who has prior knowledge to this all..

    Thanks in advance(y)
     
  2. Vyren

    Vyren Version 3.33

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    The act of cultivation is to gather a substance called 'qi' that is very harmful to the brain. When gathering them up, the subjects brain will slowly corrode having them lose great amount of intelligence.
    Serious answer: Absorbing some kind of supernatural energy that is taken from the sourrounding space, this energy is usualy called 'qi' which translates to different things but usually has a reoccurring idea of that it is formless. A sect is a gathering of people that has differing 'statuses' I guess you can say.
     
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  3. WeiFish

    WeiFish Eccentric Grey Sword 『WW Vet.』

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    To Cultivate is to grow, to cultivate ones soul and body is to make yourself strong. The aim is to be strong. They cultivate so that they can control their fate and also protect their loved ones. But ultimately it's the desire to become strong against all belief. The saying of "go against the heavens" concerns the desire to excel towards a higher standard of life. Similar to wanting to get rich and to become a billionaire from whatever economical level you are at in society.
    Picking a dao path is like picking a belief. A belief that dictates your life. It is similar to having a core belief that shapes your views and decisions in your life at every moment. Like how some people want to live a life of happiness with no care of money, or a life of love, or if they prioritise money making before all else. Similarly, there are "Laws" or something similar to a "Dao" where it aligns with elemental or other such things.
    Ultimately, a "Dao" path is quite literally a moral and ethical "path" which they choose to walk in accordance to their character and person.

    Sects are like big companies. You have the Creator of the company, the CEO, the council or shareholders of the company, then the management staff which are followed by the lower ranks of workers and descending managers.
    In the case of Sects, the Creator would be the "Founder" and is generally the most powerful should they still be alive, the CEO would be the current "Patriarch", and the council or shareholders would be like the elders. :)
    It's all quite simple but it's a bit difficult to get used to is all.
     
  4. henrywolf123

    henrywolf123 『<(-.-<) kriby master』

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    This is my understanding so far; cultivation is essentially gathering energy within yourself that doesn't specifically focus on strengthening the body (although those forms of cultivation exist and are often used in novels)
    it does force out impurities within the body in the early stages, but you will often find there are more ways of strengthening the body that the author will use
    following such it usually involves forming some kind of pellet (jindan) inside of what is essentially your stomach (dantian) from there most novels proceed to deal with something revolving around the soul. I assume these are the kinds of terms that you are having trouble with.
    think of meridians as rivers for energy, but there are dams in them so you have to clear the dams to use them.
    this energy (qi) travels through the meridians when you use it
    when you cultivate it heads towards the Dantian (about at the bellybutton)
    Think of a Dantian as a big pool filled with all of the water (qi) and although you use qi when you fight the size of the pool doesnt shrink.
    Once the lake gets big enough it cant get any bigger so it forms a jindan
    Think of the Jindan like an island that forms in the middle of the water, it is a much more powerful kind of energy.
    I imagine the soul aspect (nascent soul, soul formation, whatever you want to call it) to be like adding life to the island, you know following the trend and making it smaller.
    Comprehending laws would be similar to putting a mountain, or volcano on the island, letting you use energy in a whole new way.
    Depending on the novel you read this may change the size of your island or it may not. However, in all novels this is in it allows you to use the energy in a different more powerful way.

    in sects there are outer disciples -> inner disciples -> conclave disciples -> elders -> ancestors -> Patriarch.
    it usually proceeds along that age and cultivation increasing as you go along.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2016
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  5. Sindaregion

    Sindaregion Active Member

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    Each book usually has their own cultivation system.

    From the most basic perspective, cultivation literally means improving oneself (think working out, getting stronger, getting better at math, etc).

    Lazy authors tend to use more established systems that often are difficult to approach for new readers. You've already picked up on this, which is good. But more interesting writers tend to switch things up. A good example in Tang Jia San Shao with Douluo Dalu, which has a system completely different from other xianxia writers.

    Xianxia is actually mostly based on Taoist and Chinese mythology, except the stories are way overblown. The cultivation standard authors use is thus based usually on meditation, gaining enlightenment, and breathing techniques (probably Er Gen is the best example of this, but look to parallels between the cultivation in ISST/Xian Ni and non-mc cultivation techniques in IET's Stellar Transformations).

    Again, although lazy authors tend to use established systems, the reason they do so is because they work. Many really good authors use established systems, but usually flesh them out more in their stories.


    If you want to compare with fantasy, a good example would be that having a Jindan as a step in cultivation is equivalent to having a Fireball as a basic magic attack. Alternatively, another analogy is Qi and Mana.

    Basically, not every writer uses the same magic system, but there's norms in place so that if you are writing fantasy you can just say 'Mana' and not have to explain to the reader what it is (if that makes any sense.)

    It's more of a cultural knowledge thing than anything else. If you want to learn more about what chinese writers are talking about when they speak about meridians or chi/qi, just google Traditional Chinese Medicine and read some of the wikipedia articles on it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupuncture, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meridian_(Chinese_medicine)). Remember that xianixa will exaggerate most of this stuff to crazy lengths (like fantasy does with magic).
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2016
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  6. Sea Dog

    Sea Dog 『Rabid』『Mad Dog』

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    To cultivate ... is to prepare, and it is to grow.
     
  7. TheZephyrStorm

    TheZephyrStorm Rock God

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    In simple terms, to cultivate is to train and grow while developing your own individual strength. It is dependent on talent, hard work, and mindset. It takes a lot of time and unlike game elements where you naturally grow without risk each time you level up, you can injure yourself like a muscle tear or getting crippled since cultivation is entirely your own body absorbing energy
     
  8. Teddywonka

    Teddywonka A wonka that wonks a wonk

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    I prefer to cultivate my land to earn jingshi! I mean money!
     
  9. Liron

    Liron Well-Known (Failed) Prophet

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    Basically, to cultivate is to gather energy (generally heaven/earth qi) and use it to reform the body and/or the spirit, attaining perfection in your constitution and/or soul, which in most cases leads to an increased lifespan and immortality, if you cultivate far enough. Cultivation in most cases depends on the energy channels/profound veins/spiritual veins/spiritual roots which connect the meridians in order to circulate this energy around the culivators body and thus properly culivate. In most stories, having damaged meridians or anything like that hinders cultivation.
    As for the Dao, also known as Path, or Truth, is basically the decisions and knowledge a person makes and attains, leading them either to their own path of culivation or walking through a previously set path. This can go from learning swords, to alchemy, all the way to how you live your life.
    Sects are generally divided in 3 parts: Outer, where te mediocre disciples are, and that makes a majority of the sect. Inner, where the disciples with potential are, and they have highter authoriy than the Outer Sect disciples. And Core, or Conclave, where the cream of the crop are, generally just a handful, since they tend to be highly regarded by the Sect and most likely are direct disciples to the big shots in the Sect.
    Them, in the administration of the Sect we have Elders, which can be used as law enforcers or reserve soldiers and commanders. They have their own ranks too, and are senior members of the Sect which showed great loyaly and had great potential in their youth. They are the most powerful figures in a Sect, losing only to the Sect Head and Ancestor/Patriarch(most powerful one, which is always in secluded meditation, for suspense/drama/badassery reasons.)
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2016
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  10. chinese reader

    chinese reader Member

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    its a level system like those jp novels with rpg elements.

    it usually goes by the following major stages with novels calling them different names or adding substages

    Refining the body: skin, organs, bones, ect

    Forming Dan (imaginary orb inside ur chest): smacking someone's chest hard enough will destroy this orb and cause u to be disabled (aka lvl reset)

    Refining the soul: most novels dont get to this stage cuz theres a lot of bullshit to be made about forming the dan and refining it, but if they do get to the soul stage, start expecting mind/mental/spiritual attacks. this is also the stage where if you lose your body u can probably still survive.
     
  11. staggerbush

    staggerbush Well-Known Member

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  12. asdfghjkl

    asdfghjkl jnvfnvfutucbdtcbbyhn

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    Zuo Mo, is that you?
     
  13. Frostypine

    Frostypine Well-Known Member

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    In my opinion cultivation in essence is simply a common style used in various immortal race's reproduction systems. Immortals are bound by natural law to be less fertile the more powerful and longer lived they are. The problem is despite their power and large lifespans usually their populations reach dangerously low levels, because power tends to mess with peoples heads and thus they usually end up constantly killing each other. In order to circumvent this systems like the most common and quite popular 'cultivation system' come into play.

    It basically relies on the much more fertile mortal races becoming immortals, and fighting each other in an encouraged "survival of the fittest" mind views/lifestyle, eventually the best of the 'made' immortals make their way up the totem pole and become strong enough to have born immortals and thus continue the cycle of immortality.

    A cycle which is one aspect of the cycle of magic.

    For you see magic and most things really are all about repetitive cycles of ebbs and flows.

    In most places with magic , (or mana, qui, chi whatever you want to call it) the people there have the option to use it. The more that they use it the more that they 'store' inside of themselves, and unless there is some self titled 'god' or 'gods' about greedily keeping most of it to themselves and making barriers, at a certain point the amount of magic grows large enough that it increases the persons life span.

    It also usually ups their suitability by giving them stronger fighting strength which usually brings them into contact with people who have similar or greater strength which encourages competition to continue increasing their strength/magic/fighting ability/skills/lifespan at some point their lifespan and powers are large enough that they can be considered 'immortals'.

    Magic is usually a limited energy, that creates even more limited 'goods' so eventually battles between cultivators always end up about resources.

    I mentioned before 'gods', basically 'gods' are immortals that tend to be at the top of the food pyramid. These creatures usually have lived for quite a long time and usually in many cases are without rival/opponents. Do to the natural selection caused by the type of most 'immortal reproduction' they are also usually cruel or evil in most ways and bored out of their minds (not a good combination).

    In the hopes of curing their boredom, they manipulate immortals and mortals lower on the power hierarchy then them (which usually is most everyone) and craft various sick or exciting 'games' or guide events into certain 'stories' for their own amusement. This is how the inconsistency of the magic levels of the various worlds/reams come about. The magic is hogged by the big guys and then they release some of it back out at their leisure to create entertainment.

    Many just try to kill as many mortals and immortals as they can, and in creative ways, others try to "farm" mortals and resulting lesser immortals to fine tune the 'natural selection' going on and make it more artificial.

    In the case of others (sometimes even some of the more decent ones), they aren't as calculative or manipulative they just want the mortals to grow stronger because they are hoping that one becomes enough to become a rival, or maybe suitable friend or love interest, and so they pick out someone they like the look of and try to arrange things so that their underdog is more likely to succeed. This is where MC's come into play.

    Some sadly are so board that they are suicidal and rather then a new friend they want a best friend that will hopefully manage to somehow put them out of their misery.

    End the end the 'stages' and cultivation specifics what not are not important because they are just the 'flavor' of whatever magic cycle that world/story/realm is going through.

    As to sects and such:
    Humans and immortal humans for that matter are usually social creatures and thus they tend to organize themselves into groups/clubs/organizations for survival and general standard of living. Cultivation sects is basically just a club where those who cultivate gather together to work as a team, to better find and defend their cultivation resources.

    Also because most 'flavors' of cultivation require some degree of learning/training, sects also usually act as schools/military/ and even occasionally as countries in and of themselves. Sometimes, usually on a smaller, scale sects are just like big families, with families inside them.
     
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