The world is governed by Qi, a primal energy denser than the mana of Linfer's former world. Ascension in cultivation follows rigid stages:
1. Body Refinement: Forges the energy circuit and meridians.
2. Spirit Refinement: Creates the spiritual sea, enabling manipulation of external Qi to fly or infuse weapons.
3. Nascent Soul: The first true "wall," where the cultivator must discover their own Law. A cultivator can possess only one Law, but it can encompass countless facets and abilities. This stage is divided into nine levels, symbolized by stars.
4. Ashkharsh (Inner World): Creation of one's own inner world, divided into three steps (knowing one's Law, understanding it, creating the inner world). For Linfer, this was the pinnacle of power in his former world, but here, it is only the beginning.
5. Higher Measurable Levels: Sage, Holy Sage, Supreme Sage, Heavenly King, Transcendence, Heavenly Emperor, and Immortal.
6. Law Incarnation: The level where the cultivator becomes their Law, merging with it. There are no stages or methods to detect this power level. Hu Sijin is a Law Incarnation.
7. Ruler Incarnation: A hypothetical level the First Devourer is said to have reached. It involves mastering the universe's fundamental principles, divided into four rules:
- Dharma: Cycle of Creation and Destruction (includes time, space, fire, ice, light).
- Samsara: Cycle of Reincarnation (includes life and death).
- Karma: Cycle of Destiny (includes causality and interconnectedness).
- Nirvana: Source of desire and primordial chaos, born from the extreme Yin of the Void.
All these rules are subdivisions of the Taoji (Universal Order).
The Tao Tree (Taoji) is the "Will of the World," guiding evolution. It blesses or curses, binding all creatures by fate. One of its most notable manifestations: in response to the Devourer's emergence, it creates opportunities (finding supreme artifacts, reincarnations of powerful cultivators, lost techniques reappearing).
The adversary of the Taoji is the Wuji, which consumes and annihilates all to return to nothingness. The Devourer is its forerunner, embodying extreme chaotic Yin Qi.
Energies and Laws:
- Qi: Primal energy governing existence in this world, cultivable by mortals.
- Law: Fundamental ability determining a cultivator's future, can encompass multiple facets.
- Aether: Pure, divine energy used only by gods.
A cultivator's talent is determined by:
- Spiritual Roots: Define raw potential (one root = mediocre, three = passable, seven = prodigy guaranteed to reach Heavenly Emperor).
- Physiques: Tied to bloodlines, enhance connection to the Law (Silver, Golden, Celestial, Primordial).
Example: Hu Bai She's 7 Primordial Chaos Physique; Qing Long's Dharma Physique. These are Primordial Physiques.
Key Elements:
The Devourer: The natural enemy of this world, the antithesis of the Tao's Will. Condemned and relentlessly hunted.
- The First Devourer (named Tang She, Niddhog, Incarnation of Wuji, personification of Nothingness, Flying Serpent) was killed in the Era of Calamities. This ancient age was ten times more powerful than the current era and was marked by violent war.
- A second Devourer, Amatsu Mikaboshi, existed in the generation of Pangu and Hu Sijin.
- Linfer / Hu Bai She is the Devourer of this era.
One of the Devourer's three abilities is copying abilities by devouring essences.
The Eternal Ruins: Appear every ten thousand years. These are remnants of an ancient battlefield where the First Devourer was slain. They contain invaluable treasures, forgotten techniques, and even Aether, the pure divine energy used by gods. They serve as a testing ground for the younger generation.
Reincarnations: There are two types. Some are reborn with new bodies and recover past life memories with the help of the Samsara Goddess, Zhuqe. Others, upon reaching Ashkharsh, are chosen by their ancestors and receive all memories, treasures, and celestial Laws of their forebears.