There were seven known realms of cultivation, each of which contained ten levels. Each level within a realm gave a measurable boost in strength, ability, and the amount of spiritual energy one had at their disposal. Under normal conditions and given two cultivators with similar skills and talent, the one at the higher level almost always won. There were rare cases but they were the exception to the rule.

Compared to levels, each realm was an arduous breakthrough that fundamentally transformed the cultivator, rewarding them with vastly improved powers as well as increased lifespan. Those at a lower realm had no chance of beating someone at a higher one.

Starting from the lowest realm, they included the Spiritual Strengthening Realm, Spiritual Control Realm, Spiritual Impulse Realm, Spiritual Sky Realm, Spiritual Law Realm, Spiritual Master Realm, and Spiritual Sovereign Realm.

The Spiritual Strengthening Realm involved using spiritual energy to improve their bodies and physical ability. Spiritual Control focused on gaining control over spiritual energy in their immediate surroundings. Spiritual Impulse allowed people to use spiritual energy over long distances.

An overwhelming majority of humans in the world spent their entire lives stuck in the first three realms. It could be said that over ninety-nine percent of all humans living or dead could not break through into the Spiritual Sky Realm. It was the great divide that separated normal cultivators from powerhouses.

Befitting of powerhouse cultivators, the Spiritual Sky Realm gifted them the ability to fly. Cultivators in this realm had such control over spiritual energy that they could overcome certain forces of nature.

The subsequent realms were so much more unfathomable that Xueling had limited knowledge of them. The Spiritual Law Realm was rumored to affect the laws of nature. The Spiritual Master Realm and the Spiritual King Realm were both epic realms that few ever managed to reach…

Improving one’s cultivation required external sources of spiritual energy and knowledge from cultivation techniques on how to gather, store, and utilize the spiritual energy. Trashy cultivation methods were inefficient and slow, letting most of the spiritual energy to go waste. The top-tier cultivation methods were the complete opposite and they also endowed the cultivator with additional powers. 

Spiritual energy was commonly sourced from spiritual treasures but not all spiritual treasures were created equal. Some would be used up very quickly while others had a seemingly endless supply of spiritual energy. It was the combination of top-tier cultivation methods and the very best spiritual treasures that produced the powerhouse cultivators of the world.

Xueling finished speaking and took a drink of water.

“Do you have any questions?” She asked.

Gray was stumped. The profoundness of her words left him completely overwhelmed. Old Li never mentioned any of this. There was such a cultivation world out there and he was here in this impoverished valley.

He was thankful that he met Xueling and that she was teaching him. The outside world with so many levels and realms of cultivation sounded incredibly dangerous. A weak peasant like him trying to find riches and success seemed almost impossible. But with the power and wealth she displayed, he trusted that her cultivation art could help him achieve his dreams.

His thoughts drifted back to the yellow gem, “So this gem is some kind of spiritual treasure?”

“Yes, I am pretty sure this is an elemental gem called citrine. Citrine is naturally yellow in color though it can vary from a dull gold to a light cream. It contains the attribute of earth; strong, massive, and unbreaking. There are many grades for citrine and this gem is far from ordinary. It surpasses anything I have ever seen before, even the most precious treasures of the sect.”

Gray’s mouth was agape but no words came, he was blown away.

“Speaking of all the elemental gems,” She continued, “They may not be the fanciest or the most expensive in some cases but they are the simplest. They are the most important and fundamental spiritual treasures of the world. They contain immaculate spiritual energy of their attribute with no other impurities. They are the genesis of everything, the original source of cultivation in this world.”

“Wow…”

“Hehe. Now that you understand the simple stuff, I will teach you the most powerful and secret cultivation art of my sect. This art is incredibly precious and people will kill to get their hands on it. You must promise me that you will never pass it along to anyone else!”

“I promise!”

“The Tome of Glorious Fortune is the greatest cultivation art of the Fortunate Sect. It was created by the founder of the Fortunate Sect many thousands of years ago. There are seven stages within the secret art. Only the sect master and successor are allowed to cultivate all seven stages. Various other ranks within the sect can cultivate some of the lower stages while common disciples aren’t allowed to touch this at all!”

“As the successor to my father, the sect master, I will teach you all of the stages. However, you have to be very careful with this knowledge. You should try your best to be alone when you cultivate. If you must cultivate in front of someone, make sure they are not a member of the Fortunate Sect or they will be able to recognize it. Understand?”

“Yes, I understand!”

Xueling held out her hand and a golden scroll appeared out of thin air. She held it gingerly with both hands and unfurled it to reveal tiny characters that filled every surface.

“Fairy sister? I can’t read.” He reminded her.

“Shush!”

“Sorry…”

She turned back to the scroll and began to read the contents out loud. She instructed him to memorize everything and made sure he remembered every single word. She couldn’t leave the scroll with him or else it would inevitably get stolen.

Gray didn’t comprehend any of what he was remembering but he diligently did as he was told…

Finally, after half a day of hard work, he managed to memorize the first chapter of the first stage.

“Good. Let’s move on to your first true cultivation session. You understand now that the human body is made up of twelve spiritual veins that all connect to your spiritual sea located underneath your belly button. These spiritual veins spread all across your body and your limbs and have six hundred and seventy spiritual gates in total. These gates act to guide spiritual energy from the outside into your body. As a normal human, these gates are blocked at birth and must be opened to create a spiritual sea.”

“I will meditate along with you. Recall the six hundred and seventy-one verses of the first chapter of the first stage. Try to feel the spiritual energy within the air as you meditate. Feel it flow into you as you open each gate! Sit still! Chant clearly and slowly!”

Xueling guided Gray step by step with great patience. The first step was the most crucial. He couldn’t make any mistakes that would damage his spiritual gates or spiritual veins. The key to cultivation was a solid and immovable foundation and this required the creation of the spiritual sea to be flawless.

“Fairy sister! I feel something in my fingers!” He said excitedly.

“Shush! Concentrate! Move onto your other fingers and then your whole hand!”

Both of them didn’t sleep kept at it. Down in the cavern, they didn’t care about the passage of time.

Gray made rapid progress. Gate after gate opened and the surrounding spiritual energy rushed into his body. He was aided by the huge citrine gem which constantly replenished what was used up.

The amount that he absorbed didn’t seem quite right; it was much more than what the tome described. His gates were also opening much faster than expected. But everything still felt fine and he continued step by step…

Finally, after diligently cultivating for what seemed like the whole night, all of his spiritual gates opened and his spiritual veins overflowed with spiritual energy.

“Pull all the spiritual energy into your spiritual sea! Chant the last verse!” She commanded.

Gray eyes remained closed and he muttered the verses under his breath diligently. Sweat formed on his brow and dripped down endlessly.

The power! his body felt like it was bursting with power!

Spiritual energy flowed through his body like a raging river, filling every fiber with strength. He was being transformed. Guided by the spiritual veins, it all finally flowed into his spiritual sea. It pooled together and took shape.

Boom!

A shockwave of spiritual energy erupted from his body and reverberated around the cavern.

Success, 1st Level of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm!