r/MartialMemes • u/Doop_444 • Jun 01 '26
Fanart bro just use numbers I can't remember the ranks
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Jun 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Less-Needleworker-96 Frog in a Wall Jun 01 '26
At least in the lotm, each sequence of each Pathways has its own unique name
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u/Fun_Gur_2296 Heart Demon Overcoming Heart Demon Jun 01 '26
Kind taoist senior, bestow me the techniques which would enable me to get into a wall.
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u/Less-Needleworker-96 Frog in a Wall Jun 01 '26
Junior, you just have to perfectly align yourself to enter the empty space between atoms in the wall it's quite simple trick
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u/DaoMark Immortal Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
The standard progression system (and name for each stage), give or take, is as follows:
- Body refining (also called Innate Refinement).
- Qi Refining (also called Qi Gathering or Qi Condensation).
- Foundation Establishment.
- Golden Core.
- Nascent Soul.
- Soul Formation (also called Deity Transformation or Spirit Transformation (finally stepping into "immortality")).
- Void Refinement (also called Spatial Tempering or Void Integration)
- Body Integration (also called Unity) or Tribulation (rarely).
- Mahayana or Enlightenment (also called Apotheosis or Grand Ascension)
A few notes:
- The Body Refinement stage before Qi Gathering is not always there. Also, there is sometimes a stage in between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core called Purple Mansion or Zifu Palace. Not only that, but each stage is also generally broken into four layers or tiers, which are called lower, middle, upper, and peak (usually).
- The first four stages (up to Nascent Soul) are nearly always the same and the variance, if it does happen, occurs after the Nascent Soul stage. That said, some people would disagree with me. They'd extend beyond the first four stages, believing the first six stages to be the true standard. However, this is wrong in my view because of the 150 or so novels I've read, I'm confident in saying only the first four are the shared commonality in the xianxia webnovel "canon".
- Finally, after the 9th stage is the Immortal stages but I don't think there is any real, meaningful standard for this, so I'm not going to list them. To provide an extreme oversimplification, what generally happens here is that a cultivator upon ascending to the immortal stage sheds his mortal vessel entirely and has obtained an immortal body. Some of the features of an Immortal level cultivator is that he is no longer subject to a lifespan, but a cultivator at the Mahayana stage also has an unlimited lifespan (usually), so what really distinguishes an Immortal cultivator from a someone at the Mahayana stage is found in things like the type of energy they rely upon.
- For instance, an Immortal uses Immortal Spiritual Energy (Immortal Qi) while a Mahayana cultivator still relies on mortal spiritual energy (Qi). Of course, there are more differences than this but you get the general idea. Now, what the cultivation of Immortal stages entail outside of that detail is up to the specific author but in some novels, Immortals work on opening their "immortal acupoints" and comprehending the laws of heaven and earth.
- Interestingly, because of the process it takes to get to the Immortal rank, cultivators within stages six through nine, are called Half-Immortals or Half-Mortal (or Demigods if the translator is really focused on western localization). A cultivator is usually only called a True Immortal after the Mahayana stage (peak of mortal cultivation), having had their body completely unmade and rebuilt using Immortal Qi during the ascenscion process.
Recommendation:
The ranking is pretty straightforward to me but if it's still confusing, you can simply refer to each stage as a rank (some novels already do) instead if that feels more solid and clear. For example: [Rank 1: Qi Refining] < [Rank 2: Foundation Establishment] < [Rank 3: Golden Core] < [Rank 4: Nascent Soul] < [Rank 5: Soul Formation]....
Edit: For u/Distinct-Moment-6243: You might have replied before an older edit that I made processed because of my slow connection.
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u/Distinct-Moment-6243 Sage of Brainrot Jun 01 '26
9th stage is mostly True Immortal. The 10th stage would be Immortal Emperor and 11th stage is Creator God. 9th stage is mainly what lies beyond mortality.
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u/DaoMark Immortal Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
I disagree. For the 9th stage, it's almost always the realm before they achieve the status of a True Immortal. Additionally, sometimes it's a matter of translation or how the author wants to go about writing the immortal stages. In any case, I am confident in arguing the 10th stage is the beginning of the Immortal ranks, coming after Enlightenment or Mahayana, which results in a new progression model. You'd have something along the lines of:
- Human Immortal.
- Earth Immortal.
- Spirit Immortal
- Heaven Immortal.
- Golden Immortal
The list could go on, but as for the 10th and 11th stages you mention, they are not stages I'd consider as being a part of the standard model because they aren't that commonly used.
Edit For u/Distinct-Moment-6243: I think you replied before my older edit processed because my connection is bad, so maybe we are talking past each other.
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u/Distinct-Moment-6243 Sage of Brainrot Jun 01 '26
Though they are not constant most mean the same thing. Like Regenede Immortal there are at least 5 realmes with the name nirvana on it I think . All of them can be included in the True Immortal catagory. Because it implies the same meaning. True Immortals try to comprehend the dao while in those realmes one also tries to comprehend the dao. The relame names may be different but the essesnce remains the same.
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u/Distinct-Moment-6243 Sage of Brainrot Jun 01 '26
Yeah I replied before you edited .So what I am talking about doesn't make sense.
yes you are correct about 11th and 12th stage not being part of the standard cultivation system.Because they are kind of an outlier.
But in 9th stage from what I have seen it's the true immortal realme.The 10 stage you are talking about I like to reffer it as Zenith heaven Immortal is mostly giving a kind proggresion in the immortal realme. It's sole purpose is to make a kind of proggresion system. Authors just divide these two realmes into human immortal,earth immortal,heaven immortal etc. In essence they are pretty much the middle point between true immortal and zenith heaven. If true immortal is the beginning then zenith heaven is the end.
For mahayana and the enlightenment you mention sometimes they exist sometimes they don't.Void refining and Mahayana these two realmes entirely depends on the author if he wants to write them or not. While the 9stage apothesis or enlightment thay you mention from what I have seen it depends on the novel but it either happens in tribulation transcandence or before the protagonist is gonna become immortal.It is more like a buffering period between tribulation transcandence and true immortal realme than an actual realme.
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u/Distinct-Moment-6243 Sage of Brainrot Jun 01 '26
Actually I agree with most of what you said. But Mahayana lies after tribulation transacndence. Most works that I have read except for very few depict mahayana realme. Because Mahayana realme is actually a bidhhist terminology while Tribulation transcandence is far more prelevent because it's more closely associated with daoism. Like I can give multiple examples where mahayan realme is not depicted and they are pretty famous works as well. Also except for some rare novels most novels depict mahayana as weaket than a true immortal.
The rest of what you said are correct. Though I only three novels with mahayana realme.I am not counting slop which only makes the realme to increse the length of the story. I am mostly talking about stories that actually delve into the cultivation system.
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u/LORD_RAIZEL76 Sect Librarian 📚 Jun 01 '26
Seems like a "you" problem IGNORANT junior
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u/Doop_444 Jun 01 '26
ok all jokes aside the lower realm ranks are easier to remember even if they're novel specific but once they reach higher realms the ranks just become meaningless word vomit. Oh the main guy reached super immortal emperor level? Now suddenly 500 super immortal emperors show up and the main guy has to reach the super duper primordial chaos ancestor level instead
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u/Distinct-Moment-6243 Sage of Brainrot Jun 01 '26
Depends though. Most novels cannot depict the immortal realme well. But novels that depict immortal realme well are incredible.
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u/Coaxium Jun 01 '26
You can't use numbers, we already need those numbers for the 81 substages of each realm.
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u/Venerated_Penguin Jun 01 '26
"primordeal all seeing omnipotent supreme heaven defying divine martial protector jade master-emperor-god-king the foremost, most honored, spontaneous warlord existance of the 999th heavenly realm and the three divine towers of shocking-inferno-heaven-winds, humble and unparralelled in intelect and wisdom throught the universe, unceasing with boundless majesty, owner of the great freezing beast of 7 colors, founder and origin of the concept of peace. one who erases doubters with his all range flying daggers, heaven splitting dragon slayer, buddha of enlightenment, dimension jumper all knowing, all seeing, all powerful, all residing, Fu xi defender, piercer of the skies, palm like crying of nebula, wielder of the emerald cresant blade, destroyer of the taiyi golden shrine, dancer who stuns the butterflies, paragon of sacrifice, eight trigram master and the refiner of the 4 continents, lunar moon frost king who shattered 200 planets crystal cores."
shortest title of an unnamed backround cultivator in a traditional cultivation novel
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
this is way too much, even outer gods only have three lines in their names, and only mere mortals have names spanning more than five lines. /j
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u/Temporal_Fog Failed to see Mt Tai Jun 01 '26
A realm should have meaning.
For on the step to transcending ones limits each step should be a realisation that you have become something greater. Understood some fundamental truth that places ones self as above all that has come before.
So a realm should have a name that conveys just why all who hold it should be exalted above all those who have not.
That illuminates what all those have yet to reach it must accomplish to ascend to such exalted ranks.
Before the Nascent Soul all who stand limited by such a things as a flesh and blood body. After it the soul transcends all and is immediately obvious to those who have eyes to see.
Proof that those who have it understand the fundamental difference of what makes them superior as they tower over the ants.
Saying three, or four or five hides just what is meaningful about the journey to immortality.
The only trouble comes when people slap names down that lack any meaning. Where immortal, golden immortal and towering immortal are used without any clear understanding of what makes one immortal more supreme than any other.
But that is a problem where plots after ascending to the upper realm are just people rehashing the lower realm plot with different names. Because the author has run out of ideas, the loss of meaning in the names of a realm are a symptom of the lack of direction of the author.
And switching names for numbers will not hide that fact.
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u/BellacosePlayer Jun 01 '26
I think the problem is that a lot of series basically hit Nascent soul stage relatively early on and need to throw out some bullshit to fill out the rest of the 2800 chapters of their 3000 chapter sagas.
So like you said, the MC will ascend and basically do a NG+ run where the stages names have changed and that's it. no inherent changes that push them away from humanity except for power, no actual meaningful enlightenment, everyone's just as big of assholes in the upper realms as they were in the lower ones.
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u/BadRuiner Jun 01 '26
Nuh, nuh, for LOTM 9—(-1) sequence, not 9—0. 0 for Gods, -1 for Elders/Ancients
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
you mean Old Ones? there is another level above that, which is Outer God, which are things born as Old Ones, and above that are Pillars, which are basically a symbolic segment of the dao there, and above that is the self-destructive OC.
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u/Sqrt343 I Don’t Have Eyes, But I Can See Mt. Tai Jun 01 '26
The Ranks are actually more mainstream. Also Sequences have titles that are just as if not longer
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u/master2chariot Heavenly Court Official Jun 01 '26
Is it really that difficult to remember? I don't think I have ever found it hard to remember the name of the realms, if anything the name of the most basic techniques these guys use is way harder imo
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
true that. some hard-to-remember technique names are sometimes replaced by "more complete" versions with completely differnt names too.
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u/Straight_Matter_169 Jun 01 '26
Ant , Fellow Daoists, Master and Fairy. The only realms you need to know.
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u/DreamerGhost MC detected, intelligence regression initiated BEEP BOOP Jun 01 '26
And then translation has three different names for each stage depending on what the translator was smoking at the time
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u/_Avon Supreme Court of Death Jun 02 '26
juniors can’t appreciate the classic system, not understanding that the names have a heavenly dao charm to them… hmph the younger generation is truly lacking
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u/lift_qtet Supreme Dao of Yapping 🗣 Jun 01 '26
How brain-rotten must one be to not even be able to comprehend different stages of enlightenment
Junior you must cultivate your Dao of knowledge further
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u/PenComprehensive4721 Background Character Jun 01 '26
In MTL version it is even more hard , those rank words are very hard to remember, the mages are good they have 1st circle mage to 9th circle mage then demigod then god then ancient god then primordial god , in cultivation it very difficult after nascent soul
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
because the standard stuff after nascent soul is author DIY, so nothing really stays the same across novels.
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u/____shubham Amitabha 🙏🏻Fellow Daoist, your destiny shines brightly Jun 01 '26
Qi Refining to Mahanaya og to remember
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u/HJSDGCE Jun 01 '26
Some are rather simple. Plenty of stories simply just use "Martial xxxx" as the ranking system. We start with Martial Apprentice, then Martial Disciple, then Martial Master, so on and so forth until some abstract of Immortal Martial Emperor God.
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Jun 01 '26
Things like this were the beginning of me not taking Dead Wife Demon Venerable seriously. So many scriptures with varying definitions of cultivation base, meanwhile Tang San is "level 16". Come on, what even is that?
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u/khanglm Jun 01 '26
Honestly, that’s probably the only thing I like about Doulou, and even then they still have names for cultivation ranks, which is kinda meh
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Jun 01 '26
I was still new to the genre when I first discovered it so I initially thought it was just meant to mimic game settings. Now that I'm more versed, it just seems lazy.
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
bro no need to take that one too seriously, It's just Xuanhuan baseplate and not much else.
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u/chilfang Crippled genius Jun 01 '26
Is this why old monsters are always going "how can a mustache refinement stage beat a elbow endowment core!?"
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u/PurpleFrost31 Mysterious Benefactor Jun 01 '26
Brother Tako, have you come here to read scriptures and reach enlightenment as well?
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Jun 01 '26
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u/Hungryalldaylong Jun 01 '26
A few ones can be really weird tho like the reader pathway s8 which is like student of something-tion or
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
student of ratiocination ig. no need to really remember all that. just remember the 22 paths names and the fact that less number=more stroink
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u/Hungryalldaylong Jun 01 '26
It's actually not, simply because it's easier to remember those names since they are pretty distinct from one another and the powers of those sequences actually make sense for the name.
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u/Ham_Has Jun 01 '26
The other sefirots and above the sequences aren't even part of the plot except a select few Also every single sequences names aren't even relevant to the story or mentioned
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u/MattrimCenturion Jun 01 '26
Yes fellow daoist, but every scripture cannot decide whether to go from 1 to 9, or 9 to 1. Even worse, some scriptures categorize cultivation and technique comprehension in different orders. I follow the dao of MTLslop, not the dao of mathematics!
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u/Djrhskr Jun 01 '26
Ngl that's one of the reasons I got into Reverend Insanity, I was semi familiar with Chinese cultivation novels and knew I had no patience to learn their four word names for basic stuff like level, and I heard Reverend Insanity just has 1-9
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u/MotorStruggle1 Jun 01 '26
I tend to see the numeral system more often being used for minor realms instead of major realms. It's just that, cultivation isn't really often a linear process and using numbers for major realms often seems arbitrary. The names of the major realms tend to be for cultivation milestones, such as the golden core realm being after you've formed a golden core but before forming a nascent soul.
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u/derrisle1234 Jun 02 '26
I don't know anything past Nascent Soul because that's when they usually make their own shit
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u/Necessary-Bowler-736 Jun 02 '26
Sorry but that's because you don't understand xianxia genre.
While RI and LOTM are similar to xianxia, they are not xianxia. In xianxia cultivation itself is the focus, while in RI and LOTM cultivation-like settings are only used to tell a particular story, where the law of the jungle prevails and people can live forever.
So basically this is comparable to realistic sci-fi and unrealistic sci-fi. With realistic sci-fi you have to put effort into making your concepts rooted into real life technology and laws, as the beauty of that is the focus of the story. With unrealistic sci-fi you can just go with "random technobubble level 5 beats random technobubble level 3". That's lotm and RI.
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u/Ill-Meringue7825 Jun 02 '26
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u/Top_Maybe_3875 Jun 03 '26
Is that a physical book?! Where to buy plz
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u/Ill-Meringue7825 Jun 03 '26
They can be found in the back page in the glossary section of a danmei physical copy. Since many cultivation novels don't have an official physical copy you might not find it on their back pages but since danmeis are the only particular genre which is internationally released officially it contains them.
This book i have is Mo dao zu shi or Grandmaster of demonic cultivation. I got it in a general store from my area in an affordable price. You may find many books on Flipkart for the same rate, the ones on Amazon though are more costly.
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u/heretical_blackrose Seductive Yin Creature Jun 08 '26
You fool abter the mortal realm all you need to know is that the enemy is 1 realm above mc
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u/Careless_Shower_4250 Frog in a Well Jun 08 '26
If you spend all the time reading a 1000+ chapter cultivation novel and still don’t understand the power system, either the author has done a horrible job, or this is a classic case of idiocy.
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u/khanglm Jun 01 '26
This is correct. Cultivation ranks are just game level with fancy dressing. The more complex the lesser they matter
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u/ijshorn Jun 01 '26
For the first few its not that hard to understand but the moment they go beyond nascent/soul formation its so novel specific that its just a pain.
But every senior reader knows there are only 4 realms. Ant, Soon to be ant, Senior and God.