"Wait a moment."
Lin Hao suddenly interrupted Daotian, causing him to frown.
"What is it? Do you have another question?"
"You said that once the body changes, it won't return to its previous state. Ordinary humans age, but cultivators don't? I've heard that cultivators have long lifespans, but I'm not sure exactly how long," Lin Hao asked curiously.
This world has only been in contact with cultivation for a short time, so such matters haven't been clearly documented in publicly available texts.
Although the details are vague, maintaining an air of mystery around cultivators, making people think they might live forever, enhances the prestige of cultivators in the eyes of ordinary folk.
"This matter... let me recall for a moment." Daotian closed his eyes to remember.
The space he was in before was a strange one where time was unclear, making it difficult to measure. But there were some ancient texts inside about the lifespans of cultivators at different levels.
"Cultivators aren't like ordinary people; they don't age. But if cultivators never died, even those with trash-tier talent would eventually absorb all the spiritual energy in the world. Therefore, the world naturally produces rules to maintain balance. The higher the realm, the higher the lifespan limit. The maximum in that world was living for about seventy thousand years."
"Sev... seventy thousand? The common human calendar is only a little over two thousand years old!" Lin Hao exclaimed in surprise.
For him, living a hundred years was already quite good. Having a family and friends—it couldn't get better than that.
Such long, endless years... He didn't think that was a good thing.
Daotian didn't pay much attention to Lin Hao's mood. He projected images of nine names representing the nine cultivation realms he knew.
"Let me introduce you to all the realms I know. There are nine realms here. Whether there are higher realms, I'm not sure," Daotian said.
He quietly concealed the matter of the Heavenly Dao level because he wanted to be the first person to reach that realm.
"The first step on the path of cultivation is the Body Tempering Realm..." Daotian pointed to the first realm and began his explanation.
The Body Tempering Realm is the first step for all cultivators. Humans train their bodies at high intensity while using elixirs to achieve a qualitative leap in physical constitution. Only with a sufficiently strong physique can one actively absorb spiritual energy and utilize spiritual power.
The Qi Refining Realm is the second step. At this stage, a cultivator's body can contain more spiritual power and actively absorb spiritual energy. Simultaneously, cultivators can use spiritual power at a basic level, such as protecting their bodies or enhancing physical attacks.
The Foundation Establishment Realm is the third step. Here, cultivators compress the spiritual power within their bodies to build a more solid foundation. Only at this stage can cultivators utilize the power of the elements.
The Golden Core Realm is the fourth step. Cultivators at this stage compress a massive amount of spiritual power into the center of their bodies, forming an energy core. This core serves as a reserve; when pushed to the brink, it can instantly refill the body with spiritual power. The limitation is that it can only be used once, after which it shatters and cannot be recovered.
The Nascent Soul Realm is the fifth step. Here, cultivators create a perfect replica of themselves entirely from spiritual power, based on their own soul. The cultivator's soul power increases significantly, granting the ability to perceive everything around them.
The Spirit Transformation Realm is the sixth step. At this stage, cultivators balance their own soul with the soul replica, then merge the two, bringing about a powerful evolution. A soul at this level, if its natural lifespan hasn't ended, can actively leave the body and temporarily seize a new one.
The Void Refining Realm is the seventh step. Here, the spiritual power within the body is immense, and its application reaches an extremely high level. Cultivators gain a new ability: Voidification, which nullifies all attacks, even those infused with spiritual power. However, in the void state, they cannot attack, and spiritual power is continuously consumed.
The Unity Realm is the eighth step. Cultivators at this stage gather all their essence to condense a single drop of quintessence. This drop can be stored in a safe place. If the cultivator dies in battle, the quintessence will automatically absorb spiritual energy to regenerate them. The process takes many years, but it serves as a crucial second life.
The Great Ascension Realm is the ninth and final step. This realm can be considered as nearly touching the limits of the world. A serious attack can shatter space, causing damage that may not recover for ten thousand years.
"Did you remember all that?" Daotian asked gently after his long explanation, as if the knowledge he just shared was nothing difficult to remember.
"Remember all that? Do you think I have a photographic memory?" Lin Hao retorted, curling his lip.
He could confidently say his academic ability was higher than most people in the world, but he wasn't a superhuman.
These concepts were far too unfamiliar for an ordinary person like him. They sounded confusing and hard to grasp, so how could they be easy to remember?
"Ah, do I have to explain it again?" Daotian's 'eyes' drooped; it was obvious he was too lazy to repeat himself.
"That won't be necessary. I remember the first few realms. The ones further away, I don't need to remember for now anyway, since I have you by my side," Lin Hao said bluntly.
Although it was a bit reliant, Lin Hao figured there probably wasn't anyone in this world who could separate Daotian from him.
Someone who understood all nine cultivation realms—most of which he hadn't even heard the names of—couldn't be easily dealt with.
"That's true. Let's continue talking about the soul. Simply put, the soul always accompanies the body from the moment the body is born. Souls themselves have strengths and weaknesses, primarily determined by intelligence. Species with higher intelligence are born with stronger souls. That's why, on this planet, only humans can cultivate," Daotian explained.
Hearing about the distinction based on intelligence, a question arose in Lin Hao's mind.
"What about between humans? Is someone with a smarter soul stronger?"
Daotian immediately shook his head, feeling that Lin Hao really hadn't seen much of the world.
"You probably haven't met many people, have you? Not everyone who is smarter has better cultivation talent. That part is random. When I talk about species, it's because the world only grants the most outstanding species the permission to cultivate."
"I see," Lin Hao nodded. If being smart meant having cultivation talent, then he definitely would have had it.