Claddings of Light : Book 12 of Painting the Mists
Page 66
In my stories, you will see my past. You will see my seven years as an engineer and my experience as part of a soul-sucking corporation. You'll see true love. You'll see true heartbreak. You'll see my time as a marital artist. You'll see moments that boil your blood and make you want to pound a wall in frustration. You’ll also see the actions of people who are just trying to do the right thing. Because that’s what most people do in the end—and nothing in the world can make me believe otherwise.
—Patrick Laplante
A Note to Readers
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Further Reading
If you enjoy litRPG and xianxia, make sure to check out Endless Online, as well as Silver Fox & the Western Hero. Both are written by M. H. Johnson. The first is a fantastic blend of sword, sorcery, and science fiction. The second is a xianxia novel with a litRPG twist.
If you’re interested in joining a community of likeminded readers, I suggest the following Facebook groups:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WesternWuxia/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cultivationnovels/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGReleases
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrgph (Wuxia Readers Group)
The Cultivation Systems
This record is a summary of the cultivation systems on the Inkwell Plane. Note that cultivation systems can change depending on the type of plane or the stability of the plane.
Qi Cultivation (Human Path: Transcendent)
Rune Carving Realm – Carve your core with runes of enlightenment. Form a base with which to gain enlightenment on the Dao. Transcendent cultivators gain a domain, which lets them mobilize heaven and earth energy. Opposing domains compete for energy, and the battle depends on the strength and concepts of each cultivator.
Rune Gathering Realm – Gather the power of law runes and enforce your will upon the world. From now on, the Dao is everything – the strength of a cultivator’s runes varies greatly. Rune Gathering cultivators now control a small world projection, in which they can teleport at will and lock down opponents in a spatial cage.
Law Stitching Realm – ???
Body Cultivation (Human Path: Demigod)
Blood awakening Realm – Demigods awaken the divinity in their blood. By exhausting their stored divine power, they can use divine abilities. The heavens respect demigods, so they gain certain innate resistances to elements.
Muscle Empowering Realm – ???
Shell Marking Realm – ???
Soul Cultivation (Human, Secondary Path)
Human soul cultivation is flexible. It is divided into initial, middle, and upper transcendent soul realms. Angels advance by deepening their virtues and acquiring merit. Devils by pursuing their vices and acquiring sin. Buddhists strive to sever karma. Evil spirits by increasing their karmic ties to the world.
To deepen a vice, one must cultivate their soul and absorb soul energy until it reaches a critical point. Neutrally, it would then break through. Angels and devils have shackles, the requirement for a deepening of their virtue, growing more wings. Lower transcendent gives a pair of wings, middle a second pair, and upper a third. To break through to the heavenly soul realm or infernal soul, or immortal soul, one needs sufficient energy and an immortal reason: an ideal or a goal. Angels and devils gain three more wings, for a total of six.
Demonic Cultivation
Initiation Realm – Gain the acknowledgment of your demonic alignment and create your demon weapon. Fight for the glory of your faction! Demons collect demonic energy via consumption and quests. They exert power over natural energies in their dominions.
Initiation Realm demons have strong bodies and powerful natural weapons. They are strengthened and weakened by their surroundings. Being part of nature, demons must continuously consume, or their strength will waste away.
Investiture Realm – A demon’s alignment further invests in their champion and bestows upon them a set of demon armor. Investiture realm demons are better, faster, and stronger. Also, they can now invest nature, changing the very terrain to better suit them and their faction.
Fusion Realm – ???
Terminology:
Rune Carving Cultivators are known as Daoists. Cultivators who are both Daoists and demigods are known as Dao Gods. Demonic cultivators are referred to as lords and ladies. Humans and demons who manage the difficult feat of cultivating Daoist and demonic paths are known as Dao Lords.