🌌 Cultivation CYOA

The heavens do not speak, yet all things follow their will.
Mountains float in seas of cloud. Stars hang above as silent judges.
In the dark, beasts stir, and ancient spirits whisper to those who listen.

Points Remaining: 10/10

🌱 Core Concept

You awaken into this world not as a common farmer's child, nor a destined reincarnation of an immortal, but something in between. You are a teenager of above average talent—-stronger than most, but not yet a prodigy.

The path ahead is yours to carve. You will face trials, temptations, tribulations. You may gain power, influence, and even immortality—or lose yourself in the pursuit of it.

You have ten points. Choose how you will walk the path of cultivation.

Cultivation follows three primary paths:

  • Body – Physical stats: strength, speed, endurance, resilience.
  • Mind/Spirit – Magical abilities, technique refinement, magical item control.
  • Soul – Unique innate powers, mental resistance, possession, karmic tools.

Each cultivator progresses through seven major stages:

Qi Condensation → Foundation → Core Formation → Nascent Soul / Dao Formation → Earth → Heaven → Immortal

  • Every stage requires a major breakthrough through heavenly tribulation.
  • Within each stage are minor breakthroughs (subrealms).
  • Power scales through both additive level boosts and a multiplicative quality factor.
  • A typical cultivator gets a flat 100% power increase per major stage.
  • With excellent quality foundations, this can reach up to 300% per stage.

The main benefit of cultivating multiple paths (body + mind + soul) is:

  • Diversity of abilities
  • Stronger power scaling, pushing you toward the 3x cap

⚖️ World Notes

  • Cultivation is rare and difficult. Only about 1 in 1,000 individuals possess the innate potential to become cultivators. Of those, only 10% advance at each major stage, with success highly contingent on natural talent, foundational cultivation, and access to proper instruction. Early cultivation—especially in one's youth—is significantly more effective, as the body and soul are more malleable and less burdened by karma or spiritual noise.
  • Power is earned, not given. Sects prioritize resources for exceptional disciples—those who show early talent or rapid breakthroughs. These favored few gain rare techniques, personal instruction, and freedom to cultivate. Everyone else is assigned duties: guarding borders, refining materials, teaching juniors. These responsibilities support the sect but drain time and energy from personal growth. Over time, this system creates a widening gap—and is a major reason so few ever reach the higher realms.
  • Tribulations are not just storms, but tests of fate and self. Advancement through stages is only possible by confronting trials, both internal and external. After Core Formation, true growth requires experience—combat, insight, heartbreak, or discovery. Seclusion alone becomes insufficient, a dead end without karmic interaction with the world.
  • The world is vast—seemingly without end. Rumors speak of oceans larger than kingdoms, of sky-locked realms atop moving mountains, and desert empires ruled by beasts older than sects. Yet even the most powerful cultivators admit they have only glimpsed a fraction of existence.
  • Immortals exist, but they are legends made flesh. Rare and inscrutable, they rarely govern kingdoms or lead armies. Most dwell in seclusion, chasing their own Daos, or dwelling in The City of Immortals, a mythical place said to exist beyond the constraints of time and space. Finding one may change your fate—or erase you from it.
  • Karma is real. To steal from the weak, betray allies, or harm without cause is to invite subtle misfortune. Though karmic punishment is rarely immediate, it accumulates—corrupting qi, twisting fate, and degrading breakthrough chances.
  • The Dao resists repetition. Each step along a given Dao becomes harder to retrace. Like a scholar writing a thesis, future cultivators must innovate or adapt to advance. Dual-path cultivation (e.g. Body+Soul) is rare but allows fresh perspectives, making breakthroughs easier by combining insights across disciplines.
  • There is no cheat, no fate-favored soul. This is a world without time travelers, reincarnators, or chosen ones. The Dao does not play favorites. You rise through your effort, vision, and willingness to walk through suffering.
  • Death is less common than in many xianxia settings; defeat often means retreat or humiliation. Honorable sects will avenge their disciples. As a result, fighting much weaker cultivators (1+ major realm below) is considered dishonorable, but demonic sects and rogues may still do it.

Resources are precious but less powerful than typical Xianxia:

  • Alchemy – Boosts breakthrough success from ~30% to ~50%.
  • Formations & Talismans – Add ~50% strength in same-realm confrontations.
  • Divine Cooking – Temporarily doubles cultivation speed, but requires rare ingredients.
  • High-Qi Zones – Up to 1.5x cultivation speed, though often controlled or contested.
  • Patrons – Powerful backers can grant rare techniques and items in return for service or loyalty. However, excessive reliance can tether your destiny to theirs.