#Martial Cultivation

[manhuareadofficial]

Shenwu Tianzun

The story of Shenwu Tianzun follows Xiao Chen, a powerful figure who is both feared and respected across realms. He is not bound by the limitations of ordinary beings—he can bring chaos to the heavens or restore order to the world with just a wave of his hand. Xiao Chen’s journey intertwines elements of martial arts, supernatural forces, and the ancient clash between gods and demons. His unique background as a being who is simultaneously a god, demon, human, and fairy allows him to stand above all others. However, his path is also marked by vengeance, seeking justice against those who wronged him while battling formidable opponents from across the universe.

[fireflysugarpie]

inspired by all of the smoker SQH posts I've been seeing around, smoker!SQH x asthmatic!SQQ

I mean, imagine Shang Qinghua trying to flirt with his Cucumber Bro, but accidentally gives him an asthma attack lmao

[lunahras]

the lengths we go to for fic research

(the only things i know about cultivation are what ive absorbed from novels and comics, and one (1) research binge)

after reading this, a friend told me she could thoroughly understand my deep loathing for cultivation as a power system. good.

[storge]

What's happening to me?

CI SHA as Guo Jing The Legend of Heroes (2024)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Flashback, warm nights.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[mccromy]

Mu Qing is currently listening to a backlog of prayers one of his deputy officials tossed aside as unimportant, just in case Xie Lian prayed to him these past few centuries and he missed it. Until now, all of them are asinine, but he keeps going, though he's starting to zone out until he hears a child's voice:

"Xuan Zhen, Shixiong said I can ask you stuff. I want tea eggs for dinner."

Mu Qing blinks. It's not the first time a child asks him for something inane, but this prayer came from a very prestigious temple, only visited by serious cultivators, so it's odd. Perhaps the boy snook in, and it's unlikely he'll hear him again since it's likely he was caught after this.

Mu Qing keeps listening,

"Xuan Zhen, kill Jian Yu."

Ah.

So he wasn't caught.

"Xuan Zhen, where's Shixiong, he said he'd be back by now."

"Xuan Zhen, why is Jian Yu so ugly?"

Mu Qing is quickly losing his patience, how come nobody has caught the child yet?

Then he hears a young man's voice.

"O' General Xuan Zhen, the strongest of the Southern Generals, can you kill this brat? Can you make him explode? Who's ugly, huh? Please."

Then, the child's voice again

"Xuan Zhen, steal Jian Yu's teeth."

"O' General Xuan Zhen, the worthiest of the Southern Generals, this believer begs you to yeet this brat into a volcano, pretty please and thanks."

"Xuan Zhen why does Shixiong smell so good? Can you make us change rooms so I share with him."

"O' General Xuan Zhen, the wisest of the Southern Generals, that little shit took a piss on my shoes. Please, please can you make the bitch that birthed him come pick him up and take him AWAY. Thanks."

"Xuan Zhen, I want Shixiong to stop being angry at me for pissing on Jian Yu's shoes. Also, kill Jian Yu. Also, can you make it so Shixiong has more time to spar with me?"

"O' General Xuan Zhen, the ONLY God of the South as far as I'm concerned, you know? Fuck that other guy, what was his name? Dickneral? Haha. ANYWAYS. Can you just kill this kid? Kill him a little? Nobody has to know, please just make him LEAVE."

"Xuan Zhen, for my birthday I want a Shixiong Hug, and a nice belt that matches my Shixiong's. And That Shixiong keeps being angry forever at Jian Yu for burning my blankets! And that Jian Yu eats shit and dies."

Mu Qing is about to lose it. He cannot be wasting his time with this.

Then a new voice, another young man, prays calmly:

"General Xuan Zhen, this one apologizes my Shidis keep shouting their prayers out loud in your temples, I've taken care of it, please don't strike them dead. I'll light ten incense sticks in your honor, thank you."

Then, the prayers coming from that temple change to the usual stream of begging for protection and guidance cultivating.

[morethanwonderful]

Which MXTX Character Would Be Most Insufferable Online?

Full Bracket

(Bonus match theme: Unironic facebook mom memes)

[bonegiant]

I love Chinese cultivation novels

Most of the are power fantasy nonsense where a generic mc with generic features goes from being the scorned trash to the ever victorious demigod

Those are fine and some of them are even good.

This is not about those

This is about the philosophy of it all

OH HOW I ADORE IT

You cultivated a martial art based on how rivers flow and now your attacks cannot miss since "the river always finds the sea"?

Absolute storytelling gold

Consider this however my nameless shadow movement technique evades your inescapable strike since I am nothing and I have no name. My belief in this is so strong that I have cut off all emotion and even the memories of my past just to gain a greater edge in the endless race towards divinity.

Have I sacrificed everything but my body in this never ending competition? Some would say yes but I have sacrificed so much in the pursuit of power that my very identity and humanity seemed like a small price to pay in return for this power.

The sentence "the river always finds the sea" contains many more truths than just "I can't miss". You could interpret many truths from it. It could also mean that I will always achieve my goal or that life always ends up where it is supposed to.

The whole letting go of who you are could be used to "heal" injuries by disassociating so hard the injuries have nothing to stick to anymore.

You could cultivate the dao of destruction and instead of destroying your enemies you destroy the path their weapon takes to hit you to become the ultimate defender.

My point being that combat isn't about how hard I hit but rather how hard the truth I believe hits or how I approach battles philosophically

I love that shit

[mxtxfanatic]

Hi there, I have a question that may seem mixed (its a bit culturally mixed in my head) I totally get that WWX wasn't adopted and so he didn't expect (or got) parental affection never something close to equal standing to the Jiang children. But, as a mere disciple, what were his responsibilities and rights and what was his sect leaders (shifu & shimu) responsibilities towards him or had the right (considered rightful) to demand of him as a child that joined their sect? Or to broad things to more than orphans (in case it doesn't weight there) what level of care should expect parents for their children once they joined a sect???

Was there an even remote Chinese equivalent to: "in loco parentis"?

I've answered a similar ask to this on the duties of a first disciple, since he was one. Truth is that we actually don't get the details of what was actually expected of Wei Wuxian (or any disciple, really) as disciples per the rules of their affiliated clans. As for the responsibility of the clan and clan leaders: the clan is meant to take care of you like family. If a family sends their child off to be the disciple of someone else's clan or sect and that clan or sect accepts them, the clan/sect is fully responsible for the care, education, and training of that disciple until the day that they separate from the sect or die. Same with orphans as with disciples who still have family outside. In other novels, the divide between orphaned and non-orphaned disciples could be a source of conflict (non-orphaned disciples in a sect might be the direct descendants of a cultivation clans or just have rich parents who send them material resources and offer prestige that an orphaned disciple would obviously have no access to other than through their own hard work). But mdzs isn't about the conflict in that way, especially since it operates with clans as the dominating organization system of the cultivation world, no longer sects.

For the Jiang in mdzs, their responsibilities towards Wei Wuxian as a ward and disciple were to make sure that he was clothed, fed, educated, and trained up in martial arts. Wei Wuxian would then, in turn, bring prestige to the clan with his skills and, as first disciple, help with other upkeep attached to that title (whatever they may be). The things that were not a part of his duties as disciple were: being close to the head family of the clan or being the clan heir's personal companion. Those came with him being the son of the clan leader's deceased close friend, not because he was a regular disciple.

[fauvester]

PROUD IMMORTAL DEMON WAY 2! BITCHY LITTLE PRINCE!

[poorlittleyaoyao]

the canonical sibling novel age differences are 2-3 years for the Jiang siblings and the Twin Jades, and 5-6 for the Nie bros, so the fatal journey casting was spot on. (remembering that post about how the novel describes nmj as being in his early teens when his dad died...my stomach hurts.)

They put a BABY in charge of an ENTIRE HIGHLY-MARTIAL SECT and made him commit to an ancestral blood curse!!! 😭😭😭

(And then I wonder WHY they would do that, because aside from being very tragic… if these are martial arts sects, shouldn’t there be some meritocracy? Why is it assumed that sect leadership will pass down a direct family line like a rulership of a fiefdom, even when the heir is a literal child like NMJ and JL or fully unqualified as NHS is? There was truly nobody with the Nie name more capable at saber cultivation than the guy who steadfastly avoided engaging with it and who eschews responsibility in general? No cousin or uncle or auntie more qualified to teach saber cultivation to disciples than the old sect leader’s grieving 14-year-old child who watched his father die of qi deviation? Okay.)

[salty-software-engineer]

I love letting other people watch things first and then give feedback about it so I can gauge whether or not I want to spend time on it. Truly could not give fewer fucks about spoilers. If the story is good I will still have a fantastic time.

[ginsoakedgirl80]

two demonic cherubs on a cloud

[skeleton-richard]

So I’m reading that gay kung fu novel everyone was on about a while back

[kingsonne-zedecks]

Path of the Harmonic Garden

The Path of the Harmonic Garden is a difficult but rewarding path. Many set out to follow this Path, seeking its power, but fail to maintain the patient balance required to tread it. Those who cultivate their path with exactness go on to become some of the greatest refiners, wanderers, and producers on Cradle. Those whose impatience gets the better of them ruin their foundation, and become lesser life artists.

A slow path by almost all measurements, successful practitioners along this path often do not reach Gold until their late twenties and spend significant time at Copper, refining their madra and tending to their garden.

While initially slow and weak, the Path of the Harmonic Garden eventually creates sacred artists capable of maintaining the finest sources for refining, and possessed of the strength to defend them. 

Harmonic Garden Madra is composed predominantly of life aura before all else and the difficulty of this path lies in balancing the scale between this overwhelming life aura and the multiple other lesser aspects of vital aura. Earth, water, and light aura must be harmonized with each other as well as balanced against life. It is no simple task. 

Artists on the Path of the Harmonic Garden begin tending the earth from a young age, cultivating, creating, and maintaining a space in which they will train their sacred arts, and cycle vital aura into madra. Tending to the garden allows them to balance the vital aura in which they cycle to their needs.

The cycling method followed on this path is known as the Seasons Renewing Cycle. It is designed to allow the core to wax and wane in its absorption of vital aura, preventing the core from adopting too strongly to one balance of madra. Through this cycling method, Harmonic Garden artists bring their core to the peak of Copper and back repeatedly until they are satisfied with the balance of aura represented in their madra. 

While cultivating their garden is designed to generate the proper balance of aura for cycling, it also serves to create an ideal location for the formation of Sylvan Loamseeds. These natural spirits thrive in the blend of vital aura found in a successful balanced garden and their appearance is often used as a sign that an artist has achieved a truly harmonic space and is ready to advance to Iron.

From there, cultivation now includes not only the garden space, but the Loamseeds as well, tending to their growth and preparing them for the next step in advancement. At Jade, some artists on this path enter into a contract with whichever Loamseed has grown most successfully, and the two advance together as they tend to their garden. For others, the natural spirit is not contracted with for advancement, but continually fed and strengthened, until it is absorbed at the peak of Jade in order to advance to Lowgold.

Due to the nature of natural spirits, there is no one Goldsign for the Path of the Harmonic Garden -some have no Goldsign, while other signs have been as varied as living vines twined around the arms, flowers growing from the hair, or moss covered skin.

Techniques:

Enforcer: The Deeproot Forest enforcer technique anchors the body to the vital aura of the living earth, strengthening the sacred artists skin to resist attacks, allowing them to withstand great blows without moving, and enhancing their ability to draw upon vital aura to replenish their cores and heal their bodies.

Striker: The Eternal Spring appears as bright flecks of vibrant green madra that can burrow into a seed or plant to accelerate its growth. 

Ruler: The Gardeners Hand technique harnesses the vital aura inside of plants, bending them to the control of the sacred artist.

Forger: The Wellspring is a forged spike of madra, that when driven into the ground releases beneficial madra into the soil, enhancing and revitalizing even the poorest dirt.

Outside of combat, practitioners of the Harmonic Garden are often renowned refiners due to the quality of their ingredients. Those that choose not to refine themselves are still highly sought after for that same quality of their harvests. The Eternal Spring can be used sparingly to accelerate the growth of a plant without damaging its ability to produce mystical properties, while the Gardeners Hand guides root and limb alike to both aesthetic perfection and maximum function. The Wellspring is not often used within the bounds of a Harmonic Garden, but can be sold, traded, or gifted to others to boost the productivity of farms and orchards. At the Lord level, soulfire and experience greatly expand the avenues open to the sacred artist, with new plants to cultivate that require different blends of aura to thrive in. 

Whether in defending their territories, or defending their lives, combat is no stranger to those on the Path of the Harmonic Garden. Many of these artists will roam far and wide seeking rare seeds to add to their collections, and danger is always around in both the wild and civilized places of Cradle. It is unlikely to find a practitioner on this path without a collection of seeds on their person that they can use to fight. 

Thorny vines can explode outward from one of these sacred artists at a moment's notice, guided by the Gardener’s Hand to reach out, grasp, and restrain. A scattered toss of the Eternal Spring can change the shape of a battlefield in an instant, as dormant seeds sprout anew, sending brambles and trees shooting to the sky, each one a potential tool to trip or ensnare an opponent. Then there are the rarer plants in the arsenal of the Gardener; those that produce caustic bulbs to be thrown, those whose flowers produce sickly aromas that lull into sleep, those whose leaves cut like razors. All the while the Deeproot Forest protects and heals the sacred artist, as well as the plants they push their enforcement into.

Remnants of this path look closer to the plants they tend to than the people they once were, often appearing like a man shaped tree, covered in vines. Like most remnants, they tend to act in accordance with the patterns they followed in life. If a sacred artist dies near their Garden, their remnant is likely to continue to defend and care for it as best they can. Those that die while away from their homes are likely to wander through nature, caring for and cultivating it as they go, always looking for the balance they lost.

[reticentshugyosha]

On Shugyo

Shugyo*, above all else, is about fidelity. It’s about returning, time and time again to the nest of practice. Returning in times of gain, in times of seeming stagnation, and in times of decline. Shugyo is about will, and unknowing. It’s about intimacy, and humility. It’s about limits and infinity. Shugyo is life itself.

~Sunyananda

[*: Ch. 修行 (Cultivation, Practice), Skt. Sadhana (Spiritual Practice or Discipline)]