Years passed. Well, maybe not years. More like… crawled by. Baby development is agonizingly slow, especially when you know the future holds enlightenment and flying swords.
But those years gave me time to observe, to listen, and to… well, realize that my grandiose expectations were about as accurate as the directions on a fortune cookie.
I grew up with my grandfather as I learned my parents has ascend to heaven realm . Yes you heard it right heavenly realm and I was in the lower realm.
They didn't take me because I was a baby and what do you expect that I am a protagonist and I can survive any situation. I also think I am the protagonist that can can survive any situation and gain benefits.
Due to this I one day picked a ring beside a grave and thought this should be my golden finger and I wore it and called some name aloud like grandfather inside the ring or other names.
Someone responded but it was an evil spirit who nearly possed me and killed me second time.
But my grandfather saved me as he was nearby and then I realised I was not a protagonist as I have read in those novels.
Then I studied all about the cultivation level and all the powerful families and sect present in the world.
First of all, being a powerful family didn't mean I was automatically destined for greatness. In fact, being a powerful family came with a hefty dose of pressure. My every burp, gurgle, and bowel movement was scrutinized by a gaggle of concerned elders and doting servants. It was like living under constant reality TV surveillance, only with more acupuncture.
Secondly, cultivation wasn't some glamorous path to power. It was grueling. It was boring. And it involved a lot of chanting. And meditation. And eating weird herbs that tasted like feet.
My first Qi gathering exercise was a disaster. I spent an hour trying to visualize energy flowing through my meridians and ended up just falling asleep. The second time, I managed to gather a tiny wisp… which promptly exploded in my nose.
My tutor, a severe-looking old woman named Master Lin, sighed with the patience of a saint dealing with a particularly obtuse toddler. "Focus, young master Lan Zhu. You must visualize the flow of Qi like the gentle caress of a spring breeze."
"But Master Lin," I whined, my nose still tingling. "It felt more like a tiny explosion in a confined space."
Master Lin just pinched the bridge of her nose. "Visualization is key. Perhaps we should try again tomorrow."
Tomorrow? More like 'tomorrow and the next day and the day after that and the rest of my life.'
And the worst part? Everyone else my age seemed to be naturally gifted. They were meditating for hours, absorbing Qi like sponges, and casually flipping rocks with their newfound strength. Meanwhile, I was still struggling to tell the difference between my spleen and my pancreas.
This wasn't the power fantasy I signed up for.
In lower realm cultivation is divided into -
Qi gathering
Foundation realm
Gold core realm
Soul wandering realm
Nascent soul realm
Ensoulment realm
Nihility real
Asension realm
And each realm is divided into 9 parts from this you can see how hard it to cultivate and ascend to heavenly realm.