In both the cultivation world and the mortal realm, there exists an invisible current that shapes destiny. It flows through people, sects, empires, and dynasties alike. This force is known by many names—Qi Luck (气运 qìyùn), Ziwei Fortune (紫微之命 zǐwēi zhī mìng), Destiny Qi (命运之气 mìngyùn zhī qì), and the Mandate (天命 tiānmìng)—but at its heart, it represents the cosmic recognition of worth, merit, and alignment with the Dao.
"To succeed in cultivation, one needs more than talent. One needs fortune that moves the heavens."
Qi Luck is the unseen flow of cosmic fortune, a metaphysical force tied to fate, karma, and destiny. It represents how favored someone is by the world, Heavenly Dao, or Plane Will — and it directly influences their opportunities, breakthroughs, survival, and growth.
🔹 Characteristics:
Invisible but tangible: Cannot be seen by the naked eye, but cultivators with special techniques, bloodlines, or fate-sensing treasures can detect it.
Tied to karma and fate: Actions that benefit the world or fulfill karmic destiny often enhance Qi Luck. Evil deeds, unless shielded by profound destiny, may corrode it.
Affects cause and effect: With strong Qi Luck, a cultivator might fall into a ravine and stumble upon an ancient inheritance. With poor Qi Luck, they might choke on a pill and die in seclusion.
🔹 Qi Luck Exists in Multiple Forms:
Personal Luck: Tied to a person's birth, actions, and cultivation path.
Clan or Sect Luck: Tied to the collective fate of a family, sect, or dynasty.
National Luck (国运 guóyùn): The fate of a kingdom or empire. If a dynasty's luck declines, natural disasters and rebellions often follow.
Heavenly Luck: Luck bestowed by the Heavenly Dao. Usually given to those with cosmic roles, such as Heaven's Chosen.
Qi Luck, within the cultivation world, is the breath of prosperity that gathers around sects, individuals, and sacred lands. It is earned, not granted. Every time a sect nurtures a genius, defeats a demonic threat, secures a divine artifact, or earns the respect of the world, a portion of this fortune flows to them. It accumulates slowly, over decades and centuries, shaping not only the fate of the sect but of all who dwell within it.
The benefits are real, if difficult to quantify. Disciples blessed by Qi Luck experience smoother breakthroughs, rare encounters, and a strange harmony with heaven and earth. Even coincidence seems to favor them. And as they rise, they draw more fortune to the sect, continuing the cycle. In time, such fortune becomes self-sustaining—a torrent of destiny that shields and elevates.
To safeguard this force, the greatest sects possess immortal artifacts that act as anchors. Shrouded in violet radiance, these treasures draw in and stabilize Qi Luck, allowing their wielders to perceive and even direct the flow of destiny. The Four Great Holy Lands, rulers of the cultivation world, owe much of their millennia-long dominance to these hidden sources of fortune.
Yet Qi Luck can also be stolen. Not easily, and never without consequence—but it is possible. Defeating a genius whose destiny burns bright may draw away a portion of their Qi Luck. Claiming a treasure they were fated to obtain shifts the tide again. Fortune, after all, favors the strong. And in time, a cultivator who claims enough Qi Luck through merit or force may birth a new Holy Land from nothing. (From Troublemaker's Guide to Immortality).
But while Qi Luck reigns in the world of cultivation, its counterpart governs kingdoms and emperors. This is Ziwei Fortune , sometimes called National Fortune—the manifestation of a ruler's destiny, sanctioned by Heaven.
Ziwei Fortune (紫微之命 Zǐwēi Zhī Mìng)
"Born under the Star of Ziwei, destined to shake the heavens."
Ziwei Fortune refers to a person born under the blessing of the Ziwei Star (紫微星 Zǐwēi Xīng), also called the Emperor Star in Chinese cosmology. In Daoist and imperial metaphysics, Ziwei is the star of kingship, authority, and destined rulers.
🔹 What it Means:
Someone with Ziwei Destiny is fated for greatness — to become an emperor, immortal sovereign, or ruler of a great sect or plane.
Their actions carry massive karmic weight. If they build empires, realms rise. If they fall, worlds may collapse with them.
Often heavily watched or tested by the Will of Heaven. Their fate affects the greater balance.
Ziwei is more singular and personal, entwined with the monarch and their dynasty. It is the spiritual foundation of their reign, visible to the wise as purple qi that shields the emperor and stabilizes the nation. As long as this qi remains intact, assassins falter, rebellions fail, and the kingdom endures.
Yet like all fortune, Ziwei is not eternal.
There are only a few ways to strip it away. One may wait for the dynasty's natural decline—when corruption festers and popular support fades, so too does the Mandate. Alternatively, a rising contender with stronger fortune can clash with the incumbent. If their destinies conflict, the old and new will battle, and fate will choose its heir. Finally, karmic debts can erode imperial fortune from within. In such moments, even a ruler cloaked in Heaven's will may fall.
In times of peace, mortal kings and emperors are shielded by this luck, deterring even powerful cultivators from interfering. But this protection is not absolute. Should an immortal sect will it, they may dismantle an empire not with a single strike, but piece by piece—tearing down cities, severing spiritual roots, and unraveling the karmic web that binds a ruler to their throne. This is why dynasties rely on powerful backers. Without them, even the highest crown may fall to time and ambition. (From I Became a Fairy And Lived Forever In The Fairy World)
Destiny Qi (命运之气 Mìngyùn Zhī Qì)
"With destiny in your bones, even the heavens must make way."
Destiny Qi is the core essence of fate itself. It is more refined than Qi Luck, often appearing only in Heaven's Chosen, Plane Protectors, or individuals who carry an entire realm's karmic trajectory.
🔹 It Is:
Innate: Present from birth or transferred from a previous life.
Magnetizing: Attracts fate-altering opportunities, allies, rivals, and tribulations.
Sacred and coveted: Can be stolen, sealed, or reshaped with high-tier Dao techniques.
Cultivators with Destiny Qi tend to cause change simply by existing. Their presence throws fate into chaos or order, depending on their nature.
The Mandate (天命 Tiānmìng)
"Heaven does not speak, yet its will is clear."
The Mandate of Heaven is the supreme authority bestowed by the Heavenly Dao itself — a metaphysical right to lead, conquer, or reshape the world. It was originally a Confucian-Daoist concept justifying the rise and fall of dynasties, but in cultivation settings, it becomes something literal, divine, and terrifying.
🔹 Manifestations:
Visible omens: Golden dragons, purple clouds, divine beasts bowing, tribulations retreating.
Recognition by Heaven: Some cultivators may gain Heaven's Mandate as a heavenly decree, allowing them to alter the natural order or defy otherwise inviolable laws.
Plane's Will Empowerment: In planar warfare, the plane itself may empower a chosen child with the Mandate to defend it.
🔹 If You Hold the Mandate:
All things bend slightly in your favor.
You may resist karma, calamity, or even break past realms others dare not tread.
But: those who defy the Mandate are destined to fall. Jealous peers, ancient evils, or even Heaven itself may rise against you.
Of course, the concept of Qi Luck is not exclusive to sects or empires. The principle applies across all layers of existence. By now, the essence of this system should be clear: luck, or fortune, is not random—it is a force, and like all forces, it flows in patterns. And these patterns fall into two fundamental categories:
Group Luck and Individual Luck.
Group Luck governs collectives. This includes immortal sects, mortal and immortal dynasties, powerful clans, merchant associations, religious orders, and even regional alliances. Whether it is a vast empire ruling ten thousand miles or a minor cultivation family with a single ancestral hall, all such entities are bound by the collective fate they nurture.
The strength of a group's luck is determined by its cohesion, legacy, achievements, and alignment with greater heavenly principles. In this sense, a sect that cultivates virtue, gathers prodigies, and upholds justice will naturally accumulate fortune, just as a virtuous ruler draws the Mandate of Heaven to their bloodline.
Likewise, their downfall often begins when this current is disrupted. Internal corruption, betrayal, loss of public faith, or an external rival systematically siphoning away their fortune—these acts weaken their karmic foundation. And just as an empire can crumble when its Ziwei decays, a sect can fall when its Qi Luck is stolen, broken, or dispersed.
But Group Luck is only half the equation.
The other half is Individual Luck.
Some people walk through life as if guided by the heavens themselves. Opportunities appear where none should. Misfortunes turn into blessings. Powerful allies flock to them, and miraculous escapes become routine. These individuals are often known as the children of destiny—be it sons or daughters of Heaven, chosen by the Dao, or simply "protagonists" in the story of their world.
Their fate is so radiant it eclipses that of kings.
Their presence can tilt battles, change nations, and shake the foundations of established sects. Trying to harm such individuals is not merely difficult—it invites backlash. Just as striking at an emperor too early may invoke the wrath of Heaven, harming a Heaven-favored individual may bring misfortune to the attacker. Cultivators call this Heaven's Retribution or Backlash of Luck, the silent, unseen punishment for daring to wound one of the Dao's chosen.
This is why ancient sects and wise clans are cautious around promising unknown talents. Not because of their strength, but because of the mysterious current of fortune that shields them. To challenge one openly is to court disaster. To kill them outright? Even worse. The heavens may not strike with thunder, but fate has subtler tools—loss of reputation, missed breakthroughs, spiritual deviation, or slow ruin disguised as coincidence.
And yet, such protection in most cases does not last forever.
Just like dynasties can fall and sects can crumble, the luck of an individual can fade. If their karmic merit is exhausted, or if their actions turn Heaven against them, the radiant flow around them begins to dim. In time, they become no different from any ordinary cultivator—mortal, vulnerable, fallible.
To hasten this fall, enemies often resort to indirect methods. They challenge the Heaven-favored not head-on, but by stealing their opportunities, claiming the fated treasures meant for them, winning the allies destined to protect them. In this way, fortune is gradually eroded, stolen not in one strike, but drop by drop. Done subtly, this does not incur divine backlash. It is not murder—it is redirection. The same strategy used to dismantle sects and topple kingdoms applies here as well.
You do not destroy the chosen.
You make them no longer chosen.
And once their luck has thinned to the level of ordinary people, they can be dealt with like anyone else.
In this way, fate is not fixed. It is fluid.
Luck is not permanent. It is earned, spent, stolen, and lost.
And in a world governed by the Dao, understanding the flow of fortune is often more powerful than any technique or sword.