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Chapter 34 - Preparation Stage (准备阶段, zhǔnbèi jiēduàn)

Before beginning their cultivation journey, some cultivators go through a preparation stage to enhance their bodies. This stage can involve several methods:

Meridian Warming (温经, wēn jīng): This process is used on children up to six years old, warming their fragile meridians with Qi from a Golden Core (金丹, jīndān) or higher-level cultivator. This acclimatizes the meridians to Qi flow, gradually strengthening them.

Martial Arts Training (武术训练, wǔshù xùnliàn): This involves training the blood, muscles, bones, bone marrow, and viscera through physical cultivation or mortal martial arts techniques. Though slower, it lays a strong foundation for body strength.

Medical Baths (药浴, yào yù): Soaking in a tub of medicinal herbs or beast blood refines the body by absorbing potent nutrients. Although faster than martial arts training, it is more expensive and requires resilience, as fainting during the bath disrupts the absorption process.

Of course there also pills that have same effects focus on straightening the body and widen meridians. More or less it almost same with how medical bath works.

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Clan and Sect Practices 

Sects

Sects often enforce the preparation stage on disciples who haven't started drawing Qi into their bodies. They prefer using medical baths due to their faster results and allocate resources based on the disciple's potential.

Clans

Clans may use a combination of the methods or all three, allowing for more personalized and effective preparation based on the individual's needs and potential.

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Types of Cultivators After Preparation

1. Cultivators who feel their bodies are strong enough from the preparation stage and do not continue extensive body tempering, often due to the pain, lack of resources, or diligence.

2. Cultivators who wholeheartedly pursue both spiritual and body cultivation, training diligently to ensure their physical prowess matches their spiritual strength.

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Spiritual cultivators, who primarily focus on enhancing their Qi and spiritual abilities, often neglect the physical aspect of cultivation because tempering the body is painful, time-consuming, and expensive. However, a minority of cultivators understand the importance of physical toughness.

Advantages of a Strong Body

A strong, elastic body allows cultivators to store and circulate more Qi, making them more powerful. It also makes them harder to injure, giving them a significant advantage in life-or-death battles where their physical durability can be a decisive factor.

Survival in Qi-Deprived Environments

Cultivators with trained bodies can survive and fight even in places devoid of Qi or in "Absolute Qi" zones where spiritual techniques are unusable. For spiritual cultivators, such places can render them as vulnerable as mortals, but body cultivators retain their physical strength and combat abilities.

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