(As understood by the sects and kingdoms of Aetherion in the current era)
The universal cultivation path imposed 10,000 years ago to bring order to wild chaos. Each realm changes what a person is — body, soul, lifespan, and command over reality. Higher realms become increasingly rare… and some are known only in legend.
Quick Power Scale Reference (Current Era)
Common disciples: Realms 1–5
Sect elders: Realms 6–9
Sect masters / kings: Realms 10–12 (Aetherion's ceiling)
Living legends / high enforcers: Realm 13 (extremely rare)
Above that… only myths and forbidden scrolls remain.
Mortal / Foundation Realms (1–5)
Most people never pass these.
Realm 1 – Ember Vein Awakening spiritual channels. Basic qi flow begins. Lifespan: 120–250 years Realm 2 – Iron Pulse Superhuman endurance, bones like iron. Lifespan: 250–400 years
Realm 3 – Aether Skin Skin resists blades; senses sharpen dramatically. Lifespan: 300–500 years Realm 4 – Crown Breath Spiritual breathing becomes natural; fight for days without tiring. Lifespan: 400–600 years
Realm 5 – Soul Lantern Soul stabilizes; true personal techniques form. Lifespan: 500–800 years
Ascension / Supernatural Realms (6–9)
Cultivators become truly inhuman. Sect elders and patriarchs live here.
Realm 6 – Skyforged
Leap cliffs, survive massive falls, inhuman speed/strength. Lifespan: 1,000–2,000 years
Realm 7 – Voidstep Short-distance spatial blinks/teleports (within sight). Lifespan: 1,500–3,000 years
Realm 8 – Starblood Spiritual blood; rapid regeneration, poison immunity. Lifespan: 2,000–4,000 years
Realm 9 – Astral Lord Form small personal domains (rule cities/mountains); aura suppresses weaker foes. Lifespan: 3,000–6,000 years
Dominion / Kingly Realms (10–12)
World-shakers. The current absolute peak for most of Aetherion.
Realm 10 – Dominion King
Aura weaponizes; suppress armies/sects single-handedly. Lifespan: 8,000–15,000 years
Realm 11 – Dominion Sovereign Impose laws over vast territories; erase wills, bind unbreakable oaths. Lifespan: 15,000–25,000 years
Realm 12 – Dominion Emperor Rewrite battlefields; shatter nations, bend local weather/fate with a thought. Lifespan: 25,000–50,000 years Celestial / Transcendent Realms (13–???)
Living myths. Power spans stars. Extremely rare — few records exist beyond this point.
Realm 13 – Celestial Regent Command heavenly laws continent-wide; seal realms/pocket dimensions. Lifespan: 50,000–150,000 years
Realm 14 – ?????????? (Records are sealed, fragmented, or deliberately destroyed. Legends speak only of "star-spanning might" and "domains that cover solar systems.")
Realm 15 – ?????????? (Whispers of "world-crowned" authority… but no living cultivator has ever confirmed it.) The Eternal Apex (Realm ??)
Realm ?? – Eternal Throne The unreachable pinnacle. Only one being is said to have reached it. Lifespan: Eternal (no natural death) All lower realms become as fragile as paper before this level. The sects do not teach this realm. They fear even naming it.
Beyond the Ladder – Primordial / Cosmic Bracket??????????