"Right! So - broad summary of cultivation, the nine realms, the seven aspects. Oh, and Ways, you should know what a Way is."
She breaths in as though to start a long lecture, even though she's communicating by thought.
"So. Cultivation is, at a high level, the art of ingesting qi from your environment and using it to improve your soul and body, and also using it to power techniques of various sorts, ultimately pursuing the goal of true immortality. There are nine realms, denoting progress markers resulting in qualitative transformations and increases in your power and capacities. There are seven aspects, denoting classes of spiritual infrastructure and techniques which it makes sense to bundle together on a metaphysical level as a specialty. While cultivating, you will find and pursue a Way, which is a sort of - ideal that you cleave to as your story of self. Cultivation is a process of becoming - your way is what you're making yourself into. You don't need to have one now, at this stage, but at the end of the 4th realm, you have to commit to one, even if you don't perfectly understand it or what it will mean for you, so it's something to think about long in advance. Contradicting your Way is very bad, possibly lethally so. Living a soldier's life will result in a soldier's Way. Ways are very mysterious and not groking them, now or ever, is to be expected."
"The nine realms. First, you work to gain any control over your qi, and enter the first realm:Cultivation of the Foundation, where you work to make your body into a suitable vessel for your practice. Then you enter the second realm: Cultivation of Mastery, where you work to gain the literal and metaphorical tools to perform the greater work of cultivation. Then there's the third realm: Cultivation of Spirit, where you forge your blank soul-core and integrate it with your existing spiritual infrastructure, becoming a true cultivator. The fourth realm: Crucible of Ideals, involves exploring your new capabilities and ends when you commit to a Way that will forever more define you. The fifth realm: Crucible of Endeavor involves stretching yourself to your limits to prove your self and Way in a trial by fire and ambition. The sixth realm: Crucible of Justification involves taking a step back and reflecting on your way and the person you've become and if what you've made can withstand becoming divine and if that's even something you want. Lots of sixth realms retire to run sects and build a legacy rather than ascending beyond mortality. Ascending to the seventh realm: Essence Chrysalis, means turning your soul in on itself so that it's a self-sustaining world in and of itself, and involves retreating into that world to do... something, I don't know. The 8th realm: Essence Rampant, involves being able to freely step in and out of your soulbody, having forged yourself into a divine force who shakes the world with every step. Mostly they don't actually do that, but they could. The 9th realm: Essence Principle, involves a sort of diffusion, where you come to represent and command your way throughout the entire universe. If there's more beyond that, I don't know what it is and I've never met anyone who did - but they say even those gods are still climbing."
"Finally, the seven aspects. Martial, Noble, Beautiful, Hidden, Virtuous, Academic, Arcane. Martial techniques relate to enhancing the body, doing violence, and enacting gross physical changes upon reality. Centrally, they're for violence. Noble techniques relate to rulership, formal relationships, loyalty and duty. Centrally on a metaphysical level, using and controlling formal relationships and obligations. Beautiful techniques relate to artistry, creativity, self-transformation, and intense emotion. Centrally, the creation of beauty in all its myriad forms. Hidden techniques relate to stealth, obfuscation, and perception. Perception is non-central. Virtuous techniques relate to taking an ideal, like justice or loyalty but also weirder things like travel or gluttony, and embracing it, allowing you to better attain that ideal and ensuring you are rewarded for cleaving to it and punished for deviating. Academic techniques relate to cognition, skill, knowledge, learning, and divination. Finally, Arcane techniques relate to the esoteric, the mystical, and that which defies understanding. Often strange techniques which totally change the rules are Arcane. Crafting and in particular, formation work, butchery, and alchemy are Arcane. Metamagic is Arcane. A good rule of thumb is that you can practice at most three aspects and greater specialization leads to greater results, but also to crucial weakness because every aspect gives essential strengths."
"Any questions?"