The Three Paths of Cultivation

Body (Astral Essence Cultivation)

Body Cultivation seeks to unearth all of the hidden potential of the human body. By unearthing the untapped vitality in the body through cultivation exercises, body cultivators then proceed to refine their bodies to the extreme so that they become as invincible as divine metal, with the power to flatten mountains, and regenerative abilities that defy logic. Despite such amazing abilities, the amount of body cultivators doesn't exceed other types of cultivators as the expense of cultivating the body, coupled with the extreme pain and danger of refinement, makes it the cultivation method of "madmen" in the eyes of most others. However, it must be understood that at the beginning stages of cultivation, all cultivators are body cultivators, as a certain bodily threshold must be met to cultivate Qi. Body cultivators generate "Aura" instead of "Qi Fields" as a layer of protection from attack.

Qi (True Essence Cultivation)

Qi cultivation seeks to create communication between the body's internal energy and the energy of the surrounding world. By utilizing certain mantras and visualizations, coupled with breathing techniques and physical postures, a Qi cultivator gathers and directs the Qi of the outer world into their bodies to be saturated, refined, and, thus, controlled by the cultivator. Qi can take on different elemental qualities, as they are a force of nature. For cultivators to use elemental Qi, they must either have a natural affinity or create an affinity by utilizing "Qi seeds," which will develop with the cultivator as they themselves grow. Qi cultivators generally have weaker bodies in comparison to soul cultivators; however, they generally negate this weakness by using a "Qi Field" when in battle as layer of protection from attack.

Soul Cultivation (Soul Essence)

Soul Cultivation is as mysterious as the soul itself. There are very few, if any, direct methods to cultivate the soul. This is partly one of the largest limiters of cultivation speed. Developing the soul can only be done in a roundabout manner. Some say that life cultivates the soul. There have been tales of people attaining enlightenment and then suddenly jumping up in cultivation realms, but never the opposite. The soul is what cultivators use to control their bodies and Qi, and as such, it must develop alongside them. Naturally, it does; however, most, if not all, cultivators engage in a side art, which allows them to develop their soul while making an earning for the service they provide. Despite the lack of soul cultivating methods, there are techniques for utilizing the soul in battle, to control beasts and read memories recorded by the soul, though such a thing would definitely be lethal. That being said, when the soul is cultivated to the highest degree, controlling entire swaths of beasts and even other cultivators makes them one of the most terrifying existences on the continent. There are creatures that are purely souls without corporeal bodies on the StarFall continent: Soul Beasts. They are a forbidden organism on the continent. If any cultivator sees one, they must report it on sight. If a sect is found to be harboring a Soul Beast, they will be wiped from the continent...