Waves are calm and smooth, time passes yet waves keep rolling, one after another. They follow a pattern, so not much bothers the waves. Many people pass on by, yet the waves do not relent for anyone.
The surreal sound of the waves crashing across the shore soothed Roland, as he sat at the bay. The sun was setting, an object from millions of kilometres away lit up the day, yet it was just that an object far far away. It wasn't until sunrise or sunset that one could enjoy the beauty of it appearing so near despite being so far. The effect was magnified when seeing the reflection in the serene sea, it seemed the water was a pathway to the sun. If one ran fast enough, one could reach it and hold it in one's fingertips.
A cool breeze passed by, yet it also paused for a few seconds, almost as if it were also mesmerised by the beauty of nature. Man can try their best to make beauty, yet it will always be artificial. No one can replicate what nature can do, nor can man be trusted with this ability. A paradoxical wish it was indeed, yet that is what defines mankind. The drive to pursue the impossible, the passion to explore the depths of hell itself, the courage to look death in it's face and yet still march on to victory, the intelligence to reach the stars beyond the horizon.
Time seemed to be frozen in place, yet Roland wasn't sitting idly either. Although he had randomly appeared here, he took it in stride, currently he was contemplating the information from the memory he had gained earlier from the body's previous host. It didn't seem like he had lived a great life to be honest, but that is how life is- if you don't stand up for yourself, no one else will. Despite all the hardships, the host hadn't had a single negative thought for his cousin Kylo, the cause of all this treatment and still maintained filial relations.
In light that Roland was essentially a hijacker, who had taken over the body, he would do his best to respect the wishes of the host. So, he would not go out of his way to cause trouble for Kylo and would still be respectful towards his parents & clan.
Moving on, the more important thing was to understand how cultivation works, as that is what will be needed to grow stronger here.
"So, everything with life has chi naturally in this place, wherever this place is. Manipulating that chi allows one to live a longer life and makes people physically stronger. That makes sense for now, next we have the different cultivation realms. The first cultivation stage is 'Fighter' which differentiates non-cultivators 'normies' from cultivators, in this realm one can feel the 'chi' within themselves and gain control over it as they proceed in stages. At the first stage they are only able to feel chi, and by the seventh stage have full control over it and can detect the chi around them and in other individuals (unless they are in a higher cultivation realm, in which case they can easily hide this). This is the cultivation level most people are in and usually are the fighting force of small powers."
"Next is the 'Mortal' realm in which individuals transcend what is defined as Mortal, they can use chi not only as a medium for defence and attack, but also to extend their lifespan by an additional 100 years whilst also being able to exert their chi in an external medium, e.g., in the form of metaphysical entities such as the chain that electrocuted him earlier. The first stage is just about increasing lifespan, then slowly progressing up stages extent of control on chi improves."
"Following the 'Mortal' realm is the 'Spiritual Sage' realm which is about connecting oneself spiritually to the world. After achieving this there is an increase in lifespan by another 100 years and one can now control the chi around them from the world, although in a limited way. Most people use that external chi as reserve for their own, others can use it in attack to throw opponents off although there isn't enough control to cause any real damage from that chi and usually opponents in similar realm would naturally use the chi around them as a barrier to prevent surprise attacks. This is also the realm where elemental affinity really makes a difference, as the element can be manifested and thrown as a projectile which is what makes it difficult for lower realm cultivators to take down a 'Spiritual Sage'."
"Finally, the highest cultivation that the previous host had knowledge on was 'Foundation Establishment' which once reached would add 500 years to the lifespan of a normie. This is what most sect elders were at. The first two levels were 'base tier' which meant that the only real difference was the increase in lifespan. The next three levels were called 'middle tier' in which cultivators created a domain linked with whatever cultivation method and elemental affinity they had, it was unique to each individual. This allowed cultivators to control fundamental universal laws and bend them to their will inside their domain. Though not all domains were equal, some would be stronger than others and there was no fixed range. One could pick an inch as a super powerful domain or a mile to throw long range projectiles from to wear down the enemy. It all depended on individual preference."
"What should I do with this information, all I know is that after these realms there is Unchained Saint which has something to do with breaking from the confines of this worlds laws and supposedly flying, Soul Sovereign which involves leaving the body and a rumoured Golden Core realm which no one has any knowledge on."
"There is something off with these definitions, as by that account one doesn't have to travel linearly, one can be a 7th Stage Spiritual Sage and 5th Stage Mortal realm at the same time if they learn how to control external chi earlier. My guess is these stages aren't real but representations of how competent you are in achieving the basics before moving onto more complex stuff, if the basics aren't solid, much progress can not be made in the higher realms. So it should also be possible to enter above 7th Stage Fighter realm, by the logic of cultivation the first three realms are similar ideas so it should hypothetically be possible to touch Foundation Establishment by reaching 21st level of Fighter, 14th level of Mortal and 7th stage of Spiritual Sage. Everyone is in a hurry to break through to higher levels but failed to understand something so simple. This isn't a world of meatheads I hope, it would be a pain to talk to people who think the earth is flat!" Roland said with a twinkle in his eyes, he had a goal now to be the first person to not only reach 21st level of Fighter realm, but also reach 14th realm of Mortal realm and 7th stage of spiritual sage realm before breaking into Foundation Establishment.