I will present the ways to strengthen oneself. I opted for simplicity to be more objective, and I would love to receive feedback. There may be inspirations from other novels, as I am both a reader and a writer, but don't expect too much from me. I like simplicity.
Let's start by talking about the most important thing, which is Cultivation.
[Cultivation]
Remember that there are three possible Paths for cultivators: Body Cultivation, Mana Cultivation, and Supreme Cultivation. Few people practice the latter, which consists of cultivating the Body and Mana simultaneously, merging both Yin and Yang energies. Yes, the names remain similar. In the case of a pure mana cultivator, that is, a mage, he would be called a "Stage Core Cultivator [Level Name]". Similarly, a pure Body Cultivator would be called a "Stage Body Cultivator [Level Name]". The total cultivator does not have a specific nomenclature, being able to be called a "Stage Complete Cultivator [Level Name]" or "Stage Supreme Cultivator [Level Name]". The first two stages are what define the cultivator, when their body and techniques begin to flow, as well as their proficiency in mana absorption or sky energy. Remembering that, for a total cultivator, something rare, there is no specific nomenclature.
[Cultivation Stages]
Muscle Temperament or Core Formation
Energy Condensation or Mana Condensation
Advanced Realm
Specialist Realm
Master Realm
Grandmaster Realm
King Realm
Emperor Realm
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[Abilities]In summary, the more stars, the better the ability and the stronger you are. Abilities range from one to seven stars. Additionally, all abilities have their respective mastery level:
Novice: Just learned the technique and has little experience in its use.
Apprentice: Has mastered the technique, but still has little experience and cannot use more than 25% of its strength.
Advanced: Has perfected their skills to a common level but can use them more effectively.
Specialist: Is starting to understand the technique and can use about 25% of its efficiency.
Master: Has become good at what they do and can use 50% of the technique's power.
Grandmaster: Has understood the essence of the technique and can use 75% of its power.
Supreme Mastery: Has obtained total knowledge of the technique, completing their training.
That being said, the higher the mastery of an ability, the stronger the user. Now, about weapons, which cannot be neglected.
[Weapons]
I don't have much to say about weapons. The better the quality and the blacksmith, the stronger it can be. They are also classified with stars, each star equivalent to a level. Stars range from one to seven, and of course, the more stars, the stronger you will be with them. In addition to star-rated weapons, there is a variant called "Spiritual Weapon". These weapons may contain remnants of spirits, which can influence in various ways. However, they are very rare and do not differ much from common weapons in terms of strength. Even though they are powerful, weapons are not equal. They equate to stars, but skill and proficiency surpass weapons at a certain point.