Chapter 66: Grandmaster Teaches the Basics

The next morning, Damian, Violetta, and Vulkara were called to the open training ground on Elder Selvara’s mountain peak.

The training ground was simple.

There were no fancy decorations, no crowds, and no noisy disciples.

Only a wide stone platform, several sword marks carved deep into the ground, and a cold mountain wind blowing through the bamboo forest. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Elder Selvara stood in the center of the platform with her hands behind her back.

Damian, Violetta, and Vulkara quickly walked over.

The moment they arrived, Selvara looked at them calmly. "From today onward, Damian will call me Master."

Damian immediately cupped his hands. "Yes, Master."

Then Selvara’s gaze moved toward Violetta and Vulkara. "As for you two, since you are Damian’s disciples, you will call me Grandmaster."

Violetta bowed gently. "Yes, Grandmaster."

Vulkara hesitated for a second before lowering her head as well. "Yes, Grandmaster."

Selvara nodded slightly. "Good."

Then she turned around and waved her sleeve.

A faint silver light spread across the stone platform, and several simple words appeared in the air.

---

[Qi Refinement]

[Foundation Establishment]

[Golden Core]

[Nascent Soul]

[King Realm]

---

Selvara spoke calmly, "Before I teach you techniques, you must first understand the cultivation realms."

Damian’s eyes moved across the words.

Violetta and Vulkara also became serious.

Selvara continued, "For now, you only need to know five major realms."

She pointed at the first one. "Qi Refinement Realm. This is the beginning. At this stage, cultivators absorb spiritual Qi into their bodies and use it to strengthen their meridians, flesh, and basic cultivation foundation."

Then her finger moved to the second word. "Foundation Establishment Realm. At this stage, the Qi you absorbed begins to form your true foundation. Your body, meridians, and Qi become more stable. This is also the realm where Qi may mutate depending on your spiritual root, cultivation art, physique, or other special conditions."

Damian’s expression moved slightly as he realized this explained his double-element spiritual root and the reason his Qi had mutated in a realistic way.

Selvara glanced at him once before continuing. "Golden Core Realm. At this realm, the cultivator compresses their foundation and Qi into a core. Once that core is formed, their strength, lifespan, and control over Qi all increase greatly."

She paused for a moment. "Some cultivators use special treasures or rare items to fuse with their core and improve its quality. However, this is not always good. If the item does not suit you, it may damage your path instead of strengthening it."

Vulkara frowned. "So stronger items are not always better?"

Selvara nodded. "Correct. Suitability matters more than greed."

Damian coughed lightly for some reason.

Selvara ignored him and pointed at the fourth word. "Nascent Soul Realm. This realm involves the soul. At this stage, your soul begins to take form and becomes deeply connected to your cultivation."

Then she pointed at the final word. "King Realm. This is the realm where body, Qi, and soul resonate with each other. A King Realm cultivator is no longer only strong in one aspect. Their entire existence begins to move as one."

The air became quiet.

Even Vulkara did not interrupt.

Selvara looked at the three of them and said calmly, "But that is still far away from all of you."

Damian’s mouth twitched.

Selvara continued, "For now, you are all still beginners. Do not dream too far before your feet can even stand firmly."

Vulkara muttered, "Harsh..."

Selvara’s silver eyes glanced at her.

Vulkara immediately stood straighter. "I mean, very wise, Grandmaster."

Damian almost laughed.

Selvara waved her sleeve again, and the glowing words in the air slowly changed.

This time, five new words appeared above the stone platform.

---

[Mortal Grade]

[Profound Grade]

[Noble Grade]

[Royal Grade]

[King Grade]

---

Selvara looked at the three of them and spoke calmly, "Next, you must understand item and talent grades."

Damian’s eyes immediately focused.

This was exactly what he wanted to know.

Selvara continued, "Spiritual roots, physiques, talents, cultivation arts, martial arts, pills, treasures, and weapons can all be divided by grade. For now, you only need to remember these five grades."

She pointed at the words one by one. "Mortal Grade, Profound Grade, Noble Grade, Royal Grade, and King Grade."

Vulkara frowned slightly. "So Noble Grade is not the highest?"

Selvara glanced at her. "Of course not."

Damian silently coughed.

He had once thought Noble Grade was already ridiculously high.

Selvara continued, "Each grade is also divided into four ranks. Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, High-Rank, and Top-Rank."

Then she waved her sleeve again.

More words appeared beneath the grades.

---

[Low-Rank: Early Stage]

[Mid-Rank: Middle Stage]

[High-Rank: Late Stage]

[Top-Rank: Peak Stage]

---

Selvara explained, "In general, each grade corresponds to a realm. For example, Noble Grade corresponds to the third major realm, the Golden Core Realm."

Damian’s eyes moved slightly.

"So that was how it worked."

Selvara pointed at the ranks. "As for the rank, it roughly corresponds to the stage within that realm."

Violetta nodded softly. "So a Top-Rank Profound Grade cultivation art can support someone up to the peak of Foundation Establishment?"

Selvara gave her a faint approving glance. "Correct."

Then her gaze became sharper. "But spiritual roots are different."

The three of them immediately became serious.

Selvara said calmly, "Your spiritual root grade mainly determines how far you can naturally reach."

Vulkara’s face changed slightly.

Selvara continued, "Of course, fate is not absolute. Pills, opportunities, physiques, cultivation arts, and heaven-defying treasures may change a person’s path. But under normal conditions, spiritual root grade decides your ceiling."

Damian silently glanced at Selvara.

"King Grade spiritual root, King Grade physique, King Grade talent. No wonder this woman was terrifying."

Selvara looked at Violetta and Vulkara. "Now, both of you tell me your cultivation manuals."

Violetta bowed gently. "Grandmaster, I cultivate the Nine Song Foundation Cultivation Art."

Vulkara quickly followed, "I cultivate the Flame Absorption Art."

Selvara’s eyes moved slightly. "Top-Rank Profound Grade?"

Both women nodded.

For the first time, a trace of surprise appeared in Selvara’s eyes.

She glanced at Damian, then looked back at them. "Quite good for your current realm."

Damian smiled innocently.

Selvara ignored him. "For now, continue cultivating those arts. Do not rush. Stabilize your Qi properly and aim for Foundation Establishment first."

Violetta and Vulkara bowed at the same time. "Yes, Grandmaster."

Selvara nodded. "Good. You two may return and cultivate."

The two women obeyed and slowly left the training ground.