Q&A 8

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It was mentioned way back at the start of the story that spirit beasts could take human form once they had gotten to a high enough level of cultivation. What's the difference between these intelligent humanoid spirit beasts and demons? Is a spirit beast going to show up in the story later on as an important character?

Let’s see… 

Becoming a demon is a slow process with big jumps. Each jump comes with increased cognitive abilities. Getting the human form is the last jump to fully become a demon. 

For Spirit Beasts, things are more gradual. Taking on human shape is simply a technique they can learn once their cultivation and cognitive abilities are high enough. Note that not all Spirit Beasts have the same cognitive potential. 

Also, spirit beasts gain power through their cores. Meanwhile, humans and demons cultivate using a system of dantian. 

We might see Spirit Beasts that can take on human shape in the future.

How was the relationship between the 3 princes of the SDE when Qing Jin (the Emperor) was alive? How were they all seen? What expectations did people have for them?

Outwardly, they got along well. Qing Jianjun was the baby brother, and the other two were his dependable older brothers who were admired throughout the Empire. Secretly, Qing Jianhong, the eldest brother, was growing resentful of Qing Jianguo’s talent. Qing Jianguo never noticed this, but everyone could tell that he was the superior brother. 

One day, Qing Jianhong learned his parents planned to make Qing Jianguo the Emperor over him. As the envy and resentment in his heart grew, things drifted toward the worst outcome.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen worship in this story. Does anyone worship anything here?

Yes, but I have never found time to show that aspect of the story. When everyone is talking about overcoming the will of Heaven and stuff, it feels awkward to bring it up. However, there is worship of ancestors, of deities, and so on. 

Also, Nuwa.

How do Old Jiang and Patriarch Feng compare to the 108 in power? While we’re at it, how does the Storm Dragon or Nine-Headed Snake God compare? Will we ever see the backstory on the 108? 

Old Jiang, at the peak of his power, is stronger than some of the 108, but not all. Patriarch Feng isn’t. 

The NHSG and Storm Dragon, back when they were alive, were in a similar tier to the stronger 108.

We might see more of the 108, but not much.

Have we met the strongest cultivator in the story or are they yet to come? 

We have not yet met the strongest cultivator in the story.

Xiao Nan spent years inside a special realm that incredibly advanced his cultivation. Are there other places on the continent that offer similar benefits?

There are other places. None as easily accessible. 

Can cultivators in the divine realms have children? If so, how would these kids compare to those born from parents in the mortal realms?

They can. Very carefully. Those kids will naturally be innately more powerful compared to other children.

Do you ever intend to Publish? You have enough material for it, and this is an amazing story. Name might need fine tuning is all. 

Yes, I do. I’m just being very slow about it.

As for the name, I keep going back and forth on it. 

Will we meet the Black Dragon female follower that Murong Bang had a deep dislike for?

Maybe.

What was the role of the Death Fashioning Scripture on the death of Wong Shou? They mention feeling traces of them there. Why were the shadow guys so certain no one on this side could kill him?

To answer the last question first, pride.

It is possible that before Liu Jin and the others arrived at Night Forest Nation, someone from the Death Fashioning Scripture might have messed with Wong Shou’s already precarious mental state, resulting in his loss of control.

What was the scenery Feng Zhi was watching in the Spring of Clear Insight? When Elder Xue mentioned it, Feng Zhi was embarrassed.

Feng Zhi had gotten permission for Yi Jiao to bathe in the spring. 

He might have been peeking.

Why are birthrates so low for cultivators? The Xiao patriarch only had two despite having multiple wives.

There are two factors here. One, their birthrates are naturally low because producing kids is just hard for them, especially when there is a disparity in cultivation. Two, and this ties to the first, cultivators can be very picky about the partners they choose because they want the best possible offspring.

Feng Gui is a bit of an exception in that he has decided to throw as many darts as possible and see what pops out. That gave him Feng Hao.

What happened to the red scarf Liu Jin took from the bandit?

Destroyed during his training. Regular cloth doesn’t do well against supernatural kung fu.

Did the Tree of Never Ending Vigor survive the fall of Eastern Port City? When he looks for his master's book he makes a point of not looking to one corner of the room, was that because of the tree?

Unfortunately, no, and yes, that’s why he doesn’t look in that direction. Liu Jin feels he failed to protect what Xiao Shuang left him.

What's your favorite xianxia aside from the one you write?

Tough question. Guess I have to go with Virtuous Sons. 

How does the life-extension work? Is it a flat number? When does one gain eternal youth?

It varies. Let’s say you reach the Nascent Realm. If you reach it as an old man, you get a couple of decades more out of life. Maybe even just a few years, depending on your health. But if you reach it as a young man, you might get an extra century or more.

The aging process is essentially halted in the Heaven Realm, but by then, cultivators might have grown attached to a certain look. There is also a bit of a mental component tied to their physical appearance. You’re only as old as you feel and all that. However, Heaven Realm cultivators still have a limited lifespan. It just happens to be a very big limit.

If a Divine Cultivator uses lighting, will they have purple lightning or is it specific to Qing bloodlines?

It is not specific, but it is also not so easy to use. Purple Lightning requires a lot of training to master, even if you’re in the Divine Realm.

How talented is Liu/Qing Jin compared to his peers?

In medicine? He’s amazingly talented. He’s got a serious knack for all things medical to a degree that is absurd.

In pure cultivation? Less talented than many of his peers because of how his dad crippled himself. However, his training with Old Jiang and the aforementioned medical talent more than make up for it.

How many emperors did the Storm dragon empire have before the events of the story? 3 seems absurdly low. And do they not have any relevant sects at all?

Dozens of them. 

The Black Dragon was thorough.

Is it possible to forcibly take Inheritances? 

Taking it from Shadow granting it? Possible but requires some serious power.

Taking it from a person? Yes, but it’s complicated. An Inheritance basically becomes tied to your soul at a certain point. Forcefully taking it entails stealing a bit of someone's soul.

Regarding divine realm cultivators that possess inheritances, do they even need it? It strikes me as weird that the patriarch feng would rely on the eternal flame when he is himself already a god. Or is it a matter of refinement/development? Could the patriarch “upgrade” his eternal flame? 

Even if you have maxed out stats, you want maxed out equipment. That’s the best way to put it, I think.

Also yes, a Divine Realm cultivator can obviously use an Inheritance to a higher degree than someone who is not in the Divine Realm.

How common was it in the past for someone to cross the dead plains, from either direction?

There were no Dead Plains in the past, so it was common to go from one end of the continent to the other.

Is there a hard limit to how far one can progress on their Dao without raising their cultivation? If the discrepancy is extreme enough, will cultivation autonomously improve?

Working on your Dao leads to improvements in cultivation. It is arguably the superior way to go about it, but it is also harder to accomplish.

When it comes to your characters, in particular the major powers of the continent (such as the great Sects or SDE and their leadership), did you already have their character (relationships, motives, personality and history) fleshed out before you started writing? Or just created/developed them as they appeared in the story?

Bit of a 50/50 thing. Some things were always planned. Others developed with the story. 

Does Feng Hao represent the peak of possible speed one can advance in cultivation with without having a weak foundation?

Not quite. If Feng Hao were living on the other side of the Dead Plains, his cultivation would be much faster.

Why was Jin able to damage Old Jiang's body at all after his death? Why could he destroy it? Is it because Qi is the only thing making high class cultivator's bodies tough, and Old Jiang's was gone? Was it because his soul was no more and so there was nothing telling his body it should be strong?

It is a mix of things. One is the Qi. There is nothing powering Old Jiang’s body anymore. However, that’s not all. For years, Old Jiang’s body had been degrading due to the poison. That mattered a lot. Also, at the time of his death, Old Jiang used his remaining energies to do his best to annihilate the poison inside him, which also damaged his already frail body further. 

How does one improve the state of their Meridians and Dantians more than average? Does it come from specific techniques and methods of Qi circulation, elixirs and pills, regular training?

Meridians and dantians naturally improve with cultivation and meditation. Also, through dealing with personal issues. That helps too.

However, past a certain point, you need those secret techniques and pills to improve your meridian and dantian.

Does the Endlessly Raging Valley have 2 Divine Cultivators?

Nope.

Since we’ve seen a bunch of remarkable young talents who reached the Earth Realm before being 21 years old, when does their growth usually stop being so fast? To put it differently, what prevents all these youths from inflating the number of Heaven Realm cultivators (somewhere around 1000) in a matter of generations?

There are a couple of things to remark here. Liu Jin’s generation has been unusually talented. That said, the number of Heaven Realm cultivators has been steadily increasing each generation. After the war between humans and demons ended, this side of the Dead Plains was basically destroyed. Cultivators were super weak back, but with the passing of time, cultivation has progressed to what it is now, leading to stronger cultivators.

Also, prodigies encountering each other and deciding one of them must die goes a long way toward keeping their numbers in check.

Can one possess multiple special traits inherent from body type? This question specifically refers to main bloodlines from the greatest sects, since Feng Zhi listed a bunch of special traits the Feng acquired over the centuries.

Yes. However, some traits might be more compatible with each other than others.

How would a "good king" Jianguo au work? Would it have worked?

He probably would have had to meet Liu Jin’s mother long before losing his cultivation. Way earlier. I guess that’d be the easiest way. Let's call it the Otome Route. My Red-Eyed Tyrant Can’t be so Handsome. Or something. 

In that AU, the Generals would have been Liu Jin’s crazy uncles.