You open up a Cultivation story, what do you expect?

[RepresentingWrath]

You know that most/all authors in china are forced to write nationalism in their story and they can't talk shit about it?

But everything else is valid.

 

[Theirl]

i expect to walk inside a mc donalds and see two cultivators above the patting turning realm fighting for something useless like face and in the middle of the fight die as a helpless spectator

 

[jrell]

Character names that you can't even pronounce or remember.

 

[prognastat]

You know that most/all authors in china are forced to write nationalism in their story and they can't talk shit about it?

That doesn't change that it's in the story though and that you'll be forced to read it if you want to read many Chinese stories. Older ones aren't as bad, but anything written in like the last 5 years is pretty bad.

 

[RepresentingPride]

But everything else is valid.

for most, yes

 

[Satansoul]

What do I expect?
1.Cultivation realms that I don't even learn their order until the end of the novel.(The density of Qi, the formation of the nucleus and the nascent soul is good, but when the divine, empire and kingdom are added to the names of the realms, everything becomes a disaster)
2.many courtships from death.(Well, I think you know what I mean)
3.Lots of stupid young masters
4.A lot of pedo... I mean a lot of love despite hundreds of years of age difference.
And other things that I don't remember
Although, in the end, I like and read novels of the cultivation genre...
(I'm sorry if it's not clear. I know English to the extent of hello and how are you, I wrote this with Google translator)

 

[Rezcore]

for most, yes

A story I'm currently reading, the fem-mc allowed a woman to get raped, when she could have stopped it. Many stories have male characters acting like Neanderthals

 

[RepresentingPride]

A story I'm currently reading, the fem-mc allowed a woman to get raped, when she could have stopped it. Many stories have male characters acting like Neanderthals

Is there a reason why she allowed her to get raped?

Also it depend what you read, I won't say that much of the mc in cultivation story are smart, but they use some of their brain cell except when their a jade beauty, they suddenly become dogs most of the time.

 

[QuercusMalus]

What I found interesting with those genres was how horrible even the 'good' martial sects were as a whole. Until I realized that they're all just gangs. The 'good' sects just have better publicity.

 

[Spactacular]

A cover that wont actually reflect the MC in the slightest, usually some woman in questionable attire you'd expect to find in a red light district, and most commonly, a bunch of green-skinned women being called beautiful.

 

[Cipiteca396]

Just got to the last released chapter of Retribution Engine, which I added to a reading list like two years ago and forgot about.
Since I didn't read the warnings going into it, the cultivation kinda snuck up on me out of nowhere. You could say it's an interesting deconstruction of cultivation, maybe?

Either way, I don't read much cultivation so my understanding is skewed.

I'd say that something is Cultivation if the characters actively try to "Cultivate" something (usually their soul/spirit) to be "better"; even if by better it just means immortal or powerful.

In that way, a lot of stories that completely don't match the tropey Chinese novels suddenly become Cultivation.
I guess you could say it's synonymous with Progression, except that progression could be a less focused thing. A character could Progress by gaining new abilities and items, but a Cultivator would also try to grow those items and abilities to create a sort of exponential progression.

I’d prefer a Cultivation novel where the main character is short, dwarf like and ugly.

I read a Cultivation story where the MC is literally a Dwarf that reincarnated as a Dungeon Core. He was shocked that nobody in the world he ended up in knew how to cultivate, and alternated his time between self-cultivation and LitRPG Dungeon murdering invaders. I think it went to indefinite hiatus, sadly. Last thing I remember, he reforged normal fantasy Goblins into pretty fae monsters instead of ugly green(jade?) gremlins.

 

[BouncyCactus]

The two main genres can be breakdown as such:

Wuxia - Historical Fantasy/Fiction, mostly set in a certain period. This is where you have the Mortal heroes, who often focus on honor, code, justice, and whatnot. Think Sinbad, the Oddessy (minus the gods and their hijinks).

Xianxia - High Fantasy. This is the genre most people think of when we are speaking of cultivation, of immortal (or becoming one) and mythologies, and such. They can be set in ancient China, or might not be. One of the most well-known stories is Journey to The West. Especially JTTW first few volumes, where it is all about Wukong and his shenanigans of becoming thrice immortal, and fucking around the Jade Palace before being punished.

 

[NineHeadHeavenDevouringSerpent]

This all started when my roommate went chickenshit insane and started to read Xianxia/Wuxia and Cultivation like a complete madman. After some time I started to question him about it and it all felt so...alien. But after digging more and more we came to agree that most of the things I've written fall here onto some kind of cultivation, albeit none of them are certainly Xianxia.

As we are preparing material we've discussed a bunch of ideas around Demonic Cultivation, how the tropes works, and mostly...Me questioning how progression inside a cultivation story is done and dealt with (and for that I focused onto the more classic tropes of xianxia like meditation, pills and whatnots).

Then we came to the cross of our argument as I asked: "If I put [Cultivation] in the title of my novel what would you be expecting?"

His wise answer was: "Dunno dude, cool shit."

So, what would you expect? What are the expectations, the general concept idea you think of that pulls your interest when you search a Cultivation story. As a bonus...what makes you enjoy one, and what is a turn off when it comes to Cultivation?

I must say that I am rather new to cultivation by a Xianxia perspective, and I'm still learning the ropes, so I'm kinda of a dumb idiot on this.

Unbridled power scaling. Western fiction pulls the magic to ground level, there's probably only instances where concept level powers are manipulated, only the destined one wields it or its just not there at all.

In west, fiction is just an exotic excuse of a romance.... Like literally just fking romance.


What I seek in any cultivation is pure unadulterated masochistic power hungry protagonist who cultivates cause it is the only truth acceptable to reality. There's a literal path forged to godhood and people think they need more reason to wholeheartedly pursue it?! R u fking dense?

Yes, it's an implausible endeavour and it should be as such, only then is it thrilling to be part of a never before adventure of our protagonist.

Make bombastic mind-blowing endings to smaller arcs and a bigger one for the end. People must feel enlightened at the outcome rather than relief that it concluded.

So research, base the political upheaval to real life factors... Show don't tell, it should crescendo like a snowball rather than, be fed like iv fluids.

Cut romance.... There's no room for a responsible relationship and have a cultivation novel where mc reaches the most selfish and individualistic goal there is in human imagination. It insults romance how ever you set it, and it's not a "niche" for you to show your creativity it it. Most shove it in to fling the thing mainstream.... It's also why they make most xianxia into a harem cause it's much easier to sell two sets of beige ballons with jade skins than hard training arcs.

Don't fall into the need to please the young and horny crowd, be bold and make it philosophical...but don't drag it, there has to be a some simplicity and grounded reality check to make it believable.


Pretty much that's it. Good luck and may your dao be fruitful to you.

 

[WaterFish]

Wanna collab? I know a lot about terminology and can basically picture Ancient China setting for Xianxia… but I have zero naming sense and bad memory. DM if you’re interested and I’ll definitely come back to you (since I gotta sleep now).

also, about the question itself: I’d be expecting lore dumps about how the main character is totally getting stronger via whatever gimmick the author has chosen.

 

[AYM]

• Main Character is a mortal who lives in the continent's shittiest and most remote village, and either both of his parents are dead (or secretly from a higher realm) or are nobodies (or hiding they're from a higher realm).
• Secret technique, inheritance, or physique allows the main character to fight opponents two full realms higher.
• coldly snorts
• Heaven-Defying Jade Beauty + Virgin + Pure Yin Physique + Ice Palace + Genius + 18 y.o. + Big Breasts
  • Heaven-Defying Jade Beauty is suffering from an unexpected aphrodisiac and is in desperate need of a Big Expandable Yang Rod.
  • Heaven-Defying Jade Beauty is suffering from severe yin-imbalance/illness and is in desperate need of an exotic herb or a Big Expandable Yang Rod.
  • Heaven-Defying Jade Beauty is kidnapped by a higher realm cultivator and reappears 1800 chapters later.
• "Water is wet" Immediate breakthrough
• Fatty Wang
• Junior, you dare?!
• A 7th Level Qi Condensation Toad lusts after the Novice Level Foundation Realm Swan of B City. End result: 644,759,133 mortals killed; 964,469 rogue cultivators killed and looted; 724 young masters removed from the family registry through dying; 138 Immortal clans and sects erased; 65 dragons beheaded; 28 mountains flattened; 1 girl eaten by a bear; 0 dogs or chickens spared.

 

[Chaos_Sinner777]

Just got to the last released chapter of Retribution Engine, which I added to a reading list like two years ago and forgot about.
Since I didn't read the warnings going into it, the cultivation kinda snuck up on me out of nowhere. You could say it's an interesting deconstruction of cultivation, maybe?

Either way, I don't read much cultivation so my understanding is skewed.

I'd say that something is Cultivation if the characters actively try to "Cultivate" something (usually their soul/spirit) to be "better"; even if by better it just means immortal or powerful.

In that way, a lot of stories that completely don't match the tropey Chinese novels suddenly become Cultivation.
I guess you could say it's synonymous with Progression, except that progression could be a less focused thing. A character could Progress by gaining new abilities and items, but a Cultivator would also try to grow those items and abilities to create a sort of exponential progression.

I read a Cultivation story where the MC is literally a Dwarf that reincarnated as a Dungeon Core. He was shocked that nobody in the world he ended up in knew how to cultivate, and alternated his time between self-cultivation and LitRPG Dungeon murdering invaders. I think it went to indefinite hiatus, sadly. Last thing I remember, he reforged normal fantasy Goblins into pretty fae monsters instead of ugly green(jade?) gremlins.

Oh, I think I know that one! "Dungeon Heart: The Singing Mountain" by "David Sanchez-Ponton" and its sequels, on Amazon, right?

 

[Cipiteca396]

Oh, I think I know that one! "Dungeon Heart: The Singing Mountain" by "David Sanchez-Ponton" and its sequels, on Amazon, right?

Could be. I read it on Royal Road, presumably before the Author realized they could make money off it.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

i expect to walk inside a mc donalds and see two cultivators above the patting turning realm fighting for something useless like face and in the middle of the fight die as a helpless spectator

If I ever get around to that Joke Story of mine, I'm going to have the MCDonalds, where all the Main Characters hang out.

 

[Dieter]

 

[PancakesWitch]

I expect that Wuxia, Xianxia, and Xuanhuan are three different genres.

they always get them mixed together anyways

Could be. I read it on Royal Road, presumably before the Author realized they could make money off it.

yeah the entire book is on amazon, with the ending too i think