Tag: cultivation
-
The Hard Limit of Cultivation Fiction
Cultivation fantasy, progression fantasy, and similar stories come with a built-in hard limit. The plot is predicated on the main character becoming increasingly stronger. Many stories explicitly call it out as a selling point. Once the MC hits the hard limit imposed by the setting the story must end, or become stagnant. And because the…
-
Building the World of Saga of the Swordbreaker
I can’t stand cultivation, progression, wuxia and xianxia fiction written by Americans. The blurbs describe fantastic adventures in exotic lands. But the setting is America, plus some elements of foreign culture and geography glued on top. The characters are Americans with funny names. The dialogue is American, occasionally peppered by foreign phrases. I don’t see…
-
The Difference Between Gongfu and Cultivation
Your average wuxia\xianxia\cultivation\progression fantasy author makes a simple distinction between gongfu and cultivation: gongfu is for fighting, cultivation is for gaining power. To become more powerful, characters meditate and consume exotic substances. To express that power, they employ fancy-sounding martial techniques. There is a disconnect between cultivation methods and fighting methods. How a character gains…
-
What You Do, You Become
Saga of the Swordbreaker is a story of martial cultivation. Naturally, martial arts is the heart of the series. But what is a martial art? From the layman’s perspective, it is simply a collection of techniques, principles and body mechanics. It shows you how to generate power and transmit it into your opponent, ideally without…
-
The True Meaning of Cultivation
Cultivation is the heart of cultivation fantasy. But what does that word even mean? For most authors, cultivation is simply the means by which a character grows more powerful. This takes the form of meditation, consuming pills and potions, special breathing methods, striking bargains with powerful spiritual entities, and so on. This is the staple…
-
SAGA OF THE SWORDBREAKER: INVINCIBLE UNDER HEAVEN is live!
天下无敌。 Invincible under heaven. The title every martial artist aspires to. To one who holds this title, the world is his oyster, with which sword he will open. In pursuit of this dream, every cultivator of the rivers and lakes tirelessly pursues power—no matter the cost. Li Ming used to follow that path. He obsessed…