Ascender

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Ascender (升华者)
Species/Race	Humans whose spirit and soul have evolved through contact with another dimension 11
Affiliation	Various Ascender organizations; the Ether Association is the largest known alliance 37
Status	Extant
First Appearance	3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Tier 0	15 16	An awakened Ascender gains an inheritance path and begins accumulating spirituality.
Transcendent level (Tiers 0–3)	37	Advancement primarily requires accumulating spirituality and learning to control its latent power; Spirit Potions must match the user’s stage.
Trans-dimensional level (Tiers 4–6)	17 37	Higher-stage advancement requires more complex, precise rituals and appropriate Spirit Potions.
Ninth Rank / Demigod threshold	12 106	A Ninth-Rank Ascender can cross the “wall of cognition” and become a demigod; those at the peak of the ninth rank stand among the rulers of the Ascender world.
First Rank	40	The first formal promotion grants a new ability tied to the Ascender’s inheritance path. A Divine Priest becomes a Life Controller at this stage and may gain abilities such as Ghost Humanization.
Fourth Rank / Ultra-dimensional level	253	Promotion from the Transcendent to the Ultra-dimensional level is a qualitative evolution of life and soul. Known fourth-rank titles include Lord of the Clouds for Divine Priests and Asura for Ghost Slayers.
Fifth Rank	325 327	Known fifth-rank titles include Moon Priest for Divine Priests and Star Lord for Ghost Slayers. Ascenders at this level possess greatly enhanced spirituality and can sustain substantially stronger abilities.
Sixth Rank	348 455	The final rank before Sanctuary. Certain paths gain exceptional survival or transformation methods at this level, such as the Celestial Master Path’s Ascension and rebirth.
Sanctuary / Saint realm (Tiers 7–9)	106 443 514	Sanctuary-level Ascenders form a domain within their consciousness that continuously purifies and refines spirituality. A seventh-rank Divine Priest is known as an Eastern Lord.
Calamity	99 106	A status beyond ordinary demigods, associated with Ascenders capable of contending with Ancient Supremes in the real world and maintaining their own inheritances.

Background

Ascenders are rare humans qualified for evolution after their consciousness has traversed time and space. Most experience fragments of the dimension once inhabited by a lost civilization; exposure baptizes their consciousness and gives them spirituality, the defining trait that separates Ascenders from ordinary humans 11.

Only a very small portion of humanity possesses the aptitude to evolve into Ascenders. Upon first witnessing another dimension, qualified individuals develop spirituality, become capable of perceiving inheritance paths, and can complete their awakening 11 19.

The first Ascenders were autonomous awakeners who found power resonating with them in another dimension without organizational guidance. Their accumulated residual consciousness eventually formed the paths of inheritance used by later generations 12.

Modern Ascenders draw much of their technology, resources, and knowledge from the Ancient God Race and its realms. They explore these dangerous dimensions to obtain materials, advance their paths, and prevent the lost civilization from returning 11 33.

Later discoveries indicate that the Ancient God Race reached Earth long before humanity and may have influenced the development of life, human form, and souls on the planet. The precise relationship between humanity, spirituality, and the Ancient God Race remains unresolved 352 390.

Ascenders perceive a different aspect of reality from ordinary humans. According to alchemical theory, ordinary humans entering space perceive the “outer universe,” while Ascenders with spirituality may perceive an overlapping “inner universe” governed by different rules 371.

Awakening and Inheritance

An Ascender’s inheritance path functions as a specialized profession, determining the nature of their abilities and advancement. Most require rituals, organizational resources, and the residual will of past Ascenders to awaken; autonomous awakeners can find an inherited path independently 12.

The origin of inheritance paths was initially unknown even to experienced Ascenders. They are broadly understood as the means by which humanity obtains and develops divine power, with older paths generally possessing deeper foundations and more mature systems of abilities 12.

Path	Known characteristics
Ancient Martial Arts	An ancient, close-combat-oriented path noted for overwhelming melee power 12 14
Overlord	A ranged path associated with mounted archers and large bows 14
Celestial Master	A path associated with Taoist imagery and supernatural spells. At the sixth rank, its practitioners can achieve Ascension, allowing a severely injured Ascender to be reborn once every seven days 14 348
Divine Priest	A highly comprehensive ancient path that communicates with nature and governs mysteries of life. Its known abilities include Life Perception, Divine Sacrifice Fire, and the Ghost Curse Technique 15 17 18
Alchemist	Produces Spirit Potions and alchemical armaments; considered indispensable to Ascender advancement 17 19
Magician	A comparatively newer Western path; its basic practitioners use illusions 12
Witch	A support-oriented path 12
Other known Eastern paths	Sword Sect, Ghost Slayer, Diviner 17
Zen Sect	A newer inheritance path with exceptional demonstrated potential. Its known sequence is Monk, Mage, Scripture Seat, Zen Child, Bodhi, Sacred Ancestor, Great Sage, Sacred Buddha, and World-Purifying God 552

Following a later reshuffling of the inheritance system, seven paths were officially recognized as the most ancient: Ancient Martial Arts, Overlord, Sword Sect, Ghost Slayer, Divine Priest, Celestial Master, and Zen Sect 552.

The Ghost Slayer Path is historically associated with the Candle Dragon Venerable. Accounts of its earliest development state that the Candle Dragon Venerable created the first Ghost Slayer inheritance path after awakening on Her home planet 55 521.

Abilities and Resources

Spirituality

Spirituality is the source of an Ascender’s extraordinary power. It flows through the body and soul, fuels abilities, and determines the upper limit of advancement 17 19.

• Spirituality can be accumulated through meditation, combat, and Spirit Potions 19.
• An Ascender must consume spirituality when using extraordinary abilities 19.
• Excess spirituality expands spiritual capacity until the Ascender reaches the threshold for promotion 37.
• Once spirituality reaches saturation, continued meditation can eventually produce the qualitative change needed for advancement, though this process is extremely slow without external resources 83.
• Transcendent Ascenders possess limited spiritual reserves, while Ultra-dimensional Ascenders can sustain high-intensity combat with much larger reserves 443.
• Sanctuary-level Ascenders refine spirituality through the domain within their consciousness, allowing them to maintain a far more powerful and efficient internal energy cycle 443.
• Using a Spirit Potion above one’s stage can cause spiritual disorder, bodily collapse, or advancement failure 37.

Spirit Potions

Spirit Potions are alchemical medicines used to replenish and accumulate spirituality. Their production makes Alchemists one of the most valuable types of Ascender 17 19.

• Low-order advancement is heavily dependent on compatible Spirit Potions 19.
• Resources from the Ancient God Realm are the primary source of Ascender materials; the real world has comparatively few 16.
• Potions intended for the Trans-dimensional level require rituals and cannot safely be used by low-rank Ascenders 37.
• Inferior or improperly used Spirit Potions can contribute to mental collapse and failed evolution 40.

Armaments

Ascenders commonly use equipment produced through alchemy.

• Alchemy Armaments — Standard extraordinary equipment, including firearms, bullets, daggers, and protective gear 20 46.
• Mythic Armaments — Rare, highly sought-after items capable of granting exceptional abilities 20 33.
• Transcription Matrices — Specialized alchemical matrices capable of storing an Ascender’s ability for later activation 266.

Breathing Techniques and Supreme Laws

Breathing Techniques are advanced cultivation methods that can improve spirituality accumulation and assist advancement once an Ascender reaches the limit of their current rank 83.

• Heavenly Humans wield the Illumination Law and can develop a Heavenly Human Domain by comprehending and bearing the conviction embodied by their Breathing Technique 285 306.
• Evolutionists cultivate the Lunar Law. Its core ability is Primordial Return, through which an Ascender assumes a form reflecting their soul and approaching the Ancient God Race 371 424.
• The most exceptional individuals may possess both Heavenly Human aptitude and Evolutionist power, though such Ascenders are extraordinarily rare 285 306.
• Primordial Return allows an Ascender’s abilities to manifest in more primitive and powerful forms; deeper transformations risk sacrificing the user’s will to ancient power 439.

Categories and Risks

Autonomous Ascenders

Autonomous Ascenders awaken without the Ether Association’s sublimation ceremony after personally entering another dimension. They are exceptionally rare and possess better innate potential than ordinary Ascenders, though they still require resources and guidance to advance safely 11 12.

Wild Ascenders

Wild Ascenders lack official protection, resources, high-level guidance, and reliable access to inheritance paths. Without these supports, they struggle to advance or survive in Ancient God Realms 12 13 14.

Fallen

Ascenders may become Fallen when they lose themselves during evolution or are corrupted by Ancient God power. Mental mutation can turn them into monsters, while some willingly fall in pursuit of greater power 16.

• The Ether Association subjects Ascenders to periodic assessments to identify those at risk of falling 16.
• Individuals with weak mental will are particularly vulnerable to corruption 16.
• High-rank Ascenders have a near-zero probability of falling, but are not stated to be entirely immune 16.
• Fallen and aberrant Ascenders may mutate into nonhuman forms after their spirituality, mind, or spiritual genes become corrupted 390.

Artificial Ancestors and Divine Servants

Ancient God-derived experimentation presents a separate danger from ordinary Falling.

• Divine Servants can be created when a human successfully endures transformation through Ancient God Blood, though most subjects cannot survive or complete the evolution 312.
• Pseudo-Ancestors are artificial products created through the Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees Technique, which uses human bodies to carry the consciousness and power of the Ancient God Race 363.
• Experimental subjects can serve as both mother bodies and cultivation vessels for Ancient God Race members, allowing Ancient Gods to act through human bodies under the rules of the real world 350.
• If Ancient God-derived genes spread unchecked, ordinary humans and less-talented Ascenders may mutate after infection 376.

Organizations and Counterparts

• Ether Association — The world’s largest Ascender alliance. It monitors, recruits, trains, and deploys Ascenders while controlling major resources and exploration projects 14 37.
• Tribunal — A dominant force within the Ether Association that is deeply wary of Ancient God-derived power 33.
• Youying Group — The Dark World’s greatest power and one of the two largest Ascender organizations in the world alongside the Ether Association 94 325.
• Reclusive Society — A clandestine organization conducting dangerous experiments involving Ancient God Race power, human vessels, and Pseudo-Ancestors 340 350.
• Omega Sequence — An elite cultivation system for exceptional young Ascenders. Its members are expected to reach Sanctuary level, with some potentially becoming demigods or Calamities 99.
• Ancient God Race — A fundamentally different form of life whose lost civilization, powers, and realms are central to Ascender evolution 11 12.
• God-servants — Beings directly chosen by gods; they stand above ordinary Ascenders in the hierarchy of life 12.
• Fallen — Corrupted Ascenders targeted for extermination by the Ether Association 5 16.

Notable Quotes

“Spirituality. This is the mark that distinguishes humans from Ascenders.” 11

“We pioneer the future from the past.” 11

“Every dead Ascender’s residual consciousness returns to that other world, and with the accumulation of history, it forms a path of inheritance.” 12

“The process of an Ascender advancing along a path of inheritance is the process of humanity obtaining the power of gods.” 12