Major Revelations of Cultivation 13: Further Discussion of "Immortal Marks" (Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua)

Summary: Immortal Marks were imprints of the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth within the soul. The so-called "mark of an Immortal Mark" was the "imprint of the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth within the soul." Comprehending the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth meant cultivating Immortal Marks, allowing them to progress from virtual to shadowy, then bright. This was the cultivation method of immortals in Cultivation of the Godly Manual: Immortal Realm Chapter. It bore crucial significance for the framework of the Dao cultivation system in Exiled Immortal: Immortal Realm Arc—whether that framework could support the Immortal Realm and extend into the God Realm. In "Major Revelations of Cultivation 4: Discussing the Power of the Soul in Exiled Immortal," I had already said that Immortal Mark cultivation was the cultivation of the soul, connected to the Power of Faith, and the Power of Faith was related to becoming a god. This point alone was enough to lay the groundwork for the God Realm Arc. I would not elaborate further here on the relationship between Immortal Marks and the soul; this article would discuss only the "types and grades of Immortal Marks," as well as the connection between the two!

I. What were Immortal Marks?

Immortal Marks were imprints carved by the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth into the soul. When immortals cultivated Immortal Marks, their essence was actually comprehending the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth, cultivating Immortal Marks step by step from Virtual Marks to Illusionary Marks, then to Bright Marks or Solid Marks. The clearer and more distinct the marks became, the deeper one's comprehension of the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth, and the more formidable one's control over the Great Dao and heaven and earth. In a nutshell, the quality of an Immortal Mark came from accumulated cultivation; it was acquired after birth. In other words, whether one was a genius or worthless trash, most people had to begin with Virtual Marks and slowly advance to Illusionary Marks and Shadow Marks. Only great fortune allowed one to enter the realm of "Solid Marks," and only further great fortune could upgrade one's Immortal Mark.

II. The qualities of Immortal Marks: Virtual Marks, Illusionary Marks, Shadow Marks, Bright Marks, Solid Marks;

In the Immortal Realm of Cultivation of the Godly Manual, those unable to carve Immortal Marks were Mortal Immortals, unable to register upon the Universe-Shaking Bright Stone or be listed on the Immortal Roster. Those who carved Immortal Marks were Immortals Without Leakage, also called Leakage Immortals. From lowest to highest, the qualities of carved Immortal Marks were: Virtual Marks, Illusionary Marks, Shadow Marks, Bright Marks, and Solid Marks. The quality of one's carved Immortal Mark was linked to one's aptitude and cultivation talent. It was innate. One point needed adding: the quality of an Immortal Mark could be raised through heaven-defying pills. Moreover, having a high-quality Immortal Mark did not mean one would certainly advance, because cultivation was connected not only to one's aptitude and cultivation talent, but also to many factors such as family background, cultivation techniques, and opportunities. A rogue cultivator with a high-quality Immortal Mark might not measure up to a scion of a great family with a slightly lower-quality one, because their companions, techniques, wealth, and cultivation grounds were different.

III. The categories of Immortal Marks: Human Marks, Earth Marks, Heaven Marks, Yellow Marks, Mysterious Marks, Starry Sky Immortal Marks

The first Immortal Mark to appear was a Human Mark, the second was an Earth Mark, the third was a Heaven Mark, the fourth was a Mysterious Mark, and the fifth was a Mysterious Mark. They resembled the meridians of a Nascent Soul. The categories of Immortal Marks were both innate and acquired. They represented one's potential for cultivation. For example, Phoenix Enlightenment Seven Stars Great Sage could certainly draw upon the power of stars and moon more powerfully than Peng Sage, but without a great opportunity, his actual strength would certainly be inferior to Peng Sage's. One more point needed adding,

IV. The specific meanings of Immortal Mark types and qualities

The types and qualities of Immortal Marks could not be directly linked to strength. They represented a cultivator's potential and the achievements they might attain in the future.

1. The ceiling of one's cultivation realm

The category or quality of an Immortal Mark represented one's cultivation potential and the achievements a cultivator might attain in the future. The better its quality, and the earlier and more Immortal Marks one opened, the greater one's aptitude and future possibilities. Put another way, the lower the quality of one's Immortal Marks, the lower the ceiling of one's cultivation realm.

2. Cultivation speed: the higher the quality of one's Immortal Marks, the faster one cultivated, and the more—or more deeply—one could comprehend the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth, as well as control immortal arts.

V. The quality, type, and cultivation realm of Immortal Marks

The quality, type, and cultivation realm of Immortal Marks did not have a direct relationship. Generally speaking, the higher and more numerous the Immortal Marks, the stronger one's power, but there were exceptions. For example, when Xu Zhi was a Qi Immortal, he had three Immortal Marks, while Xiao Hua possessed Starry Sky Immortal Marks. Yet, broadly speaking, the quality and number of Immortal Marks.

III: The correspondence between Immortal Mark types and cultivation realms

Immortals who carved Immortal Marks were divided into two kinds:

1. Those who chiefly cultivated immortal spiritual qi were called low-level immortals, also called Qi Immortals. From highest to lowest, they were: Spirit Transformation Immortals, Essence Gathering Immortals, Two Qi Immortals, Five Elements Immortals, Evolving Immortals, and Leakage Immortals;

2. Those who chiefly cultivated immortal spiritual light were called high-level immortals, also called Light Immortals. From highest to lowest, they were: demigods (Virtual Gods), Heavenly Venerables (ancient mighty beings), Immortal Venerable-level Primordial Immortals, Primordial Immortals, Taiyi Immortals, Daluo Immortals, Nine Palaces Immortals, Golden Immortals, Celestial Immortals, and True Immortals.

The categories of Immortal Marks corresponded to the cultivation realms above. For example, unless a Human Mark immortal encountered a great opportunity, they could cultivate only to Daluo; only with another great opportunity could their Immortal Mark be upgraded into an Earth Mark.

IV. The grades of the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth

The grade of an Immortal Mark corresponded to acquired accumulation: one's comprehension of the Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth, as well as one's ability to understand and control them. The Great Dao and the laws of heaven and earth were arranged in the following hierarchy:

Heavenly Dao (the collective name for the Three Thousand Great Daos)—a certain Great Dao—laws—immortal arts. It was an inverted tree-like system.

1. The Great Dao and laws

The Dao stood higher than laws; laws were the control and application of the Dao. For example, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth were each individually laws, but together, they formed the Dao of Five Elements. Put another way, as the most common laws, the Five Elements laws could each be comprehended by any Immortal Mark, one or two at a time, but the Dao of Five Elements was not something ordinary Immortal Marks could comprehend. In a nutshell, every comprehension of the Great Dao involved the type and grade of one's Immortal Marks. Regardless of how high or low an Immortal Mark's type was, one could comprehend the Great Dao only through a great opportunity; those with high-type Immortal Marks merely had better talent and found comprehension easier!

2. The grades of laws

Laws were divided into common, mutated, and top-tier laws. Yet in essence, common or mutated laws had no grades; their so-called grades depended entirely on the depth of one's personal understanding and control. This applied to the Five Elements laws and so on. Some laws, however, required Immortal Marks of high type and high quality, along with a great opportunity, before they could be comprehended and controlled—for example, the Law of Time, the Law of Space, and so on!

In short, the cultivation realms Immortals of the Immortal Realm could attain were related to Immortal Marks, but cultivation was complex and ever-changing. It concerned one's character, disposition, fortune, perseverance, and more. It was like academic performance in our world: not every very intelligent person necessarily studied well, nor did every person with poor aptitude necessarily study poorly, because it involved many factors such as personal perseverance and family environment. Immortal Mark cultivation was the same.