Introduction to Xianxia, Wuxia, and Cultivation

Introduction:

Tús'Nua, the story which takes place in Ihmisen Keh'to, Maailma and in greater Maha is an odd mixture of science fantasy and xianxia (a subgenre of wuxia). Unfortunately, neither wuxia nor xianxia are very common nor popular in the west thus many key features need to be explained for the majority of readers. While not a comprehensive guide this will serve as good an introduction as I can create.

Genre:

Wuxia (woo shee'ah) translates to “Martial Heroes”. This is an Eastern Fantasy genre about humans whom train in martial arts to achieve heroic feats. Themes of chivalry, tragedy, revenge, and romance are common. While magic usually does play a role within Wuxia, it is often in the background as superstition and folklore.
Xianxia (shee'an shee'ah) means “Immortal Heroes” and is the "high fantasy" variant of Wuxia. Despite not being well known nor popular in the west, it has inspired many things which have become so. For example, a popular anime in the west Dragon Ball was -heavily- inspired by "Journey to the West". These fictional stories focus on magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. The main feature in Xianxia is Cultivation, a process in which the characters (no matter their race) attempt to cultivate to Immortality or Godhood, seeking eternal life, and immense power. Heavily inspired by Daoism and to a lesser extent Buddhism.

Glossary:

Though not in any particular order, the following are basic terms common across (nearly all) xianxia stories and novels.
Cultivation is the process of improving health, increasing longevity, and growing powerful (usually) by gathering energy from the surrounding world (Qi) through various cultivation methods and training in mystic and martial techniques. Cultivation itself comes in a myriad of approaches from the standard "breathing exercises" to absorb energy to outright demonic practices like devouring the souls of others.
Cultivators are humans, spirits, magical/demonic beasts and the like who aren't quite at the level of Immortals or Gods yet but are cultivating (hence the name) to become so. The power of cultivators varies widely between novels in this genre from super-hero martial artists with a few magical abilities to outright marvel-level superhero.
Immortals/Celestials/Gods and the like are cultivators who have ascended to Immortality through Daoist cultivation practices, orthodox or demonic. Like cultivators they have magical powers which take various forms, the ability fly freely through the air, and have a close connection to the Dao. Power levels vary, but a typical point of reference are the more powerful superheros in western comics such as Superman, Doctor Doom, and the like though some are so powerful that they're basically gods in the traditional western sense.
Magical/Demonic Beasts are animals capable of cultivation. Some are innately magical and simply grow stronger over time, while others must actively practice a cultivation method and are born sapient. They tend to be much more intelligent than mundane animals, and some are capable of speaking in human languages. Magical Beasts which have reached a high stage of cultivation may even be able to take on a human form. Often these Beasts have within their bodies a core which contains their essence and/or cultivation base. Cultivators highly prize these Cores and will hunt the Beasts to obtain them. The Cores are generally either consumed by a cultivator to increase their cultivation base or used in the production of magical items.
Demons, though a bad translation in my opinion are spirits born when an animal, plant, or even an inanimate object absorbs enough spiritual energy over a long period of time and then gains spiritual awareness and sentience. Not inherently evil, although many have antagonistic relationships with humans, they become cultivators in their own right with their own path to Immortality.
Devils/Fiends are evil spirits/creatures of remarkable power and cruelty similar to the demons and devils of Western mythology. In some novels, evil cultivators emulate them by practicing devilish cultivation methods and committing atrocities in their pursuit of power though such cultivators are often called "Demonic Cultivators" in an ironic mix-up in the translations if both Demons and Devils exist in that setting. Though some novels consider Demons and Devils to be a single species but with varied morality, such as with humans.
Ghosts/Souls are different from spirits in xianxia, and are the spirits of the dead and often used as materials for spells, rituals, or magical items.
Sect/School is an organization dedicated to the practice of cultivation led by a Sect Leader or Patriarch with the help of Sect Elders. They instruct Disciples in the proper methods of cultivation or training of the Sect. The Disciples live in the Sect, which provides for their daily needs. There is practically always a strict hierarchy among members of a Sect from Honorary Disciple, Outer Disciple, Inner Disciple, Core Disciple, Chosen etc.
Clans are an extended family related by blood, sharing a surname. They often pass down their cultivation methods and magical treasures from generation to generation which were developed by the clan’s ancestors. Clans are basically sects, with a family only membership program.
Dantian refers to the region in the body where a person’s Qi is concentrated. There are technically three dantians, but xianxia novels sometimes simplify the concept and only use the lower dantian (located three finger widths below and two finger widths behind the navel) and ignore the third eye and heart dantians (or give them another purpose such as housing mental energy instead of spiritual energy (Qi).
Meridians are the channels in the body through which Qi flows. Like blood vessels, but for Qi instead of blood.
Qi Circulation is the act of controlling Qi to flow from the dantian, through the meridians, and back into the dantian in a cycle. The purpose of this varies between novels, but usually it helps replenish stamina, purify the Qi, or strengthen the meridians.
Breathing Exercises is a special way of breathing which expels the impure Qi within the body and draws in the Qi of the natural world. An essential part of cultivation.
Meditation is a practice for training or calming the mind and spirit. Cultivators spend a great deal of time in meditation, as both the cultivation of Qi and contemplation of Insights generally require it.
Closed Door Training/Meditation/Cultivation is training done in seclusion, usually to focus on breaking through a bottleneck or to avoid becoming distracted at a crucial moment and suffering a backlash as a result.
Insight/Enlightenment is a spark of understanding gained through meditating, life-or-death battles, or broadening one's horizon and are essential in cultivation to master difficult techniques or advance to higher stages of cultivation.
Internal Demons are a form of trauma rather than an actual spirit (though they may become such if they grow too strong) formed by severe negative emotions and other mental barriers which hinder their training/cultivation. Failure to adequately resist them may result in Qi Deviation. Usually strengthening one's Dao Heart (willpower) is the best way to prevent and defend against Internal Demons.
Qi Deviation is a state wherein the cultivation base becomes dangerously unstable, causing internal damage to the body and psychotic breaks. People who succumb to their Internal Demons, who practice cultivation incorrectly, or who rashly use forbidden arts are all at risk of falling into this state.
Impurities, usually described as a smelly, black substance which is secreted from a cultivator’s skin when they reach new cultivation stages or consume special medicinal pills. The Impurities themselves are both naturally inherent in the human body or could be pollutants from taking too many medicinal substances or even poisons gained from the techniques of another cultivator.
Spirit Stones are translucent crystals with spiritual energy trapped within and used as currency among cultivators though they can also be used to cultivate (by absorbing the spiritual energy), create magical items, or power spell formations.
Flying Swords are the most iconic weapon of the xianxia genre and are magical swords which can fly through the air and can be directed to engage in long-range attacks. Often, these are used as vehicles as well transporting cultivators who don't have the ability to fly yet or acting as a "booster" to make those who can fly already be faster.
Storage Rings/Bags are magic items with a pocket dimension inside it. Usually with only a thought, or by sending their spiritual energy into the storage treasure the owner can store items inside it and retrieve them at will. Usually the size of the storage space is limited by the quality of the treasure as well as having other restrictions like not being able to hold living creatures unless its a World Treasure (literally holding a world inside instead of just a pocket of space). For a western example, look to the Bags of Holding within Dungeons and Dragons.
Seal (of the paper variety) are strips of paper with mystical diagrams and calligraphy drawn on it. Essentially consumable spells. (When activated, they cast a spell and will disintegrate once their magic is depleted.)
Jade Slips are long, narrow strip of jade used as a magical item. A cultivator can magically store information inside it, and other cultivators can then use that Jade Slip to directly transmit the stored information into their minds. Sometimes these slips are also capable of extremely long-range communication in the same manner as a cellphone in real life.
Heavenly Tribulation is a trial encountered by cultivators at key points in their cultivation, in some xianxia this is faced by every cultivator and in others only by those whom "go against the will of Heaven" with their specific dao, physique, bloodline, etc. This typically takes the form of a lightning storm, striking down at the cultivator and those who cannot resist perish in body and soul usually, but some are lucky or unlucky enough to instead by merely injured or forever blocked from continuing on their path of cultivation. Sometimes Tribulations come in multiple stages, testing not only the body but one's Dao Heart.
Formations are divided into three varieties; Battle Formations which is essentially just a group of cultivators attacking and defending in coordination, Arrays which are essentially magic circles which cast a continuous area-of-effect spell, and Restrictions which are specialized Arrays which form a barrier around a location or act to seal/suppress a person or object. Related to Formations are Flags and Compasses which act as nodes within a formation or a core to control a formation and can be used to strengthen or quickly deploy a formation instead of having to go through the long process of drawing out the magical circle and powering them with Spirit Stones.
Spiritual/Divine Sense is an ability possessed by cultivators to scan their surroundings (far beyond the limits of their ordinary 5 senses) with their spirit. The distance/total area they can scan corresponds to the strength of their spirit or cultivation level and is also used in some to remotely control magical items such as Flying Swords.
Face is basically a person's reputation but a bit more complicated than in the west. If someone “has face” they have a good reputation, if they “have no face” then they have a bad reputation. “Giving face” to someone means to defer or treat them with respect. While “Losing face” or "Causing one to Lose Face" means that their reputation was harmed in some way, and if done by someone else insulting them often leads to acts of revenge. “Not wanting face” means that a person is acting shamelessly, in a way that suggests they don’t care about hurting their reputation. Face is a complicated subject, and I try to avoid it personally - but it is a staple of the genre nonetheless.
Refining is a catch-all phrase meaning to improve through purification or distillation, sometimes but not always with the help of natural treasures or other ingredients. Cultivators refine just about everything from their equipment, alchemical substances, even the process of cultivation itself is refining one's self.
Killing/Battle Intent is a murderous aura given off by a person when they desire to harm or battle someone. People who have experienced bloody battles and/or have already killed others tend to have much stronger Killing Intent than an ordinary person - especially when such actions are repeated often and in great numbers. Experts may be able to disguise their Killing Intent, as well as intentionally release it as a form of mental attack.