The path, in order

The first true stage of cultivation — absorbing ambient spiritual energy and compressing it into a usable form within the body.

Cultivators build a stable internal structure to hold far greater quantities of qi — often marked by a dangerous, narratively pivotal breakthrough.

The stage where a cultivator's gathered qi crystallizes into a golden core — the organ that defines a true cultivator, and the single most contested treasure in the genre.

The golden core gives birth to a soul-infant capable of surviving the destruction of the physical body — cultivation now touches the metaphysical.

The cultivator's soul grows powerful enough to reshape the world around it — this is where cultivation stops being internal and starts warping external reality.

The cultivator begins to comprehend fundamental laws rather than merely channeling energy — power at this stage comes from understanding reality itself.

The cultivator's understanding of the Dao becomes so complete that they begin to merge with the void itself — space, distance, and physical law bend around them.

The final mortal trial — Heaven itself tests whether a cultivator is worthy of ascension. Surviving the tribulation lightning is the last barrier between mortality and immortality.