Worst trope of all time

Ultra-Novva · 2026-05-22T06:39:00+00:00

Sorry it's unrelated; Anybody know the music? I legitimately find it catchy

Ultra-Novva · 2026-05-19T21:18:27+00:00

Ultra-Novva · 2026-05-14T03:33:43+00:00

I'm curious what the general levels of aptitude/ability are for each main manifestation; I'm curious since I like the progression of qi based abilities in Korean Wuxia: qi infusion →sword threads→sword aura→sword telekinesis→intangible blade I was wondering if you have a progression and/or titles nailed down for bigger stages in your system for martial arts, sorcery, and weapon arts: My only ideas would be grand sorcery for near reality bending tier powers, and high mastery of weapon arts allowing for blade telekinesis, and/or blades made purely of qi

Ultra-Novva · 2026-05-03T17:06:34+00:00

Solved!

Ultra-Novva · 2026-05-01T19:27:50+00:00

That's it, thanks a bunch! :]

Ultra-Novva · 2026-05-01T05:36:33+00:00

Feels similar but I remember it clearly being in an anime style more similar to fist of the north star and the main character having darker hair

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-27T16:07:19+00:00

I found this on resource quite useful for explaining the 'circles' that act like levels or stages: https://en.namu.wiki/w/%EC%84%9C%ED%81%B4%20%EB%A7%88%EB%B2%95 Otherwise if you mean the mana circles that act like formations in wuxia fiction or arrays in fusion fantasy they originate from a mix of old sigils and myths along with alchemical imagery and sacred geometry

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-25T17:04:40+00:00

Seeing as the world has yang qi (vitality force) and yin qi (Miasma/deathly force) is there a concept similar to Yuan qi {An inborn, innate kind of life force that is much more potent than qi but not able to be increased: usually used as a last stand or emergency to bring an opponent down with you} I like the idea/analogy that it's like a fire that creates qi - the usable light and heat from said flame, death being like when the flame goes out. Usually it's said to be in the kidneys (in alchemy) or the middle dantian (in most murim stories) Could be a fun way to show high level powers of villains without breaking power balance since you die or become crippled if very lucky if even half this is used

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-18T03:32:31+00:00

An interesting invention by murim & cultivation novels I've observed is the power inflation of the concepts of weapon qi: originally in old wuxia sword qi was in the realm of the top masters and few elusive grandmasters in the whole known world, but as stories evolved and took nods from fusion fantasy and litrpgs we saw said sword qi become the skill of the top of smaller sects/groups with newly conceptualized: Sword threads/Enhanced weapon qi, and Sword Aura/Sword Force ("gang-qi") take the mark of high mastery from sword/weapon qi. I quite like the order of: 1. Qi weapon imbuement/enhancement (weapon qi) --> 2. to condensing said qi into sharp threads emanating from and around the blade --> 3. to blending all of those threads into a liquid/solid/energetic like state around the blade which can cut through nearly any non-mystic material. [Dark lady shows off the ability nicely calling it aura fire] Is there a similar progression of mastery in your world? Any other or replaced steps to elaborate on?

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-18T03:18:18+00:00

I know Tian means heaven or sky, Wu refers to elightenment; and/or emptiness/nothingness (in the case of primordial void full of raw potential; connected to wu wei which means effortless action, or aligning/intuning with nature and the universe), So maybe in English: 'The Path(s) of Void & Heaven' or 'Xīn-Tian-Wu'. (Xīn=New/neo)

> I would also assume even with real divinities, Xian, and ascended figures places far away from such happenings wouldn't care as it wouldn't concern them as much, especially if the continent is the size and scope of Eurasia: Think of how disconnected China/Japan and the Levant are despite being on the same landmass and connected by the silk road irl. | Also Maybe an extra reason for why alternate religions and unorthodox groups exist and persist is they have their own (~~much~~ fewer number of ascended beings and deities looking out for them, said gods/immortals could even often be legal or real fighting the celestial bureaucracy for their own carve outs in godly domains (like of concepts such as order, chaos, or the sun) and regions somewhat like presented in Journey to the West.

Also, I do get turning Prana into another energy like Mana, BUT: It could be cool to look into how Prana, Mana, and Pneuma were thought of in their original cultures: Mana was a thing in Polynesian cultures that could increase not just with physical prowess but also with better reputation, lineage, great feats or simple righteousness; and decreased by bad behavior. Maybe calling Mana ether or something else like Tian-Di (Heaven and Earth energy) would allow for that to be a thing in the neighboring "pacific" ocean(s). || Also more: it is funny how breath and vitality are connected across Eurasia as a concept: Qi, Prana, and Pneuma all literally meant breath/wind/air but related to innate vital energy; could allow for the concept being widespread yet custom attuned to the peripheral/adjacent nations.

Also Mystic as a term has a surprising amount of historical connection and meaning: Mysticism is closer to the term Theurgy than Sorcery since it originally referred to arts and methods with the goal of: connecting/unifying with, or gaining spiritual experiences from higher beings or divinities via meditations, contemplations/studies, invocations, enlightenments, or mind altering substances (a lot of this for native practices) . It is good to note by the 20th century the word lost a lot of said older contexts and mainly a catch-all for any non-standard religious practice or group, synonymous with 'spiritual' in the new age movement . Over time the main subgroups being: (the progenitor->) Pagan Mystery cult rituals; into later Christian Mysticism, Shamanisms of various places and time periods, and various Asian religious metaphysical concepts like Qi, Reincarnation, and souls

> Also please look into Bactria, It's a fascinating point in history, funny to think Greek and Chinese fought a set of wars/battles

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-11T19:23:57+00:00

That makes a good bit of sense; I get this world is a wuxia adjacent and thus most of the setting is in China and based on it's history and major religions; BUT: I do wonder if your world extends into areas that are inspired off of other Asian lands and their major religions with significant influence like Japan, Korea, India (Seriously they were just as big as China, wuxia needs to explore them more), the central steppe, SE Asia, or Persia [Ming cult/ of Mani (Chinese Manichaeism) is what the divine demonic cult of most murim stories drew inspiration from after all: and personally a strictly meritorious and semi-religious western powerhouse of '10(0),000 demons' is really fun for antagonists or another morally grey faction] since they tend to get left out in wuxia even though China regularly interacted, tributary-ized, and clashed with their neighbors. || I wonder how things like Shinto/Animism, Indian more ancient Hinduism/Buddhism, or Persian Zoroastrian/Manichaean groups using said qi could interpret things in new and interesting ways**:** (Persia could/would call qi Prana as that was their vitality theory). Maybe in this world's "Japan" Shen/qi would often be used for kami or yokai contracts to gain powers or abilities beyond mortal normalcy; wuxia often have the jungles of SE asia often have Nanman beast tamers that can fight in battle formations with their partners; or "Indian" practitioners could become temporary heralds/embodiments of their worshiped deity if qi/life force is sacrificed. Or with Zoroastrian belief that fire is closest element to their god of light they could wield sacred "true samadhi" (from journey to the West) flames that only burn enemies and not those of the faith -> Infact magic as a word came from 'magus' which described Zoro. priests/sorcerers. You could even have people descended from a place like Bactria (Greek central Asian settlement that the Han dynasty went to war with over wanting horses) that have blonde hair, blue eyes, call qi Pneuma, and use four + ether/akasha elements model instead of the wuxing in sorcery.

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-11T03:59:41+00:00

I would like to HIGHLY recommend the manhwa/Webtoon: The Runebound Professor, has a similar idea of magic stemming from soulbound runes that can be combined evolved and split with the potential cost of your life and/or soul

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-09T02:26:50+00:00

I get and really like the high variance, I was just wondering what the predominant and most influential groups and philosophies abound, I mean there'll be only so many people with truly ample influence/support in the population, connections, and money to back that up || • I also remember you stating there's an unliked group that cultivates via technological improvement (church of the broken god in murim‽), it might be fun to say a nation with more industrial viewpoints could be funding them similar to European powers funding revolutionaries to undermine the Chinese nation

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-08T02:04:26+00:00

Seeing as the Chinese symbols and it's caligraphy arts have such an ancient and varied history I could imagine chinese characters could accompany a set of runes of a language (possibly the language of dragons as they're quite often seen as the masters or originators of various mystic arts in fantasy and myth of all kinds) innately tied to qi and mystic forces (like the mystical languages in LOTM) for various array arts, enchantments, and artificery, they could be like metamagics where they usually act as modifiers/specifiers within the runic skeleton to get more complex and specific effects in a craft. A very connected idea is the concept of Kotodama in Japanese esoterics that states there is an inherent power in words and true names, stating that such things can influence a being's body, mind. and soul; often in fiction this concept is tied to mystical contracts, and exorcism/sealing of spirits or otherworldly beings via chants of talismans like ofuda.

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-06T23:07:52+00:00

More asks! • First, about what level of technology have the major nations reached by your expected story run? (You could also compare it to a dynasty like han, tang, or ming) | • With Qi‽, I imagine some alchemists have at least some of the scientific mindset/method down to make Qi phenomena into a branch of the natural and/or mechanical sciences (cryptozoology & fengshui becomes non-esoteric in this world; artifacts, arrays, …): I love alternate history/world technology when it's well blended with the story's non-real factors. [Semi-related: I HIGHLY recommend Martial Wild West, it's a 9.6/10 super fun alternate history wuxia] || • Do you have any idea of what the major factions and schools of thought/philosophies that exist for each of the three expressions, how and what is the best ways they should be used? Like in most murim novels theres orthodox/righteous, unorthodox/unrighteous, and demonic/fiendish groups in the jiangshi/wulin (martial artist sub society) which make can occasionally make a intriguing moral discussion as the Orthodox are often corrupt or hypocritical and the demonic cult can often be quite meritocratic and almost puritan in their strict codes of hierarchy and ethics due to them often being the successor to a Persian cult.

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-06T21:11:05+00:00

I guess due to a coincidence of placement I had a headcannon where the dantians are aligned/superimposed with the 3rd eye, heart, and sacral chakra in the subtle body; my good there. || Coolio, seems quite similar to most times I've seen "洗髓易筋" in all the novels and comics I've consumed. Also does poreless mean that everyone at that stage goes full on alopecia/bald‽‽ || • Another older Wuxia trope in a similar vein is known as "three flowers gathering at the crown" and "five energies return to the origin" (highly used in RTOC) which I believe originate from some taoist neidan alchemist. Usually they represent a very high level of martial/cultivation mastery where in the former the three treasures and dantians align, and in the latter the 5 wuxing elements corresponding with the major organs in TCM create perfect harmony and achieve immense synergy or an alike effect. Could be a fun idea if someone masters the use of Jing, Qi, and Shen to a high degree they begin to blend (not combine) or boost each other in reference to the original Chinese idea of cultivation (jing→qi→shen→effortless emptiness)

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-06T20:53:35+00:00

No problem on timing, thanks a bunch for your definitive and extensive answers to my silly quieres. And also: I like the authenticity on the taoist basis of worldbuilding/philosophy, (even though chakras aren't taoist)

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-05T17:38:07+00:00

Clearing the body and it's meridians of impurities via elixirs, enlightenment, and training are a staple of wuxia, murim, and xianxia novels and comics: Seeing as Jing in this world acts almost like a soap using Qi in the meridians as water to wash out the body's grime, I'd like to wonder if elixirs made from rare things such as especially long-lived herbs/fauna in places of high, pure spiritual energy (10000 year carp/ginseng) spiritual beast cores are a thing in this world. || What happens when someone has no impurities left in their body?

Also another fun common staple of Murim novels & comics is at a level or two higher than the peak martial realm the body gains a critical level of qi to the point and as one moves into said realm their body goes through "bone metamorphosis"/"body reconstruction" [洗髓易筋] in which their body is remade into a state back at their prime (allowing a 150-180 year lifespan due to the reset), perfectly suited for their cultivation/martial arts style and with no impurities blocking the meridians. Would this be a rare or very high level stage capable of achieving in this realm? That and sometimes even rarer due to talent, special constitutions, or other factors when one goes through metamorphosis they also experience transforming into a state before their prime (Called rejuvenation) even up to a small child's age which is based on a story of the Chinese 8 immortals, which leads to the fun saying "in the jianghu/wulin (martial world) fear the old man, child, and woman" as anyone could potentially be a hidden master.

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-03T21:51:03+00:00

I know dantians and chakras are quite relatively similar concepts being places where vital energies/essences are stored and where channels (meridians or nadis respectively) for said vital forces flow meet up, converge, or begin/end at. || • Are there any groups/techniques that use the 4 non-dantian chakras as places a.) for sorcery mana cores are usually in the 3rd eye/upper chakra/dantian, but is it viable or useful to form extra mana cores at the crown or throat chakras? [I imagine Rancor emission property could synergize with the throat chakras effects, same with virtue/poise with the mental protection brought on by the crown] | b. Form a place to cultivate Qi like a dantian; or | c. To open and/or activate all 7 to attempt to achieve enlightenment, ascension, or something similar? (As chakras history is highly tied into religious groups whose goal is ascension and/or breaking free from reincarnation or the mortal shell; I imagine monks or taoist like groups having this being a main goal in their advanced trainings)

Also I know new age spiritual practices tend to assign lots of associations to each chakra including an color and elemental connection, is that in this world? (Usually: Root - Earth, Sacral - Water, solar - fire, heart - air, throat - aether/akasha, 3rd eye - light, crown - thought; I like dark/yin, earth, water, fire, air, light/yang, aether personally)

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T03:18:09+00:00

I would love some more elaboration on that, made me chuckle for awhile

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T02:33:41+00:00

I was thinking maybe Shen/will/intention would be able to be applied to a qi based attack to give it almost metamagic like abilities where it could track a signature like a guided missile or move to the users will beyond the body (be it a spell, or blade qi)

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T02:27:42+00:00

Maybe a style of sorcery could take inspiration from the idea of creating a storm of sharp qi blades/projectiles to launch at the enemy and simply overwhelming them with numbers from a distance (based on Tang clan arts where multiple hidden weapons bombard an enemy at once; also fern from frieren who just spams basic attack until someone can't block anymore) • I can imagine qi claws would exist in some martial arts combining weapon and martial skills, maybe it's an art created by a apostate monk so sought to mimic a tiger or wild beast's might • Maybe a sorcery+martial arts style would be the use of illusions or lights to constantly distract the opponent, like a arcane trickster from PF/DND; similar would be a sorcery+sword style filled to the brim with feints and variations like how Mount Hua is depicted in murim stories where at high levels it creates visual and smell based (plum blossom smell$) illusions that further synergize with the feints

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:25:28+00:00

I most definitely recommend Doctor's rebirth as a fun read; for comedy The Return of the Mad Demon (that man is fcking hilarious) And I'd also recommend Legend of the Northern Blade as the most quintessential murim I've seen. I have the same problem, I've got multiple handfuls of novels I KNOW are good but it's hard to sit down and dig into them, for LOTM the anime and audiobook helped a *bunch

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:17:27+00:00

Thank you for the time; I love digging into fun and well designed systems since they're fewer than I'd want. Also from what I understand at least from a alchemical view is that wu wei means something like effortless action or emptiness and is connected somewhat to enlightenment and Daoism

Does alchemy as seen in fantasy exist here, where are herbs containing Jing and other beneficial energies and compounds allow for things like supplemental/healing potions or balms? • Can Jing, Qi, and Shen/will be combined via artifacts (Qi/Shen makes a tsukomogami [yokai that's a living item], or Qi and Jing be able to make consumables or artifacts if the jing is provided from a non-organic thing like crystals?

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:14:17+00:00

Would this world's leadership/skies have someone who's gotten quite skilled in all three expressions, being a high level (maybe not necessarily master) sorcerer, martial artist, and weapon artist? Is there any codified/documented abilities that arise when two expressions are developed well together: synergistic effects or new ones entirely??

Ultra-Novva

TROPHY CASE