Mortal tier– Lowest tier of recipes. These can be created by someone with no alchemical knowledge, although those with low cultivation need to exercise some caution to ensure their lives. In most cases the deaths will likely be due to a poison or explosive, and in rarer cases a weak magical item that a recipe calls for.
This tier of recipes are generally quite weak. Due to a lack of cultivation, extremely difficult refinements do not exist, although precise measurements may be asked for which will require proper tools. The ingredient list at minimum is two with a maximum of six. Both of these extremes are rather rare, with the central three far more common for list sizes. This is due to a cultivation matter if too many ingredients are merged together.
As a result, these effects are rather weak, while the strong ones come with severe side effects. In some cases this side effect may kill a mortal. In most cases simply entering the natural gathering stage will ensure your life in any accident. Since these recipes are technically meant to be for mortal uses it is unlikely they hold any effect on cultivators. The generally beneficial ones can still help though.
Conception tier–1st tier of real alchemy. From here on you need to have some understanding of Qi and how to manipulate it for beneficial purposes. Of course this means to your benefit, alchemists are not charity workers. This is the tier where alchemy students are most likely to die, as they start interacting with difficult refinements which could backfire at any moment. Combined with their lack of true experience it paves a deadly situation.
With this tier truly representing the start of alchemy we see more magical effects. Things that can produce a very real impact like cultivators are supposed to, likewise the weapons are just as frightening. With these recipes we can take a quick glance at the truly malevolent forces in the universe, but still you are blinded by truth. However, at your level it is fine to accept truth, but do not relish in it. On average this holds between four and twelve ingredients, but most recipes fall within the middle of this bracket.
The effects from now on truly vary, but a basic concept is always followed. If you try to exceed the effects of the recipe tier then prepare from some side effects. Conception tier recipes are designed for natural gathering stage cultivators, so a poison that works on spirit forming stage experts is likely to kill you instantly as well. Most recipes in this tier focus on changing the individual rather than the world. It is easier to translate oneself than it is the universe.
Ambiguity tier– 2nd tier of alchemy. Unfortunately, this tier does not offer that much more than the conception tier. Your control over Qi should be far higher now, and you should be capable of protecting your mind and soul on top of your body. This will allow you to not only take on more dangerous recipes but stem out into the domains of the esoteric soul and unobservable mind. By now your alchemical knowledge should allow you to understand when something is about to go wrong and adequately defend yourself during refinement.
With more powerful recipes we also see more powerful backfires, however the increase is near equal to your strength gain. For that reason alone the danger of the Ambiguity tier is disregarded. The main danger in the conception tier was your lack of experience, with years of skill to back you up it will only happen if you become arrogant and disregard basic safety.
Effects are simply more powerful versions of conception tier recipes. Of course now you also have access to soul and mind related products. This naturally includes poisons and explosives now, allowing you to create some truly scary stuff. It’s not uncommon for a new alchemist of this tier to fail in a soul related recipe and wipe out entire villages as their souls collapse. Ambiguity tier alchemists are considered the hardest to kill amongst equal grades since their healing pills easily overpower any spirit forming stage cultivator.
This overpowering nature only works in this tier and cultivation stage, so enjoy the lordship while you can.
Preparatory tier– 3rd tier of alchemy. You prepare to exceed the mortal level, in a murky goop separating the higher beings and the location they all started at. This tier marks the greatest test for any future alchemist, as it introduces changes to the world. Only by ascending past this tier will you have confirmed alchemy as your destiny if it were your chosen supplement, but did you choose alchemy or was it thrusted upon you?
To those who claim alchemy chose them, you’re idiots. Alchemy is a mere concept, and does not possess a living, breathing personification. We all have choices in life, so make yours wisely.
Now we enter the realms of actually dangerous recipes. Even the most prepared alchemist could be instantly smote for their minor transgression of forcing the world into their product. Right now you are either at the peak of spirit forming or entrance of destiny chasing, but either will die instantly to a heavenly descension. Do not bite off more than you can chew!
Effects can now affect the world around you, but they hold no power over truths. Lightning will bend to your calling, space beckons at your pleasing, and even time can be placed into a collar, albeit all temporarily. The old recipes that improved your body still exist in more powerful and varied forms. Methods to seek out your destiny now open up as the river of fate is visible, although peering in without protection may destroy your existence.
Awakening tier– 4th tier of alchemy. You are now above the concept of mortals, capable of finding your way through the ever increasing paths of alchemy. It is at this point where many will start to specialise their path. Will you become a poison master or another medicine god? Picking a specialisation will not cut off other paths, but instead will give a clearer direction in this white canvas marked by predecessors. The further you walk the less experience you find, until one day the only visible marks are your own.
Recipes now firmly toe the line of the worldly truths, making the world feel a threat by your heightened push. Cases where you push too hard will result in a rebound, as a tribulation will appear to dissuade you. At the same time, attempting to firmly topple it as a mere Destiny chasing cultivator will have you meet your end; you still cannot bear to seek past the truths. Just know they exist, and silently bide your time.
Effects are worldly to a previously unbelievable extent. Some competent pills can affect the environment by existing, requiring no more to pull rivers or brew sandstorms. At the same time as a being exceeding pure mortality your body is entirely controllable, all poisons incapable of changing the world have no effect on you. But everything must be paid in full, as all medicines below a point stop working. As long as your pills do not exceed the heavenly truths then they can practically do anything!
Few exceptions do exist though, like trying to create something significantly stronger. Or refining some form of ancient energy, like the power of fate. Failures are always good on the path, as the cocky cultivator dies first.
World growth tier – 5th tier of alchemy. You now focus on using the world to change oneself. On this long path the only one you can trust unequivocally is yourself, and no amount of love can change that. From here you should no longer aim to change the world through alchemy but to instead transform the world into your products. Gather existence in one hand, your true self in the other, and combine them to birth your unique pill. No recipe for this pill exists, and it likely never will, but your consumption of the world can slowly created this pill. What effects it holds is only known upon creation.
Your recipes will no longer appear to follow common sense, although that may have fallen apart long ago. Refining is no longer a matter of processing ingredients but instead completely transforming them into completely novel items, imbuing the world into each component until the change is immeasurable. Now that you can resist heavenly descensions you can start stealing fate and push back against truths. Do know your limits though.
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Effects on the world are limited. You will come to see that affecting the world means nothing in comparison to individual strength. Controlling time is a game, a toy at best; moulding space like clay is commonplace. Yet none of this really matters. You play around with the truths at best, only by showering these powers in your true heart will you understand how vain all these abilities are. Allow your Three to exceed heaven and earth! Then you will see what true power is.
Some were mad that I didn’t mention this. When I say imbuing the world into your ingredients, I refer to transferring laws into them, how you do this is up to you. A universal method will be provided for those without a teacher or proper funds.
Reformation tier – 6th tier of alchemy. You must be at the Law questioning stage to reach this tier of alchemy, although there is a major exception. Some can see truths at an earlier stage, allowing them access to this tier. By seeing truths you can also find ways to bend it, a task far more efficient than idiotically pushing against it. Your pills can bend the truth to achieve feats those below would simply claim as impossible. Every additional question to poke against the truth will give you another way to bend it all, improving the overall quality of your products.
Imbuing questions into your products is the key skill of this tier, and what makes anything here more powerful. At the same time the return of logical refinements return, but not entirely as the imbuements of laws will still remain.
Recipes in this tier are a bit hit and miss. All are incredibly long refinement processes, even for the best in this tier, but their danger is relatively low. The few real dangers are if you try to exceed any truths in your products. Exceeding a truth with spark rage in the universe, which is why the concept of bending is extremely important here. A person may not hear the bent stick, but they will surely hear one snapped.
Effects of this tier are namely used to temporarily exceed the limits set by truths. In some way this also represents exceeding laws, but as all laws are truths it barely means anything different. The further you try to bend things the faster your recoil will come about, so a majority of items provide an extended effect by only lightly pressing on that wall. Some say the main power of this tier is to make up for your shortfalls.
We reach the decisive point; this can be considered the last well-defined major tier in alchemy. Everyone on the tier of alchemy must come to this point, but after breaking through you may consider diverging from the masses to take a new option. No one can say if your choices are right or wrong.
Just don’t regret it.
Kindled heart tier – Major 7th tier of alchemy. The flame of existence quite literally defined this tier, and now your carefully nurtured alchemical flame will become one with your existence. The newly created flame will hold the basic effect given by a flame of existence, but more importantly greatly amplify your original alchemical flame’s effects. For this reason you want to refine your alchemical flame to the peak before merging them for greatest effect. This will not adversely affect your existence, but some recipes may call for you to use some of this flame. Over time the flame will return to its original size, but overuse will send you into a timeless sleep.
Recipes of this tier are easy to come by if you have access to proper libraries, or this book, but that isn’t where their problem lies. The recipes themselves rarely remain constant, instead changing into near infinitely diverse variants with the minutest of changes in the surroundings. One must even take into account their own aura whilst adding ingredients to these products. Backfires are generally mute at this point unless you interact with an extremely volatile ingredient, in which case it purely depends on your ability to block this dangerous energy.
The effects are varied to say the least. The difference between the world and you no longer exists, in fact you have even left a mark on that previous wall of truths. Any product that can affect you will also affect the world, but the difference will be in the area of effect. A pill may warp the surrounding planet, but what does all energy do when contained within a single body?
From now on the only limit of a pill is the energy it can contain. At this level of alchemy you are only restricted by precision, which is highly sought for to begin interacting with existence on a smaller scale. More precision means stabler energy, and therefore better effects.
Balanced Unity tier – Alternate 7th tier of alchemy, a path created to disprove the majority. Some do not believe in placing all your eggs in one basket, and as such do not approve of sacrificing their child to their flame of existence. To them it is simply not worth giving up a dear friend for some power, and instead seek to place their alchemical flame into a precise balance with their existence. This quickly proved to fail, as maintaining balance with two is simply difficult. It can take centuries to form a minor success.
So, someone suggested using three to balance it all. Is that not why all humans are born with Three instead of One or Two?
A third flame is worthless here though, and instead you must seek out your polar opposite. This must be an item with power directly countering yours and holds an imagery opposite yours. The only reason this works is due to the item's actual strength holding no importance in this task. If your opposing item is a mere natural gathering stage sword, then so be it. At this point you can easily refine this item into surviving your flames through various imbuements.
With your opposing item found, and reinforced until it can survive your alchemical flame, you can begin the linking process. If it fails then simply try again, it may be that you selected an improper counter item. Do not feel disheartened by failure, some only require hours to gain unity while others take years.
This tier alone holds no implicit benefits, and you can complete recipes in an identical fashion to Kindled heart tier alchemists. By taking this path you will soon split away from the majority, including even I, but on the path of alchemy there is no value in reverence. From here you do not need to look up to me, simply steel your heart and walk your own path. Maybe I will join you in this place one day.
Endless staircase tier – Major 8th tier of alchemy. We climb the stairs of alchemy day in and day out. Improving, changing, refining, and improving once more. This is the endless staircase, where recipes approach the peak of humanity. Our path of cultivation is an endless spire, and so is our climb of alchemy.
We have come across 102 alchemical staircases to date, each allowing us to refine the few recipes for this tier we have to an unfound degree. Some claim that at some point we will hit a wall, others claim we hit it long ago and only seek out a certain point to climb over. With the distance we travelled so far, more than a few seem to consider this tireless climb a falsity.
With that matter spreading about there are some who believe this trouble to be another truth far beyond our scope. Like a mortal not realising a distant hill is actually a mountain, we may be miniscule fools blinded by a gargantuan truth.
What great irony!
Alchemy is my passion, so what does a wall matter? Whether I exhaust my existence on this staircase or ascend upwards hold no difference. As long as I can give my heart to alchemy and those I loved, what more can I ask for?
Blank canvas tier – Alternate 8th tier of alchemy. Let your desire spring forth and paint freely! You see your cultivation as a voyage across an endless wasteland littered with campfires, but ignore them to push forward. Meanwhile your alchemy is an artistic representation of yourself, as long as you wish to continue, you may.
The universe is your canvas, and your heart a brush! As long as ink flows you can go on and on, whether circular, straight, artistic, sinusoidal, any design is up to you!
The blank canvas may be empty, and lack results to vouch for it, but for sure it reminds me of the child-like joy I once saw in alchemy. To freely create to your heart's content, ignoring rules and concepts.
I would certainly enjoy stepping onto the canvas once more, to produce a piece of art unlike my actual painting attempts, but I will always ask myself two questions whenever considering this unadulterated joy.
Will I regret leaving my post?
At the same time, will I regret maintaining it?
For now I can only say the answer to both is ‘yes’.
Unidentified tier – A set of tiers far above humanity. First, how do we even know these exist?
Easy! Over the years we occasionally find remnants from other civilisations that tell us our skills mean nothing. How far it goes is completely unknown to us, but this gives us a goal. Something to strive for.
Never stop fighting on the path of cultivation! There’s no way to say your heart dedicated to alchemy won’t be the creator of humanity’s next alchemical tier.
Good luck students!