A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Author's Q&A (3)

Questions about Tremendous

Q: What’s your gender?

A: Tremendous

Q: Do you listen to music while writing? What do you listen to if you do?

A: I think the OP of Jojo part 6 is amazing. I listen to the OP of the last episode of Jojo part 6 when I run into a writing block.

Kim Young-Hoon

Q: What’s the current relationship between Young-hoon and the fox? How many children do they have?

A: Uh… It’s closer to the relationship between an athlete and a punching bag.

Q: Can the fox left with Young-hoon shapeshift into a human?

A: Yes.

Q: Does Young-hoon teach the fox martial arts?

A: It’s a spoiler but a small spoiler, so, yes.

Q: Will Young-hoon’s Heavenly Tribulation when he reaches 3rd Manifestation be faster than light?

A: Sure.

Q: Did you know that people really want to see Young-hoon again? I think people are more interested in him than love interests.

A: My producer always asks me when he will come back too. (lol) I am waiting for that day as well.

Q: I think you said that Kim Young-hoon’s cultivation talent was not very good, but if he ascends, will his cultivation naturally increase with age, taking care of his lifespan? Or is that difficult because of his Five Elements Spiritual Roots?

A: Yes, that’s possible. However, Young-hoon will have a difficult time reaching Core Formation and beyond on his own, no matter what.

Q: How far into Qi Refining did Young-hoon reach when he became a cultivator after being defeated by cultivators?

A: 6th Star.

Q: What’s the trap that the Makli Clan left for Young-hoon as they admitted him to their clan after the Palace of Heavenly Demons was destroyed?

A: It was something like the Summoning Wind, Dragon Transformation.

Q: Did Young-hoon of the ninth cycle die due to spatial pressure? Or did he reach somewhere like Seo Eun-Hyun thought?

A: Schrodinger’s Kim Young-hoon

Q: Are the only Kim Young-hoon who can be called Young-hoon hyung-nim by Seo Eun-hyun the Young-hoon of first and second cycle?

A: Yes. For now.

Seo Eun-hyun

Q: If Seo Eun-hyun becomes a third stage Heart Tribe spy and uses the Heavenly Tribulation attack, will the Heavenly Lightning be formless and ignore defense?

A: Yes.

Q: Yu Hwa transforms into a sunset colored river, but can Seo Eun-hyun transform as well, since he is at the second stage of Manifestation as well?

A: That’s the characteristic of Yu Hwa’s Treading Heavens, so it is difficult for Seo Eun-hyun.

Q: Is Seo Eun-hyun tech illiterate? He was unable to use Excel despite being a deputy manager…

A: To be honest, it was based on my experience of being too incompetent to use the SUM function.

Q: Out of all of the masters so far, who is the closest to being Seo Eun-hyun’s true master?

A: This might be unexpected, but it is Buk Hyang-hwa. The reason will probably come out at the latter part of the story.

Q: Seo Eun-hyun will be able to reach Entering Nirvana before the story ends, right?

A: Of course.

Q: Cheongmun Ryeong and Azure Tiger Saint kinda seem closer to mental support while all the really helpful stuff seem to come from Yuan Li, Mad Lord, and Seo Hweol. Is this intended?

A: While stuff he learned from dickheads stand out more, stuff he learned from the Cheongmuns is not bad either. Seo Eun-hyun at that level really needed their help.

Q: Seo Eun-hyun will receive a badass Esteemed One title when he reaches Star Shattering level, right?

A: Of course.

Q: Sensei, I have a question. How big is Seo Eun-hyun’s dick???

A: Seo Eun-hyun has the hidden power of the dragons…

Q: Can Seo Eun-hyun play at being a real genius instead of fake genius if he goes to the Black Ghost Valley?

A: If he goes to the Black Ghost Valley, it’s no longer “playing” at being genius.

Q: Is the reason he did not get struck by Heavenly Lightning when he surpassed his lifespan as General Seo because he counted as a Four-Axis cultivator?

A: It’s because he counted as the Mad Lord’s property.

Q: I am waiting for dino-mode General Seo…!!! I am really looking forward to it!!!!

A: …! You will have to wait a bit!

Q: Would Crown Prince Seo be a Star Shattering puppet?

A: It would be an amazing and terrifying puppet.

Q: I don’t care if it’s Heavenly Being or Third Stage of Manifestation, when will Eun-hyun grow?

A: His growth rate will increase again after the Seo Hweol episode.

VS Battle

Q: Who is stronger? Young-hoon at the third stage of Manifestation or Seo Eun-hyun at the third stage of Manifestation?

A: I think it would depend on how they fight. Seo Eun-hyun would probably lose at a contest of pure martial arts, but Young-hoon would probably lose if they fight with everything they have.

Q: Crown Prince Seo made by Mad Lord vs Grand Prince Seo made using Seo Hweol by joining hands with the Mad Lord???

A: The dino mecha wins, obviously.

Q: Can Seo Hweol defeat the Mad Lord by himself?

A: Seo Hweol could win if the Mad Lord was by himself, but the Mad Lord wins if he uses his puppets…

Q: Is the Mad Lord’s talent supreme among the five ascendants? Can any of them defeat him in a fight?

A: None of them can beat the Mad Lord in a straight fight.

Seo Hweol

Q: Is Cheungmun Ryeong like an unlucky Seo Hweol?

A: Huh? No, they are very different. In the zombie genre, Se Hweol is like a mutant zombie while Cheungmun Ryeong is a zombie with tenacity.

Q: Why did Seo Hweol panic so much when Gyu-ryeon kissed him? Wasn’t he going to kill her anyways?

A: He panicked because he thought the Vast Cold Beautiful Agreement was a secret ancient technique meant to defeat him.

Q: Why did Gyu-ryeon fall in love with Seo Hweol? She fell in love very quickly. His face? Does he look handsome to dragons?

A: Yes. He looks handsome as well as being gentle and knowledgeable.

The Ascendants

Q: What would the five ascendants (Azure Tiger Saint, Jin Byuk-ho, Heo Gwak, Seo Hweol, Mad Lord) do for a living in the modern world?

A: Azure Tiger Saint: fitness trainer

Jin Byuk-ho: construction worker

Heo Gwak: captain of a ship

Seo Hweol: the mafia

Mad Lord: (under the assumption his life goes well) dentist that cares a lot about his family (under the assumption his life does not go well) insane mad scientist

Q: How many Heavenly Being cultivators gathered for ascension?

A: Over five hundred. That generation is a nonsensical golden age. Enough that Seo Hweol’s suggestion to ascend together to prevent the depletion of the world was accepted.

Q: How amazing is 500 Heavenly Being cultivators ascending at once?

A: It’s ridiculous. One of the reasons humans declared war on the True Devil Realm was that they were supplied with high quality talents in bulk.

Q: Could Song Jin fully come back to life if he got a new body?

A: Song Jin… lived too long.

Q: Can the Mad Lord build True Immortal level puppets if he reaches the Great Boundary?

A: The strongest puppets possible are Entering Nirvana level puppets. True Immortals cannot be turned into puppets. However, even True Immortals could be killed if you threw hundreds of millions of Entering Nirvana puppets at them… but that’s only theoretical, since it is unclear whether the Mad Lord will reach the Great Boundary.

Q: Are puppets always made to look like living beings?

A: It depends on what the maker wants.

Q: Is the reason the Mad Lord does not use a unique ability despite being on the same level as the Path Beyond the Heavens because he does not realize he has reached that stage, much like Seo Eun-hyun in the 9th cycle?

A: Yes.

Enders

Q: Do the True Immortals all know that Enders existed for a very long time?

A: The majority of high level True Immortals are aware.

Q: Do Enders have the same fate as previous Enders every time?

A: Same fate but the ability is different every time.

Q: Do legendary traits such as Heavenly Golden Thunder Body, Ghostly Yin Transforming Immortal Root, and Unique Holy Body exist beyond being abilities Enders have?

A: Some traits exist, and there are some traits that will exist in the future. You can think of it as the world giving them the optimal ability to achieve their fate.

Q: Are the initial genres you applied to Enders still applicable?

A: Some were abandoned and there are a lot of changes.

Q: Are all enders equivalent in talent? Do they have specialties?

A: While they do have their specialties, the values of the fates they were granted are equal.

Heart Tribe

Q: The third level of Manifestation is like Bankai in Bleach, right?

A: Up to Heaven Treading is like Bleach, but from the third stage on is based on my own worldbuilding. But there is no such thing as a truly original work, so I may have been unconsciously inspired by other works.

Q: Do Heart Tribe members usually not go through Five Energies Converging to the Origin and Ultimate Pinnacle?

A: They go through Five Energies Converging to the Origin, but they do not go through Ultimate Pinnacle. In the world of RToC, Gang Spheres have been invented by Kim Young-hoon…

Q: Do you need a strong desire to awaken as a Heart Tribe member even if you master the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon? Is there a reason Kim Yeon failed to awaken?

A: To be more precise, you need an unimaginably strong desire to master Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon. The reason Kim Yeon failed to awaken as a Heart Tribe member will be shown later.

Q: Why does the Earth Tribe hate the Heart Tribe so much? Heart Tribe also seems to especially hate Earth Tribe, what about Heaven Tribe? Or has it just not been mentioned?

A: Heaven Tribe tends to imprison and abuse the Heart Tribe in their basement, so it’s not as visible from the outside.

Q: Do White Goat Race and Demi-human Race not belong in any of the Tribes?

A: Those species can be considered the mortals of the Bright Cold Realm. They are just “slave species” that become Heart Tribe members more often.

Q: Heart Tribe seem like they have less lifespan than other cultivators. What is the average lifespan of someone that belongs to a slave race?

A: It’s difficult to answer because there is too much variance.

Q: Is the Heart Path Method the wider concept that includes martial arts?

A: Yes.

Q: Heart Tribe means those who have combined their outer heart essence with their inner heart essence and manifested their complete heart essence. Are there methods other than martial arts that allow this?

A: It’s not impossible.

Q: Can the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon be considered a Heart Path Method?

A: Fully mastered Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon can be considered a Heart Path Method. But not even the Mad Lord has fully mastered it. (he thinks he mastered it)

Q: Yu Hwa said that the first stage of Manifestation can be reached by integrating the outer heart essence with the inner heart essence. Is consciousness and the color of intent the outer heart essence?

A: You can think of it that way.

Q: What’s the relationship between Sacred Master Baek Woon and the Heart Tribe? It does not appear to be bad, given how Jang Ik follows her orders.

A: It’s like the relationship between the Ottoman Sultan and the Barbary pirates. While not officially acknowledged, it is beneficial to Sacred Master Baek Woon for the Heart Tribe to exist.

Q: What’s the proportion of the slave races in the Bright Cold Realm who cannot even attain Qi Refining?

A: About 30 percent.

Q: Is the Heavenly Tribulation added by Heart Tribe spies one per person? Or can they add it multiple times.

A: One per person. But sneak attacking and running away adds one as well..

Q: If you get hit by ten thousand third stage Heart Tribe Masters, you get hit by ten thousand Heavenly Tribulations when you ascend?

A: Yes. That’s why every race of the Bright Cold Realm is frantically trying to exterminate the Heart Tribe.

Q: Is there no way to remove Heavenly Tribulation added by Heart Tribe attacks? Do you have to get hit by it?

A: You have to use true immortal treasures such as the Heavenly Lightning Banner or do a very expensive ritual. There are more people willing to tank the tribulation than those willing to pay that price.

Q: Other than the ten thousand Heavenly Being level members of the Heart Tribe, does the Heart Tribe Alliance have Four-Axis and Integration stage members as well?

A: Yes. But overwhelmingly less than Heaven and Earth Tribes.

Q: What stage of Manifestation is Jang Ik at?

A: Two stages higher than the third stage of Manifestation

Q: I really hope the name of the third stage of Manifestation is not Beyond Heaven Beyond the Path.

A: There’s already hints about the name of the third stage.

Female Characters

Q: Can Gyu-ryeon be a love interest as well?

A: But she kissed Seo Hweol…

Q: What happens to Gyu-ryeon without Seo Eun-hyun’s interference? Does Seo Hweol still betray her???

A: Nobody remembers her name after a thousand years…

Q: Can Gyu-ryeon be happy? Please.

A: I think of Gyu-ryeon as Seo Ran of the Middle Realm. She will be happy… probably, eventually?

Q: Will Eun-hyun save Gyu-ryeon later?

A: Yep.

Q: Can you please make love interests as attractive as Gyu-ryeon? Why are all the confirmed heroines so unattractive?

A: Sorry. I was bad at writing female characters back then.

Q: Did Gyu-ryeon die to Yu Hwa in previous cycles?

A: Yu Hwa was fated to die by Seo Hweol while saving Baek Nyeong. Gyu-ryeon also died to Seo Hweol.

Q: Can Yu Hwa be a love interest? Spiders are totally worth it. How can you not love Heart Tribe spider-mama?

A: I considered making Yu Hwa a love interest because I personally really like her. However, narratively, she cannot be a love interest.

Q: Could Yu Hwa’s race swing across buildings like Spiderman if they existed in the modern world?

A: Yes, it’s possible. However, Yu Hwa’s race are peace loving musicians, so they would do street performances more than playing Spiderman.

Q: Please make a mention in the story that Kim Yeon is pretty.

A: Of course she’s beautiful, but I probably won’t write it in the story.

Q: How would Kim Yeon react if Seo Eun-hyun rejected her after waiting centuries in the 13th cycle as planned?

A: In hindsight, I should have done that even if Seo Eun-hyun would have been called a psychopath by some people… Kim Yeon’s reaction is related to her fate, so spoiler.

Q: Can Oh Hye-seo be a love interest as well?

A: There is no way of knowing what she did with Seo Hweol while hidden.

Q: Just why don’t you write that the love interests are pretty…! Kim Yeon, Buk Hyang-hwa, future heroines, just say they are all pretty…

A: Personally, I have a meaningless preconception that specifically describing that a character is beautiful fits evil beings more. I thought people would naturally accept that love interests are beautiful without description?

Q: Why is the Blood Body praised for its beauty a lot when love interests are not?

A: The Blood Body is closer to a sculpture than a person. It’s like Yuan Li’s artwork.

Q: About the Buk Hyang-hwa Napoleon thing, what’s your thought on artillery?

A: Firepower is the true way.

Q 등선향에 있던 여우랑 북향화의 수도 재능은 어느정도인가요?

Q: What’s the cultivation talent of the fox from the Ascension Path and Buk Hyang-hwa?

A: Fox <- unexpectedly a first-class talent. Buk Hyang-hwa <- not very talented at cultivation but there are more things she can do as her Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent trait improves.

Q: Please tell me you won’t abandon Buk Hyang-hwa? You won’t, right?? When will best girl come back?

A: I love Buk Hyang-hwa

Q: Kim Yeon, Oh Hye-seo, and Kang Min-hee according to the size of their breasts?

A: If I must, Kim Yeon > Kang Min-hee > Oh Hye-seo

How Will The Story Unfold?

Q: How long until the end?

A: We started the Middle Realm storyline in earnest, so I think we are 2 out of 7 until the end.

Q: It’s so fun, can you write 1000 chapters?

A: My goal is finishing within 1000 chapters. I don’t think I will reach 1000?

Q: You’ve stated that there was a lot of story left to tell about the Mad Lord. Will we get a storyline about all of the five ascendants?

A: I don’t think we will cycle through all of the five ascendants. We will see the Mad Lord’s first stage of Manifestation and his backstory at an appropriate time.

Q: Will we see Yang Su-Jin again?

A: We will see him a lot.

Q: Will we visit Black Ghost Valley and Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect?

A: Yes.

Q: Will we see the centipede do more? So loyal yet so weak.

A: We will see him more.

Q:Will Five Elements Spiritual Roots be very helpful eventually?

A: Yep.

Q: Can you make Four-Axis cultivators more badass? It’s not a low level, but they keep getting beaten up, they feel less powerful than Core Formation cultivators in the lower realm.

A: Oops… I will try. :( To tell the truth, the name of the stage is kinda bad… but I will try my best while unpacking the relevant worldbuilding.

True Immortal

Q: Are demon beasts that reached True Immortality called Immortal Beasts?

A: Yes.

Q: Are the power differences between True Immortals big?

A: The power differences between the stages of the Great Boundary are very very big. However, due to the nature of their abilities, True Immortals and Immortal Beasts can effectively gang up on each other.

Q: The Lustrous Glaze Peacock is said to want to mate with everyone and make Azure Peng have children. What’s their genders?

A: At the level of Immortal Beasts gender is meaningless. The Lustrous Glaze Peacock just loves mating.

Q: Why was it fine to hear Yang Su-Jin’s name but not Yu Hao Te’s name? Is their name as a True Immortal different from their name while they were mortal?

A: The intention behind the name is also important. You do go insane if you understand the true nature of a True Immortal and call their true name, but you are not very affected if you just hear their name without understanding the true meaning.

Cultivation

Q: Are none of the axes made in Bright Cold Realm during Four-Axis?

B: Majority of Bright Cold Realm cultivators make their axes in Bright Coldt Realm by gathering a lot of Five Elements Spiritual Energy or by softening great dharma treasures. Seo Hweol was pretending to leave to other Middle Realms to gather a higher quality of energy.

Q: Does Earth Tribe not care about the quality of their spiritual roots since they gather up turbid heaven and earth spiritual energy and refine it with explosions?

A: They do not. If they survive the explosion, they grow, and if they are too weak, they die from their dantian exploding, so it is purely the survival of the fittest.

Q: Even Earth Tribe cultivators seem to do rituals for their Axes in the Four-Axis stage. Is this different from what Heaven Tribe cultivators do to raise their cultivation?

A: The rituals at Four-Axis are not aimed at the heavens.

Q: Do Earth Tribe cultivators control all of the five elements?

A: Heaven Tribe cultivators control every element as well after late Nascent Soul. However, they are inferior to Earth Tribe cultivators at the skill of controlling all five of the elements at once.

Q: Can the Mad Lord make true Star Shattering puppets if he reaches Star Shattering himself or picks up a corpse of an Esteemed One?

A: The corpse of an Esteemed One will not work. It is impossible without the Mad Lord himself reaching Star Shattering.

Q: The rarity of stages seem to be set up so that Qi Refining of the Lower Realms corresponds Core Formation of the Middle Realms, Qi Building corresponds to Nascent Soul, Core Formation corresponds to Heavenly Being, Nascent Soul corresponds to Four-Axis, Heavenly Being corresponds to Integration, with stages above being incomparable. Is this right?

A: That seems right.

Q: Is making Four-Axis Axes by using the Five Elements also Heterodox Axis Foundation?

A: The Orthodox and the Heterodox are decided by the method, rather than the ingredient. Building your own Axis with rituals - Orthodox. Taking from someone else - Heterodox. However, the way Seo Hweol is doing is the correct method, and it’s the other Four-Axis cultivators that are building their Axes the wrong way, which means the difference between the methods is not greatly meaningful for them.

Q: Does the power at the Integration stage depend on the method the cultivator used to build the Axes?

A: Yes. How one cultivated during the Four-Axis stage decides the stability at the Integration stage.

Q: Did Sacred Master Baek Woon build her Axes the orthodox way?

A: Yes.

Q: Is Understanding Before Breakthrough better than cheating your way up? Slower but more powerful?

A: Yup.

Q: The founder of the Yin Soul Ghost Incantation only being able to create 108 curses while Seo Eun-hyun is able to create thousands is a bit lame. Is Seo Eun-hyun special, or was the founder just not very good at it?

A: The founder of the Yin Soul Ghost Incantation understood pain via self harm, understanding human pain to be physiological. The founder did not study mental pain very much, so Seo Eun-hyun managed to surpass the founder.

Etc

Q: Since this is a Xianxia novel, the setting is eastern in nature with eastern characters, but does western culture and western characters exist in your setting? If so, will this be relevant?

A: Common sense would dictate that to be the case, but since this story is Xianxia and eastern fantasy, I am reluctant to do so. So they will not show up even if they exist.

Q: What is the most delicious dish at the Bright Cold Realm?

A: Full course meal of Devil Race meat, prepared by Human Race chefs of Bright Cold Realm.

Q: Is the webtoon adaptation going well?? I am terrified…

A: I am receiving the storyboard, and I am also nervous… But the character sheet looks great. I will get permission from the producer to post the character sheets when we confirm the company that will be doing the webtoon adaptation..

Q: Can I write fanfics?

A: Fanfics don’t need permission as long as you don’t profit.

Q: I am always astonished by the depth of worldbuilding when I read RToC! Do you research things every time you worldbuild? Or have you studied the relevant material and naturally worldbuilding as you write the novel?

A: Thank you for the overwhelming praise. I have learned how to worldbuild as I read Reincarnated Swordmaster, and did research of my own to create my world. The stages are something I have been thinking about for a while that I am organizing at RToC, rather than something I came up with when I started the novel.

Q: Who’s your favorite character so far?

A: In order of how much love I put into them: Seo Eun-hyun, Seo Hweol, Buk Hyang-hwa, Mad Lord, Kim Yeon, the Final Boss, Yuan Li, Kim Young-hoon, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Heo Gwak, Kang Min-hee. The rest are below them and relatively equal to each other.

Q: What’s the race of Sacred Master Baek Woon?

A: From Star Shattering, race becomes meaningless. Ah, if you were asking about her tribe, she reached the Sacred Vessel stage as a Heaven Tribe.

TranslatingNovice: Lmao. Q&A done once again by BlueMangoAde!