You can breed for average talent (even without spiritblood), it is why we even got clans, anything above that is up to chance tho. So it is not entirely a random process to start with.
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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
"Neglect for success: a Gendo Ikari guide for childhood cultivation. Now with a foreword by Kiryuin Ragyo."
Ling qi getting her ears pierced. Her tier 3 ears.
Should've done it already as a mortal.
Should've done it already as a mortal.
- Location
- Colorado
But they aren't, its the other way around. Every random Red Soul city guard isn't considered a noble. All nobles are cultivators, not all cultivators are nobles. The Ma sisters, for instance, are the daughters of 'common cultivator' craftspeople.
They probably just would have healed over during her breakthroughs since wearing earrings aren't really part of her self-image yet.
- Location
- CA
You know, I just really like the image of someone countering an earring talisman by counter-magicing the formation that makes it stay on their ears. It's at that intersection of "tactical" and "kind of petty and vaguely spiteful" that I like, because presumably you're not working out an anti-earring trick on general principle. If you're doing that, you looked at some specific person with a specific set of earrings and decided to knock them off the table like a large and ornery housecat, and I appreciate that mindset.
crap. well I guess it is so. still, you probably have to gather plenty of resources to even think of getting beyond the red realm. ling qi is an exception since she was included into the sect. but I guess guards and such don't necessarily get access to many cultivation techniques and materials you'd find on the sect and noble houses. so... all the cultivators that matter are noble or have some backing (at least from their parents) in the sect. it's like, you have to pay money to go to college, but some people who are exceptionally talented may get scholarships like ling qi. well, also it is quite hard for a normal cultivator to go past the realms, but for nobles (and especially the high ranking ones) it is somewhat expected. I guess that is somewhat of an indication that they have better talent somewhat on average (if you compare them to the general population). I may contradict myself but ysrill did make it seem like in terms of ability it's more fair.
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use high tier needles? I bet there are some that can still cut through her flesh like it's made of butter.
but you'd still need formations to make them stick as an extra precaution.
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- Location
- At the end of the world
I think it's a matter of resources. 1 Red stone sells for 95 silver coins, wich is a lot (you can feed family for months and still have some) for most commoners. I don't think nobles have that much better average talant. LQ was far from the only commoner at Sect. But even here disparity was showing, because A) most nobles had a head start in cultivation somewhere in Red or some even in Yellow realm whereas commoners were unawakened, B) nobles had allowance from their families, wich naturally included additional spirit stones and pills - wich is essential for faster cultivation, C) and don't forget about clan arts that gives noble kids edge when first three months is over and you can get tokens from defeated opponents, guess most defeated are of common born.
P.S.: Also I doubt agents that seek new talents for scholarship found every talented commonborn kid, whereas wealthy people can just enroll their kids after paying a fee. It was sayed that cultivators have no trouble making money. Most successful cultivators are nobles from the beginning or lifted to nobility after some time. I guess all of this creates illusion that only someone of 'noble blood' can be good at cultivation. Wich isn't really true but very easy to believe.
In retrospect, does the recruiter agent worked for the Sect, province or Empire? Why did we get shuffled to Argent Sect and not the others?
Cecylene
Eternal Idea Engine
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Pronouns
- He/They
I mean it's not true Random as there is an inherent bias towards Talent 3-4 per Yrs, I refer more that it is Random as in taking little to no input from external sources save the known exception that is Spirit-Blood. Having an average talent will mean that the more kids and grandkids the greater parity your clan will have with the Talent distribution curve. I was more doubling down on commenting that you can't eugenics your way into a general increase in Talent distribution without introducing spirit blood of some kind, only increase your chances of matching the curve.
Established Clans have the benefit of being able to screen and encourage those members of average talent more easily than other allowing for the perception of better than average Talent as they will tend to have more Greens because they know who will and will not benefit from their arts and resources the most. It's a great example of Selection Bias, as we expect Clans to do better and because they have more Cultivators at higher Realms the assumption is its due to Talent rather than the fact that the only examples that anyone sees outside of Clan duties are the ones pre-selected as likely to be successful and those that are successful will inevitably live longer than the unsuccessful ones increasing the Ratio of higher talent persons in the clan via attrition. It's an interesting way that the older Clans, Zheng and Bai, have managed their power structure as the perception of their power being inherent to their bloodline and Clan history rather than their sheer numbers and ability to determine who is the best investment prevents most under educated rebels (Non sect Greens and below) from attempting to actually revolt without similarly powerful backing a la the Sun with the Imperial Throne.
well, yeah it's mostly about resources and numbers. but still, I can't believe that hereditary doesn't play a slight role in this, although not as great. I think it's more like intelligence, where there's just a higher chance of someone being smarter if both parents are smart, but it's still not necessary. there is also a slight bias so it's not completely random, but random enough such that it's not completely 'fair' as for the distribution of resources. shit this is going places I don't like. I hope we can all simply agree that nobles are shitheads and leave it at that.
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I kinda prefer the idea that Ling Qi comes from a humble and utterly unremarkable background, only to make it to the big leagues through the power of sheer perseverance, luck and spreadsheets. It makes her (our) efforts feel a bit more .. authentic?
He just wanted nobody else to be hurt.
That's a fine dream but legendarily difficult to achieve. Bodes well for developing good IFF as he grows too.
Hiding his face, I think, refers to Xuan Shi's social art, which puts up an impenetrable front against perceptions. Except Zhengui perceives people through reading their [Titles] and being unable to do so doesn't inspire much trust.
Nest-Mimic, False-Brother and Deepwater-Child, I think people are reading too much into. Its the uncanny valley effect amplified in a highly territorial species. Zhengui being a Fire/Wood volcano tortoise would find a Water/Heavens deep sea turtle to be fundamentally disturbing(and vice versa).
It'd be a danger to a colony if they wound up raising another colony's breed, because Xuanwu are hungry as heck when growing, while their own colony rely upon the vitalizing effect of older Xuanwu to provide the resources the young will chew through.
Being able to instinctively identify that the thing which is almost your colony but not is how you prevent those strays from eating up what your children need.
Its also how he instinctively knew only Xuan Wu could understand
@yrsillar broken bit bolded, whats it supposed to say there? Further what?
Theres something to that. Hmm...you know, Zhengui spent a lot of his time as a Red toddling around the Argent Vent while we practiced Argent Mirror IIRC.
Wonder if he picked up a variation on Ling Qi's sincerity thing.
Curious, didn't notice before that Zhen was more trusting and Gui more stubborn.
Or that Gui could feel the resonance. I suppose he did dance at the Moon Rave.
Wilted is good phrasing for a Wood cultivator.
Ling Qi was half melted here too.
Actually...how's Zhengui's social perception?
It sounds like he managed to detect the presence of some potent social defenses even if he can't see through them.
Kongyou in particular here was three masks. The topmost is the Fox, which we know about, but if literal, theres additional layers below that.
Somehow I wonder if the nightmare muse might have been fooled by Xuan Shi's surface defenses...that'd be interesting to see.
Just how good IS his perception?
- Location
- Florida
Zhengui Utility:
Stealth: E
Combat Perception: C-C10 (+10 in plant-heavy region)
- With LQ there: B-B13 (LQ domain +1 rank)
Social Perception: F5
Poise: D10
Hey guys, I know it's gonna be a little disappointing but I'm not going to update today. I've already had a false start this turn and in order to avoid that I'm going to take some time and put more work into a proper update map. Things will resume on tuesday, but I might have a little extra for you over the weekend to tide you over. Thanks for your understanding!
It's a road trip, things gonna be unplanned from the get go.
What's a diplomatic mission among Immortals version of a flat tire? A detour?
Ling Qi: Crud, I think i hit something, what was it?
Cai adjutant not looking up from the Map: Probably just a Bai. Roadkill.
Ling Qi: should we turn around? Maybe there is loot.
CRX: Keep going, don't look back, we must be punctual.
Snek under the caravan: Hisssssss
What's a diplomatic mission among Immortals version of a flat tire? A detour?
Ling Qi: Crud, I think i hit something, what was it?
Cai adjutant not looking up from the Map: Probably just a Bai. Roadkill.
Ling Qi: should we turn around? Maybe there is loot.
CRX: Keep going, don't look back, we must be punctual.
Snek under the caravan: Hisssssss
- Location
- Greece
Becoming a Noble by lucking into the Sect and reaching Green fast enough isn't that big an exception considering the attrition rate of fodder Barons. I imagine Great Sectts produce quite a number per year.
Not that Ling Qi isn't exceptional, it is just for different reasons. She was able to to a) make it to Green during her FIRST year (most new barons prolly barely make the time limit, I do not think its made to be lenient, its made to incorporate the ones exceptional enough to be dangerous) and b) dunk on most lords while slowly being able to catch up with the ducals (she is faster than them, they just started earlier and have lots of advantages). Most fodder barons are unable to do either of those things, that our year had 2 contributed to it being a monster year and skewering our perception, yeah, but the average fodder/new baron closer to the Ma siblings in trajectory, with the more skilled ones being like Gan Guangly (also a commoner) and Su Ling. Ling Qi and Ji Rong are monsters and freaks of nature, yes, but they do not represent the average commoner born noble by any extent, neither in rarity nor skill.
I think the biggest advantages old families give is options and knowledge. If Xiulan didn't know that old family trick, she'd still be in the outer Sect. Yes, it comes with drawbacks (scarring, potentially deadly), but if every commoner knew all the ways to roll and manipulate the dice, we'd have a lot more commoners making it. Add all the litle tricks, the techniques, the shortcuts, the foundation building, the deals with spirits, the family spirits, the Dao know how etc. and you get a very good reason why old famillies get greater odds for high realms than new(er) families even when the resources and talent are nominally the same (the hard cap on stones and limited efficiency of pills mean the actual cultivation gap ain't that big for a sect student, it makes one a lil slower, sure, but if he is gonna make it to green, he is gonna make it in time even with the low end). Secrets > stones, is all I'm saying, and we really lucked into the moon.
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Stone Rolls Against Stone
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Stone Rolls Against Stone
Stone rolled against stone. Ingredients crushed into useful shapes, the only sound in the small workshop. A process that required repetition and, for an immortal, no mistakes.
"No. No! NO! Bastards!"
Light, from formations muted by paper, played around Xiu. Pottery broke and sound echoed around the room as pieces of a mortar and ruined ingredients collected on the floor. An exhausted sigh escaped Xiu as she ran her hand through her hair before twisting to the shelf behind her. A mortar lay waiting there. Another replacement. The mortar was smooth and uniform, which was all that could be said for it. No formations to guide efforts. No elegant designs to awe visitors. A mortar with one purpose. Work. Work which Xiu began again in earnest.
Before and above her rows of shelves were arranged with meticulous care. Wood gleamed with oil. Small plaques of burnished bronze reflected light from formations. Yet for all the care, this room was one of hundreds, maybe thousands. Xiu didn't care about the number. Workshop 6a was hers. She didn't need the others. With quick motions Xiu opened up shelves she needed, locations long ago memorized, deft fingers gathered precise amounts of ingredients. Xiu frowned. Bloodflower was running low. It would need to be refilled by tonight.
Stone rolled against stone. Memory of the mistake from last round poured energy into worn limbs and weary eyes. There could be no mistakes this time. Almost. Almost. There. Xiu unbent her back, hissing in pain with its pops. She grabbed a sieve from under the counter. Flicking her finger, Xiu finished. Four small paper bags filled three quarters with crushed and sieved ingredients. Perfect. Only unsuited pieces were left. Detritus to be tossed into a large sliding cabinet and ignored until later.
Folded at the correct angles, four paper bags joined the other thirty two which rested on a small tray. Xiu almost reached up to wipe sweat from her brow. Ingrained habits were hard to stop even after breaking through. As Xiu walked towards a small silver bell by the door her eyes drifted towards a small nook in the workshop. A rabbit, tiny and carved from pine, sat there. A token that marked workshop 6a as hers. Tai had gifted her the rabbit two weeks ago. In celebration of her breakthrough to silver he said. Treating her to a night on the town after getting a day of leave was the true gift in her opinion. Those memories of drinks and the press of friends were a treasure. Especially now.
Lin Mai, a newer member of the medicine hall, entered the room and bowed once the bell was rung.
"Finished?" Lin asked.
"Yes," Xiu said, "thirty six doses as requested by the sect."
Lin bowed again before picking up the tray. "Alright," she said, "A message came through during your shift, a meeting has been called. It's supposed to start once that candle," Lin tilted her head at a candle, almost melted, in the hallway, "is finished."
Xiu bit back a groan. Only enough time to eat something quick. "Thank you. I'll be sure to make it."
Lin gave another short bow then carried the tray of medicine down the halls.
A heavy stone table dominated the meeting hall. Round with seats spaced evenly about. The stone was smooth enough to reflect faces. Faces of distress and weariness. Xuli Tang, an inner disciple, presided over this section of the medicine hall as they discussed the challenges and solutions that war was wringing out.
"What is the news about linen shipments?"
"The next should arrive during this meeting."
"Substance 36 has a negative interaction with several bone setting pills and elixirs."
"That should have been caught earlier. Cease administering it and double check the next potential antidote before moving on."
It was here that Xiu interjected into the streams of information. "Workshop 6a is running low on bloodflower. Are supplies running low?"
Xuli shook his head. "A delay in shipments happened, but each of the workshops should be fully stocked. I will double check and make sure no rooms are being forgotten from haste."
Xiu nodded and returned to staring at papers arranged in front of her. Blurred and jumbled characters. Forcing meaning onto the pages took energy she no longer had.
The meeting continued for hours. A small bell echoed. Xiu looked up from increasingly incomprehensible notes with hope. The end was here. Xuli clapped his hands.
"Very well. We managed to get through half of what was needed. Yet, time marches on. Only one more matter to mention." Xilu turned to Xiu and smiled. "This is your first meeting since your breakthrough. Congratulations." Everyone around the table clapped twice or three times. No more than that. No one had energy for more. "You've already enjoyed the increase in resources and if times were normal you would be taught how to make pills more suited to your new level." Xilu shrugged. "That may not happen soon. So we will ask you to continue the good work. That concludes the meeting."
Chairs were pushed away and by ones or twos the meeting hall emptied. Xiu wandered away from others. Past meeting halls. Past workshops. She brushed aside curtains meant to separate patients and sat down on a creaky chair. Soft creaks and groans escaped from the chair as Xiu settled in. It was a comfort in a way. The chair had creaked the same way yesterday and the day before. It would share its groans again tomorrow and the day after. A constant in a world gone mad.
Tai laid beside her. Frame covered in white blankets. Sweat beaded on his brow while he grimaced in silent, dreamless, sleep. Xiu traced her finger on the blankets. Each trace a scar covered by linens. Most small, removed arrow heads. One large, stitched skin and muscle from a cut to the ribs by a serrated knife. The poison that lingered behind the blows was the danger now. What treatments the sect had were exorbitant. Used solely for those that needed to live. For other sufferers, they could only rely on their own strength and the frantic efforts of the medicine hall to discover a solution.
Xiu felt qi stir in her dantain. She wanted to check his condition. To pour qi into her eyes so blood and qi could be observed. She could track poison as it ebbed and flowed in his body. She could. She didn't though. Wasting qi wasn't reasonable anymore. She had so little of it after all. Instead she reached under the blanket sheltering Tai and shuffled his hand out from under them. She placed her right hand into his, marveling at the small nicks and scars from Tai's attempts at woodworking. How many times had she bandaged up his cuts? Dozens? A hundred times? Xiu chuckled, her mind drifting away. She remembered her friend sitting her down and explaining that Tai was being clumsy on purpose. An excuse to visit. Oh, how her heart pounded when she realized that perhaps there was something new to discover in the monotony of sect life. Tai's blooming blush when she offered a visit to a famous tea house. Just to talk, after hours.
One by one Tai's fingers curled around Xiu's right hand. It was slow, heistent. When each finger had curled around Xiu's hand, her left hand brushed some dust from her eyes. Then, unsupported, Tai's fingers obeyed the law of Earth and fell away. Cold and still. Xiu took a shuddering breath. Once more her left hand guided Tai's fingers. Forcing them to curl around her own. Cold where there should have been heat. Still where life should move. Xiu sat there in the stillness. Warm hands intertwined with cold hands.
When the chair groaned its farewell, the moon had begun its ascent. Xiu didn't return home, that empty, cheerless, place. Instead workshop 6a greeted her with warm scents. It smelled like the bloodflower had been restocked. Good. Deft motions opened necessary shelves. Ingredients joined each other in a plain mortar.
Ingredients were crushed into more useful sizes, or discarded as detritus, as stone rolled against stone. Long into the night, stone rolled against stone.
--------------------------------
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne
Stone rolled against stone. Ingredients crushed into useful shapes, the only sound in the small workshop. A process that required repetition and, for an immortal, no mistakes.
"No. No! NO! Bastards!"
Light, from formations muted by paper, played around Xiu. Pottery broke and sound echoed around the room as pieces of a mortar and ruined ingredients collected on the floor. An exhausted sigh escaped Xiu as she ran her hand through her hair before twisting to the shelf behind her. A mortar lay waiting there. Another replacement. The mortar was smooth and uniform, which was all that could be said for it. No formations to guide efforts. No elegant designs to awe visitors. A mortar with one purpose. Work. Work which Xiu began again in earnest.
Before and above her rows of shelves were arranged with meticulous care. Wood gleamed with oil. Small plaques of burnished bronze reflected light from formations. Yet for all the care, this room was one of hundreds, maybe thousands. Xiu didn't care about the number. Workshop 6a was hers. She didn't need the others. With quick motions Xiu opened up shelves she needed, locations long ago memorized, deft fingers gathered precise amounts of ingredients. Xiu frowned. Bloodflower was running low. It would need to be refilled by tonight.
Stone rolled against stone. Memory of the mistake from last round poured energy into worn limbs and weary eyes. There could be no mistakes this time. Almost. Almost. There. Xiu unbent her back, hissing in pain with its pops. She grabbed a sieve from under the counter. Flicking her finger, Xiu finished. Four small paper bags filled three quarters with crushed and sieved ingredients. Perfect. Only unsuited pieces were left. Detritus to be tossed into a large sliding cabinet and ignored until later.
Folded at the correct angles, four paper bags joined the other thirty two which rested on a small tray. Xiu almost reached up to wipe sweat from her brow. Ingrained habits were hard to stop even after breaking through. As Xiu walked towards a small silver bell by the door her eyes drifted towards a small nook in the workshop. A rabbit, tiny and carved from pine, sat there. A token that marked workshop 6a as hers. Tai had gifted her the rabbit two weeks ago. In celebration of her breakthrough to silver he said. Treating her to a night on the town after getting a day of leave was the true gift in her opinion. Those memories of drinks and the press of friends were a treasure. Especially now.
Lin Mai, a newer member of the medicine hall, entered the room and bowed once the bell was rung.
"Finished?" Lin asked.
"Yes," Xiu said, "thirty six doses as requested by the sect."
Lin bowed again before picking up the tray. "Alright," she said, "A message came through during your shift, a meeting has been called. It's supposed to start once that candle," Lin tilted her head at a candle, almost melted, in the hallway, "is finished."
Xiu bit back a groan. Only enough time to eat something quick. "Thank you. I'll be sure to make it."
Lin gave another short bow then carried the tray of medicine down the halls.
A heavy stone table dominated the meeting hall. Round with seats spaced evenly about. The stone was smooth enough to reflect faces. Faces of distress and weariness. Xuli Tang, an inner disciple, presided over this section of the medicine hall as they discussed the challenges and solutions that war was wringing out.
"What is the news about linen shipments?"
"The next should arrive during this meeting."
"Substance 36 has a negative interaction with several bone setting pills and elixirs."
"That should have been caught earlier. Cease administering it and double check the next potential antidote before moving on."
It was here that Xiu interjected into the streams of information. "Workshop 6a is running low on bloodflower. Are supplies running low?"
Xuli shook his head. "A delay in shipments happened, but each of the workshops should be fully stocked. I will double check and make sure no rooms are being forgotten from haste."
Xiu nodded and returned to staring at papers arranged in front of her. Blurred and jumbled characters. Forcing meaning onto the pages took energy she no longer had.
The meeting continued for hours. A small bell echoed. Xiu looked up from increasingly incomprehensible notes with hope. The end was here. Xuli clapped his hands.
"Very well. We managed to get through half of what was needed. Yet, time marches on. Only one more matter to mention." Xilu turned to Xiu and smiled. "This is your first meeting since your breakthrough. Congratulations." Everyone around the table clapped twice or three times. No more than that. No one had energy for more. "You've already enjoyed the increase in resources and if times were normal you would be taught how to make pills more suited to your new level." Xilu shrugged. "That may not happen soon. So we will ask you to continue the good work. That concludes the meeting."
Chairs were pushed away and by ones or twos the meeting hall emptied. Xiu wandered away from others. Past meeting halls. Past workshops. She brushed aside curtains meant to separate patients and sat down on a creaky chair. Soft creaks and groans escaped from the chair as Xiu settled in. It was a comfort in a way. The chair had creaked the same way yesterday and the day before. It would share its groans again tomorrow and the day after. A constant in a world gone mad.
Tai laid beside her. Frame covered in white blankets. Sweat beaded on his brow while he grimaced in silent, dreamless, sleep. Xiu traced her finger on the blankets. Each trace a scar covered by linens. Most small, removed arrow heads. One large, stitched skin and muscle from a cut to the ribs by a serrated knife. The poison that lingered behind the blows was the danger now. What treatments the sect had were exorbitant. Used solely for those that needed to live. For other sufferers, they could only rely on their own strength and the frantic efforts of the medicine hall to discover a solution.
Xiu felt qi stir in her dantain. She wanted to check his condition. To pour qi into her eyes so blood and qi could be observed. She could track poison as it ebbed and flowed in his body. She could. She didn't though. Wasting qi wasn't reasonable anymore. She had so little of it after all. Instead she reached under the blanket sheltering Tai and shuffled his hand out from under them. She placed her right hand into his, marveling at the small nicks and scars from Tai's attempts at woodworking. How many times had she bandaged up his cuts? Dozens? A hundred times? Xiu chuckled, her mind drifting away. She remembered her friend sitting her down and explaining that Tai was being clumsy on purpose. An excuse to visit. Oh, how her heart pounded when she realized that perhaps there was something new to discover in the monotony of sect life. Tai's blooming blush when she offered a visit to a famous tea house. Just to talk, after hours.
One by one Tai's fingers curled around Xiu's right hand. It was slow, heistent. When each finger had curled around Xiu's hand, her left hand brushed some dust from her eyes. Then, unsupported, Tai's fingers obeyed the law of Earth and fell away. Cold and still. Xiu took a shuddering breath. Once more her left hand guided Tai's fingers. Forcing them to curl around her own. Cold where there should have been heat. Still where life should move. Xiu sat there in the stillness. Warm hands intertwined with cold hands.
When the chair groaned its farewell, the moon had begun its ascent. Xiu didn't return home, that empty, cheerless, place. Instead workshop 6a greeted her with warm scents. It smelled like the bloodflower had been restocked. Good. Deft motions opened necessary shelves. Ingredients joined each other in a plain mortar.
Ingredients were crushed into more useful sizes, or discarded as detritus, as stone rolled against stone. Long into the night, stone rolled against stone.
--------------------------------
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne
Cai Renxiang
Also, most of the trouble non-noble cultivators get into (Su ling aside, but she's spiritblooded anyways) is more because of the same personality which gives them cultivating ability then the reverse: plenty of people are dissatisfied with their home life, but only a few would have the audacity and confidence to run, many people are victimized by nobles but not many dare slay them in vengeance, etc.
being able to get to green and past that is enough. someone who gets to green while young gets to be a noble because they will probably make it to the fourth. most cultivators can't even dream about it.
but as for the attrition rate... we know it's mostly because of them being unable to integrate properly.
ling qi managed to not only make an exception in talent but also integrate 'nicely'. besides the ma sisters were not like ji rong or ling qi that were picked up randomly from the streets. I don't remember if they were able to afford admission to the sect or not, but those that weren't and made it in without it should be as abnormal as they are. they were fodder barons, but not as talented. ling qi is exceptional, like ji rong and some others who share the same story.
yeah, I guess nobles do have a lot of resources that should complement their ability. but it doesn't matter. no amount of resources would help you reach past the fourth if you're not talented. nobles need to have more talented people. maybe they make up for it in numbers, but once you get past the third you're more or less on your own.
so, again, nobles need to consolidate their power. but not just against commoners, but against their own as well. they are constantly breeding for cultivation ability so that they retain their ranks. it's not just about them having more resources and talented people to contend against an uprising and democracy. the old families need to keep their standing so that those of lower ranks won't surpass them. that's why a duke scion will be most likely better than a count's or a marquis. it's not just resources, there is also breeding, screening and plenty other methods nobles need to use make sure that their offsprings are the best in terms of cultivation ability.
yeah, there were a lot of replacements and uprisings over time, but that's what makes it even more prominent. it's like evolution. they're constantly competing for cultivation while the less competent ones get left behind by the more competent ones. this also happens with fodder barons trying desperately to join the ranks and barely succeeding while still applying pressure. all the while this happened for who knows how long with the cultivators and their lifespans that cause society to stagnate. after all of this it won't make sense that nobles don't have at least some better talent at cultivation than others. it should even happen with the barbarians, since in tribal society the best warriors will always carry on the legacy of those behind them and get more women\support while the weak ones would be left behind.
so, we're kinda getting into a eugenics discussion here and it kinda make me uncomfortable, but it is what it is.
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