What is Cultivation (Xianxia)?

Cultivation is the engine of xianxia and wuxia stories, most common in manhua. Characters "cultivate" — meditating, training, and absorbing qi (life energy) — to break through a ladder of named power realms, each one a huge leap over the last.

Expect sects and clans, arrogant young masters, heaven-defying techniques, and a hero who starts at the bottom and methodically ascends. The appeal is the clear, addictive sense of progression: every arc, the protagonist visibly levels up.