what is a cultivation novel/genre?

[ThaddeusDeVilliers]

What do you personally think is the quintessential thing, the boiled down essence of what make a story a cultivation novel?

Is it a trope? A mechanic? A system? A character? A setting?

What is the thing that you can take away everything else, as long as you have that element you can say, "you know, I think that's a cultivation novel."

 

[SoaringMoon]

Recursive improvement of self, regardless of the method.

(In my opinion.)

 

[LesserSarcasm]

A selfish power fantasy

 

[NotaNuffian]

Any mechanism for power up with defined representation.

I say this to block up LitRPG, which is just "numbers go up, brr!"

The standard taoism "suck air, build crap, aureate tumor and mpreg" is standard. But there are other beautiful ones like Tales of Herding Gods with "inner structures such as a bridge, pavillion etc" and many KR mage cultivation have circles like a tree ring.

 

[MakBow]

Cultivation is supposed to be about the betterment of your body, soul, and self from what I have observed and learned, but it's reduced to a power fantasy with face-slapping, harems, jade beauties, golden fingers,