#freshmushrooom

[bigbadredpanda]

Hello, there is something that has been bothering me for a while now, and maybe you can help me.

Do you know if it's possible for cultivators become immortal in mdzs?

In the audio drama when Lan Qiren reads the Lan Sect rules he talks about their purpose as cultivators, which is to reach immortality, Wei Wuxian too mentions it not long after. Also Xiao Xincheng, when telling his story, talks about an immortal that lived on a celestial mountain, referring to Baoshan Sanren. These things made me think that yes, it's possible, and maybe it's just very hard.

But then I read somewhere about mdzs being a low fantasy novel. That's when I get confused. I thought mdzs was xianxia, that was considered high fantasy, where there are immortals, and low fantasy was instead wuxia, where there are not.

Since I'm in no way an expert of this genre I don't know if there are specific rules or the author can mix things up and decide what to keep or leave.

I don't know if in mdzs when they talk about becoming immortals they really mean it, it's really possible, or if instead it's just some kind of myth, and they can only prolong their lifespan.

So the most important thing that I'd really like to know is if it's possible or not, in the mdzs universe, and in case how can you tell?

Hope it's okay to ask, your answers are always interesting and I've learned a lot of things thanks to you. Thank you so much if you can help me!

Hello and thank you for your words of support! The short answer is no, cultivators do not actually become immortals in mdzs.

Wuxia and xianxia literary genres have in common the same character xia (侠) that is commonly translated as ‘chivalry’ and which refers to the archetypal hero who strives to uphold justice and punish evildoers. They differ though in the first character, wu (武) means ‘martial arts’ and xian (仙) ‘immortality’. Wuxia generally depicts characters proficient not only in martial arts but also in a variety of weapons, paralysing acupuncture techniques, they also possess near-superhuman abilities such as leaping in bamboo forests and running across water. Xianxia is inspired by Chinese myths and draws heavily from Taoism from which the pursuit of immortality originates. Fantasy elements abound and deities, spirits, demons may mix with humans. It is indeed tempting to qualify wuxia as low-fantasy and xianxia as high fantasy but in truth there is such versatility across both genres that it would be arduous to draw a clear line of delineation between what constitutes low and high fantasy.

Mdzs is officially labelled as a “low fantasy xianxia”. In the author’s notes for chapter 20, MXTX quips: “In this low fantasy xianxia world, there is no mythological creatures like qilin or taotie. The only mythological creatures that to exist are spiritual dogs, spiritual rabbits, spiritual turtles, spiritual pigs. Practical and domesticated.” So even if there are undeniably fantasy elements in mdzs, their scope is limited.

The part you allude to about the Gusu Lan sect rules are an addition in the audio drama that do not feature in the novel. I went back to listen to the episode (it was a fine excuse to listen to the audio drama again) but did not find any mention of immortality. I shall make an attempt to translate Lan Qiren’s speech which is in Classical Chinese (audio drama s1e05):

夫圣贤之典，教人诚孝。谨言慎行，立身雅正，亦已备矣。修道者，养神炼身。当慎节起卧，卯作亥息。均适食饮，餐不过三。犯戒者，禁闭三日，书雅正一篇。

The texts from wise men of virtue instruct on the benefit of devout filial piety. One must be cautious in word and in deed and must behave righteously. Those who cultivate must elevate their minds and refine their bodies. Their life must be properly regulated with fixed hours to rise and to rest, awaking at 5 in the morning and sleeping at 9 in the evening. All nourishment and drink must be taken in just consumption without exceeding three meals. Those who violate the rules must remain in seclusion for three days and copy the volume of “Rightousness” once.

(Fun fact, this quote is based on an actual Chinese classic from the 6th century, “The Family Instructions of Master Yan” by Yan Zhitui)

The other bit that you indicated happens later on when Wei Wuxian is told that he must copy the “Great Justice” section of “Righteousness” three times as punishment. He complains, “Just copying it once is enough to make me ascend”. He's not saying it literally but in a “I will die” way ^^

Concerning Baoshan Sanren, I’ll put forward again my translation of a relevant excerpt (ch.29):

这位抱山散人是位世外隐道，据说与温卯、蓝安等人是同一时期出道的修士。那一辈的风云人物，如今早已魂消身散，只有抱山散人，传闻至今仍未陨落。若果真如此，该有好几百岁了，足见修为了得。

This Baoshan Sanren was a recluse who had forsaken the outside world. It was said that she was a cultivator that emerged during the same era as Lan An and Wen Mao. This illustrious figures from this generation have long since vanished and turned to dust but according to rumours, Baoshan Sanren was the only one who endured to this day. If this were true, she would be several centuries old and it would be a testament to her extraordinary cultivation base.

We learn several things from this passage. First, it’s not said that is effectively immortal, just that she may have lived for a very long time. Second, this is a rumour. It’s a running theme in the series that one must be careful to distinguish between hearsay and actual fact. Third, if these rumours happened to be true, it would be exceptional. So in conclusion, there is no confirmation that the person closest to immortality is actually immortal.

I think that the perception that cultivators in mdzs can live forever come from expectations of the xianxia genre. Although mdzs and tgcf are both xianxia, one is decidedly more down-to-earth than the other and the two do not operate by the same rules and do not share a common lore. The other important contributor to that biased perception is perhaps the definition of xian 仙 in xianxia which can be misleading. As I’ve said, it does mean ‘immortality’ but there’s a figurative sense to that, not only a straightforward literal one. For instance, what is called in English the ‘cultivational world’ is in Chinese 仙门世家, something like “The Immortal Families” if we want to stick close the original. Xian 仙 is an intrinsic part of cultivation but in the case of mdzs, there’s an emphasis on immortality being a conceptual pursuit (to prolong one’s lifespan) and not an actual end goal.