The world of Half the Moon is one where cultivators—those who refine body, breath, and spirit—pursue power, longevity, and, ultimately, immortality. It is a structured society where spiritual strength is law, and advancement often determines survival.
Mountains, sects, and provinces form the political landscape. Noble clans hold power through lineage and spiritual contracts, while cultivators rise through sects by gaining merit, completing trials, and cultivating their inner strength.
The story begins in a mid-tier sect called the Verdant Lotus Sect, perched high in the mist-covered mountains.
The Verdant Lotus Sect trains outer disciples to become cultivators under the watchful eyes of senior disciples and instructors. It is hierarchical, structured, and merit-based.
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Outer Sect: Where new disciples begin. Basic training, survival, and cultivation start here. Outer disciples live in shared housing and attend daily classes.
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Inner Sect: For those who prove themselves. Greater resources, access to higher-tier arts, and better missions.
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Core Disciples: Elite students with personal training, direct access to powerful elders, and prestige.
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Instructors and Elders: The backbone of the sect. They manage teaching, trials, and advanced cultivation.
The sect values discipline, clarity, and contribution. Nothing is given freely—everything is earned through merit.
Upon entering the Inner Sect and reaching the third realm of cultivation (Blooming Realm), disciples are expected to serve several years in the sect’s standing military. Selection for this service is competitive, determined through trials, battles, and duels that take place toward the end of each cultivation year. Only those who prove their worth in both strength and contribution are chosen.
Cultivation is the act of refining one’s spiritual energy (qi) through meditation, martial discipline, and absorption of external energy (like spirit stones). Cultivators strengthen their bodies, minds, and spirits by progressing through structured realms.
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Foundational Root Realm – Where all cultivators begin. Divided into:
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Awakening
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Channeling
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Integration
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Expansion
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Tempering
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Budding Realm – Qi deepens, and disciplines specialise. Many cultivators plateau here. Stages: low, middle, high, peak.
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Blooming Realm – Long and difficult. Cultivators prepare to form a core. Stages: low, middle, high, peak.
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Spirit Flower Realm – Cultivators learn to project the spirit beyond the body and cultivate across distance and sensation.
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Nascent Bloom Realm – The final mortal stage. A moment before transformation into an immortal. Can last a lifetime—or a breath.
Beyond this lies ascension.
Spirit stones are crystals infused with ambient qi. Cultivators use them to accelerate growth, refuel after training, or power talismans and artifacts.
In Half the Moon, stones also serve as a bartering currency, especially among cultivators.
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Red Stones: Lowest tier. Used by new cultivators. Holds minimal qi.
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Green Stones: Slightly stronger.
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Yellow Stones: Mid-level resource, valuable.
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Blue Stones: High-tier, often reserved.
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White Stones: Rarest, strongest. Mostly held by sect leaders or elite disciples.
Qi quality and purchasing power both rise with stone tier. Most trading and informal exchanges between disciples involve spirit stones.
Qu Rulan – Our protagonist. Once a street orphan with nothing to her name, Qu Rulan has entered the Verdant Lotus Sect without family, clan, or sponsor. She has shown a rare tenacity and sharp observational instincts, awakening her qi and opening her first meridian entirely unaided. Quiet, serious, and fiercely independent, she struggles to trust but learns quickly. Through sheer determination and careful cultivation, she is beginning to earn a place among stronger peers, including core disciple Shen Li. She currently cultivates an earth-wind-aligned art: the Veil of Dust, and has recently begun to train in archery. Qu Rulan’s strengths lie not in flashy talent but in her capacity to endure, adapt, and see what others overlook. Integration stage, Foundational Root Realm.
Shen Li – An outer disciple and team leader. She is sharp, composed, and unshakable. Shen Li rarely offers praise but observes everything and acts with precision. She has taken a deliberate interest in Qu Rulan, offering her guidance, training, and equipment. Her own cultivation is refined and mist-aligned, favouring misdirection and precision. Foundational Root Realm, early Tempering.
Liao Chen – An outer disciple from a minor branch family, loyal to Shen Li. Outwardly playful and irreverent, Liao Chen hides a deep talent for qi-sensing, fire techniques, and battlefield awareness. He serves as a grounding presence in the training team and supports Qu Rulan’s development without condescension. Foundational Root Realm, early expansion.
Wang Feiyan – Qu Rulan’s housemate. A noble-born daughter placed in the sect to train quietly and await a political marriage, Wang Feiyan is cold, proud, and calculating. She says little, watches much, and regards Qu Rulan with a mixture of disdain and something quieter—possibly fear, possibly jealousy. Budding realm, low.
Ji Qiu – A wiry, defensive-oriented outer disciple who cultivates alongside a small turtle spirit beast. Quiet and observant, Ji Qiu is capable and talented in defensive arts and talisman usage. Not overtly friendly, but perceptive and increasingly aware of Qu Rulan’s abilities. Foundational Root Realm, late expansion.
Bai Yuyan – A proud, martial-trained outer disciple from a lesser noble house. He respects discipline and talent but is slow to trust. He doubts Qu Rulan’s worth at first, though time may test that judgement. Foundational Root Realm, late expansion.
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Merit determines reward. Resources, techniques, and advancements are given only to those who earn them.
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Clans and lineages matter. Many disciples come from noble bloodlines. Those without such backing—like Qu Rulan—must prove themselves constantly.
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Secrets abound. Riddles, hidden trials, and unspoken tests are part of sect life. To rise, one must notice what others overlook.
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Military obligation. Upon reaching the Inner Sect and advancing to the Blooming Realm, disciples are expected to serve several years in the sect’s standing military. Selection for the Inner Sect is competitive and determined through trials, battles, and duels held at the end of each cultivation year.