Aside from some special events, there is only one way for a rank 5 or below cultivation country to increase in rank.
Cultivators cultivate to Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, and Soul Transformation. As their cultivation level increases, the rank of the cultivation country will increase as well. If a rank 1 cultivation country has a Core Formation cultivator, the country will automatically become a rank 2 cultivation country.
If there is a Nascent Soul cultivator, the country will become a rank 3 cultivation country, and so on. If there is a Soul Formation cultivator, the country will become a rank 4 cultivation country, and if there is a Soul Transformation cultivator, the country will become a rank 5 cultivation country.
Aside from time, this kind of increase requires a lot of luck. The higher a country goes, the more difficult it becomes. It doesn't happen even once in a thousand years. As for going from rank 3 to rank 4, or from rank 4 to rank 5, it may take tens of thousands of years.
Although it is difficult, it is the only way. As time goes on, there will always be people who are lucky, talented, lucky, or helped by others. In short, there will always be people who meet the requirements to help their country increase in rank.
These people will all become the leaders of their country.
Once a cultivation country reaches rank 4, they have the right to participate in the foreign battleground. However, in terms of power, a rank 4 cultivation country can't compare to a rank 5 cultivation country at all.
The difference in cultivation levels is not something that can be made up for with numbers. For example, in a rank 4 cultivation country, a late stage Soul Formation cultivator would be considered a second rate cultivator in a rank 5 cultivation country. In front of a Soul Transformation cultivator, they would be as weak as a child.
It is not an exaggeration to say that if there is no accident, a Soul Transformation cultivator can wipe out a rank 4 cultivation country.
This kind of thing has happened more than once in the history of the cultivation world.
That's why the foreign wars between the rank 4 cultivation countries are just pawns for the rank 5 cultivation countries to use against each other.
The real deciding factor in the foreign battleground is the battle between the rank 5 cultivation countries.
Once a cultivation country reaches rank 5, the most serious problem they have to face is the lack of resources and materials. If they can't solve this problem in a short amount of time, then what awaits them is the collapse of the country and the dispersal of the people.
Even if they rob low rank cultivation countries, they won't be able to replenish their resources and spiritual energy. The only way to solve this problem is to reach rank 6.
Going from rank 5 to rank 6 is no longer as simple as raising one's cultivation level. The cultivation alliance only has one method, and that method involves the foreign battleground.
The foreign battleground is a space filled with spatial rifts. It is boundless and filled with spatial rifts and astral winds that can easily kill Soul Formation cultivators.
Once someone is hit by the astral winds, unless they are at the Soul Transformation stage, they will be turned to dust.
Apart from the astral winds, the strangest thing was the spatial cracks that would appear out of nowhere. Once a cultivator was sucked into the cracks, even an Infant Transformation Stage cultivator would not be able to escape.
Only the powerful cultivators of rank 6 cultivation countries can move freely in the foreign battleground.
Every few hundred years, there will be a war with the foreign countries. The warring parties are all rank 4 or above cultivation countries. This kind of war is allowed and promoted by the Cultivation Alliance.
Anyone who wins more than 1,000 times in a row will have their cultivation country promoted to rank 6 and receive a large amount of materials and cultivation methods. In addition, the winning side can choose a representative to receive cultivation methods from the Cultivation Alliance. That representative's cultivation level will increase beyond the Soul Transformation stage.
Of course, the most important reward is the one that makes the rank 5 cultivation countries go crazy. The cultivation alliance will give the winning country a planet to use as their base.
Cultivators attached great importance to the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth and all kinds of natural treasures. It could even be said that the foundation of cultivation was Spiritual Qi and materials.
Having a planet is the mark of a rank 6 cultivation country.
However, the cultivation alliance's test for rank 6 cultivation countries is very strict. The first step is to win 1,000 times in a row in the foreign battleground and receive a planet.
The second step is for each rank 6 cultivation planet to have several rank 1 to 5 cultivation countries within a certain period of time to create a cycle.
The war in the foreign battleground is the only way for a rank 5 cultivation country to rank up. The same thing happens on almost every cultivation planet. Generally speaking, the rank 6 cultivation countries on a cultivation planet won't interfere with the battles between rank 5 cultivation countries, but there are always exceptions. If a rank 6 cultivation country tries to suppress a rank 6 cultivation country, then it will be impossible for a second rank 6 cultivation country to appear on the same cultivation planet.
However, this situation is very rare. According to most rank 5 cultivation countries, for a rank 6 cultivation country to go from rank 6 to rank 7, it has to do with how many rank 6 cultivation countries have appeared on the planet.
The battles in the foreign battleground are very frequent, so there will be a lot of corpses and materials that need to be cleaned up. The rank 6 cultivation countries have strict requirements for cleaning up the foreign battleground. Only rank 3 or below cultivation countries can do it.
Some of the materials here are no less valuable than treasures for a low rank cultivation country.
According to the rank 5 cultivation country behind the rank 4 cultivation country, the foreign battleground is divided into several areas and so on.
Battles don't care about the rank of the cultivation country. Even the rank 3 cultivation country, Zhao, is the same. In order to get the job of cleaning up the foreign battleground, the Jue Ming Valley was created.
There was a giant seal around the Jue Ming Valley. It was placed by a Spirit Severing cultivator from a rank 4 cultivation country thousands of years ago. Any cultivator that was above the Core Formation stage but below the Spirit Severing stage couldn't enter.
This is also why Teng Huayuan found out from the celestial-like cultivator that Wang Lin was inside the valley but couldn't enter to kill him.
Jue Ming Valley is not only the battlefield for cleaning up the foreign battleground, but it is also the only entrance to the foreign battleground in Zhao.
Rank 6 cultivation countries have a requirement for cleaning up the foreign battleground. Aside from the restriction of being below rank 3 cultivation countries, the other requirement is that the cultivation level of the person entering can't be higher than the Core Formation stage.
Generally speaking, after the qualification is determined, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators left in the valley will be sent to the foreign battleground. They won't even need to leave the valley until 50 years have passed. Only then will they all be sent back.
It was because Teng Huayuan knew about this that he killed Wang Lin's entire family and captured their souls to force Wang Lin out of the Jue Ming Valley.
Otherwise, if he wanted to kill Wang Lin, he would have to wait 50 years.
At this moment, almost everyone in the Jue Ming Valley knew that there was a murderous demon with an unfathomable cultivation level. Some people speculated that he had already reached the Core Formation stage, but he used some unknown method to enter the valley.
Wang Lin walked north of the Jue Ming Valley. The spiritual energy in his body churned even more violently. Not only did the killing intent in his heart not subside, it became even stronger.
His mind was completely blank. He had no idea how many people he had killed in the past few days. He also didn't know that the survivors of the Jue Ming Valley were terrified of him.
A few days later, the confused Wang Lin arrived at the northern edge of the Jue Ming Valley. This place was at the bottom of a steep cliff. If he climbed up from here, he would be out of the Jue Ming Valley. Of course, due to the sealing formation, anyone who tried to leave would be sent back into the valley the moment they touched the formation.
During this period of time, whenever Wang Lin thought of his parents, his heart would ache. It was so painful that he wanted to rip open his chest and it was so painful that he coughed out mouthfuls of blood every time.
As time passed, his body became weaker and weaker, but the spiritual energy in his body was getting closer and closer to the Ji Realm.
Standing at the bottom of the cliff, Wang Lin looked up at the sky. He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed a few times. Two streams of blood flowed down from his eyes as he muttered, "Dad, mom, Tie Zhu is unfilial …"
"Ah …" A sigh echoed in Wang Lin's mind.
Wang Lin knelt for a long time before he stood up. His eyes were cold as he asked, "When did you wake up?"
Situ Nan comforted him, "Five days ago. I heard the message that Teng Huayuan left behind. The soul flag is a treasure that can only be made by Nascent Soul cultivators. It can seal the soul. As long as the soul doesn't dissipate, once I recover my cultivation, I will have a way to revive them."
Wang Lin pondered a bit and then nodded.
"The reason Teng Huayuan killed your family was because he was afraid you would run away. He was forcing you to appear. Wang Lin, I don't have much essence left. I can only teleport you three times. You have to use it carefully. I'm going to go back to sleep, but I suggest you go to the foreign battleground. There, I can reduce the time it takes for me to recover." Situ Nan's voice became weaker and weaker until it disappeared.
"Three times …" Wang Lin's mind went back to being clear. He frowned and muttered to himself, "Three times …"