归墟行：人界篇

It is people who broaden the Way, not the Way that broadens people

You set out as a cultivator of little power. For a single technique manual or one furnace of pills, you will have to travel far and deal with all kinds of people. And when one day your cultivation is complete, how you repay old kindnesses and settle old grudges is entirely up to you.
Single-player. No microtransactions.

Across the twelve counties, every cultivator has their own way of getting by: some cultivate behind closed doors, some scrape a living in the markets, some take masters, marry and raise families, and some make enemies over the same opportunity.

After seclusion, you often have to ask around to learn how old friends are doing and where your enemies have gone. A letter or a few rumors will tell you something, but rarely the whole story.

Old friends come by to catch up, those you once helped come to repay the favor, those in trouble come asking for help, and enemies come looking for you. Face to face, whether you lend a hand, turn them away or settle things by force is your call.

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation: the higher you climb, the harder it is to find the spirit land, techniques and pills you need. Every breakthrough takes preparation, not just hard cultivation.

From the push to Golden Core on, every major breakthrough calls down a tribulation. Nine heavenly bolts fall one after another while heart demons strike at your weakness. Fail, and body and Dao perish together.

Your lifespan waits for no one. Spend a few more years refining your techniques, or gather pills and break through early? It depends on how many years you have left, and how sure you are right now.

From Five Elements spells to Thunder and Ice, all the way to the Sword, there are twelve schools of technique with two books each, 24 sets in all. Sword cultivation suits any spirit root; every other school depends on whether your roots match.

Every book comes with its own techniques, movement art and guard art. For more power, seek out divine art inheritances and learn an Avatar or a Cosmic Manifestation.

The two books of a school complement each other, and with matching spirit roots you can cultivate other schools too, combining techniques, movement and guard arts from different books into a style of your own. Water conducts lightning; wood feeds fire.

Duels play out in real time. When to step back and when to close in depends on what your opponent does, and on what you have in hand.

In a desperate moment, call forth an Avatar for a chance to turn the fight in one blow; unleash a Cosmic Manifestation to cover the battlefield with your divine art and change the course of the whole duel.

Whatever robes you wear are what you wear in battle. Seized, frozen or blasted away, every state has its own movements and poses.

Gather herbs and dig for ore, brew pills, paint talismans, forge artifacts and lay formations to prepare for the road ahead. Short on spirit materials? Look for them in the markets, or bid against others at auction.

Gambling on raw stones and browsing the ghost market can turn up something good. To claim the treasures left in secret realms by those who came before, you will have to get past mechanisms and guardian beasts on your own strength.

Tamed spirit beasts can fight at your side, or be sent into the beast arena to test themselves against other beasts.

Join a sect and study its techniques, or roam free as a rogue cultivator. On the road you can take a master, take disciples, and swear brotherhood with kindred spirits.

When two hearts agree, you can become Dao companions and dual cultivate together: sitting face to face, fingers intertwined, spiritual power flowing through your meridians as you complete the circuit as one. Man and woman, two men, or two women, all may walk this path.

Whether you save people or rob them is up to you. Kill for treasure, and if word gets out, the dead one's family and friends may not let it go.

The game is in Early Access. We'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions after you play. If you'd rather wait until the balance and gameplay are more settled, you're welcome to add it to your wishlist. To talk with us, to report bugs or talk with us, join the Steam Community discussions.