Danmei

Danmei is a genre of Chinese fiction that focuses on romantic relationships between male characters. It often features themes of love, desire, and emotional connection between men. The term “danmei” originally comes from the Chinese characters for “indulgence” and “beauty,” highlighting the aesthetic and emotional aspects of the genre. Danmei stories can span various settings and narratives, ranging from historical and fantasy settings to contemporary or even futuristic worlds.

Xianxia

Xianxia is a type of novel that features magic, demons, cultivation, and a great deal of Chinese folklore and mythology. The Legendary Master’s Wife is a xianxia novel.

TERMINOLOGY

Sect: Sects represent communities focused on the pursuit of cultivation or alchemy. Under the guidance of a Sect Leader and respected Sect Elders, they educate Disciples in the correct cultivation techniques. These disciples reside within the sect premises, where their necessities are taken care of. A clear hierarchical structure prevails within sects, emphasizing reverence towards senior members.

Practitioners: Study the art of cultivation and martial arts. They need alchemists to continue practicing. They use their meridians to circulate their qi to get to higher levels. Lowest stage to the highest: human, earth, sky, solar, lunar, stellar, cosmic, spiritual, imperial, sovereign, celestial, and sage.

Meridians: Eight extraordinary meridians serve as a network of channels for vital energy circulation, much like veins.

Fiends: Evil spirits that are remarkably powerful and cruel. They can take over the lives of anyone with less power than them. 

Cultivation manual: designed to nurture soul power.

Training manual: designed to strengthen a practitioner’s internal power.

Bottleneck: The point in an alchemist and practitioner’s training where they cannot go any further. 

Seclusion: Closed-door seclusion is when an alchemist or practitioner goes into a safe place for an extended period of time for training to increase their level. 

ALCHEMISTS

Alchemy: The concocting, crafting, and producing pills in a cauldron using spiritual herbs with soul power. Any alchemy is a challenge that requires time and effort. Alchemists are essentially pharmacists who work with spiritual herbs and make miracle drugs.  There are twelve levels an alchemist can achieve.

Souls: The soul’s color is separated into shades, from lightest to darkest: pink, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and rainbow. Those with pink and yellow souls could only become novice alchemists; green and cyan were intermediate; blue and purple were advanced alchemists. The darker the color, the greater the potential one had compared to the lighter colors. 

Soul Power: Soul power directly correlates to the soul color of an alchemist. It can be manipulated easier and more detailed with a darker soul. 

Sacred Soul Scripture: Alchemist cultivation manual given to You Xiaomo by Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao stole it from alchemist Qiu Ran. 

Cauldron: Alchemists infuse their soul power into a cauldron. Basic cauldrons have three small openings along the side. Alchemists must meticulously divide their soul power into three distinct streams converging into the center through the three openings. This exercise exemplified the alchemist’s mastery of soul power control, an essential skill in pill concocting.

Shadow gold cauldron: A class-six mid-tier cauldron.

Refining: Using a cauldron to remove impurities from a spiritual herb. 

Spiritual liquid: Condensed spiritual energy,  contains more spiritual energy than spiritual water.  A rarity since it possesses the miraculous ability to instantaneously replenish a practitioner’s spiritual power.

Spiritual water: Water with spiritual energy in it. It contains less spiritual energy than spiritual liquid.

White jade box: Crafted entirely from white jade, possessing a chilly touch that would not freeze one’s fingers. They are tailored to hold upper-grade spiritual herbs, preventing unwanted spiritual power from leaking.