《Cultivation Stories》0.2.3 版本前瞻：越界战斗、洞府弟子与更优集市

Some of you have been taking on beasts well above your realm, hunting tombs as mortals and coming home with enough ore to open a forge. For Cultivation Stories 0.2.3, I'm working on combat balance, life in your dwelling and what you can find at cultivators' stalls.

How far can a good build take you?

A good sword, the right Dao and a mastered technique should let you challenge someone one realm above you. That is staying. The difference between realms will matter more, though: taking on an opponent two realms above should be a desperate gamble, even with excellent equipment.

Equipment, Dao, techniques and your foundation will still matter when putting a build together.
Stronger beasts will be harder to bring down through raw weapon quality alone.
An opponent's wounds and condition will matter when deciding whether to risk the fight.

Higher realms will also make the body tougher. Getting past a qi shield will not make a far stronger opponent fragile. One realm up should remain a real challenge for a prepared fighter; two will take an extraordinary opening.

Qi pills that permanently expand your combat reserve will have five lasting doses. After that, a stronger pill can replace your weakest dose.

Tomb hunting before your first breakthrough

Mortals will be able to collect the physical loot of a tomb after defeating its guardian. You won't need to ascend just to take what you fought for. Spiritual teachings will still have their own requirements, so some legacies will be worth returning to later.

Disciples in your dwelling

People staying at your dwelling will be there to meet in person. You'll be able to approach an applicant and decide whether to take them in or send them away.

A link from the dwelling window will take you to its residents and disciples.
You'll be able to assign lessons from a disciple's sheet and spend time teaching them when you're together.
Followers resting at home will recover from their injuries. Fed, tamed beasts will gradually recover health too.

More reasons to browse the stalls

Cultivators' stalls will carry a broader, rotating selection of pills, along with regional herbs and ores. Better supplied settlements will offer more variety, so visiting another town can be worth the trip.

The Body Restoring Pill recipe will also be more common. Scars should be something you can work towards treating, and finding the recipe is part of that.

Everyday errands will pay in wen. Cultivators can still offer spirit stones for a weapon worthy of their realm: a common commissioned blade will no longer pass for spiritual equipment. The money changer's rate has been brought closer to the value of goods and work.

The starting lands will be gentler to explore. High-rank beasts will stay out of the beginner's ordinary hunting grounds, and a defeat will no longer strip your pack twice. A short fight should no longer leave you with several lasting wounds or a broken limb; serious injuries will still follow serious losses. The sect's wet firewood task will also point back to its courtyard throughout its steps.

Out on the road

Herbs will reflect the danger of the land where you find them. A handful picked in a safe mortal area will be young; plants gathered in higher realm territory can have decades of growth, even beside a road.

You'll be able to see caravan carts, merchants and escorts when you cross paths with them.
Mining will reward time spent working, with your tool and root still affecting extraction. Veins will remain finite.
Cave walls will be easier to distinguish from ground you can walk across.

Fixes coming with this update

The money changer will have a visible counter you can approach and use, matching the minimap marker.
Chests and tombs will offer their own interaction instead of asking you to move a rock.
Wild animals will stop appearing inside villages and sect grounds.
The alchemy window will show its cauldron illustration properly.
A paid crafting commission will remain yours if its maker leaves. You can collect it at the smithy, village job board or market in the region where you placed the order.
A click or quick key press to stoke the fire will carry into the next crafting step. The strike button will show when the forge is ready for a blow.
Cultivating around other people will have less stuttering.
Year-end time skips are getting attention too, including the reported winter 90 stall while mining or cultivating.
Hunting messages will make it clear when a beast escapes and injures you.

Thanks to everyone posting their builds and telling me how their runs are going. Those stories have been useful for deciding what needs attention in 0.2.3.