The Complete Tales of Herding Gods Cultivation Levels & Power System Explained

Hey there, donghua fans!

If you have been watching Tales of Herding Gods (Mu Shen Ji / 牧神记), you already know it is an absolute hidden gem. The animation is breathtaking, the world-building is massive, and our main character, Qin Mu, is brilliantly clever.

But let’s be entirely honest for a second: the power system in this show can get incredibly confusing! Unlike standard donghua where characters just level up a single pool of energy, Tales of Herding Gods uses a highly unique system called the Seven Divine Treasures. Cultivators don’t just level up—they must literally shatter internal spiritual walls to unlock hidden dimensions inside their own bodies.

If you are trying to keep track of who is a master, who is a god, and where Qin Mu currently stands, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s break down the complete cultivation levels of Tales of Herding Gods in simple terms!

The Complete Tales of Herding Gods Cultivation Levels Guide (Mu Shen Ji)

The Core Concept: The 7 Divine Treasures (The Mortal Realms)

To gain power, a practitioner must unlock seven specific “Treasures” or “Gates” within their body. Breaking the wall to each treasure unlocks massive power surges. Here is the exact progression from beginner to the absolute peak of mortality:

1. Spirit Embryo Realm (Ling Tai)

• Location: Located within the head area.
• The Lore: This is the starting point. To enter this stage, a cultivator’s Vital Qi must crack the “Spirit Embryo Wall” until a lightning-like bolt of light breaks through the darkness. People with special “Spirit Bodies” (like the Four Great Spirit Bodies) can bypass breaking the wall entirely.

2. Five Elements Realm / Five Luminaries (Wu Xing)

• Location: Located within the chest and heart area.
• The Lore: This realm corresponds directly to the Five Planetary Sovereigns in the heavens (Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth). To master this realm, a cultivator has to unlock all five planetary elements. Perfecting an element allows the user to channel stellar power directly into their Original Qi, letting them activate powerful deified or constitutional forms.
• Where Qin Mu is: Our favorite Overlord Body MC spends a massive portion of the early story perfecting these elemental star palaces.

3. Six Directions Realm (Liu He)

• The Lore: Once a cultivator breaks through the Six Directions wall, their foundational power expands geometrically. It blends the directions of space with the cultivator’s internal landscape. We see this highlighted beautifully when elite prodigies like the Dao Child from the Dao Sect are introduced at this level.

4. Seven Stars Realm (Qi Xing)

• The Lore: Unlocking the Seven Stars Divine Treasure connects the cultivator’s internal palaces directly with the constellations above. This realm drastically increases computational skills, magical control, and primordial spirit mastery.

5. Celestial Being Realm (Tian Ren)

• The Lore: At this stage, a cultivator’s Primordial Spirit becomes strong enough to bridge the gap between space and time. The Primordial Spirit literally stands with its feet rooted in Youdu (the underworld/land of the dead) while looking up toward the celestial palaces. Characters at this level are famous worldwide and command immense respect.

6. Life and Death Realm (Sheng Si)

• The Lore: Unlocking this treasure grants a deep control over longevity and soul manipulation. For context, some of the highly powerful Disabled Elderly Village masters—like the Poison Man and Grandmother—are rooted in this terrifying realm.

7. Divine Bridge Realm (Shen Qiao)

• The Lore: This is the absolute peak of mortal cultivation. The Divine Bridge stretches above the cultivator’s Primordial Spirit and acts as the literal road leading toward Godhood.
• The Catch: In the worlds of Daxu and Yankang, the path to true Godhood is completely broken due to ancient calamities. Because the ancient gods felt threatened by humanity, they severed the connection. Characters like the Imperial Perceptor of Yankang sit at the absolute peak of this realm, making him one of the strongest active mortals in the world.

The Game Changer: The Heavenly River Realm (天河)

Because the ancient Divine Bridge was shattered, leaving the ordinary people of the Eternal Peace Empire with no hope of reaching godhood, Qin Mu completely flipped the cultivation world on its head by creating a brand-new, revolutionary treasure: The Heavenly River Realm.

• The Mechanics: This new divine treasure acts as the definitive replacement for the Divine Bridge. Just like the ancient bridge, the Heavenly River allows a cultivator’s Primordial Spirit to reach the “other shore” of immortality.
• Why It’s Superior: The Heavenly River doesn’t just act as a isolated pathway—it flows through and physically connects all seven divine treasures together into a singular, unified circuit. Because it harmonizes the entire internal power system rather than leaving them as separate gates, it is considered an entire grade higher than the traditional Divine Bridge.
• The Purpose: Qin Mu designed this path explicitly as a form of rebellion against the status quo, allowing everyday human practitioners to bypass the gods’ sabotage and claim a fair chance at achieving true godhood.

Beyond Mortality: The God / Celestial Palace Realm

Once a cultivator successfully crosses the Heavenly River (or the traditional Divine Bridge), they step out of mortal limitations and enter the grand Celestial Palace Realm system. This represents true godhood and is divided into 8 strict checkpoints representing parts of the grand celestial palace:

1. Outside Southern Heavenly Gate (Zun Shen / 尊神)

• The Rank: Honored Gods
• The Lore: This is the literal first step after crossing the divine bridge. Cultivators who make it here have shed their mortal coil, standing directly outside the gates of divinity.

2. Entering Southern Heavenly Gate (Zhen Shen / 真神)

• The Rank: True Gods
• The Lore: To step inside, a cultivator must endure the immense pressure of the gate itself. Only after every single aspect of the body has been thoroughly cultivated to the god realm can one successfully cross the threshold.

3. Jasper Pool / Heavenly Pool, Jasper Terrace (Yao Chi / 瑶池)

• The Rank: Heavenly Gods
• The Lore: Attaining this realm unlocks a profound spiritual purification, granting the cultivator immense cosmic status and anchoring them firmly in the celestial hierarchy.

4. God Execution Stage (Zhan Shen Tai / 斩神台)

• The Lore: This is a terrifying checkpoint fraught with immense danger. Crossing the God Execution Stage requires surviving absolute lethality—if a cultivator falters or fails to cross here, they die.

5. Jade Capital (Yu Jing / 玉京)

• The Lore: This is the fifth realm, representing the sacred ground and imperial city where the Celestial Emperor resides within the internal architecture of the cultivator’s power system.

6. Numinous Sky (Ling Xiao / 凌霄)

• The Lore: The sixth realm, which encompasses the hall of the Numinous Sky itself, elevating the cultivator’s domain and authority to immense cosmic heights.

7. Emperor’s Throne (Di Zuo / 帝座)

• The Lore: Long considered the absolute pinnacle of the God Realm for the vast majority of experts throughout history. Reaching this means wielding world-shattering power.

8. Heavenly Court (Tian Ting / 天庭)

• The Lore: The true, ultimate final realm of the Celestial Palace system. To achieve this, a cultivator must successfully construct a complete internal Heavenly Court consisting of 36 Heavenly Palaces and 72 Treasured Halls. Once a practitioner masters this realm, they possess enough power to directly contend with the ancient Gods’ Celestial Emperor.

💡 Quick Summary Cheat Sheet

If you just need a fast reference while watching the latest episodes, memorize this order:

Spirit Embryo ➡️ Five Elements ➡️ Six Directions ➡️ Seven Stars ➡️ Celestial Being ➡️ Life & Death ➡️ Divine Bridge (Peak Mortal) ➡️ Heavenly Court (Godhood)

Tales of Herding Gods stands out because Qin Mu doesn’t just blindly follow these rules—he actively questions the system and looks for ways to rebuild the broken paths left by the ancient generations.

Who is your favorite master from the Disabled Elderly Village? Do you think Qin Mu will be the one to finally repair the Divine Bridge? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!

Last Updated on June 29, 2026 by Yu Alexius