I am sorry if you were expecting a chapter update :(. I was getting ready to write the next chapter when I had unconsciously launched into a world-building exercise. This is to inform you an aspect of the story that many people are eagerly awaiting. Please leave your comments into what you think about it and how I can improve it :)

Divine Ascension

The Godhood process is a series of stages that humans undergo in their pursuit of divinity. Not all humans seek godhood for a variety of reasons, but the chief reason is that it requires an absurd amount of resources and time that many would prefer to spend on leisurely pursuits or the fear of the Stage Curse when one individual is transcending from one Stage to another. In the Human World, Alaya is the cause of the Stage Curse and the true reasons are known only to the Counter Guardians, but it is speculated that Alaya is enforcing survival of the fittest to foster human evolution.

Each increase in stage directly affects the physical, magical and mental abilities of an individual, with the most sought after aspect being the increased lifespan.

Mana Gathering Stage

The very first steps of becoming a god. Individuals focus on collecting and storing mana as material for the later Circuit Building stage. Nearly all human children until the start of their puberty belong to this stage. It is not advised without special circumstances for children to start producing Magic Circuits as their growing bodies, souls, and minds could easily be affected and lead to developmental issues.

Those humans that have not decided to go onwards to the Circuit Building stage are seen as lazy and have a lifespan of a century.

Circuit Building Stage

Once upon a time, before the path of godhood was discovered, Magic Circuits were once thought of as blessings of the heavens. In this ancient past of humanity's history, it was believed that no additional Magic Circuits or their quality could be enhanced. That all changed when Godhood process was discovered.

Named for the start of creating Magic Circuits. Most humans are born with some number of magic circuits thanks to thousands of years of humans seeking to become gods. The Circuit Building Stage normally starts at the beginning of puberty.

This stage is a significant milestone, as it marks the beginning of an individual's journey towards godhood. Most of the human population remains at this stage, focusing on enhancing their single Magic Circuit that allows them to use magic. Most mortals believe they could better use tools called Mystic Codes that are embedded with artificial Magic Circuits instead of creating their own Magic Circuits.

Lifespans at this stage vary from a century to three depending on the number and quality of the human's Magic Circuits.

Core Creation Stage

Where individuals construct a Magic Core. This stage is considered a symbol of status, with the upper-middle class and above making up the majority of the human population at this level. Core Creation individuals possess a significant advantage over those in the Circuit Building stage due to their increased mana capacity and ability to perform more powerful and complex magic.

The first Magic Core that people create involves the heart. Transforming the heart into a Magic Core is the easiest known method that humanity has discovered. The second and third Magic Cores are tied to the brain and other organs, placing the two or three locations of the Magic Cores to be within the head and lower torso. One beneficial effect of a Magic Core is that unless the brain has been destroyed, it is possible to survive just about any injury as long as the brain is intact and there is one Magic Core to sustain life.

Those with one Magic Core are known to live up to five hundred years and having three Magic Cores allows you to live a thousand years.

The term elite is associated with Core Creation stage individuals and above.

Organ Fortification Stage

Organs at this stage don't just refer to the physical organs of the human body. The human soul also contains spiritual equivalents with the same names and functions as their physical counterparts in maintaining the human soul. People reaching this stage not only strengthen their physical organs but also their spiritual ones, as the next stage, the Mind Splitting Stage, cannot be achieved by simply increasing the capacity of the physical organs.

Humans that reach this stage are biologically (physically) immortal. They will not die in theory as long as they are able to prevent the degradation of soul and mind that comes with aging. Very few humans at this stage live beyond two thousand years, as it is very difficult to prevent the aging process of the soul and mind.

Mind Splitting Stage

The Mind Splitting Stage involves two steps, the creation of sub-brains or ganglia and the creation of a nascent soul. If the human mind was akin to a computer, then this stage is becoming a computer network. Mortals beneath this stage cannot compare to the sheer intelligence, perceptiveness, and mental processing ability. Not having the necessary sub-brains or nascent soul is tantamount to suicide when attempting to create a Reality Marble.

It is common knowledge that those at this stage live up to ten thousand years, and the oldest human at the Mind Splitting stage has lived for eighteen thousand years.

Soul Transformation

Soul Transformation stage, or Demigod, marks a crucial turning point in the Godhood process. It is at this stage that the construction of a Reality Marble begins. A Reality Marble is a manifestation of one's inner world, a reflection of their soul and their unique perspective on reality. It is the source of power for demigods. As the individual's soul continues to change, their Reality Marble takes shape and grows in complexity and power.

Reality Marbles, often called false Reality Marbles by deities, are this way because they are seedlings compared to the growing seeds of deities and a forest of trees of a Creator God. False Reality Marbles are very fragile compared to the true counterparts held by deities, but this has its advantages as a demigod's Reality Marble is repaired several times faster than a full god's Reality Marble.

A Reality Marble grants immortality that is different from the biological immortality gained at the Organ Fortification stage or the further improved immortality provided by the Mind Splitting stage. If the Reality Marble is intact in some manner, a demigod is likely to survive. In theory, a demigod could live as long as the stars and planets exist, but humanity has yet to see any Demigod-level being that has lived remotely close to a hundred thousand years.

The oldest known demigods that have not become true gods are known to come from the earliest stages of human civilizations, the stone-age primitives that began the creation of Alaya, the discovery of magic, and the development of the Godhood process.

A term commonly associated with demigods is Powerhouses.

Cleric-hood

This is a different path compared to godhood that most mortals take. If a godhood seeker was a single individual that grows their startup to a large company, it still remains a private company where the individual controls the majority, if not all the decisions taking place. Cleric-hood are individuals, aptly named Clerics, that swear allegiance to a full god and in return receive a smoother path in elevating their body, soul and mind compared to a godhood seeker. This, however, doesn't come without consequences. Clerics and their patron gods' relationship is akin to a soldier pledging fealty to a king. They have very little independence but receive tremendous support in return.

What do you guys think about what you read? Is it good, bad or meh? Any recommendations to improve? Please let me know.

Thank you for reading!