The Best Manhwa About Cultivation

Manhwa series about martial arts often involve the so-called cultivation, a path to power through inner meditation and the channeling of the energies of the universe. This method of training is used alongside martial training by many main characters in several cool battle Manhwa.

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This ranked list has some of the best Manhwa about Cultivation. For the purposes of this ranking, things like storytelling, worldbuilding depth, the quality of the art, and character development were observed.

7

Martial Peak

From Servant To Martial Legend

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Cultivation
• Author: Momo
• Artist: Pikapi

Yang Kai was unable to cultivate like any of the other Heaven Pavillion Disciples; thus, he was relegated to the role of a manservant – bullied and forgotten. Until one fateful day, he finds an ancient manuscript that will lead him to follow a forgotten path to martial arts enlightenment.

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With its incredibly deep worldbuilding, a growth-type hero, and memorable characters, Martial Peak sits at the top of the genre. Not only because of its thrilling storytelling, but its beautiful art, great character developments, and unexpected twists.

6

Infinite Leveling: Murim

A Rank And File Soldier Gets A Re-Do In Life

• Genre: Martial Arts, Adventure, Action, Cultivation, Shounen, Drama
• Author: Gonbung
• Artist: Jinwoo Kim

Dan Yuuseoung was trapped in a nightmarish reality after the defeat of the Murim Alliance by the forces of the Three Evil Monarchs. As a soldier who had lost everything, he had no choice but to take meager mercenary jobs. In one of these oddjobs, Yuuseong is betrayed and left for dead by the members of his crew, but the mysterious relic that they were supposed to deliver reacts to his powerful desire for another chance and sends him back in time.

Now, armed with the knowledge of the future and a mysterious helping quest system, he will work harder than anyone else to reach the peak of martial arts and cultivate until he becomes the most powerful hero of the Murim Alliance. To prevent all the bad outcomes, he surrounds himself with notorious characters from his past, and leads them in the correct path, not only gaining powerful allies, but lifetime friends that will accompany him in his journey to prevent the destruction of his country. This manhwa is one of the best action shounen and makes use of lots of the good tropes of the cultivation/martial arts and combines it with the ‘game-like system’ trope, resulting in a great read for every fan of both genres.

5

Volcanic Age

The Rebirth Of A Steelhearted Warrior

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Reincarnation, Historical
• Author: Jung Joon-sung
• Artist: Han Hyun-dong

Volcanic Age combines the trope of rebirth and cultivation with a deep and rich martial arts world lore that will entertain readers for hours. It narrates the tale of a martial artist who suffered the ravages of time, only to die violently and reincarnate as his younger self.

Hellbent on changing his fate, he trains to the point of breaking himself to prevent his life from falling apart. For that, he uses his past life knowledge to cultivate a powerful, improved version of his martial arts half a century earlier and helps his master regain his health, preventing his death and changing history forever.

4

Legend of the Northern Blade

The Martial Path Is Filled With Bumps And Violence

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Revenge, Cultivation
• Author: Woo-Gak
• Artist: Hae-Min

With beautiful artwork, a compelling revenge story, and the use of unorthodox tropes about cultivation and martial training, this Manhwa narrates the tale of Jin Mu-Won, who lost everything after his home, the Northern Heavenly Sect falls.

Determined to avenge those who killed his father and restore his rightful place as the Sect Master, Mu-Won is on a warpath that will shake the world around him, and cause ripples through the whole country. But no one nor anything will be able to get in between him and his sweet revenge.

3

Heavenly Demon Reborn

Obscure, Detailed, And Action-Packed Revenge Story

• Genres: Action, Martial Arts, Fantasy, Revenge, Reincarnation
• Author: Fistcate, Great Flow
• Artist: Gwang Su Lee

In this obscure and bloody Manhwa about cultivation, an elite martial artist and his disciple are framed for using Demonic arts and murdered by the Orthodox Sect. But Hyuk Woon Sung, the young disciple of the spearmaster is reborn as a young member of the demonic cult which is the archnemesis of the men who killed him and his master.

Now, he combines the knowledge of his past life and the demonic cultivation techniques to climb the ranks of his new Sect and become a vengeful shadow pursuing those who ended his righteous life. A great revenge story, filled with unexpected twists and describing in great detail the cultivation lore.

2

Tales Of Demons And Gods

A Quirky Tale About Cultivation, Friendship, And Unrequited Love

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Reincarnation
• Author: Mad Snail
• Artist: Jiang Ruotai

After dying a horrifying death full of regret, Nie Li is reborn in his younger self retaining all memories from his past life. Determined to protect his loved ones and ascend to power, Li begins to cultivate and train strategically to get the best out of what he is capable of and ascend as a martial artist.

A lovely tale, with a protagonist pursuing perfection in martial arts and love, but only attaining true power through the bonds he formed along the way. Great storytelling and colorful art crown this series as one of the best in the genre.

1

Nano Machine

A Cultivator Empowered By Nanotechnology Seeks Revenge

• Genres: Action, Martial Arts, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Cultivation
• Author: Han Joong-Wueol-Ya (story), Geum Gang-Bul-Goe (adaptation)
• Artist: Redice Studio

The story begins with Cheon Yeo Woon, a former heir to the throne who has been chased down and hunted down. Deprived of his privileges, and forced to resign the martial path, Yeo Woon is ultimately cornered by those who orchestrated the downfall of his family.

But then, he receives an unexpected visit from a man claiming to be a distant descendant of his from the future, who saves him from the brink of death and injects him with a mysterious compound called Nano Machine 7. A thrilling tale of climbing to the top using strange technology from the future begins. The story is filled with unexpected twists and its non-stop pacing makes it even more intense.

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