Cultivation

Hundred-day Foundation
The first step of learning Kungfu is the same for any sect, and it is for smoothing the channel of Qi, and building a strong mind and body.

This step in Taoism is called the Hundred-day Foundation(self-cultivation in meditation)

Qi-cultivation
After you finish 'self-cultivation in meditation', you will have sufficient Energy, Qi, and Spirit. Your Qi channels will be opened up for the first time and your body will be sturdy. Only then can you enter the next step 'Qi Storage in Meditation', which we also refer to as 'The Long Cultivation of The Holy'."

Before Enlightenment, depending on your Qi-cultivation and martial arts skill you would be considered “In-class” or “Out-of-class”.

Opening the Nine Apertures (Enlightenment)
Opening (or enlightening) the Nine Apertures is also known as the Enlightenment-level.

First Step - The Nine Apertures
In this realm, one must first open the nine apertures: the eyes (2), the ears (2), the nose (2), the mouth (1), the anterior yin (1) and posterior yin (1). The apertures are opened in this order so the progression is usually: Two Apertures (eyes) -> Four Apertures (ears) -> Six Apertures (nose) -> Seven Apertures (mouth) -> Eight Apertures (anterior yin) -> Nine Apertures (posterior yin).

Opening Nine Apertures was considered “Third-Class Master”. Six, Seven, and Eight Apertures was “Fourth-Class Master”. Two and Four Apertures were considered only ordinary.

The Second Step - The Inner and Outer World Harmonization
When you’ve enlightened your Nine Apertures, your next step is enlightening your Primal Aperture between the brows. If you don’t have a good Kung Fu technique or make a hasty breakthrough before gaining Heaven-man Connection, you’ll be stuck at the Half-step Exterior Scenery realm. Your Inner and Outer Worlds will contradict and repel each other. It’ll be hard for you to harmonize both and your hopes of entering the Exterior realm will be minimal. You’ll be considered bad or a low-grade master.

It’s considered a major success to be able to enlighten your Primal Aperture at between the eyebrows. When your realm is stable, you’ll be able to become an ordinary Half-step master after your breakthrough. That can be considered a moderate success. Your Inner and Outer Worlds won’t contradict and repel each other, but since they’re not close enough, you’ll need to spend a lot of time adjusting and polishing them. That’s why some people can breakthrough straight to the Exterior but others can’t.

Once you’ve succeeded in enlightening your Primal Aperture between the brows, your next step is to comprehend heaven and earth, as well as harmonize your body and mind. Once your Inner and Outer World gradually harmonize, that means you’ve achieved Oneness of Heaven and Men. Your every move will carry a might close to that of an ordinary Half-step. If your realm reaches a consummate stage, you’ll be a perfect Half-step after your breakthrough and gain incredible strength. You’ll also have control over your Dharma and Logos of Heaven and Earth. That’ll make you a frightening opponent, far beyond the match of ordinary Half-step masters. However, these are the exceptional masters. Once they have gained enough experience, they’ll be able to make a smooth breakthrough.

Once you reach the Oneness of Heaven and Men stage, you can adjust your Inner World if you have a tentative grasp of a path that suits you. When that's done and you return to your original state, you've basically surpassed the state of your Inner World before your perfect Half-step breakthrough. It wouldn't be enough to merely connect heaven and earth or have insufficient control over your Dharma and Logos. Only this will give you the foundation needed to rise through the ranks in one go.

Half-Step into Exterior Scenery
Those in the Half-step to the Exterior were known as "Second Class Master".

One would only require three years or fewer to fully attune one's Inner World to reach the level of the Exterior Scenery once they have reached the stage of Half-Step.

Exterior Scenery
After the Exterior were three Celestial Ladders. A qualitative change would occur after the Three-fold Heaven. Once you broke through, your strength would increase significantly and you would acquire Qi deterrence. In the Exterior, those in the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth-fold Heavens were called “grandmaster”. This type of “grandmaster” was completely different from other “grandmasters” such as Duan Xiangfei and Cui Xu. In the Exterior, those in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth-fold Heavens were referred to as “Peerless Master”. Those in the First, Second, and Third-fold heaven were known as “Top Class Master”.

At the pinnacle of the Exterior was another world for Half-step to Dharmakaya. Those who got here experienced another qualitative change and were called “Great Grandmaster”.