How to handle recurring skill names in cultivation novels

Cultivation novels create a specific translation problem: a move can look like a throwaway phrase in chapter 3, then become a major power-system term 60 chapters later.

If the term keeps changing, the reader has to relearn the system every time.

A workflow that usually works:

1. Treat named techniques like proper nouns until proven otherwise. If it appears in capitals, quotes, a training manual, or a repeated combat line, give it one stable English form.

2. Keep a glossary split by term type. Person names, martial techniques, sect titles, items, places, and cultivation realms should not all live in one messy bucket.

3. Preserve flavor, but avoid four translations for the same move. If "Heavenly Thunder Palm" was established, do not later render it as "Divine Lightning Hand" unless the source text actually changed.

4. Mark uncertain terms early. The first translation does not have to be perfect. It just needs to be easy to revise consistently once more context appears.

The hard part is that literal translations can sound stiff, while localized names can lose the wuxia/xianxia feel. My default preference is: literal enough to preserve the power system, polished enough that it does not read like a dictionary entry.

Question for the subreddit: when a cultivation technique has an awkward literal name, do you prefer a direct translation or a cleaner localized name if it stays consistent?