Hello! Thanks for the feedback.
Most of those issues are related to a public version that hasn't been updated for a bit - for example out of order events. Those events are fixed now (project wise - they have been for months ) but typically occurred when players didn't progress with their breakthrough beyond a certain date.
As far as requirements for breakthroughs, eventually you come to learn the specifics of what's required for each - but the early ranks simply require you to have enough qi and then to convert it (via the meditation screen).
If you have any questions about other aspects of the game, you can view the in game help menu. It explains info about the game's various aspects.