Ink-Dotting? Gacha Draw! An Ink-Dotting Opportunity?
Above Core Formation lay the Ink-Dotting Realm. Jiang Yuechu had heard him mention this long ago.
Jiang Yuechu raised her eyes, a trace of confusion flashing through them. "Is there more to this Ink-Dotting?"
"Of course."
Wei He smiled. "Do you know why String-Hearing, Bone Resonance, and Core Formation are called the Mortal Dust Three Realms?"
When Jiang Yuechu remained silent, he continued on his own.
"Because in those three realms, what martial artists cultivate is ultimately still the physical body. But from Ink-Dotting onward, everything is entirely different."
He dipped a finger into the tea on the table and slowly drew a horizontal line.
"This line is the chasm between Mortal Dust and Hall-Entering."
"Ink-Dotting is the first step across that chasm: using intent to command qi, tinting all things with ink. Divine intent is the brush, true qi the ink; amidst all spirits beneath heaven, one seeks a trace of an imprint."
Jiang Yuechu's pupils shrank slightly.
Divine intent as the brush, true qi as the ink...
"What does that mean? I don't get it..."
She admitted it honestly, without the slightest blush.
If you didn't understand, you asked!
Nothing shameful about that!
"..."
"Forget it."
He sighed and explained it in simpler terms.
"Think of a Core Formation martial artist as a blank sheet of paper."
"And Ink-Dotting is making the first stroke upon that sheet."
He raised a finger and traced through the air. "Except this ink does not belong to you. It is borrowed from all spirits of heaven and earth."
"All spirits of heaven and earth?"
"Mountains, rivers, peaks, grass, trees, fish, insects—even the ancient beasts and deities recorded in old tomes—all possess their own spirits."
Wei He's voice took on a distant quality. "They exist between heaven