The Internal Affairs Office.
The thin golden sheet gradually began to blacken in the sunlight.
Yet only wisps of smoke rose, without any flames.
Watching the smoke in the sunlight, Jiang Ning sank into thought.
He had finished reading the True Explanation of Fourth-Rank Martial Arts recorded on the thin golden sheet.
He now had a comprehensive understanding of the fourth rank.
The fourth rank of the Martial Dao involved refining the marrow.
To accomplish this, one needed to master at least the second level of martial intent.
Only mastery of at least the second level of martial intent allowed one to draw upon the power of heaven and earth.
From the text, he had also learned how martial intent was divided into levels.
The first level of martial intent primarily projected into an opponent's mental world, exerting spiritual pressure.
It weakened an opponent's attacks by thirty percent.
It also made the circulation of their blood vitality and inner breath sluggish.
With such effects, one had already secured thirty percent of the victory before the battle began.
The second level of martial intent used illusory intent to influence reality.
One example was the intent of a blazing fire sweeping across the plains.
Though illusory, it could still wither vegetation and burn the human body.
Such effects arose because martial intent stirred the power of heaven and earth.
Thus, only this level of mastery allowed one to draw the power of heaven and earth into the body, cleanse and refine the bones, and undergo a transformation.
Compared with the second level, the third level of martial intent was even more profound.
At the third level, illusion shone into reality.
The True Explanation of Fourth-Rank Martial Arts offered this description of that level.
In essence, it was equivalent to a Heaven-Man Grandmaster.