"Image was once merely the name of a great beast. But as heaven and earth changed and ages passed, it gradually took on new meanings. In Mystic Sect cultivation arts, Image connects to form and carries two meanings. First, it refers to Celestial Phenomena; second, to a Symbol. The Book of Changes Commentary says: 'In heaven, it becomes Image; on earth, it takes shape. Thus change is revealed.'"
A smiling young man stood atop Mount Zhongnan, gazing toward Chang'an.
His face was fair, his features delicate. He spoke calmly, as though explaining something, then lowered his gaze to the three people beside him. "Do you know what that last line means?"
Three figures lay nearby: a burly man, a slender woman, and an ordinary-looking man who cowered with fear written across his face.
The burly man and the slender woman exchanged bewildered looks.
Only the cowering man answered cautiously, "Image refers to the sun, moon, and stars; shape refers to mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees."
"Precisely." The young man chuckled and looked toward two streaks of light flying in from the horizon. "Image belongs to heaven, shape to earth. Heaven and earth are boundless; how could the human body compare? Only the heart can stand alongside them."
He stretched out a hand. The two streaks of light dropped straight into his grasp.
"Law is restraint. A Dharma Form releases the inner heart into heaven and earth, then binds it. Some people have narrow hearts, and their Dharma Forms extend no farther than a palm. Others hold all under heaven in their hearts, and their Dharma Forms are like the Kunpeng, limitless and boundless..."
As he spoke, the young man squeezed hard. Light scattered, and he refined two stars from it, then tossed them aside.
The two stars hovered behind him,