(This book has reached eight hundred thousand Chinese characters before I knew it. So happy!)
Jing Ziyan stood below the platform, rather puzzled. As far as she could tell, neither of the two onstage had made a move. They had decided the victor in an instant through nothing more than the auras they unleashed, leaving her scratching her head.
Huo Yuhao, however, understood perfectly. Although he and Ji Juechen had not exchanged physical blows, they had fought a battle on the level of "intent."
The essence of Sovereign Over All was actually the establishment of intent. This meant merging all of one's emotions into a single whole and planting a seed within the heart.
The intent contained within that seed varied from person to person. Some planted hatred and anger, while others planted resolve and the desire to protect. Still others planted their ambitions and desires. Their reasons differed, and naturally, so did their intent.
But once someone planted their own intent, they had to act in accordance with it from that point onward. They could not go against it and leave their thoughts obstructed.
In battle, merging that state of intent with their soul skills, close-range attacks, or even soul tool attacks allowed them to influence others with it and destroy their opponents' will to fight.
A clash between "intents" was even more dangerous than direct physical harm. Once defeated in a contest of intent, the loser might, at best, never again summon the will to oppose the victor. At worst, dust would settle over their heart of cultivation, and their progress would stagnate.
At this point, however, Ji Juechen's sword intent was still like a tender blade of grass just sprouting, in its infancy. By comparison, Huo Yuhao's intent resembled a towering tree already thick with branches and