Rules originated in reality, yet transcended it.
That was what cultivation was all about.
As a Supreme Douluo, one needed to observe the workings of heaven and earth and comprehend the principles governing everything in the universe.
In this process, the mind served as the catalyst, drawing out individual threads from the tangled complexity of the world to refine one's own understanding, then forging that understanding into rules.
Soul power and mental power were borne by the body; intent and conception required the support of mental power; domains needed a phantom soul as their foundation.
Rules, too, needed a vessel before they could manifest.
Chen Zixiu, for instance, used his mind will to bear that elusive, ethereal sword intent.
Only through the fusion of mind will and Void Sword Intent, followed by constant refinement, did their true essence gradually reveal itself.
His Void Sword Intent had been sublimated from Selfless Sword Intent. Its quality was already a cut above the rest, so fusing it naturally presented formidable difficulties.
In fact, intent and conception were manifestations of mental power taking on specific attributes. By attaching soul power and amplifying them through a martial soul, one could greatly enhance abilities such as offense and defense.
If described as a cultivation progress bar, it began with initial intent, advanced to minor attainment in Selfless Sword Intent, then major attainment in Void Sword Intent. The constant refinement that followed was the gradual journey toward perfection.
When refinement reached its utmost limit and produced a qualitative change, rules took shape. This shared a subtle similarity with the principle of compressing soul power.
He had only just begun to fuse a thread of Void Sword Intent, but every undertaking was hardest at the start. With this first thread, more possibilities would follow. Once there was one,