"This is the Martial Arts Realm."
Gu Jinlai felt the mysterious changes in his swordsmanship as he executed it.
It was like a well-trained but still elite army suddenly gathered its own spirit; everyone clearly knew why they fought, why they sacrificed, and were fearless and unstoppable because of it.
In such a situation, even if their equipment had not changed, they could still turn the impossible into the possible, ten thousand against twenty thousand, or even ten thousand defeating thirty thousand.
"Transformation Realm, to put it simply, is about coordinating a series of sword techniques, fist techniques, movement techniques, and secret techniques that one has mastered, integrating them into one, knowing when and what change is best for oneself, thereby allowing one to exert two or three times the effect with the same effort."
Jiang Chongshan said.
"What about the Mental Realm then?"
Jiang Chongshan pondered for a moment: "I have immersed myself in the path of the Mental Realm for ten years, but I always feel that something is missing, that something... should be called spirituality."
"Yes, Mental Realm has reached a domain so profound that it allows cultivators to predict their enemy’s moves, sense fortune and misfortune; in the face of an oncoming flying sword, even if one ’cannot see’ the flying sword, they can capture its traces and intercept it, and even... I have personally witnessed a master of the Mental Realm capturing a flying sword with bare hands."
As Jiang Chongshan spoke, he looked at Gu Jinlai: "The Imperial Family’s Secret Collection once used a slogan from the Heavenly Master Path to describe the Mental Realm: ’All things have spirits’; they called it ’All beings have intent’."
"All beings have intent."
As Jiang Chongshan spoke, he looked somewhat uncomfortable, and after a while, he continued: "As a Heavenly Master, you should understand a doctrine, that is, all creatures, matter, energy, and even spirit and will, are essentially part of the Great Dao’s evolution, is that correct?"
Gu Jinlai contemplated: "Dao Sheng Yi, One Becomes Two, Two Creates Three, Three Creates All Things?"
Jiang Chongshan’s eyes lit up: "You are truly worthy of being Heavenly Monarch Gu; that is a very incisive summary."
He quickly said: "According to the Imperial Family’s Secret Collection, if a person’s body dies and the spirit is annihilated, it does not mean real disappearance but rather a transformation into another form of existence. Just like when a tree withers and dies, it can fertilize the soil, and then other trees absorb its nutrients and grow strong, so death is just a transformation of the form of existence. Its essence does not change; one is still that one—only the two, the three, and all things change."
"So, the essence of the Mental Realm is to thoroughly understand the power of form transformation?"
Jiang Chongshan nodded: "If the essence of all existence is completely the same, it naturally leads to a chain reaction. When other matter moves, you naturally resonate and become one with it."
Gu Jinlai understood.
It was like the entire atmosphere.
Just like the lightning streaking across the sky.
When you see the lightning breaking the sky, you naturally know that thunder will roll next.
The defense against danger in the Mental Realm comes from this same principle.
When a Divinity Transformation Cultivator strikes with a sword, it is like lightning breaking the sky.
Although the flying sword has not yet hit, the flash of light has already shone, allowing those who have penetrated the Mental Realm—those who understand the atmospheric system—to sense it.
Even when a warplane far away is fully loaded and takes off, entering the atmosphere to bomb this area, a practitioner of the Mental Realm can sense it.
This is the application of powers on different levels and dimensions.
"No wonder it’s said that when those of the Heavenly Master Lineage step into the Heavenly Monarch Domain, they have an astonishing assistive effect in comprehending the Mental Realm... All things have spirits, all beings have intent."
Jiang Chongshan looked at Gu Jinlai enviously: "With Heavenly Monarch Gu’s talent, I fear it won’t take long for you to step into the gate of the Mental Realm. By then, flying swords won’t be able to harm you, combined with your Great Demon level physique, it will be no difficulty to contend with a Divinity Transformation foe."
"I’ll take your auspicious words."
He bowed his hands: "I will go and comprehend the mysteries of the Transformation Realm first, and return in time to thank Star King."
"Heavenly Monarch Gu is too kind."
Jiang Chongshan smiled slightly and gestured to make himself at home.
Gu Jinlai left swiftly, returning to his own courtyard.
Then, holding his several-thousand-catty Mystic Steel War Sword, he began to practice the swordsmanship of All Swords Return to One.
Thanks to the mysteries of the Transformation Realm, what was a broad and wide-open sword technique was performed by him with a sense of lightness and agility.
Not only that, he lifted the several-thousand-catty war sword and with a leap, actually landed directly on a thin piece of wood.
Instead of immediately shattering the wood board, he stood on it steadily as if what he was holding in his hand was not a several-thousand-catty sword but a plastic mold.
"This is the Transformation Realm."
After trying for a while, Gu Jinlai sincerely sensed the mystical nature of this realm.
Understanding the Transformation Realm, many previously unsolvable problems could be easily resolved.
"Mental Realm... All things have spirits, all beings have intent; through another dimension..."
The first thing Gu Jinlai thought of was quantum entangled states.
In the world of "intent," the will of the cultivator didn’t matter to them.
Just as the cellular structure of an organism doesn’t say, "This flesh belongs to this person," and another person who eats it can’t digest it to provide energy to the cells.
It’s the same between spirits.
This spirit and that spirit are truly of the same kind.
Perhaps even the same individual.
The humans commanding the "spirit" are merely like a shell.
So, when the "spirit" of one human seeks to obliterate the "spirit" of another human, the two "spirits" will "inform" each other.
Because "spirit" can be seen as a whole, this notification is almost instantaneous, just like when a person’s right hand is injured, the brain immediately transmits a pain signal.
If at this time, the human possessing the "spirit" is able to capture, interact with, and interpret this "notification" information, then they can become aware that someone is using the "spirit" to launch an attack on them, thus making an effective defense.
"Heavenly Monarch, spirit."
Gu Jinlai narrowed his eyes, pondering a solution.
Soon, he had an idea.
"So, can I constantly maintain a Co-spirit State with the surrounding spirits to receive ’notification’ signals in this way?"
Gu Jinlai pondered in his heart.
Then, he shook his head.
In doing so, he would be in a constant state of spiritual consumption; such expenditure, he could not sustain.
Just as he could not constantly maintain the activation of the Short Range Defense Cannon in a state of True Spirit Possession.
"Then, there is only one way, to strengthen my soul, making my spirituality strong enough to pierce through the constraints of the body, to separate from the body, and then use this dissipated spirituality to constantly maintain a Co-spirit State with the outside world."
Gu Jinlai thought to himself.
However, to let one’s soul grow strong enough to cause an effect of spirit dissipation...
Even Peak Heavenly Monarchs might not be able to afford such luxury.
Gu Jinlai refocused his attention on the Mental Realm.
Sword Intent, Sword Intent, Fist Intent—these aspects of the Mental Realm...
Are, in fact, a highly concentrated form of will.
"Selective scanning?"
Allowing the soul to swell until spirituality dissipated or constantly maintaining an enlarged Co-spirit would put enormous strain on oneself.
Like a scanning device, needing to scan and compute every little thing.
But if a few keywords are set...
Just like with an internet search.
Without any keywords, you can search countless pieces of information, but each additional keyword geometrically reduces the number of matching targets.
And the keywords he needed to set were...
"Flying sword! Lethal!"
A light shone in Gu Jinlai’s eyes.
By setting just these two search keywords, the load he would have to bear would be negligible.
With this thought, Gu Jinlai’s Spiritual Will surged.
The ideas of lethality and flying swords guided his spirituality to simmer and begin to drift towards the outside.
Soon, this spirituality seeped through his body, detaching from the flesh.
Having lost the constraint of being "All Things Spiritual Leader," the efficiency of Co-spirit greatly increased.
Gu Jinlai could feel something, but upon closer inspection, he realized nothing.
He carefully pondered this feeling, mastering the process.
Half a day later, he suddenly called out, "Let Gu Chifeng come over with the ’Red’ Short Range Defense Cannon."
A response came from outside.
In no time, Gu Chifeng arrived in Gu Jinlai’s courtyard, carrying a Short Range Defense Cannon that weighed thousands of pounds.
"Patriarch, I’ve loaded the bullets; are we going to hunt down a target?"
Gu Jinlai looked at Gu Chifeng’s Short Range Defense Cannon, "Aim it at me."
Gu Chifeng was stunned.
"I want to run a test."
Gu Jinlai introduced briefly.
Only then did Gu Chifeng react and began operating the Short Range Defense Cannon. He quickly aimed it at Gu Jinlai.
As soon as he aimed, the "lethal" keyword granted by Co-spirit was triggered, and suddenly, Gu Jinlai felt chills all over his body, a restlessness bubbling up inside him, urging him to either leave the direct aim of the Short Range Defense Cannon at the fastest speed possible or to destroy it with maximal velocity.
Gu Jinlai smiled at the scene,
"Although it’s not real will, just a similar effect to the Mental Realm obtained by letting the spirit seep out to Co-spirit, it will still consume spirituality daily, but... this spiritual consumption is very faint, something I can definitely afford."
With this, facing flying sword attacks, he finally had a sense of anticipation, even the possibility of smashing them out of the air.
Double happiness could not be more apt.
"I just don’t know if now, without relying on the Short Range Defense Cannon, I could defeat a Divinity Transformation Cultivator."
Gu Jinlai guessed in his heart.
How exactly, one would only know after a fight.
For the following days, Gu Jinlai familiarized himself with the process of using spirit as Mental Realm and, at the same time, tried to reduce the consumption of spirituality.
This peaceful cultivation lasted for less than a week before Gu Chaoyang hurried over, "Patriarch, our massive recruitment of artisans in Baihe City... seems to have... upset the elder stationed in Baihe City, Xue Wuqing... He has detained our people and demands that you come over to give an explanation."
"Recruiting artisans?"
This matter was personally ordered by Gu Jinlai.
After all, the tasks at the Military Workshop were heavy, and personnel were seriously insufficient.
"Was there any coercion in our recruitment process?"
"Was it reasonable and lawful?"
"Reasonable and lawful."
"Had Baihe City ever issued an order not to allow artisans to leave beforehand?"
Gu Jinlai slowly ended his cultivation, "Xue Wuqing... where does he get the nerve to detain our people?"