[Bonus chapter for 200 golden tickets]
'They're using some sort of technique to sway the emotions of people… do you really think you can compete with me in something like that?'
Dyon smirked thinking of how easily he could manipulate people with his celestial, demonic and music wills. But, he decided to play along for now… after all, what fun would there be in the victor being so obvious from the beginning? He'd first crush Zaltarish with pure logic. Then, he'd crush him with his will.
Zaltarish's voice was soothing, but powerful, yielding, but domineering. Dyon could only smile as he began to listen to a discourse oddly similar to Elder Flyleaf's.
"From the time our Elvin Race came to this universe, to this very day, we have always been incomparable in the understanding of wills. The reason for this is simple: we have the best understanding of what is without a doubt the most important aspect of cultivation: the soul.
The soul is an enigmatic existence, one that has baffled the minds of countless experts. It isn't as straight forward as body cultivation. It also isn't as simple as energy cultivation. It's delicate, yet strong, fragile, yet powerful.
However, this is far from the only reason souls are of such importance. Think about how manifestations effect wills. They aid us in understanding them better. They help us in boosting our understanding in battle. With our souls, we can reach a level of comprehension unmatched by anyone else."
The crowd seemed to be lost in Zaltarish's words, hanging onto his every syllable.
"However, the world of cultivation isn't as simple as I've painted it, correct? We need a strong body to support a soul. We can't surpass a will and tap into intents without the proper energy cultivation. So, you may wonder, why is the soul most important?"
Dyon raised an eyebrow at this. It seemed Zaltarish wasn't as simple as he first assumed. He was delving into thoughts Dyon himself had had. The question was… what would his conclusion be?
It seemed that even the geniuses had perked up at this point of Zaltarish's.
"The answer to this is quite simple, no? The flaw is not within the soul, but instead, within ourselves."
Murmurs flooded the Coliseum. Zaltarish's words were powerful. Catching the attention of everyone listening.
"When the soul wants to surpass the body, it can't. Why? Because it is our bodies that are too weak. When our understanding matches an intent, yet is held within the peak level of wills, it is because we ourselves aren't powerful enough to sustain qi at the level of an intent."
Dyon's eyes sparkled. He was well aware that wills, when used, manifested themselves in what would be called qi. This is why he referred to Darius' spear will as spear qi. And why he referred to his sword will as sword qi. However, as he himself thought through earlier, there was a reason intents couldn't be "understood" unless you reached the essence gathering level of energy cultivation. It was because it was only at that point that your cultivation would be able to sustain qi that powerful.
Zaltarish continued, "as those of outstanding intelligence can deduce, the fault hardly lies on the inadequacies of the soul. Our souls, if powerful enough, have the abilities to understand intents long before we step into essence gathering should our genius be up to par. We are the ones holding it back," suddenly Zaltarish smiled, "but this isn't the end of that.
"When one's cultivation reaches dao formation, the body undergoes a qualitative change. Suddenly, the body and soul become one in the name of the daos we have chosen."
The air seemed to get sucked out of the coliseum. The Dao Formation stage was a legend of unprecedented heights. To the point where there was not a single such expert in this universe of that level of power as far as they knew.
However, Dyon's eyes sparkled with a different light. One of an inevitable anticipation, a wanting and thirst for power. An unyielding sense of belief.
He suddenly thought back to the sage demon and his song. 'If Dao Formation is so powerful… how powerful was he to have surpassed it…'
"Once such a level is reached, would the soul ever be held back again? When the soul is the body, and the body is the soul. A union of perfection and unmatched glory, would either ever hold back the other? A perfect amalgamation of cultivation. An epitome of faultlessness."
A small smile graced Zaltarish's features as his eyes burned with passion, but, he lightly chuckled to himself, "I've said all of this and yet haven't truly delved into wills. I've explained what is most important in understanding them, but not what they truly are.
Wills are the essence and core of everything that is. Whether that be living, or dead, strong or weak.
They are the laws that write what is and what isn't. When one understands a will, they understand what it means to be that thing."
Zaltarish lifted his hand, a small blade of sword qi appearing. Condensed to the 8th level of will, it slowly swayed above his palm, its gentle movement sending tsunamis of wind every which direction.
"Wills are what makes a sword a sword. In its purist form, it follows one path. And that one path… clean of impurities and false beliefs, acts as a beacon. When that path is found, your will becomes indomitable. When that path is found… your sword cleaves through everything… even should you want to cut a person in half, and have them remain standing as though nothing had occurred, you could do. Even if you wanted to slice this world in half with a single flick of the wrist, you could do it."
Zaltarish flicked his wrist.
WHOOOSH
The sword qi flew threw the air, slicing inches from Dyon's cheek.
It wrapped around him, dancing domineeringly before sped towards the arenas.
There was no large explosion. There was only the sound of the air that rushed to fill a now gaping valley.
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