Martial Intent

Martial Intent is an ability of cultivators that allows them to use Qi to manipulate certain aspects of nature for offensive, defensive, and/or supportive means.

## Acquisition

Intents are the "will" of the forces that conform the *"10000 things of creation"*, which a Cultivator can control. Is like borrowing the strength of those "will" for the Cultivator to be fused with and use it at wish.

For cultivator to learn Martial Intent, they need to know the very source of the respective energy, the very cause of things, is essential. If someone don’t understand those essential sources and reasons, one cannot understand intent. Understanding those things will help a cultivator in it's studies and will help them use those energies more efficiently. Because of this, is necessary to have preiously studied and earned a certain knowledge and mastery of the corresponding force of the Intent intended to learn.

Cultivators can achieve martial intent by using their Qi to expand the bodies senses (*"The Third Eye"*) and study areas where particular elements are abundant and surround themselves with them (i.e. to obtain fire intent one would obviously train in a hot area such as a desert).

Other way to learn Martial Intent are the use of supplementaries such as intent crystal, abstruse crystals and abstruse tablets to increase the strength.

Each intent have many variations and each one is learned differently depending in the way is studied and the focus given(i.e. Fire intent from destructive focus and Fire Intent from burning focus).

## Difficulty

Learning intent is a very difficult (and occasionally dangerous) process that only the most talented of Cultivators can truly master. Some people are naturally gifted and can learn many different intents.

These people may have a high understanding of certain elements due to a multitude of reasons such as:

* The martial arts they practice
* Unique Bloodlines.
* Inherited memories if they’re a Holy beast (Holy Beasts cultivate by using their celestial Qi and studying the memories left by their ancestors, i.e. Meng Qing)
* Rare Physique (i.e. Lin Feng’s Restriction Body)
* Powerful items and treasures (i.e. Abtruse crystals and tablets).
* Spirits with elemental or unique abilities.
* Holy Marks

### Heavenly Tao

The Five basic elements of the *"forces of creation"* are fire, water, earth, gold, and wood. All other elements branch off from these five as well as sun and moon energies which are the base of everything. The ten thousand things of creation are created by moon and sun energies, as all of the energies of the Earth and sky are not pure. Every energy can be defined according to the moon, the sun and the five elements, nothing more[1162].

## Levels and Improvement

Intents levels are measured with a similar system to cultivation. Intents start off as level one, and with training, increase to level nine. With each rise in level the power (as well as the challenge to rise to the next level) increases exponentially.

If one is capable of raising their intent to level nine they have the opportunity of progressing further and raising the intent energies into abstruse energies. Acording to Cultivators, its almost like getting a new "soul" each time a Abstruse Energy is learned.

The growth of Abstruse energies are similar to the way of growth of Intent, both in methods and suplements, but the scale needed to do so is exponentially worse.

Once a Zun Qi layer cultivator reach a high level abstruse energies, supplementary sources such as abstruse tablets stop been useful anymore to improve the cultivator's abstruse energies, losing its value to high level cultivators along the way. [1536]

## Abstruse Energies

Abstruse energies, also known as the "*realm of perception*" by some, are the "soul" of the energies in nature and are obtained after completely mastering a Martial Intent, also known as the "will" of the energies. When obtaining abstruse energies they once again begin at level one and rise to level nine. The difference in quality and power between martial intent and abstruse energies is massive, with level one abstruse energies easily overpowering level nine martial Intent. The differences between one level between abstruse energies is enormous compared to the difference present between intents of several levels in gap.

One of the caracteristics of the Abstruse Energies is the abilities of the cultivators bodies to become one with their energies and behave like those (be as swift as wind itself, strike as hard as thunder, burn as hot as fire, and much more).

Other caracteristic is the difficulty in the manipulation of several types of Abstruse energies. Cultivators may be able to master several Martial Intents during their lives, but only some (if not only one) of those energies will reach the category of Astruse energies. People with grand talent and understanding are able to learn more than 2 Abstruse energies.

A way to determinate if an Abstruse energy is suitable to a cultivator, is to match that energy to their personalities, been this a direct influence in the prossess of learning (i. e. Thunder Abstruse energies been suited for tyrannical and over-confident cultivators).

The more energies learned, the bigger the talent. People who learn 3 types are considered very talented, people with 4 types are considered geniuses, people with 5 types are categorized as monstruous talents, and above that, are just considered monsters in-disguise. There have been people able to wield up to 6, to 7, even 8 types, but these cases range from been astronomically improbable to almost myth than reality.

Legends says that perfect cultivators are able to learn 10 or more types of energies, but most believed this to be impossible, until the name of the Demon Emperor (Due to his unique Restriction Body) was made known, making everyone realize that it is possible. Even if someone doesn't possess a Restriction Body, there are still other Physiques that allow a cultivator to learn up to 10 types of energies.

### Sword Raising Technique

A workaround in the pursuit for owning multiple Abstruse energies regardless of talent is the implementation of the *"Sword Raising Technique"* created by the Sword Emperor of Jiange, in which the user splits a piece of their own soul and inserts it into a weapon, thus granting it life and being able to learn and practice intents on its own.

This technique was categorized as the *"True Way of the Sword Abtruse Energies"* by the Sword Emperor after he realized this type of energy did not behave like any other as most Cultivators couldn't take full advantage of this power, despite reaching the max. level of Intent. This gave the Sword Emperor the idea that Sword Abtruse energies were far more than just using sword intent to create blades of energy or sharpen their attacks.

It was then he created the belief that the way of the sword is above everything and that one could wield the power of the *"10000 things of creation"*, and based on this, the sword is able to assimilate any kind of Martial Intent and Abstruse energy inside itself as a condensed soul. After the disappearance of the Sword emperor, it has become a lost art in Jiange due to its complexity and harsh requirements, on top of the low interest presented in Jiange members who have now chosen to replace the belief with the assumption that the only way to understand the sword is to focus on increasing the power of basic sword intent. This wrong assumption has led Jiange to lose much of its former prowess causing its members to grow desperate enough to offer sacrifices to their swords in hope of reclaiming their former glory. The only people left who understand and/or utilize this technique are Lin Feng and the cleaner of Jiange's sword grave, albeit the cleaner himself has been hinted to be the sword emperor (although this has yet to be confirmed).

To learn this technique a sword cultivator must practice the following steps:

1. Make a soul connection with the sword using one's own soul as catalyst allowing for total control of the sword even if not wielded.
2. Wash the sword in Sky and Earth energies for it to be able to condense other souls.
3. The hardest part, exposing the sword to intent energies for learning.

The last part will reinforce the power of the sword and increase the weapon´s power level, making it stronger each time. This act sends an immeasurable amount of pain directly into the soul of the Cultivator and must be done each time a new "soul" is integrated, making it a real test of determination. The reinforcement method can also be applied to the body of the Cultivator itself, making the mortal body stronger at the same price of the sword reinforcement and understanding the intent through pain. It is also possible to use both methods at the same time.

Something to notice is that, the more a cultivator nurture a sword, the more independent the sword becomes, turning from only been a part of the cultivator, to even developing it's own ego and personality and behaving more as a living being (i. e. Sword Emperor's very own sword).

## Power and Usage

The greatest appeal of abstruse energies is the power it provides can shorten the gap between cultivation levels, meaning that the power level of an abstruse energy is almost equivalent to a Cultivator´s level, where no matter the cultivation level, one is able to surpass others as long as their understanding in abstruse energies is better compared to other cultivators.

The strength between abstruse energies is influenced in different ways in battle and is actually based on how rare the energies are compared to each others, with known energies like:

* Fire, wind, water and ice/snow in the common category
* Thunder/Lightning, empty space, gold/metal, life/vitality, death and illusions in the uncommon category
* Demonic, curse, immortal, and sound-wave in the rare category
* Desolate (Decay) being in the rarest category yet, where most people don't even know or understand what kind of energy it is to begin with.

A way to determine how rare an Abstruse energy is to see if those energies are able to do more things that other energies cannot or to see if those same energies can have more of a major impact than others (like Empty Space being able to do the same effects of both Wind and Speed Abstruse energies while keeping its own spatial properties, or like the Desolate augmented destructive qualities compared to Death, Demonic and Curse energies).

If a common Abs. energies level are, for example, at lv. 6, it can easily kill Zun Cultivators of the 4th or 5th layer. With uncommon Abs. Energies of the same lv. 6, one able to easily kill Zun Cultivators on the 5th and 6th layer. Desolate Abs. Energies are the only kind of energies proven that can kill without problem Cultivators on the same or even higher layers that its own energies levels, due to its pure and condensed destructive qualities.

The cleaner of the sword grave in Jiange once spoke of a 2nd Level Zun Cultivator who spent 100 years mastering Death and Life abstruse energies up to the 8th level and was capable of killing Cultivators at the top of the Zun Qi layer[1135].

### Abstruse energies fusion

Combining less powerful but compatible energies into one is also very effective in combating opponents with greater powers. Each energy will fuse and compliment the other, thus multiplying the original power of an attack by five.

The best way to perfectly fuse a large amount of energies is to find a quality that makes them similar to begin with (i.e. fusing both Wind and Empty Space intents since they're commonly used for speed). The more energies merged together for a technique, the harder it will be for the fusion to work without losing a large portion of its power. Every time a new energy is added, the bigger the importance is given to the relation of each individual intent during the fusion (i.e. in the case of Death, Curse, and Desolate which have similarities of offensive and destructive properties as apposed to Life/Vitality energies that focus on healing will not work well together if merged).

## Martial Force and the Strength of Earth and Sky

The Earth and the sky energies, sometimes known as "*Martial Force*" or "*Force of the Earth and Sky*", are natural things which englobe the *"10000 things of creation"*. When a cultivator gets to control and condense those energies, then they are able to increase their power and release terrifying strength, with the goal to defeat the person they are in the present, and surpass themsefl and their limits.

Ones a cultivator manages to understand the Earth and sky and understand how to control the force of the Earth and the sky properly, they will understand somehting that is know as "*The Path*" or "*Tao*". The understanding of this energies is a completely different matter apart of what is meant to be the learning Abstruse Energies.

Cultivators who chose to study the strength of Earth and Sky before Abstruse Energies are few in comparison. While these cultivators place behind the learning of Abstruse energies, which increase their magical power by understanding and controling the rules and principles of the world, they rather chose to increase their own ability to control the will of the world itself, which increase their raw strength and provides an stronger mortal body.

Even if learning the strength of the Earth and Sky can make ordinary cultivators stronger than those who, in the same level, learn Astruse energies before this energies and apply on them a big pressure of force, it doesnt change the fact that they still often lack the knowledge in the field of Astruse energies, making the same Earth and Sky energies actually the only strength they can rely on, turning them subsectible to the same abstruse energies if they don't have countermeasures.

## Cosmic Energies

Cosmic energies are the next step after reaching the peak of both Martial Force and Martial Intent. This energies are the fusion of Abstruse energies with the Strength of the Earth and Sky, both in their peak of power, having this new energies a direct effect in the Energies of Earth and Sky (i.e. Fire Cosmic Energies been able to burn the Earth and skies energies). This energies gives the Emperors the power to reing over the Earth and Sky.

Emperors are capable of condense the strength of the Earth and the Sky to incredible degree. If cultivators couldn’t understand the strength of the Earth and sky, they couldn’t learn to use cosmic energies. This is why some Emperors attach so much importance to the learning of the strength of the Earth and sky.

Cosmic energies require high-level abstruse energies too before they could be used to fuse together with the Earth and sky. Some Ancient Scriptures are able to teach cultivators how to learn Cosmic Energies too. Armours and weapons can be infused with Cosmic Energies, having greater power compared to Peerless Holy Equipment and been a great help in the prossess of learning these energies.

Even if is well known that Emperors are the ones who wield Cosmic energies, it doesn't mean they are the only ones. When a cultivator’s force of the Earth and Sky was multiplied by a thounsand, regardless of cultivation level, then they could also be able to understand Cosmic energies. It was due to the changes which occurred in the physical body when condensing the Force, that enable them to stand those energies inside themself, but in comparison to Emperors, this energies are still weaker because Zun cultiators only understand Cosmic energies while Emperors control them and makes tem fuse with their bodies, so even if Zun Cultivators learn Cosmic energies, doesn't mean the could use it's full pontential and be as strong as Emperors.

### Cosmic Strength Fate Seeds

Cosmic Strength Fate Seeds are seeds in which cultivators can condense Cosmic Energies inside. Once cultivators reach the top of the Zun Qi layer, it can help them to become emperors. Cosmic strength fate seeds also act as keys for cultivators to enter the Holy City.

A way to obtain Cosmic strength fate seeds, cultivators travel to the central part of the ancient battlefield located in the deep part of Huang Sea, where a sealed coffin similar to doors resides and many emperors were buried inside and a myriad of strong cultivators died.

When some cultivators manage to utilize the force of the Earth and sky really well, when they are about to achieve enlightenment, they place the fate seeds in their brains to be able to understand the Cosmic Energies easily. The chances of becoming an emperor will be multiplied by three after that.[1458]

Unfortunately, the disadvantage presented in the use of Fate Seed to become an Emperor relies in the fact that those energies originally are an external source of power from a cultivator, and that cultivators who use it just become Emperor, and nothing more than that. Is used by cultivator with lack of talent, managing in getting Cosmic energies not by their own merit, but the easy way, turning their energies weaker and less controlable compared to the average emperors, gaining the alias "Incomplete Emperors" as a form of insult.

This is why, while Fate Seeds are very valuable, are just used to temporarily borrow the energies inside the seeds for very especific reasons (i. e. creating deploitment spells) when a cultivator dont possess a certian type of energy. Can also be used to study the very own energy inside the seeds to be learned by the cultivator and later allowing it to use the energy by its own, been compared more like a battery or a suplementary treasure at this point.

## Holy Marks

Holy Marks also contains the "*Strength of the Earth and Sky*". Because they are related to this Earth and Sky energies, Holy marks are too related with "The Path" or "Tao". Holy marks exist thanks to this Strength and the Abstruse Energies, one just have to make them fuse together. In order to learn how to use Holy Marks, one must first release the desired type of Abstruse Energy and fuse them with threads of godly awareness. When Holy Marks become almost as powerful as cosmic energies, they fused together with the Earth and Sky even better.

To control Holy Marks is only one of the requirements in order to learn Cosmic Energies because of how both Energies have the same connection to the Earth and Sky Energies. But in order to learn both Energies, one have to understand Earth and Sky Energies first as mentioned.

### Deployment Spells

Deployment spells can be considered a higher form of Holy Marks, and also use the strength of the Earth and the sky to it´s creation. Deployment Spells use this energies because people's strength is limited, while the strength of the Earth and sky is unlimited and bottomless. Cultivators who are proficient in the creation of deployment spells a known as Deployment Spell Casters.

Weaker cultivators borrow external strength to cast deployment spells (i. e. Yan Di in the past when he used abstruse crystals or weapons as medium). But some spells (i. e. Everlasting Celestial Emperor spells) doesn’t need to borrow external strength, they could use their own strength to attract the strength from the Earth and sky, allowing cultivators to carve holy marks and cast terrifying deployment spells without borrowing external sources.[1581]

Deployment spell are know to be time consuming during the creation process, because of their complexity. The more complex the Deployment spell is, the more powerful the deployment spell can be, but the more time is needed in exchange. Rigor and precision are the most important concepts when casting deployment spells because if one makes a mistake, everything is lost. But after some time of practice and after stepping in higher cultivation levels, the time needed for their creation are greatly reduce, while the craving velocity, spell complexity and power greatly increase with less effort.

Deployment spells were different from one person and another because they depended on the type of abstruse energies or cosmic energies a cultivator understood. Depending on the type of strength used, deployment spells could have entirely different results (i. e. if a cultivator wanted to create a cage using the arts of deployment spells, the best energy to use was Earth energy. To make people feel drowsy, the best energy to use was illusion energy. And so on).[1582] Meaning this that, to cast powerful deployment spells, it also requires a cultivator to control several types of abstruse energies or cosmic energies and that, spell created with abstruse energies were obviously weaker than those created with cosmic energies, giving casters a fearful reputation.

### The connection between Holy Marks and Deployment Spells

Deployment spells were created from the use of many ancient words, also know as the Holy Marks. To carve authentic holy marks and use holy marks special powers, cultivators had to understand all sorts of marks. They had to understand which kind of strength was appropriate, and even the slightest mistake in the type of strength could weaken a deployment spell by a lot.

Authentic deployment spell casters’ knowledge couldn’t be restrained to a pre-setted amount of spell (i. e. three-thousand great deployment spells and 108,000 small deployment spells from Everlasting Celestial Emperor). Authentic deployment spell casters could cast an infinite number of deployment spells of all sorts. If cultivators could manage to cast a big to almost counless amount of spells from just a pre-setted amount, then they’d be able to cast any deployment spell in the world.[1582]

For cultivators to be able to carve complex Great deployment spells, an order must be implemented for it to work. Great deployment spells are made of smaller deployment spells. Small deployment spells are made of holy marks which are inter-connected to one another, and holy marks are made of deployment marks which are intertwining. Each stroke must be perfect and precise. Meaning that the process involving the cretion is too difficult, but is rewarded in the end with many benefits.

Once cultivators get to know how to carve deployment spells, they could use deployment spells for anything: to practice cultivation, to fabricate weapons, and to concoct pills.

### Deployment Weapons

Deployment weapons are a variation of deployment spell. The process of creation of deployment weapon is different from creating normal weapons. To create these weapons, cultivators need to carve holy marks in their deployment spells, and they also need some materials like fur, soul strength, and fire. While using deployment spells alone is an effective way to figth, when fused with deployment weapons, it's might could greatly increase.

The most common type and the best example of this category are the deployment talismans. While consumable, talismans compared to skills possess explosive results in comparison, making them fearful deployment weapons. Deployment spell casters creates them by infusing different kinds of energies to provide many different variations, be it for attack, defence or support.

The more energies and spells a deployment spell caster is able to control, the more types of combinations and effect can apply to a talisman. And by including how better materials, grand amount of soul strength control and best fire quality can make talismans stronger, can allow casters been able to produce from common and relatively easy-to-use talismans for easy tasks, to produce a considerable amount of incredibly complex and powerful mass-destruction weapons.

## The Path of Cultivation

Yan Di explains what is the pat of cultiation, and is regarded in the world of cultivation as priceless knowledge:

“On the path of cultivation, you must be perseverant and true to yourself. You can separate those two words. Path and cultivation. Path means everything that belongs to the Earth and the sky, like a path on which you walk. The Earth and the sky are natural things which englobe the ten thousand things of creation. You can use those things to release terrifying strength. Concerning cultivation, cultivation is a school, cultivation is composed of rules and principles. People who apply to those rules and principles are cultivators, real cultivators can break holes in the atmosphere, they can reincarnate, they can release abstruse energies, they understand all the rudimentary aspects of the path.”

“Therefore, we have to keep learning new principles, understand the Earth and the sky in more detail, we have to be one with the Earth and the sky.”[1079]

## Yin-Yang Principle

Also known as The Sun and Moon Principle. In the many endeavors of training Martial Intent the foundation for the "*Yin-Yang Principle"* was made known. It is the basic understanding that every element has a natural opposite (Fire and water/ice/snow, Life and Death) and by understanding this principle one can broaden their ability to learn many types of elemental energies.

This principle not only governs opposites, but similar elements that produce the same effects (Ice, Water, and Snow are basically the same, Fire and Thunder/Lightning both contain destructive energies and work in similar ways[1349]) thereby allowing cultivators to increase the potency of multiple intents/energies they may posses and even allowing them to double the amount of energies they can learn and possess. This Principle was formed on the belief that there are no independent energies[1352].

## Types

Here is a list of all current known Martial Intents/Energies:

## Quotes

* **Yan Di:**“A flower in the world, a thought, a step, the path englobes all things of creation. If you understand the path, you can create holy weapons using holy marks. The force of the Earth and sky are a part of the path.”[1079]

## Trivia

* Due to the Sword Intent's lack of Abstruse level regarding the behavior of the Abstruse energies to be commonly related to living beings, elements, and unique energies (i.e. Bhudda and Demons, Fire and Ice, Desolate and Immotal energies respectively), being the Sword a "Tool" type of energy, is hinted that other Tool Intents such as Blades, Bows, Spears, etc., face the exact same dilemma of lacking an Abstruse level themself. And is also possibly hinted that exist similar Techniques to overcome this lack too (i.e. Dao He's Blade Energy Fusion compared to Lin Feng's Sword Energy Fusion).
* Yan Di was the first one to explain the real reason of why one must study both Forces and Abstruse energies to keep growing in the path of cultivation and eventually become an emperor.
* Even if Buddha and Demonic are natural opposite forces, they still get to be thighly related to each other, passing to almost been similar energies, this because of the believe of buddhas often been seen and behaving as demons and viseversa. (i. e. The Herukas Statues from the Buddha-Demon skill set; "sometimes divine, sometimes fearful, benevolent as a buddha, cruel as a demon, both different yet the same, keeping everything in balance, having peace in chaos and chaos in peace").

## See also

* Cultivation
* Martial Spirit