Chapter 55: Foundation (3)

Chapter 55: Foundation (3)

The fact that the Heavens react immediately to my theory of creating just one Pillar of Heaven does not surprise me so much. I had already suspected that it possessed some form of prescience or perhaps even the ability to read my mind.

I could present several theorems to my sub processes on the nature of this phenomena, but the violent vortex of Qi demands my full attention. I record my desire to unravel the mysteries of Heaven and focus my attention on the task at hand.

The sword Qi stream splits into two rivers half of it flows into our dantians where they continuously grind away at our Foundations while simultaneously acting as an access point for the Dao of Heaven, while the other half circles above in a protective manner.

Sword Qi, to put it simply, is like a hollow vessel. It is refined consciousness and possibly soul force which can contain metaphysical phenomena such as the Dao of Sword. There certainly exists a better description that likely utilizes words such as concept or perhaps even domain, but my understanding is not yet this advanced.

I know those terms exist concept and domain but they are not important to my current objective. My sword Qi can contain the Dao of Heaven, as I have found out when I formed my Heavenly Jade Core.

Naturally, what follows is that I can also create Pillars of Heaven using my Sword Qi to contain an Insight of Heaven.

While observing the process in which my Foundation formed, I could see that the Pillars themselves were made of compressed and refined Qi. This process cannot be upgraded, as I have already tried. The Qi itself is just one thing. It cannot be two or of Heaven or of Earth.

Qi is like charge moving between two potentials or terminals. It originates in Heaven and creates a circuit with the Earth. The Pillars of Foundation then form another circuit, which refines the Qi to a higher form.

It stands to reason, then, that having Pillars with more than one polarity, so to speak, would improve the efficiency of their operations.

Then, as if to mock my shallow understanding, my theories completely fall apart under the first lightning strike of Heavens tribulations.

When the lightning bolt discharges, it forms a gold cut in the air above us, slamming into the protective stream of sword Qi, and blowing a hole through it as if it was a constellation of cherry blossoms with no real substance.

The lightning hits my pommel and bursts through my external body, discharging harmlessly into the ground. My internal body, on the other hand, takes significant damage from the lightning, as it rampages through my meridians, and attacks the Heavenly Jade Core in the center of my being.

I feel like I am on the precipice of understanding something.

It is not just her sword Qi that contains this mysterious and powerful Intent, but mine also exhibits a strange, ephemeral almost, heaviness and sharpness. The way in which the motes of sword Qi glimmer and annihilate themselves reminds me of violent pulsars, flashing in and out of existence extremely powerful and bright and then pitch black.

The expanding shock wave loses some of its cohesion and begins to fade out of existence, but not before another spear of gold lightning descends from the gathering storm clouds overhead and impacts our combined sword Qi.

This time, our sword Qi withstands the impact for a few moments longer, before failing to withstand the wrath of Heaven.

Then the lightning strikes the edge of the fading shock wave, and it is stopped at the edge of the shock front and crushed by the potent Sword Qi, but even that fails to withstand the onslaught.

This time, when the lightning strikes us, two Pillars form at once, brilliant white and almost transparent, and sparks of lightning surround them like a nimbus.

Upon impact with my body, a third of the spring water in the pool around us immediately flashes away, turning into steam.

My Heavenly Jade Core cracks in the aftermath of the impact, and the damage to my internal body is severe enough to cause concern. My meridians warp as the lightning crackles through them, and they feel hot; so hot, in fact, that I suspect another lightning strike will set them on fire, even though I am not sure how a meridian can burn.

Lan Xiaohui coughs up a mouthful of blood, and I immediately sense the consciousness that originates from her and pours into my internal body become diminished by about a half.

Her body fares no better as I can see dark, blackened cracks form on her skin like fractures in stone or clay.

Not only is she close to losing consciousness, but she is close to death.

Even so, her trembling hands and weakening grip resolutely continue to hold on to me, as if to shelter me from the wrath of Heaven.