‘Star Marked Heaven Extremity’ Breath

As Lumina and Solaris were falling into a trace-like state, Hyuk had one last thing to say to them:

"Beware the Heart Devils."

Something they had yet to understand in their current state of enlightenment towards the self.

They started to understand what was 'Qi'.

Though it was considered an offshoot of what could be created by the excess Life Energy the body constantly radiated, that explanation didn't quite capture the mysterious aspects of its power.

Without the perspective of the System, the duo could only interpret it the same way as Hyuk did.

They breathed in the 'Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth'. The first step to any type of cultivation.

Regardless if it was a 'Breath' technique or not.

But something was different this time compared to the others. Now… it was time for them to choose.

What will they set their hearts on pursuing in life?

Unlike Gaia Humans of the Divine Realm, Earthlings had the right to choose their own choice of 'Dao'.

They were born with randomly selected backgrounds and talents, but all had this choice.

A restriction placed upon themselves…

It was similar to a 'Geis', but more natural and deeper than that. As it formed their foundation.

Also known as a practitioner's 'Dao Heart'.

To pursue their beliefs, it was important to have the will that could support the power they gathered.

Hyuk watched them both deeply…

'Dao Hearts' were different from an obsession or goal. It was the manifestation of a personality trait.

Similar to an Innate Semblance.

Except a Dao Heart wasn't simply formed from feelings and ideals alone. A firm will was needed.

Along with the risks that followed such a thing.

There was a saying that warrior's could exchange words with another purely through their fists.

Or being able to frighten others with 'Killing Intent'.

Both of these being superhuman feats that normally wouldn't be possible with beliefs alone.

The real reason warriors of Hyuk's realm were so sensitive was because the Dao Heart was more than just a 'restriction'. This source of power was more harder to perceive compared to Internal Qi.

Not unless the user made the power obvious.

The Martial King considered this profound and intangible power from Dao Heart to be 'Aura'.

Aura, as in the emotional energy of any single individual. The manifestation of their willpower.

Lumina and Solaris understood this as well.

In fact, they were able to glean a deeper layer of understanding due to their 'Life Comprehension'.

In the zigzag building blocks of life, the 'Heart' was the two layers more intangible than the physique.

Just one layer away from being the most ethereal form of energy. One you could consider quite rare.

The two semi-conscious naked figures could vaguely hear Hyuk constantly talking in the back.

His voice and tone were in such a way that the duo weren't startled from hearing the new techniques.

He was passing on his experiences and teachings to them directly. Without holding anything back.

This was so they could create their own 'Sea of Consciousness'. A place between two powers.

Between the Dao Heart they were taught and the newly passed on 'Mind Palace' he was speaking of was where consciousness was formed. It was why Holy Progenitor made him imagine them as boxes.

The rectangular shapes easily connected to each other firmly, unlike the separated 'Flesh' and 'Soul'.

Two circles kept far away from each other…

The only difference between them and normal Martial Artists was that there were two sets of this.

Lumina had her own set of Life Pillars like the Flesh, Mind, Heart, and Soul. All to keep her alive.

The same could be said for the OG body: Solaris.

This meant two sets of 'Sea of Consciousness'.

Lumina was the first one to fully form his Dao Heart and Mind Palace upon the structures of her ideals.

Thanks to her 'Empty Darkness' Innate Semblance acting as a blueprint, the rest was easier to make.

She could feel her Gift Slot being enveloped by the newly forming 'Sea of Consciousness'… or not.

The specifics were hard to fully comprehend.

It was easy to come to the realisation that Innate Semblances and Sea of Consciousnesses seemed too compatible. Even with her eyes closed, she could distinctly 'feel' the world around her shifting.

The darkness of her closed eyes mirrored the 'darkness' of the ideals that built her Mind Palace.

There was no light, but she didn't need that to perceive her 'Ego' and self within the dark world.

She felt comfortable in the shadows that birthed her. As it was like the mother figure she yearned.

Especially now that Gaia was gone from her life.

Lumina flicked her fingers, and the dark world was parted by the psionic energy from her Mind Palace.

A small ocean of mental power was created under her. It fully mimicked the radiance of moonlight.

This was the first step she made to personalising her own inner dreamworld to suit her own tastes.

To fit the persona she had made part of herself.

The rivers of psionic energy ran through her nervous system and became part of her meridians.

Allowing her better control over her mental faculties and the Internal Qi she was breathing in.

The step after that was settling the Dao Heart.

With another flick of her finger, the 'flame' that would refine her own personalised Qi conjured up.

The roof of her inner world opened to to reveal an empty space… A vastness that could devour all.

So boundless was its reaches that a normal person looking in would probably find their souls missing.

Losing themselves in the magnificent emptiness.

It became the true inactive state of her Aura.

This completed reformation of her Gift Slot. The two new energies crashed into her like a tidal wave.

Just as she felt like she'd lose herself, Hyuk's voice resounded in her head. She wasn't finished yet.

There was one key detail her inner avatar missed.

"I'd learnt in a certain place that females amongst Human Cauldrons form their Qi Centres at their womb. This was to make it easier for a male who practiced 'plucking' to reach their partner's Qi."

The Martial King continued monologuing to her:

"After coming to this world, I'd come realise that my preconceived notions of 'Qi' were all wrong."

"As well as my distinction between Yin and Yang."

"Qi could be considered a creation of the harmony between the Yin and Yang of the individual fighter."

"While those practicing manuals that forced users to abstain from sex used 'the point of extremity'."

"The difference between Heavenly Yin and Extreme Yin being the coldness to detach from Yang itself."

"To forgo Yang would be to completely give up the opportunity to ever be able to attain Heavenly Yin."

"Even though the vice versa was already possible."

"Thus, forming the ice techniques maidens of a certain sect were well-known for in my realm."

"What I'm about to tell you is two techniques. Each one will impact your life differently in the future."

"Choose wisely." Hyuk then went on to pass on the self-created techniques he made solely for Lumina.

Basing them off two types of people of his realm.

The first were the Snow Maidens of the Arctic Frost Ice Palace Sect that cultivated their 'Extreme Yin'.

This type of energy gave their techniques a particular conceptual alignment to 'Ice' and 'Death'.

On the other hand, 'Heavenly Yin' was a distinct type of energy more practiced by Sword Maidens.

Their alignments more towards 'Soft' and 'Dark'.

The ego within Lumina's Sea of Consciousness sat down crossed legged to sense her Yin and Yang.

She distinctly felt the warmth of Yang Energy and coldness of Yin Energy in the way she'd expected,

With the latter far outweighing the other.

While he was explaining the two techniques, she'd heard that Extreme Yin maidens couldn't allow their virginity to be taken… Lest they lose their power and be crippled of the Qi Centre they'd cultivated.

This was what had cemented her decision.

Lumina wasn't fond of seeing herself with any male inside of her despite being a heterosexual at heart.

The memories of being a male heterosexual made thinking of that be a disgusting idea to her bones.

The reason why she'd die than lose her virginity.

But that didn't mean she'd discard the orb of Yang Energy she'd managed to finally attain herself.

Looking at the vast emptiness above her, she threw the orb of Yang Energy and dispersed it into her Aura. A bold move that permanently influenced the strength of the 'Empty' feeling of her Semblance.

Though this was also a calculated move by her.

Rather than choosing to forgo the teachings of Heavenly Yin, she thought of an idea in her head.

'What if my Yang Energy could not be influenced by Yin Energy?' Was the idea that was thought of.

Emptiness wasn't the same as darkness.

It was a concept that was more intangible than anything else. Unable to be influenced whatsoever.

'Darkness' could perhaps fill the 'Emptiness', but it couldn't alter the latter regardless of what it did.

It was because the former was something, while the latter was 'nothing'. It practically didn't exist.

Hyuk watched as a frigid energy started to freeze turn Lumina's body into the equivalent shaped ice.

A transparent sculpture that pushed out his needles and started to burn with an 'Empty' flame.

But rather than refining the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth into 'Qi'… It merely stood out.

The Yin Energy within her congealed into the Frigid Qi that Snow Maidens were widely used in Yin Arts.

A unique type of Breath Circulation was born!

The only thing that was left was for her to face what Carl Jung would call the mind's 'Shadow'.

A Heart Devil born with the Sea of Consciousness.

Hyuk watched intently as Lumina's body was transformed. Her skin becoming as pale as snow.

The icicles all over her body cracked open to reveal an matchless beauty equivalent to that of a 'fairy'.

Not the western winged pixie-like beings or horrific monstrosities of the past, but otherworldly beauty.

'Otherworld' not being literal, but to be taken as her looking like a ghost or supernatural being.

The kind who had the looks to literally 'die' for…

From Hyuk's knowledge after 'inspecting' similar Snow Maidens in the past, he was able to see the hard to discern tattoo located just below her dantian and above her most precious spot,

He remembered this was called a 'Crotch Tattoo'.

The Martial King stroked his chin in pride from having remembered the fetishes he'd looked up.

Internet really did let you dive into new territories.

Even reading of never before known sex positions.

His eyes then shifted to the only counterpart that was left. The male he'd been told to call 'Solaris'.

Because this body's Gift Slot was untrained, he had a harder time forming a Qi Centre than Lumina.

Though that only made things more 'Orthodox'.

After all, not many could cheat like she'd done.

It was necessary for him to go through the burden of creating a Sea of Consciousness from scratch.

Without that subtle wisdom, all would be lost.

Perhaps Lumina's power seemed stable, but the lack of hardship of making it was the problem.

Overcoming oneself wasn't that easy to do.

Solaris started off with the Mind Palace. He used his mental strength to lay down the foundations.

His inner world much brighter than Lumina's…

His ego focused that superhuman Agility stat he was aware existed, but couldn't check anymore.

This was when Adam encountered his first hurdle.

Cultivators and Martial Artists all sought to extend their lives through increased lifespan or instant regeneration, but Solaris already had that innate ability. This was what caused the problem in him.

He'd realised that mental and emotional energies were the second most revitalised asset within him because of 'Bloodwood Immortality'. This was after his first regenerated aspect being the physique.

Hyuk's eyes started to widen when he realised that he'd miscalculated. The immorality became a trail.

The only way to finish forming a proper Sea of Consciousness was to exhaust 'Psion' and 'Aura'.

Run them dry before rejuvenating them afterward.

This caused the consciousness forming within the untrained Gift Slot to continuously grow endlessly.

Solaris felt like a certified builder from all the groundwork he was doing to expand his horizons.

The closed eyed Lumina reached out to grab his hand, then used their connection to assist him.

Her Semblance helping him overcome this hurdle through the creation of a 'trained' Gift Slot.

One that suited Solaris specifically.

His inner avatar started to dig deep in what he truly wanted in his life. Was escaping emptiness all of it?

*Clench!*

All of a sudden, the seed of a Heart Devil budded before he finished. A dark figure held his neck…!

Hyuk watched as the two students of his completely lose consciousness like they fainted.

Losing strength like strings had been cut…