I Can See Your Combat Power

The most significant characteristic of a martial artist who has achieved the unity of spirit and intent is the perfect fusion of their own momentum with their spiritual power, embodying a flawless whole.

This also implies that martial artists at the unity of spirit and intent will no longer be overwhelmed by momentum. Unless forcibly suppressed by a strong Fierce Realm practitioner using spiritual possession, a martial artist who has shed the Mortal Realm and achieved the unity of spirit and intent will have no issue confronting the momentum of the Fierce Realm. This demonstrates the strength of martial artists with firm Dao hearts.

Only a martial artist who has completed these two elements and graduated from the Mortal Realm can begin to attempt the most vital step in breaking through the Fierce Realm – Soul Casting!

The most significant difference between yellow rank and mysterious rank techniques is not whether they include Fierce Realm techniques, but that every mysterious rank technique includes a method to Cast the Soul.

Although there are slight differences in the soul based on the technique, they can largely be divided into three categories.

One is Mirroring Spirits, one is Visualizing, and one is Seeking Truth.

The so-called Mimicry Technique is to model the soul into a beast spirit based on the characteristics of the technique. If successfully visualized, the soul may even manifest some mystical beast capabilities. Many ancient techniques that are still in use today continue to employ this beast soul casting method.

The top-level Mimicry Technique can cast a soul that not only allows a martial artist to breakthrough into the Fierce Realm but also allows the beast spirit to descend into the world to fight in coordination. This is like carrying a wild beast into battle at any time, significantly enhancing the combat power. This method was once considered the apex of soul casting techniques until the emergence of the Zen Visualization Technique.

The Visualization Technique is about reaching enlightenment through one’s perception and then achieving the Buddha Position by merging one’s soul with enlightenment.

Buddhist Sect most commonly uses the Visualization Technique to cast souls, which is divided from the bottom up into Arahant Visualization, Bodhisattva Visualization, and Buddha Visualization.

The Arahant, Bodhisattva, and Buddha are not superior to each other, but are merely different stages of “wisdom” and “enlightenment”. Even a soul cast by an Arahant Visualization is not weaker than a soul cast by a true dragon mimicking technique. The reason why there are two higher levels, Bodhisattva, and Buddha, above the Arahant is because the Zen sect possesses the deepest understanding of the soul in the world.

The so-called Arahant Visualization refers to reaching the Fruit Rank of the self-awakening stage. In simple terms, self-awakening is comprehending oneself by seeing through one’s illusions, distinguishing between truth and illusion, and finally ceasing the cycle of birth and death. In other words, a Zen martial artist who has achieved the Arahant Fruit Rank sees the true direction in the ocean of martial arts and veers away from illusory dreams. However, those who are self-awakened can only see this direction for themselves but can’t guide others to the other shore. This is what is referred to as the

Theravada level in Zen.

The Zen sect distinguishes between Theravada and Mahayana, but essentially it does not rank one higher than the other, as it is ultimately a singular path, or rather there is no path, it is the supreme path. Then why does it distinguish between Theravada and Mahayana? It is mainly for the sake of convenience. Without Theravada, there would be no Mahayana, and only with Theravada can Mahayana be distinguished.

Even though the Arahant stage is a lower state, a Zen martial artist who has visualized the Spirit of Arahant can still be highly powerful. The world’ s most advanced body forging techniques all come from the Zen Arahant, and there are even Arahants with deep self-realization that reach the state of indestructible body forging upon breakthrough, dominating the world.

Hence, the Arahant is the first state of Zen, self-awakening.

To accomplish Bodhisattva Visualization, merely being self-aware is not enough, one must also make others aware.

Making others aware is the second state of Zen. Simply put, this level is not only about achieving enlightenment and seeing the other shore oneself, but also about enlightening others, enlightening all living beings so they can also achieve enlightenment without confusion, practicing the six paramitas and countless acts, leading to the other shore of martial arts. This is the

Bodhisattva Path.

A Zen martial artist who has visualized the Spirit of the Bodhisattva not only possesses an extremely strong physical level but can also awaken one or several powers.

There was once a prodigious talent from Zen who visualized a Pure World Bodhisattva Position, awakening the powers of Divine Hearing, Supranormal Locomotion, and Past Life Perception, becoming unmatched in the world.

Finally, there is the third realm in the Zen sect that almost exists in imagination: Enlightenment and Practice Completion.

Enlightenment and Practice Completion is when a martial artist achieves both self-awakening and awakening of others, thus referred to as Enlightenment and Practice Completion. This is different from Bodhisattva Visualization, where the Bodhisattva is yet to achieve completion in practice and enlightenment.

A Buddha has three points of enlightenment, “self-awakening” is one’s own enlightenment. “Awakening others” is the ability to awaken others. “Enlightenment and Practice Completion” signifies the completion of enlightenment and practice, reaching the utmost perfection in understanding and principles.

The beautiful yet cruel words “Completion” have caused countless outstanding talents from the Zen sect to fail to complete their paths, and many powerful Buddha Sons who could have achieved the Bodhisattva Position eventually could only shed their worldly bodies in peace.

Some people have said that the top-level Buddha Lords and Protectors in the Zen sect are actually mediocre because the smartest and most wise Buddha Sons are striving to attain Enlightenment and Practice Completion and aiming to become the first Buddha Position in the world.

No one knows the extent of the power of a Buddha Position that is bestowed upon achieving Enlightenment and Practice Completion. Some people say that perhaps one can achieve enlightenment in all six major powers, attain immortality, and ultimately ascend to the unsurpassed state. Some say they can shatter the void and instantly become a saint.

Although no Buddha Position has been certified until today, the power of the Arahants and Bodhisattvas makes people hold unparalleled enthusiasm and expectation for this legendary state.

This is the marvel of the Visualization Technique. Not only can it cast the soul, the Visualization Technique can also enable ordinary martial artists to ascend to the heavens in a single step.

Finally, there is the Seeking Truth Method, which is the most frequently used Visualization Technique of the three.

The so-called Seeking Truth is neither mirroring the spirits to seek the fierceness of mystical beasts nor wishing for divine powers through enlightenment but using the martial artist’s self as the foundation and martial arts true intention as support to concentrate the Three Souls and Seven Spirits within the five internal organs to coalesce the soul.

The soul is the self, the body is the self’s foundation, the fusion of the two is the martial artist’s strongest form, the True Self!

Although the soul cast out by the Seeking Truth Method has no divine powers and cannot descend into the world, it is the one closest to infinity among the three Visualization Techniques.

The soul cast by the Mimicry Technique has a limit. For instance, the pinnacle of a general mystical beast is the King Realm, and the existing genuine dragon and phoenix mimicry techniques also have a limit.

The limit of the Visualization Technique is the Buddha Position. If there indeed exists a Buddha Son who completes Enlightenment and Practice Completion, it also implies that the Zen Sect has seen the end of this Visualization Technique. But who knows the limit of the True Self soul, which is cast based on the martial artist’s self?

Although the soul cast using the Seeking Truth Method has no particular qualities compared to the souls cast using the Mimicry Technique or the Visualization Technique, it is the martial artist’s true self. Although it does not add anything to the martial artist, it does not impose any restrictions either. The so-called Seeking Truth Method means to see oneself!

The soul cast by this method varies greatly in strength. Some martial artists, who are regarded as geniuses since childhood, wholeheartedly believe that the soul cast by the Seeking Truth Method can be compared to that of a Bodhisattva. To their surprise, they are defeated in one blow.

Some wandering martial artists who have suffered numerous hardships finally cast a soul using the Seeking Truth Method in their sixties or seventies that is surprisingly powerful. They can achieve an increase of more than three times in their spirit art. Even the simplest Mortal Rank Spirit Art used by them can transform decay into a miracle, inflicting astonishing damage.

Such inexplicable events have occurred frequently, leading people to believe that the Seeking Truth Method is a soul-casting technique based purely on luck. That’s why many aristocratic families choose to abandon it and instead cultivate the Mimicry Technique or the Visualization Technique.