AI Cultivation: Reborn as a Sword

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 did not expect this kind of damage. I had assumed that because I was a perfect superconductor that the damage would be negligible, but I should have known better.

Lan Xiaohui cries out in pain as her internal body also gets struck by the lightning, yet despite this, she only holds on to me tighter, as if to protect me.

What challenges my theory is not the fact that my internal body nearly gets vaporized by the lightning, but the brilliant white and gold pillar that forms in our dantians. This Pillar forms in the downward direction, growing from a distant point above, towards the already formed Pillars, meeting in the middle. Yet, I do not sense the Dao of Heaven within them at least, not exclusively.

In fact, I do not sense anything from either of the Pillars, except the crystallized essence of the Dao of Sword, likely from the Sword Qi that became absorbed into the Pillar.

Then, as if a reaction to being struck like this, the Pillar produces a hum and a shock wave expands from our dantians, visible in the air around us. This shock wave does not travel above the speed of sound but crawls forward at some dozens of centimeters per second, and even so, it compresses the air at the shock front, causing visible water vapor to appear. Sword Qi manifests in the trail of the shock wave, appearing as brilliant white swords, a few millimeters in length, and blinking out of existence with a sound that is like snowflakes melting away.

When this shock wave reaches the water below us, it pushes it away with inexorable force, and when it spills over the ground, it cuts and ravages the earth with a myriad of invisible slashes.

I do not understand the Pillar I have created. It is not what I expected, but it does perform a function similar to what I have theorized, but there is no duality or polarity involved, as far as I can tell. It may be present, but it is beyond the understanding of my Dao.

Logic tells me that this pillar must originate from the concepts of Heaven, but when I observe it, I have a feeling that this conclusion is wrong.

If only I could use my [Critical Analysis] ability on it.

I feel an ember of excitement from Lan Xiaohui. Despite her fear and despite putting her complete trust in me, I feel an ember of excitement as she becomes aware of the Pillar forming in her dantian.

Her sword Qi rises into the air, peeling off my vessel like snowflakes falling in reverse, and joins the protective stream overhead. Her sword Qi glimmers brighter than before and contains a trace of exalted purity that was not present before. It is as if her sword Qi also has become more reified and powerful.

Is it because she wants to protect me or because of the Pillar? There is a deep sense of mystery within the powerful Intent in her Sword Qi; Mysterious like Heaven itself.

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.