Master Sheng drew a person on the blackboard behind him. He drew them with an outstretched hand and a fireball forming.
"So how does a technique work? How do we do anything?"
He took blue chalk and drew a ball in the stomach then lines to the fireball,
"We move the laws to where the technique is done, right? But let me ask your his then, why does that do anything?"
He drew the coloured chalk spewing out of the hand on the drawing,
"Shouldn't this be how that works? Shouldn't the fire just spew out? Why is it forming a ball then?"
He drew a drew ball in red chalk originating from the head. Then he drew lines coming from that orb around the blue lines.
"We use mental energy, to make it do that. But let me ask you this, WHAT are you doing with mental energy? Because let me tell you this, you aren't just controlling it's position."
He picked up the red chalk and drew it all over the drawing,
"Mental energy is always being used to even just think. It's being used to move the laws. Being used to move, do anything you ever do. But why does it do what you want?"
He cleared the blackboard and leant on his podium,
"It does what we want by intention. Intention is given by the consciousness which allows you to think and do anything you ever do. The intention changes how the mental energy works. Whether it be in moving your body in a specific way or moving laws."
He started writing a word in white chalk, underlining it,
"You probably already use intention to some extent. One way by doing anything, even breathing. But in cultivation you use it, can anyone tell me where?"
Hou thought for a while to himself, 'Intention...is this...isn't this just-'
He raised his hand, "In changing your impression of a law, therefore changing the expression?"
Master Sheng nodded, "that's exactly where, in changing the expression of a law. Do you know how that works really, your mental energy is given an intention (in this case let's say that fire is hot) and that is pulled through to the laws that willpower moves"
He redrew the man with the fireball,
"So the intention is put into the laws and it changes them. It changes them because willpower is something that directly moves the Dao. The laws are just a part of the Dao so of course willpower can move them. But they can also change them slightly, focusing that law with that resolve to a specific expression."
Hou looked at the board as he comprehended what Master Sheng was saying, 'Hmmm... this makes sense, yes. So mental energy, willpower, changes the world. This can be seen with absorbing laws, nothing new. But then that's WHY expressions change, the law itself is morphed... but what more is there? How can we 'improve' this?'
Master Sheng, as if reading Hou's mind, answered that very question,
"But you might be thinking why this is all important. Then let me explain, if that's how all your techniques work, through intention, then shouldn't you be able to strengthen your techniques by injecting more?"
Hou's mouth fell a little, 'that's it, I've been thinking intention is just a singular thing. But it's a spectrum, I can add more intention to something to make it stronger...is this why sometimes I feel my techniques work better? Is it just a stronger resolve to make them work?'
Master Sheng continued,
"You might've actually seen this yourself... Have you ever really needed to do something. Maybe just push that final attack. Finish that exam in just a few minutes. Those times when you REALLY need to do something. Those are the times when your intention becomes stronger and helps what your willpower causes, whether that be cultivation or the ordinary."
Hou bit his lip as he thought of those times. Even going back to the very start when he used the symbiotes...even then he could imagine times when it was stronger for no reason.
At the same time Hamar had a breakthrough, thinking to himself, 'This is something perfectly designed for me. Intention is something I'm already familiar with, I just didn't know it was a THING. A swordsman using intention is like a beast using its gaze; as easy as anything.'
Master Sheng slammed the chalk down and then moved away from his podium, "and so, let's try it out. I want you all to inject as much of that resolve to kill, killing intent, as you can into an orb of mental energy. Just let it float in front of you. The amount of willpower doesn't matter, more so the amount of intention."
He held out his hands, "just hold your hands out, release mental energy, your willpower, out of your palms. Form it into an orb then it's up to you. I can't explain how to inject intention, that's something you will have to figure out yourselves."
The class followed. From left to right each person held their hands out. They held them out as if holding an orb, then they released mental energy and created that orb.
Then, they stayed still. Some closed their eyes and some strained their vision. They had to figure out intention themselves. Jin could already inject some in easily but she wouldn't stop there, she refined the amount further. Her orb pulsed black, her intent honed already from being taught from young.
Hou had struggle. He imagined killing. But that didn't work. His orb remained illusionary, only made of mental energy with no intention.
'How am I supposed to release 'intention'? How did I release any intention before? When I want to walk, I walk. I don't think about it... But I can't... I can't just kill!'
While Hou was figuring it out, Hamar was in his moment. After taking his time to release the mental energy in a solid orb, he figured it out instantly.
Or not figured it out...he already knew. He thought of that very moment before slicing his blade towards the neck. That intention to kill. The Intention to take a life. For a second it didn't flow into the orb and was released into the room.
everyone flinched, Lan Qiang twitched and reached for his spear. Tinamo even jumped backwards out of his seat. But that didn't distract Hamar, he funnelled it into the orb and held it up,
"I've...done it."