True devouring meant absolute deprivation. Anything that entered its range could have its energy stripped away, its vitality taken, and its momentum swallowed, and eventually even its very existence might be consumed.
As mastery grew, the line between what could and could not be devoured would slowly disappear. Energy could be devoured, attacks could be devoured, and bloodline power could be devoured as well. Perhaps one day, even Intents and laws could become nourishment.
The black vortex expanded steadily as his Devouring Intent climbed to thirty-three percent, then thirty-five, and then thirty-eight. At last the vortex stabilized, and it reached forty percent source mastery at the Xiantian Stage.
Four of his major Intents had improved, and only one remained, which was his Five Element Intent. The moment he turned his attention to it, the darkness vanished, and five vast regions spread out before him, filled with Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Five completely different forces occupied the world.
His Five Element Intent had previously reached twenty percent source mastery at the Xiantian Stage, which made it the least developed of his major Intents. Still, Li Yun had already grasped one important truth about the Five Elements, and it was that they were not separate.
Metal generated Water, Water nourished Wood, Wood fueled Fire, Fire created Earth, and Earth produced Metal. Generation, suppression, and transformation all turned within a single cycle.
Before, he had understood these relationships only in principle, but with ninth-tier comprehension his understanding deepened rapidly. The Five Elements were not just five independent powers placed side by side, because together they formed one complete system.
Changing one element affected the others, and strengthening one too much could wreck the overall balance. If all five circulated naturally, however, their combined power could far exceed the simple sum of five separate forces.
Li Yun watched Metal turn into Water and Water nourish Wood. Wood gave rise to Fire, Fire reduced everything to Earth, and Earth condensed to produce Metal again, and the cycle went on without end.
Then the relationship reversed, so that Metal suppressed Wood and Wood pierced Earth. Earth held back Water, Water extinguished Fire, and Fire melted Metal. Generation existed alongside suppression, and creation existed alongside destruction, while balance survived through constant transformation.
Gradually, the five distinct regions around him began to merge. The boundaries between them grew fainter and fainter until all five existed within one vast, rotating cycle.
At that moment, Li Yun finally understood that the true power of the Five Element Intent did not come from controlling each element on its own. It came from controlling the relationships between them.
Boom!
Five-colored light burst throughout his consciousness, and his Five Element Intent reached thirty percent source mastery at the Xiantian Stage.
Only then did the state of enlightenment slowly fade, and Li Yun opened his eyes. There was no violent surge of energy around him, but the aura surrounding his body had clearly changed, becoming deeper, sharper, and more complete.
During this single enlightenment, every one of his major Intents had advanced by a full ten percent in source mastery.
His Slaughter Sword Intent now stood at eighty percent source mastery at the Xiantian Stage, while his Immortal Sword Intent had reached seventy percent.
His Destruction Sword Intent had reached fifty percent, his Devouring Intent forty percent, and his Five Element Intent thirty percent.
Li Yun quietly felt the changes within himself. At first glance, a ten percent gain might not sound overwhelming, but these were Xiantian Stage Intents.
At this level, every additional percentage point represented a far deeper grasp of the fundamental principle behind an Intent, and each step forward became tremendously harder than the last. Improving five major Intents by ten percent all at once had saved him an unimaginable amount of cultivation time.
More importantly, every martial technique tied to those Intents had grown stronger as well. His Slaughter Sword Intent had become even more oppressive and lethal, and his Immortal Sword Intent had grown sharper and much harder to extinguish.
His Destruction Sword Intent now carried a far deeper ability to strike at the foundation of things, while his Devouring Intent could consume power much more efficiently. His Five Element Intent had also become more unified, and the flow between the five elements had grown noticeably smoother.
"I’m much stronger than before."
Li Yun slowly clenched his fist, feeling the profound power contained within his Intents.
Half an hour later, another part of the Genius Training Camp was bustling with activity when a young man in blue robes walked out of Heavenly Torrent Falls.
His name was Chu Tianhe, his cultivation had reached the perfection stage of the 3rd level of Spirit Manifestation Realm, and he currently ranked seventy-ninth in the camp.
"Hm?"
Chu Tianhe suddenly stopped as his gaze landed on a white-robed figure walking toward him.
"Li Yun?"
He recognized him at once, since Li Yun had become one of the most talked-about figures in the entire training camp over the past several months.
"Brother Chu."
Before Chu Tianhe could think any further, Li Yun had already reached him, a faint smile on his face.
"I came because I’d like to challenge you to a wager match."
"A wager match?" Chu Tianhe’s expression changed immediately. "Li Yun, I don’t remember offending you recently."
Inside the Genius Training Camp, issuing a wager challenge was often seen as an act of provocation. Chu Tianhe did not believe he would necessarily lose to Li Yun, but he also had no wish to make an enemy for no reason.
"You’ve misunderstood, Brother Chu." Li Yun had expected exactly this reaction. "I’m just looking for a suitable sparring partner. There’s no grudge between us, so we can wager the minimum of one hundred points."
Understanding spread across Chu Tianhe’s face.
"So that’s what this is about."
If Li Yun only wanted a spar, Chu Tianhe had no objection. Li Yun’s talent was already obvious to everyone, and who could say how long it would be before he broke into the top twenty or even the top ten? Keeping on reasonable terms with someone like that was certainly better than becoming enemies.
Besides, beating the recently famous Li Yun would give Chu Tianhe something worth bragging about, and even though the wager was small, the reputation that came with the win would be valuable.

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