Chapter 110: The Realm of Mastering Power

"No, you are mistaken. Secret techniques are merely secret techniques; they can only be considered one form of expressing the use of power. Of course, they are a relatively powerful one," Bai shook his head again. "But you must understand that the reason a secret technique is a secret technique is because the cost of using it is higher than the normal application of power. It might be difficult to comprehend, it might consume a massive amount of energy, or it might require time to charge or activate."

"Secret techniques are generally only used as trump cards. In actual combat, what is used most often is still the normal application of power."

"I understand what you mean now. In other words, secret techniques are merely auxiliary, or the key to deciding victory, but in real combat, most of the time, one relies primarily on the application of power itself." Lan Tian nodded in realization, suddenly enlightened.

Had it not been for this explanation from Bai, he would have continued to believe that combat was either about crushing opponents with cultivation level, weapon superiority, or secret techniques. He had not expected that the nature of power itself required a deeper understanding and application.

Hearing this, Bai looked at Lan Tian with a sudden, faint touch of jealousy. "Not necessarily. With the many secret techniques you possess from the nameless cultivation method, if you were to truly master them all, most battles could be resolved with just a few techniques, and the need for the normal application of power would be relatively minor."

"Of course, one cannot rule out encountering truly formidable opponents. When everyone possesses powerful secret techniques and the battle descends into a war of attrition, that is when the quality of one's application of power truly manifests."

"I see, I understand now. Then I still need to gain a certain level of insight into power itself and learn some techniques for its application," Lan Tian said, deeply convinced. "But how exactly should power be applied?"

"Take me for example. I actually have quite a few ideas regarding the use of mental power and cosmic star energy. It is definitely not what you described before—treating power like a steel ingot used simply to bash people."

"For instance, the application of mental power: setting aside mental shocks and mental control—which I have only used once against ordinary people at the Capitol in the United States and have not yet truly practiced—don't I have many ideas for the materialization of mental power? Like forming it into a giant palm to strike, or a sharp sword to pierce? Is that not an application of power?"

Although Lan Tian understood Bai's point, he was still confused about how power should really be applied. It seemed that what Bai called the application of power was completely different from what he had imagined.

"Hmm... indeed, those do count as applications of power." Bai first nodded, affirming Lan Tian's thoughts, but then proceeded to strike him down: "However, to be honest, my analogy of forging a steel ingot into a sharp sword is actually a rather superficial use of power. It can only be considered the first realm of power application."

"Although most cosmic practitioners in the universe apply it in much the same way, the requirements for you are certainly different from theirs."

"Most cosmic practitioners lack a mentor, lack great talent, and lack excellent aptitude for cultivation. Everything is done through their own groping in the dark, like blind men touching an elephant. But you are different. You have the nameless cultivation method, the Azure Blood Divine Body, and supreme talent. Your goal is to reach the highest level of practitioners in the universe, so you cannot afford to have any weaknesses!"

"Alright..." Lan Tian said, feeling a bit dejected. "So, my application of power is only in the first realm."

"You don't need to feel down. It's a small matter. On the path of cultivation, you already possess the rarest gifts: talent and aptitude, and they are at the top level. You've already crossed the great mountains; can such a small clod of earth really stop you?" Bai shook his head with a smile and continued: "The methods of applying power are actually everywhere; you just haven't noticed them."

"Oh? How so?" Lan Tian asked, puzzled.

"Actually, after reading the introduction to the 'Soul-Suppressing Pagoda,' you should have had some thoughts," Bai said with a smile. "Whether it is mental power or cosmic star energy, haven't you ever thought that, regardless of whether you form these powers into a giant palm or a sharp sword, their inherent intensity doesn't actually change?"

"Why does the 'Soul-Suppressing Pagoda' require weaving mental power into a nine-layered pagoda? And why does the strength of attack and defense increase after weaving it into the pagoda? Does this mean that after weaving it into a fixed shape, the mental power undergoes some kind of change?"

"Have you ever considered that before discharging mental power or cosmic star energy, if you were to first transform it or structure it according to a specific path, the effect of the discharge might become different?"

Lan Tian listened, nodding as if he half-understood. A flash of inspiration crossed his mind, but once it passed, he couldn't quite grasp that glimmer of insight. He looked at Bai with a touch of agitation, signaling for it to continue.

"Heh, what do you think would happen if you pitted a diamond against graphite in a head-on collision?" Bai asked with a smile.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Bai had changed the subject so quickly that Lan Tian was baffled.

"Answer my question first," Bai continued, smiling.

"Nonsense. Graphite is soft and brittle, while a diamond is essentially the hardest object on Earth. If the two collide, there is no doubt that the graphite will turn into a pile of trash," Lan Tian said, as if it were obvious.

"See, haven't you already understood?" Bai laughed.

"Understood what? Can you be more specific? You're going to drive me crazy..." Lan Tian was nearly driven to madness by Bai's eccentric behavior.

"Idiot! What elements are diamonds composed of? And what about graphite?" Bai was speechless. Sometimes, this kid was truly as stupid as a pig. He really didn't know how such a foolish boy could have such high talent; it was such a waste!

"Hey, you can't stump me with that. This is just middle school chemistry. Diamond... well, of course, it's composed of carbon elements, and graphite..."

"Damn! It seems it's also composed of carbon elements!" Lan Tian's body suddenly stiffened. A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind again, but this time, he seized it. "I get it! Diamonds and graphite are both made of carbon, but because their internal structures are different, the strength they exhibit is also different!"

"It's like water and ice. They are both water, but the damage caused by splashing a basin of water on someone cannot be compared to the damage caused by smashing a large block of ice onto them!"