In her secluded training room, Dominique focused intently on the delicate task at hand. She was attempting to separate her Blood Qi into its two fundamental components—neutral Qi and blood. She didn't understand it before, but after seeing how the two conjoined to create something that was hers, and hers alone, she started to understand.
No, rather, Dominique sought further understanding.
As she sat in meditation, the air around her seemed to vibrate with the power of her concentration. Countless tiny droplets of Blood Qi levitated around her, filling the room with as much as she could handle.
'...If only I could use Soul Sense.' She thought while trying to envision the process of ripping her affinity apart. Things would be so much easier if she could 'see' what was going on, but she was forced to go blind.
Fortunately, she didn't need to 'look' at anything. Her affinity was literally blood. There were very faint but noticeable differences between blood and Blood Qi, especially her own. They each had their own aura, and all she had to do was navigate through the complex web that was her Qi.
With each passing moment, Dominique's understanding deepened. She could feel the minute differences in her Blood Qi, and slowly, she began to unravel the tightly woven threads of Qi and blood.
Mira occasionally glanced toward Dominique's room as she was finishing the suit of armor. She could sense the young fox's progress, feeling a mix of pride and anticipation.
'I wonder what'll happen…' She thought, keeping most of her Soul Sense focused on Dominique. 'She doesn't have a World Core, neither is her Soul as innately strong as mine. Really, the Harmonic Trinity Technique is only supposed to be used when all aspects of oneself are rather close in power. Her body and Qi are similar, but I have no idea about her soul. However, she still is rather weak, comparatively, while also still within the Foundation Realm. If there's any time this technique would work, other than the later Realms, it's now.'
It was also for this reason that Mira wanted Dominique to integrate the technique now instead of a little later.
After doing some reading about the Foundation Realm, she's come to understand that most people didn't put enough emphasis on the 'foundation' part. It was from this point in the cultivation system that a cultivator quite literally forged the base of their power.
The Body Tempering and Qi Condensations Realms were nothing but preparatory stages. In terms of power level values, the easiest way to describe it was that the first two Realms had a value of 0. They served almost no purpose to one's future strength.
They were useful and could improve one's achievements in the Foundation Realm, but the scaling for all future Realms didn't begin from there. It all started in the Foundation Realm.
As soon as one breaks through from the Qi Condensation Realm, their power level value is already more than 0. It's then up to the practitioner to improve that value as much as possible, as that final number in the Foundation Realm will be what scales.
No matter how much power one has or what Realm they're in, much of it is determined by that final value at the Peak of the Foundation Realm. There are outliers and treasures that can break this rule, but that still doesn't change the fact that if one's talent and power improve without one's realm increasing, it almost always means their foundation has deepened.
However, according to conventional cultivation teachings, the Foundation Realm was strictly about absorbing and compressing as much Qi into one's body as possible. While the body did grow stronger from this, the process mostly revolved around improving the quality of Qi.
Then, what if someone could open up their soul and effectively create another 'container' to hold Qi? To improve their soul?
What if one could link all aspects of themselves(Soul, Body, and Qi) into the same cultivation system during this Realm?
Wouldn't doing so be able to bring out the maximum amount of potential someone was capable of?
Instead of starting out with merely a fraction of one's potential power level value, Dominique would start with the maximum amount. Her scaling in the future would trump others by double, triple, quadruple, maybe even dozens of times until she was no longer in the same league as the people around her! No, even people like Aelina would only be capable of looking up at her Disciple!
If she could push Dominique to the very edge right now, she could turn her into someone that even gods would have to fear!
'Fufufu~ You wanted to be strong, right? You wanted to help me, right? Then, let's see exactly how strong your resolve is!' Mira chuckled maniacally inside her mind while keeping an outwardly straight face.
"Dominique," Mira called out, her voice echoing through the forge, "focus on the essence of your Blood Qi. Feel the separation and trace it back to its origin."
Dominique nodded slightly and continued her meticulous work. She increased the quantity of her Blood Qi, letting it swirl around her, covering her in a red cocoon-like substance. She alternated between combining and separating the Qi and blood, each cycle bringing her closer to a profound realization.
Weeks passed in this intense state of meditation. Dominique's understanding of her Blood Qi reached new heights, and she started to feel a subtle throb in her subconscious—a gentle tug pulling her towards something deep within.
'That's it.' No excitement in her thoughts, merely a statement. Without anyone having to tell her, this was what she was looking for.
So, she delved deeper into her trance, following the path of her Blood Qi.
Then suddenly, she felt a dull ache in her head. Her lips curled down in displeasure, but she remained focused.
But the pain didn't subside. It grew from an ache to a throb, then to a sharp, cutting pain. Until it became a searing agony, but Dominique simply bit her lip and pushed forward, driven by a determination that bordered on obsession.
Her mind followed that thin, illusory thread back to its origin, all while it felt like someone was ripping her brain in half.
Fortunately, she didn't have to 'travel' far.
Suddenly, she came up against a barrier—a large, imposing white and black wall with specks of flowing crimson that acted like veins. It was at this moment that Mira's voice entered her mind, clear and commanding.
"Did you find your soul? Good. Now, the next part will be painful but necessary. You need to use your blood and Blood Qi to drill a hole into your soul. Not together. Keep them separate. You've worked hard these few weeks, so that shouldn't be difficult for you."
Dominique's heart raced, and for a moment, she hesitated. The idea of drilling into her soul was terrifying; she knew the risks involved. 'Isn't this basically asking to kill myself?!' Even if she trusted her Mother, this was a bit much, no?
But Mira's reassuring words echoed in her mind, "I have an item that can help heal your soul. Just create a tiny hole. It won't be that bad."
'Fuck! No! Even she's saying it'll be bad! How am I supposed to handle it then?' Dominique inwardly cursed like a sailor. Her Mother was the kind of person who saw torture as nothing more than a massage. Yet, here she was, claiming that the next part'll be painful and "not that bad".
Not that bad for her is already way beyond the limit of strong-
willed people!
'I'm dead!' Her mind nearly collapsed just thinking about it.
Merely getting to her soul was already killing her! How was she supposed to go from there?!
"If you don't want to do it, that's fine." Mira's calm voice entered her mind causing her to tense up. "But, you'll remain a mediocre little fox. Someone who'll never catch up to me, much less assist me on my travels. If that's what you want, stop now."
"..."
Of course, she didn't want that!
Gathering her courage, Dominique ground her teeth and formed a drill from her swirling blood and Blood Qi.
Taking a deep breath, she mentally thrust it forward. The tip pierced the thin membrane of her soul, causing an explosion of pain. Blood burst from her orifices, and she screamed in agony, collapsing onto her back.
"Again!" Mira's voice was relentless, indifferent to Dominique's suffering. "AGAIN!"
Barely conscious, Dominique heard the command and, with a burst of willpower, slammed the drill back into her soul. The barrier cracked further, and a tiny hole appeared, allowing a stream of blood and Qi to seep into her soul.
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and her breathing hitched. No air entered her lungs, and her heart started to slow as blood leaked out of her body like a fountain.
As Dominique lay there, on the brink of death, Mira quickly intervened. She took out a peculiarly shaped herb, glowing with electric energy, and placed it into Dominique's mouth. The herb dissolved, sending jolts of life-saving energy throughout her body.
Within an instant, she was shocked back to life, only to burst out crying and wailing in agony due to the hole in her soul.
However, Mira did not let up and smacked her across the face, sending another jolt of lightning through her body. "This is the critical moment, Dominique! Complete the technique now!"
