Master Zeamer's smile curved with amusement. "Haha, you seem rather confused."
"I am," Rui insisted. "How is such a thing possible? Martial Paths are not something that can be changed willy-nilly."
"Your understanding of what is or isn't possible is incomplete," Master Zeamer remarked, amused. "It is not your fault, either, these are high-level concepts that one comes in touch with only in the Upper Realms ordinarily. The factors and variables that are responsible for the Martial Path are more complex than we can comprehend. However, Martial Paths are usually profoundly connected to the experiences, memories, or emotions that most define a person and their life. Those same experiences, memories, and emotions that define a person are also almost always the foundation of one's Martial drive."
"So you're saying that a person's Martial drive and their Martial Path are connected because they are both impacted by the same experiences, memories, and emotions defining a person's being?" Rui asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, or at least, generally yes. There are exceptions to all rules when it comes to us humans." The man remarked. "However, they are not among the only variables that determine the nature of the Martial Path. A person's affinity for the various Realms is also a large factor in impacting the Martial Path. In this case, the change in that variable is what has allowed for this rapid change in his Martial Path."
Rui narrowed his eyes, turning back to Ieyasu, deep in thought. "In our fight, he said that the Martial mind, or at least initial prototype attempt at it, was what allowed his Martial Path to evolve. The Martial Mind is the Realm of thought, which means..."
Rui's eyes widened.
"It seems you've arrived at the answer. Sharp as always," Master Zeamer chuckled, turning back to the unconscious Ieyasu with a soft expression. "A person's affinity for the various Realms impacts their Martial Path. Some people have weak bodies and thus may develop a Martial Path devoid of an affinity for the Squire and Senior Realms. Some people might have grown up with a rash and erratic mindset and temperament, causing them to lose an affinity for the Master realm. These things impact the Martial Path... They impact the Martial Path deeper than you can imagine."
He turned towards Rui. "For example, the lack of an affinity for the Master Realm can cause a Martial Path that should have been assimilative evolution to degrade into imitative evolution."
Rui nodded with a knowing expression. "Figured as much. It's unbelievable, but Ieyasu's imitative evolution was antithetical to thought in a way. Because he embodied the cognition and the decision-making that he read in other people's minds, he himself did not develop a habit of cultivating thought. He simply reflected other people's minds rather than cultivating his own. I'm guessing this is the reason that Ieyasu failed to develop an affinity for the Master Realm due to this.
"Indeed," Master Zeamer remarked. "I foresaw this day would arrive, ever since he developed his Mind Eye technique, at least. He would be forced to cultivate the power of thought when he arrived at the Senior Realm if he wanted to reach the Master Realm. What do you think Ieyasu has been doing for the past four years?"
Master Zeamer turned towards Rui. "Thinking."
"...Thinking?"
"Yes, amusing, is it not?" Master Zeamer chortled. "But he has been cultivating the power of thought for the past four years. Day in and day out. He has been thinking about how he can employ the power of thought."
"That's a lot of thinking," Rui muttered.
"Indeed, but it was necessary. That is how starved for it he was. About two years ago, a little before you arrived at Cloudia, he arrived at the answer," Master Zeamer informed him. "Using the power of thought, he would apply copied Martial Art more powerfully than he ever had, squeezing the absolute best of what he copied. With a new direction, he spent two years trying his damndest to come up with a framework and system of thought to process data based on a handful of variables and receive an output that would help him fight with his copied Martial Art better."
He turned to Rui with a knowing expression. "Frankly, I was shocked that he came up with something such a sophisticated idea on his first attempt. How did someone go from no thought to such complex thought combat-wise? However, after I met you, I understood where he got it from."
Rui glanced at Master Zeamer with a wary expression. "Just how much are you able to see with that mind of yours?"
"Hahaha!" Master Zeamer guffawed heartily. "I'm just an old man with a good eye for the interesting."
He turned back to Ieyasu with an endearing smile. "His Martial Path emerges from a desire to grow stronger, as well as some unique life circumstances. The moment he cultivated some affinity for the Master Realm by acclimatizing himself to thought and realizing the power of thought, it opened a new dimension for his Martial Path that he had previously rejected. Allowing his Martial Path to reach its full potential. Though that too is a bit of an oversimplification."
"Seems complicated," Rui sighed.
"The Martial Path is," Master Zeamer agreed. "There are many theories and frameworks that try to build primitive models for the development of the Martial Path throughout one's life, however, it is an esoteric field that is the hardest to make progress in."
Rui was curious if his insights into neurology could help, but unfortunately, he was far from an expert in the field, he simply had some tangential knowledge that he had gained in his education and years of research in a distant field. Regardless, it was only a curiosity and not a main interest of his. He didn't care to take away time from his Martial Art to dedicate to research.
"By the way, are you going to get him treated or what?" Rui turned towards him.
