Paragon of Sin

Wei Wuyin had been a single step away from forming Elemental Heart Intent. The step was so infinitesimally close that it could be met with the slightest movement, the smallest desire, or the most briefest of thoughts. While that was using eight Apex-level Intents and a single High-level Intent, the foundation for it was already set.

All he needed was the single will to take that leap! That leap that will transform his Elemental Origin Intent forever, bringing it to the utmost limits of Intent!

While Lin Ming was coated in divine light by the merged token, Wei Wuyin's body exuded a formless wave of power. The ambient energies of the world started to change, be it light, spatial, even gravitational forces, had experienced this change.

What was Intent?

Some would say it was a formless power to impose control over ambient energies of a similar type or an ingredient to mix with Metaphysical Qi or Astral Force, converting these forces into specific powers with attributes matching this formless power.

But it wasn't that; it was a type of Will. A form of spiritual manifestation that can connect with spiritual energies, merge with this specific type of energy to establish something metaphysical and ever-changing!

A cultivator first comes in contact with Intent at the Qi Condensation Realm, at the Third Stage termed the Elemental Birth Phase. They must 'birth' the elemental properties within their Spirits of Cultivation, allowing them to convert their spiritual energies with this specific 'Will'. These spiritual energies, that were originally formed with Physical, Mental, and Essence energies, were once more intermixed with these three energies.

This was how Attributed Qi was born.

This is done four times minimum with the four base elements, familiarizing the cultivator with the process of birthing these Wills. This can be taken further, pushing one to birthing the five advanced elements as well, their specific 'Wills' that contained their properties.

When a cultivator comprehends an advanced level Intent, they comprehend that specific type of will that contains its unique properties. Violet Lightning Intent carried the volatility and extreme heat that eclipses all other lightning. As for what decides it as a low-level, mid-level, high-level, or apex-level intent, it was the complexity of the will itself and its difficulty.

By using this special type of will, a cultivator can control the ambient energies who lack their own direction, simply existing mindlessly in accordance with natural laws. They happily seek out that spiritual leadership!

However, that was just the basic usage of Intent. When brought to their limits, to the Heart Intent, a cultivator doesn't just grasp their own Will but can infuse this Will into these uncontrolled energies, converting it to their side. A lake of water can be infused with this will, changing its properties and becoming fire!

When Wei Wuyin unleashed his Saber Heart Intent, all things essence and ambient energies were brought to him, willingly absorbing his Intent, his Will, to become saber energies under his explicit control. They unhesitatingly became one with his will, with his heart!

Wei Wuyin felt the Intents superimpose at first, feeling them integrate and merge under Ori's direction. It was so impossibly swift that he had forgotten that it was injured! The four Apex-level Intents, the four base elements, were first!

Grand Earth, Grandgale Wind, Transformative Water, & Absolute Hot Fire!

They were combined in the blink of an eye. There was no discord, no refusal or clashes of their powerful wills. Under the actions of a Divine Elemental Astral Soul, they had no hesitation with following its desires. It was them, after all.

If a cultivator attempted to comprehend them, they would have to figure at the crucial combination points that could enable their fusion. This could take years, or even decades. And then that was just for one. They would have to then merge these combined two with another, finding another combination point. This must be done until all nine were one.

If it wasn't for Ori, if it wasn't for its Divine quality that amplified all aspects of its spirituality, if it wasn't for the Zenith Origin State, this would be an arduous task that would be as difficult as a mortal climbing the tallest mountain of the wall while naked and without tools, finding their own way through climbing.

There was a reason Origin Essence was used to merge these elements into Elemental Origin Energy, to merge their conflicting and clashing wills! Fortunately, Wei Wuyin never met with such difficulties since his Divine Elemental Soul had been born!

The next was the five Apex-level Intents!

Omni-Alloy Metal, Dark Lightning, Nine Meadow Wood, Scorching Ash Magma, & Absolute Zero Ice!

They were far more complex, more extreme than their basic counterparts, but they merged with an equivalent amount of gentleness and swiftness. With four and five turned into one and one, the last act was required!

The two wills containing all of the properties of these nine Apex-level Intents merged, becoming a single entity that settled itself within Wei Wuyin's Sea of Consciousness, within his Divine Elemental Soul's Spirit! They interconnected and formed a perfect union!

BOOOSH!!!

An explosion of power erupted from Wei Wuyin's body, pushing Tang Xingyun far away, causing the divine light surrounding the nearby Lin Ming to ripple. The ambient energies of the world started to gather, started to change!

"NO WAY!"

"IMPOSSIBLE?!"

"IS THIS ELEMENTAL HEART INTENT?!"

Words like these escaped the lips of eight figures that existed in the Four Extreme Continent, watching over specific youngsters of outstanding talent. While these youngsters stared at the expanding sun with trepidation or curiosity, these Ascended senses were honed onto Wei Wuyin from vast distances!

They felt the birth of an extreme type of will, an Intent that touched upon the absolute limits of Intent. They noticed the energies in the world transform, not into water energies, fire energies, but a type of white energy that didn't physically exist in this world outside of the birth of a stellar region—Elemental Origin Energy!

This type of energy shouldn't be able to exist in the world! Yet every strand of energy was becoming it, exerting its properties!

The Ascended were swift, leaving their charges instantly. They all converged directly above Wei Wuyin and Lin Ming, but due to their extremely close proximity, it was unable to tell which was causing this change. Was it Wei Wuyin or Lin Ming?

Even with their senses, they couldn't tell!

The old man kept his brown bag, swallowing a wad of whatever he was eating whole. With a swirl of his hand, he brought the elemental origin energy to him, feeling his heart tremble with every passing breath. "It's actually elemental origin energy!"

The sharp-eyed skinny old man that saved He Yanglei performed the same action. "It's not artificial or metaphysical, but elemental energy infused with the will of Elemental Origin. The same energy that only exists during the formation of a stellar region."

"This is unprecedented!" Another Ascended amongst them exclaimed. It belonged to a veiled woman with a slender physique, a relatively flat-chest, but also tall stature. She used her white-as-ash fingers to softly caress the ambient elemental origin energies.

Venerable Spiritwalker was amongst them as well. She was also confused, unable to tell if it belonged to Lin Ming and Wei Wuyin.

"Who does it belong to?" Another Ascended, with a husky and heavy tone asked. His body was disguised by a dark-colored mist, but his tall and bulky silhouette couldn't be anymore distinct. If Wei Wuyin saw him, he would be reminded of Wei Si, his pack of muscles of an adopted cousin.

"It can't be that injured child. His mental state is too damaged. It must be the other one." Venerable Spiritwalker said, causing the others to agree. Wei Wuyin's current state was far, far too damaged to have an epiphany of this level. And they were mostly right, because Ori handled everything and the foundation had been laid long ago.

After all, they had obtained the exact blueprints of Elemental Heart Intent during the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation.

But the old man and the skinny old man glanced at each other, seeing the doubt reflected in each other's eyes. To them, it had to be Wei Wuyin.

As they deliberated with keen interest, the two subjects of their conversion were trembling alongside each other for different reasons.

Wang Yutian noted the arrival of all eight Ascended, causing him to inspect the situation a little closer. Unlike the Ascended, he was encapsulating Lin Ming with the power of the trial's formations, so he was fully aware that Lin Ming was not the cause.

Those spiritually formed eyes of his brightened like suns. He had just been forced to familiarize himself with other loopholes alongside the Worldly Domain one, and one of those loopholes was: As long as one comprehended Elemental Heart Intent, they would be granted the Chosen title!

If it wasn't for that deliberate delay of his, this fortuitous chance might not have happened! He was filled with beaming excitement at this unexpected yet much needed development, feeling content that Wei Wuyin's chance will not be robbed from him by those old foxes and his own weakness.

The old ghost laughed with boundless heart, "It seems the heavens are helping me!" With a wave of his hand, he opened his mouth and released another booming announcement.

"THE CHOSENS HAS EMERGED!"

Wei Wuyin was forcefully snapped out of his thrilling experience of Elemental Heart Intent. His expression became slightly unsightly as he glanced at Lin Ming, "Shit."

But despite his unwillingness, the divine beam of light shot down explosively from the Solar Star. When the beam dissipated, the two had vanished!