Spiritual energy was something beyond this reality. It was here yet not here. Present in everything yet outside of it as well. It shaped the reality without being a component of it. The elements were only added to the spiritual energy by cultivators but the main vector of their abilities remain the spiritual energy. As such, Jin was wondering whether it was the spiritual energy or the element that was added that got altered through the three states.

If it was indeed the element, he would be unable to do anything but what if it was the spiritual energy instead? Then, he would be able to comprehend the three states. He asked Hae-Hyuk about it: "Master, is it the element or the energy that changes state?"

Hae-Hyuk couldn't hide his smile as he gave his answer: "Both. Jin, when a cultivator begins to feel and use the element, he won't just add them but fuse them with the energy to create something new. It will have the properties of both the spiritual energy and the element"

Jin added: "Then, doesn't it mean that the spiritual energy does alternate between the three states?"

Hae-Hyuk tried to find a way to explain it with easy-to-understand words and answered him only after a few moments: "It does in a peculiar way. Spiritual energy doesn't belong to the three states at first. It is an energy, something outside of our reality too. However, we can interact with this energy through the soul plan. From there, we can bend it to our will. And, as spiritual energy exists in everything, it shapes all. This is the reason why we can then fuse it with the elements. Because the elements are made from it"

"Now, you are asking about the energy itself. When not in a state of fusion with any element, it exists outside the reality. It isn't in any of the three states and as such, shouldn't be associated with them"

Jin was slightly disappointed. Hae-Hyuk was explaining that only through the energy being fused with an element could it exist tangibly in the reality. How could energy be altered through the three states if it doesn't exist in reality? It was impossible... As he was already thinking so, Hae-Hyuk said one more thing: "But then again, how could we explain that we are able to injure others and interact with our surroundings with spiritual energy?"

As he said so, he created a small bolt of spiritual energy and sent it to a small rock in the garden, exploding it. He turned to Jin and asked him: "To hit the rock effectively, the energy had to have been real, right? So, what kind of state was it in?"

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He wasn't asking Jin for an answer though as he continued on: "It entered the reality through our will in a solidified state. That is the answer cultivators reached after eons of study. But it doesn't mean that you can grasp this meaning"

Jin saw the light and didn't understand why Hae-Hyuk changed tune so many times so swiftly. Frowning, he asked him: "Is it possible or not?"

Hae-Hyuk laughed lightly at the impatience of this youth he picked as a disciple and told him: "It is theoretically possible for you to comprehend the three states at your realm and some geniuses have done so. So few they can be named and are revered in many books. But there are many reasons why it is deemed impossible"

"First, it means to try to understand something instinctive and shutting off said-instinct to earn control of it. It is very much the same as stopping your unconscious breathing. This step is already beyond difficult. At the moment, the energy enters reality and solidify due to your instinctive will. Even if you manage to control it consciously, it means the instinct will disappear. More control means more requirements as well. And that would only be the first step as the two other states wouldn't yet be understood. You would need to find a technique of your realm making use of instinctive use of gaseous or liquid spiritual energy. That wouldn't be too hard but all this would take a long time. And a lot of talent"

"Secondly, you need to take the practicality of it into account. You would learn it instinctively after reaching the 20th stage. Why would you want to invest so much time and efforts into something that will be granted to you later on? Out of the few geniuses who managed to understand the three states early on, most of them were stuck at a certain low realm of cultivation with no hope to grow further. They only went for the technique because they couldn't move on"

Jin thought about it. Indeed, if you thought long term, it was stupid to invest time and efforts in this technique. But what kind of situation was he in? He had likely only a few years to prepare himself for some unknown dangers without being able to move on himself. Wasn't he in a situation similar to those dying geniuses? His cultivation path forward was cut off intentionally. That was the sole difference, the intention. They had no choice but he choose this.

He looked at the smiling Hae-Hyuk and understood something which brought him to smile too. This Master of his was seriously too cunning... He got up, bowed, thanked his Master and left for his room. He would try to comprehend the three states. At his realm, it was something that would bring him miles ahead of others. It was worth giving it a try.

As for Hae-Hyuk, as he saw his disciple leave, he chuckled. As he was asked the first question, he had already planned the direction he wanted this disciple to move towards. It was true that to a random cultivator, learning the three states in advance was useless, maybe even stupid. But to him, if his disciple could learn it, it would be perfect. He needed them to be the strongest under the 10th stage. If one of his disciples could break a second taboo, why would he be unhappy?

On the other hand, he was more than glad to led him towards such success.