CHAPTER 2045  CLARITY

"That is how it is with all choices. You never know what choice you will make until you are confronted with the choice. The stronger you become, the more you are able to choose that you were unable to before, and the more you learn about yourself with the choices you do end up making," his grandmother continued in a sagely tone. "Choices are an expression of one's self in that regard. They come from heart, mind, and soul. Words, on the other hand, are shallow and fickle. They mean nothing. They do not reflect who you truly. Actions speak louder than words. Power gives you the ability to act and thus, to know."

It is true that Rui understood himself less until he was forced to make hard choices such as his choice between his family and freedom when Chairman Deacon discovered his identity. Or, more recently, when he was confronted with difficult choices after his princehood came to light. His choice to instead pursue the Divine Doctor gave him deeper insights into what kind of person he was that he would have otherwise not known.

"However, I have power."

Matriarch Nephi raised an eyebrow. "Martial power, but also, political power," Rui replied calmly. "I can exert influence on all of East Panama with the political power that I have at the moment, does that not allow me to understand myself better due to a wider array of choices I can make?"

"All Martial Artists have some political power," she remarked. "In your case, however, your political power exceeds your Martial power. Unfortunately, it does not help nearly as much as Martial power does. You're far better off cultivating Martial power than political. There are reasons that political power does not turn politicians into enlightened sages."

Rui narrowed his eyes. "…Is it because political power is not their own?"

"Correct." She nodded approvingly. "It can be taken away. It exists outside of you. Its exertion is constrained and influenced by many factors in addition to your own. Leaders often do not truly make their choices, but the choices that their many stakeholders and citizens may want. Their choices are constrained by the desire to not lose their ability to choose. They are constrained by checks and balances that impact their choices. They learn less than if the sole driving factor behind their own political actions was their own soul rather than countless external factors that directly muddy the water." This is from .

Rui understood what she was saying. "…Martial power, on the other hand, is pure. It does not require the approval of a system of checks and balances to exert itself. Our ability to exercise power is absolutely unconstrained, and our choices to exert it are a direct reflection of who we truly are. Not even the most absolute of emperors have such unconstrained and absolute power that can never be stolen from them."

"If you have understood that, then you should understand that you are better off cultivating your own power. Our Martial Art and Path are reflections of ourselves that aid in giving us a deeper understanding of ourselves," she regarded him appreciatively. "The stronger you grow, the more choices you will need to make, the more you understand yourself. The pursuit of the Soulforger rank boils down to a pure pursuit of power."

"…Normally, each Realm pursues power a little differently than the previous Realm," Rui muttered. "Apprentices pursue general individuality. Squires pursue individuality to draw out physical power. Seniors pursue individuality to draw out mental power. What do Masters work to draw out?"

She shrugged. "Whatever they want to. There is always some untapped potential, however little it may be. However difficult it may be to manifest. By the Master Realm, a Martial Artist has already come into touch with their affinities, be it body, mind, or anything in between. They need only to cultivate it further."

"…In my case, that would be my Martial Mind," Rui remarked. "I guess I will have to improve it.

"I wouldn't recommend it," she remarked. "Your Martial Mind is extremely powerful, but I sense you have already created an extremely sophisticated and complex Martial Mind from the very beginning. Improving it after it is going to be highly difficult because it is already extraordinarily powerful. Creating an even more powerful system of thought than your existing ones will be even more difficult."

"True," Rui admitted.

The VOID algorithm, the Angel of Laplace, the SOUL System, and the Tree of Life were all extraordinary systems of thought. Improving them at this point would take an extraordinary amount of effort. As for replacing them with an even more powerful system of thought?

"Hah," Rui scoffed at the very thought of it. "I suppose your point is that I ought to focus on my Martial Art and Body?"

She nodded. "Your Martial Body is underutilized compared to your Martial Mind. Additionally, now that you have gained the Martial Mind, it would be better for you to acclimatize your Martial Art techniques to your Martial Mind. That is the most common path that Martial Masters take when they break through to the Master Realm. To make their techniques more thoughtful to be highly synergetic with their systems of thought."

"I've already done that with some techniques," Rui replied. "I suppose I'll have to dedicate myself to it more now that my Martial Mind has awakened."

While some techniques like Flux Earther and Phantom Step were more synergetic with his systems of thought, the same could not necessarily be said for the rest of his Martial Art.

In addition, he was very keen to solve the fact that none of his offensive techniques were synergetic with his Martial Mind. It reduced his finishing power even after he adaptively evolved to his opponents.

He would need to figure out some way to directly empower his offense with thought.

"I have many things to consider, but…" Rui smiled at his grandmother with gratitude. "Thank you for giving me clarity on my path in the Master Realm."

"Hmph," she snorted. "This much is basic. However, I wasn't done. Thought-synergetic techniques and Body may be the best way to develop your Martial Art, but they are not the best way for you to grow stronger."

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