If he were the one who created the force intent, he wouldn't have to go through so much stress and pain to use the force intent to break his limits. The transition would be painless and seamless.
He would simply receive one fortunate epiphany on a random day and he would break his limits. Of course, that would take much longer. It could take decades without success.
Using the force diagram is faster. But it comes at the cost of some resistance.
His body and mind are trying to copy the intent in the force diagram, but it is not an easy thing to achieve. He needs to rile up the mana in his body with the intent and let it amplify his emotions. This will in turn help him break his limit.
When he fails to do this, the mana that has been riled up in his body will injure him. Not only will it injure him, but it will also drain him mentally and physically.
His attempt is why he feels so tired. Even if he had succeeded, he would still be tired after the attempt. The failure of his attempt is why he is bruised. It is something he could have avoided if he had succeeded.
He will continue to be bruised and injured until he masters the intent. So it will depend on his comprehension talent. The faster he comprehends the force intent, the earlier he can escape from the torture.
He sighed and left his bed. He went to eat, have his bath, and take some medicine.
He wants to attempt comprehending the force diagram again, but it is not something he can do all the time. He needs to replenish his physical and mental resources before he can attempt it again.
It will be better if he heals himself. That will prevent his injuries from becoming worse when he fails his next attempt.
But even if he doesn't heal his injuries before making another attempt, he must have enough mental energy and stamina before he attempts it, or it will just be a waste of time.
He needs mental energy to visualize the force intent, and he needs stamina to rile up the mana in his body in the attempt to break his safety limits. If he does have those two things, then he will gain nothing no matter how much he looks at the force diagram.
That's why he wanted to eat and relax for a while, trying to comprehend it again.
After trying and failing to comprehend the force intent that evening, he went to sleep early. Then he woke up early the following day for another attempt.
After his third attempt, he washed up and went to distribute bread. He was very tired during the whole process. Fortunately, he didn't need to do much. His helpers helped him handle most of the stressful work.
After distributing bread, he had to go to his dojo. That took 2 hours of his time.
Then he had to go out to hunt. He spent this time sleeping while his students hunted for him. This ensured that he replenished his mental and physical state for another attempt.
He made two more attempts that day. This made three attempts each day.
The attempts looked easy. He was just looking at a diagram. But they were far from easy. They had drastic impacts on his body and mind.
He was always bruised and sore. The soreness was deep in his muscles while the bruises were everywhere on his skin.
He was also always distracted and sleepy. All of these things made it obvious to others that he wasn't doing well.
Those who were ignorant, like his students, thought that he was sick. They advised him to forgo teaching in his dojo and distributing bread for a while. But he refused to listen to them.
As for those who knew why someone at the ninth transformation, who should be highly resistant to sickness and fatigue, looks sick and battered every day, they were impressed with his dedication.
Even his mother became concerned for him. She was so concerned that she came over to warn him. She told him not to overdo it.
Apparently, normal people only try to comprehend a force intent once a day. They only make one attempt per day, and some even skip some days. He, on the other hand, is making three attempts per day.
It is true that the experience is unpleasant. It feels like torture.
Each time he looks at the diagram, all he can see is fire, and all he can feel is pain. It is far from being a pleasant experience. It is so bad that it is qualified to be used as a means to torture someone. But he just can't stop.
It is not that something is forcing him or compelling him to keep torturing himself. It is that he doesn't want to stop.
He had said to his mother, "What am I supposed to do when it is right there and all I need to do to train is take a look at it? Should I just ignore it?"
She said, "Yes. Ignore it."
He didn't ignore it. He just couldn't ignore it when he could see the progress of his comprehension of the force diagram on his system.
MOUNTAIN SITTING DAO
State of Existence: First Mortal Coil (Sixth Transformation)
Life Span: 14/111
DIVINE ABILITIES
1. Mountain Karma: Level 3 (96,271,628/1,000,000,000)
2. ????: ------
ATTRIBUTES
Power: 9 × 3 (Mountain Karma)
Mind: 1. Mental Energy: 12 >>> 14
Body: 8 >>> 9 Life Energy: 24 >>> 27
TECHNIQUES
A: RANK 1
1. Fire-Breathing Mana Technique: 92% >>> 95% Mastery.
2. Fire-Movements Exercise Technique: 91% >>> 95% Mastery.
3. Fire-Fighting Mana Technique: 90% >>> 95% Mastery.
4. Savage Sword Weapon Technique: 91% >>> 99% Mastery.
5. Dominating Fire Force Intent: 11% Mastery.
His three basic techniques have reached the limit of 95%. He didn't train them at all. This was just a side benefit of using the force diagram.
The dominating force intent is also making progress. Each attempt gives him a progress of 0.1%.