After Rachel and Luther joined forces, their infinite domains also began to merge once again. This convergence caused significant chaos across the universes that depended on the structures of the Creation, the Gray Realm, and the Little Gray Realm.
The universes that were intricately linked to the Little Gray Realm—including the world of cultivation, where Wu Jian was born—started merging with the domain of the Creation. This event was triggered because Rachel and Luther, upon uniting, transferred their dominant consciousnesses to Luchel. As a result, their two infinite domains, which were previously separate and independent, began interacting with one another on an unprecedented scale.
Under normal circumstances, infinite domains maintain independence, even if they coexist in proximity. However, this situation was anything but ordinary. Once the controlling consciousnesses of Rachel and Luther began collaborating closely, the interaction between their infinite domains followed suit, leading to this remarkable fusion.
But what exactly is a "controlling consciousness"? This question is far more complex than it might initially appear.
In mortals, the mind and brain are relatively simple constructs. Most thoughts, decisions, and actions stem from their physical brain, with only a marginal influence from the soul. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that a soul's influence on an individual's personality, talents, and cognitive patterns occurs before birth. Once a person is born, the soul typically takes a backseat.
Throughout a mortal's life, memories are stored in both the brain and the soul. However, it is the brain that serves as the primary decision-maker. The soul, in most cases, does not independently dictate decisions. Of course, these are general principles. In certain worlds, the rules governing the interaction between the soul and the physical body can differ significantly. Some worlds may even invert this dynamic, making the soul the dominant force, while the brain becomes subordinate.
In most cases, though, mortals perceive and navigate the world through their physical brains, not their souls. This brings us to another question: How does the physical brain function?
The workings of the brain can vary significantly across different worlds and species. Typically, the brain consists of various components, each responsible for specific functions or "voices." These components are managed by a "Harmonizer," which harmonizes the input from the different parts of the brain to create a unified controlling consciousness.
Occasionally, some mortals exhibit multiple personalities, which usually stems from issues with their brain's Harmonizer. A malfunctioning Harmonizer fails to properly integrate the diverse voices from the brain's components, resulting in fragmented consciousness. Interestingly, it can be said that most mortals inherently possess multiple personalities, but in healthy individuals, these personalities are seamlessly merged into a single, cohesive consciousness by the Harmonizer.
It's worth noting that no single part of the brain can be identified as the "controlling consciousness." The Harmonizer merely harmonizes the input from other parts of the brain; it has no independent function or decision-making ability without those inputs. For example, in dangerous situations, the Harmonizer might prioritize signals from brain components advocating for immediate flight. In contrast, during periods of hunger, it may prioritize the parts advocating for food consumption, even if other areas emphasize health and caution against unhealthy choices.
Interestingly, mortals can train their brain's Harmonizer. By practicing self-control and discipline, individuals can choose which parts of their brain to prioritize. For instance, while it is difficult to resist the temptation of eating unhealthy food, a well-trained Harmonizer can assign greater weight to long-term health over short-term satisfaction. Over time, this training can fundamentally alter the decisions a person makes, enabling them to overcome primal urges in favor of reasoned judgment.
However, altering the brain's component parts is far more challenging than modifying the brain's Harmonizer. While it is possible to train the Harmonizer to assign less weight to certain impulses—such as the temptation to eat unhealthy food—it is almost impossible to entirely eliminate those impulses from the brain. As a result, while mortals can influence their decision-making processes by training their Harmonizer, there are inherent limits.
Mortals are constrained by their biological "hardware." If a person is born without talent in a specific area, there is very little they can do to change that. Of course, there exist advanced civilizations capable of enhancing or evolving a brain's structure, potentially granting individuals new talents or capabilities. However, this process raises fundamental philosophical questions: if the brain is significantly altered, does the person remain the same individual? In many cases, evolving a brain is tantamount to creating an entirely different person. It's also debatable whether such individuals, whose very nature has been altered, can still be classified as simple mortals.
This framework applies to mortal brains. Cultivators and immortals, on the other hand, operate under entirely different principles.
Low-Rank Cultivators (Ranks 1 to 3)
Low-level cultivators possess the ability to influence their brain's Harmonizer directly. This means they can suppress or enhance certain urges and impulses, such as the desire for unhealthy food, greed, or even emotions like love. However, due to the significant risks involved, most cultivators in this range avoid tampering with their brains. Recklessly altering one's brain functions, even at Rank 3, can lead to catastrophic side effects, including mental instability or even death.
Modifying the brain's component parts—such as changing inherent talents or cognitive abilities—is possible but far riskier. The complex nature of the brain means that even minor missteps in tampering with its components can result in severe and unpredictable consequences.
Mid-Rank Cultivators (Ranks 4 to 6)
Cultivators of mid-grade ranks exhibit far greater control over their minds. At this level, they can effortlessly adjust their brain Harmonizers and even manipulate the individual components of their brains. For instance, a Rank 6 immortal could alter their brain to grant themselves talents they did not naturally possess, such as exceptional musical aptitude or mathematical genius.
At these ranks, the soul also begins to play a more active role in decision-making. The controlling consciousness gradually transitions from being rooted in the physical brain to becoming increasingly influenced by the soul. This marks a significant shift in how these individuals perceive and interact with the world.
High-Rank Cultivators (Ranks 7 to 9)
For high-ranking cultivators, the physical brain becomes almost irrelevant. By this stage, their controlling consciousness resides almost entirely within the soul. The soul is far more homogeneous than the brain, which relies on various inputs from different components. This lack of conflicting inputs makes high-ranking cultivators exceptionally focused, ruthless, and unwavering in their dedication to their chosen paths.
High-ranking cultivators can alter their personalities, desires, and even their core perspectives. However, such changes are fraught with risk. Any mistake in modifying the soul's controlling consciousness can result in mental collapse or insanity. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of high-level cultivators are reluctant to alter their own thoughts or perspectives. After all, if every aspect of their personality changes, can they still be considered the same person?
To avoid these risks, most high-ranking cultivators adopt a different approach. Instead of modifying their controlling consciousness, they store various "wills" or aspects of themselves. For example, a cultivator might create a "dedicated will," a "calm will," or a "focused will." These stored wills can be activated as needed, allowing the cultivator to adapt to different situations without fundamentally altering their own consciousness.
Immortals (Ranks 10 and 11)
Immortals of these ranks—10 and 11—are entirely different. By this stage, neither their brain nor their soul serves as the final seat of their controlling consciousness. Even the loss of their soul is not a fatal event for such beings. Their existence is tied to their complete law.
Killing a Rank 10 or 11 immortal typically requires destroying their complete law, as their physical body and soul can be restored as long as the law remains intact. However, the immortal's controlling consciousness is not within their complete law either. Instead, it exists within the infinity domain in which they live.
This is the ultimate distinction between immortals and mortals: their controlling consciousness is stored within the infinite domain itself. This connection to the infinity domain, although weak, ensures their continued existence. As long as their complete law exists, so does their consciousness, making them extraordinarily resilient and difficult to destroy.
Complete laws serve as a link between the infinity domain and the immortal; after all, complete laws are connected to the infinity domain. Complete laws are also connected to the universe, which itself has a direct connection to the infinity domain.
The connection to the infinity domains makes having multiple personalities more common among immortals. An immortal can store various personalities within the infinity domain itself. For most Rank 10 and 11 immortals, this process occurs naturally and unconsciously, without explicit control or understanding of how to directly access the infinity domain.
Because multiple personalities of the same immortal can exist simultaneously, it is not uncommon to encounter immortals with eccentric or unusual behaviors. However, the overwhelming majority of immortals are able to function without significant issues, as their primary controlling consciousness is usually strong enough to dominate and suppress the influence of their other stored personalities.
Immortals (Ranks 12, 13 and 14)
Immortals at Ranks 12 and 13 have a much easier time managing their personalities. Their stronger connection to the infinity domain grants them greater control over their stored consciousnesses. They can even eliminate unwanted personalities or manually modify their primary controlling consciousness. As a result, immortals at these levels rarely display inconsistent or erratic behavior, except by deliberate choice.
At Rank 14, immortals ascend to an entirely different level of mastery over their consciousness. They possess complete control over their mental and emotional states. These beings can create entirely new controlling consciousnesses from scratch and adopt them at will, effectively reshaping their identity whenever necessary. This ability places Rank 14 immortals far beyond those at lower levels, both in terms of power and psychological adaptability.
Quasi Rank 15: Rachel and Luther
At the level of Rachel and Luther—quasi Rank 15—the concept of a controlling consciousness reaches its peak form. For beings at this level, the controlling consciousness is singular, immutable, and eternal. Rachel's controlling personality, for instance, is unchanging and has achieved a state of perfection. Once it has reached this stage, no being or event below Rank 15 can forcefully alter it.
When Rachel and Luther transferred their controlling personalities to the shared entity Luchel, what remained in their original consciousnesses was akin to an empty shell. These remnants continued to exist but lacked the essence and coherence of their original selves, becoming vestiges without the ability to independently grow or change.
The controlling consciousness of a quasi-Rank 15 being holds the "keys" to the infinity domains. When Rachel and Luther began their close collaboration as part of Luchel, their keys to the infinity domains became interwoven. This intertwining was the catalyst for the disruption among the universes dependent on their respective domains.
The mixing of these keys caused the boundaries between the Creation, the Gray Realm, and the Little Gray Realm to blur. Universes that previously operated under separate domains began to interfere with one another, creating unprecedented chaos. Worlds dependent on one domain started drawing upon the energies and laws of another, destabilizing their natural order.