Other Request Illusions in xianxia.

While finding the underlying framework for literally any other qi assisted attacks are almost trivial.
Fire/Water/Earth/SwordSlashes.
Illusionary magic/attacks are hardly expounded upon almost whatsoever in any works I've read up to date.


How do you guys think Illusionary attacks, cultivation, or magic is done?

 

magic

 

In most works where they've appeared, I've seen them work along the lines of either creating an illusory world that the enemy believes in and is trapped within, or function like the "believing-you-are-injured-actually-makes-you-injured" reasoning.
In some works, like in Lord Xue Ying, it's been mentioned that the highest level of illusory cultivation is to inverse reality and illusion, making the real fake, and the illusion a reality.

 

When never I read chinese novels I always picture their moves like those from Saint Seiya in the early episodes. You know moves and images that appear when the saints are doing an attack.

 

Mostly mental attacks.

They confuse the others' mind by one of many ways, and the particular method they used (disruption, confusion, self-maiming etc.) determines how the illusion targets the other person.

 

Just watch the Catfish tv show, the Dao of illusions is expounded upon thoroughly.

 

It's cool as a line to read, but it doesn't really tell you anything...

I'm asking more about the meat of the idea

 

Thanks..

 

Bit hard to understand what your asking.
Are you saying fire water earth and sword are trivial?

Cultivation systems change depending on what you are reading.
Typically Illusionary attacks are mind power. Something closer to psychic power than ki.
Magic and the Ki from cultivation tend to only differ as Ki tends to be internal life energy that uses heavenly laws to influence it's element, and magic is an external power source manipulated by mind.
In other words, a strong body martial artists cultivates, and a weak bodied, but smart wizard manipulates.

 

That's what Im trying to talk about, the how.

 

Psychic/spiritual attacks activated through the Parietal Eye powered by the Pineal Gland.

Musical instruments using sound as a medium can also be used by illisionists like swords for a sword cultivator.

Jade slips are used like USB sticks to store cultivation info for non-specialists.

 

It can be based on many things. For example the technique may directly affect the mind and interfere with your 5 sense and altering what you perceive. another way is making an illusion with physical means (mist, fog, mirage, etc). and for high level ones that can affect reality, it can be said that the illusion is too strong that the body (physical) assume that is the truth and then making a response according to the illusion.

 

U shouldnt overthink it or u would have tl question that does even magic exist? how does it operate? how does one connect elements? Can u summon them? Are there really souls?

questioning novels is like defying the fundamentals of reading books

ripd

 

Thanks... That gives me a few ideas.

 

I was just about to start an RRL about an illusion only user... there's a lot you can do with it.

 

There's typically a difference between a 'trickster' that has no control over his 'illusions' like using spores or something hidden in the air , making the target experience hallucinations.
You could have someone use light or water (moisture / fog in the air - like rainbows.) to reflect and manipulate light to make mirages (fata morgana or whatever you call it) or even make themselves invisible by making the light bend around them or even appear to be in multiple places like in a mirror funhouse.

There could be people that have direct control over your senses, making you see what they want you to see by using their spirit or whatever 'illusionary arts', typically requires spirit cultivators as opposed to qi / body.
The person in the illusion could either see things alteredly in real life, or they could simply stop moving and think they're actually doing something, letting the person that did it cut their throat leisurely or whatever.

Typically, if you were to use an illusion to confuse an enemy in a fight, like by appearing as a loved one of theirs, the question is, do you need to know what they look like / behaviour (aka can you be off somewhat) or do you simply pull out an image that's in their own heart, that makes it hard to attack. (without literally knowing what they saw).
And even deeper than that, would be like a 'heartforce cultivator' in Desolate Era where you could indeed look into someone's heart and manipulate it in many ways.

 

Typically mental manipulation, which makes illusions a subset of the 'Mind" Dao. People who follow this path will almost always be manipulators and schemers, and their cultivation will be focused on interaction with other people (to study their minds) when not exploring the depths of their own minds. Also common is using drugs/incense to cause hallucinations - which doesn't really need a "dao" of anything, maybe a "medicine/alchemy" Dao to get the most out of it. People who use this method typically don't consider it a main part of their 'way"... just another tool in their belt. The rarest kind of illusion in fantasy is the most common in sci-fi: creating a false reality (you might remember the holodeck from Star Trek, or a Reality Marble from Fate/Stay Night). It's most common in tests for people joining sects, but the method is generally using arrays and such, so it would be an "Array/Talisman" Dao I guess if anything.

There's no "illusion" dao because seeking illusion is not a true way in and of itself.

 

LSD is one of the best method to experience hallucination, kinda smiliar to illusion but different.

 

You think too much. Not all xianxia novel got similar explanation regarding illusions with similar effect.

As for what i think, illusion attack is a brain manipulation, capable to fool 5 senses( touch, smell,taste,hear,sight) in human body, believing it was real. Theres also hypnosis type of attack that can directly manipulate the opponent's brain by implanting false memory/thoughts.
depends on which novel you read, illusion attack can be done in many ways.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_of_Perception
Mescaline brah.