Techniques were created out of the combination of three different aspects.
The Qi, the pathway, and the Intent.
The Qi was the energy that would be the fuel for the technique, allowing it to be used.
The pathway was the route through the meridians that changed the Qi's properties to better suit the technique.
And at last, the Intent was the final touch placed onto the technique that gave it the instruction on how and where the technique was to be used.
Technically speaking, the Intent wasn't necessary to form the technique itself. So long as the choice of Qi and the pathway it moved through was correct, it would appear outside of one's body.
It was just that without the Intent, there would be no instructions for the technique on how to function, and so it would usually fall apart immediately.
The pillbug was something similar.
