413: Chapter 413 The Source of All Laws

Su Ning closed her eyes, sensing a deeper level of the Way of Space.

Lin Yue scratched his head, saying he seemed to have a deeper understanding of Earth Element Formations, but couldn't explain exactly what he had learned.

Situ Lan looked down at the azure phoenix sword; the fine cracks on the blade hadn't been repaired, but the Sword Intent was more condensed.

Lin Jingyu's flowing cloud sword hummed slightly, its resonance with the Wood Element of the Five Elements growing stronger.

Yaoguang condensed a healing light in her palm, which faintly carried the power of the Five Elements—the path of healing and the Five Elements were interconnected through mutual generation, and she had finally touched that door.

Gao Feng sat cross-legged before the light orb, his spiritual sense still digesting the information of the Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art. After a long time, he opened his eyes: "The Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art is in my hands. The final piece of the puzzle for the Spiritual Vein's restoration is complete."

Elder Xuanqing sensed the disturbance of the Source of Ten Thousand Laws from outside the tower gate. His Jade Slip recorded the completion of the ninth floor, and he walked quickly into the tower. Seeing the light orb dim and the nine people safe and sound, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Just as he was about to step forward to speak, a flurry of footsteps came from outside the tower gate.

Master Lieyang appeared outside the tower gate with several Wanfa Sect Disciples. His gaze bypassed Elder Xuanqing and landed on Gao Feng, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes. The Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art was the core Legacy of the Wanfa Sect, and now it had been obtained by an outsider. He wanted to say something, but his feet had already stepped over the threshold.

A voice came from behind him, not loud, but every word was like a nail driven into a stone slab: "Lieyang, step down."

The Sect Master appeared outside the tower gate at some unknown time, his hair and beard completely white, his face thin, wearing a faded gray Daoist robe. His cultivation was unfathomable, and his aura was as peaceful as if it were nothing. He walked up to Master Lieyang, stopped, and looked at him calmly.

"Article thirteen of the Wanfa Sect rules: whoever is recognized by the Source of Ten Thousand Laws, whether inside or outside the sect, may receive the Legacy of the Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art. You have been in the sect for hundreds of years; you wouldn't have forgotten."

Master Lieyang met his gaze for a moment before finally lowering his head and stepping aside. The Sect Master turned to Gao Feng and took five Spirit Stones from his sleeve—crimson, ice blue, emerald green, dark gold, and earthy yellow, one of each Five Elements Spirit Stone. "Compensation for the Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art. The Heavenly Sword Sect gave you Sword Intent Crystals; the Wanfa Sect cannot come empty-handed." He said no more and left with Master Lieyang.

When the news of Master Lieyang's confinement spread through the Wanfa Sect, the nine of them were packing their bags in the guest house.

Chu Lan sighed upon hearing the news, Lin Yue snorted and said it served him right, Tianxin had no reaction, and Luo Li continued tuning her strings. Su Ning adjusted the coordinates of the space teleportation Formation toward the Lingbao Sect, while Situ Lan wiped the last bit of dust off the azure phoenix sword. Yaoguang distributed the few remaining Medicinal Pills to everyone. Lin Jingyu put away the five Five Elements Spirit Stones, and Gao Feng stood by the window, gazing at the distant sea of clouds.

The ninth floor of the Wanfa Tower, the resonance of the Source of Ten Thousand Laws, the Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art obtained.

In the early morning at the Wanfa Sect guest house, the thin mist had not yet dissipated.

Gao Feng stood by the window, holding a Jade Slip—it was the lecture schedule Elder Xuanqing had sent over last night. As a condition for obtaining the Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art, he needed to lecture at the Wanfa Sect for three days, teaching the way of fusing martial arts and Spells. This was a request from the Sect Master; after Master Lieyang was confined, no one else opposed it.

"Lecturing?" Chu Lan poked her head out from the room next door, a Spirit Fruit still in her mouth. "What are you going to talk about? How to hit people with your fists?"

Gao Feng put away the Jade Slip: "About how to integrate Five Elements Spells into martial arts. The Disciples of the Wanfa Sect have profound attainments in Spells, but close-quarters combat is their weakness. My experience will be useful to them."

"Probably not many people will come on the first day." Tianxin walked over from the end of the corridor, holding a stack of Talisman papers. "Wanfa Sect Disciples are very xenophobic. Although Master Lieyang is confined, his influence remains. The Disciples of the Conservatives won't come to hear your lecture."

"However many come is fine." Gao Feng did not dwell on the issue.

The first day's lecture was held in a side hall on the eastern side of the Wanfa Sect Martial Arts Arena. The space inside the hall was small, only able to accommodate about a hundred people. When Gao Feng arrived, fewer than fifty people were scattered throughout the hall, most of them low-level Disciples at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. Some were curious, some were skeptical, and some were just there for the excitement.

Gao Feng didn't mind those gazes. He walked to the center of the hall, unfastened the vajra sword and set it aside, then sat cross-legged. Without an opening statement or pleasantries, he began teaching directly.

He started from the basic principles of the Five Elements' mutual generation and overcoming. He didn't recite formulas or lecture on theory, but used his own experience in the Wanfa Tower as case studies. How he used the mutual generation of the Five Elements on the sixth floor to strike with continuous coordination, how he fused the power of the Five Elements into a single punch on the seventh floor, and how he found balance under the pressure of Law on the eighth floor. Every case had combat details, and every failure and success was explained clearly.

The hall fell silent. Those Disciples who had originally just come for the excitement began to listen seriously.

After finishing the theory, he stood up and walked to the open space in the center of the hall. "Talking on paper is meaningless; I will demonstrate once." He released his spiritual power. Metal Origin Qi condensed on his right fist, sharp as a sword; Water Origin Qi flowed in his left palm, flexible as silk; Wood Origin Qi twined around his fingertips, full of vitality; Fire Origin Qi rose at his elbow, scorching hot; Earth Origin Qi settled at his feet, heavy as a mountain.

The power of the Five Elements appeared on him simultaneously, not in chaos, but in order. He demonstrated a set of fist techniques, integrating the power of the Five Elements into every movement—the punch was Metal, the retraction was Water, the turn was Wood, the elbow strike was Fire, and the landing was Earth. The fist technique wasn't complex, one could even say it was simple, but every punch contained the cycle of the Five Elements' mutual generation.

After the hour-long demonstration ended, applause rang out in the hall. It wasn't the perfunctory kind, but heartfelt admiration.

The first day's lecture ended, and of the fifty-plus people who came to listen, more than forty stayed until the end.

On the second day, the news spread. It was said that Gao Feng from the Wuxiang Sect, at the fourth layer of the Golden Core stage, had cleared nine levels at the Heavenly Sword Sect and nine levels at the Wanfa Sect, and even the Source of Ten Thousand Laws had recognized him. He had come to the Wanfa Sect to lecture, teaching how to use Five Elements Spells in actual combat—not just talking on paper, but the kind that could actually win fights.

In the early morning, the side hall on the eastern side of the Martial Arts Arena was packed. The hall, which could only hold a hundred people, was stuffed with nearly three hundred; some were standing, some were squatting, and some were even leaning on the windowsills. Even the corridors outside the hall were filled with Disciples. When Gao Feng walked into the hall, he was slightly taken aback by the scene, but he soon returned to normal.

This day, he lectured on the application of Five Elements Fusion in actual combat. He didn't just demonstrate himself; he also had Lin Jingyu and Situ Lan come up to cooperate. Lin Jingyu used his flowing cloud sword to perform Metal Element Sword Intent, while Situ Lan used her azure phoenix sword to perform Wood Element Sword Intent. The two cooperated to demonstrate the practical application of Metal overcoming Wood and Wood generating Fire.

Chu Lan used Spirit Plants to demonstrate the coordination of Wood and Earth elements, Tianxin used Talismans to demonstrate the conversion of Fire and Water, Luo Li used melodies to demonstrate Five Elements resonance, and Su Ning used Spatial Magic to demonstrate the Fusion of the Five Elements with space. The nine of them each showed their strengths, showcasing the application of Five Elements Spells to the fullest.

The Wanfa Sect Disciples in the hall watched with rapt attention. They had never seen Spells applied in such a way—not standing at a distance to cast them, but integrating the Spells into martial arts for close-quarters combat, where every punch hit home.

After the second day's lecture ended, the applause in the hall lasted for a long time.

On the third day, even some Elders of the Wanfa Sect came. They sat in the very front row of the hall with serious expressions, holding Jade Slips ready to record.

Gao Feng's topic for this day was "The Fusion of Martial Arts and Spells." He talked about the process of creating the "Five Elements War God Fist" on the seventh floor of the Wanfa Tower—how to understand Five Elements Spells from the perspective of a martial arts Cultivator, how to apply the thinking of War Gods Unity to Five Elements Fusion, and how to find that precise balance point amidst countless failures.

"Spells are not appendages to martial arts, and martial arts are not substitutes for Spells," Gao Feng's voice echoed in the hall. "They are different expressions of the same power. The power of the Five Elements can be triggered with Talismans, cultivated with Spirit Plants, resonated with melodies, cut with Space Cutting, or thrown out with a fist. The key lies in what way you choose to understand it."

An Inner Sect Disciple in the hall suddenly stood up. It was Han Feng, at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, one of Master Lieyang's Named Disciples. A few days ago, his attitude had been the sharpest among the Conservative Disciples. Now that he stood up, everyone's gaze focused on him.

"Senior Brother Gao Feng." Han Feng's tone was much more polite than before, but still carried a trace of defiance. "We understand the theories you've explained. But I want to see for myself exactly how strong the Fusion of martial arts and Spells is in actual combat. I would like to ask for your guidance in a single exchange." An uproar broke out in the hall as the Wanfa Sect Disciples whispered to each other, some excited, some worried.

Gao Feng looked at him and didn't hesitate: "Alright."

The two walked to the open space in the center of the hall. Han Feng's hands formed a seal, and a crimson flame erupted from his palm, transforming into a fire dragon that lunged straight at Gao Feng. That was a high-level Fire Element Spell of the Wanfa Sect, possessing impressive power and startling speed.

Gao Feng did not dodge. He took a step forward, condensed the power of the Five Elements in his right fist, and threw a punch. The fire dragon was forcibly torn apart by the fist's wind, turning into a sky full of sparks. The momentum of the punch didn't diminish, heading straight for Han Feng's chest. Han Feng's expression changed drastically; he wanted to dodge, but the force of the punch was already before him. Gao Feng's fist stopped three inches from his chest, the wind from the punch blowing his robes and making them flutter loudly.

The hall was silent.

Han Feng stood frozen in place, looking at the fist in front of him and the five-colored light flowing on its surface. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't get any words out. After a long time, he took a step back and gave a deep bow: "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Gao Feng. I am truly convinced." Gao Feng withdrew his fist: "Your fire dragon is very powerful, but it relies too much on the Spell itself. Your movement was slow; before the fire dragon's power could be fully unleashed, I was already in front of you."

Han Feng straightened up, the defiance in his eyes gone, replaced only by admiration. He stepped aside and didn't return to his seat, but stood at the side of the hall and listened seriously to the rest of the lecture.

The third day's lecture ended, and the applause in the hall lasted for a long time. Those Wanfa Sect Disciples stood up, not just to clap, but some even cupped their hands in salute to Gao Feng. Even the Elders in the front row stood up and nodded to him.