171: Yin Yang and Five Elements

"The Five Elements circulate..." the Saintess repeated softly, a flicker of light flashing in her eyes. "As expected. Ordinary water and wood power tends to be Yin-soft in nature, so it should logically conflict with the retrograde Gui Water."

She changed the subject, her gaze burning as she looked at Lin Feng. "But the spiritual power you used just now was quite peculiar. It not only contained the resilience of water and wood but also carried a unique vitality that stimulates life, as well as an inclusiveness capable of dissolving opposition. These are not qualities that purely Yin-soft power can possess."

She took a step forward, her expression becoming increasingly solemn. "Young Friend Lin, my Illusory Moon Sect has studied the power of the grand yin for thousands of years, and I believe we have quite a deep understanding of the Dao of Yin-softness."

"However, from my observations, the Cultivation Technique you practice seems to touch upon a deeper, more profound law—as if a sliver of budding life is hidden within the Realm of extreme Yin, and an opportunity for transformation is contained beneath absolute stillness."

"Perhaps the key to completely resolving the imbalance of the grand yin pearl lies herein. I wonder if you would be willing to discuss this method of Yin and Yang mutual complementation with me? This matter concerns the survival of our Sect, and the Illusory Moon Sect will certainly reward you handsomely!"

As soon as the words "Yin and Yang mutual complementation" were spoken, Lin Feng's brain buzzed. His face turned deathly pale, and images of Dual Cultivation with Xiao Qinghan in a desperate situation, which ultimately led to his cultivation level dropping, flashed through his mind.

That sense of weakness and embarrassment instantly overwhelmed him.

He retreated a large step as if electrocuted, waving his hands repeatedly. "Se... Senior! Absolutely not! This Junior... this Junior truly cannot withstand another depletion! Please, Senior, find someone else!"

"..." The Saintess was taken aback by his extreme reaction.

Watching Lin Feng's deathly pale face and his panicked posture as if he were avoiding a flood or wild beast, her sharp, intelligent mind immediately flashed with a thought:

He must have experienced certain events or even... trauma. Furthermore, this misunderstanding was highly likely related to the method of male-female Dual Cultivation.

Thinking of this, she looked again at Lin Feng's extremely embarrassed appearance, and comparing it with the seriousness of what she had said, she immediately understood this laughable misunderstanding.

"Pfft..." A very soft laugh finally escaped her lips, and she shook her head. "Young Friend Lin, where... where did your thoughts wander?"

"The Yin and Yang mutual complementation I spoke of refers to the mutual coordination and supplementation of spiritual power attributes and Cultivation Technique principles to achieve a balanced and stable Cultivation Realm. It is not the method requiring the merging of Physical Bodies that you are thinking of."

"Ah?! This... I..." Lin Feng's face turned beet red instantly, and he was so embarrassed he wished he could disappear. So he had misunderstood.

Seeing his embarrassment, the Saintess stopped teasing him and her expression returned to solemnity. "It seems there was some misunderstanding here. It does not matter. Since you helped a great deal today, I will explain the Yin and Yang changes contained within the Five Elements, which may be enlightening for your future Cultivation."

Lin Feng took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Please go ahead, Senior."

"Most people only know that the Five Elements generate and overcome each other," the Saintess said in a calm tone, speaking slowly. "But they may not clearly understand that within every type of Five Elements power, there are also two different qualities of Yin and Yang."

She tapped her fingertip lightly, and spiritual light transformed into two images in the air. On the left was a flexible green vine, slowly winding and growing, emitting an aura of nourishment; on the right was a straight, upward-reaching pine tree, carrying the rigid strength of breaking through the soil.

"Look, although it is the same wood spiritual power, it has two completely different characteristics," she explained softly. "The green vine is flexible and winding; this is the Yin-soft side of the wood element, adept at nourishment and healing. The green pine stands tall and upward; this is the Yang-hard side of the wood element, primarily focused on growth and Breakthrough."

She turned to Lin Feng. "When you were channeling the Gui Water just now, you did not use the gentle, nourishing power, but rather this Yang-hard force of the wood element that pushes upward, which is why you were able to break the stalemate."

Lin Feng was lost in thought and subconsciously circulated his spiritual power, green light shimmering in his palm. At first, it was soft like winding vines, then gradually, an upward force emerged, as if a pine were breaking through the soil.

"Correct, that is the change," the Saintess nodded in affirmation. "Being able to freely convert between these two characteristics is the wonder of the Yin and Yang change."

She waved her hand to disperse the spiritual light. "Understanding this principle will allow you to be more adept when using spiritual power. You stumbled upon it by accident just now, but what you used was precisely the method of Yin and Yang mutual aid."

Lin Feng looked at the energy flow in the air that was gradually calming down, still feeling quite puzzled. He turned to the Saintess and asked sincerely, "Senior, I only acted based on a vague intuition just now and do not fully understand the principles behind it. What exactly do you mean by Yin and Yang change and Yin and Yang mutual aid?"

Seeing his eagerness to learn, the Saintess's eyes showed approval. She reached out and tapped lightly in the air, and a moonlight-like spiritual power appeared, swirling around her fingertips.

"Look at the power of the grand yin of my Illusory Moon Sect; it is pure and Yin-soft, adept at nourishment and Seal, but it lacks the opportunity for change." She turned her wrist, and the spiritual power transformed into a soft barrier. "This is precisely the characteristic of Yin-soft power."

She dispersed the spiritual power and gestured to Lin Feng. "Now, try to circulate your water and wood power, but this time, try to feel the force of upward Breakthrough within it."

Lin Feng followed her instructions and circulated his Cultivation Technique, cyan-blue light shimmering in his palm. This time, he intentionally tried to experience the intent of a pine tree breaking through the soil. Indeed, as his spiritual power circulated, there was an added upward tension, which was completely different from the purely soft feeling before.

"That is it!" The Saintess's eyes lit up. "What you used unintentionally just now was precisely this upward vitality. The Gui Water power of the grand yin pearl is too Yin-cold, and what it needs is exactly such vitality to harmonize it."

As she spoke, she reached out and pointed to the energy flow that was still slightly fluctuating. "Look, although the general situation is settled, there are still residual Yin-cold Qi entangled. Why don't you try now to use the method you just grasped to channel these residual energies?"

Lin Feng took a deep breath and, following the method the Saintess had pointed out, slowly sent out his spiritual power carrying the intent of vitality. This time he had a clear direction; his spiritual power brushed past like a spring breeze, and wherever it went, those Yin-cold Qi indeed gradually calmed down like melting snow.

"Wonderful!" Yun Qingyao, who was adjusting her breath nearby, could not help but exclaim in admiration. "Fellow Daoist Lin's use of spiritual power is actually more effective than our Sect's secret techniques!"

The Saintess nodded slightly, though a flicker of deep thought flashed in her eyes. "Fellow Daoist Lin, your Cultivation Technique is indeed special. Ordinary Cultivators who practice multi-attribute Cultivation Techniques often find it difficult to balance Yin and Yang. Yet you seem to be naturally able to grasp the balance between them."

She paused, then suddenly asked, "Do you know your Spiritual Root attribute?"

"Five Elements mixed Spiritual Root?" Surprise flashed in the Saintess's eyes, followed by a sudden realization. "No wonder. Although mixed Spiritual Roots make Cultivation difficult, they are the most sensitive to the perception of Five Elements power. Coupled with this special Cultivation Technique of yours..."

She looked at Lin Feng thoughtfully. "Perhaps, this is Heaven's will."

Just at this moment, several sharp, piercing shrieks suddenly came from the distant horizon, accompanied by violent spiritual power fluctuations. A streak of black light pierced through the outer clouds like an arrow, fiercely striking the light screen of the Sect-protecting formation, stirring up ripples across the sky.