98: Chapter 98 Invitation to Sparring: "Let me see what you're made of."
Section 1: The Martial Arts Arena's Five Elements Qi Energy Formation
The Martial Arts Arena of the Xingyi Sect branch glowed with a faint brownish light under the high noon sun. In the center of the bluestone-paved grounds, a Five Elements totem ten meters in diameter was carved. Five types of exotic stones were embedded in the positions of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—Mystic Iron at the Metal position, Ebony at the Wood position, Cold Jade at the Water position, Red Copper at the Fire position, and Yellow Wax Stone at the Earth position. Each stone emitted a halo of Qi Energy corresponding to its element, resonating perfectly with the auras of the three Elders.
“Young Chen, don't be in such a hurry to go to the underground palace,” Grand Elder Li Xuantong suddenly stepped out of the council chamber, holding a three-foot-long Jujube Wood Staff carved with flowing patterns of the 'Five Elements Energy.' “I have practiced Five Elements Energy for seventy years, and I have never seen a junior who can fuse Yijin Energy and Xingyi Fist so well. Let's trade a few blows today and let this old man see what you're made of.” He lightly tapped his Jujube Wood Staff on the Mystic Iron at the Metal position, and pale golden Qi Energy suddenly exploded, forming a translucent barrier at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. Lin Mo's tablet displayed that this was the Xingyi Sect's 'Field-Locking Array,' designed to prevent Qi Energy from leaking and harming people while allowing the livestream viewers to clearly see every detail of the Moves.
Lin Mo's tactical tablet instantly popped up a System prompt: “Triggered 'Five Elements Sparring' Main Quest—Spar with Elder Li Xuantong and demonstrate the Fusion depth of 'Five Elements Yijin Energy.' Quest Reward: 1 million Legacy Points + Complete 'Five Elements Combined Force' Manual, unlock core cracking rights for the underground palace 'Earth Form Array'.” The young man's fingertips flew across the virtual keyboard as beads of sweat from his forehead dripped onto the touchpad. “The livestream's online viewers have surpassed 23 billion! Young Miss Liang of Wing Chun just sent a bullet comment saying, 'Good luck Chen Wu, don't lose face for the younger generation,' and even Mr. Su of Xuanshui Pavilion tipped a golden bullet comment in the donation area saying, 'Looking forward to Yijin Energy breaking the Five Elements!'”
Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe made a dull thud as he tapped it against the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. The old man pulled out the 'Five Elements Sparring Records' left by his grandfather. Tucked within the yellowed pages was a hand-drawn diagram from 1954—the layout of the sparring match between Chen Wu's Great-grandfather and Li Xuantong's Master was exactly the same as the current Martial Arts Arena, except the Five Elements stones back then were ordinary bluestone. “Your Great-grandfather used 'Crushing Fist Enveloping Five Elements' when he sparred with Elder Li's Master back then,” his pipe pointed at the Earth position on the diagram. “Elder Li's Five Elements Energy is best at the 'Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water' chain of shifting Moves. You must use the spiral force of Yijin Energy to disrupt his sequence of mutual generation to gain the upper hand.” Five copper coins suddenly flew out of the camphor wood chest, landing at Chen Wu's feet to form a miniature Five Elements Formation. Faint brownish Qi Energy spread along the coins, tracing a 'Reverse Mutual Generation' Qi Energy path on the ground.
In the Flower Girl's basket, the Five Elements petals of the inheritance grass lit up simultaneously. Dewdrops rolled on the leaf surfaces, reflecting the flow of Qi Energy from Li Xuantong's Jujube Wood Staff—a 'Five Elements Bead' was hidden within the jujube wood core of the staff's head, capable of instantly switching between five types of Qi Energy attributes; it was the 'Sect-Guarding Treasure' of the Xingyi Sect. The young girl mixed the juices of Tiger Bone Grass, Mystic Ice Grass, and Golden Thread Lotus. When the five-colored 'Energy-Response Dew' dripped onto the leaves, the petals suddenly unfurled toward the center of the Martial Arts Arena. “Elder Zhou said this is 'Five Elements Resonance Agent',” she said, her fingertip lightly touching a dewdrop. “It allows your Yijin Energy to quickly respond to changes in the Five Elements, just like installing a smart switcher for your Qi Energy!”
The Section Chief of the Special Incident Response Department walked over holding a silver protective gear engraved with Five Elements patterns corresponding to the Martial Arts Arena. “This is the 'Five Elements Heart-Protecting Armor' specially made by the Technical Department,” she said as she handed the gear to Chen Wu. “It can absorb Qi Energy of corresponding attributes and convert it for your own use. For example, absorbing Earth energy can enhance defense, and absorbing Fire energy can increase explosive power.” The tablet showed that Zhang Hao and Love had already taken their positions at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. The former held a specialized 'Force-Neutralizing Shield' while the latter prepared to use Taiji Power as backup to prevent accidents during the spar. “Elder Li's Five Elements Combined Force is extremely powerful. You must not take it head-on; remember to use the 'Spear-Wrapping Style' you learned before to neutralize the force.”
When Chen Wu's palm pressed against the Yellow Wax Stone at the Earth position, the faint brownish Qi Energy suddenly resonated with his Yijin Energy. Dark golden flowing light spread from his fingertips, intertwining with the halo of the Five Elements totem and forming a rotating two-colored vortex in the center of the Martial Arts Arena. The slow-motion footage of the global livestream showed that the vortex's rotation speed was exactly opposite to Li Xuantong's breathing frequency—this was the 'Reverse Mutual Generation' key point Grandpa Wang had mentioned. “Good lad, you have a bit of your Great-grandfather's shadow in you,” Li Xuantong's Jujube Wood Staff suddenly pointed at the Cold Jade at the Water position, and pale blue Qi Energy surged like a water current. “First, take this Move of mine: 'Water Flooding the Golden Mountain'!”
Section 2: Initial Clash Enveloped in Water Energy
Li Xuantong's 'Water Energy' spread along the Jujube Wood Staff, the pale blue Qi Energy transforming in mid-air into countless trickles, shrouding Chen Wu like an airtight net. As the global livestream camera zoomed in, one could clearly see that every trickle contained a subtle rotation. This was the precursor to 'Water Energy generating Wood.' As long as Chen Wu used hard energy to block it head-on, the water flow would instantly transform into entangling Wood Energy, then follow the momentum to trigger a Fire Energy explosion.
“Don't take it head-on! Use the spiral force of Yijin Energy to guide the water!” Grandpa Wang's voice reached Chen Wu's ears through the Qi Energy. Chen Wu's 'Five Elements Yijin Energy' suddenly sank, and dark golden Qi Energy formed a clockwise rotating vortex in front of him. When the water flow struck, he neither resisted nor dodged, but guided it along the direction of the vortex. The slow-motion footage showed the pale blue Water Energy being carried in a circle by the vortex before finally flowing into the Yellow Wax Stone through the gaps in the Martial Arts Arena, actually nourishing the glow of the Earth energy. “This is... 'Guiding Water into the Earth'?” Li Xuantong's pupils suddenly dilated, and he twirled the Jujube Wood Staff in his hand. “Interesting. Now take my 'Wood Standing Tall in the Forest'!”
Pale green Wood Energy suddenly erupted from the Ebony at the Wood position of the Martial Arts Arena, as countless Qi Energy vines coiled toward Chen Wu's limbs. This time, the Qi Energy was even more cunning than the Water Energy; the tips of the vines carried tiny 'Wood Thorns' that would inject paralyzing energy once they entangled him. Lin Mo's tablet instantly popped up a Qi Energy analysis: “The Wood Energy hides 30% Fire Energy. As soon as the vines touch your Qi Energy, they will ignite immediately!” The bullet comments suddenly exploded with patches of golden 'Be careful' interlaced with the Xingyi Sect fans' pale green 'Go Elder,' forming a tense two-colored river of light in the virtual space.
Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly resonated with the five copper coins. The dark golden Yijin Energy split into five trickles, each corresponding to the five entanglement points of the vines, and suddenly accelerated their rotation upon contact. Instead of pulling hard, they cut along the grain of the vines like peeling an apple, severing the transmission of Wood Energy without damaging the vines themselves. “This is 'Spiral Force Severing Wood'!” Li Xuantong's Jujube Wood Staff suddenly paused in mid-air, a rare look of surprise appearing on his face. “Your Great-grandfather used this Move back then too, but he didn't have your speed of energy transformation!”
The Flower Girl's inheritance grass suddenly emitted a dazzling green light. Dewdrops rolled on the leaf surfaces, reflecting the hidden nodes of the Wood Energy vines—every third segment of the vines had a weak point in the Qi Energy, a flaw Elder Li had intentionally left to hold back. The young girl splashed the 'Energy-Response Dew' into the air, and the pale green light fused with Chen Wu's Yijin Energy, condensing into a miniature vine model in his palm. “Elder Zhou said this is a 'Flaw Marker',” she said, her fingertip lightly touching the model. “It allows you to precisely find the cutting points, just like installing weakness indicator lights on the vines!”
When Chen Wu's fifth strand of Yijin Energy severed the last vine, Li Xuantong suddenly burst into laughter. “Good! Good! Good! This old man hasn't had such a good time in decades!” He suddenly thrust his Jujube Wood Staff into the center of the Martial Arts Arena, and the energy of the Five Elements stones erupted simultaneously. Five strands of Qi Energy—pale gold, pale green, pale blue, pale red, and pale brown—formed a rotating Five Elements Wheel in mid-air. “Take my 'Five Elements Continuous Energy.' If you can withstand this Move, you'll be half a successor of the Xingyi Sect!”
Section 3: Breaking the Five Elements Continuous Energy with Yijin
[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]
Li Xuantong's "Five Elements Chain Energy" surged forward like a tidal wave.
The Five Elements Wheel accelerated in mid-air; the sharpness of Metal Energy, the entanglement of Wood Energy, the penetration of Water Energy, the scorching heat of Fire Energy, and the heaviness of Earth Energy erupted in alternation. Each wave of Qi Energy carried the lingering power of the previous one, forming a seamless attack chain—
Lin Mo's tablet displayed that the Qi Energy density of this Move was three times that of ordinary Five Elements Energy, and the sequence of mutual generation changed every second, leaving ordinary Martial Artists unable to react in time.
"Use the 'Reverse Mutual Generation' of the 'Five Elements Yijin Energy'!" Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe suddenly puffed a cloud of blue smoke toward the Martial Arts Arena.
The blue-gold smoke formed a counter-rotating Five Elements diagram above Chen Wu's head, creating a standoff with Li Xuantong's Five Elements Wheel—
When Metal Energy struck, Chen Wu's Yijin Energy suddenly transformed into Fire Energy, using scorching heat to neutralize the sharpness; when Wood Energy entangled, it transformed into Metal Energy, using sharpness to sever the vines; when Water Energy penetrated, he used Earth Energy to block it; when Fire Energy scorched, he used Water Energy to cool it down; when Earth Energy was heavy, he used Wood Energy to pierce through it, perfectly countering the mutual generation sequence of the Five Elements Chain.
The slow-motion footage of the global livestream captured a stunning scene: Chen Wu's body agilely weaved through the Five Elements Qi Energy. His dark golden Yijin Energy switched attributes every second, precisely synchronized with the changes of the Five Elements Wheel, neither being hit by any wave of Qi Energy nor wasting a single ounce of strength.
"Is this... 'Yijin Transforming into Five Elements'?" Second Elder Li Qingya suddenly stood up, his Xingyi Spear trembling slightly. "My Master once said that only by training Yijin Energy to the 'Follow One's Heart' Realm can one achieve this speed of energy transformation!"
Li Xuantong's Five Elements Wheel suddenly accelerated, and a pale red Fire Energy erupted, forming a massive circle of fire in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, trapping Chen Wu inside—
This time, the Fire Energy concealed Earth Energy. Once Chen Wu used Water Energy to extinguish the fire, the Earth Energy would immediately solidify, creating a dead-end scenario of "Fire Generates Earth, Earth Traps Enemy."
"Kid, how will you break this Move?" Li Xuantong's voice carried a smile. He tapped his Jujube Wood Staff lightly outside the fire circle, and the temperature of the Fire Energy instantly soared, causing even the bluestone slabs of the Martial Arts Arena to start heating up.
Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly erupted with a brilliant dark golden light. He did not switch attributes; instead, he condensed all his Yijin Energy into his palm, forming a rotating sphere of Qi Energy—
When the fire circle shrank to its smallest point, the Qi Energy sphere suddenly exploded—not outward, but inward, forming a vacuum zone. This not only isolated the scorching heat of the Fire Energy but also used spiral energy to reverse the solidification trend of the Earth Energy, turning the fire circle into a barrier to protect himself.
"Is this... 'Yijin Locking the Five Elements'?" Li Xuantong's eyes suddenly brightened like two lamps. "I understand now! You are not responding by changing energy; you are using the unchanging to respond to all changes, using the spiral energy of Yijin Energy to lock down all Five Elements changes!"
The Flower Girl's inheritance grass suddenly bloomed with five-colored flowers. Dewdrops rolled on the leaves, reflecting the changes in Qi Energy inside the fire circle—
Chen Wu's Yijin Energy was slowly absorbing the energy of the Fire Energy, converting it into his own Qi Energy, and the dark golden halo grew increasingly dense.
The little girl sprinkled "Energy-Response Dew" onto the Martial Arts Arena. The five-colored light merged with the fire circle, forming a miniature Five Elements Formation around Chen Wu. "Elder Zhou says this is the 'Qi Energy Conversion Formation,'" she said, tapping the dewdrops with her fingertips. "It can allow you to convert the absorbed Five Elements Energy into Yijin Energy, becoming stronger the more you fight!"
The Legacy Gift After the Sparring
When Li Xuantong's Five Elements Wheel struck for the last time, Chen Wu's "Five Elements Yijin Energy" suddenly erupted.
The dark golden Qi Energy collided with the Five Elements Wheel in the center of the Martial Arts Arena. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a halo of two Qi Energies perfectly merging—pale gold, pale green, pale blue, pale red, pale brown, and dark gold intertwined, forming a massive "Five Elements Yijin Diagram" in mid-air. Each attribute of Qi Energy flowed freely within it, maintaining its own characteristics while nourishing the others, forming a perfect cycle.
"I have lost." Li Xuantong suddenly withdrew his staff and bowed deeply to Chen Wu. This action caused the entire venue to fall silent instantly—
The global livestream's chat stalled for three seconds, then exploded with a sea of golden "respect." The pale brown chat messages from Xingyi Sect fans also flooded in with "Chen Wu is amazing," and even the three Elders revealed gratified smiles.
"You have not only fused the Five Elements Energy and Yijin Energy, but you have also grasped the true meaning of 'Mutual Generation and Mutual Restraint.'" Li Xuantong took a brocade box from his robe, which contained a Five Elements Pearl the size of a pigeon's egg. "This is the 'Five Elements Origin Pearl,' the treasure of the Xingyi Sect. It can help you stabilize your Five Elements Yijin Energy and will be useful when breaking the Earth Form Array in the underground palace."
Lin Mo's tablet instantly popped up the System settlement interface: " 'Five Elements Sparring' mission complete, Rating: SSS, obtained 1,000,000 Legacy Points, complete 'Five Elements Combined Force' manual, unlocked core breaking rights for the underground palace's 'Earth Form Array'."
The youth's fingertips danced across the virtual keyboard, integrating the Deduction models of "Five Elements Combined Force" and "Yijin Energy." The System prompted: "After Fusion, Move power increased by 80%, can negate 99% of trap damage in the underground palace's 'Earth Form Array'."
The livestream donation area was suddenly flooded with golden gifts. Su Chen's "Xuanshui Pavilion Support" and Liang Yue's "Wing Chun Sect Tribute" occupied the top spots, and the online viewership exceeded 25 billion, setting a new record for ancient martial arts sparring livestreams.
Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe tapped a lively rhythm on the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. The old man flipped to the last page of the "Five Elements Sparring Record." On the yellowed page, the eight characters "Five Elements Yijin, Invincible Under Heaven" were written in cinnabar, and a dried jujube leaf was left beside it—that was a keepsake given by Master Li to Chen Wus Great-grandfather after they sparred years ago.
"The Five Elements Origin Pearl that your Great-grandfather didn't obtain back then, you have obtained today." The pipe bowl pointed to the Five Elements Pearl in the brocade box. "This bead can not only stabilize Qi Energy but can also summon the Five Elements Energy of the Xingyi Sect for support in critical moments; it is a true Legacy token."
In the Flower Girl's basket, the five-colored petals of the inheritance grass all suddenly turned toward the Five Elements Pearl. Dewdrops rolled on the leaves, reflecting the real-time image of the core of the underground palace's "Earth Form Array"—the Qi Energy in the core area was completely identical to the light of the Five Elements Origin Pearl. As long as the bead was embedded into the formation eye, all traps could be instantly dismantled.
The little girl sprinkled the last drop of "Energy-Response Dew" onto the Five Elements Pearl. The five-colored light merged with the bead's halo, condensing into a miniature "Earth Form Array" model in Chen Wu's palm. "Elder Zhou says this is the 'Formation Eye Guide,'" she said, tapping the model with her fingertips. "It can let you quickly find the core location in the underground palace, just like installing a GPS on the formation eye!"
The Section Chief of the Special Incident Response Department walked over, holding a holographic report. The tablet displayed that the core breaking rights for the underground palace's "Earth Form Array" had been activated. The Qi Energy fields of the eight major schools resonated with the Five Elements Origin Pearl; once everyone arrived, they could directly enter the core area to obtain the middle volume of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic."
"All remnants of the Grey Shadow have been cleared," the Section Chief's voice carried excitement. "We have prepared 'Five Elements Supply Vehicles' at the entrance of the underground palace, filled with Medicinal Pills that can enhance Five Elements Energy and potions to restore Qi Energy, ensuring everyone's condition in the underground palace!"
When Chen Wu walked out of the Martial Arts Arena side-by-side with the three Elders, the Disciples of the Xingyi Sect suddenly raised their Xingyi Spears in unison. Pale brown Qi Energy condensed at the spear tips, forming a massive "Five Elements Yijin" totem, which intertwined with Chen Wu's Yijin Energy and Su Chen's Mystic Water Energy, forming a beam of light spanning the Legacy in mid-air—
The final frame of the global livestream froze on the moment Chen Wu held the Five Elements Origin Pearl; the dark golden Yijin Energy and the five-colored Five Elements Energy flowed around the bead, like a river of light guarding the Legacy.
When the System's final prompt popped up, Chen Wu suddenly understood that this sparring match was never a simple "contest," but the "final recognition" of the Xingyi Sect—letting him grasp the true meaning of the Five Elements during the confrontation, Master the core of the Legacy during the Fusion, and obtain the key to breaking the underground palace formation during the recognition.
As the moonlight washed over the Martial Arts Arena, the light of the Five Elements totem and the Five Elements Origin Pearl slowly merged, forming a brand-new character "Break," as if foreshadowing: the final barrier of the underground palace was about to be broken.
In the global livestream's chat, a final line of neat text flooded the screen: "Yijin merges with Five Elements, the journey to break the underground palace formation begins." This message was lit up by 25 billion viewers simultaneously, like a river of light spanning mountains and seas, flowing forever above the Xingyi Sect branch, illuminating the final journey of the underground palace exploration.
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