69: Chapter 69 Five Elements

Inside the Luoxia Valley outpost, Lin Qing closed the wooden door and lightly latched it, cutting off all outside noise. He then took out the essence of pulse opening and began to study it.

Pulse opening is the first Realm after entering the Spirit Realm. Meridians serve as the channels for Spiritual Qi to circulate. The Pulse Opening Method is the process of establishing the Foundation for one's own path of cultivation.

The more he studied, the more solemn his expression became.

The book clearly recorded that the Spiritual Qi of the world is divided into five major attributes, corresponding to five pulse opening paths. The choice of the pulse opening path fundamentally determines a Cultivator's future cultivation direction, the upper limit of their combat power, and even the length of their Lifespan.

For example, a Cultivator who specializes in the Vitality Pulse Opening Method will have a physical self-healing ability far exceeding those of the same rank, earning them the title of an 'Undying Body' among peers. Those who specialize in the Burning Heaven Pulse Opening Method will have Spiritual Qi with an inherent scorching power, making their offensive strikes incomparably overbearing.

When Lin Qing saw this, his brows suddenly furrowed. Vitality, Burning Heaven, Vast Sea, Sharp Edge, Profound Astral... aren't these just the Five Elements?

As a transmigrator, he naturally knew about the Five Elements. Back when he was practicing the fourth-rank Stance Training, he had specifically chosen five types of Cultivation Techniques corresponding to the Five Elements.

However, the Cultivators of this Canglan Continent clearly perceived the differences between the five major attributes of Spiritual Qi, yet they had never categorized them into a Five Elements system. Relying only on the most intuitive characteristics of the attributes, they had given the Pulse Opening Methods such flowery names.

Continuing his study, Lin Qing finally understood the reason behind this.

The Cultivators of this world could clearly distinguish the stark differences between the five types of Spiritual Qi, but no one had ever summarized them into a complete system of 'Five Elements Mutual Generation and Mutual Overcoming.'

To put it simply, they held the fragments of the Five Elements in their hands but had never pieced together the complete truth.

This discovery made Lin Qing's heart pound wildly. Others didn't know the principles of generation and overcoming, but he did!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he continued to flip through the cases of successful and failed pulse openings in the book. The more he read, the more his thoughts were confirmed.

The record explicitly stated that throughout the ages in the Canglan Continent, Cultivators could at most open two paths; no one had ever been able to open three or more.

Furthermore, the combinations of the two successful paths were fixed to the point of being rigid: a Water Pulse could only coexist with a Metal or Wood Pulse; a Fire Pulse could only coexist with a Wood or Earth Pulse; a Metal Pulse could only coexist with an Earth or Water Pulse... without exception, they were all attribute combinations of the Five Elements' mutual generation.

Conversely, if someone tried to open two pulses of any other combination, their Meridians would surely shatter and their Spiritual Qi would run rampant.

After Lin Qing finished reading, a faint smile played on his lips. Others didn't know the reason, but he did. It went without saying that all attempts at opening two pulses with mutually overcoming attributes had ended in failure.

And the reason why it was impossible to open a third pulse after opening two was also very simple: it was still due to the mutual overcoming of the Five Elements.

For instance, if someone had already opened the two mutually generating pulses of Water and Wood, when they tried to open a Fire Pulse, it wouldn't work because Water overcomes Fire. Opening an Earth Pulse wouldn't work either because Wood overcomes Earth. Opening a Metal Pulse was also impossible because Metal overcomes Wood.

Others, ignorant of the root cause, were left helpless, but he had thought of a way to break the deadlock.

Since the Spiritual Qi of the Water Pulse would suppress the Fire Pulse, what if, before opening the Fire Pulse, the Spiritual Qi in the Water Pulse was completely dissipated? If the Water Pulse was left as an empty shell of a meridian without any Spiritual Qi, then without the suppression of Water-attribute Spiritual Qi, opening the Fire Pulse should be no problem given the Wood-generates-Fire relationship.

As soon as this thought emerged, Lin Qing immediately combed through the entire essence of pulse opening word by word, from the introductory general outline to the final taboo warnings, not even missing the annotations left by Cultivators in the margins.

The result was as expected.

In the entire book, not a single person had ever tried to dissipate the Spiritual Qi within their Meridians after opening a pulse.

In their understanding, opening a pulse was for the purpose of drawing Spiritual Qi into the body. A successfully opened meridian would only be continuously nourished and filled with Spiritual Qi. Who would ever do the opposite and dissipate the Spiritual Qi they had worked so hard to draw into their Meridians?

But Lin Qing didn't care about the perceptions of others.

He looked down at his hands, a flash of determination in his eyes.

He was not a reckless person. From the moment he transmigrated to the Canglan Continent, rising step by step from an ant in a border city to where he was now, he had always been calculated and moved only after planning. But this time, he didn't want to leave any regrets.

Little did people know, even Old Devil Han, who was mocked for having a waste Spiritual Root in the early stages, eventually had to complete all Five Elements Spiritual Roots.

Lin Qing firmly believed that the mutual generation and overcoming of the Five Elements, an endless cycle, was the correct path of cultivation. Opening only one pulse or having two pulses coexist was ultimately a lopsided path. Only by opening all five pulses and having all Five Elements complete could one truly touch the pinnacle of cultivation.

If he played it safe this time and only opened one or two pulses, leading to a Bottleneck when he tried to break through to higher Realms in the future, he wouldn't even have a place to go and cry.

Take the gamble!

Lin Qing took a deep breath and no longer hesitated. He reached into his Storage Pouch and took out five shimmering Jade Slips, corresponding to the five major Pulse Opening Methods of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

He pressed the five Jade Slips to his forehead one by one, recording every Mind-Cultivation Technique formula, Qi-guiding route, and pulse-piercing trick of each Pulse Opening Method without missing a single word.

After confirming everything was correct, the pulse opening officially began.

The first step he chose was the Vast Sea Pulse Opening Method, to open the Water-attribute meridian.

Following the guidance of the Mind-Cultivation Technique, Lin Qing used his Divine Thought to lead the gentlest and most enduring Water-attribute Spiritual Qi from the world. It slowly seeped into his body through his pores, following a fixed route to wash over the corresponding meridian bit by bit.

The Water-attribute Spiritual Qi was soft and not restless. The process of piercing the pulse was smooth and steady without the slightest obstruction. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a meridian as thin as a strand of hair was formed, and wisps of Water-attribute Spiritual Qi flowed slowly within it.

The first Water Pulse was complete.

Lin Qing did not pause and immediately operated the Vitality Pulse Opening Method, drawing Wood-attribute Spiritual Qi from the world into his body. Water generates Wood; they are innately compatible. With the nourishment of the Water Pulse, the Wood-attribute Spiritual Qi easily pierced through the second meridian, which became full of vitality.

After another incense stick's time, the second Wood Pulse was successfully opened.

Now came the most critical step.

According to the understanding of the Canglan Continent's Cultivators, this was the end; any further was a dead end. But Lin Qing's gaze was sharp, and he did not back down.

He concentrated his mind and activated his Divine Thought, which acted like countless delicate palms, precisely wrapping around all the Water-attribute Spiritual Qi in the Water Pulse and dissipating it out of his body bit by bit, wisp by wisp.

The originally full Water Pulse instantly became empty and silent, leaving only the completed meridian channel.

Immediately following that, Lin Qing operated the Burning Heaven Pulse Opening Method, drawing the violent and blazing Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi from the world into his body.

Without the suppression of the Water Pulse's Spiritual Qi, the generative power of Wood-generating-Fire began to take effect. The Wood-attribute Spiritual Qi acted like tinder, igniting the Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi surging into his body. However, just as the Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi began to wash over the third meridian, an indescribable, sharp pain swept through Lin Qing's entire body!

It wasn't the pain of a superficial flesh wound, nor was it the bloating pain of clashing Spiritual Qi. It was a tearing pain that drilled out from the deepest parts of the Meridians and every inch of his flesh and blood.

Although the Spiritual Qi in the Water Pulse had been dissipated, the Water Pulse itself still exerted a slight influence on the opening of the Fire Pulse.

The blazing Spiritual Qi was like red-hot steel needles, frantically piercing along the ends of the Meridians. Every inch it advanced felt as if countless sharp knives were repeatedly scraping and slashing the inner walls of the Meridians.

Pain!

It was heart-wrenching and bone-deep!

Lin Qing's forehead was instantly covered in dense beads of cold sweat, which dripped down his jawline and soaked his robes. His teeth were clenched shut, his gums bleeding, and his muscles trembled violently and uncontrollably. Because of the excessive force, his fingernails dug deep into his palms, leaving behind dark bloody marks.

Since he began his cultivation, he had never tasted such extreme agony. This pain was not just a torture of the Physical Body but also an ordeal for the Divine Soul. The sensation of the Fire Qi burning his Meridians rushed straight to the crown of his head along his nerves, making him nearly lose his mental composure and cause his Spiritual Qi to run rampant several times.

He could clearly feel his Meridians trembling under the wash of the scorching Spiritual Qi, as if they would be burned through or explode in the next moment. Yet, the determination in his eyes did not waver in the slightest.

He couldn't stop.

Once he stopped, not only would all his previous efforts go to waste, but it could also trigger a backlash, causing him to explode and die. This path could only be walked forward; there was absolutely no possibility of turning back.

Lin Qing gritted his teeth and firmly stabilized his mind, guiding the Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi to open the meridian bit by bit. The time of one incense stick felt as long as a century. When a soft sound echoed within him once more, the third Fire Pulse was successfully opened!

The sharp pain continued, but Lin Qing did not take a breath. He immediately followed the same method, using his Divine Thought to dissipate all the Spiritual Qi in the Wood Pulse. He then operated the Profound Astral Pulse Opening Method, drawing the heavy and steady Earth-attribute Spiritual Qi into his body to open the fourth Earth Pulse.

Wood generates Fire, and Fire generates Earth. The path of mutual generation was smooth and unobstructed. Although the process was painful, he was on the right path.

An incense stick later, the Earth Pulse was formed.

Next, he dissipated the Fire Pulse's Spiritual Qi. Using Earth-generates-Metal, he operated the Sharp Edge Pulse Opening Method, drawing Metal-attribute Spiritual Qi into his body to open the final Metal Pulse.

Relying on the Dao of the Five Elements from his previous life, Lin Qing had forcefully shattered the ironclad law of pulse opening that had existed in the Canglan Continent for ages. Step by step, he finished the dead-end path that no one dared to walk.

The entire pulse opening process was linked link by link, taking a total of one hour and one incense stick's time (two and a half hours).

The moment the fifth Metal Pulse was completely stabilized and formed, the sharp pain suddenly vanished. A sense of unprecedented ease and transparency swept through his entire body.

Lin Qing didn't know that his success was also greatly related to his initial choice to temper his five internal organs simultaneously.

It could only be said that in the midst of everything, it was the will of heaven.

He released his suppression on the other Meridians. In an instant, the Five Elements Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth frantically converged toward the small courtyard.

The sharpness of Metal, the vitality of Wood, the softness of Water, the intensity of Fire, and the heaviness of Earth—the Spiritual Qi of the five attributes no longer repelled each other. Instead, they followed the trajectory of the Five Elements' mutual generation, circulating and blending within his body, forming a perfect and flawless Spiritual Qi cycle.

Lin Qing slowly opened his eyes, a five-colored light flashing within them before disappearing in an instant.

Outside the window, the twilight had deepened, and starlight was scattered. No one knew that in an unremarkable courtyard in Qingzhou City, someone had accomplished an unprecedented feat in the Canglan Continent.

Five pulses opened simultaneously, all Five Elements complete!