Chapter Forty-Five: The Ten Thousand Dragons Art – The Five Elements

If you possessed only a single elemental constitution, then you could proceed directly with cultivation; there would be little to consider. However, you are different. Since you intend to cultivate all five elements, ordinary auxiliary methods will only yield half the results for twice the effort. The speed of progress aside, it is difficult to truly attain the level of profound mastery.

You have now preliminarily refined spiritual power of earth and fire attributes, yet there is no bridge or link between the two—much like rootless duckweed floating adrift. Therefore, your next step is to reconstruct all your cultivation techniques according to the new method I have imparted to you: the Myriad Dragon Formula.

The five elements in the Myriad Dragon Formula are as follows:
Wood is inherently warm, fire lies hidden within it, and fire arises when wood is drilled—thus wood begets fire. So, the first step is to cultivate the Azure Dragon’s wood attribute technique.
Fire is blazing, consuming wood and leaving ash—thus fire begets earth. The second step is to cultivate the Red Dragon’s fire attribute technique.
Stone conceals metal within, and metal is nourished by mountain streams—thus earth begets metal. The third step is to cultivate the Black Dragon’s earth attribute technique.
Metal gives rise to water; the gentle yin energy flows and moistens, and metal relies on water to be born—thus metal begets water. The fourth step is to cultivate the Golden Dragon’s metal attribute technique.
Water moistens and enables wood to grow—thus water begets wood. Therefore, the final step is to cultivate the White Dragon’s water attribute technique.

At the Foundation Establishment stage, all you need to do is refine the spiritual essence of the five elements, supplementing it with the Myriad Dragon Formula in this manner for cultivation.

When you have achieved the Golden Core, it is best to replace all your spiritual essences with the five elemental spirits naturally formed by heaven and earth. Later, when you break the core and form the infant, laying the foundation for immortality, I will teach you the Five Sacred Beasts method—using the Azure Dragon of the east for wood, the White Tiger of the west for metal, the Vermilion Bird of the south for fire, the Black Turtle of the north for water, and the Qilin of the center for earth—to help you ascend to an even higher level.

Absorbing the grand and lofty methods imparted to him by the Sovereign of Supreme Extremity, Gu Xiaopang felt as though a new world had opened before his eyes. Though he had not formally begun the cultivation, he could already imagine how powerful he would become if he succeeded by following these methods. Yet alongside his excitement, he also felt the weight of responsibility and the long road ahead.

“Master, what comes after that?” he asked.

“After that, you must search for the origins of the five elements...”

“You rascal, don’t aim too high!”

“Wait until you reach that stage, and I’ll tell you then—it’s not too late.”

Without further ado, Gu Xiaopang composed himself and gradually entered a state of selfless cultivation.

Recently, Gu Zaizuo had visited once; seeing the door tightly shut, he probed with his spiritual sense, but did not disturb Gu Xiaopang’s cultivation and left on his own.

Three days later, Gu Xiaopang, meditating in cultivation, had azure dragon-shaped currents swirling and flickering around his body. As his master described it, this signified he had achieved minor mastery in the wood attribute.

Five days later, thanks to his prior experience with fire and earth attributes, azure, red, and black currents now spiraled around him.

Ten days later, when Gu Xiaopang gradually awoke from cultivation, five streams—azure, red, black, gold, and white—twined around him like a ring of five-colored dragons, their heads and tails linked, rising and falling ceaselessly.

“Master, does this mean I’ve successfully cultivated it? Haha!” Clenching and releasing his fists, feeling explosive power surging through his body, Gu Xiaopang asked Old Qin with excitement.

“It’s nothing special—ten days just to reach minor mastery in the basics?!”

A bit deflated, Gu Xiaopang put away his pride. He was unaware of Old Qin’s astonishment at that moment. The old man sighed inwardly, thinking that while he himself had only taken a short nap, this rascal had managed in ten days what had taken him more than a month to achieve—minor mastery of the five elements.

Over the next four days, Gu Xiaopang also refined the swift wind and thunder essences he had unexpectedly collected in the secret realm. Now, alongside his five-element dragon ring, two irregular dragon-shaped currents appeared at its sides.

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