Chapter 538: The Origin of the Five Elements Battle Method

"Finally, it's done." Lu Yang stretched, feeling accomplished. With guidance from the Elder of Imparting Skills, their learning progressed rapidly, and they had made significant headway with the Five Elements Battle Tactic.

The Elder of Imparting Skills stroked his white beard and nodded slightly. "Excellent," he said, "I have nothing left to teach you."

Among all the disciples he had taught, Lu Yang and his four companions were the quickest to master the Five Elements Battle Tactic. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's powerful divine senses played a significant, leading role in their cultivation.

Another crucial factor was their remarkable unity, which made their learning incredibly efficient.

"The Five Elements Battle Tactic is indeed very powerful." Li Haoran nodded subtly. If the Netherworld Sect had mastered the Five Elements Battle Tactic, Qin Haoran and the four Vice Sect Leaders, acting together, might have been able to repel the debt collectors.

Of course, this presumed that the four Vice Sect Leaders were aware of the Netherworld Sect's financial deficit and would remain united in the future.

"By the way, given how extraordinary this Five Elements Battle Tactic is, who was the senior figure who invented it? Who possessed such world-shaking talent?" Lu Yang asked curiously.

"The Five Elements Battle Tactic was created by Mr. Tiankui, the founding patriarch of our Five Elements Sect. He was a generational genius who laid many foundations for our sect, and the Five Elements Battle Tactic is one of them."

Mr. Tiankui was renowned throughout Great Xia. One hundred thousand years ago, he was a contemporary mighty figure on par with Venerable Guiyuan of the Dao Seeking Sect, and he played a key role in establishing the Five Great Immortal Sects.

The Elder of Imparting Skills showed a nostalgic expression, recalling the stories passed down orally within the Five Elements Sect.

"Mr. Tiankui hailed from a scholarly family during the late Great Yu Dynasty. Deeply influenced by the theory of 'ruler, minister, father, son,' he originally intended to pass the imperial examinations, join the military, and lay the groundwork for a future rebellion. Wouldn't it be wonderful, he thought, to issue a call and have hundreds respond, establishing himself as king?… Those last two sentences were Mr. Tiankui's own words from his daily writings, not mine."

"Unfortunately, before he could even pass the imperial examinations, the Great Yu Emperor was gone, assassinated on his throne. His path to joining the military and rebelling thus collapsed."

"…Elder, wait a minute. You just said Mr. Tiankui was deeply influenced by the 'ruler, minister, father, son' theory, and then he rebelled?" Although it was impolite to interrupt an elder, Meng Jingzhou couldn't help himself.

"That's right. Mr. Tiankui grew tired of that 'ruler, minister, father, son' theory and simply wanted to see what would happen if he didn't follow it."

Mang Gu suddenly understood. So there were Confucian cultivators who didn't just rigidly adhere to texts but also used practice to verify their correctness. He realized his previous learning had been too inflexible.

"During the great chaos, Mr. Tiankui's cultivation wasn't sufficient to contend for power. So, he diligently cultivated, using the chaos of the battlefield to fuel his growth, and his cultivation rapidly increased."

"Despite Mr. Tiankui's rare talent and fast cultivation speed, by the time he became a regional overlord, the Jiang family had already triumphed and claimed the imperial throne. He was a step too late."

"Mr. Tiankui remained melancholic for days, traveling the world to clear his mind. One day, he accidentally stumbled upon a fairy realm and gained a great fortuitous encounter."

"A fairy realm?" The word "fairy" caught Lu Yang's attention. Usually, such places were called secret realms, so anything referred to as a "fairy realm" must surely be related to immortals.

"It's just related to immortals. Look at you, making a fuss. What's a fairy realm in front of this immortal?" The Immortal Fairy said lazily, completely unconcerned. She herself was an immortal, so everything she did was related to immortals.

Lu Yang looked suspiciously at the Immortal Fairy, as if she claimed to know the location of such a realm. *If only you knew the location of even one fairy realm,* he thought.

Feeling Lu Yang's scornful gaze, the Immortal Fairy loftily declared her worth: "This immortal resides in your spiritual world. Therefore, where this immortal resides is an immortal's spiritual world! In short, this is the Immortal Realm!"

It was the first time Lu Yang had heard the Immortal Realm explained in such a way. He rolled his eyes, then refocused his attention on the Elder of Imparting Skills' story.

"According to Mr. Tiankui's records, that secret realm contained an immortal's grand design, a strategy that spanned eons, with mysteries hidden everywhere. He even saw the lingering shadows of immortals, preserved for eternity, as if ancient history was replaying before him. Yet, the immortals' faces were obscured, a mere blur!"

"Two immortals were playing a game on a chessboard. The pieces were black and white, and their arrangement was exquisite. Every move was meticulously planned before execution, sometimes taking months for a single move. It was as if they weren't playing a game of chess, but manipulating eons of time and the destinies of all living beings!"

"During the game, a third immortal, disguised as a woodcutter, came to observe."

"Mr. Tiankui became completely immersed. By the time he came to his senses, a century had passed!"

"Observing the black and white pieces battling on the board, struggling to form a line of five, he experienced a sudden enlightenment."

"Mr. Tiankui realized that the five pieces corresponded to the Five Elements. Connecting five pieces in a line signified ultimate victory, representing the unification of the Five Elements, which possessed immense power, enough to move even immortals."

"He immediately entered secluded cultivation on that very spot. Based on his insights, he created the Five Elements Battle Tactic and, upon emerging, founded the Five Elements Sect."

"Regrettably, when Mr. Tiankui emerged from seclusion, the immortal shadows vanished and never reappeared."

"Mr. Tiankui claimed his talent was dull, having only comprehended one or two tenths of the truth. He believed there were deeper meanings in that game that he failed to uncover, such as why the third immortal, the woodcutter, came to observe, or the significance of his woodcutting. Was it meant to symbolize all living beings as firewood, or to indicate his neutral stance?"

The Elder of Imparting Skills shook his head regretfully. Too many things remained unclear. Ancient times were mysterious, and even now, their understanding of that era was merely a glimpse.

Lu Yang remained silent.

He remembered the Immortal Fairy once mentioning that Immortal Yingtian and Immortal Qilin, trying to avoid eating her cooking, used playing chess as an excuse to refuse to leave. The Immortal Fairy then sent Immortal Jiuzhong to cut firewood for cooking. After cutting the wood, Immortal Jiuzhong went to watch the game. The three immortals ended up playing chess for a hundred years.

Lu Yang had assumed that a game played for a hundred years would be something profound, like Go, which encompassed the principles of heaven and earth.

So, it turned out they were just playing Five-in-a-Row!

"See? Didn't I tell you? Immortal Jiuzhong incorporated Yin-Yang and the Five Elements into the chessboard to enlighten later generations. This is a perfect example!" the Immortal Fairy said righteously, finally encountering proof that she was telling the truth.

"By the way, Elder, is that fairy realm still there?"

"Yes, it is. Although the immortal shadows vanished and no one has gained any insights from it since, Mr. Tiankui considered it a fairy realm nonetheless, so he moved it back to the sect."

Lu Yang thought to himself, *No wonder the first Elder of the Gold Lineage moved several mountains back to the sect. Your founding patriarch even moved a fairy realm!*

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

"Can we enter the secret realm to observe the immortals' chessboard?"

After all, it was a place where three immortals had resided; there might be some clues. Hearing Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou and the others also became interested. This was something related to immortals; they definitely wanted to see it.

The Elder of Imparting Skills pondered for a moment. "I'll need to consult with the Sect Master about this. I imagine he will agree."