The Origins of the Five-Element Battle Formation

"Finally done."

Lu Yang stretched and yawned. With the guidance of the elder who imparted the skills, their learning progressed rapidly, and they had made some progress in the Five Elements Battle Technique.

The elder who was passing on his skills stroked his white beard and nodded slightly. "Indeed, I have nothing more to teach you."

Among the disciples he taught, Lu Yang and his group of four mastered the Five Elements Combat Technique the fastest. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's powerful Divine Sense played a significant role in this, acting as the dominant force in their cultivation.

Another important point is that the five of them are very united, which makes their learning twice as effective.

"The Five Elements Battle Strategy is indeed very powerful."

Li Haoran nodded secretly. If the Nine Nether Sect mastered the Five Elements Battle Technique, Qin Haoran and the four vice sect leaders could certainly defeat the debt collectors.

Of course, this is on the premise that the four vice leaders are aware of the Nine Nether Sect's current financial deficit and that they can remain united in the future.

"Speaking of this Five Elements Battle Technique, it's so magical. Who was the senior who invented it, possessing such extraordinary talent?" Lu Yang asked curiously.

"This Five Elements Battle Technique was created by our Five Elements Sect's founding patriarch, Master Tiankui. He was a genius of his generation, leaving behind many foundations for our Five Elements Sect, and the Five Elements Battle Technique is one of them."

Master Tiankui was a renowned figure in the Great Xia Dynasty. Ten thousand years ago, he was a great power of his time, on par with Guiyuan Tianzun of the Ask Dao Sect, and he spearheaded the establishment of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

The elder who was passing on his skills showed a look of reminiscence, recalling the story that had been passed down orally within the Five Elements Sect.

"Mr. Tiankui came from a scholarly Aristocratic Clan in the late Great Yu period. He was deeply influenced by the theories of ruler-subject and father-son relationships. He originally wanted to pass the imperial examinations, join the army, and lay the foundation for a future rebellion. He thought that if he could call upon a hundred people to join him, he could become king. Wouldn't that be wonderful?... The last two sentences are Mr. Tiankui's original words from his daily life, not mine."

"What a pity! Before he could even pass the imperial examinations, the Emperor of Great Yu died and was assassinated on his throne. His path to joining the army and rebelling was thus thwarted."

"... Elder, wait a minute. You just said that Mr. Tiankui was deeply influenced by the theories of ruler-subject and father-son relationships, and then he rebelled?" Although one shouldn't interrupt elders, Meng Jingzhou couldn't help but speak up.

"That's right. Mr. Tiankui is tired of learning the old ways of ruler and subject, father and son, and wants to see what happens if he doesn't do it that way."

Man Gu suddenly realized that there were Confucian scholars who did this, not just by studying books, but also by using practice to verify whether the books were correct. He had been studying too rigidly before.

"When the world was in chaos, Mr. Tiankui's cultivation was not high enough to compete for the world, so he honestly cultivated and used killing to sustain himself on the battlefield, which led to his rapid increase in cultivation."

"Although Mr. Tiankui possessed extraordinary talent and cultivated at a rapid pace, by the time he became a regional overlord, the Jiang family had already triumphed and declared themselves emperors. He was a step too late."

"Mr. Tiankui was always depressed and traveled the world to clear his mind. One day, he accidentally entered a fairyland and obtained a great fortuitous opportunity."

"Fairyland?" Lu Yang was influenced by the word "fairyland." Generally speaking, they are called secret realms. If something is qualified to be called a fairyland, it must be related to immortals.

"It's just related to immortals. Look at you, making such a fuss. What is the Immortal Realm compared to me?" the Immortal Fairy said lazily, completely unconcerned. She was an immortal, and everything she did was related to immortals.

Lu Yang looked at the Immortal Fairy with suspicion, as if she knew the location of the Fairy Realm.

If only you knew the location of a fairyland.

Feeling disdainfully looked at by Lu Yang, the Immortal Fairy arrogantly asserted her worth. "I reside in your spiritual world, and the place I stay is the spiritual world of immortals. Simply put, this is the Immortal Realm!"

This was the first time Lu Yang had heard the Immortal Realm explained it this way.

He rolled his eyes, then snapped back to reality and continued listening to the Elder of Transmission tell his story.

"According to Mr. Tiankui's records, that secret realm was laid out by immortals, their schemes spanning millennia, with hidden mysteries everywhere. He even saw the shadows of immortals lingering through the ages, as if High Antiquity history were replaying before him, yet the immortals' faces were invisible, a blurry blur!"

"Two immortals played a game of chess on a board, with pieces in black and white. The layout was exquisite, and every move was carefully planned. They would only make one move every few months, as if they were not playing chess, but playing with eternity and the fate of all living beings!"

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

"Master Tiankui was so engrossed in his work that a century had passed when he came to his senses!"

"He saw the black and white pieces locked in a fierce battle on the chessboard, struggling to form a five-piece chain, and suddenly had an epiphany."

"Master Tiankui believed that the five pieces corresponded to the five elements, and that the five pieces forming a line would bring final victory, signifying the unity of the five elements and possessing immense power, which even moved the immortals."

"He secluded himself in seclusion, using this as a basis to create the Five Elements Battle Technique, and founded the Five Elements Sect after emerging from seclusion."

"Unfortunately, with Mr. Tiankui's emergence from seclusion, the immortal's image vanished and could never be seen again."

"Master Tiankui claims to be dull-witted, only grasping one or two tenths of the essence. There must be deeper aspects to that game of chess that he hasn't discovered. For example, why did the third immortal woodcutter come to watch the game? What was the purpose of chopping wood? Was it to use all living beings as fuel, or to demonstrate his neutral stance?"

The elder who was passing on his skills shook his head regretfully. There were too many things that couldn't be explained. The High Antiquity were mysterious, and even now, their understanding of the High Antiquity was only fragmentary.

Lu Yang: "..."

He remembered that the Immortal Fairy had said that the Heavenly Immortal and the Qilin Immortal refused to eat the Immortal Fairy's cooking, using chess as an excuse. The Immortal Fairy then asked the Nine Heavens Immortal to chop wood so that she could cook. After chopping wood, the Nine Heavens Immortal went to watch the chess game, and the three immortals played chess for a hundred years.

Lu Yang originally thought that something that could last for a hundred years must be Go, something that contains the universe.

So you two were playing Connect Four!

"See what I told you? The Nine Heavens Immortal integrated Yin and Yang and the Five Elements into the chessboard to enlighten future generations. Isn't this a ready-made example?" The Immortal Fairy said confidently, finally finding an example that could prove she was telling the truth.

"By the way, Elder, does that fairyland still exist?"

"Yes, although the immortal's shadow has disappeared and no one can glean anything from it anymore, Master Tiankui felt that this was still a celestial realm, so he moved it back to his sect."

Lu Yang thought to himself, "No wonder the first Golden Vein Elder moved several mines back to the sect. Your first Sect Master even moved the Immortal Realm!"

But now is not the time to complain about this.

"Can we enter the secret realm to observe the immortal chess game?"

It's the place where three immortals reside, after all; there might be some clues there.

Hearing Lu Yang say this, Meng Jingzhou and the others also became interested. This was something related to immortals, and they had to see it no matter what.

The Transmission Elder pondered for a moment, "I need to consult the Sect Master about this matter; I believe the Sect Master will agree."

(An extra chapter will be updated at midnight)