Five-Element Cycle: The True Path to Enlightenment; Pointing the Way to the Extreme North to Earn Merit

Donghua lowered his eyes to look at Kong Xuan, who knelt prostrate on the ground. His gaze was as still as an ancient well, and he did not respond immediately.

The mountain breeze swept past, lifting the wide sleeves of his gilded Daoist robe and making them billow.

After a moment of silence, Donghua slowly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying unquestionable authority:

"To enter my sect, you must steadfastly uphold your True Heart and protect Heaven and Earth."

Kong Xuan took a deep breath, his gaze resolute. "This disciple will follow your teachings! Should I ever betray them, may my body perish and my Dao be extinguished!"

Donghua did not rush to help Kong Xuan earn merit and dispel his karmic burden. Instead, he slowly explained:

"You bear the innate origin of the Five Elements, yet your lineage has left you entangled in karmic burdens. You have never been able to glimpse the mysteries of the laws, and have always been denied the realm of Daluo."

"However, cultivators must cultivate both the Dao and its methods. The Dao is the foundation, of course, but its application is equally important and cannot be neglected.

"Your Five-Colored Divine Light may seem invincible, relying as it does on the power of your origin. In truth, however, it has not been gathered and integrated. It is like building a pagoda from loose sand: scattered, never united. Like a tree without roots, it can never grow tall enough to reach the heavens."

"Today, I will cultivate a method. Watch closely and see how the power of the Five Elements should be used."

With that, Donghua lowered his eyelids, and Dao Charm flowed around him. The entire mountain range trembled as the innate Geng Metal Qi stored within the earth's veins surged toward him like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

The pure Geng Metal Qi poured into his meridians without running wild. Instead, following the Five Qi in his Chest, it became a docile golden dragon.

"Watch closely." Donghua guided its path through his body with his will.

The Geng Metal Qi flowed according to his intent, tracing an intricate path within him.

The sharpness of Geng Metal Qi gradually arose in his lungs, and the true meaning of Mysterious Nether True Water emerged from the metal: metal begot water;

The kidney palace received the gentle Ren Water. As the water essence flowed in abundance, it spurred forth the vigorous vitality of Yi Wood: water begot wood;

The liver meridian absorbed the essence of Yi Wood. As green qi rose, sparks of Li Fire burst forth from the wood: wood begot fire;

The heart meridians kindled the fierce Bing Fire. Amid its blazing radiance, the solid essence of Wu Earth gradually emerged: fire begot earth;

The spleen palace received the stability of Wu Earth. As the thick soil of the Yellow Court settled, it gave birth to a new stream of Geng Metal Qi. Earth returned to metal, completing a perfect cycle.

Five-colored light flowed ceaselessly around Donghua, each element generating and transforming into the next, all as one.

The Geng Metal Qi, once sharp and unruly, became gentle and substantial within this cycle, suffused with Dao Charm.

Donghua's eyes were half-closed. Dao Sound flowed naturally between his lips and teeth, ringing like gold and jade as Dao Charm spread around him.

"The liver stores green light, nourished by wood; the heart shines with scarlet flames, warmed by fire; the spleen radiates yellow brilliance, borne by earth; the lungs gleam with white light, clear and austere as metal; the kidneys ripple with dark waves, moistened by water."

His voice grew increasingly distant as the Five Qi within him revolved in turn:

"Wood burns and gives rise to bright fire; fire blazes and becomes dust and earth; earth grows thick and nurtures refined metal; metal sharpens and condenses into true water; water brims and nourishes green wood."

His final words suddenly rang out with majestic grandeur: "The Five Qi cycle without beginning or end. The five organs resonate together and return to unity. They flow without cease, all obstructions vanish. With the fourth turn complete, the fifth appears of its own accord."

This Dao Sound was both a testament to Donghua's own cultivation and an explanation to Kong Xuan of the mysteries of the Five Elements generating and overcoming one another.

As the final note faded, the five-colored light around Donghua gradually drew inward, returning to an image of Chaos.

Donghua opened his eyes and saw Kong Xuan standing motionless, like a clay statue or wooden carving.

The profound truth of the Five Elements' interactions, made simple from complexity, was no mere imparting of knowledge. It was a catalyst, a key that instantly unlocked Kong Xuan's Dao-sensing sea of consciousness, sealed away for countless millennia.

Donghua stood still, watching the changes around Kong Xuan with a calm gaze. The once restless Five-Colored Divine Light gradually quieted, flowing in orderly submission like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, naturally following a mysterious path through his meridians.

The five streams of origin qi—green, yellow, red, black, and white—no longer clashed with one another. Instead, they linked end to end, forming a harmonious, circulating cycle.

As Dao Charm continued to gather, the faint shadow of a Dao Wheel gradually appeared behind Kong Xuan. Though it had yet to fully solidify, it already faintly revealed the profound principles of the Five Elements generating and overcoming one another.

"Worthy indeed of one who bears the origin of the Five Elements." Donghua nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his eyes.

"To grasp the principle of the Five Elements generating one another by watching a single cultivation session, then create a Supernatural Ability from it—such insight is truly rare."

After an unknown length of time, Kong Xuan suddenly opened his eyes.

The five-colored radiance behind him drew together completely, forming a perfect Dao Wheel that turned slowly.

His once dazzling peacock feathers now gleamed even more brilliantly. They floated quietly in the air, their light held within, yet they faintly radiated a terrifying aura capable of sweeping away all things and annihilating laws.

"Thank you, Master, for guiding this disciple and helping me comprehend this Supernatural Ability!"

Donghua nodded slightly, approval showing in his gaze:

"This Supernatural Ability was created through your own understanding of the principle of the Five Elements generating one another. And in all Heaven and Earth, you alone bear the origin of the Five Elements."

Donghua's voice was even, yet every word was clear:

"Once you comprehend the laws in the future, the power of this Supernatural Ability will grow accordingly. It can become the foundation on which you protect your Dao and overcome your foes."

Kong Xuan drew in the Five-Colored Divine Light flowing around him and asked respectfully:

"Master, now that I have comprehended a Supernatural Ability, what should I do next to earn merit, dispel my karmic burden, and seek a breakthrough into Daluo?"

Donghua smiled and waved a hand. "There is no need to rush. Come with me to West Kunlun, and we can speak further."

Though Kong Xuan was eager, he respectfully replied, "I will obey your command."

He then revealed his true peacock form, spreading his wings as Five-Colored Divine Light flowed like rosy clouds. Carrying Donghua, he flew toward West Kunlun.

Above the sea of clouds, Donghua finally spoke in an unhurried voice:

"Do you know how, during the Dragon-Han Calamity, the three clans fought endlessly and committed countless murders, becoming burdened with karmic sin and seeing their fortunes decline?

"Your mother Yuanfeng, Beginning Qilin, and Ancestral Dragon ultimately each suppressed a region of Heaven and Earth with their own bodies to preserve their clans from extinction. In exchange, they earned merit and gradually dispelled their karmic burdens. They could only wait slowly until their karmic burdens were completely erased!"

Kong Xuan's voice held a trace of unwillingness. "If I have to suppress a place and earn merit to dispel my karmic burden, how long will that take?"

"Had you not met me, that would have been the path you were fated to take." Donghua's tone was calm, yet carried a deeper meaning. "But now that you have entered my sect, I have another way to help you break through this predicament."

Donghua paused briefly, then continued, "At the beginning of creation, the resentment of the fallen Chaos Demon Gods would not dissipate. It transformed into ferocious beasts that ravaged the Primordial Wilderness, seeking to return everything to Chaos.

"Though the Beast Tribulation ended and the Great Tribulation subsided, the Extreme North Land still harbors immense baleful qi, which corrodes the Spiritual Mechanism of Heaven and Earth."

Donghua gazed north, his words growing more profound:

"If you can purify it, you will be repairing the Primordial Wilderness and benefiting Heaven and Earth. Merit will naturally descend upon you."

As he spoke, a clear light stirred within Donghua's sleeve, and a Nine-Ranked Lotus Platform slowly appeared.

Its petals were immaculate white, and innate Dao Charm that could purify all things coiled around it. It was none other than the Nine-Ranked Pure World White Lotus.

"This is a High-grade Innate Spirit Treasure containing the law of purification. It is ideally suited to dispel the baleful qi of the Extreme North. I give it to you today."

Donghua lightly tapped it with a fingertip. The lotus platform became a streak of light and entered the space between Kong Xuan's brows.