Comprehending Swordsmanship

From the positioning of the Five Elements, earth occupied the center, serving as the qi that balanced yin and yang and rested upon the four directions. Thus, this Five-Colored Coiling Dragon Staff focused primarily on earth-attributed techniques, mobilizing the four attributes of metal, wood, water, and fire and fusing them together. This also shared hidden connections with the Five Elements formation, so the formation had been blended into it as well. Its transformations were so intricate and complex they could almost be called endless.

Although Yan Chihuo had watched Yuan Qingquan and Yuan Bai use it in succession, and now understood the method of fusing spells, only upon being caught within it did he truly feel the pressure. The Five Elements revolved: fire's explosive violence, water's rounded suppleness, wood's inexhaustible flow, metal's razor sharpness, and earth's heavy solidity merged into one seamless whole. Not a thread of spiritual power leaked out, nor was there the slightest flaw. He could not help sighing inwardly. "Once trapped within this technique, one must either break the formation with force or exhaust the opponent's spiritual power to escape. But with the Five Elements revolving, the trapped person consumes several times more spiritual power than the opponent. How could he possibly prevail?"

Yan Chihuo was now caught in precisely this dilemma. If he wished to comprehend the Five-Colored Coiling Dragon Staff, he had to remain trapped within it and struggle against it. Yet though his spiritual power was deeper and purer than Yuan Bai's, he could not withstand such expenditure. But if he broke the Five-Colored Coiling Dragon Staff, he could forget about experiencing the subtleties of this staff technique again. For a moment, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Yuan Dao and Yuan Ming exchanged a glance, both thinking, "If