Five-Element Organ Tempering

Immortality, a lifespan as long as heaven's.

Ascending in broad daylight, shedding the mortal form and ascending.

It amounted to little more than these things, but what about Wang Zhuo?

He already stood at the pinnacle of a path beyond the reach of countless living beings. He stood on the mountaintop.

Everything they yearned for and pursued throughout their lives had been his from birth.

So Wang Zhuo's thoughts differed from those of most people.

He wanted some changes, changes that transcended personhood, changes that transcended his nature.

On the foundation of transcending life and death, he wanted to make even greater changes.

Rather than one person attaining immortality and the Dao, why not let everyone under heaven become immortal!

Seeing that he had sunk into thought, Lu Jin cautioned him, "For cultivators of the Dao, carelessness is the greatest taboo. Wealth, companions, methods, and lands-not one can be lacking."

"Nothing can be forced. You must follow the natural course."

Wang Zhuo slowly spoke. "Old Master, you said the final step was turning the body into True Qi, meaning the Qi within your own body, right?"

"Correct. The body is True Qi, and True Qi is the body, without form or appearance."

"But... human Qi has its limits, while heaven and earth are inexhaustible."

"Why not draw upon the Qi of heaven and earth to cultivate my own body?"

?!!!

Lu Jin was aghast.

He had never considered such an outlandish idea. This could no longer be called a technique; it could already be considered a Dao.

To actually seek to merge with heaven and earth-what a mad idea!

"That... is impossible. Humans are humans, and heaven and earth are heaven and earth. They cannot merge. Why would heaven let humans share in it?"

Though he denied it aloud, Lu Jin truly felt a surge of excitement inside.

With this young man's comprehension, perhaps he really could blaze a path beyond the Threefold Reversal.

Wang Zhuo was not surprised by Lu Jin's rejection. His eyes fixed on the river, he continued:

"I was born of heaven and earth, nourished by heaven and earth. I am heaven and earth, and heaven and earth are me. The Dao is me, and I am the Dao."

"All living beings in this world evolved from heaven and earth."

"How, then, can there be a division between heaven, earth, and humanity?"

"The Qi of all heavens surges boundlessly; my Dao flourishes day by day."

The Qi of all heavens surges boundlessly; my Dao flourishes day by day.

Was that how those words were meant to be interpreted?

Yet as his words fell, white light had already emerged around Wang Zhuo, his silver hair dancing.

Threefold Reversal, first stage!

He had succeeded?!

The shock in Lu Jin's heart was beyond description. He felt as though he stood in the center of a raging ocean, weathering the onslaught of gales and tsunamis.

This boy... this boy...

If this boy does not attain the Dao, heaven's justice cannot allow it.

Profound enlightenment, parting the clouds to reveal the sky-this is exactly the sort of person those words describe!

The alarm in Lu Jin's eyes quickly turned to excitement. He stared at Wang Zhuo as though looking at some priceless treasure.

"Good! Good! Good!"

In his excitement, he repeated the word three times. His aged body trembled, and his old hands wanted to grasp Wang Zhuo, yet he feared interrupting him.

"Good lad, you have ambition, but... don't rush things. Don't rush things!"

Lu Jin saw the Three-One Sect's future, saw its glorious past, saw the figures of his fellow disciples.

At that moment, all the hope in his heart converged upon this one young man.

Wang Zhuo rose respectfully and cupped his fist in salute to the elder, his voice like a gentle breeze. "Your grandson has learned his lesson. I will not fail your kindness in imparting the Dao. I will remember it always."

"You little brat, now you're putting on a serious face for this old man."

Laughing as he scolded him, Lu Jin let Wang Zhuo help him up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and looked at him with particular seriousness.

"As long as you understand."

The two walked side by side. When they entered the woods, Lu Jin barked, his voice heavy with authority, "You lot, how much longer do you intend to hide?"

"Ow! You're squashing me!"

"Who told you to keep leaning forward?"

Zhi Jinhua and Lu Linglong struggled to their feet, while the others scrambled out of the trees and woods in a flurry.

Looking at them, Lu Jin had intended to reprimand them, but he was in such a good mood that he simply waved his hand. "A bunch of little monkeys. Get back to bed. It's so late, and you're still nosing around."

"Hehehe, we were just curious, Great-Grandpa. You were giving Brother Liu private lessons. Of course we were curious." Smiling like spring blossoms, Lu Linglong hurried over and took his arm.

"Let's talk as we walk. What exactly were you two talking about over there? You talked for so long."

"I'll tell you when we get back..."

Before they left, Wang Zhuo walked over to Lu Linglong, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "If you want to get rich, listen to your big brother. Let me tell you..."

Lu Linglong was doubtful at first, but once she heard that he was putting up his own money to bet too, her excitement surged.

"What are you two little brats whispering about?!" Watching their furtive behavior, Lu Jin kept getting an uneasy feeling.

"Nothing, nothing, Great-Grandpa." Lu Linglong hurried back.

At midnight, Wang Zhuo came alone to the arena for tomorrow's matches, looked around at the seats above, then looked at the bright moon.

He casually sat cross-legged on the dirt.

Gathering the elixir, seated meditation...

What is True Qi?

"The Classic of Difficult Issues once spoke of the moving Qi between the kidneys. In its eighth difficulty, it further stated:

'The twelve meridians are all connected to the source of vital Qi. This so-called source of vital Qi is the foundation of the twelve meridians, the moving Qi between the kidneys. It is the foundation of the five organs and six viscera, the root of the twelve meridians.'

'The gate of breathing, the source of the triple burner, also called the spirit that guards against evil. Thus, Qi is the foundation of humanity.'"

The twelve meridians circulated within the body, passing among the five organs. What were the five organs?

Thus:

Liver (wood)

Lungs (metal)

Kidneys (water)

Heart (fire)

Spleen (earth)

The lower yin was the pig.

The upper yang was the ape.

Qi entered the five elements, following the twelve meridians through the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys in a five-element cycle, traversing the microcosmic orbit.

Daoism spoke of deep inhalations and shallow exhalations, one breath of Qi exhaled in two.

It meant taking one deep breath and releasing it in two breaths.

Wang Zhuo rapidly flipped through the four books in his hands, combining them with information he looked up on the phone beside him, quickly filling in the various gaps in his mind.

It is not necessarily impossible to reach heaven; I simply had not yet arrived when the Dao was being sought.

I have every Logia Devil Fruit within my body. Why not fuse them into my five organs?

This mad idea gradually took shape in his mind.

When people cultivated Qi, they knew only to guide it through the five organs and circulate it through the meridians. It was guest Qi lodging in a house; once the Qi dispersed, the house was empty.

The Threefold Reversal went a step further, transforming flesh and blood into True Qi and reverting to the prenatal state. It followed a path of "dismantling the house and returning to the source."

But Wang Zhuo refused to follow the old path.

The five organs of the human body inherently possessed the properties of the five elements.

Since he harbored the natural elements of heaven and earth, why not refine those elements into their corresponding organs?

Why not let the five organs themselves become the true sources of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth?

His breathing gradually deepened, and in the air around him, there faintly began to stir

gentle heat, golden radiance, earthen heaviness, woody vitality, and watery cold.

Five extremely faint elemental powers followed his meridians toward their respective places as he continued his deductions inwardly:

The heart resides in the upper burner and belongs to fire.

Fuse the essence of blazing fire and refine it into the true form of heart fire.

It governs burning and light, corresponds above to the Crimson Palace, and serves as the commander of Yang Thunder.

Released, its thunder burns the sky; held within, it warms and nourishes every bone.

The lungs reside in the chest and belong to metal.

Fuse the sharpness of metal and iron and refine it into the true form of lung metal.

It governs killing and protection, corresponds above to the Flowery Canopy, and serves as the cutting edge of Yang Thunder.

Released, it cleaves through all arts; held within, it keeps Qi from leaking out.

The spleen resides in the central region and belongs to earth.

Fuse the virtue of deep earth and refine it into the true form of spleen earth.

It governs bearing and transformation, occupies the central position to mediate yin and yang, and serves as the pivot of the five elements.

Released, it suppresses all evil; held within, it harmonizes the other four organs.

The liver resides beneath the ribs and belongs to wood.

Fuse the vitality of vegetation and refine it into the true form of liver wood.

It governs free flow and growth, corresponds below to the yin pivot, and serves as the root of Yin Thunder.

Released, it generates life without end; held within, it keeps the movement of Qi flowing freely.

The kidneys reside in the lower burner and belong to water.

Fuse the spirit of cold water and refine it into the true form of kidney water.

It governs storing essence and moistening downward, corresponds below to the water organ, and serves as the substance of Yin Thunder.

Released, it permeates without restriction; held within, it safeguards the Gate of Life.

This was the Five-Element Organ Tempering Technique!