Great Five Elements Divine Light, Complete!

Lei Nuo had long since grown accustomed to this. He patted the two beside him on the head. "Ah... you saw it too, didn't you? This is how cruel the world of Soul Masters is. Whatever you do in the future, you must make sure you're safe."

"But you've got good luck, Qingchen. If I'm not mistaken, that should be a Vajra White Tiger with four hundred years of cultivation. It has the metal attribute, so it's well suited to you."

After a brief period of adjustment, Lin Qingchen quickly recovered. He nodded to Lei Nuo.

"Then sorry for the trouble, Dean."

"Don't mention it."

Lei Nuo summoned the Thunderous Spear and opened with his classic third Soul Skill, Thunderclap Descent. He leaped into the air and plunged straight at the feeding Vajra White Tiger.

The sudden blow sent the white tiger flying. Lightning rampaged across its body, leaving several charred wounds.

"Roar!"

The white tiger instinctively thought he was an enemy come to steal its food. It immediately crouched, then lifted its body and swept its iron-rod-like tail at Lei Nuo.

"Oh? Not only are you not running when you see me, you actually dare to fight back?"

Lei Nuo raised an eyebrow, then immediately unleashed his second Soul Skill.

He thrust his spear more than a dozen times in succession, so fast it seemed he had struck only once. In the blink of an eye, blood splattered from the white tiger as more than a dozen holes were punched through it.

"Awoo..."

Only then did the white tiger realize this enemy was beyond its match. It immediately prepared to flee.

But it was too late. Lei Nuo unleashed his first Soul Skill, Thunderous Thrust, once more. He closed the distance in an instant and drove his spear through the white tiger, pinning it to the ground.

"Qingchen! Quick!"

Hearing the shout, Lin Qingchen hurriedly activated Martial Soul Possession with his Five Elements Qilin Martial Soul. He raced to the Vajra White Tiger's side and ended its life with the short sword in his hand.

A yellow Soul Ring slowly rose.

Lei Nuo looked at the Soul Ring, put away the Thunderous Spear, and let out a long breath.

"After so many days, we've finally succeeded. Qingchen, hurry and absorb it."

"Yes."

Lin Qingchen sat cross-legged on the ground, but he did not immediately begin absorbing the Soul Ring. Instead, he considered how to absorb the five Soul Rings as he had envisioned in his plan, in the hope of developing an ability called Great Five Elements Divine Light.

After turning it over in his mind, he reasoned that, according to the original work, Great Five Elements Divine Light used five Soul Rings to correspond to the powers of the five attributes. That meant he ought to need five Soul Ring slots.

To make one Soul Ring produce the effect of those five, the only method that seemed remotely possible was to use Great Five Elements Escape to draw in the powers of the five attributes, then use the principle of the five elements' mutual generation to layer all five elements within one Soul Ring.

Then let's give it a try...

Lin Qingchen looked around. There were trees, earth, weapons dropped by people Soul Hunting, and a small stream. Together with the black powder he always carried, the powers of the five elements were all present.

He considered it, then decided that if he wanted to succeed, he would use the Vajra White Tiger's Soul Ring as the vessel.

He assumed a posture with the soles of his feet, palms, and crown facing the heavens. A miniature Five Elements Qilin appeared above his right palm.

The Vajra White Tiger's Soul Ring slowly shrank and slipped over the Qilin.

At a thought from Lin Qingchen, a stream of Metal Qi surged out of the various weapons and suits of armor around him. Drawn by Great Metal Element Escape, it slowly descended upon the Five Elements Qilin in his palm.

The metal-attribute Soul Power was as sharp as a blade, rampaging through his meridians. Blood trickled from the corner of Lin Qingchen's mouth, and fine cuts opened across his skin.

But to his surprise, guided by the Metal Qi, the Soul Ring was not directly fused with him. Instead, it began to revolve around the Qilin, and white markings lit up on it.

It's working!

Delighted, Lin Qingchen paid no heed to his wounds and immediately began the next step.

First, molten metal generated water. According to the principle of mutual generation, water should be the first attribute he chose.

He infused Soul Power, and the Book of Partial Understanding opened.

The first page lit up with black light, and the water-attribute Soul Ring descended into Lin Qingchen's palm under his guidance.

At the same time, dark Water Qi flew from the nearby stream, drawn by Great Water Element Escape, establishing a connection between the Qilin and the water-attribute Soul Ring.

In an instant, a chill force washed through his body. Lin Qingchen's breath gradually turned to white mist, while black markings lit up on the Qilin, flowing over its body like ripples of water.

But as the saying went, the highest good was like water; water bore all things. This actually made Lin Qingchen's meridians considerably wider and tougher, and the sharp Metal Qi that had been raging through him like blades immediately stabilized.

Not only that, but once the connection had stabilized, the Metal Qi slowly seeped into the Water Qi, causing it to grow ever stronger.

Seeing this, Lin Qingchen knew he could not delay, or the metal attribute would surely be converted entirely into the water attribute.

With a thought, he turned another page of the Book of Partial Understanding. A hundred-year wood-attribute Soul Ring emerged from the page and slowly descended toward his palm.

At the same time, emerald-green Wood Qi flew out of the dense forest around him, drawn by Great Wood Element Escape.

The Soul Ring soon settled into place, and Lin Qingchen grunted.

Wood-attribute Soul Power surged into his meridians, brimming with vitality. In the blink of an eye, it healed the wounds the Metal Qi had cut into his body.

In his palm, the illusory Five Elements Qilin let out a low growl, and a green marking lit up on its scales.

The pages turned again, and red light blazed from the third page.

A hundred-year fire-attribute Soul Ring and the Fire Qi refined from the gunpowder descended into his palm together.

A searing heat swept through his limbs and bones, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on Lin Qingchen's forehead.

Fortunately, the Water Qi protected him from bursting into flames, leaving him merely feeling scorching hot.

Scarlet flames sprang up between the illusory Qilin's scales, intertwining with the green marking.

As wood burned to generate fire, the green marking shone to its brightest, and the red marking ignited in turn.

The fourth attribute ring was complete.

The fourth page shone with yellow light.

The hundred-year earth-attribute Soul Ring settled into place, and a heavy force pressed down. Lin Qingchen's body sank, and fine cracks appeared in the ground.

But he was already sitting cross-legged on the ground. Endless Earth Qi rose from it, supporting the Soul Ring from below.

Yellow halos appeared beneath the Qilin's four hooves. Fire burned to generate earth, and as the flames continued to blaze, yellow markings took shape in turn.

Lin Qingchen closed his eyes. As time passed, the Metal Qi was completely converted into Water Qi, then continued through the cycle until it all became Earth Qi.

The immense Earth Qi compressed further and further, until, upon reaching its limit, it finally gave birth to a trace of Metal Qi.

When that wisp of white light appeared, the final step in the five elements' mutual generation was complete: earth harbored and generated metal.

In his palm, the illusory Qilin raised its head and let out a long cry. All five markings lit up at once.

The green marking generated the red, the red generated the yellow, the yellow generated the white, the white generated the black, and the black generated the green.

The five elements generated one another, their five-colored light joining into a ring, cycling endlessly, generation without end.

The Qilin's presence surged, and the five colors of light merged into one.

At the same time, the five Soul Rings merged as well, forming a new yellow Soul Ring.

Unfortunately, the principle of the five elements' mutual generation could not break the Soul Ring's own limitations. Its age had only risen to the limit below a thousand years.

This time, Lin Qingchen did not hesitate. He directly chose to draw in and fuse with the Soul Ring.

Perhaps because he had fused this Soul Ring himself, it showed not the slightest sign of resistance and was absorbed smoothly.

But the instant the absorption succeeded, the force of mutual restraint erupted with a crash.

Wood broke through earth, earth blocked water, water extinguished fire, fire melted metal, and metal cut down wood.

This manifested in the markings on the Five Elements Qilin in his palm devouring one another and gradually fading.

The five elements restrained one another, and the five colors of light suppressed each other, forming a ring.

Lin Qingchen would not simply sit and watch. He immediately called upon the powers of the five elements and used the principle of mutual generation to form another ring, opposite to the first.

The two rings intersected and spun, the forces of mutual generation and mutual restraint tearing at each other.

Lin Qingchen's body trembled violently as the Soul Power of the five attributes in his meridians was pulled by both forces at once.

He gritted his teeth and pressed all his Soul Power toward his dantian.

The illusory Qilin planted its four hooves on the ground. The rings of mutual generation and mutual restraint spun together, faster and faster.

The five-colored lights collided, ground against one another, and fused between the two rings.

Only when the two utterly opposing rings reached a strange balance did the dazzling light soften. At last, the five colors merged completely into one.

The five-colored point of light between the Qilin's brows condensed into shape.

A ray of five-colored divine light shot from between its brows and out of his body.

Lin Qingchen raised his hand.

A five-colored orb of light appeared in his palm. It spun and compressed, finally becoming a beam of five-colored divine light.

Great Five Elements Divine Light, complete!