Lu Chen carried the manuals over to Nantian Wan'er. "These are the Flutter Willow Art and the Lotus Profound Art. Both require a very high affinity with the water element, which makes them perfect for you." He placed the books into her hands. "Since you've never practiced spells or martial techniques before, start with these Earth Tier manuals. Once you gain some experience, I'll help you find higher-ranked ones." "Wan'er, I'll also pick out a sword art for you." Wind Dragon pulled a sword manual from the shelf and tossed it to her. "This one's called Still Water Sword. It's an Earth Tier technique, but paired with the Yin Ocean Pearl, its power won't lose to most Human-rank sword arts." Nantian Wan'er accepted the manuals with a radiant smile. "Thank you, Lu-gege. Thank you, Lord Wind Dragon. I'll train hard, and one day I'll be the one protecting you, Lu-gege." She sat cross-legged beneath the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, channeling her spirit qi as she studied the manuals in her hands. Watching her being so earnest, Lu Chen reached out and ruffled her hair. "Good, good. With your talent, you'll definitely protect us all once you grow stronger." As Nantian Wan'er gradually slipped into her cultivation state, Lu Chen turned back to the pile of manuals. "Alright, time to find something for myself." Check latest chapters at NovelHub(.)net He had already reached the fifth level of the Qi Regulation Realm. The spirit qi reservoir within his Heavenly Pool had expanded hundreds of times, and with his natural talent, he could easily learn higher-level techniques. "So many manuals... which one should I choose?" The abundant five-element energies in his body allowed him to cultivate any attribute spell. Yet staring at the endless variety, he couldn't settle on one. "Why are there so many manuals here? I can't decide at all!" As he dug through the pile, he finally understood why the great figures dismissed ordinary techniques. To one standing atop a mountain of gold, a single stone meant nothing. On the Eastern Pole Continent, there weren't many techniques available to cultivators at the Qi Regulation Realm. Clans and sects tightly guarded most spell arts and martial techniques. Ordinary cultivators, before reaching this realm, were little more than stronger commoners with slightly better strength and defense. Thus, most practitioners only gained access to manuals after becoming inner disciples, devoting themselves entirely to the single manual they managed to obtain. But Lu Chen had the support of mighty beings. A single treasury of theirs already surpassed what clans and sects would accumulate over tens of thousands of years. Lu Chen frowned at Wind Dragon. "This is troublesome, truly troublesome! Why do I have so much five-elemental energy in my body? It makes choosing impossible. I can't even tell which manual I should practice!" Wind Dragon rolled his eyes. "If it bothers you that much, then don't choose. Honestly, you don't know how lucky you are." Lu Chen shook his head. "That won't do. I need to learn more techniques. The ones I have now are too few, and each drains an enormous amount of qi." He sighed, overwhelmed by the abundance of manuals before him. "This is so troublesome... Regardless of whether I learn or not, it's a headache." Every manual here was a masterpiece. Each one could cause a storm if released to the outside world. Yet in his hands, they were reduced to mere options to be picked through. Unlike Nantian Wan'er, whose body resonated with only one element and thus made her choice simple, he was paralyzed by the excess of possibilities. As he stared at the manuals, torn over which to choose, Feng Tiancheng's warning suddenly resurfaced in his mind—that carrying too many elements would only invite endless trouble.[1] Back then, he had doubted it, thinking affinity with all elements could only be a blessing for cultivation. But now, he finally understood. Even the simple act of choosing a method had become a burden. He was about to ask Wind Dragon for advice when his eyes suddenly lit up. A scroll, radiating a feeling of ancientness, drifted down from the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree. "What's this?" He caught it in his hands and saw the words "Yin-Yang Five Elements Coexistence Method" engraved on its surface. The moment he read those words, Lu Chen felt his heart stir. "This... this feels exactly like what I need." Bai Ze appeared at his side. "I picked that up in a secret realm long ago. Of all things, it might be the most suitable for you. Go on, open it. "It should be a technique left behind by a human emperor. But to me, it feels as though it was prepared especially for you. I hope it serves you well." "Prepared for me? Then I must take a look." Lu Chen gave him a nod before quickly unrolling the scroll. It stretched no more than two meters, shorter than most manuals, yet two-thirds of it detailed the structure of the human body and the harmony of yin and yang with the five elements. Lu Chen was immediately drawn in. "It really does seem... made for me." He sat cross-legged beside Nantian Wan'er and began circulating his qi according to the instructions on the scroll. In ancient times, heaven and earth split into yin and yang, from which the five elements arose. Within the human body, the five vital organs—the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—each corresponded to one element. This natural affinity was precisely why cultivators could wield elemental arts. "This is truly a treasure," Lu Chen murmured in awe. As he adjusted his posture and read on, the energies of the five elements within his Heavenly Pool and small world began to circulate of their own accord. Heaven and earth were once one. Heaven became yang, earth became yin. Their endless cycle gave birth to the ceaseless chain of mutual generation and restraint among the five elements. But the human body was not the same as the cosmos. Men were born with yang, women with yin. Their attraction and union balanced yin and yang within the body, a natural instinct. Yet such a balance was only meant for mortals. For cultivators who attempted to cultivate all five elements, relying solely on this instinctive balance would lead the elements to accumulate endlessly, destabilizing their cultivation foundations and planting the seeds of chaos. After long years of refinement, cultivators eventually chose to specialize in one elemental attribute, thus avoiding the imbalance of the five elements within their bodies. But with the strange and unpredictable changes in the cultivation world, people born with all five elements began to appear more frequently. That was the reason behind the creation of such a technique. Lu Chen quickly unrolled the two-meter scroll to its very end, only to find not a cultivation diagram, but a portrait of a woman. Beside it were the words "Empress White Hong." Lu Chen looked at the portrait and thought of a figure. That person was the empress who had shouldered an entire era. She had also cultivated all five elements, yet in the end, even she could not withstand the erosion of time. "Where's the method for channeling spirit qi?" Lu Chen spread the scroll flat on the ground. "How could it not contain the circulation technique? "The qi has already started flowing on its own. How could the scroll end here? That doesn't make sense." He released his spirit qi over the scroll and at last discovered a hidden gap within the handle. Inside, a stack of oiled papers lay perfectly preserved. Lu Chen carefully unfolded them. What emerged was a letter, reinforced by spirit qi. As he opened it, a stream of flowing light burst before his eyes. "The Yin-Yang Five Elements Coexistence Method is the experiment of my lifetime. I divided it into six parts and scattered them across the continent. This opening section records only my conjectures. Whoever finds it may attempt to cultivate it." After reading the glowing words, Lu Chen immediately realized that what he held contained nothing more than theories. "So this is only a fragment." Whether Empress Bai Hong had succeeded in the end remained uncertain. Perched atop Lu Chen's head, Wind Dragon whispered, "There's more in the letter. Keep reading. Perhaps it holds a solution." "Ah... I suppose that's all I can do." Lu Chen sighed. "I thought I'd stumbled upon a great opportunity, but it turns out to be just a fragment." With clear disappointment, he rolled the scroll back up and turned once more to the letter in his hand. Bai Ze watched him with a faint smile. The Bai Ze Clan's divine ability spread outward, transforming the letter's contents into an illusion realm that unfolded beneath the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree. Wind Dragon turned his head toward Bai Ze, his pupils narrowing, though he remained silent. Bai Ze nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Come. Let's go in and see what truly happened back then. We may even uncover the method to train this technique." The three stepped into the illusion realm, entering as bystanders to witness the past of Empress Bai Hong. Two hundred thousand years ago, she had been only an ordinary village girl, growing up with her younger brother Bai Niao, relying on each other for survival. During the baptism test that year, Bai Hong displayed outstanding talent and caught the eye of a passing sect elder, who wished to take her as his personal disciple. Bai Hong requested the elder to take her brother as well. But when he examined the boy's aptitude, he found all five elements present. In those days, that was considered a sign of complete failure. Even if the boy began cultivating, he would never advance. Unwilling to bring the boy along, the elder rejected her request outright. Bai Hong refused to abandon her brother and cultivate alone. That night, she went to the elder and gave up her chance to enter the sect. Her brother overheard everything from outside the window. Not wanting to ruin her future, Bai Niao thought long and hard before making his decision. After his sister left the room, he approached the elder directly. As soon as he entered, Bai Niao dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times, his forehead striking the floor each time. "Sir, I beg you for a favor." The elder snorted coldly, hands clasped behind his back, and turned away without even helping the boy up. "There's no need to say anything. With all five elements, even if I forcefully brought you into the sect, you would never become a cultivator." Still kneeling, Bai Niao shuffled forward until he was before the elder. "I didn't come here to ask you to take me as a disciple." "Even a menial disciple is out of the question. They also need a foundation in cultivation. Why can't you simply live as an ordinary person?" The elder's expression softened slightly. He turned his back to Bai Niao again. "The world of cultivation is far harsher than you imagine. An ordinary person in a sect suffers more than one living peacefully in a village." Wind Dragon stared at Bai Niao and said softly, "This boy... I feel as though I've seen him somewhere before, but the memory is hazy." "You have?" Lu Chen glanced at him. "Beasts live for long ages. Perhaps you crossed paths with him back then." Wind Dragon shook his head slightly. "Perhaps... but I truly can't remember where." "Then let's keep watching. Perhaps, by the end, you'll recall where you've seen him before," Bai Ze said with a faint smile, channeling his spirit qi as the scene continued to unfold. 1. Refer to C17 for Feng Tiancheng's advice to Lu Chen. ☜