Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 548: The Origins of the Five-Elements Combat Tactic

Chapter 548: The Origins of the Five-Elements Combat Tactic

“Finally, it’s done.”

Lu Yang stretched lazily. Under the transmission elder’s guidance, their progress had been rapid, and the Five-Elements Combat Tactic was beginning to show results.

The transmission elder stroked his white beard and nodded slightly. “Not bad. There’s nothing more I can teach you.”

Among the disciples he had taught, Lu Yang’s group of five were the fastest in mastering the Five-Elements Combat Tactic. This was partly due to Lu Yang’s and Meng Jingzhou’s powerful spiritual consciousness, which played a dominant role in their cultivation. Another crucial factor was their teamwork, which made their learning twice as effective with half the effort.

“The Five-Elements Combat Tactic is indeed strong.”

Li Haoran nodded inwardly. If the Nine-Netherworlds had mastered this, whereby Qin Haoran and the four vice creed leaders joined hands, they might have been able to repel their debt collectors.

Of course, that would have required the four vice creed leaders to be aware of the Nine-Netherworlds Creed’s deficit and remain united afterward.

“Speaking of which, this Five-Elements Battle Tactic is so miraculous. Which senior invented it? Who possessed such incredible talent?” Lu Yang asked curiously.

“It was created by our Five-Elements Sect’s founding ancestor, Teacher Tiankui. He was a genius of his generation, leaving behind numerous legacies as cornerstones for our sect—the Five-Elements Combat Tactic was one of them.”

Teacher Tiankui was a renowned figure in Great Xia. He was an almighty expert who stood alongside the Dao-Seeking Sect’s Primordial Heavenly Sovereign one hundred thousand years ago and was instrumental in spearheading the establishment of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

The transmission elder’s expression grew nostalgic as he recalled the stories passed down through generations in the Five-Elements Sect.

“Teacher Tiankui was born into a scholarly family during the final years of the Great Yu Dynasty. Deeply influenced by the doctrine of ‘rulers should act like rulers, fathers should act like fathers, sons should act like sons,’ he originally planned to pursue an official title through the imperial examinations, enlist in the military, and lay the groundwork for a future rebellion. When the time came, he could rally the masses and proclaim himself king. Would that not be splendid...? Ahem, the last line was Teacher Tiankui’s own words, not mine.

“Unfortunately, before he could gain honor through the imperial examinations, the Yu Emperor was assassinated on his throne, crushing his plans of joining the army and staging a rebellion.”

“...Elder, wait a moment. You just said Teacher Tiankui was deeply influenced by the doctrine of ‘rulers should act like rulers, fathers should act like fathers, sons should act like sons,’ but he rebelled?” Although interrupting an elder was impolite, Meng Jingzhou couldn’t help himself.

“That’s right. Teacher Tiankui was tired of learning those doctrines and wanted to see what would happen if he disregarded them.”

Man Gu was enlightened. That’s another way of being a Confucian cultivator! He didn’t just study blindly but sought to verify the teachings in the books through action. I was too rigid in my past studies.

“When the world fell into chaos, Teacher Tiankui’s cultivation was insufficient to contend for supremacy, so he focused on cultivation and tempered himself on the battlefield, his cultivation growing rapidly with every kill.

“Despite Teacher Tiankui’s rare talent, by the time he became a regional overlord, the Jiang Family had already seized the throne. He was one step too late. Depressed, Teacher Tiankui wandered the world to lift his spirits. One day, he accidentally stumbled into an immortal domain and obtained a great fortuitous opportunity.”

“Immortal domain?” Lu Yang was intrigued by the term. Such places are typically called “secret domains.” If it were qualified to be called an “immortal domain,” it must be related to immortals.

“It’s simply something related to immortals, why act all jumpy? In the presence of this immortal, what’s a mere immortal domain?” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy drawled, utterly indifferent. As an immortal myself, all my actions are related to immortals.

Lu Yang eyed the Everlasting Immortal Fairy skeptically. You make it sound like you know the locations of immortal domains. If only you knew even one.

Sensing Lu Yang’s silent judgment, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy huffed and asserted her worth. “This immortal resides in your mental realm, which makes it an immortal’s mental realm. In other words, this is an Immortal Realm!”

This was the first time Lu Yang had heard the “Immortal Realm” explained in this manner. He rolled his eyes and returned to paying attention to the transmission elder’s story.

“According to Teacher Tiankui’s records, that secret domain contained traces of an immortal’s arrangement that spanned eternity and concealed profound mysteries. He even saw the phantoms of immortals lingering through the ages, as if the ancient past was replaying before his eyes, though the immortals’ faces were shrouded in a blur!

“Two immortals engaged in a game of chess, their pieces divided into black and white. The chess opening was exquisite, and each move was deliberate, with months passing between every turn. It was as if they weren’t playing a mere game of chess but the vast expanse of time and all beings in the world!

“As they played, a third immortal appeared in the guise of a woodcutter, observing the chess game.

“Teacher Tiankui was immersed in the scene, and when he regained awareness, a hundred years had already passed! He saw the ferocious battle of the black and white pieces on the chessboard. They were locked in a stalemate, unable to form five in a row. In that moment, he experienced an epiphany.

“Teacher Tiankui believed the five pieces corresponded to the five elements. Aligning five in a row would achieve the final victory, symbolizing the fusion of the five elements, an immense power that could move even immortals.

“He went into seclusion on the spot and created the Five-Elements Combat Tactic based on this insight. After emerging from seclusion, he founded the Five-Elements Sect.

“Unfortunately, upon emerging from seclusion, the immortals’ shadows had vanished and never appeared again.

“Teacher Tiankui claimed to be dull-witted, only managing to comprehend a fraction of the game’s profundity. He believed the chess match held deeper layers of meaning he had failed to discover. For example, why did the third immortal come to observe the chess game as a woodcutter? What did chopping wood signify? Did it imply that all living beings were firewood ready to be kindled, or was it to express his neutral stance?”

The transmission elder shook his head regretfully. There are too many unanswered questions in this story. The ancient era was mysterious, and even at our current positions, our understanding of ancient times is nothing more than fragments.

Lu Yang, “...”

He remembered the Everlasting Immortal Fairy mentioning how the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the Qilin Immortal had used a chess game as an excuse, refusing to eat her cooking. The Everlasting Immortal Fairy sent the Nine-Layers Immortal to chop wood to prepare the meal, but after gathering firewood, he went to watch the chess match instead, and the three immortals ended up playing chess for a hundred years.

Lu Yang had assumed that a chess match lasting a century must be something like Weiqi, which embodied the essence of the cosmos.

Turns out they were playing Five in a Row!

“See? What did I say? The Nine-Layers Immortal integrated yin-yang and the five elements into the chessboard to enlighten future generations. Isn’t this living proof?” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy declared triumphantly, finally finding evidence to support her claims.

“By the way, Elder, is that immortal domain still around?”

“It is. Although the immortals’ phantoms are gone and no one can comprehend anything from it anymore, Teacher Tiankui thought it was, after all,an immortal domain, so he moved it back to our sect.”

Lu Yang mused, No wonder the first Metal Elder had hauled entire mines back to the sect. Your founding sect leader even relocated immortal domains!

But now isn’t the time for sarcasm.

“Can we enter the secret domain to observe the immortal chess game?”

No matter what, it’s a place where three immortals once stayed. There might be clues.

At Lu Yang’s words, Meng Jingzhou and the others grew excited. This is related to immortals! We mustn’t miss out!

After some thought, the transmission elder said, “I’ll need to consult the sect leader about this, though I expect he’ll agree.”