Three months later, on a clear morning, Bai Qiuran dragged Tang Ruowei out of the training room.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Qiuran said, “Metal represents the way of change, the power of transformation and progress; Fire represents the release of energy, signifying the process of heat; Water signifies the variation in temperature and the change of material states; the Wood attribute I first practiced represents endless life.
If you ever wish to learn, I can teach you the techniques of the other five elements, but one must walk the path step by step. For now, you should practice the method I’ve given you.”
Tang Ruowei considered this and nodded, ceasing her protests as she obediently followed Bai Qiuran. They walked over a stone bridge that had just been completed last night and arrived at a peak made entirely of black stone. At this point, Bai Qiuran hesitated briefly.
Bai Qiuran went on, “The essence of all things is to see beyond mere appearances. The realm of cultivation is divided primarily by one’s level of insight and understanding of the inner and outer worlds. From refining Qi to forming a core, and eventually to cultivating a nascent infant, it is about birthing another version of yourself within. The spiritual root and the physical body respond to each other. Take your Earth-attribute root as an example; what ability do you believe you would gain by cultivating the Earth attribute techniques?”
“Master, where are you taking me?” Tang Ruowei complained as she was dragged by the collar. “What are you doing, Master? Don’t disturb my training!”
Bai Qiuran handed her a tome thicker than the method for body refinement.
“This…” she murmured.
Bai Qiuran sighed. “You’re truly obsessed with training… If Jue Yunzi had your determination back then, he might have ascended by now.”
After a moment of shaking and trembling, Bai Qiuran lowered his palm. At this moment, Tang Ruowei sensed that the aura atop the mountain felt unexpectedly gentle and welcoming.
Bai Qiuran raised a hand again.
“Alright, follow me. This body refinement technique cannot be mastered in a day; do not rush.”
As Tang Ruowei pouted, she appeared still fixated on the body refinement technique that promised to change her fate.
Bai Qiuran added, “Come on, I’ll show you your future training grounds and pass on the cultivation methods.”
“Is that truly the way? Manipulating earth and stone?”
“It appears so,” she murmured, recalling the previous night when Bai Qiuran had carried a mountain back.
“Listen closely. The foundational power of the Earth attribute lies in what the cultivation world calls the ‘Primordial Magnetism.’ Pay attention.”
“Be it earth and stone, mountains, or the hidden dragon energy within the ground, all these fall under the Earth attribute. By mastering this gravitational force influencing everything, you can manipulate all freely. Why are people unable to fly freely? Why do objects fall without an external force? It's all because of this fundamental power of the Earth attribute.”
“This technique is a summary of the Earth attribute methods I developed over three thousand years. Its only flaw is that in the early stages, it may feel weak due to your limited cultivation, meaning you cannot manipulate enough primal magnetic power to impact other things significantly, and your combat abilities will be limited. However, this situation will improve once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage and obtain a flying sword…”
“That’s just the surface of things.”
“Many paths and rules exist in the world. Even after years of studying, the cultivation community has not grasped all the truths. The five elemental spiritual roots are simply classifications made by ancestors who could only measure a limited number of rules in the world.
In fact, the cultivation world has discovered many other types of spiritual roots, such as those of Thunder, Poison, Wind, and so on. I managed to complete my understanding of all known spiritual roots using the Heavenly Supplementing Pill, but there’s certainly still more out there that I’ve yet to understand, and I continue to search.”
“Nevertheless, the question remains, Ruowei—can you really reach the Foundation Establishment stage while practicing my methods right now?”
Bai Qiuran settled on a rock at the mountaintop, channeling an immeasurable surge of True Qi into the earth as he spoke to Tang Ruowei.
“Have you understood the realms of cultivation and the attributes of spiritual roots?”
“I know only that there are five elements.”
“Perhaps you’ve only heard the names of the cultivation realms. The Martial Master realm corresponds to the Qi Refinement stage, and then comes Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and so forth.”
As the conversation continued, Bai Qiuran emphasized trying to keep both his mind focused on altering the terrain while explaining.
“The attributes of spiritual roots represent how closely one aligns with the rules of the world. So, my reason for saying all this is to keep you from becoming complacent over your potential. Cultivators must be humble and steady.”
All this time, Bai Qiuran offered Tang Ruowei a thick book, surpassing the one he had given her for body refinement.
“Let’s move forward; the cultivation method isn’t something you can complete in a day.”
After some thinking, Bai Qiuran gestured. “You must exercise patience; change does not take place overnight.”
Their voices echoed on the mountains, with the winds of nature swirling around them as Tang Ruowei followed diligently behind Bai Qiuran, one step at a time.