Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy slowly gathered under her guidance, flowing along her meridians in a smooth, unbroken stream, without any obstruction.
As she cycled the energy, she began to explain, her voice clear and earnest.
“The first step to Qi Induction is to calm the heart. If the heart is not calm, Qi will not gather. The second step is perception. You must use your Spirit Root as a medium to sense the spiritual energy within Heaven and Earth that aligns with your Spirit Root’s attribute. Your disciple’s Spirit Root is of the water attribute, so I am most sensitive to water-type spiritual energy. The third step is guidance. Use a specific breathing rhythm to slowly draw the perceived energy into your body…”
She was very thorough, reiterating every key point her mother had taught her. There were some parts she hadn’t fully understood back then, but after reaching Foundation Establishment and looking back, everything became clear.
Lai Li’an listened intently. On the surface, he maintained his usual composed and nonchalant demeanor, occasionally nodding slightly or closing his eyes in contemplation, perfectly playing the role of an inscrutable Senior evaluating a disciple’s fundamentals.
In reality, he was frantically absorbing every word Su Wan’er said, silently memorizing it all.
After finishing her explanation, Su Wan’er opened her eyes and looked at Lai Li’an with some nervousness.
He gave a slight nod.
“Your foundation is passable.”
Two words. Su Wan’er’s anxious heart settled. ‘Master says it’s passable, so that means it qualifies.’
“However,” Lai Li’an’s tone shifted, “you mentioned that after Qi Induction, you circulate Qi according to your cultivation technique. What is the grade of the technique you practice?”
Su Wan’er hesitated for a moment.
“To answer Master, the technique your disciple later cultivated was the Tianlan Sect’s Jade Water True Technique. It is Earth-grade Lower-tier.”
“Earth-grade Lower-tier,” Lai Li’an repeated, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
Su Wan’er quickly added,
“Your disciple knows that an Earth-grade technique is a top-tier cultivation method only available to core disciples of the Tianlan Sect. But now that I have a Heaven-grade Water Spirit Root, the Jade Water True Technique is indeed… somewhat insufficient.”
She spoke the truth. A Heaven-grade Spirit Root paired with an Earth-grade technique was like a swift steed fitted with an ordinary saddle. While it could still run, it would ultimately limit the steed’s potential.
Lai Li’an didn’t respond. His attention had already shifted to the System Warehouse. Quietly lying there was a cultivation technique: the Primordial Five Elements Dao Canon.
A Heaven-grade Technique.
Now that he had a Spirit Root, he could cultivate it. Even if it was only a Lower-grade Wood Spirit Root, it was still a Spirit Root!
Lai Li’an’s consciousness touched the technique, and instantly, a flood of information surged into his mind.
[Primordial Five Elements Dao Canon: ‘Primordial’ refers to the state before chaos, before the Five Elements were differentiated. This technique reverses the path of the Five Elements, cultivating one element first, then deriving the remaining four. Ultimately, the Five Elements return to their origin, reverting to the Primordial state. Once mastered, one can control the Five Elements and derive the myriad of things.]
Lai Li’an’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated. Control the Five Elements and derive the myriad things? Was this the value of a Heaven-grade Technique?
He continued reading, finding the specific cultivation method.
Then, his smile slowly faded.
The introductory chapter of the Primordial Five Elements Dao Canon began,
“To cultivate this art, first comprehend the Five Elements. The Five Elements are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Wood is for bending and straightening, Fire is for blazing upward, Earth is for sowing and reaping, Metal is for change, and Water is for moistening downward…”
He recognized every single word, but when strung together, he couldn’t understand a single sentence. ‘What the hell, is this even meant for humans to read?’
Unwilling to give up, Lai Li’an flipped a few more pages. The content only got more absurd.
“Using the Wood Spirit Root as a foundation, guide the Eastern Azure Wood Qi into the body, following the Liver Meridian of Foot Jueyin upward, passing through Zhangmen, entering Qimen, converging at the Dantian…”
Lai Li’an felt his “Number One Under Heaven” dream shatter before it even began. Not broken by an enemy, but by a book.
The atmosphere in the cave became somewhat stifling. Su Wan’er keenly sensed the change in her master’s mood. He seemed… unhappy.
Had she said something wrong?
Su Wan’er’s heart tightened again.
Carefully, she ventured,
“Master… is it something your disciple said incorrectly?”
Lai Li’an snapped back to reality, looking at her. The girl was staring at him with a timid expression, her whole body tense.
He sighed internally. ‘Alright, I can’t understand it, but I have a live translator right here, don’t I?’
“Wan’er.”
“Your disciple is here!”
“Venerable Self has a question for you.”
Su Wan’er straightened her back.
“Suppose Venerable Self told you to learn a new cultivation technique, starting from scratch. Could you do it?”
Su Wan’er was stunned. Was Master telling her to… abandon the Jade Water True Technique and relearn another technique?
She was silent for a few breaths. Abandoning her current technique to start over meant ten years of hard work would be completely erased.
Her Late Foundation Building Stage cultivation wouldn’t disappear, but the entire foundation of her technique would have to be demolished and rebuilt. Her meridians would need to be re-tempered, her Spiritual Power needed to be re-guided, and even some of her ingrained combat instincts would need to be re-adapted. This was no small matter.
But Su Wan’er didn’t hesitate for long. Her life was saved by her master. Her Spirit Root was restored by her master. Her master had given her a “sect” to belong to.
If it was just about relearning a technique,
“I can do it!”
There was no hesitation or retreat in Su Wan’er’s eyes.
Lai Li’an looked at her earnest expression, and a strange feeling welled up inside him. This girl had truly entrusted her life to him.
He suppressed the complex emotions, keeping his face impassive as he nodded.
“Good. Next, Venerable Self will impart a new technique to you. After you learn it, you will explain your understanding to Venerable Self.”
Su Wan’er blinked. Her master gave her a technique, told her to learn it, and then… explain it back to him? What kind of teaching method was this?
‘Maybe this is Master’s unique way of teaching.’
“Your disciple understands!”
Su Wan’er nodded vigorously.
“Master imparts the technique, your disciple first comprehends it, then reports my insights back to Master. Master wants your disciple to gain a deeper understanding of the technique’s mysteries through the process of ‘learning’ and ‘teaching’!”
Lai Li’an was silent for a moment.
“…Mm.”
He reached into his bosom, pretending to take something out, but was actually retrieving the Jade Slip containing the Primordial Five Elements Dao Canon from his System Warehouse. He handed the Jade Slip to Su Wan’er.
Su Wan’er took it with both hands, cautiously probing it with her Spiritual Sense. A moment later, her pupils dilated sharply.
A Heaven-grade Technique! What Master passed to her was a Heaven-grade Technique!
Her fingers began to tremble. A Heaven-grade Technique—the entire Tianlan Sect didn’t have one. Perhaps the entire Cangwu Realm didn’t have one. The Sect Leader only cultivated an Earth-grade Upper-tier technique, and that was already a Sect-Guarding Treasure. And her master had casually handed her a Heaven-grade Technique.
Furthermore, the technique was called Primordial Five Elements Dao Canon. Five Elements, not just the Water Element. Master clearly knew she had a Heaven-grade Water Spirit Root, yet he passed her a technique that encompassed all Five Elements. What did that mean?
It meant that in Master’s eyes, her future was not limited to the Water Element. Master believed she could master the Five Elements, transcend the shackles of her Spirit Root, and reach a height she had never even dared to imagine.
At this thought, Su Wan’er felt tears welling up again. She fought hard to hold them back, but her voice still carried a sob.
“Master… this technique… is too precious…”
“If I told you to learn it, then learn it,” Lai Li’an said with a hint of impatience. “Venerable Self doesn’t need to worry about something I’ve taken out.”
Su Wan’er nodded emphatically, wiping her eyes roughly with her sleeve. She began to read seriously. Lai Li’an watched her focused profile and secretly gave himself a mental thumbs-up.
‘Plan successful. Let Wan’er learn it first, then she can teach me. She has a Heaven-grade Water Spirit Root; her comprehension is bound to be far better than mine with my Lower-grade Wood Spirit Root. Once she understands it, she can explain it to me in terms I can grasp. Then I’ll understand it too, and I can even farm some Fantasy Value on the side. Kill two birds with one stone.’
Su Wan’er suddenly looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in the cave was still chaotically turbulent, churning like muddy water.
Cultivating in this environment would not only be terribly inefficient but also prone to accidents.
“Master,” she ventured cautiously, “shouldn’t we… leave this place? The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy here has been stirred into chaos by the Heavenly Thunder and is unsuitable for cultivation. Besides, the Thunder Tribulation was so massive, it might attract people with ill intentions…”
Lai Li’an’s expression froze for a second. ‘Right. This place was just struck by Heavenly Thunder. The energy is in disarray and unsuitable for cultivation. On top of that, the commotion was so loud that someone is bound to come investigate. The longer we stay, the greater the risk of being discovered. But I was so excited just now that I completely forgot about all this.’
‘What do I do now? Admit I didn’t think of it?’
‘No way.’
Lai Li’an was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
“Wan’er, do you know the concept of ‘Darkness Under the Lamp’?”
Su Wan’er was taken aback.
“When Heavenly Thunder falls here, all cultivators within a hundred miles will sense it. What would a normal person think?” Lai Li’an’s voice was calm and unhurried. “They would think it’s impossible for anyone to survive under the Heavenly Thunder. Even if someone comes to investigate, they would just search the ruins for traces and leave. No one would imagine that two living people are sitting right in the epicenter of the Heavenly Punishment.”
He paused, his tone becoming profound.
“The safest place in this world is often the place everyone thinks is the least likely.”
Su Wan’er had a sudden epiphany.
So Master chose to stay not out of carelessness, but after careful consideration! Right, who would think there were still people in the cave at the very heart of the Heavenly Punishment? Even if someone came to look, they would only see a patch of scorched earth and then leave.
And Master would just sit here, cultivating peacefully, eating roasted meat peacefully.
This meticulous calculation, this effortless mastery—it was the true demeanor of a grandmaster.
The admiration in Su Wan’er’s eyes deepened once more.
“Your disciple is dull-witted and failed to grasp Master’s profound intention.”
She lowered her head, sincerely admitting her fault.
Lai Li’an waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.
Su Wan’er refocused her mind on the Jade Slip, beginning to earnestly comprehend the Primordial Five Elements Dao Canon. Lai Li’an watched the girl’s focused face, silently praying in his heart.
‘Little girl, you have to understand this. Your master’s dream of being Number One Under Heaven is all riding on you.’