Chapter 3: The Five Elements Cultivation Technique
"The Five Elements Spiritual Cultivation Method" was created by the ancient heavenly god, Huashan's master, Xu Wutian Dadi, after spending countless years. With this method, Xu Wutian Dadi dominated the entire spiritual realm and was known as one of the "Three Respects of the Spiritual Realm" along with Pangu and Nüwa. However, when Huashan died in battle against Tianmo Moke, this ancient spiritual cultivation method lost its successor. The method is only suitable for those with a body of five virtues to cultivate, but such bodies are extremely rare, possibly one in millions. When Xiaolong fell into the mountain stream's water pool, he was brought inside the cave because he had a body of five virtues; if it were someone else without this special physique, they might have drowned long ago. In short, Xiaolong also owed his survival to his unique physical constitution.
The Xiu Shen Jue is divided into eight layers: Chu Chen, Bi Gu, Dan Cheng, Chu Kong, Hua Wu, Rong Shi, Hun Dun, and Hua Shen. The first layer, Chu Chen, is the basic transformation from the post-heavenly body to the pre-heavenly body, where all impurities are expelled from the body, making it easier to absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Upon completion of this layer, one can remember everything at a glance.
The second stage, Bi Gu, allows one to sustain life without relying on external food sources. The muscles become incredibly strong, capable of cutting through metal and iron with ease.
Upon reaching the third layer, Dan Cheng, one's body becomes virtually indestructible, akin to the Buddhist concept of the Diamond Body. At this point, the spiritual elixir begins to take shape, marking the entry into the realm of spiritual cultivation.
The fourth layer, Chu Kong, enables the practitioner's divine thoughts to reach several thousand miles, allowing them to perceive even the smallest details within that range.
The fifth layer, Hua Wu, grants the ability to transform objects at will, much like Sun Wukong's 72 transformations.
The sixth layer, Rong Shi, allows the practitioner to merge with all things in the world, becoming one with the universe.
The seventh layer, Hun Dun, marks a significant shift in the practitioner's energy, transforming into a chaotic, primordial force that only high-level deities can wield.
The eighth and final layer, Hua Shen, represents the pinnacle of spiritual cultivation. Upon reaching this stage, one becomes all-powerful, capable of transcending the three realms and existing beyond the five elements.
Each of the eight layers is further divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. At the time of his battle with Tian Mo, Hua Long had only reached the early stage of the sixth layer, Rong Shi, and was still using his spiritual energy. If he had reached the highest level of cultivation, Tian Mo might not have been able to withstand even a single move from him.
The little dragon lay on the white jade bed, holding the divine pearl in his hand, and soon fell into a deep sleep. In his consciousness, the above information appeared. In addition, he also received the usage mantra of the five-colored crystal lamp from within the five-colored divine pearl.
The little dragon began to practice according to the "Five Elements Spiritual Cultivation Method". "At the beginning of the great way, nine orifices are opened, and the original nine orifices are at the Weilu acupoint. The Weilu air flows to the top (Baihui), the air runs along the Renmai meridian through the YuZhong, the YuZhong gradually walks to the Niwan, the Qi operates in the Laogong, and returns to the YuZhong, down to the Dantian, calming the mind and stabilizing the breath. The intention guards the Dantian..." At this time, the five-colored divine light inside the temple followed a strange trajectory into the little dragon's body, but the little dragon seemed to be asleep, completely unaware of everything happening outside.
Since Xiaolong went missing, his father Wang Bing mobilized the enthusiastic villagers to search for him in the mountains many times, but there was no trace of him. As time passed, a year had already gone by, and his family thought that Xiaolong had met with an accident. The villagers also gradually forgot about this matter. However, Xiaolong's mother Liu Chu always believed that her son was still alive. This was the feeling of being connected to one's own flesh and blood as a mother. Every night, she would stand at the door and gaze out at the Wenming Mountains in the distance, hoping that Xiaolong would suddenly appear before her eyes. Life went on quietly like this, with Old Wang often going alone to the place where Xiaolong had left his waistband, still expecting a miracle to happen. After hundreds of times, the water pool was still the same as before, and Old Wang became disappointed. So, he continued to work hard day after day, also looking forward to the arrival of their next child. His wife was very supportive, and six years after Xiaolong's disappearance, her belly miraculously grew bigger again. Perhaps heaven felt that Old Wang had been too miserable and decided to compensate them by giving them another child.
In the blink of an eye, two years have passed and it's already autumn in 2008. The scorching summer has quietly slipped away, and the sun shines on the earth for a shorter time than in summer, no longer from 5 or 6 am to 6 or 7 pm; the sunlight begins to soften and becomes gentle, no longer as fierce and intense as it was during the hot summer, making people tremble with fear. The autumn sun is already slanting, not shining directly like in summer, so the temperature has dropped significantly. In the deep autumn natural world, a desolate scene remains. After the harvest, the fields are empty and bare, with cattle wandering around dejectedly. Flocks of sparrows rise from the wheat fields, scattering on the dusty roads like hailstones. Crows circle low in the sky, suddenly letting out a desperate cry before flying away. A sense of melancholy will then creep into your heart, stirring up Old Wang's endless sorrow.
"Child, where are you? Don't you want Daddy and Mommy anymore? Have you really left this world?" Old Wang muttered to himself in a low voice, sitting at the door looking out at the fields, with an extremely bitter heart. His wife Liu Chu was inside the house holding their almost one-year-old child Wang Feng, Little Feng was giggling "hehe" nonstop under her mother's teasing, while the little black dog in the room would occasionally let out a "wang wang" sound, forming a beautiful rural autumn scene.
"Dad!" Old Wang faintly heard a voice calling out to him. He turned his head and patted his own brain, thinking he must have gone crazy from sitting for too long. But the voice sounded just like Little Dragon's! Ah, people get old and think about their kids all day, they really do go crazy. "Dad!" It was indeed Little Dragon's voice. Old Wang stretched out his neck and saw a small black dot appear in the distance. He rubbed his eyes, which were getting old, and the black dot got closer and closer. It looked like Little Dragon, but this kid was as tall as a 10-year-old! "Dad, it's me, Little Dragon!" This 10-year-old-looking kid was standing right in front of Old Wang while he was still rubbing his eyes. Old Wang forgot to think about what was going on and just stared at the kid in front of him. He looked again more carefully, and indeed, it was his own son Little Dragon! Old Wang's eyes got wet, and he hugged Little Dragon tightly, tears streaming down his face. This simple-hearted man cried like a child, "Little Dragon, my good boy, you've finally come back! Am I dreaming?" Old Wang pinched himself on the face, ow, it hurt, so it wasn't a dream. His own son had really come back! Old Wang quickly grabbed Little Dragon's hand and examined him carefully, as if he was afraid Little Dragon would disappear again. A pair of thin and curved eyebrows, like a swallow's sharp wings; a pair of innocent eyes that sparkled with curiosity; a small white face with a delicate nose, wearing the same clothes from when he went missing, which were now too short for him. Old Wang pulled Little Dragon into the house, shouting loudly, "Wife, Little Dragon is back! Our Little Dragon is back! Come quick!" Liu Chu was sitting on the bed in the inner room, playing with little Wang Feng, and heard Old Wang's words. She was shocked and couldn't react for a moment, until Little Dragon stood in front of her. Then she pinched herself on the leg, realized she wasn't dreaming, and got up to hug Little Dragon, crying loudly. Little Dragon also cried out loud, hugging his mom tightly. After all, he was only 7 years old, and had been away from his parents for two years. The flood of emotions burst out at this moment, and the whole family just hugged each other and cried. Little Feng saw her parents crying and joined in, wailing loudly.
The little dragon "slept" on the white jade bed for two years, and when he woke up, he found that his body was filled with explosive power. His skin was crystal clear, and his blood was five colors. He knew he had reached the pre-stage of Bi Gu (a Taoist term). According to the instructions in the Five Color Divine Pearl, he found a storage ring left by Huà Lóng (his master) on the wall of the temple with great magical power. Using the Five Elements divine technique, he exited the Five Color Temple and came to the mountain cave where he was originally sucked in. He put the Five Color Crystal Lamp into the ring. Following his master's instructions from memory, he quickly left the mountain cave through a water pool, and under the protection of his divine power, his clothes didn't get wet. Unfortunately, he was still wearing the same old clothes, which had become too small for him. He couldn't help it, so he decided to go home first.
The little dragon didn't know how long he had stayed in the mountain cave, but his longing for his parents was particularly strong. Using the Five Elements divine technique, he flew like a wisp of smoke and arrived at the foot of Wén Míng Mountain (Civilized Mountain). To avoid being seen by people, he slowly walked home. Fortunately, Wén Míng Mountain was not far from his home, and it only took him ten or so minutes to get there. From afar, he saw his father sitting at the door, which led to the scene described earlier.
The whole family cried together, and it wasn't until almost dusk that they finally stopped. Liu Chu thought of his son who hadn't eaten anything yet, so he went to the kitchen to make some tangyuan, a dish that Xiaolong liked. Meanwhile, Old Wang held Xiaolong's hand and asked him about what had happened over the past few years. Xiaolong briefly told Old Wang about the events of the past two years, including how he had received divine inheritance and was learning martial arts. Old Wang looked like he had been stunned, his mouth agape for a long time before he could close it again. He wasn't a superstitious person, so it was hard for him to accept that there were gods in this world. It wasn't until Xiaolong stretched out his small hand, which resembled white jade, and cut off a piece of the wooden table that Old Wang believed it was true. However, he warned Xiaolong not to easily reveal his martial arts skills in front of outsiders, nor should he tell others about what had happened over the past two years, as it would only cause trouble. Xiaolong listened to his father's words and secretly thought that from now on, it was better not to mention this matter in front of everyone. Old Wang also instructed his son that if anyone asked, he should say that he had gotten lost for the past two years and was taken in by kind-hearted people, and only returned home now. Xiaolong quickly promised his parents that he would never reveal his martial arts skills in front of outsiders. Of course, in Old Wang's and his wife's hearts, they thought Xiaolong was practicing ordinary martial arts, but they didn't understand that what Xiaolong was actually practicing was the unique divine cultivation method that existed only in heaven and earth.
