Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Ji An put away the Jade Slip, noting down his insights which represented his current understanding, although inevitably, it would change in the future.

However, he would preserve this knowledge, for the process of changing understanding was most precious, like solving a math problem where the thought process was the knowledge, and the answer was just the result.

Now, he had been away from the Sect for about nine years, and he had completed more than half of the Five Elements Mutual Generation, which meant it was promising for him to return to the Sect within thirty years.

He began to ponder over the next steps, still needing to comprehend three transformations of the Five Elements Mutual Generation: Earth-Born Gold, Water-Sustaining Wood, and Wood Fire.

Among these, the conditions for Water-Sustaining Wood and Wood Fire were not present in the Far North; although the water veins here were fairly abundant, they did not meet the minimum standard for Spiritual Mechanism conversion, so he had to go to the Southern Continent.

Comprehending Wood Fire required a place extremely rich in Wood Element Spiritual Energy, and a secluded mountainous area with water would meet the requirements.

Red Flame Peak was too small; although the tier of the Spirit Plants was not low and there were water veins, the atmosphere was too lively, pulling away much of the vibrant rising energy, failing to form the necessary conditions for a Wood Element Spirit Realm.

As for understanding Earth-Born Gold, the Far North was also a good choice, for it was said that near Red Rock Immortal City there were similar areas.

The land here was covered by snow and ice year-round; although Earth and Water mutually inhibited each other, water could moisten the soil, and Ji Earth’s ability to birth gold and dissipate fire was stronger.

Snow and ice also formed a layer of insulation, preventing Earth Qi from rising, making it easier to form an Earth Element Spirit Realm.

Ji An habitually rubbed his chin in contemplation; there were many factors involved in the generation and inhibition of the Five Elements, and it wasn’t something that could be simply explained with a few words.

In fact, every force of the Five Elements was connected with the others, either directly or indirectly, and the transformation of energy wasn’t confined to appearances.

He couldn’t help but wonder, since the Five Elements could mutually generate and transform, could they be reversed to achieve ’reverse mutual generation’?

"Haha," Ji An chuckled at his whimsical thought.

In orthodox thinking, the reverse of the Five Elements refers to the principle of mutual inhibition like Wood Overcomes Earth, Earth Overcomes Water, etc.; once a seed sprouts, it cannot grow backward into a seed again.

Not to mention that a Chao Origin Stage Cultivator doesn’t have such ability, even a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator cannot achieve that.

"Let me ponder this after reaching Nascent Soul," he shook his head lightly, collecting his thoughts, and when his mind was as calm as still water, he began to operate the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.

...

Three days later, at Drunken Immortal Inn.

In the Celestial Character No. 1 Room, Gu Mingyuan raised his glass in a toast:

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, for progressing further on the path to immortality; let’s drink to the full."

Others comprehend a certain mutual generation of the Five Elements taking ten years as a unit; to fully understand all mutual generations of the Five Elements could take nearly a hundred years.

Ji An clinked glasses with him, tilting back his head to drink it all.

"In the mortal world, there is a saying, ’The last ten miles of a hundred-mile journey are the longest’; fully comprehending the Divine Intent of all the mutual generations of the Five Elements completes this step. I still have a long way to go."

He spoke modestly, now was not the time for complacency; after comprehending the Five Elements Mutual Generation, he still needed to cultivate the Five Qi Chaoyuan.

The Chao Origin Stage required a lot of related cultivation, many of which couldn’t be completed merely by amassing resources.

"Fellow Daoist, you are too modest. Brother Wey went out traveling from the Immortal City; if he knew you had already comprehended Gold Generating Water, I wonder what he would think."

Gu Mingyuan was filled with emotion; as cultivation continually advanced, the gap in aptitude between cultivators diminished, and comprehension and fortune became increasingly important.

In the same cultivation stage, some people could complete it in a few years, some took decades, and still, others might have their Dao Heart shattered by the torment and give up pursuing their future.

He hadn’t reached the level of needing to comprehend the Five Elements Mutual Generation yet; when the time came to understand Gold Generating Water, he would then realize the difference in comprehension between them.

Ji An smiled gently:

"Brother Wey would only smile faintly because everything I have comprehended, he has comprehended as well."

"Haha, knowing Brother Wey as I do, nothing would show on his face, but his heart would surely be filled with rich emotions."

The two continued to drink and chat, enjoying their time together convivially.

Ji An put down his wine glass and said:

"To comprehend Earth-Born Gold, I still rely on your help."

Understanding Earth-Born Gold, one must delve deep into the Underworld Nine Netherworld to comprehend in darkness.

Gu Mingyuan furrowed his brows, showing a hint of difficulty, "I will try my best, but I can’t promise anything."

Such areas were deep within the Earth Vein, where the Ji Earth Qi was abundant; there was a secret land in the Immortal City, but it was jointly owned by several major forces, and although the Gu Clan had some say, it wasn’t significant.

Ji An nodded with a smile, toasting:

"Regardless of the outcome, I must thank you, fellow Daoist."

The ancestor once told him that under the jurisdiction of Red Rock Immortal City, there was a secret land which was an excellent Earth Element Spirit Realm; if he could find a way in to comprehend within, it would save the time and effort of searching for a Spirit Realm.

If the other could help, it would be best; if not, he would explore the underground on his own.

He sighed inwardly, no wonder high-tier cultivators increasingly believed in the concept of fortune, now he finally understood.

Take the simplest example, cultivators’ improvement in cultivation inevitably relied on external things, among which taking pills was the most common method.

Refining pills for the Chao Origin Stage required the main herb to have about a thousand years of maturity; if cultivators cultivated it artificially, it would take at least two hundred years.

Refining pills for the Golden Core Stage needed Spirit Medicines that were at least over two thousand years old; to mature them, even if a Spirit Farmer had exquisite planting techniques and the Spirit Field was of high enough tier, it would still take five to six hundred years.

If a cultivator were unlucky, there would not be many chances to consume pills, because the lifespan of a Golden Core Cultivator was only a thousand years, factoring in their age when breaking through, they might not live long enough for the pills to be refined.