Chapter 16: Lecture

 Halfway through the class, most of the students were already feeling dizzy and disoriented, their minds buzzing with confusion.

They seemed to have forgotten who they were, where they were, and what they were supposed to do.

Beside Jiang Yuebai, Lü Ying could only hold on for the duration of a single tea time before slumping her back, seemingly lost in a trance.

The Way of the Five Elements appeared simple but was, in fact, complex. It was not something that newly initiated Qi cultivators like them were supposed to learn.

However, Li Jiuchuan was determined to teach this class because young children had a pure mindset, and their understanding of the rules of the world had not yet solidified, giving them the best chance to comprehend the principles of the Five Elements' transformation.

Some understandings, once solidified, would require one to wait until their character matured before they could be re-awakened.

"...You all know from a young age that clouds float in the sky, and rivers flow on the ground. However, you don't know that clouds are formed by rivers rising, gathering into clouds, which then accumulate and fall as rain, gathering into rivers."

"The Cloud and Rain Technique cultivated by the Linggeng Farmer is to gather water spiritual energy into clouds and then make it rain. But how do you ensure rainfall when there is insufficient water spiritual energy, such as in midsummer?"

Li Jiuchuan paused and scanned the entire class.

Everyone involuntarily shuddered, quickly averting their gazes, focusing on their breath and heart, avoiding direct eye contact with Li Jiuchuan.

Lu Nanzhi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and Xie Jingshan scratched his face, feeling puzzled. He came here to listen to the lecture because he had left Shi HuaiXi behind and now only had Lu Nanzhi ahead of him.

Lu Nanzhi's presence here prompted him to come, as knowing one's adversary allowed one to overcome them. But the lecture was giving him a headache!

"Lu Nanzhi, you speak."

Lu Nanzhi pondered for a moment and said, "Among the Five Elements, metal can generate water by borrowing metal spiritual energy..."

Lu Nanzhi hesitated because she knew the superficial knowledge but not the deeper understanding, making it difficult to answer.

Among the children trying to avoid being called upon, a pair of bright eyes flashed, catching Li Jiuchuan's attention.

"Jiang Yuebai, you speak."

Swish, swish, swish!

With everyone's attention focused on her, Jiang Yuebai's heart thumped, and she panicked, forgetting her lines.

Li Jiuchuan lowered his gaze, tidying his sleeves without any urgency. It was only the first class, and it was too early to expect these children to understand the most difficult part of the Five Elements' transformation, the generation of water by metal. The most important thing at this point was to stimulate their thinking.

Lü Ying sat beside Jiang Yuebai, giving her a reassuring squeeze, and Jiang Yuebai took a deep breath before slowly speaking.

"I don't know how to ensure rainfall in midsummer, but when Elder just mentioned that rivers form clouds, and clouds gather into rain, it reminded me of boiling water. When water boils, white steam rises, and when the steam meets cold air, it condenses back into water. Cold..."

Jiang Yuebai paused, and Li Jiuchuan raised his head, encouraging her with his eyes.

She had reached a crucial point; it was now up to her to further comprehend it.

After contemplating for a moment, Jiang Yuebai continued, "Rivers rise due to heat, and clouds gather into rain due to cold. So, does it mean that clouds themselves belong to the metal element? When water rises and encounters metal's cold, it turns into rain. Therefore, metal generates water?"

"Could it be that the generation of water by metal doesn't require us to take any active action? When clouds gather, nature has already transformed them. Our task is just to comprehend the principle, discover it, and then make use of it?"

Jiang Yuebai was uncertain if her explanation was correct, so she stared at Li Jiuchuan, seeking confirmation.

Li Jiuchuan narrowed his eyes as he saw Jiang Yuebai's gaze gradually deepening. He never expected that someone would grasp the core of the Five Elements' doctrine in his first class, something that had never happened in previous years.

Li Jiuchuan narrowed his eyes, observing Jiang Yuebai's gradually deepening gaze. He never expected that someone could understand the core of the Five Elements' doctrine in his first class, something that had never happened in previous years.

Li Jiuchuan cherished talent, having been a lowly disciple himself, he knew about the hidden undercurrents and understood that one should not show their full potential in the open, especially when she was still just an immature young seedling.

His expression turned serious as he said, "You are on the right track, but it's still shallow. The Five Elements are related to the Great Dao. Do you understand?"

To the others, it sounded like reprimand, but Lu Nanzhi recognized it as praise and turned her head to look at Jiang Yuebai. Xie Jingshan also followed her gaze.

"The Way of the Five Elements is related to breaking through the infant stage to reach the god-transforming stage, and during the foundation establishment stage, even with a single spiritual root, one must complement all five elements and attain the two spirits of Yin and Yang. The path to god-transformation is far away, so it's too early for you to understand, but the Five Elements also determine whether a Qi cultivator can turn their inferior spiritual roots into advantages."

At the mention of this, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all looked at Li Jiuchuan.

"If you can use your spiritual root attributes and grasp the initial rotation of the Five Elements, connecting the bridges between your spiritual roots, those with multiple spiritual roots will be stronger than those with a single spiritual root. The term 'Five Elements' refers to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. 'Xing' means rotation and operation."

"Remember, your spiritual roots are predetermined, but one's determination can overcome destiny. Those who strive for self-improvement receive divine favor, while those who give up are shunned by the heavens. Alright, today's class ends here."

As Li Jiuchuan finished speaking, Jiang Yuebai's pupils trembled, and a realization washed over her. Her previous statements were not wrong; the rotation of the Five Elements did not require her to take any active action; she only needed to comprehend it.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuebai immediately took out the jade slip of the "Five Elements Rotation Method" and placed it on her forehead, searching for related methods to verify her ideas.

Seeing this, Lü Ying silently waited by her side, and the crowd felt relieved and gradually dispersed.

They believed that there wouldn't be as many people attending Li Jiuchuan's next lecture.

Li Jiuchuan took a deep look at Jiang Yuebai, stood up to tidy his clothes, and prepared to leave.

"Senior Li, Nanzhi wants to consult you about how to turn water into ice."

Lu Nanzhi stood up to ask, her eyes full of eagerness.

She had a natural water-attribute physique, with a gentle water nature that didn't fit her path of cultivation focused on killing and slaughter. Therefore, she was eager to turn water into ice to increase the power of her spells.

Li Jiuchuan's expression turned displeased, "You haven't understood the Way of the Five Elements yet, and you want to learn about the transformation of the Three Marvels? It's aiming too high!"

Lu Nanzhi shuddered all over, and Li Jiuchuan seemed to hint at something as he glanced at Jiang Yuebai, who was meditating outside the hall. Then, he turned and left.

Watching this, Xie Jingshan realized why Lu Nanzhi had come here today.

As someone with a single fire spiritual root, since fire can generate earth, could he also try to use some earth spiritual energy to enhance his defense?

Jiang Yuebai immersed herself in the jade slip for half an hour before finally feeling satisfied with her understanding of the most difficult part of the Five Elements' rotation. She only needed to make further attempts to verify it.

When she opened her eyes, Jiang Yuebai suddenly saw Lü Ying standing in front of her with a nervous expression, gesturing with her eyebrows. Jiang Yuebai turned her head left and right.

To her left was Xie Jingshan, and to her right was Lu Nanzhi, both looking like bodyguards intently staring at her.

"What's in that jade slip?" Lu Nanzhi asked, and Xie Jingshan pricked up his ears.

Jiang Yuebai lifted the jade slip, "Elder Li's book, 'Five Elements Rotation Method.'"

The two suddenly realized why she could answer Li Jiuchuan's questions; it turned out she had already studied the material beforehand.

"Thank you."

Lu Nanzhi stood up and hurried to the library, while Xie Jingshan watched Jiang Yuebai for a moment. He noticed that she looked surprisingly good after washing up and couldn't help but smile before going to catch up with Lu Nanzhi.

After the two left, Lü Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xiaobai, you really scared me. I thought you offended those two."

"I'm just a lowly disciple. If they didn't come to class today, I wouldn't even have the chance to meet them. How could I offend them?" Jiang Yuebai stood up to stretch her muscles.

Lü Ying nodded, "That's true. When I used to serve in the Lu family, I rarely saw the young lady. She's a natural spiritual root and just entered the path, yet she's already at the third level of Qi Cultivation in just a month. That Xie Jingshan isn't bad either, at the second level of Qi Cultivation. I haven't even mastered the 'Green Wood Technique' yet."

Jiang Yuebai's eyes flickered as she looked in the direction the two had left.

"But Xiaobai, what's your secret? Elder Li is known for being stern, yet he praised you. Tell me, did you secretly study without my knowledge?"

Jiang Yuebai shifted her gaze back, "I have five inferior spiritual roots. My talent is weak, and I barely recognize a few characters. Unlike you, who comes from a cultivation family background. If I don't work harder and read more books, my grandfather will give up on me."

Lü Ying shook her head slightly, "That's true. Your progress in cultivation is among the lowest in our Huaxi Valley. You should indeed work harder. However, just reading books won't be enough. The Way of the Five Elements is something that only Nascent Soul real experts will attempt to comprehend. You should focus on practicing techniques for now; that's the most important thing."

"Thank you for your guidance. In a moment, there will be a foundation-building senior's talisman-making class. Would you like to join me, Senior Sister Lü?"

"No, no, whenever I think about those cloud-seal turtle-shell inscriptions, I get a headache. I'll go to the library."

At that time, at the library.

Lu Nanzhi placed her token in front of the old steward.

"I want to copy 'Five Elements Rotation Method' and all the books written by Senior Li."

The old steward was stunned and took a while to react, but he eventually began the copying process as Lu Nanzhi urged him.

As Lu Nanzhi left, Xie Jingshan sneaked in, placing his token and spirit stones on the table.

"I want all the copies that Lu Nanzhi made, and then make copies of all the books related to the Five Elements' rotation on the second floor. If my contribution points are not enough, I'll use spirit stones to make up for it."

The old steward: ......

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