Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Five Elements Generate Myriad Paths of Dao

In the dead of night, when all was silent, Xiao Cheng and Zhuo Qinglian returned to the Jade Buddha Zen Temple.

The grand opening of Prosperity today should have been a source of joy, but the events that unfolded tonight had thoroughly ruined the mood. Still, it was not entirely without gain—they had thwarted an attempt on Zhuo Qinglian’s life and obtained clues about the assassin.

The pursuit of the killer need not be rushed; acting hastily would only alert those lurking in the shadows. Better to strike at the heart than to startle the snake.

By the time they reached their rooms, it was three in the morning. Sleep was nowhere to be found. Zhuo Qinglian prepared a sumptuous late-night meal, or perhaps breakfast, for Xiao Cheng. Tonight, she was the happiest among them—Xiao Cheng had killed for her, even mobilizing his family’s resources, making her feel cherished.

For a woman as lonely and self-reliant as Zhuo Qinglian, happiness had long since been eroded to dust. Everything she possessed was won through her own efforts; she had neither kin nor support. Yet today, Xiao Cheng offered her the warmth of family, a sense of protection.

This sudden surge of happiness brought her to the verge of tears, for she knew how rare and precious it was.

“Drink some chrysanthemum tea to cool down,” Zhuo Qinglian said with a smile after the meal, twisting the lid off the teapot and filling Xiao Cheng’s glass.

But as she uttered the words “chrysanthemum tea,” she paused, a spark of inspiration flashing through her mind. How had she never thought of this method before? Her cheeks flushed with a delicate rose hue.

At that moment, she felt an urgent desire to surrender herself completely to the man before her.

Xiao Cheng, pondering the night’s events, reached for his glass, only to find Zhuo Qinglian suddenly right before him, gazing at him with a myriad of emotions, her face tinged with shy crimson, breath coming just a little quicker.

He was no stranger to the ways of women; seeing Zhuo Qinglian like this, he understood her intent. But he was puzzled, for she had always believed he practiced the arts of celibacy—why the sudden change?

That thought flickered past and was gone. At such a moment, what reason had he to hesitate?

He drew Zhuo Qinglian into his embrace, settling her gently on his lap.

A natural fragrance emanated from her, pure and intoxicating, reminiscent of orchid and musk, soothing him deeply. Xiao Cheng leaned close to her ear, inhaling deeply, and felt his spirit invigorated.

“Don’t touch me in the front, or it will disrupt your cultivation. Only from behind!” Zhuo Qinglian whispered breathlessly, her fair face radiant with girlish shyness.

Understanding her meaning, Xiao Cheng chuckled and nodded. So that was it—he was touched that she had devised such a method, all to satisfy him without hindering his progress. For a woman to go to such lengths for him was rare indeed.

In the quiet halls of the Jade Buddha Zen Temple, garments were lightly shed, and the daisy bloomed without end…

When all was done, Xiao Cheng held Zhuo Qinglian in his arms; she closed her eyes, too exhausted to open them again.

“Qinglian, you are my woman. You always have been, and always will be,” Xiao Cheng murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Zhuo Qinglian felt no resistance to his possessive declaration; instead, she was filled with a sense of security. She knew Xiao Cheng could be her only man, yet she could never be his only woman. Others might find this disappointing, but she was already more than satisfied. She was not a small-minded woman, never concerned with such matters, nor ever wishing to possess anyone.

Drained of strength, Zhuo Qinglian soon sank into deep sleep, while Xiao Cheng remained awake. Time was everything to him; he needed to seize every moment to grow stronger. Yesterday’s events had sounded a warning bell—his strength was still too weak. Without his innate peak-level spiritual sense, even mundane forces could have erased him from this world.

Shaking off distracting thoughts, Xiao Cheng circulated his true energy through a major cycle and found it surprisingly smooth, without the usual blockages. He was momentarily puzzled, but soon understood.

For years, he had harbored a deep resentment in his heart, and tonight, with Zhuo Qinglian, he had poured himself wholly into their union, dispersing that pent-up energy. His Dao heart was now clearer, and his cultivation naturally advanced.

Xiao Cheng was pleased; he hadn’t expected such gains from the night. The dissipation of resentment would be immensely beneficial for his future training. At this rate, he might break through to the eighth stage of Foundation Establishment in a few days, edging ever closer to the Condensation Realm.

The Foundation Establishment stage was the weakest period for cultivators, for it was all about laying groundwork, with almost no combat power. At present, he could only use the Fivefold Sword technique and the Earth Escape art. Due to his level, the sword’s power was limited, and Earth Escape was little more than a means of fleeing danger.

Once he reached the Condensation stage, the Fivefold Sword would grow in strength, and many other Dao arts would become accessible—especially the profound arts within the Jade Triple-Life Jade Tablet, most of which required Condensation or higher. Among them, Xiao Cheng valued the Five Elements Escape art most; upon reaching Condensation, he would be able to use Fire Escape.

He prized the Five Elements Escape art for three reasons. First, all things in the world are governed by the Five Elements; myriad Dao arts are derived from them, making the Five Elements the source. Second, the Five Elements Escape art is powerful and progressive, its strength growing with cultivation. Third, the arts can be freely combined—two, three, four, or even all five elements—yielding tens of thousands of possible techniques, with immense potential for development.

For example, upon reaching Innate, one could combine Earth and Water Escape into the secret art “Azure Mountain and Clear Water,” transforming the body into liquid form, impervious to blades—a truly miraculous ability.

Though the Jade Triple-Life Tablet contained many arts, Xiao Cheng believed the Five Elements Escape was its essence—possibly impossible to fully master even in a lifetime. Better to specialize deeply than to spread oneself thin.

Besides, regardless of the power of myriad Dao arts, they were not truly his path. He preferred something more direct; once he attained the Innate Realm and possessed his own flying sword, he would devote himself to the Way of the Sword, with Dao arts merely supporting him.

The Way of the Sword was fraught with thorns and far more arduous than Dao arts, but once mastered, its power was unparalleled. Throughout history, every swordmaster was a figure of astonishing brilliance.

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[Realm and Level Explanations] (Since many readers have asked about the cultivation realms, Xiaodao provides a summary here for those interested…)

[1] Cultivation: Foundation Establishment, Condensation, Innate, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Divine Split, Unity, Tribulation Crossing, Great Ascension (ten major realms)

As the story focuses on plot, the book may not exhaustively describe each realm to avoid unnecessary filler. Cultivation realms are inherently complex, and since this is an urban novel, Xiaodao has simplified traditional levels for clarity (since cultivation doesn’t truly exist, please do not compare with other sources, thank you!).

Foundation Establishment: Essentially, this is the process of tempering the body to lay the groundwork for future cultivation. Cultivators at this stage are immune to diseases but have little strength or attack power.

Condensation: This realm is about increasing the strength of true energy in the dantian, raising its concentration, and enabling some basic Dao arts. Attack power begins to manifest.

Innate: With sufficient concentrated true energy, upon reaching Innate, a qualitative change occurs in the dantian—true energy becomes more concentrated and turns liquid, stored in the dantian. At this stage, the cultivator’s spiritual sense is strong enough for introspection and flying sword control, and with innate true energy to protect the body, ordinary weapons cannot harm them. With vast reserves of true energy, powerful Dao arts can be performed.

Golden Core: True energy undergoes further transformation, condensing into a golden core. Cultivators at this stage can transcend the mundane cycles of food and sustenance, surviving without eating. They can ride swords, fly, and escape earth. At this realm, cultivators may be called Daoists.

Nascent Soul: When true energy is insufficient, spiritual sense becomes strong enough to condense a Nascent Soul in the sea of consciousness. Masters at this stage can cultivate external bodies, and the Nascent Soul possesses longevity—should the physical body decay, the Nascent Soul can still survive. Practitioners here are called Real Persons and have entered the threshold of immortal cultivation.

Out-of-Body: At this stage, the Nascent Soul can leave the body and travel the nine heavens or deep underworld, entirely abandoning the physical shell.

Divine Split: The Divine Split stage allows the splitting of the spiritual soul, enabling multiple external incarnations.

Unity: External souls and Nascent Soul combine for joint cultivation; incarnations become nearly physical, as if creating another flesh-and-blood person.

Tribulation Crossing: When cultivation nears Great Ascension, the body embodies the myriad phenomena of the universe—a perfect union of energy and spirit. An opposing energy arises, and the attraction between the two leads to mutual annihilation. This is how tribulation forms; no matter where you are, it cannot be avoided. The process of tribulation crossing is a violation of cosmic laws.

Great Ascension: The fruits of cultivation are consolidated, strength accumulates until perfection is achieved, and one ascends in broad daylight.

[2] Demon Cultivation: Body Tempering, Spirit Awakening, Core Gathering, Demon Core, Transformation, Out-of-Body, Divine Split, Unity, Tribulation Crossing, Great Ascension (ten major realms)

Demon cultivation is similar to the realms of spiritual cultivation. Notably, cultivators reach Innate and gain flying swords, while demon beasts at the Core Gathering stage lack flying swords but can form demon energy balls for ranged attacks. Demon cultivators usually possess innate supernatural abilities, making them stronger than cultivators at equivalent realms.

However, demon beasts begin with low intelligence, making cultivation extremely difficult.

When they reach the Transformation stage, demon cultivators can take human form.

[3] Devil Cultivation: Body Refinement, Yuan Condensation, Desire Intent, Fiend Core, Devil Infant, Out-of-Body, Spirit Separation, Unity, Tribulation Crossing, Great Ascension (ten major realms)

Devil cultivation’s realms are similar to those of spiritual cultivation, but with a focus on strengthening the body. A powerful body is their foundation; they do not need flying swords, for all their organs are weapons.

Devil cultivation is a niche system, as training is painful and most prefer the comfort of spiritual cultivation.

[4] External and Internal Martial Arts

External martial arts focus solely on technique and strength, with proficiency and force determining prowess; there are no realms.

Internal martial arts, beyond technique and strength, require cultivation of internal energy. Unlike the energy in spiritual, demon, or devil cultivation, internal energy is not absorbed and transformed from external substances, but extracted from food through continuous intake.

Internal martial arts realms: Expert, Master, Transformation, Universe, Opening and Closing

Expert: Cultivates internal energy, proficient in techniques.

Master: Pure internal energy, refined techniques, unique insights into internal martial arts, capable of creating personal routines and accepting disciples.

Transformation: Thick internal energy, techniques reach a supernatural level.

Universe: Within three feet of the body forms a world; invincible within that range.

Opening and Closing: Internal energy can be projected externally to harm or kill (see the prowess of Feng Qingyang in “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer”).

[5] Xiao Cheng’s Five Elements Escape Arts

The Five Elements are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. As Xiao Cheng’s cultivation advances, he will master more escape arts. The minimum cultivation required for each is:

Metal (barely usable at Nascent Soul), Wood (barely usable at Golden Core), Water (barely usable at Innate), Fire (barely usable at Condensation), Earth (usable at Foundation Establishment—his first life-saving skill).

[6] Other niche systems will not be detailed here; they will be introduced as they arise!