"Nonsense! How could Five Elements spells be so easy to cultivate?" the Merit Transmission Elder berated Lu Yang. If Five Elements spells were that simple to learn, what would be the point of having the Five Elements Sect?
"Do not look down upon the study of spells just because you happened upon a bit of luck and randomly cultivated one of them.
"Which Five Elements spells have you cultivated? Let me see."
In the Merit Transmission Elder's eyes, Lu Yang had likely only learned basic, simple spells like the Fireball Technique or the Earth Wall Technique, which led him to believe that Five Elements spells were easy to cultivate.
Helpless, Lu Yang had no choice but to demonstrate the spells he had learned one by one.
He opened his right hand, and a golden firebird materialized in his palm. Lifelike and radiating terrifying heat, it promptly ignited the pop quiz papers the Merit Transmission Elder had placed on the lectern.
Lu Yang then opened his left hand, and Three Flavors True Fire blazed vigorously.
The Merit Transmission Elder's attention was entirely fixed on Lu Yang's palms, completely oblivious to that minor detail.
"What is this?"
"Golden Bird True Flame and Three Flavors True Fire."
"What?!"
How had he never heard of these two true fires?
Since when did the one hundred and eight types of true fire become one hundred and ten?
Before the Merit Transmission Elder could even process this, Lu Yang took out a seed and planted it into the floor.
The seed took root as soon as it hit the ground, sprouting two lotus flowers. Atop each lotus stood an identical Lu Yang—one fully dressed, the other clad in lotus leaves.
"What spell is this?" The Merit Transmission Elder's eyes nearly popped out of his head. This was practically unheard of.
"The Tree Planting Art."
Whose Tree Planting Art looks like that?!
Before the Merit Transmission Elder could utter his inner thoughts aloud, Lu Yang recalled his clones and burrowed into the ground, moving to and fro with complete ease. When he felt like it, he even opened his mouth and took a couple mouthfuls of dirt.
"Earth Escape Technique?" The Merit Transmission Elder looked on in bewilderment. Lu Yang's posture strongly resembled the Earth Escape Technique, yet the flow of his spiritual energy did not match it at all.
"I named it 'Shrinking the Earth.'"
"You created it yourself?"
"More or less. I stumbled upon it by accident."
The Merit Transmission Elder's cheek twitched. He had not recognized a single one of the Five Elements spells Lu Yang displayed, and none of them were by any means simple or easy to learn.
"As for metal-element spells, swordsmanship barely counts, I suppose."
Lu Yang had no intention of displaying the Six-Zhang Golden Body. That was Young Cult Master Lu's technique, and since he was not Young Cult Master Lu, how could he possibly know the Six-Zhang Golden Body?
"Water spells, on the other hand, are something I haven't learned at all."
The Merit Transmission Elder was struck with awe. To master four of the Five Elements spells while possessing profound sword techniques and keeping his cultivation realm from lagging behind—could this kid truly possess such astounding attainments in the Five Elements spells?
Reincarnating... No, apprenticing at the Dao Seeking Sect was a colossal waste!
"Good, good, good! The Five Elements generate and overcome one another; few people can master two opposing elements. The fact that you have mastered four of the five elements is proof enough that your talent in this aspect is remarkable."
"Of course! Not to brag, but Lu Yang's talent is even greater than Eldest Senior Sister's!" Meng Jingzhou praised Lu Yang's spell talent lavishly. As his good brother, he felt deeply honored.
"Right, right, right! I think so too!" Li Haoran chimed in emphatically.
Man Gu scratched his head, sensing an underlying implication in their words. Was it just his imagination?
Never mind, he might as well go with the flow.
"I think so too."
Only Tao Yaoye remained silent.
Cold sweat broke out on Lu Yang's brow. *Meng Jingzhou, you bastard, you're trying to set me up for a fall with all this flattery! Your intentions are downright villainous!*
"Since you can learn four of the Five Elements spells, the remaining water element shouldn't pose too much difficulty for you.
"If one can master spells of five different attributes, then according to the principle of mutual generation among the Five Elements, one can unleash powerful combination spells!
"Well, then? Would you like to learn another water spell?"
Given the chance to learn a new spell, how could Lu Yang refuse?
"I would be honored to receive your guidance, Elder."
Seeing Lu Yang's respectful attitude, the Merit Transmission Elder's impression of him improved considerably. He nodded.
"Let me think... You shall learn the Water Parting Technique, then."
"The Water Parting Technique?"
"The Water Parting Technique is an exceedingly difficult water spell to learn. Even someone with dual spiritual roots containing the water attribute might not be able to master it. Conversely, being so difficult to master signifies immense power. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that once learned, it can counter all water-element spells!"
Everyone was taken aback. None of them expected this spell to be so formidable.
Stroking his white beard with a beaming smile, the Merit Transmission Elder said, "Legend has it that near the end of the Great Yu dynasty, aristocratic clans and vassal kings rebelled, throwing the world into chaos and plunging the common people into misery. A great cultivator with immense supernatural powers led the inhabitants of an entire town to flee the calamity, only to be blocked by a mighty river that reached to the heavens. The vast waters surged with violent currents, impossible for boats to cross.
"While that great cultivator could naturally cross the river, the common folk behind him could not.
"Standing by the riverbank with a walking stick in hand, that great cultivator tapped the ground three times. The mighty river split down the middle, revealing a path eighty meters wide, with the river rising tall on both sides to form walls of water.
"Only after the townsfolk crossed the river did the water walls on both sides crash down, restoring the river to its original state.
"That is the Water Parting Technique!"
To cleave a river in two—before such a divine ability, no water-element spell stood a chance.
"Given your current realm, parting an entire river would be far too difficult; your physical body wouldn't be able to bear the strain. However, when facing water spells from opponents of the same realm, they shouldn't pose any threat to you at all."
Lu Yang sucked in a breath of cold air. The Water Parting Technique sounded truly impressive.
"Here is another example."
The Merit Transmission Elder took out a cup filled to the brim with water. With a gentle swipe over the cup, the water inside split cleanly in two, distinctly separated as if divided by an invisible line.
He threw his head back and drank, draining half the cup while the remaining half stayed precisely in place.
"Please teach me, Elder," Lu Yang said, cupping his hands again.
"Very well."
The Merit Transmission Elder did not give Lu Yang private instruction; instead, he explained the Water Parting Technique to all five of them.
This would also serve as a good test to see the true extent of Lu Yang's talent for Five Elements spells.
"To learn the Water Parting Technique, one must calm the mind and focus one's spirit, concentrating spiritual energy into both hands to form the Five Elements Water Seal. Connect the pad of your thumb to the pad of your little finger, and spread the other three fingers..."
The Merit Transmission Elder truly lived up to his role as an introductory instructor for Five Elements Sect disciples. Though the subject matter was dry and tedious, anyone capable of comprehending it would find his explanations remarkably clear.
In less than four hours, Lu Yang had grasped the trick to the Water Parting Technique. Meanwhile, Meng Jingzhou and the others, constrained by their limited spell talent—especially when it came to a spell requiring a Water Spiritual Root—made very slow progress.
"Elder, I'd like to give it a try."
With a thought from the Merit Transmission Elder, a water sphere the size of a leather ball hovered before Lu Yang.
"If you can split the water sphere in two, you will have succeeded."
Lu Yang formed the Five Elements Water Seal with both hands and silently recited the incantation.
"Five lakes and four seas all return to their halls; nine rivers and eight lakes open along four paths... Part!"
Bringing his right middle and index fingers together, Lu Yang pointed at the water sphere and gave a low cry. Instantly, the water sphere vanished without a trace!
The Merit Transmission Elder was struck speechless.
*This isn't right. Where did the water sphere go?*
"Try again."
He condensed another water sphere and gestured for Lu Yang to repeat the attempt. Lu Yang executed the Water Parting Technique once more, and the water sphere again vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace behind.
Lu Yang was equally baffled. How could a water sphere simply vanish? He hadn't studied void magic, after all. Turning to the Immortal Fairy, he asked, "Fairy, could you see what I just did?"
Having heard that Lu Yang was learning a spell, the Immortal Fairy naturally hadn't missed the spectacle, observing intently from within the spiritual space the entire time.
"I saw it. After you cast the Water Parting Technique, the water sphere didn't vanish—it just became too small to see."
"Too small to see?"
"Mm, it split into two streams of gas. Inside one stream, a tiny sphere revolves around another tiny sphere. Inside the other stream, eight tiny spheres revolve around a central sphere.
"Both of these gases exist in the air; they're quite common."
Lu Yang was at a loss for words.
*So basically, I split the water into hydrogen and oxygen?!*
Chapter 540