Upon returning to his small courtyard, Ji Yuan immediately activated the formations in the area and descended into the underground quiet room.
He lightly touched the jade pendant at his waist with a finger, sending a wisp of divine sense into it. After a moment, he gently flicked his finger, and a stream of light shot out.
As the halo of light dispersed, eighteen palm-sized flags appeared before him.
Fifteen of these flags were predominantly colored according to the five elements. Three flags of the same color formed a group, and the remaining three small flags possessed all five colors simultaneously.
These were spoils of war that Ji Yuan had obtained after defeating an pursuing enemy, following his capture of half a damaged furnace in the underground dojo.
If he wasn't mistaken, the enemy at that time must have been a Refinement Cultivator, and these items were likely their life-bound magical artifacts.
Because the eighteen small flags were of good quality and uniquely possessed the power of the five elements, he had kept them all along, rather than exchanging them for needed resources.
However, despite the fine quality of this set of artifacts, which could unleash considerable power when activated in unison,
they had never been used by him due to their incompatibility with Ji Yuan's cultivation techniques.
Previously, outside Lu Yu Zhe's courtyard, observing the anomalies in his cultivation had suddenly sparked an idea in Ji Yuan's mind, a flash of inspiration.
Impatiently, he took out the set of artifacts and immediately began to refine them with his mana, carefully studying the restrictions within.
It had to be said that the person who crafted this set of small flags was highly skilled in artifact refining and possessed immense creativity!
While refining the magical artifacts, the craftsman had actually inscribed several formations within them to harness the spiritual energy of the five elements—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth—within each small flag, allowing them to generate a cycle of mutual generation and restraint when activated.
In this way, they possessed the nascent form of the five elemental powers, capable of boosting one's combat prowess by several folds.
Coupled with the restrictions contained within the artifacts, this set not only possessed offensive and defensive capabilities but could also be used to set up formations, greatly assisting in alchemy and artifact refinement.
Once the formations were established, the five elemental energies within the body seemed to circulate, creating a feeling of perpetual motion, and enhancing one's mana and spiritual perception.
"Interesting!"
An entire night passed before Ji Yuan opened his eyes and muttered to himself.
At his current cultivation level, refining a mere set of artifacts crafted by a second-realm cultivator indeed did not require much effort.
Upon initially refining them, he immediately felt a strong sense of interest, wishing he could continue refining and comprehending them until he had thoroughly mastered all the formations and restrictions within.
However, Ji Yuan also knew that this matter could not be rushed. He had never delved into the Way of the Five Elements before, and his understanding was limited to the very basics.
If he continued to study them in this manner, it might consume more time and energy, or even lead him down a misguided path.
Therefore, after a brief rest, he emerged from his quiet room and deactivated the protective formations.
For the entire morning, Ji Yuan patiently instructed Chen Yu Luo, guiding her through her cultivation doubts and explaining the general principles of the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture's cultivation method to his new disciple.
It was only an hour later that he concluded his lesson and then leisurely made his way to a courtyard.
"Master Abbot?"
Lu Yu Zhe was clearly taken aback upon seeing him.
It seemed he hadn't expected Ji Yuan to visit so suddenly, and even more so to inquire about the Way of the Five Elements.
When the topic turned to his area of expertise, he immediately became invigorated, appearing like a different person from his usual reticent and withdrawn self, transforming into a talkative individual.
Even Zheng Jia Xing, his closest friend, would likely have been dumbfounded and suspected his friend had taken the wrong pill.
Even Ji Yuan himself did not anticipate that they would converse for the entire day.
It wasn't until dusk that they finally realized how much time had passed, both with expressions of lingering interest.
Ji Yuan, in particular, although mostly listening while Lu Yu Zhe spoke, had indeed gained a great deal from the day.
Lu Yu Zhe felt similarly, meticulously explaining his own insights from beginning to end, which also proved beneficial to him, serving as a form of self-review.
This was why some cultivators enjoyed discussing their cultivation experiences and insights with peers, and even some found solutions to their cultivation challenges while teaching their disciples.
Upon returning to his quiet room, Ji Yuan once again took out the eighteen small flags that he had initially refined and continued to study the formations and restrictions within.
At the same time, he was verifying the insights he had gained from Lu Yu Zhe during the day.
Another night passed, and his understanding of the Way of the Five Elements had advanced by leaps and bounds!
Although he still lacked a complete grasp of some finer details, his foundational comprehension had significantly improved.
He sat in the quiet room and, with a mere thought, without the aid of mana, the eighteen small flags before him began to move on their own. As their surfaces unfurled, the five elemental powers flowed upon them.
On this day, after his lesson with Chen Yu Luo, Ji Yuan visited Lu Yu Zhe once again to continue seeking his guidance on the Way of the Five Elements.
In the following month, he tirelessly repeated the same routine every day.
The only difference was that in the evenings, upon returning to his quiet room, he did not continue refining the eighteen small flags but instead pored over books concerning the Way of the Five Elements.
These were not precious cultivation manuals but rather ordinary books that analyzed and explained the Dao from various perspectives.
However, what was considered ordinary for a disciple of the Nine Xuan Sect was still quite precious to cultivators from outside.
One early morning, Ji Yuan closed the book he was holding and couldn't help but sigh.
If not for Lu Yu Zhe carrying such a wealth of books on the Way of the Five Elements, it would have taken him much longer to truly understand this path.
With his current cultivation realm and background, acquiring such books would not have been difficult.
But by the time they were delivered by Ming Xin Xuan, it would likely have been one or two months later.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, Ji Yuan's expression changed. He looked up in a certain direction and muttered, "It seems I won't be able to seek guidance for the next few days."
He sighed, but there was no disappointment on his face. Instead, his eyes lit up with joy.
Just moments ago, he had sensed Lu Yu Zhe's aura. The latter had likely accumulated enough and was attempting to break through his current realm.
Ji Yuan was not surprised by this. For over a month, while it appeared he was seeking Lu Yu Zhe's knowledge of the Five Elements,
had Lu Yu Zhe not also benefited from these sessions of impartation?