The [Mortal World].
The black and white mystic light of Yin and Yang fluctuated violently, transforming into boundless, dreamlike colors. Then, it abruptly exploded outward, and two towering figures stepped out from within.
"You may speak now, Fellow Daoist."
Amidst the churning mist, [Sky-shrouding] calmly looked at Lu Yang before him. Inwardly, however, he was constantly deducing the identity of the person before him, forming countless hypotheses.
'It couldn't possibly be Hong Yun, could it?'
'Or perhaps it's a Daoist friend I consumed in the past? That shouldn't be it either. I've never told anyone about reversing the Chen Earth.'
On the other side, Lu Yang had absolutely no intention of answering [Sky-shrouding]. As a Perfected Lord of the Saint Sect, he clearly understood the principle that to lie convincingly, one must mix in the truth. A clumsy lie would have too high a chance of being exposed in front of an old fox like [Sky-shrouding]. It was better to say nothing at all and let him guess for himself.
Therefore, he changed the subject and chuckled lightly.
"There is something I have been curious about for a long time. Senior, the Five-Element Dao Fruits you constructed using the Chen Earth are not actually compatible. How did you manage to achieve the perfection of the Five Elements?"
[Sky-shrouding]'s Five-Element Dao Fruit combination was—
[Great Forest Wood], [Silted Sand Earth], [Overturned Lamp Flame], [Eternal Flowing Water], and [White Wax Gold].
Based on Lu Yang's deduction, this combination should start with the [Eternal Flowing Water], since the concept of this Dao Fruit's profound wonder was a boundless source.
"With Water as the source, Water generates Wood."
"Therefore, the eternally flowing water never runs dry, perfectly nourishing the [Great Forest Wood], which is the Supreme of the Wood element. This can be considered a highly optimal pairing of Dao Fruits."
Lu Yang spoke with great familiarity, his tone casual.
"However, in the next step, Wood generating Fire, a problem arises. The [Overturned Lamp Flame] is a flame in a golden cup, yet using the [Great Forest Wood] to fuel it is somewhat overkill."
"Simply put, the [Overturned Lamp Flame] cannot withstand it."
"Of course, it can be used if absolutely necessary, since the [Overturned Lamp Flame] uses wood as its wick. So we can set this step aside for now. Moving on, Fire generates Earth."
"This step also has a problem."
"Because the [Silted Sand Earth] favors the Sun, making the [Heavenly Fire] its most esteemed pairing. The fire of the [Overturned Lamp Flame] is weak. Forcibly combining them will only lead to a premature end of one's lifespan."
"Of course, you have the assistance of the [Eternal Flowing Water], Fellow Daoist, which adds oil to the [Overturned Lamp Flame] and increases its intensity. This barely solves the problem. However, the [Eternal Flowing Water] is 'false oil' and cannot compare to the [Ravine Stream Water] or the [Wellspring Water]. Therefore, the hidden danger remains; it's just within an acceptable range."
As Lu Yang spoke, anomalies began manifesting in heaven and earth.
This wasn't his deliberate doing; it was entirely a natural resonance from the [Mortal World], solely because what he was explaining were Dao secrets that countless lower-tier cultivators desperately sought but could never obtain!
Boundless colors surfaced one after another, then coalesced into a single mass.
Lu Yang paid it no mind and continued, "Next is Earth generating Metal."
"This is another good pairing. The [White Wax Gold] favors Earth generating it, but it abhors Earth being too heavy, which would bury the Metal. Coincidentally, the earth qi of the [Silted Sand Earth] is as weak as sand."
"Moving one step further, Metal generates Water."
"This pairing has no issues either. The [White Wax Gold] is gentle in nature, and the [Eternal Flowing Water] favors smoothness. Gentle Metal generating elegant Water is similarly a relatively superior pairing."
[Sky-shrouding] patiently listened to Lu Yang's entire explanation.
Then, he let out a light chuckle.
"Judging from what you've said, Fellow Daoist, although my combination has its flaws, it's still passable. It eventually completes the cycle, does it not?"
Lu Yang nodded. "Indeed... but that is an amateur's way of thinking."
"Because those who think that way only focus on the cycle of the Five Elements, but completely overlook the fact that the only Dao Fruit you truly control, Fellow Daoist, is the [Great Forest Wood]."
"Therefore, the other four Dao Fruits absolutely cannot conflict with the [Great Forest Wood]."
"The [Eternal Flowing Water], [Overturned Lamp Flame], and [White Wax Gold] can barely pass muster. Even if they provide no benefit, they won't clash and can still coexist."
"But the [Silted Sand Earth] cannot!"
"The earth qi of the [Silted Sand Earth] is weak and flimsy. It is fundamentally incapable of bearing a Wood-element Supreme like the [Great Forest Wood]. Wood without Earth—how can it flourish?"
"To sum it up in a single sentence: For a Golden Core, take the Five Elements and refine them; one serves as the furnace, the other four as the materials. The furnace is the foundation, and the rest must match it. The materials are supplementary, and as long as they form a cycle, it is viable."
Rumble!
The instant Lu Yang uttered those final thirty-six characters, the radiant anomalies generated by the [Mortal World]'s resonance reached their absolute peak and lingered for a long time.
If what Lu Yang had been saying earlier were merely Dao secrets for ordinary Golden Cores...
Then these thirty-six characters went a step further. They were the supreme Dao secrets that one only needed to grasp when seeking the Nascent Soul realm—knowledge absolutely unattainable for lower-tier cultivators!
To this day, it was unknown how many Perfected Lords practicing the Grotto-Heaven Method had died due to flawed Dao Fruit combinations. Yet, the number of Perfected Lords who died specifically at this stage was minuscule. The reason was simple: anyone who could die at this stage was, without exception, a Great Perfected Lord at the late stage of Golden Core. And throughout history, how many Great Perfected Lords had there ever been?
Even Lu Yang had been completely ignorant of this beforehand.
If he hadn't read through all the Dao Fruit manuals inside the [Nourishing Life Master] while in the state of [Supreme Dao Transformation] during his previous life, he wouldn't have comprehended this either.
That was why he was curious.
Because [Sky-shrouding] had clearly violated the principles of this thirty-six-character Dao secret. Yet, he still achieved the perfection of the Five Elements without any issues arising.
"This is exactly the point that this junior cannot understand."
Having said this, a look of curiosity surfaced in Lu Yang's eyes, and he smiled. "Senior, your knowledge bridges heaven and man, and you are well-versed in countless Dao secrets. I wonder if you could resolve my confusion?"
Before his voice faded, [Sky-shrouding] had already narrowed his eyes.
'This person is not easy to fool.'
With the exposure of his Five-Element combination using the Chen Earth, and his subsequent rampage in the Pure Land to seize the [White Wax Gold] and [Silted Sand Earth], his cards were already on the table.
However, those with insufficient Dao comprehension would merely know the facts; it would be very difficult for them to glean anything from his Five-Element combination. At most, they might feel something was slightly amiss. Yet Lu Yang had seen right through it. Based on this level of Dao comprehension alone, it was impossible for him to just toss out a random answer, because it would be very difficult to bluff his way past it.
For a moment, the atmosphere fell into silence.
[Sky-shrouding] frowned deeply. Since he had to speak the truth, this was his bargaining chip. Naturally, he wasn't willing to just give it away for nothing.
So, he just stared at Lu Yang.
The underlying meaning was simple: What benefits can you give me? You can't possibly be thinking of getting this for free, right? That would show absolutely no sincerity.
"I can assist you in slaying Hong Yun, Senior."
Lu Yang offered his bargaining chip. "As long as you cooperate slightly, Senior, I guarantee his soul will be shattered, completely eradicating the hidden danger to your Five Elements perfection."
"Alright."
[Sky-shrouding] nodded. "Then how about we discuss this matter further after you've annihilated Hong Yun, Fellow Daoist, and the [Overturned Lamp Flame] no longer has a former master?"
Tsk! This old ghost won't release the falcon until he sees the hare!
After a moment of silence, Lu Yang nodded slightly. "Then we'll discuss this further after I've captured Hong Yun, Senior. Let's consider this meeting as just an initial introduction."
"Then I shall quietly await your news, Fellow Daoist."
[Sky-shrouding] smiled. Then, his figure flashed, and he voluntarily departed from the [Mortal World]. Clearly, his visit this time was primarily to test Lu Yang.
But the same went for Lu Yang.
After all, he had just obtained a massive harvest and was exactly in need of time to consolidate his gains. Therefore, he had no intention of immediately cooperating with [Sky-shrouding] to stir up trouble.
The next second, he returned to the Mystic Spirit World Realm.
Upon arriving at the Heavenly Court, the Supreme of the Mystic Spirit World Realm immediately came out to greet him, then insisted on finding a quiet room for Lu Yang. Lu Yang simply accepted the gesture.
'Next up, secluded cultivation!'
With the Dao comprehension for all Five Elements complete, it was time for the [Divine Firmament Thunder] to reach perfection!