Chapter 5: The Five Element Divine Beasts

After a month of closed-door cultivation, Lin Jiufeng emerged to find that winter had arrived.

The cold season had set in, and heavy snow blanketed the mountains.

Goose-feather snowflakes drifted down from the heavens, swirling and scattering, draping the peaks of Yuhua Sect in a pristine white robe untouched by a single speck of dust.

Gazing out, the mountains and wilderness were a vast expanse of pure white, clad in silver and snow.

It was a beauty that dazzled the eyes.

Yuhua Sect — Canon Pavilion.

Although Lin Jiufeng had entered the Third Seal and possessed the combined strength of a dragon and an elephant, making him immune to the cold, he still set up a brazier.

The brazier brought warmth, driving away the chill that lingered inside the Canon Pavilion.

Rather than cultivating, Lin Jiufeng brewed a pot of tea, quietly savoring it while silently admiring the snow.

Cultivation was not something achieved in a single leap — it was the accumulation of insight and effort over time, day by day.

After a month in seclusion, today he allowed himself a day of rest. Work and rest must be balanced.

Watching the snow fall in sweeping curtains, Lin Jiufeng stood in the corridor in his white Daoist robes, teacup in hand, taking in the view.

Footsteps suddenly sounded behind him, accompanied by a clear voice: "You're in quite the refined mood, Senior Brother."

Without turning around, Lin Jiufeng replied, "Why aren't you in seclusion cultivating the Yuhua Ascension Scripture? What brings you here?"

Bai Yunfei stepped up beside Lin Jiufeng and said, "I'm about to enter seclusion to cultivate the Yuhua Ascension Scripture, so there's something I'd like to entrust to Senior Brother first."

Lin Jiufeng poured Bai Yunfei a cup of tea and asked curiously, "What is it?"

"I'd like to ask Senior Brother to teach the Yuhua Ascension Scripture to these disciples." Bai Yunfei raised his hand in a beckoning gesture, and two boys and a girl walked into the Canon Pavilion. Their faces were young and tender, their statures short — all around ten years old — and they looked at Lin Jiufeng with shy, uncertain eyes.

"Address him as Grand-Uncle." Bai Yunfei said in a firm tone.

"Greetings, Grand-Uncle," the three children called out obediently.

Lin Jiufeng nodded, then looked at Bai Yunfei with a questioning gaze.

Bai Yunfei explained, "These three children are all orphans. I took them in as my disciples — their talent is quite exceptional and worth nurturing. But I'm about to enter a life-or-death seclusion to break through to the Eighth Seal, so I'd like Senior Brother to guide them in their cultivation."

"A life-or-death seclusion — what about Yuhua Sect in the meantime?" Lin Jiufeng did not agree immediately and asked.

"Seal the mountain gate. No contact with the outside world," Bai Yunfei said gravely.

"Will the other disciples agree?" Lin Jiufeng asked.

"What other disciples? Everyone in Yuhua Sect is right here." Bai Yunfei gave a bitter smile.

Lin Jiufeng looked at the three little ones, then at Bai Yunfei, then at himself.

So the entirety of Yuhua Sect had been reduced to just the five of them.

"Over the past month, the Taishang Sect made another move — they lured away the remaining disciples and cut off every road leading out of Yuhua Sect, turning it into an isolated island. No one dares come near, and no one dares contact us." Bai Yunfei's expression darkened.

"That outrageous?" Lin Jiufeng frowned.

"If I hadn't revealed my Seventh Seal cultivation, the Taishang Sect would likely have already seized Yuhua Sect by now," Bai Yunfei said helplessly.

"They want to seal us off and starve us out?" Lin Jiufeng suppressed his fury. The Taishang Sect had gone too far.

"That's exactly why I must enter this life-or-death seclusion. Once I break through to the Eighth Seal, with the Yuhua Ascension Scripture in hand, the time will come for the Taishang Sect to pay the price." Bai Yunfei's voice was resolute.

"In the meantime, I'll trouble Senior Brother to look after these three little ones and guide their cultivation. There are still some resources left within Yuhua Sect — enough to feed the three of them for several years without issue," Bai Yunfei said.

Lin Jiufeng looked at the three children and nodded. "Very well. I'll take care of them. Go into seclusion with peace of mind and break through as soon as you can."

Bai Yunfei looked at Lin Jiufeng, who had regained his youthful appearance from before, and said with deep feeling, "When I first joined Yuhua Sect all those years ago, Senior Brother already had that radiant, jade-like bearing. Now, with this sudden awakening, you've finally reclaimed your former brilliance."

"You three, remember — listen to your Grand-Uncle and cultivate diligently. Understood?" Bai Yunfei said sternly to his three disciples.

The three little ones nodded obediently.

Only then did Bai Yunfei look satisfied. He bowed to Lin Jiufeng and said, "I'll be in your care from here on, Senior Brother."

Lin Jiufeng nodded. "Go into seclusion. I'll teach them earnestly."

Bai Yunfei gave a nod, then strode away with great purpose.

Inside the Canon Pavilion, only Lin Jiufeng and the three children around ten years old remained.

The three children all looked at Lin Jiufeng with restrained, cautious expressions.

"What are your names?" Lin Jiufeng asked gently.

"Wen Xinyun," said the only girl, speaking first.

"Zhou Tianzi," said a thin, short boy.

"Yue Dashan," said a rather chubby boy. His name suited him well — at just ten years old, he already looked like a small mountain, and when he grew up, he would surely be a great one.

"My name is Lin Jiufeng. From this day forward, you will cultivate under my guidance and live here in the Canon Pavilion, until your master completes his seclusion and breaks through," Lin Jiufeng said.

"We'll follow Grand-Uncle's lead," Yue Dashan said with an honest grin, scratching the back of his head.

"Then follow me now, and let us begin your Qi Refining cultivation." Lin Jiufeng was serious about it, and began teaching them the Yuhua Ascension Scripture step by step, hands-on.

The three children's talent was truly remarkable. They grasped everything at first hearing, and after Lin Jiufeng's guidance, they were able to draw Qi into their bodies. Compared to Lin Jiufeng before he had awakened his Heavenly Comprehension, their natural aptitude was incomparably higher.

No wonder Bai Yunfei had taken them as disciples and regarded them as the hope for Yuhua Sect's revival.

Days passed, one after another.

Yuhua Sect was now empty of people, and with the blockade in place — no one could leave, no one could enter — the mountains and wilderness fell into a deep, solemn silence.

Lin Jiufeng rather enjoyed this silence.

Each day he rose early, taught the three children to cultivate the Yuhua Ascension Scripture, then sent them off to practice on their own. He himself would then begin reading, cultivating, and tempering his five visceral organs.

The three children were remarkably self-sufficient. When hungry, they would prepare their own food, and after eating, they would throw themselves back into diligent cultivation.

Lin Jiufeng had spoken with them and learned that they had each become orphans at a very young age, wandering through hardship and brushing with death on multiple occasions. Fortunately, they had encountered Bai Yunfei, who took them in and brought them to Yuhua Sect.

Perhaps because they had known suffering from such a young age, they cherished everything they had now with extraordinary care. Not one of them was lazy — all three cultivated with fierce dedication, and Lin Jiufeng was deeply pleased by what he saw.

Inside the Canon Pavilion, Lin Jiufeng watched the three little ones in their diligent practice and smiled faintly. "I'd better put in the effort too. I can't let these three juniors outshine me."

His next step was to cultivate the Fourth Seal — the tempering of the five visceral organs.

The first three Seals had been about forging the physical body. The body had grown powerful, but the five visceral organs remained fragile.

Therefore, the Fourth Seal involved linking the five visceral organs together and forming a perfect cycle with the physical body.

The five visceral organs were the Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidneys.

The Heart corresponds to Fire, the Liver to Wood, the Spleen to Earth, the Lungs to Metal, and the Kidneys to Water.

Thus, the Five Elements served as the foundation.

Within the Yuhua Ascension Scripture, there was a cultivation method pertaining to this realm.

Using different spirit beasts as a foundation, one would condense a totem upon each of the five visceral organs. The resulting power would far surpass that of any cultivator at the same level.

Lin Jiufeng began searching through records of ancient totems, spirit beasts, and fearsome beasts.

After a long search, he truly found what he was looking for.

Heart corresponds to Fire: condense a Vermilion Bird.

Liver corresponds to Wood: condense an Azure Dragon.

Spleen corresponds to Earth: condense a Qilin.

Lungs correspond to Metal: condense a White Tiger.

Kidneys correspond to Water: condense a Black Tortoise.

To use the Five Element Divine Beasts as totems for the five visceral organs, merging them with the body — what kind of terrifying power could that unleash?

Lin Jiufeng was filled with anticipation.