Chapter 120: An Astonishing Discovery

Upon hearing these words, Lu An was naturally overjoyed. He had already heard from the Talisman Hall Master of Yongning County that his Master's Wife had long since become a fourth-tier Talisman Master, and her mastery in the Talisman Dao had surpassed the Talisman Law of Heaven and Earth, reaching the edge of the fourth stage.

Such an opportunity was not something he would miss.

"Disciple indeed has some doubts and seeks guidance from Master's Wife."

He sat cross-legged in front of An Su, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"Master said that in order to reach the realm of the Talisman Law of Heaven and Earth, one must deepen their understanding of the elemental energies of heaven and earth."

"I have spiritual roots of water, fire, and wood, and my affinity with water and wood is relatively high. My understanding of the energies of these two elements is also much deeper."

"After undergoing special training from Master, my fire affinity has caught up, and it is now nearly on par with the other two."

"However, as for the elemental energies of metal and earth, I have no idea where to begin. Could Master's Wife offer some guidance?"

An Su smiled slightly. The issue Lu An raised was one that most cultivators faced.

The path of the Talisman Dao seemed like a paradox: to fully sense all five elemental energies and advance to the realm of the Talisman Law of Heaven and Earth, it was best to have all five elemental spiritual roots.

However, possessing all five roots was synonymous with disorder and was considered the worst aptitude among cultivators in the cultivation world.

This created a peculiar situation: those with good talent in cultivation struggled in the Talisman Dao, while those who progressed slowly in cultivation had a natural gift in talismans.

But nothing is absolute, and there were solutions to this dilemma.

Take herself, for example. With dual spiritual roots, she was considered top-tier in the cultivation world, and her achievements in the Talisman Dao had also reached the edge of the fourth stage.

After some thought, she slowly explained:

"This matter is simple. Since you lack metal and earth spiritual roots, your ability to sense the elemental energies of these two is naturally weaker."

"If there were something to help you sense these energies and deepen your understanding, then you would have a chance to step into the realm of the Talisman Law of Heaven and Earth."

Lu An's heart stirred. He had a good guess about what she was referring to—it had to be the Dao Stele in the Qi Empire's imperial palace.

After a moment's thought, he took out a five-colored disk.

An Su's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the object.

She took the disk, running her hands over it continuously, as if she were holding something precious.

After a long while, she sighed deeply and said wistfully:

"I didn't expect this item to be in your possession."

"It seems your master has placed all his hopes on you. Don't let him down."

She took a breath before continuing:

"You probably know the origin of this object. Your master chiseled it off the Dao Stele long ago, and he was punished for it."

"This object can help you sense the various elemental energies in the world, but it's not enough."

"Compared to the Dao Stele, it's like a small trick before a great magic."

"Therefore, your focus should still be on the Dao Stele. If you perform well at the Water Sky Conference, you'll have the chance to comprehend the Dao Stele. You must do your best."

"Furthermore, there are many benefits to participating in the Water Sky Conference. Don't waste the opportunity."

Lu An made a mental note of this. A flash of doubt crossed his mind, and he asked:

"Master's Wife, the Dao Stele is a national treasure of the Qi Empire. Other countries don't have it, so how do their cultivators reach the third stage of the Talisman Dao?"

This question didn't surprise An Su. She thought for a moment and explained:

"The Dao Stele only helps speed up progress. For most people, the simplest method is to explore on their own daily. Depending on their level of comprehension, the time it takes to achieve this varies."

"Additionally, other nations have their own methods—whether it's treasures similar to the Dao Stele or rare items that deepen understanding."

"For example, in the Xia Empire, their capital has an Enlightenment Grounds that allows those who enter to achieve instant enlightenment, surpassing even our Dao Stele."

Upon hearing this, Lu An felt a sudden realization.

It turned out that with enough time, one could still step into the third stage, but the duration depended on an individual's comprehension. Those with high comprehension might grasp the threshold in just a few years, while those with lower comprehension might never succeed in their lifetime.

As he pondered this, An Su hesitated briefly before adding:

"It is said that in ancient times, cultivators could fuse elemental energies, creating new types of energies."

"Different combinations would produce different energies, including mutated ones like wind and thunder, which could then be understood and controlled."

"However, after so much time, the method of fusion has long been lost. No cultivator today knows how to perform it."

Lu An was astonished upon hearing this.

Fusing elemental energies to create new attributes?

Didn't that mean one could master all types of energies in the world, from wind to thunder, and everything in between?

Just imagine—a cultivator who mastered the five elements, commanded wind and thunder, and did not suffer from the chaotic spiritual roots that hinder cultivation speed.

If such a person existed, where in this vast world could they not go?

He keenly felt that this method was the true path of cultivation. All aids like the Dao Stele were merely supplementary. Unfortunately, this method had been lost to time, and its transmission had been cut off; it was no longer available.

Thinking of this, his heart suddenly tightened as if he sensed something.

Wait a minute, that's not right!

The idea of elemental energies merging to create other attributes—why did it seem so familiar?

He grasped this thought and delved deeper, racking his brain to recall where he had heard it before.

He had a premonition that if he missed this idea, he would regret it for life.

"Merging, creating new attributes…"

A flash of insight crossed his mind, and he suddenly looked up.

Isn't this the theory of the three primary colors?

No wonder he couldn't recall where he had heard it; it was from another world.

Though this world had similar concepts, it wasn't as systematically distinguished.

The three primary colors are blue, red, and green. By mixing them in different proportions, one can obtain all other colors. Isn't this similar to how elemental energies work?

And with his spiritual roots in water, fire, and wood, if classified by colors, it would be…

His mind stirred, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued to ponder deeply.

Water, fire, and wood correspond to blue, red, and green. If his guess is correct, theoretically, he should be able to master any elemental energy.

However, he felt something was off. This world also had dye houses and various fabrics, so cultivators must have considered and attempted this.

But why has no one succeeded? Could it be that the theory is flawed?

"I need to go back and test it."

"But I can't miss the opportunity that Master's Wife has given me."

He set aside his doubts for now and continued to ask An Su about many of his cultivation questions.

With her early Nascent Soul cultivation, guiding a Foundation Establishment cultivator was naturally within her capability.

She was generous with her advice, answering almost every question Lu An had, treating him as her own disciple.

It wasn't until late at night that Lu An finished asking all his questions and took his leave.

This visit was incredibly rewarding; Master's Wife's guidance had enlightened him and dispelled his previous confusion.

He estimated that this guidance saved him at least three to five years of detours.

Yet his mind was elsewhere. As soon as he returned to the inn, he eagerly began testing his newly discovered theory.