Meanwhile, inside the Kunlun Thousand Pavilion, the resplendent structure stood majestically upon a three zhang platform, its intricate bamboo pillars and latticed walls rising nearly 60 chi toward the cerulean heavens, almost grazing the craggy, moss-covered cliff face that cradled it.

The bamboo creaked softly in the gentle mountain breeze, its subtle song mingling with the distant rush of a hidden waterfall. Twin golden dragons, their scales glistening like newly minted coins under the radiant sunbeams filtering through the pavilion's open-air design, writhed atop the upswept eaves of the bamboo roof as if in eternal combat.

Their eyes, inlaid with gleaming jade, seemed to follow visitors with an otherworldly intelligence.

Inside, rather than a conventional bamboo ceiling, the pavilion revealed an immense grotto-like interior. The air was thick with the musty scent of aged paper and ink, intermingled with the faint, sweet aroma of sandalwood incense.

In the cavernous second floor was lined with towering bookshelves that seemed to groan under the immeasurable weight of countless leather-bound tomes.

Shafts of sunlight pierced through strategically placed skylights, illuminating motes of dust that danced lazily in the air.

Meanwhile, Ji Wuye was spotted, sat cross-legged on an long wooden bench, his brow furrowed in concentration as he pored over an ancient parchment scroll bound with a faded crimson ribbon.

'Ah, I see now why the original owner of Quick Adaptation wasn't fully aware that this skill could enhance one's understanding of the martial realm,' he thought, carefully retying the scroll, which undoubtedly contained invaluable knowledge of the Sword Aura.

His fingers moved deftly, muscle memory guiding them through the intricate knots that would secure the precious document.

Rising fluidly, Ji Wuye approached the polished oak counter to the side, where an aged Elder sat.

With a reverential bow, Ji Wuye said, "Thank you, Elder," lowering his head as he extended both hands, returning the precious scroll containing the knowledge of Sword Aura.

Without a word, the Elder's hand moved with deceptive swiftness, and Ji Wuye suddenly felt the weight on his palms vanish as the scroll was whisked away.

Ji Wuye then immediately raised his head and cupped his hands once again, "This junior shall take his leave!"

...

A Sword Aura—a fifth realm that resonates with the five elements, an ethereal manifestation of one's martial prowess made tangible. Of course, to awaken a Sword Aura, one must first open their Upper Dantian.

But if that were the only requirement, achieving the 5th realm would be easy. Besides opening the Upper Dantian, one must also..

'Know their element,' Ji Wuye thought, his footsteps echoing hollowly as he exited the Kunlun Thousand Pavilion, gazing up at the vast, cerulean expanse of the sky.

The sun hung resplendent overhead, its golden rays beginning their languid descent, heralding the imminent arrival of the tranquil afternoon. The warmth caressed his face, a stark contrast to the cool mountain air that filled his lungs with each breath.

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To discover one's elemental affinity, the element that resonates most deeply with the practitioner's body and spirit, one must continuously circulate their Qi between the three Dantians until they can perceive the faint, primal thrum amidst the harmonics of existence—the seed of this elemental connection that lies dormant within every martial artist's core.

Then, this essence trace links back to the moment of one's creation, an imprint of the fundamental forces that shaped their spirit resonating through the cosmos since the dawn of time.

But this is merely the beginning of the arduous journey. After sensing the faint seed of elemental affinity stirring within, the next step demands exquisite focus and profound concentration from the practitioner.

By carefully circulating their Qi along specific meridian pathways aligned with the five elements, one can coax forth and amplify these elemental vibrations from the core of their being.

The meridians attuned to each of the five elemental forces - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water - will faintly hum with increased potency, like the strings of an instrument being precisely tuned.

'The five elements, huh...' Ji Wuye thought, recalling the knowledge about the Sword Aura.

For those whose essence aligns with the fierce Yang of the Fire element, meridians such as the Bladder, Triple Burner, and Small Intestine will pulse with surging, explosive energy akin to the heart of a raging inferno.

On the other hand, practitioners whose inner rhythm resonates with the flowing Yin of the Water element may sense the Kidney, Urinary Bladder, and Pericardium meridians undulating in gentle, rhythmic waves like a meandering stream.

Whichever of the five elements calls out most insistently, the practitioner must become one with its primal cadence - visualizing its essence, breathing in harmony with its pattern, and allowing its unique frequency to nest and intertwine with the perpetual revolution of the Three Dantians Trinity.

Deeper and deeper attunement can be achieved through weeks of single-minded, focused meditation, or even years of solitary, unrelenting practice attuning one's mind, body and spirit.

'That was merely the first step known as Elemental Resonance Awakening,' Ji Wuye thought, as his footsteps took him back towards his courtyard.

The next was the Elemental Eruption.

When the elemental resonance reaches a profound harmonic convergence within the Three Dantians' confluence, the practitioner enters the explosive vortex of a realm-shattering breakthrough.

All of their painstakingly accumulated Qi reserves are channeled into amplifying the unified elemental frequency now surging like a raging tempest through their meridians and the core of their Three Dantians.

As this raw, primal essence builds in intensity with every arduous revolution, quickly crescendoing into an overwhelming cosmic force.

'It must feel like one's meridians are thrumming as if blazing conduits for the universe's creation song itself, aligning every fiber of their being into perfect elemental harmony,' Ji Wuye recalled inwardly.

The next step, just before this raging elemental maelstrom reaches the point of singularity and threatens to tear the body asunder, they must quickly imprint and expel this ineffable energy onto their jian - the ritualistic sword vessel that will facilitate their metaphysical rebirth.

Every iota of built-up elemental power is explosively projected outward in that transcendent moment, saturating the blade with the unique essence pattern of their awakened elemental affinity.

'So one needs to prepare countless perfectly forged jian blades, used as imprint dummies, to successfully manifest and capture the real Sword Aura,' Ji Wuye reflected.

After that, for that fleeting yet eternal instant, the sword becomes an extension of the wielder's innermost self, birthing the Sword Aura's first true manifestation as the pure, archetypal expression of whichever primordial elemental force courses through their veins - be it roaring flames, cascading waves, lancing lightning forks, or the immutable bedrock of earth itself.

The Sword Aura then blooms in resplendent glory around the jian, cloaking it in a sheath of the wielder's elemental nature given form.

'That dazzling radiance is how the Sword Aura is first birthed into this realm,' Ji Wuye continued thinking, 'but that epiphany of light will soon flicker and fade as the next step, the Elemental Essence Integration, begins.'

Having brought the Sword Aura into ephemeral existence through the ritual imprint, the true work of permanently uniting this transcendent power with one's spiritual essence now commences - a lengthy process requiring months of focused meditation, profound mental stillness, and repeated sword practice linking mind, body and spirit.

The Sword Aura's unique elemental frequency, its primal harmonic resonance, must be meticulously etched into the martial artist's meridians and inextricably synchronized with the perpetual revolution of the Three Dantians' cosmic convergence.

Every precise form, every flowing strike with the elemental jian now serves as an indelible inscription of that resonant pattern into the practitioner's bodily luminosity, their inner spiritual light.

The imprinted jian, already infused with the elemental properties awakened from within, provide a constant familiar vibration to which the meridians and Three Dantians can attune.

This glacially paced process strengthens and solidifies the connection with the Sword Aura, making it more natural.

As an eventual result of this painstaking integration, the awakened meridian pressure points throughout the body act as cosmic amplifiers for the Sword Aura's resonance, allowing the practitioner to steadily attune and synchronize their entire physical and spiritual being to radiate and wield this Aura as a natural extension of their innermost elemental nature, akin to Qi.

Once this profound elemental resonance is permanently encoded into the intricate meridian pathways and the Three Dantians' cosmic confluence, the martial artist's sense of self fundamentally expands and transcends to encompass the Sword Aura's existence as part of their own.

Their perception shifts to one of unity and oneness with this archetypal manifestation.

'In other words, the role of the ritualistic imprinted jian is partly transferred to the martial artist's own vessel,' Ji Wuye thought inwardly. 'They can now manifest and channel the Sword Aura's power through any blade, or even continue utilizing the first imprint jian if they choose.'

'That knowledge was just regarding the Sword Aura itself,' he pondered. 'Then what about the Sword Silk and the legendary Sword Star?'