As Ji Wuye entered his living quarters, the room greeted him with its dimly lit, austere environment.

The wooden floor beneath his feet was worn smooth by countless footsteps, the boards creaking softly with each step, as if whispering ancient secrets. Shadows clung to the corners but for a few slender beams of moonlight filtering through the gaps in the tiled bamboo roof overhead.

The air hung heavy with the musty scent of aged wood and the faint metallic tang of the cauldron as Ji Wuye's crimson eyes instantly adjusted, his Quick Adaptation skill activating instinctively with a barely perceptible shimmer.

The inky blackness faded away like mist before the morning sun, every nook and cranny now visible with startling clarity. He surveyed the spartan space, empty save for the solitary cauldron squatting in the corner of the room like a sleeping beast.

His lips quirked in a wry smile as he shook his head slowly, white hair swaying with the motion like a cascade of moonlit silk. 'A bed would be a worthwhile investment,' he mused.

Lowering himself fluidly into a cross-legged seated position, Ji Wuye's flowing tresses spilled across the floor in a river of snowy strands, pooling around him like a halo. His features settled into a mask of serenity, the lines of tension around his eyes softening as he began regulating his breathing through measured inhales and exhales.

The gentle rise and fall of his chest was the only movement in the stillness enveloping him, creating a rhythmic counterpoint to the faint sounds of night insects chirping outside.

As for Ye Yujin's offer... as generous as it was with its promised rewards and coveted favor, had been a simple decision to decline. 'I'm already overburdened,' the thought echoed in his mind, reverberating like ripples in a still pond.

His brow furrowed imperceptibly as countless considerations weighed upon him - the changes necessitating new plans, future actions, gathering information on the Jianghu.

Another task could jeopardize his focus, leading to oversights like his previous lack of understanding about Quick Adaptation's resonance with Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa.

'Even, the 5th realm still eludes me,' Ji Wuye lamented inwardly, 'though the knowledge is within reach.'

Back to the topic, surrendering to the meditative trance, he began meticulously recalling and reviewing the principles of the different knowledge of 'Sword Aura' from the Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa. His mind's eye visualized intricate patterns of energy flowing through meridians, each breath drawing him deeper into the complexities of the technique.

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Manifesting the typical Sword Aura using the typical method to achieve single-element resonance and assess its viability, would be an arduous, protracted undertaking under normal circumstances.

But...

His face remained a study in concentration, the brief grimace that had flitted across his features like a shadow passing over still water. The moonlight filtering through the bamboo roof seemed to intensify, casting a silvery sheen over his white hair, as if nature itself was attuned to his smirk.

'Elemental Essence Extraction,' the technique's name reverberated through his consciousness. Thanks to the Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa, there was actually another ‘shortcut,’ much like how he broke through from the 1st to the 4th realm.

Drawing a centering breath that filled his lungs to capacity, Ji Wuye began absorbing the surrounding Qi. The air around him seemed to shimmer faintly, as if viewed through a heat haze. He guided the ethereal energy through the intricate pathways of his Twelve Meridians in a continuous cycling flow.

Yet he did not store the accumulated Qi within any of his Dantians, defying conventional wisdom. Instead, he allowed it to circulate unceasingly as his focus attained an intense, single-pointed clarity.

The room faded away until the only sensations were the whisper-soft rhythms of his respiration and the faint susurration of cloth whispering against wood. Even the persistent creaking of the floorboards seemed to fall silent, as if the very structure of the building held its breath in anticipation.

This process stood in stark contrast to the typical Elemental Resonance Awakening - by cycling the Qi between Dantians until one could perceive the faint, primal thrum amidst the harmonics of existence—the seed of the elemental connection that lies dormant within every martial artist's core.

Finally, the Qi flowing through his meridians grew progressively denser, more viscous, as he continued absorbing it relentlessly without storage. An internal pressure mounted inexorably, causing beads of sweat to form on his brow, glistening in the moonlight like tiny diamonds.

Then, a metaphysical dam burst. The shimmering blue-white cocoon of Qi enveloping his body swelled outward in an abrupt, violent rush. The air crackled with unseen Qi, and for a brief moment, it seemed as if reality itself warped around Ji Wuye's seated form.

BLUB!

The pent-up deluge of Qi exploded outward in a rushing torrent, creating a momentary vortex of swirling Qi that stirred up dust motes and loose strands of Ji Wuye's hair.

Yet, defying all expectations, the Qi was immediately drawn back inward by his cycling, like water rushing down a drain. The wooden floor beneath him groaned under the strain of the fluctuating Qi, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed to dance and twist in response to the surging Qi.

In the next instant, Ji Wuye's crimson eyes flashed open. His gaze was somehow...altered. Transformed through the insights of the Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa into something transcendent.

His crimson eyes widened slightly, reflecting the myriad leaf-green spheres that now drifted lazily around him in an ethereal dance. The air seemed to shimmer and ripple, as if reality itself had been altered by his newfound perception.

Some of the Wood Qi spheres burned with a brilliant verdant radiance, pulsing with life and vitality. These orbs emanated a refreshing energy that seemed to invigorate the very air around them. Others smoldered in muted, drab hues, their energy subdued and less potent. The contrast between the vibrant and lackluster spheres created a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow in the dimly lit room.

'So this is what Wood Qi manifests as,' he marveled inwardly. The realization that he was now engaging in Essence Identification, the 2nd step in the legendary Elemental Essence Extraction technique.

He then exhaled slowly, a wry smile tugging at his lips. 'It seems the description weren't jests after all,' he murmured inwardly, recalling the descriptions of Heavenly Dragon Fusion Gongfa—the martial art created to achieve immortality.

For him…

The weakest disciple…

To become Immortal…

'Best not to dwell overmuch on that for now,' refocusing, Ji Wuye's mind carefully constructed the next visualization - Energy Funnel Creation.

The azure Qi swaddling his body stirred, coalescing into a shimmering metaphysical vortex rooted within his Lower Dantian. This protective matrix manifested as a swirling, translucent funnel of energy, its base anchored in his core and its wide mouth extending outward to encompass the room.

No sooner had the funnel formed than Ji Wuye initiated the Essence Drawing, the 4th step. The scattered Wood Qi spheres surrounding him were inexorably drawn inward, as if caught in an irresistible current.