The Empire of Lishou – Chanyi City

“What are the five elements? And how is it that they relate to one another?” a wizened voice evenly spoke, asking a simple question with an impossible answer. The speaker was an old man with shoulder-length, snow-white hair and a goatee that extended down to his clavicle. He stood in the center of a large martial arts stage in loose, brown robes, with his hands clasped behind a back stooped with age. The fine lines around his light-blue eyes showed that he had once smiled often. But now, one could only see a severe expression permanently etched into his features. This old man was simply known as "The Teacher" throughout the city.

The hundreds of children packing every spare space around the stage listened to his every word with rapt attention.

“Before I name the five elements, allow me to say this: the five elements are representations of phases of change of an overall process. Therefore, wood is not only the actual wood of a tree but also describes the character, the mutable state, the elemental force of the element.” The old man paced back and forth as he lectured, emphasizing some terms over others to better stress their importance.

“Now then,” he paused in his pacing and allowed his gaze to sweep over the assembled crowd.

“-listen closely as I describe the importance of the five elements and what you will be expected to know when testing for discipleship at your desired Sects.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the audience.

“Wood is development... impulse... and expansion. Wood is the most mortal of the elements. It is the element of spring- of growth from stagnation. The ability to look forward, plan and make decisions- hence growth and expansion. Wood energy rises, expands... the force of growth and flexibility.”

The Teacher stopped pacing and extended a single hand out in front of him, palm up. A single seed lay in the center.

The closest in the stands craned their heads to see what he was holding.

The Teacher closed his eyes.

Emerald-green light shone from his palm. Shouts of surprise in the audience were quickly suppressed by their peers as they were hushed and scolded. The green light dimmed, revealing a foot-tall, slender, curved tree trunk covered in rough, pine-colored bark. An abundance of tiny, short branches sprouted from the trunk. And the branches were covered with substantial amounts of broad, flat leaves, the color of copper on their edges and a gentle orange at their centers.

Now even the adults could not suppress gasps of disbelief while the children were stunned into silence.

The Teacher cultivated a wood technique! They were seeing an expert display of power!

A passing alchemy merchant had paused to catch a glimpse of the famed Teacher of the upper districts, and he was about to leave when that flash of green light caught his attention. And that was when his keen eyesight saw the small tree resting in the palm of the old man’s hand. The merchant’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and his face flushed excitedly. He pointed and shrilly shouted, “That’s a Silver Dragon Leaf Tree!”

The children looked at one another in confusion, but the chaperones and plaza guardsmen felt a chill run down their backs.

The Teacher was using a Silver Dragon Leaf Tree for a free technique demonstration... to children?! Only the Jade Emperor of Lishou would possess such a tree in his garden. What was this old man trying to do? Have an entire army descend upon the city?!

The Teacher pointedly ignored the fearful and greedy eyes staring at the small tree in his palm, and continued lecturing.

“As you can see, the associated color with wood is green, and its effects naturally increase the development of all natural things. And, of course, the relationship between the elements and our body’s functions also exists. However, this is more advanced material you will learn at your respective Sects. And for those who are simply curious, this information is not for you.”

The Teacher flicked the wrist of the hand holding the tree, causing it to vanish into thin air before he once more clasped both hands behind his back and resumed pacing.

“Fire is embodiment... action... design. The element of heat, summer, and enthusiasm is nature at its peak of growth. Fire moves upward and should therefore be associated with dynamic, energetic, and passionate energies. It symbolizes combustion and represents the body’s functions that have reached that perfect, fleeting moment of maximum activity.” He stopped pacing and gazed out upon the crowd with flames burning in his eyes- he looked demonic.

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“However, the element also implies that decline... is inevitable.” The flames in his eyes sputtered out, making him appear again as a stately older gentleman instead of the imposing force from moments before.

He resumed pacing as though nothing had happened.

“Earth is alteration... transformation... conversion. It is the element of harvest time, abundance, nourishment, and fertility. Earth is largely regarded as the symbol of stability and being properly anchored.” The Teacher stopped and snapped his fingers; a flash of yellowish-brown light shone from between his fingers. A shout of surprise came from the front rows of the audience as something streaked through the air, landing in the old man’s outstretched hand.

He held up a smooth stone between two fingers.

“Earth can be seen as yellow in color. Its motions can be described as patient, reliable, logical, stubborn, and very energetic." As he spoke, he molded the stone with both hands as though it were as soft as silk. Then, he held up a thin, flat sheet of stone as he finished speaking. The children’s eyes shined with admiration and wonder at the display of what looked like magic. The old man then tossed the stone out into the audience, but instead of dropping like... well, like a stone, the flat rock gently floated down into the lap of a young girl who gingerly held it up as though it were the most precious of treasures. Her friends crowded her and started poking and trying to take it. The Teacher warmly smiled at the display of youthful innocence before continuing.

“Metal is sinking... contraction... and declining. It is the minerals within the earth and the patterns of the heavenly bodies you can see in the night sky. Metal has structure but can also accept a new form when heated to its liquid form. It is energy with inward movements, like a flower closing its petals.” The Teacher flicked the long sleeves of his robes and extended a hand. The audience fell deathly silent as they learned they were about to see something spectacular.

“I apologize in advance, honorable guardsmen and women,” His voice echoed across the martial plaza. The guardsmen and women in question had expressions of confusion behind their helmets, which quickly morphed to surprise and horror as the small swords at their waists flew out of their scabbards. In moments, over three dozen shining blades were leisurely spinning in a circle above the old man, whose hands were glowing with pure, white light. Not a single guardsman was able to stop the loss of their blade.

“The color white represents metal,” The Teacher continued, uninterested in the guardsmen’s reactions.

“Its motion is forceful, unyielding, self-reliant, and sophisticated. Some of you may even be familiar with the symbol associated with this element. It is one of cutting and reformation.”

“However,” he held up a glowing finger, “-it is also regarded as a solidifying process, which is why this element is associated with the season of Autumn... And once more, please accept my humble apologies,” he nodded in the general direction of the guards. With that said, the Teacher motioned with both luminous white hands, the small circle of blades overhead breaking apart and flying back to their respective owner’s sheaths. The guardsmen felt exposed and slightly offended. They felt their reputations being questioned after a single old man disarmed them in front of such an audience. They stood stiffly and silently at attention. They would pretend nothing had happened. They didn’t need to worry, as every eye in the audience was drawn to the lecturer.

“Ahem," he dryly cleared his throat, "-now then, water is contemplation... calmness... consideration... reflection. It is the source of life in our world. Water flows- infinitely yielding, yet infinitely powerful, silent, flexible, ever-changing, and able to nourish and cleanse.” The Teacher extended a hand, a blue flash lighting up the stage. This time, the audience could not help but gasp with wonder.

A small, nearly transparent water dragon danced over the Teacher’s palm!

“Water is represented by its distinct bluish-black color. And its motion is downward, intuitive, compassionate, sensitive, and creative,” he dismissed the animated water dragon with a flick of the wrist, its form bursting into a cloud of mist that floated off-stage and watered the surrounding plants.

“Water is the ultimate yin; quiet, cold, representing the resting time of winter,” The Teacher’s gaze swept the audience.

“All material things are made up of a single or a multiple of the five elements since these are the fundamental components. All five elements are equally important and form a balance. Listen closely, for I shall now discuss the various cycles of the five elements and how they relate to one another. This information will be crucial to those of you who undertake the journey of cultivation.”

Everyone was incredibly silent, waiting with bated breath for the Teacher to continue. Even the adults were curious, although they did not take the information to heart- this was a pleasant pastime for most upper-district children. They came here to see magical things, hear adventurous stories, and be entertained by tales. Since the old man known as The Teacher had never been kicked out of the city by the guardsmen, the parents just came to accept him as a homeless preacher with nothing better to do with his time.

How could he be anything else?

If he were truly as powerful as the visiting Sect representatives, why was he lecturing to children and wearing worn robes?

The parents were also not worried about their children internalizing inappropriate information about the elements or whatever this old, deluded man talked about- the Sects their children attended would spend decades teaching them the proper cultivation methods.

As for the old man’s display of techniques?

They were widely regarded as mere parlor tricks to enchant the eye- true cultivators would not need colorful displays when lecturing the Dao. And he would most certainly charge exorbitant prices or have been recruited to a Sect if his words and actions possessed any actual worth.

These lectures were no more than a glorified daycare. And so, it was with mocking eyes and thoughts of ridicule as parents watched the blathering old man ‘teaching’ their children. In fact, most parents even made an afternoon of the event and went shopping in the market.

However, one pair of inquisitive eyes in the audience intently watched and listened to the old man’s every word.