Shocking Secrets of the Celestial Realm

Filled with anticipation for the unknown, Jasmine, Lin Qing, Ye Lan, and Qin Feng stepped into the mysterious passage. Soft, ever-changing light permeated the passage, and strange runes occasionally flickered on the walls, seemingly telling ancient stories. They proceeded cautiously, each step filled with apprehension, unsure of what awaited them ahead.

Suddenly, the light in the passage went out, and darkness surged in like a tide, completely engulfing the four of them. Immediately afterward, a powerful storm of consciousness swept in with overwhelming force, attempting to shatter their consciousness.

Jasmine felt a sharp pain in her head, as if countless sharp needles were piercing it. Her consciousness began to blur, and painful memories of the past surged into her mind like a tidal wave: the despair of her family being wiped out, the helplessness in the face of a powerful enemy... These memories were like sharp blades, piercing her heart.

"I must persevere," Jasmine cried out in her heart, enduring the headache and the confusion in her mind, trying to calm herself down. In the chaos of her consciousness, she recalled the concept of the Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are interdependent and mutually restrictive, maintaining the balance of all things in the universe. Isn't the energy flow in the human body the same? She realized that perhaps she could adjust her own energy through this concept, thereby resisting the storm of consciousness.

Jasmine focused her mind, circulating micro-energy within her body according to the generating cycle of the Five Elements. She first mobilized the water element energy within her body. Like a gentle stream, the water nourished every corner of her body, laying the foundation for subsequent energy circulation. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), water corresponds to the kidneys and bladder. The kidneys govern water, store essence, and are the foundation of innate constitution. The essence stored in the kidneys nourishes the whole body, just as the water element nourishes every microscopic structure of the body. Water generates wood, so she then guided the wood element energy. Like a seedling breaking through the soil, the wood element was full of vitality and grew rapidly under the nourishment of the water element. Wood in TCM corresponds to the liver and gallbladder. The liver governs the free flow of Qi, just as the growth and expansion of wood regulates the circulation of Qi and blood in the body. Under the nourishment of water, the vitality of wood propelled the flow of energy. Wood generates fire, and the fire element was thus ignited, like a blazing flame, dispelling the darkness in her consciousness. Fire corresponds to the heart and small intestine. The heart governs the mind and is considered the sovereign organ. The energy of fire can clear the mind, like a bright lamp illuminating the darkness, just as the divine power of the heart can dispel the gloom of the spirit. Fire generates earth, and the stable and weighty earth element firmly stabilizes the power of fire. Earth represents the spleen and stomach, which are the foundation of acquired health and the source of qi and blood. Fire generating earth means that the energy of fire is transformed into the nourishment of earth, just as the spleen and stomach transform food into qi and blood, providing stable energy support for the body. Earth generates metal, and the hard metal element makes the entire energy cycle more resilient. Metal corresponds to the lungs and large intestine. The lungs govern qi and respiration, connecting all the meridians. The descending nature of metal allows energy to return to its proper place, ensuring the entire energy cycle has a beginning and an end, just as the function of the lungs ensures the normal flow of qi in the body.

As the five elements circulated and circulated, Jasmine's consciousness gradually cleared. She felt a strange resistance between herself and the surrounding dark forces, no longer passively being swallowed by the storm.

Immediately afterward, she transmitted this energy circulation method to her companions through her mental power. Her mental power was like an invisible thread, connecting with the consciousness of Lin Qing, Ye Lan, and Qin Feng. "Everyone, circulate your energy according to the principles of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint," Jasmine called out anxiously.

Lin Qing struggled desperately in the storm of consciousness. Just as he was about to be swallowed by darkness, Jasmine's voice, like heavenly music, rang out. "Can it really work?" Lin Qing murmured to himself, but the will to survive and his trust in his companions made him immediately do as he was told. He circulated his Qi and blood, integrating it with the flow of the five elements. Traditional Chinese medicine says that the body's Qi and blood are like rivers, and the meridians are the channels. Qi and blood circulate and nourish the whole body through the meridians. Lin Qing first mobilized his own earth element energy. The stability of the earth element made his Qi and blood more condensed, just like a strong spleen and stomach, ensuring a source and orderly flow of Qi and blood. Earth generates metal, and the metal element energy, integrated into his Qi and blood, made his attacks sharper. The characteristic of metal is killing; after being integrated into his Qi and blood, it was as if his Qi and blood contained a sharp blade, making his attacks even more lethal. Metal generates water, and the water element energy nourished his body, relieving the fatigue brought on by the storm of consciousness. The kidneys govern water, and the nourishment of water made his body like parched land being moistened, restoring vitality. Water nourishes wood, and the energy of the wood element invigorates his vitality, giving him a continuous source of strength. The liver governs growth and development, and the vitality of wood makes the circulation of qi and blood more dynamic, with new energy constantly emerging. Wood nourishes fire, and the energy of the fire element ignites his fighting spirit, making his qi and blood burn even more vigorously. The heart governs fire, and the power of fire inspires inner fighting spirit, filling qi and blood with strength.

Qin Feng opened a spatial rift in an attempt to resist the storm of consciousness, only to find it teetering precariously amidst the tempest. Following Jasmine's guidance, he frowned in thought: "Combining spatial power with the five elements' energy, first strengthen the edges..." He acted swiftly, infusing the spatial rift with the five elements' energy. The metal element first strengthened the rift's edges; its sturdiness created an indestructible border. Metal generates water; water element energy merged into the space, giving the spatial rift the ability to absorb the storm's energy. Water's moistening and inclusive properties allowed the rift to absorb the storm's energy like a sponge. Water generates wood; wood element energy grew within the space, providing a continuous source of power for the rift. Wood's growth characteristics gave the rift its sustained vitality. Wood generates fire; fire element energy made the energy within the rift more active, greatly enhancing its resistance to the storm of consciousness. Fire's heat and agility made the energy within the rift aggressive. Fire generates earth; earth element energy stabilized the rift, allowing it to stand firm in the storm. Earth's stability acted like a foundation, making the rift as solid as a rock.

In the storm of consciousness, Ye Lan found the natural elements in complete disarray. "I'll try, starting with the water element," she thought, taking a deep breath and, following Jasmine's guidance, re-examining the relationship between the natural elements and the five elements' energies. She began by activating the water element; its fluidity resonated with the water element in the five elements, making her natural elemental power flow more smoothly. In the connection between the five elements and nature in Traditional Chinese Medicine, water corresponds to rivers and rain in nature, its ability to nourish all things similar to the body's fluid metabolism and nourishing functions. Water generates wood, and the natural power of wood flourished, enhancing her control over plants. Wood corresponds to flowers, grasses, and trees in nature, growing nourished by water. For Ye Lan, the enhanced natural power of wood made her manipulation of plants even more effortless, as if she could sense their growth needs. Wood generates fire, and the natural power of fire burned fiercely, dispelling the gloom brought by the storm of consciousness. Fire corresponds to sunlight and flames in nature, bringing light and warmth, dispelling darkness and cold, just like dispelling the gloom in her consciousness. Fire element generates earth, whose natural power is stable and solid, providing her with a strong defense. Earth corresponds to the land, bearing all things, and its stable nature provides Ye Lan with reliable protection. Earth element generates metal, whose natural power is extremely sharp. She incorporates it into her elemental attacks. Metal corresponds to the metallic minerals of nature, and its sharpness enhances the power of elemental attacks.

As the four gradually broke free from the shackles of the consciousness storm, the surrounding darkness began to dissipate, and soft light returned. They found themselves in a huge circular space, the walls of which were covered with various strange patterns and symbols that seemed to have intricate connections to the meridians, acupoints, and the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In the center of the space stood a massive stone platform, upon which rested a sphere radiating multicolored light. Mysterious energy flowed across the sphere's surface, bearing a resemblance to the runic energy they had encountered before.

Jasmine stepped forward, cautiously approaching the sphere. The moment her hand touched it, a powerful surge of information flooded her mind. She saw a series of breathtaking images: in ancient times, humanity lived in harmony with nature, mastering immense power through the study of the Five Elements and the meridians of the human body. However, a sudden catastrophe shattered this balance, forcing the transmission of those powers to a halt, leaving only these mysterious ruins awaiting discovery by future generations.

Jasmine shared what she had seen with her companions. Lin Qing's eyes widened in amazement. "So there's such a past. We'd better be careful not to destroy these precious traditions."

Qin Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Perhaps there are more secrets here, concerning how we should use these powers."

Ye Lan said excitedly, "I feel that these patterns are also connected to natural elements, and we will definitely be able to discover more."

They continued their exploration of this mysterious space, walking along a passageway whose walls were covered with ancient characters and patterns that recorded the findings of ancient people's research on the Five Elements and the meridians of the human body.

Lin Qing looked at the text, a strong thirst for knowledge welling up within him. He pointed to a passage and said, "Look, this seems to mention the circulation of Qi and blood and the correspondence between the Five Elements and the hours of the day, which is very similar to the Meridian Flow Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine." The Meridian Flow Theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the body's Qi and blood flow through different meridians at different times of the day. At midnight (11 PM - 1 AM), the Gallbladder Meridian is dominant, bile begins to be secreted, and gallbladder Qi rises; at 1 AM - 3 AM, the Liver Meridian is dominant, and liver blood undergoes metabolic renewal; at 3 AM - 5 AM, the Lung Meridian is dominant, the lungs govern Qi and respiration, and this is the beginning of the body's Qi and blood transitioning from stillness to movement; at 5 AM - 7 AM, the Large Intestine Meridian is dominant, the large intestine begins peristalsis, and excretion begins; at 7 AM - 9 AM, the Stomach Meridian is dominant... At this time, the stomach qi is at its strongest, making it suitable for eating; at 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, the spleen meridian is in charge, and the spleen governs transportation and transformation, converting food into nutrients and transporting them throughout the body; at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the heart meridian is in charge, and the heart governs the mind, so the heart qi is at its strongest, resulting in abundant energy; at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, the small intestine meridian is in charge, and the small intestine separates the clear from the turbid, further digesting and absorbing nutrients; at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the bladder meridian is in charge, and the bladder stores and excretes urine; at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the kidney meridian is in charge, and the kidney stores essence, so the kidney function is active at this time; at 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the pericardium meridian is in charge, protecting the heart and shielding it from pathogens; at 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM, the triple burner meridian is in charge, and the triple burner is the body's external defense mechanism, so the body enters a resting state at this time.

Qin Feng leaned closer to examine it and nodded, saying, "Indeed, does that mean we can better utilize the power of the Five Elements based on this?"

Jasmine pondered, "If we combine this with microscopic energy, we might be able to find a more efficient method of cultivation."

Ye Lan said, "Perhaps we can also refer to this when using natural elements. Using different elements at different times of day might have a better effect."

As the four continued deeper, they discovered that energy pillars suddenly rose from the ground ahead, each emitting a different light corresponding to one of the five elements.

"What's going on?" Ye Lan asked curiously.