Dual Cultivation God Returns

Wu Long was sitting in a meditative pose with closed eyes on a natural rock at the center of a small pond in a garden.

Small and larger rocks with metal ore peeking in several places were floating around him, moving in complex trajectories, small flames dancing amid the rocks, drawing whimsical patterns in the air.

Metal – in the classical theory of Five Elements – was born from Earth, and signified maturity of structure.

For some time now, Wu Long tried to comprehend the essence of a Metal Rune with Earth Rune alone.

But after obtaining the Fire Rune, his thoughts shifted to forging metal out of the earth with the flame, burning away the dust and smelting it into structure.

However, while he could melt metal ore, and purge the impurities with fire, he could not control metal, or feel it’s presence like he did with elements he did control.

That ephemeral feeling he got when he obtained each of his Runes was seemingly out of reach.

What puzzled him the most, was that out of the five Dao Runes corresponding to the Five Elements, Metal Rune was the one he did not anticipate particular difficulty with obtaining.

Partly because of the relationship between the Lightning Rune and metal, as well as – after obtaining the Earth Rune – because of its relationship with the latter.

But also – having discovered the connection between his comprehension of an elemental attribute and the corresponding Dao Rune – because similarly to the Fire Rune, his comprehension of this elemental attribute was quite high already due to his accomplishments in studying the Forging Dao.

After long attempts to forge metal out of earth with fire, he was forced to accept that he was missing a piece of the puzzle.

“Haa~”, he made a long exhale, thinking, ‘It might be worth it to re-examine how I obtained the other four once again…’

This was not the first time he decided to do it. Rather, he constantly reviewed his past experience in order to possibly gain insight into obtaining the new Dao Rune, repeating this thought process countless times for each Dao Rune he obtained, and even more in the search of the Metal Rune.

It was, after all, another one of the mysteries he did not have the answer to, as the path to obtaining the four Dao Runes of the Five Elements he currently had was hardly linear.

The prerequisites for obtaining Dao Runes clearly grew with each one of the four he got.

He obtained the Water Rune almost effortlessly, required a breakthrough in his comprehension of the Annihilation Dao to obtain the Earth Rune, had to contextualize the Wood Rune from the previous two, and needed to not only have the Wood Rune obtained that way already, but additionally comprehend the complementary Heat Rune outside the Five Elements before he could obtain the Fire Rune.

This growing complexity was – upon reflecting on it – what previously convinced him to seek out the path of using the Fire Rune and the Earth Rune together, as well as being open to the possibility of one or more complementary Dao Runes like the Heat Rune for Fire.

Another confusing factor was the order in which he obtained the Dao Runes, or more precisely, the lack of order in the classical sense.

The classical theory of Five Elements observed both the relationships of the elements, and contained a philosophical view.

It started with Wood, signifying new growth, flexibility and possibilities. This was also often likened to the start of the way for a cultivator in a philosophical sense.

Wood then fuelled Fire, which signified energy, transformation and passion, which corresponded to the enthusiasm and passion of someone who started on the path of cultivation, and was rapidly expanding their experience.

That Fire would burn into ashes, birthing Earth, signifying stability, balance and foundation, which was translated to the later period of cultivation, where the cultivator built a foundation and solidified the understanding of their path forward.

Earth then consolidated and eventually birthed Metal, which signified structure, clarity and refinement. This stage was linked to the process of crystallization of the cultivator’s experience and forming the core of their personal path.

Metal attracted, condensed and collected Water, which signified flow, adaptability and depth, corresponding to breaking the form of the previous stage like shattering one’s shell and gaining wisdom and intuition.

Finally, Water nourished plants and trees, connecting and perpetuating the cycle, and unlocking the potential of infinity. This signified that a mind unburdened with form, could then once again be open to new possibilities.

This was mirrored in the Nine Transformations of the Nine Mortal Realms1, and then subsequently in all other Great Realms.

This core theory could also be applied to the path in almost any endeavor.

For example, in the philosophical way of a Dao Practitioner, one went from learning the basics from others without any prior knowledge, to burning with passion for knowledge later and rapidly expanding their mind, to finally gaining a foothold and forming their own understanding, to polishing and structuring that into their own philosophy and their own understanding of the Grand Dao, and then to breaking it down to gain wisdom and depth of flexibility again, which led to learning new things.

In the perfection of any skill, one would roughly follow a similar way.

And in almost all cases, the hardest hurdle was always the transition from Metal to Water, from a crystallized form to flow. It required abandoning the structure which was built upon with painstaking effort, in a way, crushing the foundation one stood on and requiring a leap of faith.

Just like when Wu Long was training Bi Rui on the ship as they traveled toward the Cloud Piercing Continent from Wood Spirit Continent1, that progress in the wielding of a spear at a higher level required breaking one’s form and style, and rebuilding it.

Of course, having learned about Dao Runes, the entire concept of which was purely theoretical – and considered far-fetched at that – for the cultivators of the entire Seven Boundless Worlds, and outside any previous knowledge and expertise, one could argue it was silly for Wu Long to contextualize them through the lens of the classical theory, even if the latter took roots in the discoveries from Ancient Era texts.

However, the reason Wu Long still chose to do so was rooted in the fact that he observed truths about the relationship between the Five Elements in the classical theory, even when viewing them from the new vantage point of Dao Runes.

This was true in the Generative Cycle1, but even more apparent in the Restraining Cycle2 and Destructive Cycle3, as the classical theory closely followed the behavior and relationships of the elements even with the added knowledge and perspective of the Dao Runes, at least with the four elements he already obtained.

He also saw the logic and meaning in the philosophical structure of the Five Elements theory.

It was for this reason, that the strange order he was obtaining Runes in puzzled him, since he started at the end of the classical cycle, with Water, then went to the center of the cycle to Earth, and then suddenly shifted to the start with Wood, continuing to follow the natural progression to Fire.

He lost count of the times he pondered on this as it was happening, and especially now after obtaining the four.

The other element that added complexity to everything was that the first two Dao Runes he obtained heavily involved the Lightning Rune while the second two relied on the ones he already had without directly involving the Lightning Rune, which further added confusion into the way to obtain the final Metal Rune.

Lightning and Wind existed within the framework of the Five Elements, but were not represented as separate forces.

They were expressions or manifestations of the Five Elements in motion, but also expressly associated to two of them, where Wind represented in the movement of the trees, spreading of its seeds, as a dynamic extension of Wood, and Lightning was linked to the force and intensity, a higher stage of Fire.

In philosophical sense, thus, Wind signified direction, initiation of movement and the stirring of potential, like a breath before action, while Lightning signified the spark of transformation, and moment of clarity that catalyzed change, as well as the destruction required for that change.

In a way – although they were linked to Wood and Fire – their echoes could be seen throughout all five of the Five Elements, or rather, in the transition between them, which caused him to initially believe that the Lightning Rune would continue to play a bigger role in obtaining the latter Dao Runes, or that the Wind Rune would be prevalent somehow, neither of which – evidently – was true.

However, there was something that was bothering him in that thought path, something he could not quite put his finger on. A nagging feeling that he was staring at something without seeing it.

The growing complexity of obtaining Dao Runes, the involvement of the Lightning Rune with obtaining only the first two of them, and the confusing order he obtained them in… these three mysteries together now seemingly held some sort of secret.

‘It seems… the hardest part for me is not going to be the transition from Metal to Wate-…’, as Wu Long was thinking along these lines, he suddenly stopped, and then a smile slowly crept onto his face.

He then audibly chuckled, shaking his head with a wry expression, speaking with an almost exasperation, “To think I fell for it again…”

Part of the difficulty of the hurdle between Metal to Water, was the trap of understanding, the trap of having knowledge.

It was also why subsequent cycles of transition of Metal to Water were even harder than the first one, each harder than the previous one. Even the mere fact of ‘understanding’ what it meant to transition from Metal to Water, was a rigidity in mindset in of itself.

But more commonly, it was expressed in the creation of a system of beliefs and observations. Exactly as Wu Long had done in his path toward obtaining the five Dao Runes.

He had gone from obtaining Water without previously even knowing he could do so, which opened up his possibilities and horizons – Wood.

Then to obtaining Earth after exploring further and seeking out the possibilities – Fire.

Then used that experience to formulate understanding of Dao Runes and obtain Wood from the pre-existing ones – Earth.

And finally polishing his theory and creating his own understanding of the Five Elements to obtain Fire, which further solidified his previous knowledge – Metal.

Thus, his quest to obtain the Metal Rune required the transition to the phase of Water, abandoning the rigidity of heavily relying on experience from obtaining the previous Dao Runes.

The very fact he was seeking a greater complexity in obtaining Metal Rune than the Fire Rune, involving the previously obtained Earth Rune and Fire Rune, as well as theorizing he might need a complementary Rune made it clear he already had a rigid understanding of how he could obtain the Metal Rune.

He could feel his inner horizon expanding, and his understanding of Dao Runes entering a new stage.

This revelation did not mean he could obtain the Metal Rune right away. Rather, in a way it brought more questions than answers, since part of the transition from Metal to Water involved lack of clarity – and with it the lack of predictability – but it was a definite and crucial step without which Wu Long would have been still lost on the wrong path.

The Body Transformation Realm signifies the start of the Wood Phase, where the first growth begins within one’s body. Then Qi Manifestation Realm signals the start of transformation into Fire Phase, where rapid transformations take place allowing one to expand their Spiritual Qi outside the body and spill it into the outer world. Then Foundation Building Realm is linked to the transition into the Earth Phase with the creation of foundation. Core Formation Realm is the start of the Metal Phase with crystallization of that foundation into a core. And finally the Mortal Transcendence Realm signifying the Water period, breaking the inner structure of the core to give birth to the Spiritual Sea within it.

The Wood -> Fire -> Earth -> Metal -> Water —> Wood cycle that was presented previously. This cycle reflects nurturing relationships -how one element gives rise to another: Wood -> Fire: Wood fuels fire. Fire -> Earth: Fire creates ash, enriching soil. Earth -> Metal: Minerals form within the earth. Metal -> Water: Metal condenses, symbolizing water generation. Water -> Wood: Water nourishes plants and trees. A cycle of support and growth.

This cycle maintains balance by limiting excess—each element restrains another: Metal -> Wood: Metal tools cut wood, metal also corrupts wood. Wood -> Earth: Roots penetrate and extract nutrients from soil, exhausting it. Earth -> Water: Earth restricts and shapes the flow of water. Water -> Fire: Water extinguishes fire.- Fire -> Metal: Fire melts and reshapes metal. This is the checks-and-balances system, preventing dominance of any one element.

This is just the reverse Generative Cycle, in which Fire burns Wood, Earth smothers Fire, Metal depletes Earth (think extracting metal from earth), Water corrodes Metal, and Wood drains Water.