The core of the Withered and Flourishing Skill lies in the principle that within the Five Elements, wood generates earth, and earth nourishes wood.
Practicing such a secret technique allows one to manipulate all the surrounding vegetation and the power of the earth.
When cultivated to a profound realm, one can with a mere wave of the hand cause all things to wither or flourish, with all grass and tree spirits in the world under one’s control.
The Wood of the Five Elements is accompanied by the arts of control and puppetry.
As long as the spiritual qi of plants is sufficient, one can turn beans into soldiers, and with a wave of the hand, create countless grass, wood, and stone puppets.
Wooden Men is one of the divine techniques of the Wood of the Five Elements.
Besides the art of puppetry, there is also vitality stealing and the longevity body.
By relying on the abundant life force within grass and trees, one can assimilate oneself, gradually filling the power of flesh and blood, and slow the aging process.
According to Lin Beichen’s reasoning, Tier Five power of the Five Elements is sufficient to maintain the human body at its peak for a thousand years.
This is the method of longevity, but longevity does not mean immortality.
By relying on the Wood and Earth of the Five Elements, one can also convert one’s frightened soul and pair oneself with the Death Gate Realm, achieving the shedding of the primordial spirit and inhabiting a puppet.
In this way, as long as the soul can bear it, one can continuously repeat the longevity body.
Living longer is not necessarily more pleasant.
People have seven emotions and six desires, along with various emotions.
People pursue stimulation and emotions, but are also worn out by emotions.
In endless years, the threshold of emotions will be stretched.
One day, emotions will no longer stir, the heart like a dead pond.
At that time, living would become the poison of life.
Longevity is merely a necessary condition for a seeker of the Dao, not the ultimate goal.
If one just wants to loaf around and live indifferently, even with longevity, it would be nothing more than becoming a senseless puppet under the poison of longevity.
Lin Beichen needs longevity only because he needs more life years to experience this world.
The universe is endless; a thousand years seem long, but in the dimension of the universe, it may not even count as a moment.
Besides the three divine techniques mentioned above, there is also an evil-breaking divine pupil, the Cyan Wood Dharma Eye.
Lin Beichen continuously deduces the Five Elements Secret Technique, designing over a dozen astonishing divine techniques for the Withered and Flourishing Skill.
These divine techniques, placed in mythology, are all coveted items, yet to Lin Beichen, they did not stir even a ripple.
"The Withered and Flourishing Skill, though only a Five Elements Secret Technique, when cultivated to a profound realm, can indeed break through to unity with heaven, achieving the unity of heaven and man."
"The Five Elements Qi, though my most basic deduction, often the most basic things are the most profound.
The Five Elements are the most fundamental elements of the world’s operations, I deduced the Withered and Flourishing Skill from the wood and earth of the Five Elements, and in the future, someone may further advance this skill to a realm that even I cannot foresee."
Lin Beichen thought silently, never underestimating the heroes of the world.
One must know that a few years ago, he was just a carefree student.
Back then, the most extreme thing in his understanding was an astronaut.
Riding a spaceship to a space station, conducting experiments in the vast universe, feeling the zero-gravity space, enjoying the unobstructed view of the stars.
That was the limit of humanity in his mind.
And now, looking again, boarding the universe is still wonderful, but the world does not only harbor this secret.
There are unknowns deep within the earth.
Under the ocean, is there another unknown civilization or lost kingdom?
Humans are ultimately too fragile, though they rely on technology to explore bit by bit, it is still full of coincidences.
In the long river of history, countless geniuses have assisted each other, having deduced many secret techniques before reaching the Celestial Gate Realm.
Perhaps one day, Lin Beichen as the pioneer will also be surpassed by later generations.
The achievements of the Withered and Flourishing Skill filled Lin Beichen with joy, but also with more pressure.
The Withered and Flourishing Skill only utilized the wood and earth of the Five Elements.
By leveraging the interaction of the Five Elements, countless variations and divine techniques can be deduced.
These divine techniques have the capability to shake the heavens and earth, to overturn mountains and seas.
However, if one were to argue which is the strongest, none of these alone could claim that title.
In Lin Beichen’s view, once the power of the Five Elements is pushed to its peak, countless possibilities gradually converge to one point.
The True Self Body!
By pushing the theories of the Five Elements to their peak, only the True Self Body remains.
The True Self Body possesses all the divine techniques of the Five Elements, even having mastery over all of them.
Each kind of Five Elements Qi, when cultivated to the extreme, breaking through the Tier Five barrier, then utilizing the unity of heaven and man technique together with the golden core, one can achieve the True Self Body.
This method, even in the dimension of the universe, should be sufficient for self-preservation.
"Unfortunately, I have only deduced the Withered and Flourishing Skill for now. To achieve the True Self Body, I need to deduce at least 99 kinds of secret techniques, to push all the Five Elements Qi beyond Tier Five. With current conditions, this is simply impossible."
Lin Beichen’s thoughts turned, a wisp of cyan light gathered in his hand.
The True Self Body is indeed desirable, yet it remains a distant dream.
The Withered and Flourishing Skill, though inferior, is his best solution at present.
And even if he cultivates the True Self Body, the Withered and Flourishing Skill is an essential prerequisite that can be fully integrated when the True Self Body is achieved in the future.
"If I cultivate the Withered and Flourishing Skill, merely relying on the capacity of this single golden core, I fear I can only complete the first layer. Continuing to fill it with spiritual qi would not cause overflow, but instead, the golden core would burst."
Lin Beichen sighed helplessly.
The golden core is a pleasant surprise; obtaining one was already not easy. Being greedy for more is simply too much.