"This is just a simple immobilization talisman, belonging to the Wood element of the Five Elements. Wood overcomes Earth, so no matter how your Deathbane Aura changes, its source of power cannot escape the Five Elements—it belongs to Earth."
Although my Deathbane Aura Blade had returned to its original form, that was only because I kept channeling Deathbane Aura and focused on maintaining the blade’s shape in my mind.
"If the enemy suddenly unleashes a powerful force infused with the Wood element, your strength will collapse instantly before them."
I nodded and dispersed the Deathbane Aura Blade. Previously, because of the Five Elements, I had been restrained many times and completely lost the ability to resist.
"As for the properties of the Five Elements, Ethan, you must clearly understand: Wood is characterized by growth and development; Fire by heat and rising motion; Earth by nurturing and transformation; Metal by reaping and purity; and Water by coldness and downward flow."
After Hugh Thompson finished speaking, I only half understood. He smiled.
"This is the basic concept of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, Ethan. It's hard for you to grasp, right? Let me put it another way: burning flames and the heat they give off only rise, while water always flows to lower ground."
"And the earth can nurture any living thing, but trees can break up the structure of the earth. As for metal, you’ve seen that most metals are immobile, but metal can be forged into many sharp weapons."
I completely understood now—the characteristics of the Five Elements. Hugh Thompson’s explanation was indeed simple and clear.
"All techniques are fundamentally built around the Five Elements—mixed and created by people. When crafting techniques, you must never violate the generation and restriction rules of the Five Elements, Ethan. Even with restriction, the principle of extreme reversal applies."
Hugh Thompson continued, taking out another Restraint Talisman. I was a bit confused about what he was trying to demonstrate.
"Ethan, try to see how much you can condense your Deathbane Aura."
I responded, raising my right hand and began to focus. A Deathbane Aura Blade formed in my grip. I kept condensing, increasing the amount of Deathbane Aura, and gradually I felt the weight—the blade grew heavier as I continued to channel my power.
A creaking sound echoed. At that moment, I saw the Deathbane Aura Blade in my hand growing heavier, and strange protrusions appeared along its edge. The Deathbane Aura I was channeling became increasingly chaotic.
"Ethan, that's enough. Don't let the Deathbane Aura collapse."
I nodded and immediately stopped channeling. It felt as if I were holding a massive chunk of iron, twenty or thirty kilograms in weight. Hugh Thompson approached my Deathbane Aura Blade with the Restraint Talisman. Strangely, with a crackle, the talisman turned to ash, while my blade remained completely unaffected.
I looked at Hugh Thompson in confusion. He smiled, took out another Restraint Talisman, and approached my Deathbane Aura Blade. Sure enough, the talisman instantly turned to dust.
"Ethan, the Deathbane Aura Blade in your hand is like a steel floor, and the Restraint Talisman I’m holding is like a seed trying to burrow into the ground. But the seed is only the size of a pea, yet it tries to force its way in. The result—when it strikes the steel floor forcefully, it turns to ash."
I seemed to understand something. Hugh Thompson continued with another example.
"For example, if there’s a campfire by the lakeshore and the lake water rushes in, it can extinguish the flames. But if the campfire is as large as the lake itself and keeps burning, the lake water would be evaporated early on. This is the principle of extreme reversal."
I couldn’t help but look at the Deathbane Aura Blade in my hand. Now I fully understood—before, the amount of Deathbane Aura in my body was too little, easily affected by opposing forces. Even with the same type of power, my weaker force would be absorbed by a stronger one.
"As for those techniques, most are either created through mutual generation or by utilizing the principle of extreme reversal. Let’s set those aside for now. Ethan, summon your two ghostly allies."
I nodded, and with a thought, Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost appeared before us.
"Damn it, Ethan Zhang, why’d you call us out for no reason?"
Tong Ghost looked annoyed.
"Don’t you two want Ethan Zhang to become stronger?" Hugh Thompson walked over, looking at the two spirits.
"Of course we do! With us, Ethan Zhang will definitely become stronger."
Resentful Ghost replied.
"How about this? You two, can you use your powers for me? Show me what you can do."
Hugh Thompson acted like he was teasing children, and sure enough, the two spirits took the bait.
"Watch closely, kid. My power."
Resentful Ghost spoke, extending his hand and continuously releasing resentful energy. Instantly, the air froze, the temperature dropped, and flakes of ice floated around. With a creak, a metal training frame for arm strength froze solid in front of us. Resentful Ghost kept pushing, and the frame twisted and then exploded apart from the force.
"But that’s not all, Ethan Zhang. Watch closely."
Resentful Ghost continued, and instantly, the black ice encasing the metal frame shattered into a cloud of black mist. I watched as the frame seemed to dissolve, rust, and weather away, collapsing completely.
I couldn’t believe such a power existed—corrosion. The metal frame looked like it had been eaten away by strong acid.
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"Ethan, do you know what element this power belongs to?"
"It should be Water," I replied. Hugh Thompson nodded in satisfaction.
"Your turn." Hugh Thompson looked at the listless Tong Ghost and called out. Tong Ghost stood up, walked to the metal frame—now reduced to scrap—and placed a hand over it, shrouding it in black mist.
Suddenly, I witnessed Tong Ghost’s power for the third time. The metal frame, already rusted, began to disappear bit by bit, as if something was gnawing it away.
In less than a minute, the entire metal frame vanished, and Tong Ghost plopped down on the ground.
"Boring."
Hugh Thompson walked over, seeming to have figured something out.
"Just as I thought. Ethan, do you know what element his power is?"
I shook my head. With Hugh Thompson’s question, I realized I really didn’t know. It wasn’t water, and it wasn’t fire.
"Is it Metal?"
Hugh Thompson shook his head, pointed at Tong Ghost, and spoke.
"Ethan, take a good look at him. Do you notice anything different?"
I studied Tong Ghost, who looked just like me, then glanced at Resentful Ghost nearby. Something felt off. I kept watching, and after a while, when Tong Ghost stood up, I realized he seemed a bit taller than me.
"What’s going on?"
"It’s the power of Wood, Ethan. He just absorbed the entire metal frame—not melted or dissolved, but ate it, like a tree absorbing nutrients to grow stronger."
"Ugh, whatever that was, it tasted awful."
Tong Ghost burped, then spat out some brownish, sticky stuff, spreading it across the floor. I watched as it gradually solidified and hardened. Hugh Thompson walked over, tapped it with a carbon pen, and it rang out with a crisp steel sound.
"Ethan, your body now holds the power of Wood and Water, plus your own Earth element. That’s three attributes, but they can’t generate each other—they only exist as separate forces, so you can’t unleash their true power."
I responded, realizing that aside from forcing resentful energy into an ice blade in the Corpse Realm, it always shattered quickly. In battle, my two ghostly allies could only use their powers separately, never coordinating with my Deathbane Aura.
"So what should I do?" I asked. At that moment, I remembered—I also had a ghost spirit created by Vermilion Bird, which should be Fire element.
I hesitated about telling Hugh Thompson, but after a while, I explained that Vermilion Bird had helped me create a ghost spirit. Vermilion Bird had said not to summon him unless absolutely necessary.
"That makes things easier, Ethan. Wood generates Fire, so Tong Ghost can help Vermilion Bird, and Fire generates Earth—Vermilion Bird can greatly strengthen you."
I nodded.
"The four of you should discuss and then practice coordination in your instinctual space. If Vermilion Bird can’t appear regularly, you’ll need to coordinate Earth, Wood, and Water when fighting enemies. Think carefully about which force leads and which supports the attack."
I nodded, and then Hugh Thompson checked the time.
"Ethan, that’s enough for tonight. We’ll continue tomorrow. I’ll help you figure out what truly suits you."
"Thank you, Thompson."
Tonight, I completely understood what my powers truly were. Once I realized this, I vaguely felt I could become even stronger. As long as I hone my own techniques, I know I can do it.