Han Yu nodded hearing Li Mei’s words.
That much he understood. Attributeless Spirit Qi was what most sect disciples refined from Spirit Stones or ambient energy, unless they specialized in a specific type.
"But elemental Qi is different. It has attributes—qualities and temperaments. It can react differently to spiritual energy, to the world, and even to other forms of qi. These attributes aren’t infinite, but neither are they exactly few. However, among them, twelve are considered the fundamental pillars of elemental cultivation."
"Twelve?" Han Yu tilted his head. "So... not just the five elements?"
Li Mei smiled faintly. "Those five are what we call the Mortal Elements—they’re the most common and the easiest to attune to. But they’re not the only ones. Listen carefully."
She raised her hand and extended her fingers one by one.
"The twelve elements are grouped into three categories: The Five Mortal, The Four Heavenly, and The Three Primordial."
Han Yu leaned forward, attentive.
"The Five Mortal Elements are the ones most cultivators know and use:
These are linked to the natural world and human experience. They’re stable, versatile, and ideal for both foundational cultivation and crafting techniques."
Han Yu gave a small nod. That matched what he’d heard during lectures and what most common cultivation manuals covered.
Li Mei then tapped her fingers together before holding up four more.
"Next, the Four Heavenly Elements—these are less common and much harder to awaken unless one has a specific destiny or bloodline. They are:
At the last one, Han Yu’s brow twitched.
"Like the one I just awakened," he murmured.
Li Mei gave a slight nod. "Yes. The Heavenly Elements aren’t tied to the five elemental cycles like the Mortal ones are. They function on their own logic, often affecting the soul, the heavens, or abstract forces. Darkness, for example, affects concealment, illusion, fear, and emotion suppression. Light can affect clarity, healing, truth, or purification. Wind manipulates movement and flow, while Lightning is all about destruction, speed, and pressure."
"And the Primordial ones?" Han Yu asked, voice low.
Li Mei’s tone sobered.
"The Three Primordial Elements are so rare that even most sect elders may never meet someone who possesses them. They’re considered the elements closest to the origin of the universe:
These elements defy conventional comprehension. Cultivators who awaken even a trace of these often walk paths vastly different from others—and not always safely. They can control or distort the laws of reality in limited ways. But they’re also extremely unstable. Cultivating them wrong can result in madness... or worse."
Han Yu remained silent for a moment, letting all of it settle in his mind. "So all other elements are derived from these twelve?"
"Exactly," Li Mei confirmed. "All the exotic affinities people speak about—like Ice, Lava, Poison, Sound, Magnetism—they’re usually derivations or combinations. For example, Ice is often a combination of Water and Wind, or Water and Yin. Lava is a combination of Fire, Metal and Earth. Poison can stem from Wood or Water depending on its nature."
Han Yu folded his arms and leaned back. "So what does it mean that I have both Wood and Darkness affinities?"
Li Mei looked at him thoughtfully. "It means your path is going to be... complicated."
"Of course it is," Han Yu muttered, running a hand through his hair.
Li Mei chuckled. "It’s not a bad thing. Wood gives you potential in alchemy—harmony with herbs, balance of ingredients, sensitivity to the medicinal properties of matter. Darkness gives you edge in dark arts, illusions, control, emotional suppression, and subterfuge. Combined, you could be the kind of alchemist who crafts more than medicine."
"...What else would I craft?" Han Yu asked, already intrigued.
Li Mei smirked. "Poison pills. Emotion disruptors. Spirit-latching pills. Sleep agents. Hallucinogens. Soul-tracking pills. Alchemy isn’t just about healing, you know. It’s also the art of control."
That was... far more devious than he expected.
"Alright," he said slowly. "So how does one get better at channeling these elements?"
"Refinement," she answered. "Through practice, comprehension, and eventually, attunement to Qi that matches your element. Once you can sense ambient Wood Qi or Darkness Qi, you can begin learning to channel them directly—or even convert Spirit Qi into your element by using a compatible cultivation method."
Han Yu absorbed her words silently.
Twelve elemental types.
Three tiers of complexity.
And he was sitting with an affinity for both Wood... and Darkness.
The path forward was going to be twisted, subtle... and most definitely not what the sect expected.
But he had a feeling that suited him just fine.
Han Yu’s gaze was still locked onto his palm, fingers slightly curled as if he could somehow sense the flickering presence of that strange darkness from earlier. His thoughts were still circling around the notion of elemental affinities—especially the ones that were considered rare.
"...What about the other Heavenly Elements?" he asked, finally looking up at Li Mei. "Wind, Lightning, Light... Who in the sect has them?"
Li Mei tapped her chin thoughtfully, her expression shifting from casual to contemplative.
"Well," she began, "Wind Element is probably the most common among the Four Heavenly within our Twin Leaf Peak Sect. It’s not as easy to awaken as the mortal elements, but among cultivators with agile movement arts or sword-based techniques, it shows up fairly often."
Han Yu’s brows furrowed. That did seem to match what he’d seen.
"Senior Sister Xuan Qing," he said suddenly, remembering the graceful way she moved when she brought him to the sect. "She uses wind techniques."
Li Mei nodded with a faint smile. "She does. And very effectively. The way she channels Wind Qi into her movement makes her extremely hard to catch or pin down. Combine that with her swordsmanship and she’s a real headache for most opponents."