Tang Wulin was in his room, sitting on his bed, when he opened one of the scrolls. It read:
> "There are basic elements, as you know, and each of them has a particular attribute. Fire element is explosive and strong but lacks defense. Earth element is strong and defensive. Wind element is fast and swift. Water element can penetrate defenses easily, and its power depends on the user's control.
Other hybrid elements are mostly made from these basic elements.
But what about Light, Dark, and others like them? These are not hybrid elements, yet they are not basic either. They are called higher-level elements.
Unlike basic elements, which each have only one attribute, higher-level elements possess all attributes—but it depends on the user. For example, Light can be explosive due to its intensity. It's faster than even wind. It can also heal and defend. However, this requires a high level of control and skill."
Tang Wulin looked further down. The scroll explained how to control energy in a specific way and pattern to increase speed. It was the most basic movement speed skill. Tang Wulin thought to himself, Master Yueyin selected this skill for me, so I need to learn all of them. Let me start with this one.
He stood up from the bed and memorized the energy control pattern. As he attempted it, a soft golden light appeared around his body—but he failed immediately. Still, he understood something: this skill would make his body lighter and increase all aspects of his speed—movement speed, reaction speed, and reflex.
He kept trying but could only maintain the skill for one second before it stopped. Frustrated, he clenched his fist, about to strike the wall—then paused. What am I even thinking? Learning skills isn't easy. Mastering them is even harder.
He remembered his father's words: "To become strong, you need hard work and determination."
Tang Wulin calmed down and tried again. Golden light flared for a second—then faded. He took out his notebook and wrote down his observations. He realized he lost focus the moment the skill activated. It could be because he tried to move or relaxed too soon after succeeding. He concluded: To use this movement skill, I need to focus on both controlling energy and body movement at the same time.
He tried again. This time, when the golden light appeared, he stayed still and continued focusing on energy control. He lasted three seconds before it faded again. He wrote that down too.
He kept practicing so diligently that by the time he reached six seconds, it was already noon. His big sister opened the door to call him for lunch. She saw him standing still, eyes closed, golden light surrounding him. He failed at six seconds and wrote in his notebook again, then continued training.
His sister's golden eyes widened in amazement at how hard her little brother was working. She quietly walked into the kitchen, picked up his food, and placed it on his table without disturbing him.
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Meanwhile, deep inside the core forest palace, Raine was sitting in lotus position. In front of him stood the Beast King in human form, with red hair and red eyes. He explained the same things that were written in Tang Wulin's scroll—the attributes of basic elements, and why Light, Dark, Life, Death, Space, and Time were higher-level elements with all attributes.
He said, "Take the Dark element, for example. Many believe Light is stronger than Dark. But let me tell you—Light exists because of Darkness, and Darkness exists because of Light."
Raine asked, "I understand Darkness exists because of Light, but how does Light exist because of Darkness? Isn't Light superior?"
The Beast King said nothing. Instead, he walked up to Raine and formed a red energy shield around him. Then, without warning, both of them flew out of the palace. They moved so fast that sonic booms echoed in the sky. Even inside the energy shield, Raine was shocked—it felt like teleportation.
In seconds, they were high above the planet. Raine could now see the massive planet below them—nearly 100,000 kilometers in diameter. He saw distant stars and the white glow of the sun.
The Beast King asked, "That sun is the source of all light, right?"
Raine nodded.
"Then tell me—where is light?"
Raine looked around. One side of the planet was bright, the other dark—day and night. He replied, "Light is on the bright side, where it's daytime."
The Beast King smiled. He raised his hand, and Raine saw light falling on his skin.
"You see light on me, right?"
Raine nodded.
Then the Beast King formed a wall of energy between his hand and Raine. The light was blocked, making the hand dark.
Raine said, "Now light is on the wall, but what does this have to do with your earlier point?"
The Beast King smiled and removed the wall and his hand.
He asked, "Now tell me, is there light in the empty space between us?"
Raine looked and realized—he could still see, but the light had no surface to land on. The Beast King said, "Light exists only if it falls on something. You see the sun because its light enters your eyes. If there's nothing to reflect it, light is meaningless."
He continued, "Whenever light falls on something, the other side becomes shadow. That's why Light and Darkness are equal and opposite. Others may think differently—but that's what I believe."
Suddenly, they were back in the palace. The Beast King dismissed the energy shield and walked away, saying, "Don't believe others blindly. Test things yourself. This world is fair. Everything has an opposite."
He formed a scroll with energy and tossed it to Raine. It was a basic movement skill. Raine read it, focused his energy in the described pattern, and on the first try, he succeeded. He maintained the skill for seven seconds, then began training again.
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