Under the influence of the rune, the Han Xin Iron Essence melted into a pool of chilling liquid, which Yun Chuan swallowed without hesitation.
An instant wave of coldness spread throughout his body.
Closing his eyes, Yun Chuan quietly sensed his body. The chilling liquid circulated inside and finally gathered at his kidneys.
At that moment, as if by instinct, his right palm surged with cold. Water molecules gathered rapidly from the air, forming a small ball of water which quickly froze into ice!
The kidney belongs to the water element, so it was natural the Han Xin Iron Essence infused there would grant him water-related abilities.
"Interesting… The five elements?"
Yun Chuan opened his eyes and looked at the ice ball in his palm. With a thought, it melted back into water and flowed through his fingers.
He looked at the remaining chunk of Han Xin Iron Essence but didn't consume more since the rune no longer reacted. His body no longer needed it. Without the rune's aid, he couldn't digest the essence raw, so he set it aside, possibly for future weapon crafting.
"Let's try something else."
Scanning the area, Yun Chuan's gaze fixed on the deep blue stone he found upon entering Gengxin City—oval-shaped and about three feet wide—looking like a massive egg.
He used soul power to draw it over, pressed with his left hand, raised a right hand's blade, and with his metal element power, struck down hard.
Crack!
The blue rock's outer layer fractured sharply, splitting open. Most was worthless debris, but at the core was a honeycomb-like fiery red stone radiating extraordinary aura.
He picked up a fist-sized red stone, feeling heat radiating even through touch.
"What kind of ore is this?"
Setting down the stone, he flipped through the "Encyclopedia of Rare Minerals" but found no record of it. Clearly, this was an undiscovered mineral—or at least not yet documented.
"No matter, it's something good."
He put the fiery honeycomb stone in his mouth. The rune triggered, and it melted instantly into a scorching liquid. The heat spread rapidly through his entire body.
Eventually, the liquid settled into his heart—fire element's natural abode.
"Fire!"
He summoned a small fiery red light in the palm, which transformed into a fierce little fire dragon, exquisitely scaled and vivid.
"My fire is stronger now, and my control over it greatly improved!" Yun Chuan remarked, joking, "Could I really be heading toward mastering the five elements?"
Currently, he had gold, water, and fire attributes within him. He wondered whether full mastery of the five elements, with earth and wood added, might bring profound changes.
"Which one next to devour?"
Yun Chuan looked over many strange ores. Each stone's rune emanated different waves—some eager, some indifferent.
Finally, he focused on a yellowish stone about the size of a head that he had picked up from the waste ore area. It looked ordinary and had been dumped as useless.
Breaking away the outer useless rock, he exposed a thumb-sized jade-green gelatinous core. It looked and felt unlike jade, being soft and gel-like.
He sniffed it, finding no strange smell or effect—explaining why it was discarded.
Without hesitation, he swallowed it. The rune flared in response.
A refreshing energy instantly spread from throat to entire body.
The sensation was like dousing oneself with ice water on a hot day—cool and invigorating. It felt as if he was running naked carefree in the mountains and forests. The fresh mountain breeze filled him with liberty.
This energy gathered at his liver—the wood element.
Even without summoning the Life Goddess martial soul, Yun Chuan felt a deeper connection with plants and nature, since wood represents plants and vitality.
"Four elements gathered, only earth remains."
Yun Chuan's eyes landed on a small, inconspicuous head-sized yellow stone, which he had casually found by the roadside. The rune had reacted strongly when he noticed it, confirming it was special.
Using soul power, he lifted the yellow stone and chopped it sharply.
Crack!
The stone shattered, revealing a marble-sized yellow crystal.
He picked it up and popped it into his mouth.
The rune flared again.
He felt a powerful, heavy, earth-like energy flood through him, eventually settling into his spleen.
Boom!
A rumbling explosion resonated in his body.
When the five organs and five elements united, Yun Chuan sensed a sweeping transformation in his body.
(End of Chapter 96)