Thinking along those lines, Lu Han wasted no time and moved on to the next one. This time, he chose the blue board, representing the water element.
[Water is the flow of creation. In extreme cold, it hardens and becomes ice. In intense heat, it rises as vapor. In balance, it nourishes life. Without it, no mortal living being can survive. A perfect control of nature.]
As he read that, Lu Han's eyes rolled beneath his eyelids.
It was far more difficult to incorporate water into his martial arts than earth, due to the concept of flow.
How could an ordinary human control the flow of their own body?
Racking his brain, Lu Han recalled legends about mortal warriors from the martial world who, despite being mere mortals, could shatter stones with their fists.
No one knew exactly how those martial masters did it.
Until one of them, once, revealed a secret while drunk:
"Everything depends on how you breathe. To dance well, you need concentration so you don't miss a single step. A focused human can draw out a hidden strength they don't even know they possess."
Remembering this story, Lu Han had an epiphany.
Could it be possible, by controlling one's breathing, to manipulate the body's flow and perform more precise and fluid movements?
Without wasting time, he closed his eyes and began creating a scenario in his mind.
He imagined himself submerged in a river, breathing freely underwater. In front of him was a fish.
Since he didn't know much about fish, due to his limited opportunities to learn, he created one with a common appearance—ten times larger than normal and with a bluish coloration.
Visualizing this opponent, Lu Han deliberately lowered his guard, leaving an opening.
The fish, a few meters away, noticed the opportunity. It flicked its fins and shot toward him like an arrow.
When the attack came, Lu Han finally reacted. He lifted the sole of one foot and, with the other, pushed off, spinning his body. Like a dance, he evaded fluidly, causing the fish to miss its strike.
Taking advantage of the opening, he spun again, returning to his initial position to counterattack.
But before he could complete the movement, he felt the world spin within his imagination.
Opening his eyes, he let out a sigh.
Because he pursued realism in his visualization, he had automatically adapted the consequence—that after spinning, he would feel disoriented.
"I'm still just a normal human. At best, I can use the flow of water to improve my mobility and footwork."
He reflected for a moment.
"Earth is defense. Water is mobility. Now I'm missing fire and wood to complete the set."
Lu Han knew that imagining wasn't enough—he needed to train. There was a huge difference between fantasy and reality. In his mind, he was the creator. In the real world, he was still just a fragile human.
"Now… fire."
Leaving the water monument, he walked toward the red board.
There, only one person remained.
It was a young man with blond hair, wearing elegant red clothes. On his back, he carried a spear. His eyes were fixed on the characters, his concentration intense.
Upon seeing him, Lu Han immediately concluded that the young man's status was equal to—or even higher than—Zhao Ming's. And from his focused posture, it was clear he had already grasped the true objective of the test.
"Should I mark him?"
Lu Han pondered.
He had a feeling that this young man would pass the third test. He would be a good target to observe within the sect.
On the other hand, it would be extremely risky. To mark someone, he needed physical contact—and this was not an environment where he could act carelessly. He discarded the idea for now.
"Better to focus on what matters."
Without forgetting his main goal, Lu Han turned his attention to the monument.
[Fire is destruction. A flame can grow as long as there is fuel, reducing everything to ashes. Even when extinguished, it can remain hidden beneath the earth and be reborn when least expected. A destructive power in constant evolution.]
"Attack."
Lu Han immediately considered this the best combat foundation for his current condition.
Fire, adapted to his martial arts, would transform into blood and adrenaline. The more intense his state, the greater his destructive power.
With that thought, Lu Han immediately began his visualization.
This time, he was Zhao Ming—the most impulsive and hot-blooded man he knew. His opponents were the five statues that Zhao Ming himself had faced.
As he looked at them, he felt a strong irritation spread throughout his body. His blood boiled like a cauldron.
"Bastards!"
Before the statues could even move, Zhao Ming charged at them with his fists extended. When he reached the blue-eyed statue, he delivered a direct punch to its head, loaded with all his explosive strength.
Baam!
A thunderous sound echoed. Zhao Ming's fist struck the water statue, sending it flying backward as if it were made of mud.
But before he could follow through, the other four statues had already surrounded him from all sides.
At that moment, his fury intensified even further. Without hesitation, he charged toward the fire statue.
However, before reaching it, he was struck from behind by the other three, being launched forward.
Right before his eyes, the fire statue raised its fist—and while still midair, Zhao Ming was struck directly in the head.
Everything went dark.
Lu Han opened his eyes.
"Being like Zhao Ming never works."
He muttered with a faint smirk.
After that, his expression turned serious.
Lu Han understood that, in a real fight, he would need to be prepared for three things:
Attack. Defend. And retreat.
These three basic principles had to be followed strictly.
"The fastest statue is the water one. Then comes fire. The slowest is earth. As for metal and wood, they're still unknown… Zhao Ming was too incompetent to deal with that."
With this privileged information, Lu Han began to structure a plan—a plan that would only work if he could develop his own combat style.
Determined to complete it, he cast one last glance at the blond youth, who was still analyzing the board with extreme focus, and moved on to the final monument corresponding to his spiritual roots.
When he reached the green board, he began to read the characters carefully.
[Wood is formation. It takes root in the earth, capable of forming structures, and grows above the surface like a trunk. An energized trunk can generate electrical discharges. With water nourishing it, it can produce leaves and become a great tree. Wood represents the ecosystem of creation.]