Yin-yang and the Five Elements formed the foundation of Daoist and xianxia thought.
Of those ideas, the Five Elements were extensively reflected in immortal cultivation.
Those with five spiritual roots were considered to possess mixed spiritual roots and struggled to cultivate.
'That applies to the human race. Things are different for the demon race.'
Among the human race, those with five spiritual roots had many cultivation methods to practice.
They had to cultivate all five spiritual roots.
Only after filling their cultivation power in all Five Elements could they advance to the next realm.
That meant they needed far more experience to raise their realm.
The demon race, however, was different.
The more of the Five Elements they possessed, the wider the variety of demonic power and demonic arts they could wield.
Mud consisted of earth and water.
A Mud Demon Beast therefore possessed both Earth and Water attributes.
It held major advantages in both earth and water.
At the same time, this combination softened the demon race's sensitivity to elemental matchups.
The Five Elements interlocked through mutual generation and mutual restraint.
Mutual generation occurred when one energy aided or accelerated the creation of another.
Mutual restraint occurred when one energy impeded or suppressed another.
Water generates Wood.
Water nourished wood, while wood put down roots in earth.
Earth generates Metal.
Earth produced metal, while metal lay buried within earth.
The Mud Slime received support from both the Earth and Water attributes.
Earth and Water were in a relationship of mutual restraint.
Yet they also had a mutually complementary relationship.
The two attributes each softened the other's mutual restraint.
'The demon race doesn't learn separate cultivation methods anyway. The more attributes, the better.'
Unlike the human race, having many attributes was not a disadvantage.
It was a case of the more, the better.
Depending on the situation, it could actually be an enormous help.
A mudfield was the perfect example.
***
The concepts of the Five Elements were not limited to xianxia games.
They were applied throughout fantasy games as well.
The Four Great Spirits and four classical elements were similar concepts.
'This game does have strong fantasy-game characteristics.'
Many of its settings grafted fantasy games onto xianxia.
In games, water and earth were represented by muddy water, mud, and swamps.
Such terrain applied field bonuses and penalties.
Creatures with the Fire attribute struggled in mudfields because of the elemental matchup.
Anything else that walked or swam could also become bogged down in a mudfield.
A mudfield became terrain that favored a slime in both offense and defense.
Turning land and water into a mudfield created an environment well suited to slimes.
Naturally, that also made it an excellent hiding place.
'Slimes lack mobility, so they probably added a setting like that.'
Slimes could not run quickly like other animals.
Nor could they fly like birds.
They could not even swim as well as fish.
They could only remain in one place and depend on the surrounding environment.
If they could not choose their environment, they had to change it.
Only then would the balance work.
It was an ability perfectly suited to a slime.
'But... this is surprisingly useful.'
The Horned Mud Demon Beast (Slime) could use Reproduction.
'I don't know whether Reproduction will produce Mud Monsters or Demon Beasts... but it doesn't matter much.'
He could raise Mud Monsters (Slimes) as livestock and establish a ranch.
It would be even better if they emerged as Demon Beasts.
Demon Beasts possessed higher intelligence than ordinary monsters.
'I'd have a one-man army. Heh heh.'
If he gained an ability that let him control them.......
A one-man army would truly become possible.
He would be no different from a clone cultivator leading countless copies or a jiangshi cultivator commanding corpses.
Even without that, a slime ranch was still possible.
He would become a landlord collecting rent month after month.
The larger the building—the mudfield—became, the more rental income it would produce.
'Now this is genuinely fucking sweet.'
That alone would make life easy.
He would not need to devise complicated schemes to stab opponents in the back.
He could simply collect steady rent and hunt the members of the demon race and human race who came to him.
'And that's not the only advantage.'
Plants grew well in mudfields.
With enough spiritual energy, he could easily cultivate spirit herbs and spirit trees using a mudfield.
He could raise them and eat them himself.......
'Or use them as bait to lure prey.'
Spirit fruits and spirit herbs grown on spiritual energy served as food for the demon race.......
The human race used them as materials for medicinal pills and magical artifacts.
Like insects drawn to honey, members of the demon race and human race would flock to them.
Then he could catch those insects like a sundew plant.
Slimes were perfectly suited to that task.
If he settled near a spiritual land and spirit vein rich in spiritual energy.......
'That would be true relaxation—the good life.'
It would be an inexhaustible cornucopia that produced wealth while he did nothing.
Suckers would come happily on their own without even being summoned.
'That would be the true life of a webnovel loser.'
It was a common webnovel development.
***
'If I established even a small sect there.......'
No member of the demon race or human race disliked spirit herbs and spirit fruits.
To obtain them.......
They were certain to gather there of their own accord.
Once his realm rose high enough, he could establish a small sect.
At the Core Formation Realm for the human race or Demon King level for the demon race, one could call oneself the Sect Master of an immortal cultivation sect.
After becoming the Sect Master of such a sect.......
He could use his faction's power to seize a great spiritual land and spirit vein.
After that.......
'I'd work everyone beneath me like servants.'
A sect was like a pyramid scheme.
The higher one climbed, the more resources one could monopolize.
'The resources required to advance rise exponentially at higher realms. Establishing a sect is essential.'
Fantasy and martial arts games represented them as guilds and sects.
They waged wars to obtain profitable dungeons, hunting grounds, and cities.
In xianxia, the equivalent was a sect.
They fought for superior spiritual lands and spirit veins.
Those sects were pyramid schemes too.
Great sects placed small and medium-sized sects beneath them and ordered them around.
'The big boss and the middle boss.'
Even a gangster started as the branch boss of a small territory.
Then he gradually expanded his strength and territory.
Eventually, he grew into a gangster with influence across the country.
An unnamed little sect likewise grew into a great sect that dominated an entire region.
'Then I'd use the resources I monopolized to raise my own realm.'
In xianxia, raising one's realm was difficult without an extraordinary fortuitous encounter.
Breaking through the wall of each stage consumed tremendous cultivation resources.
Some people could flip a coin 100 times and get heads every time.
Only someone blessed with that degree of great fortune.......
Such a person could hope to pass the Core Formation Realm and aim for the Nascent Soul Realm.
Establishing a sect, however, made those stages easier to overcome.
Creating a great sect allowed one to gather the resources needed to become a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
'There are other problems beyond the Nascent Soul Realm... but they're not mine to worry about.'
That meant passing beyond Demon King and reaching Demon Emperor level.
'But... has anyone among the demon race reached the Demon Emperor level?'
Someone among those who had burned tens—or even hundreds—of billions of won might have done it.
That was a tale from a distant land as far as he was concerned.
It was a path he had never walked or even considered, so he knew nothing about it.
'Then it's about time I leave the tutorial.'
He had to enter the main game before he could create a mudfield.
He needed to find a place there with abundant spiritual energy.
Before that, he had to raise his realm.
Creating a mudfield with an inadequate realm would make him perfect prey for the demon race and human race.
He needed to advance to a suitable realm before settling somewhere appropriate.
Then those flying insects would swarm toward him.
'And they'll become medicinal pills that raise my realm. Ha ha.'
***
'But... how do I get out of here?'
He had never played through the tutorial before.
No. No one had ever played through it at all.
Nothing was known about the tutorial.
'I have no choice but to keep moving forward.......'
So far, the spiritual energy had grown more abundant the farther he advanced.
If he kept going, he would eventually find the place where the tutorial ended.
GROWL—
His stomach rumbled loudly.
'More importantly, I'm running out of food.'
Once the slime became a Demon Beast, a gap in standing opened between him and ordinary monsters—venomous insects and creatures.
They sensed his oppressive standing, grew frightened, and fled.
Camouflage arts did no good at all.
'Raising my standing—my realm—isn't entirely good.'
It had become difficult to conceal his strength.
Hunting was now harder.
Moreover, eating creatures of lower standing did not produce proper growth.
He had to use Devouring on creatures at a similar or higher realm to grow.
It was a game company's scheme to prevent leveling in low-level zones.
'There isn't much point in settling here either.......'
A mudfield had no meaning in this place.
Creating one where spiritual energy was scarce would yield nothing.
First, he had to leave the tutorial area.
He had no choice but to keep moving forward.
'Still... it's fortunate that the One-Horned Rabbits and One-Horned Rats are stupid.'
The rare One-Horned Rabbits and One-Horned Rats became excellent food for the slime.
They hesitated briefly whenever the Horned Slime approached.
Because they were at a similar realm, they had to decide whether to attack.
Some read the situation and fled quickly, but.......
Others rammed him headfirst without thinking.
THUMP—
TING—
WOBBLE—
He effortlessly swallowed the dazed One-Horned Rabbit.
GULP—
'Eating one doesn't raise me much anymore.'
When he had been a Medium Slime.......
Eating just one One-Horned Rabbit had filled him to the brim with spiritual power and spiritual energy.
Now, it only raised them by a tiny amount.
There were not many of them, so they did little more than stave off his hunger.
'I can't even be bothered to save up the horns anymore.'
The low odds had disappointed him.
He used Devouring on each horn as soon as he obtained it.
At least the horns were rich in spiritual power and spiritual energy.
'Another dud, as expected.'
It would not be a luck-based shitshow if abilities were easy to pull.
He settled for the extra spiritual power and spiritual energy.
'Huh? What's that?'
As he moved forward, he saw a mirage-like distortion in the air.
It resembled a barrier.......
Like a boundary dividing one region from another.
It might lead somewhere dangerous, but.......
'Let's go!'
Even if a man got nothing, he still said go.
He leaped into the mirage-like barrier with a splat.
At that moment.......
[You have entered an unknown secret realm.]
At last, he had left the tutorial.