Five Elements and Eight Trigrams

Seeing Emperor Qianlong quoting classical texts and explaining the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams formation so eloquently, Zhang Kuang secretly admired him, thinking that this emperor was not just a figurehead, but truly learned! He benefited greatly from the lecture and listened intently as Qianlong continued: "The positions of the Four Symbols are based on the positions of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in the sky. Seven guardians are placed in each of the four directions—Eastern Azure Dragon, Western White Tiger, Southern Vermilion Bird, and Northern Black Tortoise—corresponding to the seven mansions of the four directions. This is the 'Four Symbols Formation' combining the Twenty-Eight Mansions. The positions of the Eight Trigrams are Qian (South), Kun (North), Li (East), Kan (West), Dui (Southeast), Zhen (Northeast), Xun (Southwest), and Gen (Northwest). Twenty-eight guardians are placed in the four directions of the four directions according to the Four Symbols Formation, while five guardians are placed in each of the four directions of the southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest, arranged according to the Five Elements. This is the renowned Five Elements and Eight Trigrams Formation."

Zhang Kuang said with some worry, "Your Majesty's intention is very clear: once the formation is complete, it will form an impregnable wall at this crossroads. No matter how powerful the Red Flower Society heroes and the Southern Fist School disciples unite, they will not be able to break through! But the problem is, the twenty-eight guards of the Twenty-Eight Constellations can be chosen from ordinary soldiers, but the five guards representing the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—must be highly skilled in martial arts! Tell me, the Red Flower Society heroes and the Southern Fist School masters are all peerless in martial arts; where can my small Green Standard Army find five masters to contend with them? Let alone five, even finding one would be difficult!" Qianlong laughed heartily and pointed behind him, saying, "Aren't these guards of mine the best candidates available right now?"

Zhang Kuang chuckled somewhat sheepishly, "Your Majesty's imperial guards are all highly skilled in martial arts, of course, there's nothing to say! But there's still one person missing." Qianlong smiled at him, feigning mystery, and said, "This person is both far away and right before your eyes. Can you guess who it is?" Zhang Kuang asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, with your status, how could you risk such a great danger to personally take command?" Qianlong was infuriated by his words, gave a cold laugh, and roared, "What are you thinking, Zhang Kuang! The person I'm talking about is actually you!" Zhang Kuang only then came to his senses, his face flushing red. He bowed deeply and said, "Alas, Your Majesty, look at my memory! I've even forgotten myself! I'm ashamed to say!" But in his heart, he thought, "Although you are the Emperor, are you familiar with my Green Standard Army? If you want to be the commander-in-chief, surely I'm more suitable!"

Emperor Qianlong, being exceptionally astute, discerned the true nature of the situation from Zhang Kuang's expression. He sneered, "Arrogant, arrogant indeed! And let me tell you, I must oversee this entire performance today to ensure everything goes smoothly!" He immediately ceased his idle chatter and ordered, "Zhang Kuang, quickly go to your Green Standard Army and select twenty-eight skilled and robust soldiers!" Zhang Kuang hastily stood at attention, said "Yes, sir!" and ran off to conduct the selection process. Having thoroughly familiarized himself with the soldiers, he only inspected the four detachments in the four cardinal directions before quickly selecting twenty-eight warriors by simply calling out their names.

When the group was brought before Emperor Qianlong, he gave a signal to Xuanwu behind him. Xuanwu immediately went to the warriors and punched each of them in the chest! After this test, only one of the twenty-eight warriors failed, knocked unconscious by a single punch! Emperor Qianlong eliminated him and ordered Zhang Kuang to select another from the Green Standard Army! Zhang Kuang felt he had lost face, so he hurriedly ran to the western garrison and shouted, "Shadowless Sword, step forward!" A skinny, short man darted out of the ranks and followed him to Emperor Qianlong.

Qianlong, seeing that Zhang Kuang was short and thin, and whose pointed, monkey-like appearance made him even more unpleasant to look at, frowned and the word "sleazy" flashed through his mind! He glared at Zhang Kuang and coldly asked, "Is there no one else in your vast Green Standard Army?!" Zhang Kuang was indeed arrogant, actually saying, "Your Majesty, this soldier is called Shadowless Sword. He possesses superb lightness skills, and his swordsmanship is the Tianshan Sword Technique of the Tianshan School, which is rarely matched in the martial arts world. His skills are extremely formidable. In the last All-Army Year-End Martial Arts Tournament, he won two all-around championships!" Xuanwu scoffed, thinking that Zhang Kuang was exaggerating too much! Feeling a surge of anger, he jumped in front of Shadowless Sword and suddenly punched him! This punch didn't hit his chest, but instead, he aimed for his stomach! Xuanwu was tall and fat, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, and his fists were like a pair of iron hammers! Standing next to Wuyingjian, it was like a tiger and a dog, a bear and a pheasant, completely out of sync!

Given the stark difference in their physical attributes, and as Xuanwu's iron fist, propelled by the howling wind, hurtled straight towards the emaciated body, everyone present instinctively closed their eyes in terror.

However, what happened next truly made everyone question their existence! Not only was there no scream from Wuyingjian, but there was also no thud as he collapsed to the ground in agony! Everyone quickly opened their eyes to see what was happening, and a miracle had occurred! Xuanwu's large, heavy iron fist was actually embedded in Wuyingjian's sunken belly! No matter how hard he tried to pull it back, gritting his teeth and straining with all his might, his fist wouldn't budge! It was as if Wuyingjian's belly wasn't a real belly, but possessed an incredibly powerful attraction, firmly holding his fist in place! Stronger than a magnet! Xuanwu's expression changed drastically. He knew he had encountered a master, a master of internal energy cultivation! No wonder he felt something was wrong when he threw the punch; when his fist touched Wuyingjian's sunken belly, it felt like sinking into a ball of cotton. He felt the immense force of his punch being neutralized by a strange, effortless, and skillful force! This is the magic of internal martial arts!

"I want to ask you one question: Are you convinced?" Wuyingjian asked coldly, staring at Xuanwu. Xuanwu looked at him in terror, wiping the dense beads of sweat from his forehead with his left hand! He nodded deeply. Wuyingjian released his inner energy, and Xuanwu suddenly pulled out his fist. Caught off guard, he sat down on the ground with a thud, his tailbone throbbing painfully!

Emperor Qianlong burst into laughter, saying to Zhang Kuang, "This is a martial arts master! He's more than capable of guarding the Five Elements! Your Green Standard Army is truly full of hidden talents!" Zhang Kuang hurriedly led his men to the front lines, instantly setting up their formation, ready to pounce. Emperor Qianlong sat firmly in the center of the army, waving a green flag to command. He was like a giant python with its jaws wide open, waiting to devour its prey!

The fierce battle had reached a fever pitch and a stalemate. Under the combined attack of the Red Flower Society heroes and the Southern Fist disciples, the main force of the Eight Banners troops had begun to crumble. At first, a small group scattered and fled, but gradually it turned into a one-sided retreat. Suddenly, amidst shouts and cries, Xiangquan and Choujiao took the lead, leading their respective brothers in a frenzied pursuit of the government troops! Unexpectedly, a Cheng Yaojin appeared out of nowhere, Bai Shandian suddenly appearing and blocking their path! He glanced around at the heroes and said sternly, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy! Pursuing them will only bring misfortune! Must we kill them all before we're satisfied?!" Hearing the implication in his words, Xiangquan and the other heroes stopped in their tracks and reined in their horses. Stinky Feet yanked on the reins, spurring his horse to a stop in front of him. He coldly asked, "Are you human or ghost? Why are you blocking our path?" White Lightning shouted, "Honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial; good medicine tastes bitter but cures the disease! If you won't listen to me, we'll have to fight!" Stinky Feet retorted, "Who's afraid of who! Come at me if you dare!" With a flick of the reins, his horse charged towards White Lightning. White Lightning spurred his steed, charging like lightning to his side, drawing his imperial sword with a clang, and thrusting it forward! Unexpectedly, Stinky Feet spun his fan, suddenly flicking it towards his own elbow. White Lightning felt a jolt of electricity run through his right arm, nearly dropping the imperial sword! He quickly spun his wrist, unleashing a wide, arc-shaped sword flourish, a flash of cold light, the blade slicing directly at Stinky Feet's wrist! But to his surprise, he spun in mid-air and dodged the attack. Even in his haste, he didn't forget to strike, unleashing three rapid kicks in a flurry! Bai Shandian was dazzled and quickly ducked under his horse, narrowly avoiding the flying kicks! Seeing Choujiao lightly land on his horse, and with the two very close, he whispered a warning: "The Emperor deliberately set a trap for you! Now, more and more soldiers are gathering outside, and even cannons have been brought in! You mustn't linger; leave this dangerous place immediately!"