***This article was written by the author himself.

(Special Article) Regarding Five-Attributed Cloud Qi — First Part

Many people may still be confused about the art which is the most confusing and has the most screen time, especially regarding the second stage, as it can be quite complicated due to its combinations and contradictions. Please allow me to explain.

First of all, let’s discuss the concept of five elements, shown below.

It’s believed that every creature has an affinity for one element each. In fact, this concept also applies to more than living beings—including internal organs, inanimate objects, and martial arts.

When a practitioner studies the martial arts that shares their elemental affinity, they will learn said arts faster and more efficiently. On the other hand, it’s difficult to practice martial arts of the elements that are far away, according to the diagram.

Regarding Five-Attributed Cloud Qi, Sila comprehended the term “change” using the shape of a cloud. With his desire to be free and formless like clouds, Sila invented an art that allowed him to temporarily change his element affinity and his moves, granting him the ability to have an advantage over any element. Obviously, like how the shape of the cloud is not something permanent, the change in elemental affinity is only temporary.

Each element has different strengths.

Earth: Instant, explosive, stable, absorbing, transmuting, transforming.

Metal: Simple, direct, rigid, unifying, unyielding, determined, forceful.

Water: Complex, flexible, continuous, ever-changing, shapeless, cleansing.

Wood: Slow, controlling, restoring, growth, rising, expanding.

Fire: Heat, intensifying, stimulating, active, combusting, dynamic.

Sila called the above five qi elements the “five elemental attributes.” They had to be used in conjunction with “five martial moves.”

By using five elements in five ways, Sila has a total of twenty-five moves. (5*5 = 25.)

For the record, the five martial move types consist of…

Inner body: Temporarily changes his overall element affinity in order for him to gain the element’s prominent strength.

Hand: Uses the power of the element through his hands—Palm(Fire), Fist(Metal), Backhand(Wood), Claw(Earth), Finger(Water).

Foot: Uses the power of the element through a kick.

Weapon: Materializes qi into an object. Compared to other moves, this martial move requires the highest amount of inner force, thus it’s the most lethal.

Outer body: The special move that uses a special aspect of the channelled element. As such, each element has a different style.

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First Stage—Single Attribute

[Attribute of Earth]

Inner Body - Lightning God’s Body - Temporarily and explosively increases movement speed.

Hand - Ghost Claw - Quick claw strikes imbued with qi to damage a target.

Foot - Instant Stomp - Quick short kick. Suitable for limited spaces.

Weapon - Sky-Splitting Saber - Materializes a blade. It can be either short or long. Not powerful, but quick.

Outer Body - Crushing Gravity - Materializes a tiny gravity ball, projecting it forward and crushing the target(s).

[Attribute of Metal]

Inner Body - Wind God’s Body - Increases movement speed for a longer period of time.

Hand - Unhindered Fist - A direct punch that can’t be easily negated/dodged/parried.

Foot - Metal Stomp - A strong, direct kick that is as powerful as a metal hammer.

Weapon - Nimbus-Severing Sword - Materializes a blade covering a palm. The blade is strong and sharp.

Outer Body - Serene Universe - Stabilizes Sila’s movements and actions.

[Attribute of Water]

Inner Body - River God’s Body - Increases agility and nimbleness.

Hand - Conjured Yizichan - Finger art. Instead of directly attacking the acupoints, Sila can attack elsewhere and control qi to flow within the opponent’s body and damage their acupoints.

Foot - Drizzle Stomp - A kick along with qi that generates echoes of the kick. Not powerful, but hard to dodge.

Weapon - Sealing Chain - Materializes a chain. Allows for whipping and binding the target.

Outer Body - Sea Star Wheel - Cancels out the opponent’s power. If used correctly, it can even reflect weak attacks.

[Attribute of Wood]

Inner Body - Forest God’s Body - Greatly increases regeneration speeds. Sila can’t move or perform other activities while the move is active.

Hand - Beckoning Hand of the Reaper - Controls objects by dragging them with psychic power through the back of his hand (like pulling a rope).

Foot - Illusory Stomp - Tricks an opponent into thinking that he is about to kick, but actually stimulates his recovery ability.

Weapon - Stellar Hidden Weapon - Materializes hidden weapons using qi and fires them.

Outer Body - Artificial World - Materializes a domain, slowing down the opponents inside the domain.

[Attribute of Fire]

Inner Body - Flame God’s Body - Stimulates the power within the body. Explosively increases strength for five seconds.

Hand - Sky-Burning Palm - Attacks an opponent using a palm that is as hot as real flames.

Foot - Corpse-Igniting Stomp - A blazing kick, sending hot qi within to further injure the opponent.

Weapon - God-Slaying Spear - Concentrates power into a single point (Sila mostly prefers his elbow) and strikes the opponent.

Outer Body - Solar Emanation - Radiates heat like a sun. Anyone within a certain range will be damaged just by being near Sila.

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The Dual Attributes will be covered in the second part.