"Born from yin and yang were light and dark. Light and dark in turn created the night sky you see before you."
"Light and dark divided into the stars and the void, and everything must have an opposite. Following the separation of light and dark, was the unification, the formation of life, and the elements."
As Elder Xing was speaking, in the sky above Bai Qi, a planet formed, with people starting to appear.
"Within this life there was a mixture of yin and yang, you and me, and the millions of other lifeforms that you can find in our universe."
The sky zoomed out, with several planets being highlighted.
"This world is merely one of many, that formed from the union of yin and yang, and this universe is no different. As life grew on these planets, the first instances of elemental manipulation were recorded by our ancestors."
The sky then again zoomed back to the same planet, and zoomed into the land until a view of a small farm could be seen.
"The first to make use of what we now were the farmers, using simple yang particles to hasten the process of growth. The first instance of the life elemental path, if you will. Their abilities were formed out of need, as farming was their only livelihood."
The picture showed a person sitting next to some plants, and meditating. The area around the man got a bit brighter, as plants started to sprout.
"The people that could use these powers were hailed as gods, their powers helping boost the power of communities. Factions started forming, where communities started banding together behind the revered gods, because for them, more food meant more warriors, and stronger warriors meant the ability to take over the lands surrounding them."
As the sky zoomed out once more, the farm grew into a small village, the wooden walls rapidly rose around it, turning into a small city, until that city started developing into a larger one, with stone fortifications, and paved roads.
"As living conditions got better, and more and more people started to experiment with these yin particles, some people came across the yang particles as well, and using them side by side at different levels gave into the rise of the different elemental powers. Academies started forming, as people came into contact with the manipulation of elements, researching the basics of each element."
The sky zoomed out, as, the cities continued to expand, and roads formed between these cities.
"Alliances started being formed, and countries started being made. These countries were ruled by stronger people, forming the very first generation of empires."
"About 4 generations have passed since then, and the next notable thing happened.. As our understanding and involvement with the manipulation of particles, our world became more saturated with these particles, and the elements became a daily part of our lives. In the fourth generation since the first empire, as it's recorded, a baby was born who had an innate ability to manipulate fire. This was a first, because before then, it took years of training before you could wield an element to your own. Yet the baby broke all logic, being born with the ability to make the burning fire a simple plaything."
The scene now showed an angle of a room, where a baby could be seen crawling around. As the baby explored the room, he came across the fireplace, where he giggled as he made fire dance in front of him. The fire seemed meek, submitting to the will of the baby.
"That baby, whose name has been lost to the sands of time, was the first sovereign, uniting all the empire under his rule, and taking over the world."
The sky showed the baby growing up, dancing through flames as he went from a child to a teen, to a young man. The flames of the child merely danced, while as the teen started conforming, following the routine of the teen as he fought, before forming weapons as the teen grew up into an adult, in one smooth sequence. The face of the sovereign was obscured, as it only showed his back. The young man, exuding a sense of domineering power sat on a throne, overlooking the empire he had built up.
"Soon, within the fifth generation, countless children were born similar to the emperor, being born with various elements under their control, and the sovereigns position was threatened, after a few hundred years, The sovereign decided to leave all the turmoil behind, and took a step forward in his cultivation, breaking through the heavenly chains that bound him to the world. The first sovereign was also the first to break free of the world, with enough power to leave and explore the universe.
"The second sovereign didn't appear until thousands of years later, because the empires under the first sovereigns had broken apart after his leave. Each empire had their fair share of powerful people, and slowly grew into powerhouses, each having their own hidden powers.
"Since then, hundreds of cultivators have gotten enough power to break through the heavenly chains binding them to the planet, and hundreds have left through the heavens to search for adventure elsewhere, as this planet didn't have much to offer them once they had reached the top of the chain. After all, cultivators yearned for to reach the heavens, and this planet was only a small stepping stone."
As Elder Xing spoke, the sky showed the first sovereign looking up at the sky before flying up to touch the heavens. As he flew up, clouds started to roll in, the sky getting darker every passing second. Thunder rumbled, and flashing of dark lightning started to crackle between the clouds. Small golden chains started to form in front of his body, ethereal, phasing as if it was illusionary, yet they exuded such an aura that Bai Qi could almost feel it though the pictures in the sky.
The sovereign summoned fires to dance along his body, and channelled through his arms to deliver punch after punch to the chains, though the chains refused time after time to give away. The lightning started to attack the sovereign, and he spat out blood from the impacts he took. Without rest and caring about his body, he continued to punch out, only growing stronger. The image of a devil clad in flames formed behind him, the illusion mimicking his movements, as if the devil were the one attacking the chains.
After it seemed that the sovereign would fail, the first chain cracked, and soon, all the chains started to spider out, breaking. The clouds started to dissipate behind the chains, and the sky returned to the blue it was before the sovereign challenged the heavens. But the sovereign was bloodied all over, taking direct hits from the insidious lightning, and his body fell to the ground with a boom, forming a crater in which he lay.
"After breaking the chains binding us to this world, these people had the right to explore the universe. Hundreds have left through the years, though only a few dozen have ever returned. They all came with information that I believe is too far out for you to worry about now."
The images in the sky disappeared, leaving behind the night sky.
"And that, concludes the brief history of our world."
Elder Xing sighed. "Perhaps you may one day be one of those who venture out, perhaps you may not."
Bai Qi noted the melancholy in Elder Xings voice, and asked "You seem to be bothered about something?"
"My son was one of those who left to explore only a hundred years ago. In my heart, I can't help but wonder what happened to him."
"Your son?"
The sharp glint returned to Elder Xings eye, and he said, "Enough about my problems, we have a lot to go through today."
"The world itself has a fascinating history, but the past remains in the past. The knowledge that we accrued through the eons that have passed, have made what we call now as the Elemental theories. These theories cover a vast array of subjects, ranging from our very existence to our ability to manipulate the world around us."
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Got a new laptop, working great :))
New person who joined the discord, and the newest fan of our novel, welcome Spade_Z_
As always, discord is calling out to you, https://discord.gg/B7xQSKS
If the link doesn't work, hit me up at Paradoxicality#1088
If we get 10 active members into the discord, ill throw in bonus chapters soon.
Next chapter will be up shortly.
Also, SkylarWolfe, wya, we miss you on the chat :))