[Currently Reading] The Poppy War

 One of the great things about The Poppy War is the way they respectfully work in traditional lore with newer insights:

 

 

"There are five principal elements present in the universe - get that look off your face, it's not as absurd as it sounds. The masters of old used to believe that all things were made of fire, water, air, earth, and metal. Obviously, modern science has proven that false. Still, it's a useful mnemonic for understanding the different types of energy.
 

"Fire: the heat in your blood in the midst of a fight, the kinetic energy that makes your heart beat faster. Jiang tapped his chest. "Water: the flowing of force from your muscles to your target, from the earth up through your waist, into your arms. Air: the breath you draw that keeps you alive. Earth: how you stay rooted to the ground, how you derive energy from the way you position yourself against the floor. And metal, for the weapons you wield. A good martial artist will possess all five of these in balance. If you can control each of these with equal skill, you will be unstoppable."