Is this what a spell is?
Mo Huaâs eyes widened in astonishment.
It seemed that all it took was channeling Spiritual Power through specific meridians and using Divine Sense to propel it outward. Then, one could form spells of various attributes, achieving a power far beyond Mo Huaâs expectations.
After a disturbance, the pond returned to tranquility.
Only the mottled water stains along the shore and the fragmented vegetation floating on the water bore witness to what had just taken place.
Old Kui nodded, âNot bad.â
Mo Hua scratched his head, âGrandpa Gui, what should I practice next?â
âKeep practicing this one.â
âKeep practicing this one?â
âYes,â Old Kui said, âfirst practice it a hundred times, feel it out.â
âFeel out what exactly?â Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
âEven if I told you, you wouldnât understand. After a hundred repetitions, youâll begin to grasp it,â Old Kui replied.
Mo Hua was a little confused.
Old Kui added, âItâs like with your Formation practice, practice leads to perfection. With more practice, certain things become clear intuitively, but such things are difficult to convey with words.â
âOh.â Mo Hua nodded, understanding a bit more.
âCan I practice here?â
Mo Hua asked a bit sheepishly.
He certainly couldnât practice at home; what if he accidentally set the place on fire with the Fireball Technique?
Practicing alone in the mountains and forests was also somewhat dangerous.
âItâs no bother,â Old Kui said indifferently.
Mo Hua hesitated a little, âBut what if I damage the pond or these flowers and plants, is that okay?â
Old Kui glanced at Mo Hua with composure and then with a gentle wave of his sleeve.
Mo Hua didnât even know what happened, he just noticed in the blink of an eye, the water stains by the pond had vanished, the charred vegetation was restored, and the fish leisurely resumed their swimming.
As if nothing that had just taken place had ever happened, as if Mo Hua had never used that Fireball Technique.
Mo Hua stood rooted to the spot.
âItâs no bother,â Old Kui said lightly.
In the following days, Mo Hua kept running over to Mr. Zhuangâs place.
If Mr. Zhuang was awake, he would greet him and seek answers to some questions; if Mr. Zhuang was asleep, that was the perfect chance to go practice the Fireball Technique beside the pond, next to the bamboo grove.
The underlying principles of the Fireball Technique were already clear to Mo Hua, and after practicing for several days, he was getting the hang of using it.
However, the power of the Fireball Technique, the speed of casting, and the accuracy of the strike varied slightly each time.
These indeed, as Old Kui had said, required personal practice and gradual understanding to master completely; they were hard to put into words.
In these days, Mo Hua had been practicing the Fireball Technique by the pond.
Splash after splash as fireballs exploded in the pond, disrupting the placid waters and causing vegetation to scatter in all directions, the fish at the bottom in panic.
Fortunately, every day after Mo Hua left, Old Kui would restore the pond.
Otherwise, Mo Hua would have already blown the pond dryâ¦
On this particular day, as Mo Hua practiced his Fireball Technique by the pond, he saw a little head sneakily peeking over from afar.
âBai Zisheng?â
Upon seeing that only Mo Hua was there, Bai Zisheng stealthily ran over, asking curiously, âWhat are you playing with?â
âItâs not a game, I am practicing a spell,â Mo Hua corrected.
Bai Zishengâs eyes lit up, âYouâre learning a spell? Which one? Show me!â
Mo Hua set off another Fireball Technique into the pond.
With a thunderous boom, water splashed every which way.
After watching, Bai Zishengâs excitement faded a bit, and he said dismissively:
âItâs just the Fireball Techniqueâ¦â
Mo Hua wouldnât have it, âWhatâs wrong with the Fireball Technique?â
Bai Zisheng consoled, âItâs alright, I guess. I thought you had learned something more powerful.â
âLike what?â
âLike⦠oh, right, you have low Spiritual Power, even if you learned it, you couldnât use it,â Bai Zisheng said.
Mo Hua gave him a disdainful look and said coolly, âHave you finished your homework?â
âNot yet,â Bai Zishengâs spirits instantly sank, âI heard noises coming from here, so I sneaked over. Iâll have to go back soon.â
Bai Zisheng went on to ask, âWonât your practicing the Fireball Technique disturb Mr. Zhuang?â
Mo Hua shook his head, âI asked Grandpa Gui, he said it wouldnât. Mr. Zhuangâs place is far away, very quiet.â
Bai Zisheng nodded and looked at Mo Hua enviously, âMr. Zhuang is really good to youâ¦â
âMr. Zhuang is also pretty nice to you all, and you and Mr. Zhuang, you have some connections, right?â Mo Hua asked with puzzlement.
Bai Zisheng waved his hand, âYou donât understandâ¦â He thought for a moment but did not elaborate further.
He and Zixi held Mr. Zhuang in great awe, and even though they would go to him with questions on regular days, they generally would not disturb the gentleman unnecessarily.
Like Mo Hua, who would seek the gentlemanâs guidance whenever he encountered a problem, even going as far as to use the Fireball Technique to blow up a pond in Mr. Zhuangâs courtyardâthey would not dare to do such a thing.
âAre you trying to scheme against the gentleman, feeling guilty, and hence you are afraid of the gentleman?â
Mo Hua looked at Bai Zisheng with suspicion.
Bai Zisheng curled his lip, âI would need the ability to do that first.â
âThatâs true,â Mo Hua nodded.
Bai Zisheng curiously asked, âDid Old Kui teach you this Fireball Technique?â
âYes.â
âDid Old Kui only teach you the Fireball Technique?â
âYou donât understand, whatâs suitable is the best.â
Mo Hua said, imitating Old Kuiâs experienced manner.
Bai Zisheng thought about it and nodded, âThatâs true.â
Mo Hua asked in return, âIs Grandpa Gui really that powerful?â
âHe should be,â Bai Zisheng said, uncertain.
âSo you donât know either.â
Bai Zisheng gave an awkward smile.
Mo Hua then hurried him, âYou better go do your studies, donât disturb me from practicing spells.â
Bai Zisheng didnât really want to leave, studying was too tedious.
âYou practice, I can give you some pointers.â
âWhat can you point out? You donât know spells,â said Mo Hua, taken aback.
Bai Zisheng said, displeased, âHavenât eaten pork, but havenât seen a pig run either? Although I practice martial arts, I still know some powerful spells.â
That was indeed the case; the Bai Family had a rich heritage of knowledge.
âUse the Fireball Technique again for me to see,â Bai Zisheng said.
âOh,â Mo Hua used the Fireball Technique again.
The pond got blown up once more.
âHmm⦠the power seems a bit small,â Bai Zisheng said.
âIs it because my Spiritual Power is too weak?â
âNot entirely. The strength of a spell is related to your proficiency with it, the more adept you are at using the spell, the greater its power will be. Master a spell to perfection, and even if the consumed Spiritual Power remains the same, its strength will still increase,â Bai Zisheng explained patiently.
Mo Hua nodded continuously, âThen what specifically does this proficiency entail?â
âDo you have the Meridian Chart for the Fireball Technique?â
Mo Hua opened the Meridian Chart for the Fireball Technique.
Bai Zisheng pointed at the chart and said:
âSimply put, itâs about the precision when your Spiritual Power follows these meridians and acupoints. If every time your Spiritual Power circulates exactly through these channels and points, then undoubtedly the power of the spell will greatly increase.â
âOf course, absolute precision is nearly impossible, humans after all, are not puppets, itâs unrealistic to be perfect every time, close enough will do,â Bai Zisheng further explained.
Mo Hua had an epiphany and asked Bai Zisheng several more questions.
Bai Zisheng was thrilled to show off in front of Mo Hua for once and eagerly gave guidance for quite some time.
Suddenly, a paper ball flew over from nowhere, striking Bai Zisheng right on the head.
Mo Hua picked up the paper ball, unfolded it, and saw that it was a simple sketch of a small face drawn with a brush.
The face had simple lines, just a few strokes and two dots, and it seemed somewhat displeased.
Bai Zisheng, holding his head, saw the note and exclaimed:
âItâs over, Zixi is angry. I told her I was coming to play with you for a while, but I inadvertently stayed too long.â
Bai Zisheng hurriedly stood up, dropping a âPractice more by yourself,â before he ran off quickly.
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, then couldnât help but laugh.
Afterward, Mo Hua practiced with precise control of Spiritual Power as Bai Zisheng had said, and sure enough, the Fireball Technique became a bit more powerful.
Once Mo Hua had practiced a hundred times, he had managed to use the Fireball Technique rather proficiently.
Mo Hua then went looking for Old Kui, âGrandpa Gui, Iâve practiced it a hundred times!â
Old Kui nodded, âHave you got it?â
âIâve got it.â
âGood,â Old Kui gave a nod of approval, âNow I will start teaching you properly.â
âAh?â
Mo Hua was stunned, âHavenât you already taught me?â
Old Kui said indifferently:
âI havenât started teaching yet. Whatâs there to teach about the Fireball Technique.â