Chapter 103: Spells
Mo Hua thought to himself: I deliberately wrote the book title big enough to be seen from several zhang away, and he's still asking what it is. Can this guy act any more pretentious?
"No need, I'm just taking a look," Mo Hua said calmly.
The more Mo Hua refused to answer, the more curious Zhang Lan became. He leaned closer, pretending only now to notice the title.
"'Qi-Refining Spells Compendium,' huh? Not bad. Planning to learn spells? You've reached the fifth layer of Qi-Refining?"
"Just reached it. I'm only reading for now, no rush." Mo Hua acted unbothered.
"How about it? Want me to teach you?" Zhang Lan raised his eyebrows.
"Uncle Zhang, are you a spiritual cultivator?"
"Hmm… more or less."
"What do you mean 'more or less'? Oh, so you're half-baked?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan's face darkened. "Half-baked? Where did you learn these ridiculous words, kid?"
"I can see your blood energy isn't weak, but your spiritual power doesn't feel that strong. Am I just not seeing it right?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan said proudly, "I used a concealment spell to hide my aura. Of course you can't sense it! If a brat like you could see through it, then all my cultivation would be for nothing."
"Ohhh, so you're a dual cultivator of body and spirit?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
"Dual cultivation of body and spirit isn't that easy. I've just tempered my physique a bit, so I don't get bullied by body cultivators when fighting. My main focus is still on spell cultivation. True dual cultivators need exceptional talent, a prestigious lineage, and a mountain of wealth. You could live ten lifetimes and never meet one." Zhang Lan sighed.
Mo Hua clicked his tongue, talent, lineage, and wealth? Each one of those was as distant as the heavens. Even if he reincarnated ten thousand times, he might never get all three.
"Then Uncle Zhang, are your spells powerful?"
Zhang Lan said modestly, "They're… alright, I guess."
"So, not very strong then."
Zhang Lan nearly exploded, knocking Mo Hua on the head. "That's called humility, understand? Humility!"
Mo Hua rubbed his small head. "Then between you and Aunt Xue, who's stronger?"
"Well…" Zhang Lan hesitated. "We've never sparred, so who knows?"
"Do you know illusion techniques?"
"Of course I... don't."
"Aunt Xue knows illusions, but you don't. So she's obviously stronger! I'll ask her later which spell I should learn."
Zhang Lan huffed. "I may not know illusions, but my other spells aren't weaker than hers."
"Really?" Mo Hua looked skeptical.
"For Qi-Refining stage spells, you can ask me anything."
"Alright then. If I want to start learning spells, which one should I learn first?"
"What are you interested in?" Zhang Lan asked.
Mo Hua handed him the Qi-Refining Spells Compendium. "I've picked a few. You see which one's best to start with."
Zhang Lan flipped through the pages. Several spells were circled in ink: Fireball Technique, Water Arrow Technique, Metal Blade Technique, Earth Stone Technique…
All were spells suitable for the mid Qi-Refining stage, simple, low in spirit power consumption, easy to learn.
Zhang Lan nodded approvingly. Starting with the basics and not overreaching, this kid had a decent eye for things.
Many cultivators, when first learning spells, only wanted the high-grade, powerful, or rare ones. But the higher the grade, the more spirit power it required; the greater the power, the longer the casting time; and the rarer the spell, the harsher the learning conditions.
Even if one managed to learn such a spell, a single use could drain half their spirit power. And if it missed the target, well, then they'd just have to sit there and await death.
Zhang Lan stared at Mo Hua for a moment before realizing something.
"All the spells you chose… are attack spells?"
Mo Hua blinked. "If not attack spells, what else should I learn?"
"You don't plan on learning any life-saving spells?"
"Oh!" Mo Hua suddenly understood. "Right, gotta survive first! If I can't keep my life, who am I going to attack?"
The incident with Qian Xing had taught him well, cultivators needed ways to protect themselves. Otherwise, if danger struck unexpectedly, they'd be powerless to respond.
"What life-saving spells are there? The Golden Bell Shield?" Mo Hua asked humbly.
"The Golden Bell Shield is fine, but it's not very suitable for you."
"Why not?" Mo Hua frowned.
Zhang Lan gave him a judging look. "You haven't realized your spiritual power is quite weak?"
"That's because my cultivation is low," Mo Hua retorted logically.
"Partly, yes. But your spiritual root is ordinary, and your cultivation method doesn't enhance your spirit power much. So your total spirit power is definitely lower than others of the same stage."
Mo Hua didn't want to admit it, but… that was probably true.
Zhang Lan thought inwardly, Good thing your spiritual root talent is mediocre. If it matched your formation talent, the heavens themselves would be in trouble!
Seems the Dao of Heaven is fair after all.
Zhang Lan continued, "If your spirit power's weak, defensive spells like the Golden Bell Shield won't last long. Once your power's drained, you'll still be a sitting duck."
"Besides, the Golden Bell Shield needs to be activated in advance. If you get ambushed before you can react, it's useless."
Mo Hua frowned, troubled. "Then what should I learn?"
Ha! You finally ran into a problem. Serves you right for acting all smug earlier! Zhang Lan silently enjoyed the moment.
Problems in the Qi-Refining stage were all small matters… as long as they didn't involve formations.
After striking a brief pose of wisdom, he said, "You could learn movement techniques."
"Movement techniques?"
"If you rely on defensive spells, you can only take hits head-on…" Zhang Lan glanced at Mo Hua's small frame. "And with your body and spirit power, you won't last long."
Mo Hua nodded seriously.
"So, with movement techniques, you can advance, retreat, or just run away if things go south."
"Any drawbacks?"
"Of course. Defensive spells let you take a few hits before your power runs out. But with movement techniques, if your steps aren't precise, one mistake and your opponent will catch your opening, and that's usually fatal."
"So basically, I'd be taking attacks with no protection at all?"
"Exactly."
Mo Hua hesitated. "Defensive spells leave you helpless once your spirit power's drained, and movement spells do the same if you slip up… But movement techniques at least let you advance or retreat. If I learn the Golden Bell Shield, I can't block well, and I can't run either."
"You've made up your mind?"
"Yeah. I'll learn movement techniques."
Zhang Lan nodded. "Smart choice. If you can't have perfection, play to your strengths."
He flipped through the Qi-Refining Spells Compendium, picked up a brush, and marked a few common movement techniques. Just as he was about to let Mo Hua choose one, he froze.
Wait a minute… these are all common Qi-Refining movement techniques. Anyone could teach them. If I teach one of these, how will I show I'm the better master?
Ah, the eternal dilemma of teachers everywhere.
(End of Chapter)