The Way of Spells

The path of cultivation was as vast as a sea of mist. Dharma Treasures and Spirit Tools possessed boundless might, Talismans held wondrous powers, and beyond those, there were all manner of marvelous spell formulas.

By drawing upon spirit power to command the might of heaven and earth, spells were still somewhat weaker than Spirit Tools. However, they consumed less spirit power and required no medium, making them deeply favored by low-level cultivators.

For example, the Ice Bullet Technique, Internal Vision Technique, and Spirit Power Shield were all commonly used spells.

Cultivation was divided into eight realms: Spirit Movement, Foundation Establishment, Core Condensation, Nascent Soul, Lihe, Dongxuan, Spirit Division, and Tribulation Transcendence. Demonic Beasts corresponded to them as well, ranging from level one to level eight. Spells, however, were different, possessing only three tiers: low-grade spells, mid-grade spells, and high-grade spells.

The reason was simple. Cultivators in the Core Condensation Realm possessed Dharma Treasures, whose power was immense. Whether defending or attacking, they relied on Dharma Treasures. To those high-level cultivators, spells that required no medium were simply too weak, as useless as chicken ribs, so naturally they discarded them.

Only cultivators at the Spirit Movement and Foundation Establishment stages used spells. Those in the Spirit Movement Stage could only learn low-grade and mid-grade spells, while Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could learn high-grade spells.

In truth, Spirit Movement Stage cultivators used them most often, because Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators generally already possessed Spirit Tools, which were more powerful than spells. Of course, nothing was absolute. A few high-grade spell formulas were no weaker than Spirit Tools. Moreover, although Spirit Tools were merely simplified versions of Dharma Treasures, they were still exceedingly precious. Some declining sects and impoverished Rogue Cultivators possessed no Spirit Tools even after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.

From this, one could see just how wealthy Lin Xuan was, possessing three Spirit Tools, one of which was even top-grade.

Using his own spiritual power to wield Spirit Tools was still somewhat taxing for him. As a backup measure, he decided to learn several suitable spells. Once he had made up his mind, Lin Xuan immediately put it into action.

He took an ordinary notebook from his Storage Ring. It was utterly unremarkable, and the words within had been written by hand. It showed no value at all from the outside, yet Lin Xuan treated it with great importance.

It was a set of notes, personally recorded by Lin Xuan over the past three years.

Because he had no Spirit Root, Lin Xuan's cultivation speed had once lagged far behind that of his fellow disciples. Without sufficient spiritual power to support him, he could only look on with envy at many of the spells taught by the instructors. Had it been anyone else, they would have long since lost heart and stopped going to the Young Eagle Pavilion to endure their fellow disciples' mockery. But Lin Xuan had not done so. Not only had he attended every session where the instructors passed down techniques, always arriving on time, he had also taken careful notes without fail, rain or shine.

To others, such behavior seemed foolish. Yet Lin Xuan had his own ideas, and now it seemed that he had indeed been remarkably clever and farsighted.

At the time, Lin Xuan had thought that although he could not cultivate these things for the moment, once his cultivation improved, he could study them slowly. If he wrote them down in his notebook first, he would not forget them.

Fortunately, he had done so back then. Otherwise, even if he wished to cultivate spells now, he would not know where to begin. This was also one of Lin Xuan's strengths: he liked to prepare for a rainy day and plan before acting.

Over the past three years, the instructors had taught many spell formulas. Naturally, it was impossible to practice them all. First, there was not enough time; second, there was no need. Being versed in a hundred schools was inferior to mastering one art. Rather than learn repetitive and useless spells, it was better to choose a few that suited him.

Having made this decision, Lin Xuan began carefully leafing through his notes. He first eliminated the low-grade spells. Though they were relatively easy to learn, their power was limited, and Lin Xuan did not wish to waste his precious time.

His target was mid-grade spell formulas. After carefully selecting them, he chose three: the Spirit Power Shield, Ice Needle Technique, and Wind Control Technique.

This selection had been made after meticulous consideration.

The Spirit Power Shield was self-explanatory from its name: it was a defensive spell formula. As the saying went, before learning how to strike others, learn how to take a beating. When facing an enemy, the first matter to consider was how to preserve one's own life. Thus, the first spell formula Lin Xuan intended to learn was a defensive one.

The Ice Needle Technique was a water-attribute spell of the Five Elements. Its defining traits were formidable attack power and an ability to catch enemies off guard. Though it was relatively difficult to practice, that did not matter. Lin Xuan had never feared hardship; as long as its power was sufficient, that was enough.

The final Wind Control Technique was an auxiliary spell formula. It was rather similar to the low-grade Light Body Technique Lin Xuan had learned before, but far more powerful and advanced.

Although cultivators had to possess Spirit Tools and become proficient in controlling them before they could fly, mastering the Wind Control Technique was equivalent to gaining earth-shattering lightness skill. With a single shift of the body, one could drift dozens of meters away. Even the strongest Heavenly Dao masters among mortal martial artists could only watch the dust from afar. After all, the Wind Control Technique was founded upon spirit power, and cultivators had already stepped beyond the bounds of ordinary people. The two were simply not on the same level.

Lin Xuan chose one spell each for defense, attack, and escaping or evading. He could advance to attack and retreat to defend; such a combination should have been flawless.

Over the following days, Lin Xuan became exceptionally busy. He refined pills, meditated in cultivation, and had to squeeze out time to practice spell formulas as well. There was truly no rest at all. Fortunately, as his cultivation continued to rise, the amount of sleep he needed each day grew less and less.

Only by enduring the bitterest bitterness could one become an immortal above immortals. Another person might have found such grueling cultivation difficult to endure, but Lin Xuan was different. He had already endured the days when he possessed no Spirit Root, failed time and again, and suffered the cold mockery of his fellow disciples. Even the Illusion Realm on the Heart Refining Path had failed to halt his steps toward cultivation. Now that he possessed the ability to refine pills and had hope of success, what did this little hardship amount to?

Cultivate diligently!

The days passed one by one, and Lin Xuan's practice went quite smoothly. The first thing he learned was the Spirit Power Shield. It was a mid-grade defensive spell formula, and also the basic defensive spell most favored and commonly used by cultivators in the Spirit Movement Stage and even the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Its principle was not difficult—indeed, it could be called extremely simple. One merely spread spirit power across the surface of the body to form an energy barrier, thereby blocking an enemy's attacks outside it.

It was extremely sturdy, impervious to blades and spears. Naturally, the specific upper limit of its defense varied according to each person's spiritual power.

In plain terms, although this was a mid-grade spell formula, as long as one had sufficient spirit power to support it, it was still easy to cultivate. Even an ordinary person without a Spirit Root like Lin Xuan needed only three days, because his spiritual power was strong enough, to master the Spirit Power Shield proficiently!