Spell

In the Main Hall of Prince Shun's Residence, Prince Shun sat in the seat of honor, his expression calm as he looked at Recorder Li, who was standing bowed to one side.

"I'm very disappointed by the Trouble you've caused. We lost Pei Xinlu for nothing!" Prince Shun said in a deep voice.

"It was this official's fault. Who could have known that little beast had an expert hidden beside him!" Li Wenfeng lowered his head, knowing Prince Shun's temper.

"Pei Xinlu is already dead. News came from the Court of Judicial Review. This time, the Court of Judicial Review suppressed it. If there is a next time, it will reach Father. You don't have a second chance to make a move!" Prince Shun said flatly.

He did not care about Li Wenfeng's assassination attempt. What he cared about was Pei Xinlu's death. The Court of Judicial Review did not want to blow the matter up over a mere Li Shiming.

Though the incident had no small impact, as long as Li Shiming had not truly died, the matter could be controlled within a certain range.

So Pei Xinlu died on the way back to the Court of Judicial Review, and the Court of Judicial Review's public explanation was that Pei Xinlu had committed suicide.

That explanation was very reasonable. An expert who had lost both arms and both legs would have lived a miserable life even if he survived. How could Pei Xinlu's enemies possibly let him off?

But Prince Shun knew this was the Court of Judicial Review showing goodwill to his side, and at the same time, a warning that the matter ended here.

Otherwise, with the Court of Judicial Review's experience in handling criminals, how could they possibly have given Pei Xinlu a chance to kill himself? Or rather, Pei Xinlu's death was Simply No suicide at all.

"This official has caused Your Highness Trouble!" Li Wenfeng still replied with his head lowered.

"I don't like Li Wenyuan either. Use the residence's connections to find some Trouble for that boy. You may go!" Prince Shun Waved His Hand and said.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Li Wenfeng Exited the Main Hall.

His eyes were full of killing intent, but he also understood that the best opportunity had been lost. It was impossible to make another move against Li Shiming.

He only wanted revenge on Li Wenyuan. It was impossible for him to ruin his own future over a junior like Li Shiming.

The reason he had acted on the very first night Li Shiming arrived in Central Capital was precisely because news about Li Shiming had not yet spread. If Li Shiming died that day, the impact would be the smallest.

Once Li Shiming had visited Li Wenyuan's friends, especially after he took the Great Examination and became a presented scholar, trying to use assassination again would have far more serious consequences.

Officialdom had its own rules. One could suppress others, one could frame others, but one could not assassinate them. If everyone used assassination, would officialdom not fall into chaos?

Not long after Li Shiming saw off the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he received news that Pei Xinlu was already dead.

His face sank like water. It seemed his father's connections in Central Capital were not reliable. Perhaps the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had been his father's Good Friend many years ago, but people always changed.

He had never expected fairness from the Court of Judicial Review, but the Court of Judicial Review had not even meant to try this case. The murderer was dead, the trail was cut off, and everything was truly swept clean.

From Steward Zhang, Li Shiming learned of the grudge between Second Uncle Li Wenfeng and his father.

What Steward Zhang knew was not particularly detailed. He only knew that Li Shiming's mother had had connections with Second Uncle, and because of this, Li Wenyuan had broken with the family and taken Li Shiming far away to Nanling Prefecture.

A faint killing intent appeared on Li Shiming. Since his soul had come to this world, he had maintained a high degree of vigilance toward this unfamiliar world.

When he encountered something that threatened him, that high vigilance would turn into slaughter, especially when he possessed the strength to kill.

Just like in Nanling Prefecture, with Escort Chief Wang's threat and the possible hidden danger of the cultivator Shi Ximing, Li Shiming had resolved them in the most direct way.

Li Shiming came to the study. After Si Qin brought in tea, she Exited the study and stood guard outside.

Li Shiming's consciousness entered the Server Room Space, and he opened the document for the Geng Metal Art on the IBMz15 Mainframe.

If the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Art was the signature basic Spell of a Spirit Planter, then the Geng Metal Art was one of the few offensive methods a Spirit Planter had.

For his first Spell, he had chosen the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Art because he had taken a fancy to the Spell's ability to summon wind and rain. That was the immortal method he had imagined.

At the time, he had not expected the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Art to consume so much Spiritual Power, leaving him with Simply No surplus energy to learn any other Spells.

Now that the Spirit Gathering Disk had been reactivated, he could finally learn a new Spell.

This time, he was being more practical. He needed a cultivator's offensive Spell.

Talismans were more convenient than casting Spells himself, but he had far too few Talismans in his possession. Before finding cultivators in Central Capital, it was impossible for him to waste Talismans casually.

Talismans were his final Life-Saving Means. He would not use them unless absolutely necessary.

With his previous experience learning the Spring Breeze Transforming Rain Art, he recorded all the precautions for the Geng Metal Art, then practiced drawing the complex Geng Metal Rune without using Spiritual Power.

After comparison through the IBMz15 Mainframe confirmed that the Geng Metal Rune he had practiced drawing had not the slightest error, he finally began considering the intent of the Geng Metal Art.

The purpose of the Geng Metal Art was to kill pests that harmed spirit plants. These pests were all Spirit Insects, and Metal Attribute Spells did the greatest damage to them.

Among Spells, the Geng Metal Art was not very powerful, but it was the most flexible and easiest to control. What the Geng Metal Art released was a tiny Geng Metal Needle, capable of killing pests while minimizing damage to the spirit plant as much as possible.

Of course, the Geng Metal Art's weak power was only relative.

Compared with Spells focused on attack, such as the Ice Arrow Spell and Fireball Spell, the Geng Metal Art lacked the freezing effect of the Ice Arrow Spell and the scorching effect of the Fireball Spell. At most, it added a bit of sharpness.

The Geng Metal Art was the lowest-level Spell. What it released was only a tiny Geng Metal Needle. Even with a little added sharpness, its power could not increase by much.

But the Geng Metal Art was an offensive Spell after all. The attack it released was not something the mundane world could withstand.

If he had had the Geng Metal Art last night, he could have handled things much more easily. A mundane expert like Pei Xinlu could have been sent off with one shot of the Geng Metal Art.

However, the greatest problem in learning the Geng Metal Art lay in the intent of the Geng Metal Art.

Fortunately, if the intent of a Spell was sensed correctly, it would produce a response in the cultivator learning the Spell.

For other cultivators, successfully comprehending intent required a very long time, achieved slowly through grinding effort.

Li Shiming, however, sorted out videos of small sharp weapons inside the IBMz15 Mainframe, then used his five senses to place himself in an immersive environment, using this to deceive his body and achieve comprehension of the Geng Metal Art's intent.

After many tests, a video of a metal bullet flying through the air and piercing several targets produced a response in him.

His finger drew the Geng Metal Rune in the empty air before him. This step was completed very easily, and then he loaded himself with the intent he had sensed.

The Geng Metal Rune turned into a streak of Golden Light, pierced through the Floor Tile beneath his feet, and left behind an extremely tiny hole.