Spells

The lamplight was like a bean.

It cast its glow upon Wu Tao's face, where his expression was neither sorrowful nor joyful, free of desire and craving, standing independently outside the world like a great sage.

At this moment, this very sage was undergoing a certain profound introspection:

Knowledge gained from paper is ultimately shallow; to truly understand it, one must practice it firsthand.

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth!

Dozens of terabytes of study materials, taught across screens by teachers such as Youcai, Yihua, and Yongmei, were ultimately just theoretical knowledge. Much like that Zhao Kuo talking on paper, only by entering true practice does one come to know the difference between theory and practice.

"Humph-humph!"

Reaching this point in his introspection, our sage could not help but let out a cold snort. The information contained within this cold snort seemed to carry the lingering unwillingness of a veteran general who had just suffered a defeat on the battlefield.

Zhang Li, in the future I will surely let you know my might.

However, speaking of which, across past and present lives spanning fifty odd years, today I finally know this taste. Only now do I realize how unspeakably wonderful the whole thing is.

This is human nature, containing the Heavenly Dao within; it cannot be discarded, nor should one indulge in excessive greed.

Wu Tao suddenly experienced a flash of enlightenment, and his state of mind ascended to a whole new level.

I am Zhang Li's god. This kind of principle-based matter must never be discarded. To put it simply, it means spending money, but never entangling oneself in emotions.

Self-reflecting on another point, his gaze grew increasingly clear.

After his three daily self-reflections, Wu Tao felt that he had just suffered a loss of three hundred million. Having battled for a long time, exhausting both mind and spirit, he ought to rest. He immediately took a bath and then went to bed.

The next day, Zhang Li moved away.

Wu Tao bid her farewell, promising that once he had spirit stones, he would naturally go to Packhorse Street to visit her.

With Zhang Li's departure, it was tantamount to Wu Tao having no familiar acquaintances by his side. Yet, as a cultivator, he did not feel lonely. The so-called Great Dao is walked alone; that was precisely what it meant.

On the contrary, his days became all the more orderly instead.

For the sake of his current goal—purchasing a new artifact-refinement restriction spell and a melee spell—he needed a great deal of spirit stones. The two hundred low-grade spirit stones obtained from selling the filth crystal left him short by another one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

As long as he refined a few more magic robes this month, he could complete his goal by the end of this month.

On this day, just as Wu Tao returned from setting up his stall at the marketplace, he saw that someone was moving into the place next door.

An old daoist with a limp, wearing a tattered dark-blue Daoist robe and with half-white hair somewhat disheveled, was currently moving things into the house with a limp and a hobble.

Encountering such a situation, Wu Tao—as someone from a new world whose kindness had not yet been obliterated by the Cultivation World—naturally wanted to go and help. However, after he caught a clear look at the old daoist's face, he abruptly extinguished any thought of assisting.

Upon seeing him, the old daoist was first stunned and ashamed-annoyed, and then pleasantly surprised. He smiled cheerfully and said, "Fellow Daoist, so it's you! What wonderful fate. Remembering how we used to have adjacent stalls in the marketplace back then, and today we are once again neighbors living side by side, it is truly Heaven's will."

"This poor daoist is Duocai. May I ask fellow Daoist's honored name?"

Duocai? Duocai was also living in New Virtue Alley?... Wu Tao muttered inwardly. Instead, looking at that lame leg of his, he asked, "Just call me Li Mo. fellow Daoist Duocai, what happened to this leg of yours?"

Seeing Wu Tao bring this up, a trace of awkwardness flashed across Daoist Duocai's face as he said, "I went on an expedition into the wilderness, accidentally got bitten by a demonic beast, and didn't make it back in time for treatment. That's how it ended up lame."

"No matter, though. For those who cultivate immortality, once cultivation reaches a sufficient level, naturally there are ways to recover as good as new."

As for Daoist Duocai's words, Wu Tao did not believe a single word of them. Recalling his swindling antics in the marketplace, he would have believed it much more if someone said this leg had been broken by others.

Such a fraudulent fellow; becoming acquainted with him was rather a trouble in itself. Therefore, Wu Tao was unwilling to converse with him further. He cupped his fists and said, "fellow Daoist Duocai, I have matters to attend to, so I'll return to my room first."

"Alright, we're neighbors anyway. As the old saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. In the future, let's visit each other more often," Daoist Duocai said with a smile.

Wu Tao offered a perfunctory reply and went inside, closing the door.

Categorizing Daoist Duocai simply as an ordinary neighbor—the kind to exchange greetings with upon meeting—Wu Tao's life was not affected in the slightest by Daoist Duocai living right next door.

Days passed one by one.

In the blink of an eye, another month went by.

He had already been in this world for three months. From suffering evil possession in the mine shaft with only three months of lifespan remaining, up to the present, everything was developing steadily.

Wu Tao opened his personal status to review his progress over the past month.

\n[Name: Wu Tao]\n[lifespan: 25/83]\n[Realm: Second Level of Qi Refining]\n[Cultivation Technique: Three Yang Technique: Qi Refining Chapter (second layer): 62%]\n[spells: Fireball Technique Beginner (95%), Cleaning Spell Beginner (1%)]\n[Divine Abilities: None]\n[Primary Profession: Artifact Refiner]: Mastered Restrictions: First-Order Level 1 Cooling Restriction, First-Order Level 2 Wind-Speed Restriction. First-Order Level 3 Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction (90%)\n[Secondary Profession: Body Cultivator]: Blank\n

The Sanyang Technique had reached a progress of 62%, and the Fireball Technique had also transformed from initial learning to the 95% beginner stage. It was no longer in that wobbly state and could actually smash a basketball-sized pit into the ground.

Of course, with Wu Tao's current spiritual power, casting just two fireballs would completely exhaust the spiritual power in his dantian.

For the convenience of cleaning his room, he had also brushed the Cleaning Spell up to the 1% beginner level. By this point, he could already clean the room very thoroughly.

Having consumed hundreds of spirit boards, the Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction had also been practiced to a 90% progress rate. He only needed to practice it for another three to five days to completely master this restriction.

When that time came, he would be able to refine First-Order Level 3 magic robes, and his earnings would increase significantly.

What made Wu Tao the happiest was that he had saved up enough money for the melee spell.

Closing his personal status, he took out his spirit stone bag, poured out all the spirit stones, and counted them carefully once more: two mid-grade spirit stones, one hundred and twenty-six low-grade spirit stones, and seventy-three fragmented spirit stones.

Putting away the spirit stones, Wu Tao took his iron sword and headed out.

Coming straight to the Threefold Magic Pavilion, Wu Tao approached the display window. Seeing that that book on melee spells had not been bought by anyone else, a wave of relief instantly washed over him. He immediately called over a pavilion cultivator.

That cultivator looked at Wu Tao in puzzlement and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you looking to buy this spell?"

Wu Tao nodded and said, "That's right. Trouble Fellow Daoist to retrieve it for me."

The pavilion cultivator said, "Fellow Daoist, do you know the pros and cons of this Dragon Spear Technique? This Dragon Spear Technique is an incomplete spell, recording only three stances and a single body-tempering method. Moreover, it is a spell cultivated by body cultivators, which no longer suits the current era, and cultivating it is exceptionally difficult."

"If Fellow Daoist would take a word of advice from me, I have a copy of the Small Lingxu Sword Scripture here. Its sword techniques are ethereal and wispy, capable of generating sword radiance for remote attacks—that is precisely what cultivators of our generation revere. Furthermore, it is only more expensive than this Dragon Spear Technique by one mid-grade spirit stone, yet as for the benefits, they are boundless."

Wu Tao's secondary profession was precisely a body cultivator; a body cultivation technique and body cultivation spell suited his intentions perfectly, but this cultivator had no way of knowing that. However, as this cultivator promoted the Small Lingxu Sword Scripture to him, on one hand it was out of genuine sincerity, and on the other hand it was also for the sake of commission.

Being one hundred low-grade spirit stones more expensive, his commission would naturally be greater.

Wu Tao pondered for a moment, appearing somewhat moved, and said, "Fellow Daoist, put that way, it makes this Dragon Spear Technique sound extremely poor. How about this then: why doesn't Fellow Daoist offer a slight discount, how does that sound?"

The cultivator's face instantly collapsed; he had simply lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet. He smiled bitterly and said, "Pardon me, Fellow Daoist, but this Threefold Magic Pavilion's backing is Senior Brother Huo, Huo Sanlin, of Five Spring Mountain. I am merely someone tending the shop and have no authority to grant Fellow Daoists private discounts."

Wu Tao had only said it on a whim anyway, as he was well aware of the Threefold Magic Pavilion's rule that prices were strictly non-negotiable. He said, "Please help me retrieve it."

Sighing, the cultivator said, "You are truly a stubborn person, Fellow Daoist. If this Dragon Spear Technique can be mastered, it is naturally stronger than spells of the same tier, but the hard part is that it is exceedingly difficult to master."

With that, he still unlocked the restriction, took out the Dragon Spear Technique, and handed it to Wu Tao.