Initial Enlightenment of Magic

More than ten miles northwest of Zhuqi County, inside a giant stone cavern within the Stone Forest.

Ye Qin suddenly opened his eyes, exhaled a long, turbid breath from his body, and ceased his cultivation. He had sat motionless in this Stone Forest for an entire day, finally managing to stabilize the Primordial Spirit of Nan Tianba, which had unexpectedly intruded into the floating island within his Purple Mansion. That old ghost possessed profound cultivation and had caused him no small amount of trouble; if he hadn't stabilized it, he feared it would have turned his Purple Mansion upside down.

The air in the giant stone cavern was somewhat stifling. Ye Qin changed out of his black martial attire and bamboo hat into the green robes of a Herb Gathering Hall apprentice before crawling out of the cave. He went to a small stream near the Stone Forest and washed away the black herbal camouflage from his face and hands, restoring his original appearance.

The icy stream water cleared his mind, making his thoughts increasingly calm. He had to remain patient now; until he had accumulated sufficient strength, he could not completely fall out with the old ghost. That old ghost still had no idea where it was, nor did it know it had been trapped. He would surely find a way to deal with it.

Ye Qin recalled the incantations and techniques for the Spirit Eye Technique and the Wind Control Technique that the old ghost had imparted to him.

According to the old ghost, the Spirit Eye Technique was the most basic of spells, an entry-level skill that was also the easiest to master—a small trick in the application of magic. The key lay in transforming a thin wisp of mana into an extremely fine film of energy, covering the entire eyeball, and then using this film to observe the outside world. If the energy film was too thick or too thin, it wouldn't work; if too thick, one could see nothing, and if too thin, it would affect the efficacy of the Spirit Eye.

Once the eyes were covered with this mana film, the vast majority of ordinary things in the outside world would become invisible. Only the spiritual energy emitted by spiritual objects or the density of a cultivator's mana could be perceived by the eyes through this film.

Ye Qin began to attempt it, guiding a faint, cool current of energy through his eyes.

Immediately, Ye Qin's vision plunged into total darkness; he could see nothing. He was startled for a moment, but quickly guessed what had happened—it was likely that he had used too much mana, causing his eyes to be completely obscured.

He calmed himself down and reduced the mana flow. After a long while, a faint light finally appeared. It was indeed an immortal technique; the entire world looked completely different in Ye Qin's eyes.

Ye Qin looked out, and within a few miles centered on him, everything was dim and gloomy. The forest, the rocks, the earth, and the stream were only visible as rough outlines, devoid of any color.

Ye Qin looked at his own body and saw wisps of white energy flowing slowly through his dantian and meridians. He was astonished; this must be what was called mana.

Ye Qin continued to thin the mana in his eyes until it vanished entirely, and the world gradually became bright and clear, returning to normal. The lush green of the forest, the earthy yellow of the ground, and the clear, lively stream were full of vitality. Every blade of grass and leaf within hundreds of feet was visible to him in minute detail. It seemed the Spirit Eye Technique was indeed effective; at the very least, it would be much easier for him to search for spiritual objects in the future.

After washing up, Ye Qin did not linger by the stream. He stood up and began running around the outskirts of Zhuqi County, specifically choosing remote and deserted paths while silently practicing the incantations for the Wind Control Technique.

This Wind Control Technique was significantly more difficult than the Spirit Eye Technique.

Ye Qin silently recited the incantation, channeling mana into his feet, and slowly felt it out. After a full hour, he found the sensation; it felt as if a few wisps of light breeze were supporting the soles of his feet, giving him the mysterious feeling of stepping on "soft wind" and gliding with its aid. This sensation was somewhat akin to sliding on a watermelon rind.

Normally, when he ran with long strides, he could cover half a zhang, but with this wind force supporting his feet, he could effortlessly "glide" a full zhang, effectively doubling his distance.

It was a very subtle feeling that Ye Qin found incredibly magical, yet somewhat unfamiliar.

Because the force of these wisps of wind was very supple and difficult to master, if he didn't control the force under his feet properly, he would lose control and slide to one side. With one step deep and one step shallow, he ended up stumbling about like a drunkard.

It seemed that without long-term practice, it would be difficult to master the balance. However, Ye Qin was in no rush to master the Wind Control Technique immediately; he continued to try slowly, controlling the force of the soft wind beneath his feet.

He also experimented with the Wind Control Technique by applying mana to his palms and body, discovering that it produced the same effect of being supported by "wind." He could perform movements that would seem inconceivable to others.

After one or two hours of running, Ye Qin gradually grasped the four most basic uses of this "soft wind." One was to have the wind support him from beneath, providing a lifting effect. One was to have the wind push from behind, providing acceleration. One was to have the wind block in front, providing deceleration. And one was to have the wind block from the side, providing the ability to forcibly change direction.

With the aid of these wisps of wind, Ye Qin's movements could be "still as a virgin, moving like a rabbit, fast or slow, unpredictable," allowing him to shift and move in any direction as he pleased.

The speed of his punches and kicks was already extremely fast, capable of striking over ten times in an instant. Under the acceleration of the soft wind, this speed was further enhanced to a terrifying degree, almost reaching the point of breaking the sound barrier. After striking out a dozen lightning-fast punches, the sharp whistling sound of his fists cutting through the air would only then ring out.

Ye Qin was almost certain that this Wind Control Technique was many times better than any light-body technique. At the very least, Feng Xiao's Cloud Ladder Leap absolutely lacked such flexible and varied effects. Moreover, this was only the beginning of his understanding of the Wind Control Technique; if he were to practice it until he was highly proficient, the effects would likely be even more outstanding and obvious.

The sky was nearing dusk, and it was getting late. Ye Qin mused that he hadn't returned to the county town all day, so it was time to head back.

He identified his direction and sprinted through the countryside, leaving the rugged, uneven mountain terrain and reaching the wide post road, where he finally slowed his pace.

The post road to Zhuqi County had been quite busy lately; from time to time, martial artists and wandering heroines would gallop past on horseback, kicking up clouds of dust. The number of merchants coming to Zhuqi County from other counties in Ping Province by carriage had also clearly increased.

Ye Qin had been on the post road for less than half a cup of tea when he saw more than a dozen luxurious carriages pass by him. Having just mastered the Spirit Eye Technique and the Wind Control Technique, and currently experimenting with them, Ye Qin was in a great mood.

He walked along the post road, occasionally using the Spirit Eye Technique to scan the martial artists galloping past and the frequent carriages, interested to see if they were carrying any spiritual objects. If they were, he wouldn't mind playing the role of a highwayman for a moment to intercept them. Unfortunately, spiritual objects were rare, and even the top martial artists might not possess them. Ye Qin observed dozens of people along the way without any surprising discoveries.

Suddenly, Ye Qin's ears twitched slightly.

From a remote forest a mile to the east came the sounds of clashing blades, shouting, and fighting—it seemed a large group of martial artists were brawling in the woods.