Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb

Ice Arrow Art, Flame Bomb.

The book Qingping had brought recorded only two spells. From their names, Gao Xian could tell at a glance that they were both low-grade, first-tier spells.

Even low-grade, first-tier spells could only be wielded by someone who had reached the second level of Qi Refining.

He was already skilled in Water Control Art and Fire Control Art, and Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb were built upon those two spells.

These two spells suited him perfectly. First-tier spells weren't worth much, but Qingping had still put some thought into it.

Gao Xian opened the Wind and Moon Mirror and found that his Humanity Aura had increased by six points...

He fell into thought. That alluring woman didn't seem to like him all that much.

Just compare her with Zhu Qiniang. Even if it was only an act, Big Sister Zhu's feelings were more sincere, and she'd given him more Humanity Aura.

Qingping had even tried to lure him away. She either wanted to cut out his kidneys or make him do hard labor. Either way, nothing good was in store.

That woman really wasn't a good person!

Gao Xian couldn't help sighing. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just minded their own business? Why did they have to go stirring up trouble?

Unfortunately, once you were in the jianghu, you couldn't always do as you pleased.

Now that he'd gotten involved with Qingping, it wouldn't be so easy to shake her off.

The most urgent thing was to improve his cultivation as soon as possible. Whatever else he did, he needed at least to be able to protect himself.

Gao Xian checked the Lightning Dragon Hand again. It had increased by nine points.

The proficiency gained from pleasuring different partners with the Lightning Dragon Hand varied, too.

Maybe Qingping was more seductive and harder to handle...

After all this practice, Gao Xian had brought both Fire Control Art and Water Control Art to the expert level.

These two spells were simple to begin with, and with Sister Lan helping him chant the incantations and form the seals, he'd saved himself ninety-nine percent of the effort. Naturally, practicing them was a breeze.

Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb were advanced versions of Water Control Art and Fire Control Art.

Gao Xian had only read through the books once, but Sister Lan had already memorized the spell sigils for both Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb.

With Sister Lan stationed between Gao Xian's brows to help him form the spell sigils, all he had left to do was chant the incantations and form the seals.

Condensing spell sigils with spiritual power was the foundation for wielding the power of heaven and earth's vital energy.

Then came the outward steps: chanting the incantation and forming the seal.

Body, speech, and mind became one, drawing the vital energy into an orderly transformation. That was a spell.

With Sister Lan within him and the Lightning Dragon Hand at his disposal, forming spell sigils and seals posed no difficulty for Gao Xian. The only tricky part was chanting the incantations.

After these days of practice, he'd also mastered the art of chanting. He could recite these simple incantations in a flash.

After a few practice runs, Gao Xian had mastered both spells.

"Quick!"

This character was a universal trigger incantation that could activate all kinds of low-tier spells.

Gao Xian could clearly feel an invisible energy of vital essence gathering in orderly fashion and taking shape, like a bullet locked and loaded. All he had to do was set it off.

He pointed forward with his hand, still formed into a seal. A translucent white ice spike about a foot long condensed in midair and shot in the direction of his finger.

"Whoosh..."

The ice spike hurtled forward with tremendous force, like an arrow loosed from a powerful bow, and struck the courtyard wall.

The rammed-earth wall had been built from yellow soil mixed with hemp grass. The ice spike punched a deep hole into it.

Gao Xian estimated the distance at around five zhang, or fifteen meters.

He walked over and measured the hole with his finger. His middle finger couldn't reach the bottom.

The earthen wall had a wooden frame inside. Though it wasn't as sturdy as brick, it was strong and durable.

From Gao Xian's estimation, Ice Arrow Art had the power of a heavy crossbow. If it hit an ordinary person, it should pierce right through their body with ease.

The wall still bore a clear layer of frost. Even probing the hole with his finger felt like touching ice. The added icy spell power could also inflict damage.

Casting Ice Arrow Art once had, by Gao Xian's own estimate, consumed about one-tenth of his spell power.

In other words, he could cast Ice Arrow Art ten times at full strength. And within a range of twenty paces, it should still pack a punch.

Of course, that was only his own estimate. He'd need to run detailed tests to determine the actual figures.

Gao Xian then cast Flame Bomb. A ball of fire the size of a fist shot out and blasted a hole about a foot deep in the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The enormous boom of the Flame Bomb left Gao Xian's ears ringing.

The display was far more impressive than he'd expected.

A wave of heat and dust rolled up from the crater and hit his face, making his breath catch.

Flame Bomb looked even more ferocious. Its heat and explosive force seemed greater than a grenade's. But grenades also sent shrapnel flying, which could inflict terrible injuries on the human body, so the comparison wasn't that simple.

Flame Bomb also consumed more spell power, about one and a half times as much as Ice Arrow Art. Its power seemed greater, too.

Ice Arrow Art was faster, pierced through targets, and carried icy spell power.

Both low-tier spells were far more powerful than Gao Xian had expected.

As he weighed the strengths and weaknesses of the two spells, he was still filled with delight.

At last, he had two spells to defend himself with.

He just didn't know how other cultivators fought, or how his own ability to cast spells so quickly compared. How did it measure up to spells activated by talismans?

Gao Xian knew too little about this world to accurately assess his own strength.

He had an Ice Arrow Art talisman, but it was the only one he had, and he couldn't bear to use it.

Just as Gao Xian was wondering whether to splurge, Old Wang rudely pushed the door open and walked in.

Old Wang was dressed the same as ever, but his head was dusted with dirt and bits of grass. He looked rather bedraggled.

His old face, however, was alight with joy. He seemed very excited.

"What were you doing in there? What was all that racket?"

Old Wang asked casually. His sharp old eyes swept over the crater in the ground, and he felt the heat still rising from it.

"Flame Bomb? You learned a spell?"

Old Wang curled his lip in disdain. "What good are flashy spells like that? By the time you finish chanting and forming a seal, someone could kill you twenty times over!

"Take my advice. We low-tier cultivators are better off with blades and swords. A few supporting spells are all you need!"

Old Wang was a cultivator who often went into the mountains to hunt, and he had plenty of practical experience. From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on weaklings like Gao Xian. He offered a few casual pointers, then had no interest in saying more.

"I got what you wanted."

Old Wang tossed the cloth bundle in his hand to Gao Xian, still grumbling. "For this little bit of stuff, I nearly died in the mountains."

Gao Xian opened the bundle. Inside were indeed Purple Datura Flowers—more than ten stalks, wrapped up in a rag. They were in terrible condition, looking as if they'd been trampled and mangled.

In truth, the flowers, leaves, and stems were all intact, with no real damage.

Gao Xian was satisfied, but still had to find fault. "Look at the condition they're in..."

"What are you trying to say? They're not for looking at. What does it matter if they're not pretty?"

Old Wang went into the mountains to hunt and often gathered medicinal herbs along the way. He knew a little about them.

Hearing Gao Xian say this, he immediately lost his temper.

"Don't get worked up. I keep my word."

Seeing the murderous glint in Old Wang's eyes, Gao Xian felt a little uneasy. Inside his sleeve, his hand had already formed a spell seal.

The Lightning Dragon Hand made his fingers exceptionally nimble. He could form a seal in an instant.

Deep between his brows, Sister Lan had also formed a mysterious spell sigil. As soon as he spoke the incantation, he could immediately cast Ice Arrow Art.

Gao Xian suppressed his nerves and watched Old Wang, afraid he might do something reckless.

The entire spellcasting process was remarkably smooth. That was because Gao Xian was a timid man; the moment anything happened, he got nervous and instinctively prepared himself.

Old Wang noticed that Gao Xian was tense, but didn't notice his little movements. He arrogantly held out his black, withered hand. "First, hand over fifty Deer Antler Powder!"