The Power of the Fireball Technique

After the market's rest period ended, Li Yuan met up with He Shou outside the East Gate.

Xu Mao and Liu Ping had already arrived. Chen Qi was a step late, hurrying out of the market and panting as he cupped his hands in greeting.

Lin Xiaowu was still recovering from his injuries. This time, they were still a five-man team. He Shou spoke as they walked.

"The patrol route has been adjusted."

He Shou unfolded the document and pointed at the marked route.

"We used to patrol from south of the market to east of the Spirit Field District. Now it's shifted west."

Li Yuan leaned over for a look. The new route had moved closer to the Yuanheng Mountains overall, and its westernmost point was nearly two li farther out than before.

"The area's expanded quite a bit." Xu Mao frowned.

"Not just us. Several other patrol groups have also had their routes moved west."

He Shou folded the document and tucked it into his robes.

"The higher-ups want to push the patrol range toward the Yuanheng Mountains and increase coverage along the outskirts."

Chen Qi cut in, "Haven't the Demonic Beasts become fewer? Why are we pushing farther that way instead?"

He Shou shook his head without answering directly.

"There's one more thing."

He Shou pulled another document from the cloth bag at his waist. It was thinner than the patrol route adjustment, and it bore the Wang Family seal.

"The Wang Family has issued a collection order. Each patrol group is to keep watch for several specific herbs during patrols. If we find them, we collect them and bring them back in exchange for Contribution Points according to the quantity."

He Shou handed the document to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan took it and gave it a quick glance. Seven or eight types of herbs were listed, along with identifying characteristics, collection requirements, and their exchange rates for Contribution Points.

Cold Dew Grass, Blue Vein Vine, Bloodline Orchid, Stone Marrow Mushroom...

The herb list Old Sun had given him surfaced in Li Yuan's mind.

There was almost no overlap between the herbs on the two lists.

What Old Sun wanted were common ingredients used to refine First-Order Pills—Green Jade Grass, Red Root Vine, and the like. They mostly grew in low shrublands around the outskirts and near ditches by the fields.

The herbs the Wang Family wanted were different. Cold Dew Grass grew in damp, shady valleys. Blue Vein Vine clung to the trunks of towering trees. Bloodline Orchids could only survive in areas with denser spirit qi—every one of these herbs favored the interior of the Yuanheng Mountains.

The odds of finding them along patrol routes outside the market were slim.

Li Yuan handed the document back to He Shou and asked no further questions.

After the five reached the main outpost and replenished some supplies, they set off along the new route.

With the route shifted west, the terrain was visibly different.

The shrubs were shorter and denser, while loose stones littered the ground. The yellow earth beneath their feet gradually gave way to grayish-white gravel. The outline of the Yuanheng Mountains in the distance seemed closer than it had on their old patrol route, their gray-blue ridges stretching across the horizon like a barrier.

Compared with before, there really were far fewer traces of Demonic Beasts.

After walking for nearly an hour, they found only three or four sets of tracks, all old. The edges of the claw marks in the dirt were cracked and whitish, while the droppings were dry and hardened. They had been left at least three to five days ago. There was not a single fresh trace.

"When we patrolled the South Line last time, we could encounter seven or eight clusters of spirit qi fluctuations in half a day. Today, we haven't encountered even one so far," Li Yuan said quietly.

The moment he finished speaking, Li Yuan's Spirit Detection Disk caught a cluster of spirit qi fluctuations.

Straight ahead, down the gentle slope and to the left—about twenty-five zhang away.

A dense cluster of spirit qi, stronger than Low-grade First-Order.

"Front left, twenty-five zhang. A Mid-Grade," Li Yuan said in a low voice.

He Shou's expression darkened, and the five of them simultaneously lowered their bodies.

Looking down from the top of the low ridge gave them a far better view than the shrubbery did.

Below the gentle slope, behind several large rocks, a dark green figure was slowly moving along a dry streambed.

It was large, with a shoulder height nearing three chi. Its limbs were thick, and its entire body was covered in heavy dark green scales. Its long tail dragged behind it, the tip swollen into a hammer shape and covered in sharp spikes.

A Spine-Tailed Lizard.

A First-Order Mid-Grade beast. It was larger than the lizard Demonic Beast they had killed in the Spirit Field District last time. The bony spikes on its tail were natural weapons—one swing could flay a Demonic Beast of similar size until its skin split and flesh tore.

He Shou made a hand signal, and the five spread out.

Li Yuan stopped at the edge of the low ridge and slightly raised his right hand, gathering spirit qi in his palm.

The starting motion of the Fireball Technique was exactly the same as before. From mobilizing spirit qi to forming the spell took only two breaths.

But this time, the sensation of spirit qi gathering in his palm was different.

After his spirit qi had become more condensed, Li Yuan could feel that the Fireball Technique's temperature and power had increased as well.

Li Yuan tried guiding it with the incantation of the Origin Condensation Art. He activated the art slightly and gently compressed the spirit qi in his palm inward by another layer.

The fist-sized crimson sphere deepened another shade.

Li Yuan released it. The Fireball shot from his hand, much faster than before.

The dark crimson sphere flew like a bullet along a straight trajectory toward the Spine-Tailed Lizard in the streambed, far faster than his previous Fireballs.

The Spine-Tailed Lizard had been lowering its head to overturn rocks. Only when the spirit qi fluctuations closed in did it suddenly lift its head.

Bang.

The muffled sound was not loud, but the explosion itself caused quite a commotion.

Dark crimson flames exploded against the Spine-Tailed Lizard's flank.

The thick scales on its side were blown open into a gap as wide as a bowl. Charred scales curled outward, and the muscle tissue deep within the breach had been seared black. Dark red blood gushed from the wound, mingling with the stench of burnt flesh.

One shot. A single Fireball had produced this effect.

When they had hunted that lizard Demonic Beast in the Spirit Field District last time, it had taken three Fireballs plus Zhou Dazhuang's close-range chopping to finish it off.

The Spine-Tailed Lizard let out a shrill hiss and viciously whipped its spiked tail toward Li Yuan. The tail's bony spikes carved an arc through the air, but it was too far away and struck nothing.

He Shou and Chen Qi on the left flank moved at the same time.

He Shou's long saber slashed at the Spine-Tailed Lizard's rear leg joint, while Chen Qi's short saber precisely stabbed into the opening in its belly along the path blown out by the Fireball.

The Spine-Tailed Lizard struggled to swing its tail in retaliation, but the grievous wound on its flank made its movements noticeably half a beat slower.

Li Yuan did not waste any time. A second Fireball had already formed in his palm.

This time, he did not compress it further. It was an ordinary Fireball Technique. The crimson sphere flew from his hand and smashed into the Spine-Tailed Lizard's open mouth.

Another muffled bang sounded. The Spine-Tailed Lizard's thick neck suddenly swelled violently, and then thick smoke poured from its nostrils and the corners of its mouth at once.

Its limbs convulsed several times. Its spiked tail twitched and slapped against the gravel, then went still.

From the first Fireball to the end, only twenty breaths had passed.

He Shou rose from beside the Spine-Tailed Lizard and wiped the blood from his long saber against its scales. Then his gaze fell upon the bowl-sized breach in its flank.

Fine wisps of blue smoke still rose from the charred edges of the wound. Its scales had curled and peeled outward, and the wound was at least two cun deep.

He Shou's gaze shifted from the wound to Li Yuan, lingering for a moment on Li Yuan's right hand.

"Your Fireball Technique..." He Shou paused. "Its power has increased by far more than a little since last time."

During their previous patrols, He Shou had watched Li Yuan fight several times. Among those at Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, Li Yuan had already been quite good.

But this was more than merely good.

"I practiced the Origin Condensation Art." Li Yuan shook off the lingering heat in his palm. "I compressed the spirit qi a little."

He Shou's brows rose slightly.

"The Origin Condensation Art?"

He Shou looked Li Yuan up and down, his tone suddenly growing more serious.

"But there's something I need to remind you of. When you compress spirit qi with the Origin Condensation Art, don't compress it too tightly. You were fine this time, but what about next time?"

"If it's not a life-or-death crisis, there's no need to do this."

He Shou crouched beside the Spine-Tailed Lizard's corpse and pointed at the bowl-sized breach with the tip of his saber.

"If you compress it too much and the spirit qi explodes, it won't be child's play."

"Your meridians could burst and your internal organs could be injured. In mild cases, you'd need months to recover. In severe cases, your cultivation would be crippled outright. There used to be someone in the Guard Squad who practiced the Origin Condensation Art. He thought he could handle it and compressed it to the limit every time. Once, he went too far, and the spirit qi exploded directly in his Dantian. He was crippled on the spot."

Li Yuan nodded to show that he understood.

Compared with before, his cultivation had improved again. Together with the double enhancement of Spirit Qi Condensation and the Origin Condensation Art, that was why the Fireball Technique's power had become so great.

He Shou gave a grunt and said no more.

The five crouched down and began dismantling the Spine-Tailed Lizard.

A First-Order Mid-Grade beast had plenty of valuable materials. The bony spikes on its tail were excellent materials for artifact forging, and though one section of its scales had been blown apart, the rest remained intact.

During the dismantling, Li Yuan's fingers touched the scales, bony spikes, tail hammer, and other miscellaneous materials in turn.

The panel remained utterly silent, without any response.

Just as before, the dismantled scraps did not meet the conditions to qualify as equipment.

All the materials were handed over to He Shou to be processed through the Guard Squad's channels. Li Yuan had contributed the most this time, so he would receive the lion's share.

By the time the five retraced their steps, the sun had already slanted westward.

On the way back, He Shou spoke a few words as he walked.

"Also, I have some news for you. The Wang Family has pulled several groups from the main outpost and formed three small teams led by Wang Family members. They've already entered the Yuanheng Mountains."

Liu Ping, walking behind him, asked, "What are they going into the mountains for?"

"They didn't say." He Shou shook his head.

"But judging from the deployment, there are quite a few people, and they brought plenty of supplies. It doesn't look like a short-term reconnaissance mission. It's more like they plan to stay in the mountains for a while."

Chen Qi cut in from the side, "Could it be related to that collection order? Don't all those herbs only grow in the mountains?"

He Shou glanced at Chen Qi without answering.

By the time the five returned to the outpost, dusk had already fallen.

He Shou went to the main outpost to submit the patrol record and the Demonic Beast materials, while the others returned to their rooms.