Vine Soul Technique

Ye Han had not expected Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan to teach him spells before he had even finished learning basic hand seals and incantations.

Over the past few days, however, Zhang Qingshan had needed peace and quiet to recover from his injuries in Ye Han's Cave Abode, as well as a Cultivation Room with abundant Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy...

So Ye Han had let Zhang Qingshan use the Cultivation Room.

A cultivator's Cultivation Room was no simple chamber. Several formations inside it naturally gathered the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy within the Cave Abode, making the energy inside the room even more abundant.

Furthermore, if one had enough Spirit Stones or something like a spiritual energy-gathering formation disk, they could be fitted into the formation disks inside.

That would provide even more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy for cultivation. Although the results were not as rapid as taking pills, it avoided the host of problems pills brought, such as lingering side effects, drug resistance, and pill toxins.

But Ye Han and Zhang Qingshan were so poor their pockets rattled. How could they possibly spare Spirit Stones to increase the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy for cultivation? That was an extravagant luxury.

The Cultivation Room also had a defensive barrier that kept harmful outside influences from entering, making it quieter and better suited to cultivation.

Of course, Ye Han's Cave Abode had many other marvelous functions. His cultivation was simply too low, and he had not yet gained complete control over the abode, so many of those functions remained unavailable to him.

Zhang Qingshan was grateful from the bottom of his heart that Ye Han had let him use the Cultivation Room.

Seeing the delighted surprise in his eyes, Zhang Qingshan smiled and said, "Actually, I hadn't planned to teach you this early. But although you're only at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm, your foundation is solid and stable, firm as a rock. That's exceedingly rare. Otherwise, your basic incantations and hand seals wouldn't resonate with your spell power. Perhaps it has a great deal to do with the Azure Mystic Art you practice."

He paused, then looked at Ye Han in amazement. "What's even rarer is that you've grasped the deeper meaning of hand seals and incantations. Those accompany us cultivators throughout our lives, so I think you're ready to learn spells! You're very talented, much more than I am."

Feeling a little embarrassed by Zhang Qingshan's praise, Ye Han said, "Senior Brother, you flatter me. Can you teach me a spell, then? What spell are you going to teach me?"

Zhang Qingshan immediately replied, "The Vine Soul Technique."

Ye Han asked in confusion, "The Vine Soul Technique? What sort of spell is that?"

Only then did Zhang Qingshan explain everything in detail. "This Vine Soul Technique was part of the spoils I took after killing those Rogue Cultivators who ambushed me. If you use it well, it can be extremely powerful."

"When you cast this spell, you can use spell power to summon vines to attack and entangle your enemies. Sometimes it can produce unexpectedly marvelous results. Of course, just how much you can do with it depends on how far you've cultivated it."

Hearing this, Ye Han said eagerly, "Then teach me, Senior Brother!"

The Vine Soul Technique sounded like a spell for tripping people up and catching them off guard. Of course, since this would be his first spell, he wanted to learn it.

Zhang Qingshan said, "No problem! Here's the secret manual. Take it and read it first. Ask me about anything you don't understand!"

With that, he slapped his waist. Spiritual light flashed, and a thin, yellowed old book appeared in his hand. It was small, only palm-sized, and he tossed it to Ye Han.

Ye Han caught it and saw the words "Vine Soul Technique" on the cover. He immediately said, "All right! Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"With the bond between us, what need is there for thanks?"

"Exactly! You treat me better than anyone, Senior Brother!"

"Practice diligently, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

"All right!"

Holding the Vine Soul Technique manual, Ye Han began reading it carefully. It first recorded the verbal formula, followed by the corresponding incantations and hand-seal gestures, the principles behind the formations they created, and so on.

There were also some written annotations, apparently insights the manual's previous owner had recorded while practicing the technique.

These made it much easier for Ye Han to read. Even so, he encountered things he did not understand and kept asking Zhang Qingshan to explain the principles behind them.

Inside the Cave Abode.

Ye Han swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, constantly reciting incantations. The words sounded like murmuring in a dream, too indistinct to make out, but his voice carried a peculiar rhythm, beautiful and pleasing to the ear.

His hands moved through a dazzling succession of gestures.

As he chanted and formed seals, wisps of swirling wood-element spiritual light appeared a short distance in front of him, giving off faint clusters of green light...

After chanting and forming seals for a full seven or eight breaths, Ye Han suddenly opened his eyes wide, jabbed a finger forward, and shouted, "Vine Soul Technique!"

Ye Han pointed his finger at a stone block ahead.

Whoosh!

A ring of distorted spell-power ripples suddenly appeared around the stone block, dotted with green light. His spell power took the shape of a ring of vines that enclosed the block and slowly wound around it...

At the sight, delighted surprise appeared on Ye Han's face. "It worked?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Snap!!!

The newly formed vines suddenly shattered and burst apart, turning into specks of green light that dispersed.

Disappointment crossed Ye Han's face. "It failed again?"

With that, he sank listlessly to the ground. He had only cast the Vine Soul Technique three times, without succeeding once, yet his spell power already felt nearly depleted. His body was weak, and his head was a little dizzy.

That was only possible because his cultivation had already reached the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm. Back when he had been at the first or second level, he probably would not have been able to muster enough spell power to attempt it even once.

No wonder Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan had told him there was no point practicing spells before his cultivation improved. He would not be able to cast them at all.

Still, this attempt made Ye Han happy from the bottom of his heart. He could tell that although his Vine Soul Technique had failed again, the result was clearly much better than before. At least this time, the vines had taken shape and briefly coiled around the stone block...

More importantly, he had seen the stone block shift slightly. That block weighed over two hundred jin, yet the Vine Soul Technique had actually made it tremble...

And this was only the first level of the Vine Soul Technique. The spell had three levels. The first merely entangled a target. At the second, he could summon multiple vines to attack, entangle, and so on, depending on his spell power and cultivation. At the third, he could summon vines to form a formation.

However, Ye Han had not even mastered the first level, let alone the next two.

Besides, he did not yet have enough spell power to cast them...

Still, Ye Han was quite satisfied to have gotten this far, and he continued practicing.

Yet after only a little over two hours of practice.

Suddenly!

"Ye Han, get out here!" A familiar voice rang out from outside the Cave Abode, brimming with anger!

Hearing this, Ye Han's expression shifted slightly. "Damn it! Didn't they have no idea who I was?"