Chapter 114: Fireball
Chapter 114: Fireball
Is this magic?
Mo Hua widened his eyes, filled with surprise.
By merely channeling his spiritual energy through specific meridians and using his spiritual sense to manipulate it, he could condense it into different attributes of magic, resulting in a power that exceeded his expectations.
The pond rippled momentarily before returning to its tranquil state.
Only the mottled water marks on the shore and the charred, broken reeds floating on the water hinted at what had just transpired.
"Not bad," Guai Lao commented with a nod.
Mo Hua scratched his head, "Grandpa Guai, what should I practice next?"
"Keep practicing this."
"Keep practicing this?" Mo Hua repeated.
"Yes," Guai Lao said, "Practice it a hundred times and try to get a feel for it."
"Feel for what?" Mo Hua asked, perplexed.
"You won't understand even if I tell you. You'll grasp it naturally after practicing it a hundred times," Guai Lao explained.
Mo Hua was still a bit confused.
Guai Lao added, "It's similar to when you practice array formations. Practice makes perfect. The more you draw them, the more you'll instinctively understand certain things. But this is something that can't be easily explained."
"Oh." Mo Hua nodded, feeling a little enlightened.
"Can I practice here?" he asked hesitantly.
Mo Hua was worried about accidentally burning down his house if he practiced at home. And it would be equally dangerous to practice alone in the mountains.
"It's fine," Guai Lao said nonchalantly.
Mo Hua hesitated, "But what if I accidentally damage the pond or the plants? Will that be okay?"
Guai Lao glanced at Mo Hua calmly and then casually flicked his sleeve.
In the blink of an eye, Mo Hua didn't know what had happened. The water marks by the pond had disappeared, the charred reeds were restored, and the fish were swimming leisurely again as if nothing had happened. It was as if Mo Hua hadn't just cast that fireball.
Mo Hua stood there, stunned.
"It's fine," Guai Lao said indifferently.
In the following days, Mo Hua often visited Mister Zhuang.
If Mister Zhuang was awake, he would greet him and ask about any doubts he had. If Mister Zhuang was asleep, he would practice the fireball spell by the pond next to the bamboo grove.
Mo Hua had already understood the principles of the fireball spell, and after a few days of practice, he had a good grasp of how to use it.
However, the power of the fireball, the speed of casting, and the accuracy of hitting the target varied subtly each time.
Indeed, as Guai Lao had said, these were things that he needed to practice and slowly figure out for himself; they were difficult to explain in words.
For the next few days, Mo Hua continued to practice the fireball spell by the pond.
One fireball after another exploded in the pond, disturbing the spring water and sending reeds flying. Even the fish at the bottom of the pond were startled.
Fortunately, after Mo Hua left each day, Guai Lao would restore the pond to its original state.
Otherwise, the pond would have dried up from all the explosions...
On this particular day, as Mo Hua was practicing by the pond, he spotted a small head peeking out from a distance, trying to get a glimpse of what he was doing.
"Baizi Sheng?"
Seeing that it was just Mo Hua, Baizi Sheng sneaked over and asked curiously, "What are you playing with?"
"I'm not playing," Mo Hua corrected, "I'm practicing magic."
Baizi Sheng's eyes lit up. "You're learning magic? What kind of magic? Show me something!"
Mo Hua cast another fireball into the pond, creating a loud splash and sending water flying in all directions.
After watching, Baizi Sheng looked a little disappointed. He pouted and said, "It's just a fireball..."
Mo Hua was a little unhappy with his reaction. "What's wrong with a fireball?"
Baizi Sheng tried to comfort him, "It's not bad, I guess. I just thought you would learn something more impressive."
"Like what?" Mo Hua asked.
"Like..." Baizi Sheng paused, then said, "Oh, right, you have low spiritual energy, so you probably can't learn anything too powerful anyway."
Mo Hua glared at him and said indifferently, "Have you finished your homework?"
Baizi Sheng immediately looked dejected. "I heard the noise over here, so I sneaked over to take a look. I have to go back soon."
Baizi Sheng asked, "Won't you disturb Mister Zhuang by practicing the fireball spell here?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "I asked Grandpa Guai, and he said it wouldn't. Mister Zhuang is quite far away, and it's very quiet over there."
Baizi Sheng nodded and glanced at Mo Hua with a hint of envy. "Mister Zhuang is really good to you..."
"Isn't he nice to all of you, too?" Mo Hua countered. "And don't you have some kind of connection with Mister Zhuang as well?"
Both he and Zi Xi held a sense of reverence for Mister Zhuang. Although they would consult him if they had any questions, they would not disturb him otherwise.
Unlike Mo Hua, who would readily seek out Mister Zhuang for guidance and even practice his fireball spell in the pond within his courtyard, they would never dare to do such things.
"You guys must be plotting something or have something to hide, that's why you're afraid of Mister Zhuang," Mo Hua said doubtfully.
Baizi Sheng shrugged. "I'd have to be pretty capable for that."
"True," Mo Hua nodded.
Baizi Sheng asked curiously, "Did Guai Lao teach you this fireball spell?"
"Yes," Mo Hua replied.
"And he only taught you this one spell?"
"You don't understand," Mo Hua said with an air of wisdom, "The right technique is the best technique."
He was trying to emulate the wise old Guai Lao.
Baizi Sheng thought about it and nodded. "Makes sense."
Mo Hua asked, "Is Grandpa Guai very powerful?"
"I suppose so," Baizi Sheng answered uncertainly.
"So, you don't really know either," Mo Hua said.
Baizi Sheng smiled awkwardly.
Mo Hua urged him, "Go do your homework. Stop bothering me while I practice my magic."
Baizi Sheng didn't want to leave. Doing homework was too boring.
"Stay and guide me in my practice," he said.
"Guide you? I don't even know magic," Mo Hua said, taken aback.
Annoyed, Baizi Sheng said, "Haven't you heard the saying, 'You don't have to eat pork to know a pig can run?' Even though I practice martial arts, I still know some powerful magic."
That was true, considering the deep roots of the Bai family's scholarly lineage.
"Show me that fireball spell again," Baizi Sheng requested.
"Oh." Mo Hua cast the fireball spell once more.
The pond was blasted once again.
"Hmm... It seems a little weak," Baizi Sheng observed.
"Is it because my spiritual energy is too low?" Mo Hua asked.
"Not entirely," Baizi Sheng explained, "The power of a spell is related to your proficiency in it. The more skilled you become, the more powerful your spells will be. Even if the amount of spiritual energy consumed remains the same, the strength of the spell will increase as your proficiency grows."
Mo Hua listened intently, nodding along. "So, what specifically contributes to this proficiency?"
"Do you have the meridian diagram for the fireball spell?" Baizi Sheng asked.
Mo Hua opened the diagram.
Pointing to the diagram, Baizi Sheng said, "Simply put, it's the precision of your spiritual energy flow through the meridians. If you can channel your spiritual energy through these meridians and acupoints with absolute precision every time, the power of your spells will definitely increase."
"Of course, achieving absolute precision is nearly impossible. We are human, not puppets. It's fine to be slightly off, as long as it's mostly accurate," Baizi Sheng added.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up with understanding, and he asked Baizi Sheng a few more questions.
It was a rare occasion for Baizi Sheng to show off in front of Mo Hua, and he enthusiastically shared his knowledge.
Suddenly, a paper ball flew out of nowhere and hit Baizi Sheng right on the head.
Mo Hua picked up the paper ball and unfolded it to find a simple sketch of a small face drawn with a brush.
The face was composed of just a few lines and two dots, and it seemed a bit unhappy.
Rubbing his head, Baizi Sheng looked at the paper and exclaimed, "Oh no, Zi Xi is angry! I told her I'd come play with you for a bit, but I ended up staying too long without realizing it."
He quickly got up and left, saying, "Just keep practicing by yourself," as he hurried away.
Mo Hua stood there, a bit dazed, but he couldn't help but smile.
Following Baizi Sheng's advice, Mo Hua focused on channeling his spiritual energy with precision, and indeed, his fireball spell became slightly more powerful.
After practicing a hundred times, Mo Hua had become quite proficient with the fireball spell.
He went to find Guai Lao, "Grandpa Guai, I practiced a hundred times!"
Guai Lao nodded, "Have you mastered it?"
"Yes," Mo Hua replied.
"Good," Guai Lao said with a nod, "Now I will start teaching you formally."
"Huh?" Mo Hua was taken aback, "But didn't you already teach me?"
Guai Lao said indifferently, "I haven't taught you anything yet. What's so difficult about a fireball spell?"
(End of Chapter)
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