Chapter 627: Fireball Technique?
Chapter 627: Fireball Technique?
The image of Old Gui's "Fireball Technique" floated before Mo Hua's eyes.
Mo Hua fell into deep thought.
With the aid of his spiritual sense, he compressed one fireball after another, condensing them into thin threads and restructuring them in an interwoven fashion. Within the limited space, he meticulously assembled them into a new fireball technique, unleashing an extraordinarily powerful might.
This was the profound principle hidden within ordinary things that Grandfather Gui had demonstrated.
Through complex variations, even a simple fireball technique could undergo a metamorphosis and derive immense destructive power.
It was somewhat similar to array formations, but the specifics were somewhat different.
After all, spells were distinct from formations.
Mo Hua had not yet reached the realm of "all paths are different, but ultimately lead to the same truth." In his current understanding of cultivation, there was still a significant disparity between the two.
But how could he cultivate this fireball technique?
"Compression... restructuring... "
"A powerful fireball technique..."
Mo Hua had a vague idea, but when it came to the specifics of the technique, he was still confused and felt that he couldn't quite fathom it.
He gazed toward the direction where the sun was setting, lost in thought.
Little Yu'er, having finished her lessons early, was rolling on the soft grass beside him. Bored, she turned her head and noticed Mo Hua frowning, deep in contemplation.
Yu'er, though a bit perplexed, refrained from disturbing Mo Hua and obediently lay quietly beside him.
As the sun sank below the horizon, darkness suddenly enveloped the land.
The pitch-black night cast its shadowy veil.
Yu'er shuddered instinctively, her eyes reflecting lingering unease and fear.
It was a remnant of her midnight nightmares, an innate fear of darkness and the night.
Yu'er's small face scrunched up, and she hugged her knees, trembling.
It seemed as if the surrounding darkness concealed countless covetous demons and innumerable unknown evils.
Yu'er's face paled.
Unbeknownst to her, a warm palm gently rested on her head.
Yu'er looked up and saw Mo Hua gazing at her with gentle eyes.
"It's getting dark. Let's head back."
Yu'er paused, then a relieved smile spread across her face.
"Okay!"
And so, Mo Hua led Yu'er along the narrow mountain path, their way illuminated by the warm yellow lamps of the disciples' residence, as they made their way through the deepening night.
Yu'er, holding Mo Hua's hand, felt a surge of courage coursing through her limbs, dispelling all her anxieties and fears.
Whether it was the darkness of the night or the threat of demons, nothing seemed worth being afraid of anymore.
A happy smile gradually spread across Yu'er's small face.
...
Upon returning to the disciples' residence, Mo Hua spent some more time with Yu'er before turning to his studies once she had fallen asleep. He drew a few formation diagrams and then resumed his contemplation of the fireball technique.
If he had to choose just one offensive spell from the Five Elements, it would undoubtedly be the fireball technique.
After all, the fireball technique had accompanied him for a long time, and he was determined to remain steadfast and not waver in his devotion.
Even if he were to learn sword techniques, aerial sword riding, or even spiritual transformation into a sword, he must not be swayed by novelty and forget his old companion, the fireball technique.
He was determined to cultivate the fireball technique to its pinnacle!
He aspired not only to become a master of spells but also to be a grandmaster of the fireball technique!
Moreover, sword techniques and spiritual sword transformations were still far off in the future. For now, the fireball technique was all he could rely on.
Mo Hua repeatedly recalled and pondered the fireball technique demonstrated by Grandfather Gui, but he still made little headway.
Spells were unlike formations.
With formations, he had the stele, which allowed him to practice and experiment endlessly.
But that wasn't the case with spells.
Mo Hua thought about it and felt that he needed to find a place where he could personally practice and experiment with various variations of the fireball technique.
The next day, Mo Hua found some free time and headed to the Taoist Magic Room.
As the name suggested, the Taoist Magic Room was a place not only for imparting Taoist magic but also had dedicated chambers for disciples to cultivate their spells.
The room was protected by a formation, and inside was a magic puppet used for spell practice and testing the power of spells.
Outside the Taoist Magic Room, there was always an Elixir Master on standby.
In the event that a disciple made a mistake during spell cultivation and injured themselves, the Elixir Master would step in to treat them with spiritual herbs or elixirs to stabilize their condition and prevent the injury from worsening.
Such incidents were not uncommon.
After all, in the path of cultivation, no one could guarantee that they would never make a mistake.
Ever since he had started pursuing fugitive cultivators and offering his inheritance, Mo Hua would occasionally rent the Taoist Magic Room to cultivate his spells.
With his strong spiritual sense and meticulous control over his spells, he had never made a mistake or injured himself with his magic to date! Mo Hua blinked, trying to imagine a scenario in which he would be harmed by his own spell.
Renting the Taoist Magic Room required some spirit stones and registration with the Taoist Magic Elder.
Mo Hua was quite familiar with the Taoist Magic Elder.
Although his grades in Taoist magic were only a "C," it was understandable given his limited spiritual roots, which prevented him from learning superior spells.
The elder who taught Taoist magic was very considerate and didn't mind Mo Hua attending his classes, even though he consistently scored a "C."
While Mo Hua couldn't cultivate superior spells, he had an in-depth understanding of lower-level spells and had developed unique spell routines.
This aspect appealed to the elder's tastes.
The Taoist Magic Elder, bored and playing a game of chess with a Dan Shi Elder, greeted Mo Hua amicably and cautioned him to be careful before letting him enter.
Mo Hua entered the solitary Taoist Magic Room and eagerly began experimenting with improving his fireball technique.
First was the compression of the fireball technique.
Mo Hua attempted to compress the fireball into thin threads with his spiritual sense, just as Grandfather Gui had demonstrated.
However, he failed.
His spiritual sense wasn't strong enough, or perhaps his cultivation was still far from sufficient, and his control over spiritual energy had not yet reached such a refined level.
Mo Hua could only compress the large fireball into a smaller one.
It was about the size of a fist, slightly deeper in color, and indeed more powerful, but it wasn't very useful.
Mo Hua tested the compressed "small fireball" on the magic puppet.
The early Foundation Establishment stage magic puppet was left with a relatively deep scorch mark, which gradually healed.
The magic puppet was made from special materials and inscribed with a formation, enabling it to self-repair.
The first time Mo Hua saw this, he was astonished and particularly curious about the formation within. He had even tried to dismantle the magic puppet to examine the formation...
But the magic puppet had "sounded an alarm," attracting the Taoist Magic Elder, who stopped Mo Hua's "impolite" behavior.
Mo Hua gave up on that idea.
Now, using the compressed "small fireball," he bombarded the magic puppet, and it was evident that the spell's power had indeed increased.
However, this enhancement wasn't significant.
Moreover, because this "compression" technique was time-consuming, the casting speed of the fireball technique slowed down, making it too "clumsy" for actual combat, rendering it almost useless.
"It's still far from enough..."
His mastery of spells was worlds apart from Grandfather Gui.
But upon further thought, this was normal.
Grandfather Gui's cultivation far surpassed his own, and he didn't know how much higher it was.
Even his teacher's older brother was wary of Grandfather Gui and didn't dare to take action himself. He had to rely on the 'Blood of the Xiudao'... something... to restrain him.
It took Mo Hua a long time to remember the name:
"Blood of Annihilation..."
Annihilation...
"I hope Grandfather Gui is doing well..."
Mo Hua remembered the day when Grandfather Gui said to his teacher's older brother, "Don't let me see you again, or I will kill you..."
This meant that the one who had been accompanying him was either a clone or a puppet, not Grandfather Gui's true body.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also worried.
He had no idea what had become of Grandfather Gui...
Where was he now...
And what about this 'Blood Daoist'...
Mo Hua had heard this name twice now.
The first time was when that Holy Son blocked his path, and when his teacher's older brother scared him into begging for mercy, he brought up his identity as a descendant of the "Blood Daoist", which was why his teacher's older brother spared his life.
The second time was when his teacher's older brother used the "Blood of Annihilation" of the Blood Daoist to restrain Grandfather Gui...
Since he was called a "Daoist", his teacher's older brother also had to give him face and borrow his blood. He must be a terrifying demon lord...
But it was too early to think about this now; considering such things was a bit beyond his capabilities. He would think about it later...
Mo Hua silently added the name "Blood Daoist" to his memory.
Afterward, he concentrated and continued to study the Fireball Technique.
Even if he couldn't reach Grandfather Gui's level, he could still draw inspiration from his approach to spells.
Transform the spell into threads, compress and restructure.
If he couldn't reach Grandfather Gui's standard... then he could simplify it and just imitate it, even if he only achieved a fraction of its power, the might wouldn't be far off.
Instead of condensing the spell into threads, he could compress it into a ball.
If he couldn't "weave" and restructure it, then he could... fuse two of them together?
"Fuse two Fireball Techniques into one?"
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
He began to try to cast two Fireball Techniques and then merge the two spells...
But as soon as he tried, he failed.
It was then that he remembered some common spell theorems he had learned in his Taoism class:
Humans cannot cast two spells at the same time.
Even if the two spells are exactly the same, there must be a sequence.
The same was true for Mo Hua's Fireball Technique; even if he cast it quickly, there was still a sequence.
He must first condense the first Fireball Technique and release it before he can condense the second one.
No matter how fast he is, there will always be a sequence.
This is the case for continuous spells such as the Golden Body Technique and the Bronze Bell Shield.
First, cast the Golden Body Technique, then mount the sword;
First, cast the Bronze Bell Shield for protection, then cast other spells...
It looks like two spells are being cast simultaneously, but in fact, one is cast before the other.
Mo Hua stroked his chin and thought:
"The Fireball Technique demonstrated by Grandfather Gui was also a sequence of individual fireballs that were ultimately unified into a single technique..."
But this highly difficult technique was beyond him...
"I need to change the approach..."
Mo Hua frowned, deep in thought.
Nowadays, he was no longer an ordinary cultivator without any sect background.
After joining the Tai Xu Sect, he studied and cultivated every day, receiving the orthodox teachings of the Tai Xu Sect, and his knowledge of cultivation had increased considerably.
Through constant exposure, he had also gained a good understanding of some spell "fundamentals".
The reason why people cannot cast two spells at the same time is that the human spiritual sense is singular and cannot multitask.
"Unable to multitask..."
Mo Hua's eyebrows twitched.
"Heavenly Machine's Strange Calculation!"
His spiritual sense may be singular.
But by borrowing his teacher's method of using the Heavenly Machine's Strange Calculation, he could create a division.
With two strands of divine thought, wouldn't he be able to break through the common spell theorem and cast two spells simultaneously?
By casting two spells simultaneously, he might be able to attempt to fuse them!
Mo Hua's spirit was uplifted, and his pupils deepened as he divided his spiritual sense, creating an afterimage, multitasking, and attempting to condense two spells at the same time.
However, he failed several times.
Since he had never tried to divide his spiritual sense and cast spells simultaneously before, he was initially clumsy.
Sometimes his spiritual sense was unstable, sometimes his spiritual energy went astray, and sometimes the spell didn't condense properly...
But Mo Hua was too familiar with the Fireball Technique, and after a few more attempts, his divided spiritual sense stabilized, his spiritual energy flowed smoothly, and the spell formed a complete technique...
After an unknown amount of time, Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and he extended both hands.
In his left hand, there was a Fireball Technique.
In his right hand, another Fireball Technique had also condensed.
Dividing his spiritual sense and casting two spells at once! Mo Hua was thrilled.
Soon, he realized a problem: casting two spells at once would increase their power, and it seemed that there was no need to research a more complex Fireball Technique...
Mo Hua decided to give it a try. He stretched out both hands, and the two Fireball Techniques instantly flew out, leaving two trails of fire as they struck the spell puppet.
Two scorch marks appeared on the puppet, but they soon disappeared.
Mo Hua shook his head.
"It's not quite there yet..."
When he divided his spiritual sense and cast the two Fireball Techniques simultaneously, their power decreased...
One reason was that he was not yet skilled enough; the other reason was probably that his spiritual energy was not abundant enough, and the amount of spiritual energy in his meridians was insufficient to support the casting of two Fireball Techniques simultaneously while also maintaining their full power...
In this case, it would be better to follow the standard procedure and cast the two Fireball Techniques one after the other.
Since he was fast at casting spells, the interval between the two Fireball Techniques would be short, and their power would not diminish.
Unless...
Mo Hua thought for a moment.
Unless he needed to "bombard" the enemy with spells, rapidly releasing a large number of Fireball Techniques in a short period.
In this case, casting two spells at once would be extremely effective.
But in doing so, spiritual sense and spiritual energy would pour out like a flood.
His spiritual sense could handle it, but his spiritual energy definitely couldn't keep up.
This was not a method he could currently use...
Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed.
Casting two spells at once didn't increase their power, so he still needed to research spell fusion...
Mo Hua nodded, and his pupils darkened as he once again divided his spiritual sense and cast two spells at once, condensing a Fireball Technique in each hand.
Mo Hua frowned, looking a little strained, as he slowly brought his hands together, trying to fuse the two Fireball Techniques...
But the two fireballs repelled each other like magnets of the same polarity.
The closer they got, the stronger the repulsive force became.
Soon, Mo Hua couldn't maintain it anymore, and the spells dissipated, the fireballs extinguishing.
Mo Hua panted, thinking to himself:
"It seems it's still not working..."
"The fireballs repel each other and can't be fused..."
"Why is that?"
Every spell contains a certain spell structure within it.
This structure is stable and standardized, created and refined by generations of powerful cultivators. It is a "paradigm" that determines the essence of a spell.
Spell structure is also a structure of spiritual energy, encompassing the flow and transformation of spiritual power within the spell.
Similarly, different spells have mutually exclusive internal spell structures.
Therefore, when spiritual cultivators battle using spells, the outcome of the clash is determined by the respective spell structures.
A superior spell, with its stable structure and potent spiritual energy, will overwhelm an inferior spell, causing it to disintegrate and its spiritual energy to scatter, resulting in defeat.
If the power of the opposing spells is relatively equal, they will repel each other due to the conflicting spell structures, leading to a mutual collapse and a violent explosion of spiritual energy.
Mo Hua nodded in understanding, but then furrowed his brows, confused by a realization.
"When spells collide and simultaneously disintegrate, they produce an explosion of spiritual energy..."
"But when I squeezed my two Fireball spells together, they didn't explode..."
"Why is that?"
The more Mo Hua thought about it, the more perplexed he became, and he couldn't help but sigh:
"Array formations are profound and intricate, and spells are no less complex."
"Once you delve deeper into their study, you realize there's a vast amount of intricate knowledge to unravel..."
Mo Hua could only ponder this conundrum from his own perspective.
Although his two Fireball spells were divided by his consciousness, they shared the same root and origin. Essentially, they were controlled by the same consciousness, fueled by the same spiritual energy, and structured by the same spell framework, which made them inherently compatible.
It was as if they were "replicas" of each other, each a reflection of the other.
Thus, these two spells, sharing a common origin, were naturally harmonious.
However, since they were distinct spells, they also possessed independent spell structures, even if their outward forms were identical.
And spell structures were inherently conflicting.
So, these two fireballs, while sharing a common origin, could approach each other, but due to their independent structures, they also repelled each other...
They were mutually contradictory, their spiritual energies entangled in an unending struggle.
Mo Hua's head began to ache.
Since they shared the same origin, it implied that there was a possibility of "fusion"...
But with independent and conflicting spell structures, fusion seemed impossible...
Mo Hua was perplexed but not discouraged.
Over the next few days, he contemplated various methods to induce the fusion of these twin spells, which shared the same origin and foundation.
For instance, he could use his consciousness to forcibly squeeze and compress the fireballs together, promoting their amalgamation; or he could make them spin in a "spiral" pattern, causing them to intertwine and merge.
However, no matter how he tried, he couldn't achieve success.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows, reflecting on his attempts:
"Is it because I'm being too gentle...?"
The methods he had tried—squeezing, spiraling, and intertwining—were all done cautiously, but the two fireballs seemed to have a mind of their own and refused to cooperate.
Perhaps he needed to be more "forceful"? But how?
Mo Hua recalled the scenes of spell clashes he had witnessed thus far, and an idea suddenly popped into his mind, causing him to mutter softly:
"Collision...?"
"Should I make the two fireballs collide with each other...?"
Since his consciousness was strong, he could forcibly cause the two fireballs to collide swiftly, perhaps merging them together. Relying on the strength of his consciousness, he might be able to force a miracle.
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment but then reasoned that he didn't have any other options at the moment, so it was worth a try.
After all, he was in the Taoist Magic Room, and the elders were nearby. Even if something went wrong with these two small fireballs, it shouldn't be a big problem...
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
Then, he attempted his previous technique once more, his pupils turning pitch-black as his consciousness divided. His left hand and right hand each condensed a Fireball spell.
This time, Mo Hua didn't hold back. Instead, he focused his entire being, instantly pushing the sixteen transformed strands of his consciousness to their limit, exerting immense pressure with his consciousness...
And the spells underwent a dramatic transformation!
The intense pressure generated by his consciousness caused the fireballs to tremble violently.
Then, the two fireballs, which had been stationary, suddenly sprang into motion, leaving two dazzling trails of fire as they rushed towards each other at incredible speed, resulting in a collision that threatened to shatter their spell structures...
All of this transpired in the blink of an eye.
In the next moment, Mo Hua felt dizzy and disoriented, his eyes blinded by the intense flash of light...
He heard a muffled explosion, and then all sounds seemed to be drawn away, leaving behind an eerie silence...
The last shred of clarity in his consciousness made him realize...
His spiritual energy had completely spiraled out of control...
From somewhere within the Fireball spells, a rampant spiritual energy emerged, like an unruly dragon, roaring and howling as it tried to break free from his control, threatening to devour everything in its path...
Mo Hua mustered the last vestiges of his consciousness, placing a "rein" on this unruly spiritual energy, directing it forward in a devastating attack...
Then, he closed his eyes and slowly collapsed to the ground, falling into an unconscious state.
...
Outside, the Taoist Magic Elder, who had been playing chess, suddenly felt a violent jolt in his heart. He looked down and saw that the central jade slip in the Taoist Magic Room had turned red with a glaring alert.
At the same time, a wave of spiritual energy that was twisted and abnormal, yet incredibly powerful, emanated from within the room.
The Taoist Magic Elder's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately teleported to the door of the Taoist Magic Room.
From the outside, the room appeared intact.
The Taoist Magic Elder's hand trembled as he opened the door...
What greeted him was a scene of chaos and destruction.
There was a vicious scorch mark on the ground, spreading outwards, and the powerful spiritual energy reverberated through the room, causing the protective third-grade array formation to shake visibly.
Although the array formation remained intact, the walls had dissolved, revealing intricate array patterns.
It looked as though the entire room had been blasted with cracks.
At the starting point of the scorch mark lay a young cultivator.
He was unconscious, his left hand charred black and his right hand bearing cracks, with a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
At the end of the scorch mark was the magic puppet.
Or rather, what should have been a magic puppet.
The early Foundation Establishment stage magic puppet, meant for testing spell power, had been completely obliterated, leaving behind not even a trace of its existence...
The Taoist Magic Elder's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath...
"What in the world...?"
"Fireball Technique...?!"
This chapter is almost 6,000 characters again, so it's a bit late~
(End of Chapter)
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