Chapter 629: Forbidden Technique
Chapter 629: Forbidden Technique
"Yi?"
Mo Hua was taken aback, suddenly remembering the record in the Water Prison Technique secret manual—'...This technique was compiled by Yi Zhenren and included in the Tai Xu Men collection.'
"The Water Prison Technique in the Merit Roll was cataloged by you?"
Elder Yi paused, "And you've learned the Water Prison Technique as well?"
"Mhm!" Mo Hua nodded.
Elder Yi was somewhat surprised.
The Water Prison Technique was easy to learn but hard to master and apply effectively...
However, he shook his head, "It wasn't me. It was cataloged by an ancestor of the Yi family..."
"Ancestor?"
"Mhm." Elder Yi nodded, "Our Yi family is a lineage of spellcasters. Most of the elders and disciples are adept spiritual cultivators with a penchant for collecting peculiar spells..."
"Oh..."
Mo Hua nodded.
Elder Yi glanced at the sky and said, "Alright, I'm off. If you have any questions about spells, feel free to ask me."
"Thank you, Elder Yi!"
Mo Hua replied obediently.
Hearing the respectful address of "Elder Yi," Elder Yi finally felt more at ease. He turned to leave but then hesitated, seeming a bit embarrassed as he added, "Mo Hua..."
"Regarding your injury, it was indeed due to my negligence. But, cough... as for Elder Xun..."
Mo Hua immediately understood.
"Elder Yi, rest assured. I'll explain the situation to Elder Xun. This was my mistake, and I won't implicate you."
This incident wasn't Elder Yi's fault to begin with. Moreover, Elder Yi had taught him such an important spell principle, so Mo Hua wouldn't dream of dragging him into this matter.
Seeing Mo Hua's understanding and reasonable nature, Elder Yi felt greatly relieved. He didn't even mind that Mo Hua had been learning spells from him for so long without knowing his name or background.
"Alright, take care and rest well."
Elder Yi left with a relaxed expression.
"Farewell, Elder."
After Elder Yi left, Mo Hua, with his left hand wrapped in bandages, lay on the bed, pondering:
Twin Fireball Technique... Spiritual sense guiding the collision... Breakdown of the spell structure... The might of spiritual power fusion...
This type of spellcasting technique that resembled "disintegration" was powerful but unstable and prone to losing control.
If he were to experiment with it himself and lost control, he would easily get injured; the risk was significant.
This time, he was lucky. Although the spell went out of control, he had managed to forcibly restrain the rampaging spiritual power with his spiritual sense, avoiding a direct hit...
Furthermore, with the help of the skilled pill elders within Tai Xu Men, his injuries weren't too severe, and after some rest, he wouldn't have any long-lasting effects.
But if there were a next time, he might not be so fortunate.
He was a "glass cannon"...
When the fireballs violently collided and the spell structure collapsed, causing the spiritual power to fuse and undergo an internal transformation, the destructive force was akin to the breakdown of a formation, following the changes of certain grand dao laws, and it was incredibly lethal.
If he made a mistake, there was a real possibility that his life would be snuffed out instantly...
But if he didn't research this further...
Mo Hua felt somewhat reluctant.
As a spiritual cultivator, having spells that were fast and accurate was a significant advantage.
However, if the spells themselves lacked power and hitting others felt like tickling them, that advantage would be greatly diminished.
No matter how powerful the spells were, if they couldn't hit the target, they were useless.
Conversely, even if one could hit the target every time, it wouldn't help much if the spells lacked potency.
Previously, in the second-rate province, most of the opponents he encountered were solitary cultivators or descendants of small clans with meager inheritances.
With his formidable spiritual sense, the unique fireball technique he employed packed quite a punch.
But in the Qian Xue Province, powerful clans and sects stood tall, and genius disciples with superior spiritual roots were commonplace.
Even some of the fallen cultivators wanted by the Dao Court had solid foundations and spiritual roots far superior to his.
Among them were disciples who inherited exceptional dao techniques.
The might of the fireball technique was no longer sufficient.
He had to continue researching this fireball fusion...
Mo Hua thought for a while, combining Elder Yi's "guidance," and he gradually sorted out the principle behind the damage caused by this spell:
In typical spellcasting theory, spiritual power flows outward to form a spell structure and manifest a spell.
The power of a spell is determined by the strength of one's spiritual power.
The most representative example is high-level spells that consume a large amount of spiritual power, possess robust spell structures, and exhibit astonishing might.
However, since his spiritual power was weak, he couldn't cultivate such high-level spells. Thus, he had to go against the grain.
By manipulating spell changes and reversing the spell structure, he could induce an internal transformation in his spiritual power, thereby unleashing tremendous spiritual power.
The spell was merely the catalyst.
It was the fuse.
Through the spell, he could trigger a transformation in his spiritual power similar to the reverse unraveling of a formation.
In this way, he could expend a small amount of spiritual power to inflict massive damage.
This process required heavenly machinations, dividing his spiritual thoughts, and simultaneously casting two spells.
It also demanded a robust spiritual sense to manipulate the spell at high speed, which consumed a lot of spiritual power.
But Mo Hua had a robust spiritual sense and weak spiritual power, so this reverse spellcasting approach perfectly played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses...
Mo Hua nodded, having made up his mind to thoroughly research this fireball fusion technique.
He had already grasped the underlying principle of the spell.
The only issue with the current fireball technique was...
instability.
The breakdown of the spell structure and the fusion of spiritual power were highly unpredictable and prone to losing control. There was a risk of injuring oneself before harming others.
"I need to find a stable and controllable method to disintegrate the spell structure and fuse the fireballs..."
Mo Hua thought to himself.
...
The next day, Mo Hua went to class.
His injuries had mostly healed thanks to the treatment from several pill elders "handpicked" by Elder Xun, but he still needed some rest.
He could attend classes.
However, aside from that, he couldn't use his spiritual power or draw formations.
Mo Hua took advantage of this time to delve into his research on "fireball fusion."
Whenever he had free time outside of cultivation and classes, he pondered how to stably collide the fireballs, break down the spell structure, and fuse the spiritual power.
As long as the spell was controllable, it was fine even if the damage was a bit lower.
But after several days of research, his progress was slow.
Mo Hua couldn't think of any method to make the spell structure collapse stably and control the direction of the fused spiritual power.
Even the most mundane of spells had to be refined through generations of cultivators' research, practice, and induction before they could be perfected.
His own magical prowess was not that profound, and with limited time, the idea of creating a new spell formation was indeed a pipe dream.
Mo Hua sighed, but he was not discouraged.
If solitary research was futile, then he would have to find a way to study other fire-based spells and draw inspiration from their formations to improve his own.
Standing on the shoulders of giants, he could perfect his magic.
Mo Hua nodded, feeling that this idea was feasible.
He didn't believe that he was the only one who could discover this "fireball fusion" concept.
There were countless geniuses in the cultivation world, and they had surely already thought of and figured out these problems long ago.
With over two thousand years of history in the Dao Court, there must be countless masters of magic, and they would surely have more mature research. Perhaps there were even established formations that he could "copy".
However, this atypical magic was undoubtedly difficult and dangerous.
Hence, very few cultivators studied it, and there were probably not many formations passed down.
"...copy," Mo Hua mused.
The first person he thought of was Elder Yi.
After all, it was Elder Yi who had explained the principles behind this magic to him.
The Yi family was a lineage of spellcasters, and even if they didn't practice this type of magic, they must have at least researched it.
And so, with his arms still bandaged, Mo Hua went to find Elder Yi.
Elder Yi shook his head repeatedly at the mere suggestion, "No, no, no..."
Mo Hua had already injured his hands experimenting on his own, and Elder Yi had endured several days of cold glares from Elder Xun because of it.
If he actually taught Mo Hua something, and the boy ended up injuring his arms and legs while practicing...
Elder Xun would probably have his sect stipend docked.
With this in mind, Elder Yi added, "No, no, no..."
Mo Hua had expected as much, but he asked curiously, "Is it because it's too dangerous?"
"It's not just dangerous..." Elder Yi replied.
"How dangerous is it?" Mo Hua blinked.
"Well..." Elder Yi began, but then paused, eyeing Mo Hua warily. "You're not trying to trick me into telling you, are you..."
Mo Hua smiled sheepishly, "Elder, why would I do that? I'm still so young and naive. How could I possibly try to trick you?"
Elder Yi looked at him silently, clearly not believing a word.
"I'm just a little curious..." Mo Hua said.
"Curiosity is not a good enough reason," Elder Yi replied.
"Alright then..." Mo Hua sighed, a little disappointed.
Seeing Mo Hua's dejected expression, Elder Yi felt a bit guilty.
He thought for a moment, then finally relented, "Fine, I'll tell you a little bit. Just listen, and don't try to figure it out on your own or practice it blindly. Promise me you won't hurt yourself..."
"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua nodded. "I won't practice blindly."
Only then did Elder Yi relax and nod, "This type of magic involves 'spiritual transformation', so it is naturally extremely dangerous..."
"It's powerful, but it's easy to lose control and hurt yourself and others. Moreover, cultivating it can easily cause irreversible damage to your meridians or spirit sea."
"That's why this type of magic is usually classified as a 'forbidden technique'. Its lineage is either discontinued, sealed away, or destroyed."
"Forbidden technique?!" Mo Hua exclaimed, startled. "You mean it's prohibited from cultivation?"
Elder Yi nodded.
Mo Hua asked softly, a little guiltily, "If I practice it, will the Dao Court come and arrest me, put me in chains, and throw me in a dungeon?"
Elder Yi sighed, "It's not that serious..."
"Although it's called a 'forbidden technique', there are actually many types..."
"Techniques like life-draining, dark magic, corpse manipulation, and ghost magic are forbidden because they treat human lives with contempt and cause great harm."
"'Spiritual transformation' magic, on the other hand, is classified as forbidden because of its power and uncontrollability."
"As long as you don't use it to massacre innocents, and only practice it secretly, the worst that can happen is that you hurt yourself - like you did with your explosion. The Dao Court won't bother with that..."
As soon as Elder Yi finished speaking, he became alert again, "I'm not telling you to practice it in secret!"
"Don't practice it!"
"Mm-hmm," Mo Hua nodded. "Please continue, Elder."
Elder Yi nodded slightly and continued, "However, since it's classified as a 'forbidden technique', these types of magic do tend to have serious drawbacks."
"Like meridian incineration, reverse spiritual flow, yin-yang imbalance, and so on..."
"Some cultivators even turn to the path of demonic cultivation or dark cultivation to try and overcome the drawbacks of forbidden techniques..."
"That's why the Dao Court has no choice but to ban all 'forbidden techniques' without exception."
"Unstable magic is not suitable for widespread use; otherwise, it would become a huge hidden danger..." Elder Yi said gravely.
"Does the Dao Court secretly collect 'forbidden techniques'?" Mo Hua asked quietly.
Elder Yi paused, then didn't hide the truth from Mo Hua, "The Dao Court does collect them, after all..."
Elder Yi didn't elaborate, but Mo Hua understood.
With the Dao Court's unity, the entire cultivation world was under their rule.
Their status was naturally revered, and they could do as they pleased without anyone daring to interfere.
Mo Hua asked, "What about sects... Do they also collect them?"
Elder Yi shook his head immediately, "No."
Mo Hua gave him a dubious look, not believing him at all.
Sighing, Elder Yi returned Mo Hua's gaze. He looked around to ensure they were alone, then coughed and lowered his voice, "Well... sects do... cough... collect some..."
"Of course, not the forbidden techniques of dark magic or demonic magic that harm the heavens and nature. Those are definitely banned without question."
"The types that sects collect are usually those that involve the grand dao rules, are extremely powerful, but are fundamentally impossible to cultivate, extremely difficult to control, or have severe consequences after cultivation..."
"These forbidden techniques are handled with discretion by the sect leaders, elders, or ancestors..."
"Techniques of this nature are indeed recorded within our sect, but disciples are strictly forbidden from cultivating them," he continued.
"Our Tai Xu Men has strict rules. Any disciple who disregards these rules and secretly cultivates 'forbidden techniques', regardless of their reasons, will be expelled from the sect without question!" Elder Yi emphasized.
Mo Hua's heart skipped a beat as he listened, his eyes growing serious.
Elder Yi patted Mo Hua's shoulder and sighed, "Elder Xun values you so highly. For your own sake and to honor Elder Xun's intentions, you must never stray from the path and cause him disappointment..."
Mo Hua nodded solemnly. "Elder Yi, rest assured."
Seeing the sincerity in Mo Hua's eyes, Elder Yi felt relieved and nodded in return.
After Elder Yi left, Mo Hua returned to his living quarters.
Reflecting on his conversation with Elder Yi, Mo Hua concluded: Techniques that incorporate the principle of "fireball fusion" must exist, and they are undoubtedly classified as "forbidden techniques".
Cultivating these "forbidden techniques" will lead to after-effects.
The severity of these after-effects varies, with some even driving people into demonic cultivation.
There must be "forbidden techniques" hidden within Tai Xu Men.
However, their location is surely kept secret from disciples, and they would never be included in the regular curriculum or the Merit Roll.
And I must not steal and cultivate Tai Xu Men's forbidden techniques.
The sect rules are strict.
If I were to do so and break the rules, even Elder Xun, with his partiality towards me, would have no choice but to expel me from the sect.
Elder Xun has been so kind to me, and I must not betray his trust.
But!
Mo Hua's thoughts took a turn.
As long as I don't steal Tai Xu Men's forbidden techniques, there won't be a problem! As long as I don't cultivate evil, demonic, corpse, or ghost techniques that are prohibited, the Dao Court won't interfere.
I'm not afraid of after-effects either.
I don't actually intend to cultivate a forbidden technique.
Instead, I want to study the principles of "spell fusion" through these techniques.
I'll "copy" their spell structures and then find ways to optimize and improve them, ultimately perfecting a truly stable and controllable "Fusion Fireball Technique".
According to Elder Yi, any disciple of the sect who cultivates a "forbidden technique" will be expelled.
In other words, they become "traitorous disciples"! Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
This meant that among the names on Elder Jiang's list of delinquent cultivators, there was a good chance that one or two of them had cultivated "forbidden techniques", which led to their departure from the sect and their descent into a life of crime.
Elder Jiang truly is my lucky star! His list is like a treasure map for me.
Mo Hua smiled to himself, then took out Elder Jiang's list once more.
He had previously marked the names of delinquent cultivators that had the character "fire" in them, as he had been interested in fire-based techniques.
Mo Hua carefully scrutinized these names.
"Firework Head, Fire Wolf Head, Blazing Palm, Fire Butcher..."
Mo Hua frowned.
No matter how he looked at it, these delinquent cultivators didn't seem like they had cultivated any "forbidden techniques".
Their techniques didn't seem to involve spell structure collapse, spiritual power fusion, or anything that would be of reference to his own "forbidden technique" research.
More importantly, Mo Hua didn't feel any heavenly signs, prophetic omens, or that instinctive thrill in his heart.
"Nothing..."
Mo Hua was greatly disappointed.
He put away the jade slip into his storage ring but then took it out again, unwilling to give up. He placed it on the table and carefully examined it using the heavenly mechanism algorithm he had derived from the fusion of the Strange Mechanism Technique and the Heaven's Secret Technique.
This time, he noticed a faint, red causal chain on the jade slip.
Mo Hua was stunned, his heart racing.
It's there! Within the heavenly patterns and prophetic omens, there is indeed a "forbidden technique" similar to "fireball fusion" among the names on this list!
Mo Hua quickly browsed through the jade slip again.
However, all the names of the delinquent cultivators seemed ordinary, with nothing out of the ordinary.
It seemed that the "prophetic omen" he had sensed earlier was just his imagination.
Mo Hua calculated again but still found nothing.
"What's going on..."
Mo Hua rested his chin on the table, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
"Is there something I'm missing...?"
"Is there something hidden within Elder Jiang's list that I haven't uncovered yet?"
Mo Hua read through Elder Jiang's diary once more, this time spreading out his spiritual sense and scrutinizing each word carefully.
After the first read-through, he still found nothing.
Mo Hua read it again...
It was only on the third read-through that Mo Hua finally noticed something unusual.
There were blank spaces in the text where "secret" had been added, and the technique used to conceal the information was extremely subtle, causing Mo Hua to unconsciously skip over those sections.
Mo Hua couldn't help but admire Elder Jiang's cunning.
"This Elder Jiang sure is crafty..."
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he began to decipher the secrets, but the patterns in these blank spaces were unlike anything he had encountered before.
With no other choice, Mo Hua resorted to his previous method, patiently using the secondary lightning patterns from the "Secondary Lightning Repository" to compare and decipher the secrets one by one.
Three days later, Mo Hua finally uncovered a new name hidden within the blank spaces of the jade slip.
This name was deeply concealed and written with heavy ink.
It seemed to be wrapped in a blood-red aura, with a deep and murderous aura swirling within a sea of fire, causing one's heart to tremble.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed as he slowly uttered the name:
"Fire Buddha."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
