Chapter 112: Spells

On the way back, Elder Yu instructed his son:

"Don't tell anyone about Mo Hua drawing arrays."

Yu Chengyi blinked in surprise, "Why?"

"He's still young and of low birth, yet extraordinarily talented—this may invite envy, and that's not necessarily good."

"Oh." Yu Chengyi nodded, half-understanding.

"But we can't hide it forever. If this boy truly has an affinity for arrays, it won't stay hidden forever."

"At least wait until he's older, until he can protect himself."

Elder Yu's gaze held both satisfaction and concern.

I hope this child grows up safely…

After finishing the Iron Armor Array, Mo Hua earned spirit stones, received some free spirit ink, and got a gift from Elder Yu—he was in high spirits.

The next day, he went to find Bai Zisheng to test the effectiveness of the Flowing Water Step.

Bai Zisheng was initially delighted, then suddenly remembered something, hung his head, and grew gloomy.

"Aunt Xue gave me a lot of assignments and forbade me from sparring with you."

Mo Hua was also stunned, "What if we just spar once?"

Bai Zisheng looked troubled.

"If we sneak a spar, would Aunt Xue find out?"

Bai Zisheng stole a glance at his sister Bai Zi Xi, sitting beside him, and said:

"Aunt Xue made Zi Xi watch me—she's not allowed to let me fight you."

Bai Zi Xi, elegantly quiet as she read, stirred slightly, cast a cool glance at Bai Zisheng, and said in a soft, melodious voice:

"I won't tell Aunt Xue—but can you finish your assignments?"

Bai Zisheng fell silent.

Aunt Xue's assignments were numerous—alchemy, artifact crafting, and cultivation theory—all of which would go unfinished if he sparred with Mo Hua.

Mo Hua gave Bai Zisheng a sympathetic look. "Focus on your assignments. I'll bring you some tasty snacks when I have time."

Bai Zisheng's mood improved slightly.

Mo Hua sighed as he left Zuowang Mountain Dwelling.

He'd finally learned a body technique, yet had no chance to use it—it left him deeply disappointed.

"Maybe, since I have time now, I should learn a spell?"

Thinking this, Mo Hua perked up again.

A true spirit cultivator must be able to attack and defend.

But… who could teach him spells?

Mo Hua was stumped again.

He hadn't seen Zhang Lan in many days—he didn't know what he was busy with, probably occupied by Dao Ting Si duties.

Even if Zhang Lan were free, Mo Hua couldn't go ask him.

You can't keep shearing the same sheep.

Learning the Flowing Water Step was already low-key enough; learning more from him would be inappropriate.

What if Zhang Lan, in a sudden burst of generosity, taught him some sect-ending secret technique? The Zhang family elders would never let him go.

Even if they didn't kill him to silence him, they'd probably force him to become a son-in-law.

That would be a terrible loss for Mo Hua.

But there was no one else who could teach him spells…

After much thought, Mo Hua decided to swallow his pride and ask Mr. Zhuang.

The next day, Mo Hua brought beef and pastries to Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi, and some wine and meat to meet Mr. Zhuang.

After asking a few questions about arrays, Mo Hua opened his mouth several times but held back.

Mr. Zhuang looked like an immortal sage—no blood qi detectable, no spirit force sensed—what if he wasn't skilled in Dao arts, or never fought at all?

What if he couldn't answer after I gave him all these gifts?

Mo Hua cared deeply for Mr. Zhuang's feelings, so he never asked.

As he left, he met Old Puppet, sitting alone in a pavilion playing chess. Mo Hua gave him several boxes of pine nuts, then played two rounds of Five Elements Chess with him.

As he was about to leave, Old Puppet asked: "Do you have something on your mind?"

"How did you know?" Mo Hua couldn't help asking.

"Your chess has worsened," said Old Puppet.

Mo Hua opened his mouth.

Five Elements Chess was so simple—you could play it blindfolded; how could you possibly get worse?

But Old Puppet's words reminded him, and Mo Hua seized the chance to whisper:

"Grandpa Puppet, do you know spells?"

Old Puppet hesitated a moment, then said: "A little."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Could you teach me some?"

Old Puppet stood and walked away.

Mo Hua thought he refused—but after a few steps, Old Puppet turned back and looked at Mo Hua:

"Follow me."

"Oh, okay!" Mo Hua hurried after him.

Old Puppet led Mo Hua to another patch of grass, far from the big locust tree.

The terrain here was open and spacious, with lush green grass, small bridges, ponds, and a grove of bamboo that rustled in the wind.

"When learning spells, don't fixate solely on their power—what suits you is best," said Master Kui.

Mo Hua listened intently, then asked:

"Then, Master Kui, what spell should I learn?"

Master Kui paused to think, then said: "Mysterious spells—like illusion arts, trickery arts, strange arts…"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

"... But your elemental roots are poor—you can't learn them."

Mo Hua: "..."

"Powerful spells—like those of the Great Five Elements…"

Mo Hua perked up.

"... But your Qi is insufficient—you can't use them."

Mo Hua gave Master Kui a slightly resentful glance.

Master Kui's face wore a faint, knowing smile. "But your spiritual awareness is exceptional—you don't need to learn these complicated ones. Just learn the simplest spells."

Master Kui tossed Mo Hua a thin book.

Mo Hua opened it and saw three large characters written on the first page:

Fireball Spell.

Mo Hua frowned, thought for a moment, and couldn't help asking: "Master Kui, how is this Fireball Spell different from other Fireball Spells?"

Master Kui shook his head. "It's the same."

Mo Hua flipped through a few pages and found that the Fireball Spell recorded in Master Kui's book was not much different from the ones he had seen before in *Basic Spells for Qi Condensation: Fireball Spell*.

A tiny bit of disappointment settled in his heart.

"Don't want to learn it?" asked Master Kui.

Mo Hua hesitated, then realized Master Kui was right—too complex, too difficult, or Qi-intensive spells truly weren't suited to him.

Besides, he never intended to learn any grand spell to begin with. Starting from the basics was best—practicality mattered most.

Master Kui was willing to teach him; he should be grateful, not pick and choose.

Mo Hua shook his head and said sincerely:

"I want to learn it, Master Kui. Please teach me."

Master Kui gave a barely perceptible nod.

"The key to spells lies in three things: spiritual awareness, Qi, and meridians."

"Use your spiritual awareness to guide Qi along the meridians to specific acupoints, forming a Zhou Tian, and you can manifest the spell."

"Body techniques are also a kind of spell. Since you've learned Body of Flowing Water, you should already understand the principle—learning Fireball Spell now shouldn't be hard…"

…

Master Kui explained several key points; Mo Hua memorized them all, then activated his Qi according to the incantation and meridian map in the Fireball Spell.

The Fireball Spell was simple; the Qi pathway was far simpler than that of Body of Flowing Water.

After a few attempts, Mo Hua mastered it.

"Try it," said Master Kui.

Mo Hua held his breath, focused his spiritual awareness, activated his meridians, formed a Zhou Tian, then extended two fingers toward the nearby pond.

A faint red Qi gathered at his fingertips, coalescing into a ball of red, gaseous flame, which shot straight toward the pond under the direction of his spiritual awareness.

The fireball exploded on the water's surface, splashing the pond, shattering waterweeds, and startling the fish below.

The pond's surface rippled violently, littered with debris.

Now I update ten thousand characters daily, so each chapter is small.

Fewer characters, cheaper too.

If I get lazy and can't think of titles later, I'll make bigger chapters~