Chapter 114: Spiritual Awareness

"What's there to teach about the Fireball Spell…"

After spending four or five days and practicing the Fireball Spell a hundred times, Mo Hua froze.

He had thought he had nearly mastered it, but Master Kui's words meant he had in fact learned nothing at all…

"Grandmaster Kui, then what spell will you teach me?"

Mo Hua felt a flicker of anticipation.

"No need to teach spells—the Fireball Spell is enough," said Master Kui.

Mo Hua was thoroughly confused. "Then what are you teaching me?"

Master Kui did not answer, but asked instead:

"What is the first essential point in using a spell?"

"Learn the spell first?" Mo Hua ventured.

"That's basic, not the essential point. The first essential point is hitting your enemy. No matter how powerful the spell, if you can't hit the enemy, it's useless—learning it is wasted effort," said Master Kui.

Mo Hua suddenly understood, yet felt this was obvious.

"To hit someone with a spell, what do you rely on?" Master Kui asked again.

"Spiritual awareness," Mo Hua replied.

"Why?"

Mo Hua paused to think, then said:

"The flow of Qi in a spell depends on spiritual awareness; the casting depends on spiritual awareness; even the spell's trajectory after release is controlled by spiritual awareness. So to hit someone, a spell relies on spiritual awareness."

Master Kui nodded. "The world perceived by spiritual awareness differs from the world seen by the naked eye. You know this, correct?"

Mo Hua nodded.

The world seen by the naked eye has clear outlines and vivid, intricate colors.

When a cultivator releases spiritual awareness, what they perceive is a blank white void, in which objects lose their concrete outlines, retaining only their Qi signatures.

In other words, the world seen by spiritual awareness is like a blank sheet of paper covered in colorful Qi doodles.

What spiritual awareness perceives is not the physical appearance of things, but their more fundamental Qi state.

Master Kui continued: "Spells require spiritual awareness to guide them; to hit, you must first 'see' with spiritual awareness."

"Then, Grandmaster Kui, can't I just use my eyes?" Mo Hua asked.

"Eyes are easily deceived. A cultivator who relies solely on sight is foolish."

Mo Hua nodded.

Master Kui casually pinched his fingers, and a slender, emerald-green bamboo leaf landed between them.

"Use the Fireball Spell to strike this leaf from three zhang away."

Mo Hua worried the Fireball Spell might injure Master Kui, but after gauging the vast gap in their cultivation, he wisely kept silent.

His Fireball Spell wouldn't even warm Master Kui's hands…

Mo Hua stepped back three zhang, released his spiritual awareness, and saw a blank white void—the bamboo leaf floated midair, its Qi signature a faint bluish-green afterimage.

Yet in this white void, there was no trace of Master Kui.

Mo Hua knew this was due to the immense disparity in their spiritual awareness.

Those with weak spiritual awareness cannot perceive those with strong spiritual awareness.

"Grandmaster Kui, I'm ready."

Mo Hua spoke, activated the Fireball Spell, and sent it flying toward the bamboo leaf's Qi afterimage.

The Fireball Spell struck the leaf, reducing the emerald-green bamboo to ash—but Master Kui, still pinching the leaf, remained unharmed.

Master Kui flipped his fingers and pinched another bamboo leaf.

This time he released his fingers, and the leaf slowly rose, drifting and dancing in the wind.

"Use the Fireball Spell again to strike this one."

Mo Hua struggled, but still held his breath, focused his spiritual awareness to track the leaf's path, then cast the spell.

The Fireball Spell flew through the air, narrowly missing the leaf.

"Do you know why you missed?"

Mo Hua scratched his head. "The leaf is moving too fast?"

Master Kui waved his hand, and a gust of wind surged within arm's reach, whipping several bamboo leaves into rapid, swirling motion.

He flicked his fingertip, sending a tiny spark upward, chasing the dancing leaves.

No matter how the leaves twisted and turned, each was eventually caught by the spark, pierced, and reduced to ash.

Mo Hua stared, dumbfounded.

"This is the first lesson I teach you," Master Kui said slowly, watching Mo Hua.

"Spiritual awareness lock."

"Spiritual awareness lock…"

Mo Hua murmured, not fully understanding, yet deeply awed.

"Spiritual awareness lock means fixing your spiritual awareness onto your enemy—no matter how they dodge, they cannot escape the spell's pursuit," said Master Kui.

"So if I lock with spiritual awareness, will I always hit?" Mo Hua asked.

"Unless the opponent moves faster than your spell, or blocks it with another spell or spiritual artifact, they cannot escape."

"Ohhh," Mo Hua said, excited. "Then how do I use spiritual awareness to lock?"

"Release your spiritual awareness, perceive the opponent's Qi, and attach your awareness to it—then you lock their position."

Master Kui spoke briefly and clearly, then added:

"It sounds complicated, but do it a few times and you'll understand."

After Old Puppet finished speaking, he plucked another bamboo leaf between his fingers. "Try locking onto it."

Mo Hua nodded. Following Old Puppet's instructions, he released his divine sense, using it to perceive the spiritual power state of the bamboo leaf, and naturally a feeling of "insightful lock-on" arose.

It was like drawing a formation array — once you understood the formation patterns, the entire array would be as if imprinted in your mind.

Mo Hua locked onto the bamboo leaf with his divine sense.

Old Puppet looked at Mo Hua, his gaze sharpening.

Learning this fast, huh…

"Is it because his divine sense is too strong?" Old Puppet murmured in his heart.

After a moment of silence, Old Puppet loosened his fingers, and the bamboo leaf fluttered into the air.

Mo Hua closed his eyes, channeled Qi through two fingers, and a pale red fireball condensed between his fingertips. Following his intent, it flew into the air, traced an arc, struck the fluttering bamboo leaf, and burned it to flying ash.

Mo Hua opened his eyes and smiled happily.

Old Puppet nodded. "You learned well."

"It's because Grandpa Puppet taught me well!"

Old Puppet neither agreed nor disagreed.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked again, "Then if I can't lock onto the opponent with my divine sense, what should I do?"

"The best method," Old Puppet said, looking at Mo Hua, "is to run."

Mo Hua was stunned, then understood.

If you can't lock on with divine sense, it means the opponent's divine sense is far stronger than yours, and naturally their cultivation is far superior. Not running is waiting for death, and fighting is no different from seeking death.

"If you really can't run, or can't escape, then you can only rely on your eyes to look, or go by feel and guess." Old Puppet said.

In other words, leave it to fate…

Mo Hua thought silently.

"Then how can I avoid being locked onto by an opponent's divine sense?" Mo Hua asked again.

"If your divine sense is stronger than your opponent's, he won't easily lock onto you. If your divine sense is far stronger than his, he won't be able to lock onto you at all."

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then understood.

The stronger your divine sense, the harder it is for the opponent's divine sense to perceive you, and naturally the harder it is to lock onto you.

If your divine sense is so strong that the opponent cannot perceive you, then naturally the opponent cannot lock onto you either.

"There are also techniques for using divine sense in magical combat, but this can't be taught. In the future, when you fight with cultivators, you'll figure it out slowly on your own." Old Puppet said.

"Not even a little bit can be taught?" Mo Hua asked.

Old Puppet explained, "Divine sense is different from spiritual power. Spiritual power leaves traces that can be followed, but divine sense is illusory and elusive. Cultivators can locate spiritual power through meridians and acupoints, but there's nothing that can be used to define divine sense."

"Therefore, the use of divine sense can only rely on your own experience and your own comprehension. Even if I tell you, you won't understand, and even if you understand, you won't necessarily be able to use it…"

Mo Hua nodded and carefully memorized everything Old Puppet had said.

Although he didn't quite understand now, it would surely be useful in the future.

Old Puppet continued, "However, you don't need to worry too much. Generally speaking, for cultivators of the same great realm, the gap in divine sense isn't large enough to make it completely impossible for the opponent to lock on…"

Old Puppet stopped mid-sentence, glanced at Mo Hua, his gaze slightly sharpening.

Generally speaking, that's how it is…