Chapter 630: Forbidden Technique

"Yi?"

Mo Hua froze, recalling the Water Prison Technique manual's note: "... this technique was organized into a compendium by True Person Yi and archived in the Grand Void Gate..."

"Is the Water Prison Technique in the Merit Records the one you archived?"

Elder Yi blinked in surprise. "You've learned the Water Prison Technique?"

"Mm!" Mo Hua nodded.

Elder Yi was slightly astonished.

The Water Prison Technique is easy to learn but hard to master, and even harder to use effectively...

Still, he shook his head. "Not me—it was one of our Yi family's ancestors who archived it..."

"An ancestor?"

"Mm." Elder Yi nodded. "Our Yi family is a magical lineage; most elder disciples are spirit cultivators who specialize in spells and enjoy collecting strange and unusual techniques..."

Elder Yi glanced at the sky and said, "Alright, I'm leaving. If you have questions about spells, feel free to ask me again."

Moreover, within the Grand Void Gate, many skilled alchemist elders provided careful treatment, so he didn't suffer serious injuries and won't have lasting aftereffects after recovery.

This kind of spell technique, similar to "disintegration," is powerful but unstable and prone to loss of control.

But in Qianxue Prefecture, powerful sects and clans abound, and top-grade spiritual root prodigies are countless.

This fusion of fireball spells still needs further research...

For a spirit cultivator, fast spell casting and precise targeting are major advantages.

But if the spell itself has limited power, hitting an opponent is like scratching their skin—it greatly diminishes the advantage.

If you experiment on your own, a single loss of control could easily injure you—high risk.

Previously, while roaming in the second-grade prefecture, the opponents I faced were mostly hermits or members of minor families with weak lineages.

Conversely, even if you hit perfectly, if the spell lacks power, it's still useless...

Mo Hua immediately understood.

Some of these disciples even carried advanced Daoist teachings.

After Elder Yi left, Mo Hua lay on the bed, his left hand wrapped in bandages, pondering:

Twin fireball spells... soul perception guiding collision... spell structure collapse... spiritual force transmutation energy...

The fireball spell's power simply isn't enough.

Elder Yi, seeing Mo Hua's intelligence and reasonableness, felt greatly relieved and no longer cared that Mo Hua had learned so many spells from him without even knowing his name.

Mo Hua thought it over and, combining Elder Yi's "guidance," roughly clarified the principle behind this spell's damage:

Elder Yi walked away with a relaxed expression.

Besides, Elder Yi had told me this crucial spell principle—I can't possibly drag him into this.

But if it happens again, it won't be so easy to say.

This time I was lucky—the spell lost control, but I still forcibly restrained the runaway spiritual force with my soul perception and avoided direct impact...

"Thank you, Elder Yi!"

When fireballs are forcibly compressed and collide, the spell structure collapses, and the internal transmutation of spiritual force—like a formation's disintegration—follows certain Daoist principles, producing astonishing destructive power.

Mo Hua replied obediently.

Hearing "Elder Yi," Elder Yi finally felt more at ease, turned to leave, then suddenly remembered something and said apologetically:

"Your injury was indeed my oversight, but... uh... Master Xun..."

But if I don't research it...

No matter how powerful, if you can't hit your target, it's useless.

"Elder Yi, don't worry—I'll explain clearly to Master Xun. This time it was my mistake, not yours!"

With his strong soul perception, the special fireball spell he cast had considerable power.

"Alright, rest well and recover."

"Elder, take care on your way."

Conventional spell theory: spiritual force flows from inside outward, forming spell structures to manifest techniques.

Even some fallen cultivators, wanted by the Dao Ting Si, have far superior foundations and spiritual roots than mine.

Mo Hua wasn't willing to give up.

"Oh..."

Mo Hua nodded.

This wasn't Elder Yi's fault to begin with.

I'm just a "fragile little thing"...

"Mo Hua..."

One slip, and I could lose my life instantly...

Spell power is determined by the strength of spiritual force.

The most representative examples are high-grade spells that consume vast spiritual force, have robust spell structures, and deliver astonishing power.

But my spiritual force is weak—I can't master high-grade spells—so I must do the opposite.

Use spell variations to reverse the spell structure, triggering internal spiritual force transformation to unleash immense spiritual energy.

The spell is merely an introduction.

A fuse.

Use the spell to trigger an essential spiritual force metamorphosis, similar to the reverse disassembly of a formation.

This way, minimal spiritual force consumption produces tremendous destructive power.

This process requires celestial calculation, splitting soul perception, and simultaneous dual-spell casting.

It also requires a powerful spiritual sense to instantly and rapidly control spells, and the spiritual sense consumption is immense.

But Mo Hua's spiritual sense is strong, his spiritual energy weak.

This reverse spell concept perfectly leverages his strength and avoids his weakness—maximizing his powerful spiritual sense while sidestepping his weak spiritual energy…

Mo Hua nodded, resolved to thoroughly research this fusion fireball spell.

He had already understood the spell's principle.

The only problem with this fireball spell currently…

is instability.

The spell structure collapses, the spiritual energy fuses, and it easily loses control. It might injure oneself before harming anyone else.

"I need to find a stable, controllable way to trigger spell structure collapse and spiritual energy fusion…"

Mo Hua murmured silently to himself.

…

The next day, Mo Hua went to class.

His injuries, treated by several alchemist elders personally designated by Mr. Xun, had mostly healed, though he still needed rest.

Classes could be attended.

But beyond that, he could not use spiritual energy or draw arrays.

Mo Hua took advantage of this time to study "fireball fusion."

Whenever he had spare time after cultivation class, he pondered how to achieve stable fireball collisions, spell structure collapse, and spiritual energy fusion.

As long as the spell structure was controllable, even low damage was acceptable.

But after days of research, progress was extremely slow.

Mo Hua could not think of any method to make the spell structure collapse stably and direct the fused spiritual energy.

Mo Hua then realized he had been overconfident.

This unconventional, reverse-thinking spell structure could not be created by a sudden flash of inspiration, let alone stabilized and perfected.

Even the most insignificant fixed spell required generations of cultivators to practice, experiment, analyze, and ultimately refine.

He himself had shallow spell expertise.

His time was limited; attempting to invent a spell was indeed delusional.

Mo Hua sighed, but he was not discouraged.

Since solitary study was useless, he needed to find ways to study other fire spells, seeking inspiration from their spell structures…

Build upon the shoulders of predecessors to refine his own spell.

Mo Hua nodded, feeling this idea was feasible.

Mo Hua did not believe that the concept of "fireball fusion" was something only he could discover.

The cultivation world had countless geniuses; they must have already thought through such problems and compiled their conclusions.

Over twenty thousand years of Dao Court history, countless spell masters must have conducted far more mature research—perhaps even left behind established spell structures for him to "copy."

But such aberrant spells were clearly difficult and dangerous.

Few cultivators studied them, so the transmitted spell structures were probably scarce.

"Copy one…"

The first person Mo Hua thought of was Elder Yi.

The principle behind this was told to him by Elder Yi himself.

The Yi family was a spell lineage; even if they didn't know this spell, they must have studied it.

So Mo Hua, his small arm wrapped in bandages, went to find Elder Yi.

Elder Yi, upon hearing this, immediately shook his head, "No no no…"

Mo Hua's own reckless experiments had blown up his hands, and he'd already endured days of cold stares from Mr. Xun because of it.

If I actually taught him something… and he practiced it and blew up his arms or legs again…

Mr. Xun would probably deduct all my sect stipend.

Thinking of this, Elder Yi added two more words, "No no…"

This was exactly what Mo Hua expected; he asked curiously:

"Is it because it's too dangerous?"

"It's not just dangerous…"

Mo Hua blinked. "How dangerous?"

"That…" Elder Yi began, then suddenly froze, sharply eyeing Mo Hua. "You brat—don't you be trying to trick me into talking?"

Mo Hua smiled sheepishly. "Elder, how could you say that? I'm just a child, with no cunning at all—how could I trick you?"

Elder Yi stared silently at Mo Hua, clearly believing not a single word.

"I'm just a little curious…" Mo Hua said.

"Curiosity doesn't count."

"Alright…"

Mo Hua sighed, a little disappointed.

Seeing Mo Hua's drooping face, Elder Yi felt a pang of guilt.

He thought for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth:

"I'll tell you just a little—listen, don't try to figure it out yourself, and absolutely don't practice it—don't hurt yourself…"

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded. "I won't practice 'recklessly.'"

Elder Yi finally sighed in relief and nodded:

"This technique involves 'Spirit Transformation,' and is naturally extremely dangerous..."

"It is powerful, prone to loss of control, harms both others and oneself, and after cultivation, it easily causes irreversible damage to one's meridians or qi sea."

"Therefore, such techniques are generally classified as 'forbidden arts,' their transmission either severed, sealed away, or destroyed."

"Forbidden arts?!" Mo Hua exclaimed, "Are they banned from cultivation?"

"Mm." Elder Yi nodded.

Mo Hua felt a twinge of guilt and whispered, "If I practiced it, would Dao Ting Si come to arrest me, chain me up, and throw me into the Dao Prison?"

Elder Yi sighed, "That wouldn't go quite that far..."

"Although called 'forbidden arts,' they come in many varieties..."

"Soul-draining, dark arts, corpse arts, ghost arts—these Daoist methods practiced by the Mo Sect are classified as forbidden arts because they treat human lives as worthless and pose extreme dangers."

"But 'Spirit Transformation' techniques are classified as forbidden arts solely because of their immense power and uncontrollability."

"As long as you don't use them to massacre indiscriminately or slaughter the innocent, and merely cultivate them in secret, the worst that can happen is the technique losing control and harming yourself—as you injured yourself by exploding—Dao Ting Si won't bother to intervene..."

Immediately after speaking, Elder Yi became alert and said:

"I'm not telling you to practice them in secret!"

"Don't practice them!"

"Mm, mm." Mo Hua nodded, "Please continue..."

Elder Yi gave a slight nod and continued: "But even so, since they are classified as 'forbidden arts,' such techniques all carry serious drawbacks."

"Such as meridians scorched, qi flowing in reverse, yin-yang imbalance, and so on..."

"Some cultivators have even turned to dark cultivation or demonic cultivation simply to overcome the drawbacks of 'forbidden arts'..."

"Thus, Dao Ting Si has no choice but to 'make a cut'—ban all 'forbidden arts' outright."

"Unstable techniques should not be widely disseminated, or they become grave hazards..."

Elder Yi spoke with a solemn expression.

Mo Hua whispered, "Does Dao Ting Si secretly archive 'forbidden arts'...?"

Elder Yi paused, then did not conceal the truth from Mo Hua: "Dao Ting Si does archive them, after all..."

Elder Yi did not finish, but Mo Hua understood.

Dao Ting Si rules the entire cultivation world.

Its status is naturally exalted; no one can stop it from doing as it pleases.

Mo Hua asked again: "What about sects? Do they archive them too?"

Elder Yi immediately shook his head. "No."

Mo Hua's gaze turned suspicious; he didn't believe it for a second.

Elder Yi, under Mo Hua's stare, sighed.

He glanced around, saw no one nearby, cleared his throat, then whispered: "The sect also... cough... archives some..."

"Of course, not forbidden arts like demonic or dark techniques."

"Demon, ghost, corpse, and spirit arts harm the natural order—these are absolutely banned, with no room for compromise."

"The sect archives those forbidden arts that involve the fundamental Dao rules, are immensely powerful, but are nearly impossible to cultivate, extremely difficult to control, or carry devastating drawbacks after cultivation..."

"These forbidden arts are reviewed and decided upon by the sect master, elders, or Laozu."

"Some techniques could once be cultivated, but their cultivation cost was too great to be passed down—so the Laozu decide to classify them as 'forbidden arts' and seal them away..."

After speaking, Elder Yi gave Mo Hua a stern look: "You must not entertain any thoughts of these kinds of 'forbidden arts.'"

"Though archived within the sect, cultivation of these techniques is strictly forbidden for disciples."

"Grand Void Gate has strict rules. Any disciple who disregards the rules and secretly cultivates 'forbidden arts'—for any reason—is immediately expelled from the sect!"

Mo Hua's heart tightened, his gaze turning solemn.

Elder Yi patted Mo Hua's shoulder and sighed:

"Mr. Xun holds you in such high regard. For your own sake, and for Mr. Xun's goodwill, you must not entertain any improper thoughts and make him heartbroken..."

Mo Hua nodded solemnly. "Elder Yi, rest assured."

Elder Yi looked into Mo Hua's eyes and saw their clarity and sincerity; he finally relaxed.

After Elder Yi left, Mo Hua returned to the disciple quarters.

Mo Hua summarized his conversation with Elder Yi:

Techniques embodying the principle of 'fireball fusion' must exist, and such techniques are certainly 'forbidden arts.'

Cultivating these 'forbidden arts' carries aftereffects.

The aftereffects vary in severity; some may even drive one to demonic cultivation.

Grand Void Gate surely hides 'forbidden arts.'

But their location is certainly not known to disciples—at least not through normal cultivation curricula or merit records.

And I cannot secretly learn Grand Void Gate's forbidden arts.

The sect's rules are strict.

If I learned them secretly and broke the rules, even if Mr. Xun favored me, he would have no choice but to expel me.

Mr. Xun has been so kind to me—I cannot betray his goodwill.

But!

Mo Hua changed his thinking.

As long as I don't secretly learn Grand Void Gate's forbidden arts, there's no problem!

As long as I don't learn demon, ghost, corpse, or spirit-type dark 'forbidden arts,' Dao Ting Si won't care.

Even if there are aftereffects, I'm not afraid.

He did not truly intend to "learn" the forbidden art.

Rather, he intended to use the forbidden art to study the principles of "spell fusion."

He would "copy" their spell structures, then find ways to continuously optimize and improve them, refining a truly stable and controllable "Fusion Fireball Spell."

According to Elder Yi, any sect disciple who secretly studies "forbidden arts" will be forcibly expelled from the sect.

In other words, they become "traitorous disciples!"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up.

Thus, among the various criminal cultivators on Jiang Da's list, there very likely were one or two who had studied "forbidden arts," leading them to betray the sect, roam outside as outlaws, and become criminal cultivators.

Jiang Da was truly his "lucky star!"

His list was like a legendary "treasure map."

Mo Hua smiled faintly, then pulled out Jiang Da's list again.

He marked those criminals whose titles contained the character "fire."

This was what Mo Hua had originally selected when he intended to learn fire-affinity spells.

Mo Hua methodically examined each of these criminals' "titles."

"Fire Foreman, Fire Wolf Head, Flame Palm, Fire Butcher…"

Mo Hua frowned.

He looked left and right, but could not sense that any of these criminals had studied "forbidden arts."

Their spells did not appear to involve spell collapse or spiritual energy fusion—nothing of relevance to his research on "forbidden arts."

More importantly, Mo Hua felt no sudden heartbeat, no divine omen, no cosmic warning.

"Not here…"

Mo Hua was deeply disappointed.

Mo Hua returned the jade slip to his Nanzi Ring, but after a moment's thought, he could not bear to give up—he took it out again and placed it on the table, examining it carefully with the Heavenly Mechanism Algorithm refined by Guixian.

At that moment, he noticed a faint red thread of karmic chain on the jade slip.

Mo Hua froze, startled.

There it was!

In the Heavenly Mechanism patterns and karmic omens, this list did contain an inheritance of a "forbidden art" similar to "fireball fusion!"

Mo Hua quickly opened it again.

But every criminal's title on the jade slip appeared "plain and unremarkable," with no anomalies.

As if the earlier "karmic omen" had been an illusion.

Mo Hua performed further calculations, yet still found nothing.

"What's going on…"

Mo Hua slumped over the table, propping his chin on his hand, frowning in deep thought.

"Is there something… I missed?"

"Is there something hidden deep within Jiang Da's list, still encrypted?"

Mo Hua reread Jiang Da's diary, this time releasing his spiritual sense to scrutinize every single character.

After one reading, he found nothing.

Mo Hua read it again…

Only on the third reading did he finally detect a clue.

Some sentence breaks had blank spaces filled with "encryption," and the method was far more obscure—he had unconsciously skipped over them during previous readings.

Mo Hua felt a pang of admiration.

"This Jiang Da had so many tricks…"

He had almost fooled him!

Mo Hua's eyes lit up again, and he began attempting to decrypt the encrypted blanks—but the encryption patterns in these spaces were utterly unlike those elsewhere.

With no other choice, Mo Hua resorted to his old trick: patiently comparing each cryptic mark against the Secondary Thunder Patterns in his Secondary Thunder Pattern Repository.

Three days later, Mo Hua finally decrypted a new title from the blank spaces of the jade slip.

This title was buried extremely deep, written in thick ink.

As if wreathed in blood, with deep waves of murderous karma surging from a sea of fire, it stirred a faint unease in the heart.

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened, and he slowly spoke:

"Fire Buddha."