Chapter 123: Mixed Spells

"Superimposing spirit patterns seems simple; theoretically, any low-tier spell can be superimposed, but in practice, whether a spell can be superimposed depends on the number of spirit lines in its pattern and the strength of the caster’s spiritual sense—some spells can be superimposed, others only theoretically."

"The difficulty of spell superimposition far exceeds imagination; after all, low-tier spells with eleven or twelve spirit lines are already beyond the reach of ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators."

"A second-layer superimposed second-tier spell pattern contains at least twenty to thirty spirit lines, and as many as fifty to sixty; generally, only a strong spiritual sense after Foundation Establishment can possibly form the corresponding spell imprint."

……

"Generally, the more spirit lines a low-tier spell has, the harder it is to superimpose, but if successful, its power grows significantly."

"I will now demonstrate the second-layer superimposition of the three-spirit-line 'Lighting Spell'—the 'Light Flame Spell'—and the second-layer superimposition of the six-spirit-line 'Spark Spell'—the 'Fire Dragon Spell'—for you all to observe."

As the Master Qimiao spoke, he swept his sleeve across the empty air before him; the floating white lights instantly vanished, and he immediately formed a hand seal with one hand, murmuring incantations.

A single white light appeared in the empty air ahead, then spun as it grew wildly in size, transforming in an instant into a white orb the size of a human head, emitting a faint glow.

Master Qimiao uttered a single word: "Go!" and pointed at the massive orb with one finger.

With a "whoosh," the giant orb shot upward and suddenly blazed with blinding white light at the ceiling of the hall, turning the entire stone chamber into daylight.

Most of the inner sect disciples below involuntarily closed their eyes, but a few, like Wang Yu, paid no heed to the blinding light and instead gazed intently upward.

After more than a dozen breaths, the white light in the air dimmed, and the giant orb above vanished completely.

At that moment, Master Qimiao began murmuring incantations again, forming hand seals with both hands simultaneously—the seals were clearly far more complex than before, and the incantation lasted longer.

"Fire Dragon Spell"

Two complex spirit patterns flashed briefly in Master Qimiao’s eyes; he raised his arm and spread his five fingers apart.

"Puff"

Before him, a dragon-head silhouette the size of a table suddenly appeared, opened its mouth toward the sky, and unleashed a continuous flame column six or seven zhang long, which instantly coalesced into rolling fire clouds high in the hall, bathing the entire chamber in crimson light and turning the air scorching hot, like an oven.

The disciples below stirred in commotion, yet none fled in fear from their seats; however, many wore expressions of astonishment as they watched the fire clouds above grow larger and denser.

Is this the power of the unranked six-spirit-line 'Spark Spell' after second-layer superimposition?

Compared to the power of the three-spirit-line 'Lighting Spell' after superimposition, the difference is far too great!

Wang Yu stared at the fire clouds Ningju ing with astonishing power, his heart filled with shock.

He finally understood why Master Sun had named the sword inscribed with the 'Spark Spell' runes the 'Fire Dragon Sword.'

With a loud "boom,"

the giant dragon-head silhouette before Master Qimiao vanished; he cast another hand seal toward the fire clouds above, and they dispersed instantly, restoring the stone hall to normal.

Such a terrifying spell—he cast it at will, and dismissed it at will!

This is the power of a Foundation Establishment elder of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, famed as the foremost in spellcraft!

On the stone benches below, many inner sect disciples now looked at the old man on the lotus platform with entirely different eyes.

Master Qimiao paid no heed to the thoughts of the Four Symbols Sect disciples below, and continued speaking:

"After Foundation Establishment, a cultivator’s spiritual sense surges dramatically; yet even so, mastering a second-layer superimposed spell for actual combat still demands extraordinary talent and immense time spent practicing—only a minority of Foundation Establishment cultivators can master second-tier superimposed spells."

"Thus, some elders developed another kind of second-tier mixed spell."

"As the name implies, this spell no longer superimposes low-tier spell patterns, but instead fuses different low-tier spirit patterns into a single unified pattern."

"For example, the most common second-tier mixed spell, 'Water Gun Spell,' is formed by merging the spirit patterns of 'Water Gathering Spell' and 'Wind Bullet Spell'..."

As Master Qimiao spoke, he formed a hand seal again and cast the spell a second time.

Once, he condensed a fist-sized water orb, which fell to the ground.

Once, he released a pale green wind orb, which shot upward and vanished.

Then, the old man formed hand seals with both hands; before him, a wind orb the size of a watermelon appeared, followed by a smaller water orb forming within it—gradually, the water volume increased until it swelled the wind orb into a perfectly round sphere.

The old man stopped his incantation and suddenly clapped both hands together, one above and one below the orb.

"Whoosh"

The wind orb flattened instantly, spewing forth a long white line that vanished in a flash, piercing a fist-sized hole through a massive pillar nearby.

"Sss" "Sss"…

Many Four Symbols Sect disciples who witnessed this drew sharp breaths.

The speed of this water line was simply too fast.

With this single strike, nine out of ten disciples below would have been unable to react or defend.

Master Qimiao swept his sleeve again; the wind orb dissolved and vanished, and he continued speaking:

"Second-tier mixed spells are simpler to cast and still powerful; most Foundation Establishment cultivators can use them, but they require immense time to experiment and study the fusion of spirit patterns."

"As for third-tier mixed spells, they are formed by combining different second-tier spells; their spirit patterns are even more complex and thus far harder to fuse successfully."

"Fortunately, after many years, many cultivation clans and sects have already developed some mixed spells, though most are second-tier; third-tier mixed spells are exceedingly rare, and their spirit patterns are generally kept as sect secrets, rarely passed on."

……

"Generally, superimposed spells are more powerful than mixed spells; as long as one masters the corresponding low-tier spirit patterns, one can attempt forming the spell imprint without deep contemplation—but success is difficult."

"Mixed spell patterns are more complex, usually only mastered by those with exceptional insight, but forming their spell imprints is simpler, and casting them is easier."

……

"Second-tier and higher artifacts are actually divided into many types; one kind does not pursue raw power, but is specifically crafted to assist spellcasting."

"They are inscribed with the core spirit lines of high-tier spells; thus, high-tier cultivators need only form a small portion of the spell imprint in their spiritual sea, then activate the entire high-tier spell by leveraging the inscribed patterns on the artifact—hence, such artifacts are called 'Spell Artifacts,' and many cultivators rely on 'Spell Artifacts' to cast superimposed spells..."

……

"As far as I know, because third-tier spells are so complex, even Golden Core elders typically master only one or two—and some elders without third-tier Spell Artifacts simply abandon third-tier spells entirely, switching to other combat methods..."

"Now I will explain several key points to note when forming superimposed spell imprints, and a few clever tricks for researching fused spells..."

Master Qimiao demonstrated spells on the lotus platform while explaining his insights on spellcraft to the audience below.

The many Four Symbols Sect disciples below listened, entranced, gaining profound insight into spellcraft.

Even the three top disciples in the front row listened intently, nodding repeatedly.

Wang Yu, too, suddenly understood, and his heart swelled with joy.