Mo Hua thought to himself, I specifically enlarged the book title so much that you could see it from several feet away, and you still ask what book it is. Can you act any more fake?
"No need, I'm just taking a look," Mo Hua said.
The less Mo Hua agreed, the more itchy Zhang Lan felt. He leaned in to take a closer look, then pretended to just notice the book title and said:
"'Record of Qi Refining Spells,' not bad. Want to learn spells? Have you reached the fifth level of Qi Refining?"
"Just reached the fifth level. I'm just looking for now, no rush," Mo Hua replied, pretending to be calm.
"How about it? Want me to teach you?" Zhang Lan raised an eyebrow.
"Uncle Zhang, are you a spiritual cultivator?"
"Well, sort of."
"What do you mean by 'sort of'? Oh, are you a half-baked one?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan's face darkened. "What do you mean half-baked? Where did you learn such nonsense at your age?"
"I see that your qi and blood aren't weak, but I don't sense much spiritual power. Did I miss it?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan said proudly, "I use spells to conceal my aura. Of course, you can't see it. If a kid like you could see through it, then all my cultivation would be for nothing."
"Oh, so you're a dual cultivator of body and spirit?" Mo Hua asked curiously.
"Dual cultivation of body and spirit isn't that easy. I just trained my body a bit to avoid being at a disadvantage in close combat with physical cultivators. My main focus is still on spells. True dual cultivators of body and spirit require exceptional talent, prestigious heritage, and vast wealth. You might not encounter one in your entire life," Zhang Lan said with a sigh.
Mo Hua was stunned. Having exceptional talent, prestigious heritage, and vast wealth—any of these conditions seemed as distant as the heavens to Mo Hua. Even if he were reincarnated a million times, he might not meet one.
"Uncle Zhang, are your spells powerful?" Mo Hua asked.
"They're alright, passable," Zhang Lan replied modestly.
"So, not very good then."
Zhang Lan was infuriated. He tapped Mo Hua on the head. "That's called modesty, got it? Modesty!"
Mo Hua rubbed his little head and asked, "Then who's stronger, you or Aunt Xue?"
"Well," Zhang Lan hesitated, "we haven't sparred, so how would I know?"
"Do you know illusion spells?"
"Of course...not."
Mo Hua said, "Aunt Xue knows illusion spells, and you don't, so she must be stronger than you! I'll ask Aunt Xue when I get a chance to see what spells I should learn."
Zhang Lan retorted, "Just because I don't know illusion spells doesn't mean my other spells are weaker."
"Really?" Mo Hua looked at Zhang Lan skeptically.
"You can ask me about any Qi Refining stage spells," Zhang Lan assured.
"Alright, if I want to learn spells now, which one should I start with?"
"Do you have any in mind?" Zhang Lan asked.
Mo Hua handed the "Record of Qi Refining Spells" to Zhang Lan. "I've selected a few spells. Take a look and see which one I should learn first."
Zhang Lan took the book, flipped through a few pages, and saw that several spells had been circled.
Fireball Technique, Water Arrow Technique, Golden Blade Technique, Earth Stone Technique...
These were all spells that could be learned at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. The spells weren't difficult, and the spiritual power required for casting wasn't excessive either.
Zhang Lan nodded in approval. Starting with basic spells and not aiming too high—Mo Hua's choice was quite sensible.
Many cultivators, when they first start learning spells, only want to learn high-grade, powerful, or rare spells. They don't realize that high-grade spells require more spiritual power, powerful spells take longer to cast, and the rarer the spell, the more stringent the conditions for learning it are.
Let's not even mention whether you can learn them. Even if you do learn them, a single spell might consume more than half of your spiritual power. If you miss your target, you'll be left defenseless.
Zhang Lan stared at Mo Hua for a moment, then suddenly realized a problem. "All the spells you picked are offensive spells?"
Mo Hua was stunned. "If I don't learn offensive spells, what should I learn?"
"Aren't you thinking about how to protect yourself?"
"Oh right," Mo Hua suddenly realized, "I need to be able to protect myself first. If I can't even protect myself, who am I going to attack?"
The incident with Qian Xing also made him understand that a cultivator must have means of self-preservation. Otherwise, in case of sudden danger, without the ability to protect oneself, one would be at a passive disadvantage.
"What defensive spells are there? Is the Golden Bell Shield one?" Mo Hua asked sincerely.
"The Golden Bell Shield is not bad, but it's not very useful for you."
"Why?" Mo Hua didn't understand.
Zhang Lan glanced at Mo Hua with a hint of disdain. "You haven't realized that your spiritual power is actually not strong?"
"That's because my cultivation level is low," Mo Hua argued.
"Part of it is because your cultivation level is low, but your spiritual roots are of average quality. If I'm not mistaken, the cultivation method you're practicing doesn't enhance your spiritual power much either. So, the spiritual power in your qi sea is definitely weaker than that of others at the same level."
Mo Hua didn't want to admit it, but it seemed to be true.
Zhang Lan thought to himself, it's a good thing your spiritual root talent is average. If your spiritual root talent were as good as your array formation talent, who could stop you in the future?
It seems that the heavens are still relatively fair.
Zhang Lan continued to explain, "If your spiritual power is weak, even if you use a defensive spell like the Golden Bell Shield, it won't last long. Once your spiritual power is exhausted, you'll still be defenseless."
"Moreover, the Golden Bell Shield requires you to anticipate danger and activate it with spiritual power in advance. If you're caught off guard by a sneak attack, the spell is useless."
Mo Hua frowned. "Then what should I learn?"
You finally have a moment of uncertainty, huh? That's what you get for not wanting to ask me!
Zhang Lan secretly reveled in his triumph for a moment.
Any problem in the Qi Refining stage is a small problem... as long as it doesn't involve array formations.
After putting on a bit of a show, Zhang Lan said to Mo Hua, "You can learn a body movement technique."
"Body movement technique?"
"If you learn a defensive spell like the Golden Bell Shield, you can only endure attacks... but with your body and spiritual power, you won't be able to withstand much."
Mo Hua nodded in agreement.
"So, you should learn a body movement technique. It allows you to attack when advancing and evade when retreating. If things go wrong, you can always run away," Zhang Lan explained.
"Is there any downside to that?"
"Of course, there are downsides. With a defensive spell, as long as your spiritual power isn't exhausted, you can take a few hits. But if you rely on a body movement technique to dodge, it depends on how skillfully you move. If you slip up and get caught, you'll be in big trouble."
"So, it means that if you're not careful, you'll take an unguarded hit from your opponent. Is that it?"
"Exactly."
Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, then said, "With defensive spells, once your spiritual power is exhausted, you're at the mercy of others. With a body movement technique, if you're caught, you're also helpless. But at least with a body movement technique, you can advance or retreat. If I learn the Golden Bell Shield, I won't be able to block or run..."
"Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes, I'll learn the body movement technique."
Zhang Lan nodded. "You're quite smart. Since you can't have it all, you have to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses."
Zhang Lan picked up the "Record of Qi Refining Spells," flipped through it, and selected a few body movement techniques. He was about to let Mo Hua choose one to practice but suddenly realized something.
These body movement techniques were common in the Qi Refining stage. Mo Hua could learn them, but since they were common, others could teach them too. How would this show that he was superior?
(End of the Chapter)