"This is magic?" Mo Hua's eyes widened in astonishment.
It was simply a matter of circulating spiritual power through specific meridians and using spiritual sense to propel it outward, which could then condense into various attribute spells, achieving a power that surpassed Mo Hua's expectations.
After the pond calmed down, only the mottled water marks on the shore and the charred, fragmented aquatic plants indicated that something had happened.
Elder Kui nodded approvingly. "Not bad."
Mo Hua scratched his head. "Grandpa Puppet, what should I practice next?"
"Keep practicing this."
"Keep practicing this?"
"Yes," Elder Kui said, "practice it a hundred times to really understand it."
"Understand what?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
"It's hard to explain, but after practicing a hundred times, you'll understand," Elder Kui said.
Mo Hua felt a bit confused.
Elder Kui added, "It's similar to when you practice formations. With enough practice, certain insights will come naturally, but they're difficult to put into words."
"Oh," Mo Hua nodded, understanding a bit more.
"Can I practice here?" Mo Hua asked, a bit embarrassed.
He couldn't practice at home in case he burned the house down with the Fireball Technique. Practicing alone in the mountains and forests also seemed dangerous.
"It's fine," Elder Kui said nonchalantly.
Mo Hua hesitated. "But what if I damage the pond or these plants and flowers?"
Elder Kui looked at Mo Hua calmly and then lightly waved his sleeve.
Mo Hua didn't even know what had happened. In the blink of an eye, the water stains by the pond had disappeared, the charred aquatic plants were restored, and the fish were leisurely swimming in the pond again.
It was as if nothing had happened, and Mo Hua hadn't used the Fireball Technique at all.
Mo Hua stood there, stunned.
"It's fine," Elder Kui said calmly.
For the next few days, Mo Hua frequently visited Mr. Zhuang's place.
If Mr. Zhuang was awake, he would greet him and ask some questions. If Mr. Zhuang was asleep, he would practice the Fireball Technique by the pond and bamboo grove.
Mo Hua had understood the principles of the Fireball Technique and, after several days of practice, had also gotten a handle on its use.
However, the power, speed, and accuracy of the Fireball Technique varied slightly each time.
As Elder Kui had said, these aspects needed to be practiced and experienced personally to be fully mastered; they were difficult to convey in words.
During these days, Mo Hua continually practiced the Fireball Technique by the pond.
Each fireball explosion disturbed the serene pond, sending aquatic plants flying and startling the fish.
Luckily, Elder Kui restored the pond every day after Mo Hua left.
Otherwise, the pond would have dried up long ago...
One day, while Mo Hua was practicing the Fireball Technique by the pond, he noticed a small head peeking over curiously from a distance.
"Bai Zisheng?"
Seeing that Mo Hua was alone, Bai Zisheng sneaked over and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Not playing, I'm practicing magic," Mo Hua corrected.
Bai Zisheng's eyes lit up. "You're learning magic? What kind? Show me!"
Mo Hua used the Fireball Technique to explode the pond again.
With a loud bang, water splashed everywhere.
Bai Zisheng watched and then seemed unimpressed, pouting. "Just the Fireball Technique..."
Mo Hua retorted, "What's wrong with the Fireball Technique?"
Bai Zisheng consoled, "It's okay, I thought you'd learn something more powerful."
"Like what?"
"Like... oh right, you have low spiritual power, so you couldn't use it even if you learned it," Bai Zisheng said.
Mo Hua rolled his eyes at him and asked, "Have you finished your homework?"
"No," Bai Zisheng's spirits instantly drooped, "I heard some noise over here, so I sneaked over to see. I have to go back soon."
Bai Zisheng then asked, "Won't practicing the Fireball Technique here disturb Mr. Zhuang?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "I asked Grandpa Puppet, he said it wouldn't. It's quiet over by Mr. Zhuang's place."
Bai Zisheng nodded and looked at Mo Hua enviously. "Mr. Zhuang is really good to you..."
## Chapter 114: Fireball
"Doesn't Mr. Zhuang treat you all well too? And you have some connection with Mr. Zhuang, right?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
Bai Zisheng waved his hand dismissively. "You wouldn't understand..." He thought for a moment but didn't elaborate.
He and Zi Xi had a sense of reverence towards Mr. Zhuang. Although they would ask Mr. Zhuang for advice when they had questions, they generally wouldn't bother him otherwise.
Unlike Mo Hua, who would approach Mr. Zhuang with any problem and even use the Fireball Technique to blow up the pond in Mr. Zhuang's courtyard. They would never dare to do such things.
"Are you afraid of Mr. Zhuang because you have ulterior motives or a guilty conscience?" Mo Hua looked at Bai Zisheng suspiciously.
Bai Zisheng pouted. "I wish I had the ability to."
"True," Mo Hua nodded.
Bai Zisheng curiously asked, "Did Elder Kui teach you the Fireball Technique?"
"Yes."
"Did Elder Kui only teach you the Fireball Technique?"
"You don't understand. The best technique is the one that suits you," Mo Hua said, mimicking Elder Kui's experienced demeanor.
Bai Zisheng thought for a moment and nodded. "That's true."
Mo Hua asked in return, "Is Grandpa Puppet very powerful?"
"I think so," Bai Zisheng said uncertainly.
"So you don't know either."
Bai Zisheng laughed awkwardly.
Mo Hua then said, "You should go do your homework now and stop disturbing my magic practice."
Bai Zisheng was reluctant to leave; doing homework was too boring.
"You practice, and I'll give you some pointers."
"What can you point out? You don't know any magic," Mo Hua was taken aback.
Bai Zisheng replied, annoyed, "Even if I haven't practiced magic, I know about it. I study martial arts, but I also know about powerful magic techniques."
That was true; the Bai family did have a rich heritage.
"Show me the Fireball Technique again," Bai Zisheng said.
"Okay." Mo Hua used the Fireball Technique again, causing another explosion in the pond.
"Hmm... the power is a bit weak," Bai Zisheng remarked.
"Is it because my spiritual power is too weak?"
"Not entirely. The power of a technique is related to your proficiency with it. The more proficient you are with a technique, the more powerful it becomes. If you master it, the power increases even if the amount of spiritual power used remains the same," Bai Zisheng explained patiently.
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly. "What exactly does proficiency mean?"
"Do you have the meridian diagram for the Fireball Technique?"
Mo Hua opened the meridian diagram for the Fireball Technique.
Bai Zisheng pointed at the diagram and said:
"Simply put, it's about the precision of circulating spiritual power. If you can move your spiritual power through these meridians and acupoints precisely every time, the power of the technique will definitely increase."
"Of course, absolute precision isn't possible. Humans aren't puppets; we can't be perfect every time. But getting close enough is good," Bai Zisheng added.
Mo Hua suddenly understood and asked Bai Zisheng several more questions.
Bai Zisheng, eager to show off for once, enthusiastically provided guidance for a long time.
Suddenly, a paper ball flew out of nowhere and hit Bai Zisheng on the head.
Mo Hua picked up the paper ball and unfolded it to find a simple drawing of a small face with a few lines and two dots, looking somewhat unhappy.
Bai Zisheng, rubbing his head, looked at the paper and exclaimed, "Oh no, Zixi is angry. I told her I'd play with you for a while, but I lost track of time."
Bai Zisheng hurriedly got up, threw out, "You keep practicing," and ran off.
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
Following Bai Zisheng's advice, Mo Hua tried to circulate his spiritual power precisely each time. As a result, the power of the Fireball Technique indeed increased.
After practicing a hundred times, Mo Hua had become quite proficient with the Fireball Technique.
Mo Hua then went to find Elder Kui. "Grandpa Puppet, I've practiced a hundred times!"
Elder Kui nodded. "Do you know how to do it now?"
"Yes."
"Good," Elder Kui nodded. "Now, I'll officially start teaching you."
"Huh?"
Mo Hua was stunned. "But haven't you already taught me?"
Elder Kui replied calmly:
"I haven't taught you yet. The Fireball Technique is too simple to be worth teaching."
(End of the Chapter)