Chapter 27: The Beginnings of Spells

Translator: GGP

But what made Liu Ming even more frustrated was that he had comprehended only about thirty to forty percent of the first layer of the Ming Bone Technique. This cultivation technique was vastly different from the Qi Refining methods he had learned before; some phrases seemed ambiguous, making it difficult for him to ascertain their true meaning.

In that case, he either had to directly ask others for detailed guidance, sentence by sentence, or he could refer to some cultivation experience-related texts to gain understanding through analogy on his own.

However, given Uncle Master Ruan’s warning, the Ming Bone Technique was not likely to be easily divulged to others, so it seemed the second option was the only way to go.

Once he had made up his mind, he immediately put away the brocaded book and left his dwelling to make a trip to the top of the mountain to Spirit Scriptures Pavilion.

By the time he returned with two thick volumes of cultivation experiences, the last two spirit stones he had were nowhere to be found.

Nevertheless, Liu Ming wore a hint of excitement on his face.

For these two volumes of cultivation experiences were written by two Spirit Master level elders of the Barbarian Ghost Sect, and the annotations on some of the basic method’s mantras were very detailed—precisely what he needed.

After returning to his place, he didn’t start contemplating right away but went to the bedroom and plunged into bed, sleeping soundly.

This sleep lasted for a whole day and night.

When Liu Ming opened his eyes again, he immediately went to the courtyard to wash his face, then hurried into the cultivation room.

He sat down cross-legged, spread the two thick volumes and the brocaded book in front of him, and after hesitating for a moment, he took out a small cloth bag from his bosom, shaking several Bi Gu pills into the brocaded book between two pages.

That way, he wouldn’t end up nearly starving to death like last time.

After taking a deep breath, Liu Ming began to flip through the thick volumes page by page, soon becoming as immersed in them as he had before…

Half a month later, a burst of wild laughter suddenly came from the room.

Liu Ming abruptly stood up from the ground, throwing back his head and laughing aloud.

At this point, his hair was disheveled, his clothes were wrinkled, and there was even a faint stench emanating from him.

No wonder Liu Ming was like this!

For these past several days, whenever he was hungry, he would eat one Bi Gu pill; when he was thirsty, he would drink some water; and when he was tired, he would fall asleep on the spot, never once stepping out of the room.

It was only by doing so that he had finally completely comprehended the first layer of the Ming Bone Technique, and now he only needed to cultivate it slowly.

Once the joy on Liu Ming’s face had subsided, he noticed something amiss and frowned, picking up a wooden bucket and stepping out of the room.

Quickly, he stripped off his clothes, dousing himself head to toe with several buckets of water, and instantly felt refreshed.

Liu Ming shook his wet hair and put his clothes back on without a care before returning inside.

His Dust Avoidance Garment, no matter what material it was made from, not only didn’t show any dirt after so many days but also didn’t soak up a single drop of water when poured on, sliding straight off instead.

After sitting down again, Liu Ming didn’t start to cultivate the Ming Bone Technique but took out scrolls of the Flight Technique and two other spells to silently recite the recorded words.

The cultivation mantras that had appeared somewhat obscure were now smooth and comprehensible to him.

In just two hours, he had completely memorized the methods to cultivate these three spells.

Liu Ming exhaled softly and, putting away all the texts except for the brocaded book, closed his eyes and placed strange hand seals on his knees.

A moment later, he felt a sinking sensation in his mind and his consciousness plunged into his body where he could see his inner workings bathed in a faint light.

Ordinary meridians, three thick spiritual veins entwining his body, and the still, fist-sized silver Spirit Sea in his Dantian.

With a slight thought from Liu Ming, the Spirit Sea began to rotate slowly, gathering speed.

After several ‘plop’ sounds, streams of white Yuan Energy surged from the Spirit Sea and along various meridians, flowing swiftly throughout his body. Just like that, he had taken the first step in cultivating the Ming Bone Technique.

Three days later, Liu Ming was still seated on the ground, constantly muttering spells under his breath, his hands quickly forming various magical symbols. Gray wisps began to emerge beneath him, growing more and more abundant, until they finally gathered into a small, several-foot-long cloud mass after the time it took to brew a pot of tea.

“Rise,”

The moment the cloud beneath him formed, Liu Ming changed the hand seals without hesitation.

With a ‘bang,’ the cloud actually lifted him slowly upwards.

Upon witnessing this scene, a hint of joy appeared on Liu Ming’s face, but the seals in his hands involuntarily became slightly disturbed.

With a ‘bang.’

Liu Ming’s body pierced through the clouds and crashed to the ground. Fortunately, his altitude was not over a dozen feet, so aside from gritting his teeth, he was not injured at all.

Far from showing a look of dejection, Liu Ming’s face actually revealed a hint of joy.

This was only his third attempt at casting the Flight Technique, and to perform this well was beyond his expectations.

According to the records in the book of insights, even the simplest spell required dozens or even hundreds of attempts to master.

It seemed that his formidable spirit and natural talent for multitasking allowed him to practice magic spells much faster than the average disciple.

All he needed to do was to gather more converted Yuan Energy and get more familiar with the spell, then mastering the Flight Technique would be a piece of cake.

Thinking thus, Liu Ming once again started to form incantations and cast spells to continue practicing the other two spells.

Half a day later, Liu Ming sat quietly on the ground; his hand suddenly made a gesture, while his other hand spread his fingers horizontally in front of him.

With a “puff,” a chicken-egg-sized flame burned fiercely in his palm.

Liu Ming smiled slightly, and with another closing of his fingers, the flame disappeared into thin air.

He then murmured an incantation, and his ten fingers began to move in front

of him without stopping.

A damp, white mist began to gather in the void; when Liu Ming raised his eyebrows and shouted, the mist suddenly condensed and dissipated, revealing a fist-sized, clear water ball that floated unsteadily midair, as if it could fall at any moment.

Liu Ming stopped his incantations and, pointing a finger at the water ball, sampled it before nodding his head with a satisfied expression.

More than ten days later in the morning, Liu Ming sat cross-legged on a not-so-large gray cloud, flying back and forth at a considerable height above his residence, exhilarated.

Feeling the fresh breezes against his face, he couldn’t hide the excitement on his face.

Though he was usually steadfast and meticulous, with a maturity far beyond his peers, at that moment, he looked no different from an ordinary young boy. After a while, sensing that his Yuan Energy was almost depleted, Liu Ming slowed the descent of the gray cloud to the ground below.

Though he still couldn’t maintain the Flight Technique for a long time, it was already sufficient for traveling.

As for the Flame Technique and Water Condensation Technique, he made equally good progress.

However, these were the simplest spells, mostly used by beginner Spirit Disciples to get accustomed to magic, and to rely on them for fighting or dueling was nothing more than wishful thinking.

It seems next time he went to the Spirit Energy Pavilion, he would need to choose two practical spells.

But just the thought reminded Liu Ming of “Senior Sister Zhao,” who recognized money over people; his facial muscles couldn’t help but twitch.

Right, speaking of spirit stones! It’s been almost a month since he joined the Barbarian Ghost Sect, and it was time he went to the Mission Hall to receive his routine sect mission, otherwise, he wouldn’t have a single spirit stone next month.

Realizing this, Liu Ming quickly returned to his room to sit cross-legged and slowly started recovering his Yuan Energy.

Fortunately, his Yuan Energy reserves were not too large, so it didn’t take too long to recover.

Half an hour later, he sat on the gray cloud again, heading straight for the Mission Hall.

This time, as Liu Ming entered the vast doors of the Mission Hall, he couldn’t help but look astonished.

He saw the first floor crowded with bustling people, about fifty to sixty in number, with the majority being outer door disciples, but there were also seven or eight clad in inner door disciple attire among them.

“Excuse me, Senior Brother, may I ask what’s happening here? Is it always this crowded?” Liu Ming blinked and quickly approached a twenty-something inner door disciple near the entrance, asking with a cupped fist salute.

“Oh, you must be new here. Hehe, today just happens to be the annual task rotation day in the Mission Hall, so naturally, many came early in the hope of picking a better task. But in reality, it’s just a futile effort; most of the lucrative tasks are already taken,” explained the inwardly amiable inner door disciple, who wore a dark green, thick belt around his waist and glanced at Liu Ming nonchalantly.

“I see, thank you for informing me, Senior Brother,” Liu Ming said, somewhat enlightened.

“Hehe, I’m Li Zong from the Corpse Refining Sect. May I know your name, Junior Brother, and under which lineage do you study?” The inner door disciple saw that Liu Ming was young but extraordinarily polite, and couldn’t help but feel somewhat favorably towards him, casually starting a conversation.

“I am Bai Congtian, currently under the tutelage of the Jiuying lineage,” Liu Ming replied openly without hiding anything.

“Ah, so Junior Brother has been assigned to Uncle Master Gui’s lineage. The Jiuying lineage has been weak for many years; I’m afraid Junior Brother Bai will have a difficult time,” Li Zong said with a hint of pity upon hearing the response.

“It’s okay. I feel that my senior brothers and sisters are quite caring towards me,” Liu Ming answered impassively.

“Hehe, of course, there’s harmony within each lineage, but when it comes to the grand comparison trials, you’ll understand the pain of being part of a weaker lineage,” Li Zong said, shaking his head.

“Ah, the grand comparison, the trials! Although I’ve heard others mention them, I’m not very clear about the specifics. Could Senior Brother Li enlighten me further?” Liu Ming asked, suddenly interested..