Fang Hao then retrieved the storage pouch and willed a small stream of Qi in it. The action seemed almost effortless and information about three jade slips entered his mind. As he willed it, one of the jade slips exited the storage pouch and appeared in his hand. He circulated a thread of Qi in it and soon information about the spell “Flame Snake”. Casting it conjured a snake made of flames which attacked a target. The spell was a very basic one, which almost all Qi Condensation Disciples knew.

It was more of a training spell than anything else. However, the actual effectiveness of the spell would vary from cultivator to cultivator. Of course a new Qi Condensation cultivator casting the Flame Snake spell could never hope to compare its destructiveness with an experienced Cultivator in the Core Formation stage for example. The jade slip had another spell called “Wind Blade”. The Wind Blade spell created a translucent crescent blade of of wind which shot at the target. Wind Blade was also a training spell of sorts, being less destructive and faster to cast than flame snake.

The last spell was Qi Barrier. It was the most elementary and basic defensive spells for Qi cultivators. Qi Barrier was a defensive spell which created a barrier made of Qi around the caster, which could block a limited amount of damage before shattering and had a relatively short cast time. This was one spell which had a lot of utility. Rather than being used for defense, Qi Barrier was used more to gain a breaths worth of time to activate talismans/treasures and/or cast more powerful spells.

This was because, with the attacker and defender having similar cultivation, Qi Barrier could block around three to five attacks at best. And that was a very optimistic estimate assuming the defender had a good mastery of Qi Barrier and the attacker used a weak spell with barely any proficiency. Still, a couple of breath's worth of respite in a fight could determine the loser and winner quite easily.

'OK 3 basic spells. 1 heavy attack, fire based. 1 fast attack, wind based. 1 low level temporary barrier. While the sect may treat these spells as trash and good for training new Qi Condensation disciples... these spells would make one worthy of respect and fear in the mortal world! But then again... after getting a taste of the breakthrough to Qi Condensation, who could bear to remain in the mortal world? That would be like giving up all hope of advancing to the Foundation Establishment Stage. And If a cultivator creates too big of a ruckus, I don't think that the sects would sit by idly either. Lets start with the flame snake spell! It looks the coolest. After that I should learn Qi barrier..cause the more defense...the better! And then I should familiarize myself with Aura Infusion and lastly learn wind blades. Yep, that should be my plan for now. Oh after '

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Fang Hao then diligently scrutinized the jade slip for the Flame Snake spell. Successfully casting it would require circulating Qi in a specific manner while contemplating a specific image in one's mind while using the appropriate hand symbols and mnemonic chants. The jade slip described that, as one became more proficient with the spell, gained more insight and achieved a higher cultivation base... one could unleash a swarm of flame snakes in the blink of an eye with a casual flick of one's sleeve. The jade slip also stressed upon the fact that while the flame snake was a basic spell, with sufficient insight and appropriate enlightenment along with a strong enough cultivation base to support it, the caster could evolve the spell...making the spell exceed it's limits!

'Well I suppose only elders are capable of unleashing swarms of flame snakes in the blink of an eye or evolving the flame snake into a blazing dragon or whatever. As for little fat me...let me just learn to cast this spell till breakfast. Dreams of slaughtering the heavens with blazing inferno dragons at my beck and call are a long way still. Oh, I also should report to the Assignment Hall that I broke through to the Qi Condensation Stage after the dawn meal.'

Fang Hao then diligently started to gain enlightenment regarding the spell. He practiced the hand signs, Qi circulation paths and mnemonic chants over and over again till it was rote memorization. His capacity for concentration, memorization and imitation had increased drastically after his Qi Condensation Breakthrough. Or perhaps it was the effect of exceeding 10 in Spirit; he wasn't really sure. Once confident, he started visualizing the contemplation image with his eyes closed while muttering the mnemonic chants and performing the appropriate hand seals but refraining from circulating his Qi.

In this way hours passed, and the contemplation image of the flame snake became clearer and clearer in his mind. Soon he could vividly recall the image of the flame snake with his eyes open at a moment's notice. Feeling confident enough with his preparations, Fang Hao then attempted to cast the spell for the first time. He recalled the contemplation image of the flame snake, each detail vivid in his mind's eye, as he muttered the mnemonic chants under his breath while making the appropriate hand seals and circulating the Qi as per the jade slip. As he completed the actions he felt a comforting warmth before his hands as a smoky illusory snake appeared. Excited at his success, Fang Hao's concentration lapsed and the contemplation image fizzled out of his mind's eye and the spell casting failed.

'Damn it. I was almost about to succeed. From the looks of it discipline and concentration are quite important to successfully cast spells. It would be much more of a challenge to successively cast spells in a stressful situations like fights. Lets try another attempt.'

Fang Hao concentrated his utmost fixing the contemplation image of the flame snake in his mind as he attempted to cast the Flame Snake spell again. Mentally prepared, he could suppress his excitement and maintain his concentration as the smoky blurry flame snake appeared before his hands. Within a breath's worth of time, the flame snake become significantly less blurry and uncoiled itself in mid-air. Fang Hao noticed that the snake was shivering in a weird rhythm, with its semi-defined scales pulsating. As he observed it, the contemplation image in his mind's eye also reflected these changes and morphed accordingly with shimmering scales and almost looked life-like! Even though the manifested flame snake was around two fingers wide and a bit shorter than his forearm, it had a unique charm to it.