Chapter 386 - 358: Small Spell-Dueling Meet (Part 1)
Chapter 386: Chapter 358: Small Spell-Dueling Meet (Part 1)
A pebble seemed to have dropped into Zhao Lin’s sea of consciousness, sending ripples spreading out in all directions.
Light and shadow flowed and shifted as the Spirit Cultivation Map flickered.
Suddenly, with a BOOM, the woman’s body disintegrated into countless silver specks of light.
The specks of light scattered and converged, intertwining and coalescing to form a variety of words.
"Qi Observation Skill, Water Manipulation Skill, Rain Gathering Skill, Pioneer Skill..."
"Cultivation Acceleration Skill, Transformation Skill, Spirit-Infused Soil Cultivation, Mountain Shattering and Earth Splitting..."
Zhao Lin’s lips moved as he recited the names of the skills, his brow gradually furrowing.
Evidently, the woman had specialized in cultivating Spirit Plants and hadn’t practiced any skills suitable for combat.
’I went to all the trouble of bringing her remains back, and even spent over a hundred Spirit Stones to retrace her skills. It seems like it was all for nothing.’
The woman had indeed been a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a dual Water and Earth Spiritual Root. Of her twenty-some skills, six were Tier Two, and all of them fell under the water and earth elements.
’No need to rush. Let’s take another look.’
Zhao Lin calmed himself and carefully examined each skill, analyzing whether it could be used in actual combat.
"Mountain Shattering and Earth Splitting."
When he saw the last Tier Two Skill, Zhao Lin’s gaze sharpened as he recalled the skill’s description from a book he had read.
The Mountain Shattering and Earth Splitting Skill was mainly used for land reclamation, leveling uneven terrain to prepare it for Spirit Fields.
In comparison, the Mountain Shattering and Earth Splitting Skill was somewhat similar to the Mountain-Bashing Skill, but it was far more powerful. It could destroy not only surface-level obstructions but also anything underground.
It was the bane of defensive skills like the Thorn Skill and the Fence Skill.
’It seems that even though this skill was originally intended for land reclamation, it can just as easily be used for offense.’
With a mere thought from Zhao Lin, the five words "Mountain Shattering and Earth Splitting" appeared in the first grid of the Spirit Cultivation Map, right above the Rock Armor Skill.
Beside the words was a four-petaled plum blossom.
A Tier Two Earth Element skill at the Mastery level!
’If I don’t find a better Earth Element skill in the future, I’ll cultivate this one.’
Having made his decision, Zhao Lin’s gaze swept over the Tier One skills, finally landing on the Water Manipulation Skill.
Figuring he had nothing to lose, he followed the same procedure and moved the Water Manipulation Skill to the Spirit Cultivation Map.
The Water Manipulation Skill in the seventh grid flashed once before changing: the plum blossom went from four petals to five.
"Perfection-level Water Manipulation Skill!"
A smile appeared on Zhao Lin’s face. ’Excellent. This alone made it all worthwhile!’
He glanced down at the ground. At some point, the skeleton had turned into fine dust.
...
「Three Mountains County, the Li family estate.」
"Patriarch, we have the information. Zhao Lin is a disciple of the Spirit Dao Institute in Han Chi County. He comes from some minor world and only joined the sect last year. He has no backing whatsoever."
A blue-robed cultivator with a mature face walked into the main hall, bowed, and spoke to Li Chenglin, who was seated in the place of honor.
"He’s only been a cultivator for a little over a year?"
A flicker of worry crossed Li Chenglin’s eyes. He muttered to himself, ’If I’d known, I should have gone myself.’
The blue-robed cultivator glanced up and said quickly, "News about Yuanyou becoming a Yin Soul is spreading like wildfire through the county. Should we investigate who’s spreading the rumors?"
Li Chenglin waved a dismissive hand. "No need. It was definitely that brat."
"What do we do now?"
"Have him watched. There’s nothing we can do to him for now. But I refuse to believe he’ll stay cooped up in there forever!"
The blue-robed cultivator hesitated. "There is one other thing."
"What is it?"
"The Young Miss returned yesterday. She’s also heard about it."
Li Chenglin’s expression darkened. "Then she knows. It’s not something we could have hidden anyway."
...
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the Spirit Dao Institute’s minor sparring competition arrived.
Elder Wu had mentioned to Zhao Lin a few days prior that the sect was holding a major tournament, which meant the Spirit Dao Institute would hold its own minor tournament to assess the disciples’ magical proficiency.
Second- and third-year disciples would participate in the sparring competition, while first-year disciples, who had only just joined the sect, would merely observe.
Because it was just an internal competition, there were no merit points awarded. The top four would receive ten Spirit Stones, and the first-place winner would receive an additional Essence Enhancing Pill.
The prizes alone showed that this sparring competition was not a high-profile event.
Zhao Lin, however, was quite looking forward to it. Not for the rewards, but for the opportunity to reveal his talent for magic.
He wanted everyone to know he was a magical prodigy. That way, when he used Mastery- or even Perfection-level skills in the future, people wouldn’t find it so jarring.
Around 7 a.m., disciples began arriving at the plaza in twos and threes, gathering to chat before the competition started.
After more than a year of cultivation, all the disciples in Zhao Lin’s cohort had reached the Qi Refining Second Layer. The fastest among them was Lin Chaoran, whose cultivation base had already reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
Zhao Lin had heard he was only one or two Spiritual Acupoints away from breaking through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
He wasn’t envious, though. ’The man has an Earth Spirit Root; there’s no point in being jealous of that. Besides, comparing yourself to others is the biggest taboo in cultivation. It can easily erode your willpower and shake your conviction.’
"Hey, seniors, who do you think is going to win the competition?"
a baby-faced first-year disciple in the crowd, who looked about thirteen or fourteen, asked.
"Is that even a question? It’s got to be Zhao Lin!"
an older, honest-looking disciple said with absolute certainty.
"Last year, Zhao Lin took first place in the Tri-Institute Dharma Assembly as a mere first-year. Now that the older disciples are gone, he’s completely unrivaled."
Hearing this, Zhu Cong, Li Sancai, and Tong Mu all stifled their laughter, exchanging mischievous glances with Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin found it amusing, too. ’This fellow is talking me up so much, yet he doesn’t even recognize that the person he’s praising is standing right beside him.’
To be fair, it wasn’t their fault. Zhao Lin rarely appeared in public places. What’s more, he had been away from the Spirit Dao Institute for a long time on a recent mission. As a result, most first-year disciples knew him by reputation only.