But shortly after, just half an inch above the tip of his raised finger, a slight spatial fluctuation occurred. A few sparks of fire appeared out of thin air. The moment they materialized, with a sharp "sizzle," they transformed in the twisting space into a red fireball about the size of a walnut. Though the fireball wasn't large, a wave of intense heat radiated from it the instant it appeared, filling the entire room.
Han Li still lay perfectly still in his armchair, a book covering his face as if he were asleep. Only the small fireball on his fingertip continuously emitted that "sizzle! sizzle!" sound of high-temperature burning, strikingly noticeable against his motionless finger.
Time passed minute by minute. The fireball maintained its extraordinary, vibrant energy, showing no sign of extinguishing. Finally, Han Li began to react differently. The fingertip holding the fireball started to tremble slightly. At first, it was just his finger, but as time went on, his wrist, his entire arm, and eventually his whole body began to shake gradually.
Suddenly, Han Li sat bolt upright in his armchair, so abruptly that the book on his face slid to the floor without him noticing.
His eyes were fixed intently on the small fireball on his fingertip, his face flushed red from exertion. From his forehead down to his neck, exposed skin was dotted with beads of sweat, as if he had just completed some strenuous physical activity, his entire body steaming.
A moment later, amid his violent trembling, the fireball began to waver. The flames on it flickered, growing larger one moment and smaller the next, unable to maintain their stability. Not long after, it shrank and turned back into sparks, vanishing into the air.
Once the fireball disappeared, Han Li collapsed back into his chair as if his spine had been pulled out, looking utterly exhausted, as though he had just expended a great deal of physical effort.
"This Fire Bullet Technique is truly difficult to practice! I've researched it for nearly half a year, yet I still haven't fully grasped its essentials. I've only managed to prolong its manifestation time by a little bit." Han Li stared at the ceiling, muttering to himself.
It turned out that the last few pages of the "Eternal Spring Technique" manual also contained several rudimentary spells. These were clearly entry-level techniques for cultivators, and Han Li had treated them like a priceless treasure, so excited that he couldn't sleep for several nights in a row.
His excitement was understandable. Ever since witnessing Doctor Mo use a few spells, Han Li had been fascinated by these inconceivable and unfathomably powerful abilities.
However, the pity was that although Han Li currently possessed the Magical Power of the peak sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Technique, he was like a beggar holding a golden bowl but begging for food—he knew not a shred of spellcasting technique, nor even the most basic principles of spells. But now he had suddenly found several suitable spells and their incantations for a beginner like him. How could he not be overjoyed?
The spells recorded on the last pages were "Fire Bullet Technique," "Soul-Stabilizing Talisman," "Wind Riding Technique," "Object Control Technique," and "Heavenly Eye Technique." Every single line of the incantations for these spells was archaic and profound to Han Li, difficult to comprehend.
This was no surprise. The incantations were composed using a somewhat archaic grammatical vocabulary. Although he had read quite a few books, his mastery of this kind of language was shallow, so he naturally couldn't grasp their meanings all at once.
Helplessly, Han Li finally took out the same desperate determination he had used when learning the Eternal Spring Technique and dived into stacks of books related to ancient texts. He began day and night, painstakingly studying the true meaning hidden within the incantations, pondering and dissecting every sentence and word dozens of times before he was willing to stop, determined to achieve true understanding without any ambiguity.
Even though he had never learned any spells before, he knew well that such an infinitely powerful force, if mishandled, could be far worse than any Qi deviation. It could likely take his life in an instant. For his own safety, Han Li proceeded with such caution, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
After three months of intensive study, Han Li finally comprehended these incantations theoretically in their entirety. Then, he began the actual practice of the spells.
This practical application dealt Han Li a significant blow.
He had thought that with his cleverness in learning the "Blink Sword Technique," learning spells shouldn't be too hard. But who knew that he had suddenly become incredibly clumsy at this. Even though he understood the principles, he just couldn't do it correctly when he actually tried. Either his hand movements were wrong, or he recited the incantation incorrectly, or his Magical Power wasn't properly channeled. He appeared utterly dull.
Han Li had no solution to this problem either. If it were a matter of insufficient Magical Power, he could resolve it—just take two more of the spiritual medicines. But this was clearly a problem of his own inability to master it. It seemed his talent for spells wasn't as good as he had imagined. This was the conclusion Han Li reached after his hard work.
After long and arduous practice, Han Li finally achieved minor success in the "Fire Bullet Technique" and the "Heavenly Eye Technique." As for the other three spells, he hadn't even touched the threshold, achieving absolutely no effect.
Frustrated, he had to focus all his attention on the "Fire Bullet Technique" and "Heavenly Eye Technique"—the spells he could currently use—placing considerable hope in them.
The power of the "Fire Bullet Technique" truly did not disappoint Han Li; in fact, it far exceeded his expectations.
Don't let the fireball's small size fool you. The terrifying heat contained within it could almost incinerate anything, leaving nothing unburned.
Even a weapon forged from fine steel would have the point of contact melted into liquid iron in the blink of an eye when hit by this fireball.
After witnessing such inhuman, terrifying power, Han Li even threw the fireball onto the surface of the water to test it. The result was that the body of water immediately ignited like oil upon the fireball's contact, showing no tendency whatsoever to be restrained by water.
Having thoroughly understood the power of the "Fire Bullet Technique," Han Li finally understood why Yu Zitong held such a disdainful attitude toward mortals.
Think about it: a cultivator who knew only a little spellwork could easily kill so-called martial arts masters in the Jianghu with a minor spell like the Fire Bullet Technique. Then if a cultivator with slightly deeper cultivation took action, wouldn't they sweep through the entire martial world, becoming invincible under heaven?
With such a vast disparity in strength, it was no wonder that cultivators like Yu Zitong looked upon ordinary people as mere ants.
(End of Chapter)