219: Chapter 219 Technique, Momentum, Intent

After Foundation Establishment, she rarely touched these things. Medicinal Pills were many times more efficient than spirit food, and even all her time spent Cultivating was not enough, so how could she have the leisure to sit down and eat slowly?

But looking at the plate of spirit bamboo shoots, she still picked up her chopsticks.

The taste was a bit different from what she ate at home when she was little; too much chili oil was added, and the bamboo shoots were cut unevenly.

However, the unique sweetness of the spirit bamboo shoots remained, and they were crisp with every bite. A wisp of wood Spirit Qi seeped into her Meridians through the tip of her tongue, making her body, which had been stiff for two months, feel much more relaxed.

She ate all the spirit food cleanly, then handed out the food box: "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Wenren Zimo took the food box, hesitated for a moment: "Senior Sister, seven days from now, the Sect will hold a Dao discussion lecture by a Foundation Establishment Elder. Revered Master said to ask you to make an appearance as well."

"What is the content?"

"Practical application of various attribute Spells."

"Okay, I will go." Su Yunling nodded.

Wenren Zimo nodded, then left with the food box.

Su Yunling watched his back disappear around the mountain path corner, then retracted her gaze.

She was not unaware of Wenren Zimo's feelings.

But awareness was one thing; she had no intention of responding.

It wasn't that she looked down on him, but now was not the time to think about such things.

Her cultivation was only in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, still a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Golden Core.

Moreover, her Heart-Nature towards the Dao was very firm, for the sake of protecting her younger brother, and for guarding her parents and Family.

Wenren Zimo's kindness to her, she kept in mind.

When she had the ability, she would repay this kindness in other ways.

As for now, Su Yunling returned to the stone chamber, sat cross-legged, took out three supreme grade clear spirit pills from her Storage Pouch, and swallowed them one by one.

The pure medicinal power spread along her Meridians, converging and Fusing with the spiritual power in her Spirit Sea.

She closed her eyes, activating the spiritual power vortex in her Dantian to accelerate its operation, beginning a new round of arduous Cultivation.

Without her younger brother supporting her from behind, how could she compete in speed with the Geniuses of the Sect?

Su Yunling's daily schedule was packed.

She would rise at dawn to circulate Qi and breathe, Cultivate the fire attribute Spells [Beacon Fire Seal] and [Fire Crow Sword Art] in the afternoon, and continue to seclude herself to refine Medicinal Pills at night.

Both Spells were High Grade second-tier, exchanged from the Dharma Transmission Pavilion, and she had been Cultivating them for over a year.

The Beacon Fire Seal primarily focused on continuous scorching. When casting, a fire attribute spiritual power imprint would condense in her palm, pressing down layer by layer, with the temperature gradually increasing. It was suitable for dealing with thick-skinned Yao Beasts and defensive Magical Artifacts.

The Fire Crow Sword Art took a different path, using Divine Sense as a guide to condense fire attribute spiritual power into raven-shaped Sword Qi. Its speed was extremely fast, and its penetrative power was strong. Once it hit, it would explode into several tiny lines of fire within the target's body, scorching the Meridians from within.

When the two Spells were used together, one for area burning and one for internal penetration, the attack methods were no longer singular.

Such a life was extremely monotonous, but she found joy in it.

She could already condense the fourth layer of the Beacon Fire Seal. After four layers were superimposed, the scorching spiritual power released from her palm was enough to soften the surface of low-grade Magical Artifacts.

The Fire Crow Sword Art was faster; she could unleash three raven-shaped Sword Qi simultaneously in one go. After the Sword Qi left her hand, it was wrapped in dark red flame patterns, and its accuracy also improved with practice.

Both Spells were stuck at their respective thresholds for Breakthrough to mastery, lacking not spiritual power or proficiency, but an indescribable layer of something.

Revered Master called this 'Momentum'.

Spell Cultivation has three Realms: Art, Momentum, and Concept. (A little extra setting, most Cultivators can only Cultivate to Art.)

Art is the Foundation, referring to the spiritual power circulation route, the method of forming hand seals, and the rhythm of casting. These things are written on Jade Slips, and one just needs to practice according to them. Practice makes perfect; after hundreds of repetitions, it naturally becomes smooth.

From beginner to proficient, it all relies on this 'Art'; there are no shortcuts.

When the Art of a Spell is practiced to pure mastery, the circulation of spiritual power no longer requires deliberate guidance, and casting becomes an instinctive reaction. At this point, the Spell released will naturally carry a certain 'Momentum'.

The same Beacon Fire Seal, when first cast by a beginner, is just a ball of fire. But at the 'Momentum' level, when cast, the flames will be imbued with the caster's Qi mechanism and Spiritual Pressure, which can generate an instinctive sense of oppression in opponents of similar cultivation, causing their skin to tighten and their spiritual power circulation to become sluggish.

This oppression is not accumulated by the total amount of spiritual power, but an aura that naturally arises when a Spell is operated to its extreme.

The vast majority of Foundation Establishment Cultivators who can Cultivate Spells to the level of 'Momentum' in their lifetime are considered qualified.

But above Momentum, there is another layer, called Concept.

Concept is understanding, and even more so, it is an artistic conception.

Understanding is merely knocking on the door; the true mark of crossing this threshold is to perceive one's own wisp of Concept from the operation of the Spell.

Even if it's just a trace, a trace is enough.

The moment that trace of Concept is perceived, the Spell is considered Cultivated to Perfection.

After Perfection, the power of this Spell is not just a simple step up; it will leave an imprint in the caster's Sea of Consciousness, becoming the most precious accumulation for Breakthrough to Golden Core and condensing pill patterns in the future.

Where do the pill patterns on the surface of the Golden Core come from?

They are condensed from fragments of Concept perceived bit by bit throughout one's Cultivation journey.

The more pill patterns and the clearer they are, the higher the quality of the Golden Core, and the further one's future path will extend.

The difficulty lies here.

The Concept of each Spell is different. Fire-type has its fire-type Concept, water-type has its water-type Concept. Even for the same Beacon Fire Seal, what Zhang San comprehends is different from what Li Si comprehends.

For example, some people comprehend the fierceness of 'burning everything to ashes' from the Beacon Fire Seal, some comprehend the continuity of 'passing on the torch,' and others comprehend the forbearance and burst of 'a single spark'.

There are no standard answers, no paths of predecessors to copy; it all depends on one's own experiences, Heart-Nature, and perception of heaven and earth.

Revered Master said that 'Concept' cannot be taught; one can only comprehend it oneself.

Some comprehend it in ten years, some in a hundred years, and even more never touch its edges in their entire lives.

Su Yunling thought for a long time, vaguely touching its edges, but always just a hair's breadth away.

Art is knowing what it is, Momentum is effortless mastery, and Concept is knowing why it is.

Once Concept is touched, the Spell comes alive.

Su Yunling currently only vaguely touched the edge of Momentum, very far from Concept.

Seven days later, the Dao discussion lecture officially began in the side hall of the Tiangang Sect Deliberation Hall.

While called a Dao discussion, it was actually closer to an internal Sect Spell seminar.

It lasted for three days, with different Foundation Establishment Elders lecturing each day on the practical application of various Spells, covering all Five Elements, from attack to defense to support.

Many people came; over two hundred Disciples filled the side hall, mostly Inner Sect Disciples and Core Disciples. There were only about a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators, sitting in twos and threes in the first two rows.

Wenren Zimo was at the Tenth Level of Qi Refining, squeezed in the back row like most Disciples.

When Su Yunling arrived, she was met with admiring gazes, but she only glanced at Wenren Zimo, then greeted the other Elders before taking a seat in the front row.

The content of the first two days was very broad.

The first day covered water and wood-type defensive Spells, with two Late Foundation Establishment Stage Elders taking turns demonstrating and explaining in great detail.

Su Yunling Cultivated fire-type Spells and had little interest in defensive Spells of other attributes, but she still listened attentively.

Understanding others' defensive methods also meant understanding what she would need to penetrate in the future.

The second day covered metal and earth-type offensive Spells. The sharpness of metal-type and the heavy pressure of earth-type represented two completely different output philosophies.

Su Yunling noticed a detail: after metal-type Spells compressed spiritual power to its limit, the release method was not diffusion but convergence, concentrating all power onto a single point, aiming for a single penetrating strike.

This approach was somewhat similar to her Fire Crow Sword Art.