Chapter 49: Refining the Fireball Technique Again

  The Gu Xiang Zhai is not small in size, with a main bedroom directly in front of the hall, two smaller bedrooms on the right side, and a kitchen as well as two small rooms for storing miscellaneous items on the left side, which can also be used as living quarters.

  "Unexpectedly, we can actually live in this kind of house!" Lin Wan'er was overjoyed and pulled Shi Sheng to check out each room.

  "Wannier sister, don't worry, we will get better and better from now on!" Shisheng was also very happy, now that everything had finally settled down, he didn't have to worry about Wugu Mountain causing trouble anymore. From now on, he could just focus on cultivating here in peace, no longer having to rush around for a single meal.

  "Wan Er Jie, which room do you like?" Shi Sheng asked.

  Lin Wan'er smiled: "It's just sleeping, I'll choose one of these two small rooms, Ah Sheng sleeps in the master bedroom, there's more space inside, it's convenient for you to practice normally."

  "Alright!" Shi Sheng didn't refuse anything, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke up: "Wan'er jie, you've been traveling for a while and must be quite tired. Why don't you go rest first? I'll make a trip to the Jing Shu Ge!"

  "Alright!" Lin Wan'er nodded: "But Ah Sheng shouldn't overexert himself either, three days is really too rushed. Even if we don't get a ranking, we can wait for next time." As she spoke, Lin Wan'er returned to her room with some fatigue.

  Shi Sheng smiled and left Gu Xiang Zhai.

  ……

  "Elder Wang, disciple Shi Sheng has arrived to collect the Xuanjing Jade!"

  Wang Chang saw Shi Sheng leave and return, and didn't show any surprise: "Your fiancée has also reached the Lingwu realm, by rights she should be able to receive a piece of Xuanjing Jade, do you want to go together to receive it?"

  "All right, thank you Elder Wang!" Shi Sheng nodded in gratitude and took the eleven pieces of Xuanjing Jade before turning around to leave Tianyang Pavilion. However, he didn't go to Jing Shu Pavilion but instead went straight to Lian Qi Pavilion!

  Shi Sheng was well aware that in the upcoming trial with his fellow disciples three days later, he definitely couldn't use the poisonous Blood Congealing Needle, or else a slight carelessness could result in loss of life.

  Shi Sheng was preparing to purchase a suitable divine artifact, so that when comparing with others, he would have some chance of winning, and could be said to have made thorough plans.

  The Refining Pavilion is one of the four main halls, with a height of six layers, and it is no different from the Refining Dan Pavilion. The exterior looks majestic, with an overall light green color, revealing a magnificent atmosphere.

  At the entrance, there were two gatekeeper disciples who blocked Shi Sheng as soon as they saw him. Shi Sheng took out his disciple's waist card and was finally allowed to enter.

  The main hall of the Refining Pavilion was not small, with wooden racks hanging on all four walls, holding various weapons. At the staircase leading to the second floor, a middle-aged man in gray robes sat upright in a wooden chair.

  "The Sea of Transformation boundary can only be chosen with one spiritual instrument, and the prices are all listed above. Once you've made your choice, you can exchange it for a Xuanjing Jade directly with me!" The middle-aged man in gray robes said calmly.

  Shi Sheng nodded and walked over to a nearby wooden rack, where he began to examine the various spiritual instruments on display.

  "Frosty Sword, Blazing Sun Knife!" Shi Sheng shook his head. There were many weapons on this list, and although they were all quite good, they were all popular mass-produced spiritual artifacts. None of them were the type that Shi Sheng liked, but perhaps others would choose these commonly used spiritual artifacts.

  Arriving in front of another row of shelves, Shi Sheng's mouth twitched: "Demon-Expelling Staff, Mystic Iron Hammer, Mountain-Opening Axe!" Shi Sheng shook his head again. The weapons here were all niche products, but they were all high-damage spiritual artifacts. They just weighed too much and had low maneuverability.

  Shi Sheng arrived at the last row of wooden racks and took a look, his eyes lit up immediately: "Green Snake Whip, Five-son Linked Ring Dart, Gale Shield!"

  The spiritual instruments on this wooden frame are mostly some eccentric and unconventional weapons, as well as defensive types. There are also some small, lightweight hidden instruments, which are Shi Sheng's favorite type. Not only do they save mental energy, but they also have high concealment, fast attack speed.

  "What's this?" Shi Sheng suddenly changed his expression, discovering a dagger about the length of a foot, emitting a faint red color, looking agile and sharp, absolutely a fine instrument. Shi Sheng decided to buy this treasure.

  "Sixty pieces of Xuanjing Jade?" However, Shi Sheng saw the price and immediately curled his lips. He could only receive ten pieces per month after advancing to the Huahai realm, so it seemed that he would have to wait at least half a year before he could obtain a spiritual instrument in the sect.

  Shi Sheng took another look at the prices of other spiritual tools, most of which were around 70 or 80 pieces of Xuanjing Jade, and some even cost over a hundred. Shi Sheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly, it seemed that spiritual tools were not something he needed to worry about for now, his own wealth was far from enough.

  ……

  "No spiritual tool, it seems that the trial in three days' time will have to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. In a short period of time, it's probably difficult to learn all the basic five-element spells!" Shi Sheng sighed quietly, feeling that this trial would not be able to get a good ranking.

  A majestic, six-story building with a silver-gray exterior appeared before Shi Chen. It was the Jing Shu Pavilion. Four guardian disciples stood at the entrance, looking even more stern than those at the Lian Qi Pavilion.

  Shi Sheng didn't say much more, after showing his waist card, he easily entered the main hall of Jing Shu Ge and took a look at the surrounding decorations.

  Right in front was a wooden table, behind which sat an old woman in black robes. On the wall behind her were embedded jade stone shelves, on which were placed some ancient scrolls and diagrams.

  The hall was surrounded by some potted flowers, and the room was filled with a faint floral scent. Shi Sheng did not expect that it would be an old nun guarding the scripture pavilion, who had cultivated so many ordinary flowers.

  "Is it the disciple of Huahaijing?" The black-robed old woman looked at Shisheng and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Have you come to receive the basic five-element spell?" As she spoke, the black-robed old woman turned around, took out an ancient scroll from a jade grid, and placed it on the table.

  "Thank you, senior! This is my waist token!" Shisheng respectfully revealed his waist token.

  "Alright, pay two pieces of Xuanjing Jade as a deposit. When you return the ancient scroll, the Xuanjing Jade will be returned to you!" The black-robed old woman said with an indifferent tone.

  "Yes!" Shi Sheng didn't dare to refute anything, and besides, the deposit was nothing to worry about. After all, when he returned the ancient scroll, the deposit would be returned too. The old woman made a record after taking out two pieces of Xuanjing jade, and finally, Shi Sheng took the ancient scroll and left.

  ……

  When I returned to Gu Xiang Zhai, it was already afternoon. Lin Wan'er had already prepared the meal. Grains and other foodstuffs can be purchased within the sect, and there were some leftovers from when we moved in. Lin Wan'er didn't complain about them.

  "Wanyu sister, why don't I take on an apprentice to handle these mundane tasks? Then you can focus on your cultivation!" Shi Sheng said while eating, and glanced around the room, which although old-fashioned, was spotless thanks to Lin Wanyu's cleaning.

  Lin Wan'er frowned: "Ah Sheng, are you afraid I won't do a good job?"

  "Wan'er, don't think too much, I'm afraid you'll get tired!" Shi Sheng smiled.

  "It's okay, these small things won't delay anything, it's good that we're together just the two of us, no need for others. Besides, more people means more expenses, Sister Lin can take care of you herself." Lin Wan'er smiled sweetly.

  "Alright!" Shi Sheng and Lin Wan'er chatted for a while, both of them were very satisfied with this new home. After dinner, Lin Wan'er went back to her room to rest, while Shi Sheng took out that ancient scroll and began studying the basic five-element spells by himself in his room.

  By dusk, Shi Sheng had finished reading the entire thing and couldn't help but furrow his brow: "Three days is too short a time. If I don't eat or drink, I can just barely learn these five basic spells!"

  "But!" Shi Sheng shook his head: "Just like when Lu Yuan first fought me, the fireball technique was clearly not skilled, the speed of condensing the fireball was extremely slow. Compared to the white-clothed youth I met last time, it's simply not on the same level. Even if Lu Yuan mastered all five elements, his slow moves would make him easily defeated by the white-clothed youth."

  "So, when it comes to battle, it's not that the more you know the better, but rather the more proficient you are the better. Being quick on the draw is the key to winning. Of course, if there was enough time, one could learn all five techniques and practice them until they're familiar, but now, time is clearly insufficient."

  After a moment of contemplation, Shi Sheng finally decided to specialize in one technique and began to focus on training his hand speed. After roughly filtering through the five elements spells, Shi Sheng decided to specialize in the Small Fireball Technique.

  The method of cultivation had long been memorized in his mind. With a close of his eyes, Shi Sheng slowly practiced it several times in his mind.

  "The Five Elements Spell, Small Fireball Technique! Fire is Yang, Heaven is Positive, condensing the Yang Yuan fire of the Five Elements, using the positive energy between Heaven and Earth, gathering one of the Five Elements, forming a fire-attributed spherical shape, this is the Small Fireball Technique!" Shi's eyes snapped open.

  With his palm open, he followed the incantation recorded on the ancient scroll and condensed the attribute of the Five Elements' Yangyuan Fire with his willpower. Time slowly passed, and a pin could be heard dropping in the room. After repeated failures, Shi Sheng still did not give up.

  Until nightfall, there was still no change in the room, and Shi Sheng found it difficult to condense the five elements of fire into a ball shape, and he couldn't help but frown secretly.

  Suddenly, with a dull thud, a white and slightly red small fireball the size of a fist appeared on Shi Sheng's palm with a flash of light.

  "Hehe, I finally succeeded!" Shi Sheng was secretly delighted. He could feel the destructive power and heat of the fireball, but he could also sense that it was possible to control it using the power of the five elements, making it harmless to himself through his own willpower. This subtle method was something that his own plasma state fireball couldn't compare to, which could only harm others and himself.

  "The five elements spell is indeed mysterious and wonderful, but unfortunately, its destructive power isn't as great as that of the plasma state fireball!" Shi Sheng said thoughtfully, pausing for a moment before his eyes sparkled with inspiration.

  Another hand stretched forward, and after a moment, a small pale blue flame slowly floated out. Shi Sheng looked at the two small flames, his eyes filled with excitement, and after a brief pause, he controlled them with his mind, letting the two flames merge together. Not truly merging, but rather using the blue flame as the core, the five-element flame formed an outer layer, wrapping around the blue flame within.

  A loud muffled sound!

  Two fireballs burst open almost simultaneously, Shi Sheng retreated and dodged somewhat flusteredly, but was still engulfed in flames. If not for the protection of the Ice Silkworm Cloak, he would probably have been roasted whole by now.

  "It's strange, they're both flames, why is it so hard to merge? Where exactly is the difference?" Shi Sheng pondered for a moment and didn't give up. He once again condensed two fireballs and tried to merge them. This time, Shi Sheng was much smarter, and the two fireballs were only about the size of a cow's eye. Even if he failed, there wouldn't be too much destructive power.

  Until late at night, Shi Sheng, who had experienced failure after failure, did not have the slightest intention of giving up. He simply waited for his spiritual power to recover, having exhausted it in the realm of thoughts.

  But during this time, Shi Sheng didn't idle around. Instead, he utilized the limited space to practice his aerial movement skills, and his footsteps became increasingly agile. His body moved like a swallow in the room, flashing and dodging, finally becoming almost as fast as a fleeting shadow. However, he still hadn't reached the speed of Zha Long's transformation state. Once his spiritual energy recovered, Shi Sheng continued to attempt merging two flames together. (End of this chapter, next chapter will be even more exciting!)

  (PS: Extended version, seeking recommendations, seeking collections, seeking all kinds of help!!!!)