Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 23: Water Blade Slash

As a qualified cultivator, he naturally understands the appropriate choices, so even though he knows that there is a certain price to pay, he still resolutely chooses to pay it.

As the owner of Liu's General Store said, if a cultivator neglects his own cultivation in order to buy magical artifacts, that is the biggest and most unbearable price to pay.

"Fellow Daoist Tong is indeed straightforward; no wonder your cultivation has improved so rapidly. We'll surely receive news within three days."

The owner of Liu's Grocery Store readily agreed, and judging from his behavior, if the transaction could be successfully completed, he would certainly make a considerable profit.

After a cup of tea, Tong Bingfeng left the general store with the frostbite ointment and returned to the courtyard. After taking a short rest, he began his subsequent work.

Although there is the help of the tried and tested frostbite ointment, it is well known in the icy region of northern Xinjiang that the recovery from frostbite requires a relatively long period of time.

Before frostbite has fully healed, it is generally not advisable to continue exploring in icy areas where snowstorms are raging and water freezes instantly, in order to prevent the frostbite from worsening.

"Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators can only absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into their bodies. Limited by the meager mana in their dantian, their methods of use are quite limited."

"After advancing to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, one can learn and comprehend some spells of the same attribute, which possess a certain degree of destructive power and are indispensable as a supplementary means of combat in the future."

After returning to the courtyard, he spent some time applying the frostbite ointment to different areas before preparing to learn and comprehend a first-tier mid-grade spell.

The Water Spirit Technique he cultivated was known for its moderation and balance. The number of spells he carried at each stage of cultivation was not large, and it was only from the middle stage of Qi Refining that it could be considered to have truly meaningful destructive power.

Throughout the mid-stage of Qi Refining, there are two types of water-attribute spells recorded: one offensive and one defensive. The offensive spell is called Water Blade Slash, which can be controlled by the mana in the dantian to form a water blade. The defensive spell is called Water Wall Technique, which, as the name suggests, forms a water wall to provide basic defense for cultivators.

"The Water Blade Slash requires less mana, but it demands a high level of control and mental strength. However, practice makes perfect, and as long as you are willing to invest enough time, you will eventually be able to truly control it at will."

"The Water Wall Technique may seem simple, but it requires ample mana as a backing. It would be quite difficult for a Qi Refining Level 4 cultivator to cast it without any worries."

There aren't many spells, but they still need to be carefully selected. The best strategy is to choose the spell that is most suitable for the current stage and can unleash the greatest destructive power.

The advantages and disadvantages of these two spells are crystal clear. Only the former, Water Blade Slash, is suitable for him at this stage. Moreover, as long as his proficiency is improved to a certain level, it can play an irreplaceable role in the subsequent hunting of monsters.

As for the Water Wall Technique, which is specifically for defense, after careful consideration, even if I were to force myself to learn it, it would most likely be impossible for me to sustain it with my current Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation. I can only wait until my cultivation advances to Qi Refining Level 5 or even Level 6 before choosing a suitable opportunity to try it.

"Drawing water into a sharp edge, condensing energy into a gleam. Softness conceals sharpness, stillness conceals strength. A single slash pierces the sky, all streams flow into the chest. Water passes without a trace, the blade falls and the soul is wounded."

The description of the Water Blade Slash technique in "Water Spirit Manual" is quite simple, focusing more on the flow of magical power in the dantian and meridians.

"The Water Blade Slash requires the cultivator's own magical power as a guide, drawing together the water-attribute spiritual power and essence between heaven and earth to form a water blade. Then, guided by the cultivator's divine sense, it launches a lightning-fast attack from afar. Water benefits all things without contention, yet it can wear down stone with its constant dripping."

To successfully comprehend a new spell, in addition to mastering the general principles, cultivators naturally need to combine their own experience to gain a deeper understanding.

Water Blade Slash is only a mid-grade first-tier skill, so its destructive power is limited. The flow of magical power through the meridians is not complicated, and most of it overlaps with the Great Circulation of Water Spirit Technique.

Therefore, the process of circulating magical energy through the meridians was not difficult for Tong Bingfeng. After a little familiarization, he was able to grasp it easily.

"Theory is just the foundation; practice is key. Let's give it a try today and try to master this water blade technique before we get any definite news about Liu's General Store."

Tong Bingfeng naturally had a clear plan for cultivating magic. Even though it was very difficult, it was only a magic recorded in the "Water Spirit Technique". The degree of compatibility between the two was quite high. As long as the cultivation level met the requirements, the difficulty of cultivation was not high.

An hour later, Tong Bingfeng appeared near a relatively secluded stream on Ice Spirit Island.

Although this stream contains a small amount of spiritual energy, it has not given birth to any rare treasures or nurtured any spirit fish, so the Chen family has not managed it.

Moreover, because this place is relatively remote, there are not many cultivators coming and going. Usually, only cultivators who have lived on Ice Spirit Island for a long time will come here to try their luck.

"Although the water-attribute spiritual energy in this stream is not much, it is better than nothing, and the environment is also compatible with the Water Blade Slash. Cultivating here will still provide some benefits."

After looking around, Tong Bingfeng nodded with satisfaction and chose a blue stone in the middle of the stream to sit cross-legged on.

When the Water Spirit Technique circulates through the Great Heavenly Cycle, one can clearly feel the relatively active water-attribute spiritual energy in the stream around them, like mischievous children revolving around Tong Bingfeng.

Sharpening your axe won't delay your work. Only after gaining a deeper understanding of the environment can you achieve twice the result with half the effort in the process of mastering the Water Blade Slash. Once your mind is calm and your meridians have adapted, you can prepare to seriously begin your attempt.

Within his dantian, the magical power, guided by his divine sense, flowed in accordance with the requirements of the Water Blade Slash, flowing upstream, entering his arm along the meridians, rapidly accumulating power from top to bottom, and heading straight for his right middle finger.

Tong Bingfeng sat cross-legged on a blue stone in the stream, his fingertips hovering an inch above the water's surface. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Clearly, the manipulation and flow of the Water Blade Slash's internal meridian power was more difficult than he had imagined, and the first time he had used it had brought him considerable pressure.

Tong Bingfeng focused his mind and breath, following the incantation to concentrate and breathe, guiding the spiritual energy from his dantian into his arm. He felt that his magical power was weak and scattered, completely unresponsive, and far from being able to condense into a water blade that could be used as a handy arm and hit wherever it was pointed.

As a qualified cultivator, sufficient patience is naturally indispensable in the cultivation process. Therefore, he did not forcibly mobilize the magic power in his body to condense the water blade when he was not familiar with the spell. Instead, he patiently went back and forth under the guidance of his divine sense to try to familiarize himself with the flow of the water blade through the meridians in the shortest possible time.

Sunrise and sunset, day and night, time flies by, and two days pass in the blink of an eye.