Chapter 365: The Gap Between Initial Understanding and Nurturing Nature
Yun Zhonghe had just recognized the name engraved on the cover of the spell manual when Xing Bu joined in: “Oh~ It’s actually the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique.”
Oh? If even Xing Bu could recognize the spell at first glance, it must be quite famous in the Cultivation Realm and very powerful.
Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
However, Xing Bu chuckled and waved her hand lightly: “No no no, this thing is… quite awkward in terms of positioning.”
“Awkward in terms of positioning?”
“Yeah, although this spell is listed as an intermediate-level Golden-element spell, once cast, it can indeed shield against all attacks below the Yuan Ying level, making it seem like a pretty powerful defensive spell.”
Initially, Yun Zhonghe thought this spell wasn’t too shabby, but as Xing Bu further explained, he realized the awkward nature of the spell.
Defending against the damage from a Golden Core level is actually easy for many low-level spells, especially those earth-type spells that are experts in defense—it’s almost child’s play.
But the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique is an intermediate-level spell, consuming intermediate-level energy but only offering the effectiveness of a low-level spell. That doesn’t sound so strong.
And intermediate-level spells correspond to Earth-level techniques in the mystical arts, roughly equal to Yun Zhonghe’s complete version of the Infinity Sword Technique. But the Infinity Sword Technique can endure damage up to the middle Yuan Ying stage!
Not only that, it’s all-encompassing with no weaknesses, and when coupled with the Nine Heavens Sword Formation, its consumption and cooldown are minimized to the lowest—its practicality is maxed out.
So, the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique isn’t suitable for Yun Zhonghe as a defensive spell.
But then, Xing Bu suddenly got mysterious, her face revealing an enigmatic smile: “However, you see, everyone might have been using this spell all wrong.”
Yun Zhonghe’s curiosity was thoroughly sparked, and he urgently followed up: “How so?”
Clang! As expected, only the erudite Xing Bu could answer this properly!
Xing Bu showed off her knowledge with evident satisfaction, clear her throat, and started explaining: “The Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique originated from the Tenfold Golden Sun Technique, which is originally a spell that continuously enhances a cultivator’s overall strength. Unlike other enhancement spells that consume mana only once, this technique consumes mana endlessly.”
She then turned a page, her tone tinged with regret, “Sounds decent at first but, that’s actually its biggest flaw!”
Xing Bu: “The Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique boosts everything comprehensively, thus it expends a shocking amount of mana every second. Most spellcasters don’t need such comprehensive boosts; they just find defense more practical. However, the power of the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique increases over time. So, if used instantly, its effect is even less direct and efficient than some low-level spells.”
Xing Bu: “In fact, it’s more suited for physical or sword cultivation. Yet, these types of cultivators usually focus on their own path, rarely bothering with spells, let alone an intermediate spell that requires deep spiritual cultivation.”
Xing Bu: “Of course, there were some physical or sword cultivators who did try the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique, but after practicing, they found that it requires high levels of Yuan-Yang to see significant strength gains. Many found it not worth it and quit.”
Xing Bu looked meaningfully at Yun Zhonghe: “Speaking of which, this spell actually fits you well. You cultivate both magic and martial arts, and your Yuan-Yang isn’t bad either.”
Yun Zhonghe began to understand the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique more clearly.
It felt more like a mystical art or supernatural ability rather than just a spell.
Continuously enhancing a cultivator’s overall strength over time. The longer, the better.
But the issue is, it demands a lot and has extremely high requirements, yet the result seems low.
Indeed… pretty useless.
Even Yun Zhonghe felt depleted within ten seconds, his mana would be totally drained.
After all, he was only at the Foundation Establishment peak; with mana compression maybe his mana could match a Golden Core, but it couldn’t withstand the continuous draining of a mid-level spell.
If he relied solely on its instant effect, he might as well use the Infinity Sword Technique more often.
This spell had limited utility for Yun Zhonghe.
But…
“Useless or not, I still need to learn it!”
Anyway, it’s a mid-level spell. Once mastered, the boost in spiritual energy will be incomparable to low-level spells!
Whether he uses it afterward is another story, but Yun Zhonghe felt it wouldn’t be useful now.
Seeing this, Xing Bu gave an awkward laugh: “Up to you.”
She believed Yun Zhonghe could make good use of it eventually.
Come to think of it, Yun Zhonghe had never learned a mid-level spell before, and he wondered what benefits it might bring.
He had been reluctant to go to the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion. While there were plenty of mid-level spell manuals, the contribution points required were too heavy for Yun Zhonghe who feared wasting them.
At the first floor, he was pretty comfortable and had enough for his current cultivation needs.
Now, lucky to have found a mid-level spell manual, he decided to test its waters.
Since it’s a Gold-element spell, he didn’t need to take any additional spirit pills, just directly mobilize his own mana.
Gold-element spells are known for their strengthening effects, and they are simpler and more straightforward than spells of other elements.
He began forming the incantation, activating the spell.
Mana flowed through every muscle and bone, Yun Zhonghe could clearly sense his muscles and bones being wrapped by a forceful energy, making him feel like a balloon gradually inflating.
Of course, it was just a feeling; there weren’t any bulges… don’t get carried away.
The penetration speed of this spell’s mana was beyond Yun Zhonghe’s imagination. His body hadn’t been trained much, so when the surge of mana abruptly infiltrated his muscles and bones, he felt overwhelmed.
He wanted to release some of the built-up mana.
Luckily, learning the Nine Suns Nine Gold Technique turned out easier than expected. Bite his lip, finally completing the casting process, he felt a significant increase in spiritual energy in his sea of consciousness.
His training level reached forty percent!
Wow!
Without even referring to the spirit cultivation or meditation art, merely mastering a mid-level spell had boosted his spirit energy by a whole ten percent!
Yun Zhonghe’s eyes widened in surprise.
Sure, it might be because this was his first mid-level spell, and the initial experience yields the highest return. As he mastered more mid-level spells, the returns probably wouldn’t be as significant.
Yun Zhonghe already understood this from learning low-level spells. The more he learned, the less each new one boosted his spirit energy.
Maybe it’s like solving middle school math problems when you’re already a high school student; it doesn’t push your limits much.
“Whaa?”
Just as Yun Zhonghe was pondering his first experience with the mid-level spell, a sudden dizzy spell knocked him off balance.
His face paled, and his body swayed slightly.
Xing Bu witnessed this and wasn’t surprised: “Oh dear, naturally…”
There’s a fundamental difference between Nurturing Nature and Initial Understanding, even though they both involve ‘quantitative’ accumulation. Why separate them if they’re exactly the same?
Spiritual cultivation levels are the threshold for using high-level spells. Without reaching it, one can’t use spells casually.
Yun Zhonghe could barely operate mid-level spells thanks to the Meditation Heart Technique, but his spiritual cultivation hadn’t reached the Nurturing Nature stage, leaving him prone to spiritual exhaustion when using mid-level spells.
Yun Zhonghe felt exhausted and couldn’t resist it…
“Yun Brother, should we be here?”
Right then, Lin Zhongyu appeared from across the bookshelf.
Lin Zhongyu had walked around the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion once but never caught sight of Yun Zhonghe, guessing he had gone elsewhere.
Just as she was about to give up and turn back, she noticed something tucked into a corner.
