Chapter Seven: Spell Spirit

“No feeling?”

“How could there be no feeling.”

Lin Jing didn’t believe it.

“An anomaly even appeared, yet you say you feel nothing.”

“Squeak…” The Pine Leaf Rat was righteously indignant.

It truly hadn’t felt anything.

Lin Jing was taken aback, then had a sudden realization.

“Perhaps the Divine Ability you awakened is too powerful for you to master with your current cultivation.”

“You need to Cultivate hard.”

Pine Leaf Rat:???

It opened its mouth slightly; even though it knew its talent was decent, it wasn’t as optimistic as Lin Jing.

Having successfully reached the first level of Qi Refining, Lin Jing was in a good mood.

However, perhaps because the Pine Leaf Rat’s Realm was too low, he hadn’t felt the so-called beast-taming feedback yet.

“Right.” Lin Jing didn’t dwell on the matter.

He suddenly remembered that according to the Sect Manual, after an Outer Sect Disciple succeeds in Qi Refining, they get one chance to go to the Outer Sect Scripture Pavilion to choose a basic Spell to learn.

He was curious about what Spells were inside the Beast Taming Sect’s Outer Sect Scripture Pavilion.

Since entering the Beast Taming Sect, this was the first time Lin Jing had stepped out of his courtyard, accompanied by the Pine Leaf Rat he had dragged along.

At this moment, the Pine Leaf Rat also needed a change of pace to soothe its complicated feelings.

Along the way, they encountered many Outer Sect Disciples also dressed in green robes, but there was no interaction between them.

Following the map on the last page of the Sect Manual, Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Rat arrived at their destination in no time.

Before the pavilion, lush ancient trees surrounded the area. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, intertwining with the occasional cry of cranes from the clouds, making one feel refreshed as if their soul were being cleansed.

In a nearby pavilion, a few Disciples were discussing cultivation, creating a very peaceful atmosphere.

“This is it…”

Just as Lin Jing was about to enter the pavilion, someone walked out first.

“Junior Brother Lin!” A familiar, weak voice called out. Lin Jing looked at the person in surprise.

Dressed in a white robe, his figure appeared somewhat frail, and his eyes revealed deep exhaustion and weakness… Who else could it be but Senior Brother Ouyang?

“Senior Brother Ouyang? Why are you here?” Lin Jing asked in surprise.

“I’m performing a Sect mission, stationed at the Outer Sect Scripture Pavilion. I’m responsible for organizing Spells and assisting Outer Sect Junior Brothers and sisters in choosing them,” Ouyang Hao chuckled.

“What a coincidence. It seems you’ve already succeeded in Qi Refining, faster than I imagined. Are you planning to pick a Spell? Do you want me to help you analyze your options?”

“Senior Brother Ouyang, you still love analyzing things so much. This mission suits you well,” Lin Jing said.

“I have no choice. My pockets are empty, and buying supplements every day costs too many Spirit Stones. I can only do more missions,” Ouyang Hao shook his head awkwardly.

“Let me take you inside.”

With that, he invited Lin Jing into the pavilion.

As the two entered the Scripture Pavilion together, the surrounding Outer Sect Disciples suddenly began to whisper.

“Who is that Outer Sect Disciple? He seems very familiar with Senior Brother Ouyang! What’s their relationship?”

“Doesn’t Senior Brother Ouyang treat everyone kindly?”

“It’s different. Senior Brother Ouyang actually went out to greet him. He’s a standout in the Inner Sect, a Genius rumored to be able to contend for the position of True Disciple! He wouldn’t treat an ordinary person like that; they must have a deep connection.”

“Is this Senior Brother Ouyang… very powerful?” a Disciple who had recently joined the Sect asked curiously.

“Of course. Senior Brother Ouyang has a Contract with a Fox Yao. Fox Yaos are Yao Beasts that drain a person’s Yang Qi. Did you see his expression? You get it, right? That Fox Yao must have been trained very ‘vigorously’ by him…”

…Inside the Scripture Pavilion.

First floor.

Ouyang Hao introduced:

“This first floor houses books that can be borrowed directly, such as the history of the continent, the history of the Ancient Kingdom, and the history of the Sect. You can find all of those here. Let’s go to the second floor to pick a Spell.”

He led Lin Jing there.

He was very enthusiastic.

“At the first level of Qi Refining, you can choose one basic Spell…”

“Actually, the Outer Sect’s Scripture Pavilion doesn’t have any particularly great beast-taming methods. Usually, Outer Sect Disciples choose to learn minor Spells that can nurture the bones, Bloodline, and spiritual power of their Pet Beasts to assist in their growth.”

“This is considered the most mainstream and suitable for Beast Taming Sect Disciples.”

Arriving on the second floor, Senior Brother Ouyang pointed to a row of Jade Slips on the most prominent bookshelf.

Spells like “Nurturing Spirit Art” and “Qi Nourishing Art.” According to the descriptions, they mostly involve Disciples using their own True Qi to nurture their Pet Beast’s spirit and blood-qi. Of course, some can also be used on oneself.

Lin Jing looked at another bookshelf.

The “Fireball Spell,” “Object Manipulation Spell,” “Entanglement Spell,” “Water Arrow Spell,” “Quicksand Spell,” and others on it looked much more normal.

“Senior Brother Ouyang, what about these?” Lin Jing asked.

Hearing this, Senior Brother Ouyang followed Lin Jing’s gaze and smiled.

“It’s not that you can’t choose them, but these can only be cultivated by the Cultivator themselves. They’re useless to Pet Beasts, and Spirit Beasts generally can’t learn them either.”

“For instance, it would be very difficult for your Pine Leaf Rat to learn the Wood-element Entanglement Spell. Even if you learn it, it won’t be of much help to it.”

“In most cases, they still have to rely on their own racial abilities.”

“Precious Spells that can be learned by Spirit Beasts are mostly kept in the Inner Sect.”

Senior Brother Ouyang looked at the Pine Leaf Rat, which puffed out its cheeks indignantly.

“In short, these ‘normal Spells’ are only suitable for human Cultivators. But for us Beast Taming Sect Disciples, ‘normal’ is precisely a huge trap.”

“Most of us in the Beast Taming Sect are not suited to Cultivate mainstream Cultivation Techniques, so cultivating these Spells often yields half the result with twice the effort.”

“And a person’s energy is limited. It’s better to invest all that limited energy into nurturing Pet Beasts, increasing their strength, and then waiting for the feedback from them. This is often more efficient than cultivating oneself.”

“If the Pet Beast is something like a Fighting Ape or a Horned Bull, one can choose auxiliary Spells that nurture their physique. If it’s like a Pine Leaf Rat, one can choose auxiliary Spells that nurture their spirit.”

“Of course, Junior Brother Lin, if you’re really curious, it’s fine to choose a ‘normal offensive or defensive Spell’.”

Anyway, you live a long time, so the cost of trial and error is low… Ouyang Hao muttered to himself.

“I see…” Before Lin Jing could make a choice, the Pine Leaf Rat hurriedly waved its paws: “Squeak!!!”

It suddenly remembered that with Lin Jing’s cultivation speed, even normal Cultivation Techniques were deathly slow. If he were to get distracted by learning offensive Spells… wouldn’t that be the end of him?

“Right!” At this moment, Ouyang Hao seemed to think of something and clapped his hands. “Junior Brother Lin, when you choose a Spell, pay attention to its ‘Spell Potential’.”

“Spell Potential?”

“Yes. The Spell you choose should ideally stay with you for a lifetime. For example, something like the Object Manipulation Spell is basic, but even Cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage might still use it. In contrast, some basic Spells are easily phased out once your Realm increases.”

“Junior Brother, I wonder if you’ve heard of Spell Spirits?”

“Spell Spirit?” Lin Jing looked at him and shook his head.

Ouyang Hao said, “When a Spell is practiced to the extreme, it can give birth to a Spirit, possessing consciousness.”

“Our Beast Taming Sect is located in the Great Wilderness Region of the Tian Yuan Ancient Kingdom on the Tian Yuan Continent. In the Great Wilderness Region, we’re considered a first-rate Sect with a Nascent Soul overseeing us, but in the entire Tian Yuan Ancient Kingdom, we’re only considered a third-rate Sect.”

“The number one Sect in the Tian Yuan Ancient Kingdom, the Lingdao Sect, is a Sect that primarily Cultivates Daoist Spells. It’s said that many Cultivators within that Sect have realized the true essence of laws and reached the pinnacle of techniques, allowing their cultivated Spells to give birth to True Spirits.”

“A Spell Spirit can communicate with the energy of heaven and earth, attacking automatically without relying on a Cultivator’s mana. It can even be passed down as a Legacy to descendants, assisting them in cultivating the corresponding Spell and even protecting their path.”

“You could say it’s an ‘alternative Pet Beast’ born from a Spell.” Ouyang Hao remarked with emotion. “For example, the Black Tortoise True Spirit cultivated by Immortal Master Xuanwu of the Lingdao Sect through the Black Tortoise Shield Spell is more formidable than ordinary Precious Beasts!”

“Perhaps you’ll be able to Cultivate a Spell Spirit in the future and become the first in our Sect!” Senior Brother Ouyang chuckled. “As long as you’re focused enough! Just stick to one and spend half a lifetime comprehending it.”

Lin Jing understood. Senior Brother Ouyang was saying that since he lived a long time anyway, he could just grind away at it.

With a lifespan at least ten times that of a normal Cultivator, focusing solely on tempering one Spell would indeed make it easier to master it thoroughly.

“You can give it a try.” The more Senior Brother Ouyang thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. “If the cultivation efficiency is too slow, it’ll still be in time to switch later.”

“Is it really reliable? Can any Spell give birth to a Spirit?” Lin Jing was skeptical.

“Theoretically, yes,” Senior Brother Ouyang said seriously.

Lin Jing pointed to a Spell.

“Contraception Spell.”

“What about this one?”

Ouyang Hao took a look and was stunned.

“The Contraception Spell is a Spell that Beast Taming Sect Disciples need to Cultivate to prevent their Pet Beasts from messing around outside.”

“After all, Pet Beasts during and after pregnancy suffer a great loss of Origin Qi, which is detrimental to cultivation.”

“If cultivated to the extreme, can it give birth to a Contraception Spirit?”

“Uh…” Senior Brother Ouyang said, “Pro… probably?”

“Feels unreliable,” Lin Jing shook his head.

His gaze swept over the various bookshelves. A Spell Spirit, huh… “I’ll stick to nurturing Pet Beasts normally for now!”

With that, Lin Jing walked over and picked up a basic recovery Spell called the Nurturing Spirit Art. This Spell uses True Qi to nurture the spirit and relieve fatigue.

The Pine Leaf Rat’s racial talent can accelerate the growth of Spiritual Plants, a process that consumes a lot of spiritual power and causes mental exhaustion.

This Spell could help it share some of the burden and speed up the growth of Spiritual Plants. This was crucial for Lin Jing’s grand farming plan; he wanted to be self-sufficient in resources, especially since he consumed so many!

Secondly, he planned to learn more immortal cultivation knowledge in his spare time. He had just seen many books related to Alchemy on the first floor. This minor Spell for relieving mental fatigue would also be useful for his own studies.

Well, in summary, this Spell could not only assist Pet Beasts but was also suitable for accelerating his absorption of alchemical knowledge. To perform blood-based Alchemy, he had to lay a good foundation; he couldn’t afford to be ignorant of the uses of various Materials.

“This… how did your brain suddenly become normal?” Senior Brother Ouyang Hao was puzzled. Based on his impression of Junior Brother Lin, he didn’t seem like the type to choose a normal Spell; he almost thought Lin Jing was going to pick the Contraception Spell!