Chapter 114: Divine Sense_1
“What’s there to teach about the Fireball Technique…”
After spending four or five days and practicing the Fireball Technique a hundred times, Mo Hua was stunned.
He thought he had almost learned it, but Old Kui’s words implied that he actually hadn’t learned anything at all…
“Grandpa Gui, then what other spells will you teach me?”
Mo Hua was somewhat expectant.
“No need to teach spells, the Fireball Technique is enough,” Old Kui said.
Completely baffled, Mo Hua asked, “Then what are you teaching me?”
Old Kui did not answer but asked a question instead:
“The first key point of using a spell is what?”
“You learn the spell first?” Mo Hua ventured.
“That’s the foundation, not the key point. The first key point is that you must hit your enemy. No matter how powerful a spell is, if it doesn’t hit the enemy, it might as well not exist; learning it is a waste of time,” Old Kui said.
Mo Hua suddenly realized but also felt that this was somewhat self-evident.
“If you want to hit someone with a spell, what is it that you rely on?” Old Kui continued.
“Divine Sense,” Mo Hua replied.
After a moment’s thought, Mo Hua said:
“The execution of a spell relies on Divine Sense, casting depends on Divine Sense, and after a spell is cast, its trajectory is controlled by Divine Sense too. Hence, if a spell is to hit someone, it relies on Divine Sense as well.”
Old Kui nodded in agreement, “The world in Divine Sense is different from the world seen with the naked eye. You know that, right?”
The world seen with the naked eye has clear outlines and a wealth of delicate colors.
However, when a Cultivator releases their Divine Sense, what they perceive is a void of whiteness, where the objects lose their concrete outlines and only the states of Spiritual Power remain.
In other words, the world in a Cultivator’s Divine Sense is like a blank piece of paper with colorful daubs of Spiritual Power.
What Divine Sense perceives is not the specific appearance of objects, but rather the more essential state of Spiritual Power in those objects.
Old Kui continued, “If a spell requires the guidance of Divine Sense, then to hit the target, the Divine Sense must ‘see’ it first.”
“Then, Grandpa Gui, can’t we use our eyes to see?” Mo Hua asked.
“Eyes are too easily deceived. It’s very foolish for Cultivators to rely only on sight,” Old Kui said.
With a casual pinch, Old Kui had a narrow, jade-green bamboo leaf falling between his fingers.
“From thirty feet away, hit this bamboo leaf with the Fireball Technique.”
Mo Hua worried that the Fireball Technique might harm Old Kui, but considering the gap in their Cultivation, he tactfully kept his concerns to himself.
His Fireball Technique probably wouldn’t even be enough to warm Old Kui’s hands…
Mo Hua stepped back thirty feet, released his Divine Sense, and in the world of Divine Sense, everything was a void of whiteness. The bamboo leaf floated in midair, showing a faint green Spiritual Power shadow.
But in this world of whiteness, Old Kui’s figure was absent.
Mo Hua knew this was because of their great disparity in Divine Sense.
The weaker one’s Divine Sense, the less able they are to glimpse a Cultivator with powerful Divine Sense.
“Grandpa Gui, here I come.”
After Mo Hua spoke, he activated the Fireball Technique, targeting the Spiritual Power shadow of the bamboo leaf in his Divine Sense.
The Fireball Technique hit the bamboo leaf, burning that piece of jade-green into ash, yet Old Kui, who was pinching the leaf, remained wholly unharmed.
Old Kui flicked his fingers and grasped another bamboo leaf.
This time he loosened his grip, and the leaf between his fingers began to drift, floating and dancing in the air with the wind.
“Hit this one with the Fireball Technique.”
Mo Hua found this challenging, but still he focused intently, following the trajectory of the leaf with his Divine Sense, and then cast the Fireball Technique.
The Fireball flew into the air, barely missing the leaf without hitting it.
“Do you know why you didn’t hit it?”
Mo Hua scratched his head, “Is the leaf flying too fast?”
With a casual wave of his hand, Old Kui conjured a gust of wind within the room, the wind sweeping up several bamboo leaves and whirling them through the air at high speed.
Old Kui flicked his fingertips, launching a spark, which then soared upwards, chasing after the leaves in the air.
No matter how the bamboo leaves danced, they were eventually caught up by the sparks, pierced one by one, and turned to ashes.
Mo Hua was dumbstruck.
“This is the first thing I’m teaching you,” Old Kui said, looking at Mo Hua, slowly adding:
“Divine Sense Locking.”
“Divine Sense Locking…”
Mo Hua muttered, not understanding what it was, but feeling an inexplicable shock in his heart.
“Divine Sense Locking means locking onto your enemy with your Divine Sense. This way, no matter how they dodge, they cannot escape the tracking of the spell,” Old Kui said.
“So if you lock on with Divine Sense, will you definitely hit the target?” Mo Hua asked.
“Unless the opponent’s movement technique is so fast that it surpasses your spell, or they defend with another spell or a Spiritual Artifact, otherwise they can’t escape.”
“Oh,” Mo Hua said, a bit excited, then asked, “How do I use Divine Sense Locking?”
“Release your Divine Sense, discern the state of the enemy’s Spiritual Power, and once your Divine Sense adheres to it, you will be able to lock onto their position.”
Old Kui explained it briefly, then added:
“It sounds complicated, but once you practice it a few times, you’ll understand.”
After Old Kui had finished speaking, he pinched a bamboo leaf with his fingers, “Try locking onto this.”
Mo Hua nodded, did as Old Kui had instructed, released his Divine Sense, and discerned the bamboo leaf’s Spiritual Power state. Afterward, he naturally felt a sense of “insightful locking.”
It was like Drawing Formation; once you understood the Formation Patterns, the entire Formation seemed to be imprinted in your mind.
Mo Hua locked onto the bamboo leaf with his Divine Sense.
Old Kui watched Mo Hua, his gaze intensifying.
He’s learning this quickly…
“Is it because his Divine Sense is too strong?” Old Kui quietly thought to himself.
After a moment of silence, Old Kui’s fingers loosened, and the bamboo leaf danced into the air.
Mo Hua closed his eyes, focused his energy, and a pale red Fireball formed between his fingers. He sent it flying into the air, following the trajectory he envisioned, and it struck the dancing bamboo leaf, reducing it to ashes.
Mo Hua opened his eyes and smiled happily.
Old Kui nodded, “You’ve learned well.”
“Grandpa Gui, you teach so well!”
Old Kui neither agreed nor disagreed.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then asked, “What if I can’t lock onto my opponent with Divine Sense? What’s the best thing to do?”
“The best course of action,” Old Kui looked at Mo Hua and said, “is to run.”
Mo Hua was taken aback and then understood.
If you can’t lock on with Divine Sense, it means the opponent’s Divine Sense is far stronger than yours, and naturally, their Cultivation is also far beyond yours. Not running equates to waiting for death, and engaging is akin to seeking death.
“If you really can’t run, or if there’s no escape, you’ll have to rely on your eyesight or guess based on intuition,” Old Kui said.
So, it’s leaving it up to fate then…
Mo Hua silently thought to himself.
“How can I prevent being locked onto with Divine Sense by an opponent?” Mo Hua asked again.
“If your Divine Sense is stronger than your opponent’s, they will find it difficult to lock onto you. If your Divine Sense is far stronger than the opponent’s, then they cannot lock onto you at all.”
Mo Hua thought it over for a moment and understood.
The stronger your Divine Sense, the harder it’s for the opponent’s Divine Sense to detect you; consequently, it becomes harder for them to lock onto you.
If your Divine Sense is so strong that the opponent can’t detect you, then naturally, they can’t lock onto you.
“In magical combat, there are also techniques for using Divine Sense, but I can’t teach that. You will have to comprehend it on your own when you face other Cultivators in battle,” Old Kui said.
“Can’t you teach me even a little?” Mo Hua asked.
Old Kui explained, “Divine Sense is different from Spiritual Power. Spiritual Power has a traceable path while Divine Sense is ethereal. Cultivators can use meridians and acupoints to locate Spiritual Power, but can’t define Divine Sense in the same way.”
“Therefore, how to use Divine Sense is something you must experience and comprehend yourself. If I were to explain it, you wouldn’t understand. Even if you did, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use it properly…”
Mo Hua nodded, making sure to remember everything Old Kui said seriously.
Even though he didn’t fully understand now, he was certain it would be useful in the future.
Old Kui continued, “However, you don’t need to worry too much. Generally speaking, among Cultivators of the same major realm, the difference in Divine Sense is not big enough to completely prevent an opponent from locking on…”
Old Kui stopped speaking there and glanced at Mo Hua, his gaze becoming more focused.
Generally speaking, that’s the case…