While Qi Ping was commanding the winds and rain with a wave of his hand, his animal companions and bees were stunned. Such casting speed and diversity were considered ridiculous even in the cultivation world. It could only be said that his soul and comprehension were truly elite; practicing and casting Qi Refining level spells held no challenge for him.
'Normal Qi Refining spells no longer hold any secrets for me.'
Over the past half-year, Qi Ping had practiced and meditated on everything from basic five-element arts to sword-taming, Qi Refining manuals, body-tempering arts, and artifact-control methods. General spells were transparent to him, and basic utility skills could be performed at will. This was the reason he dared to attempt technique creation. Beyond his innate talent, his greatest reliance was the accumulation of knowledge he had painstakingly gathered.
Under normal circumstances, this amount of time would have been enough to cultivate several Foundation Establishment spells to the stage of Great Mastery, but Qi Ping felt no regret. The foundation and habits of mind required for technique creation were far more important than a few spells.
'I have completed the first step of my path. Next, I will attempt to create the specific spells I need.'
Learning a spell was hard, but creating one was harder. Currently, creating Qi Refining level spells was his best entry point. Once he was proficient at this, he could begin creating Foundation Establishment arts. After practicing Foundation Establishment techniques, he realized that the gap between them and the Qi Refining level was not as massive as he had thought; it was mostly a matter of adjusting to a new foundation and comprehending more difficult True Intents.
With his foundation built to this degree, learning Foundation Establishment spells would not be difficult. He was beginning to understand the essence of magic, making new arts naturally easier to grasp. Even those "True-Inheritance" level spells that once seemed profound now appeared to be nothing more than common magic with a few extra layers of complexity.
The core remained the comprehension of True Intent and the accumulation of a solid foundation—things like deep, stable spiritual roots, special spirit fires, or unique physiques. With these as support, the power of one's magic would never be lacking.
'I shall begin by creating spells suitable for the Sun-Blaze Wood, Moon-Glow Tree, Star-Dust Wood, and Ghost-Iron Tree.'
Qi Ping already had a plan. The spells for the Moon-Glow Tree and Star-Dust Wood were the simplest. For these two production-oriented trees, he intended to etch a spell into their Tree-Spirit Imprints that would help them absorb lunar and stellar energy. This would accelerate their absorption and refinement of these forces.
Once he made his decision, he immediately began his attempt. He first approached the Moon-Glow Tree, taking a portion of Moon Essence from the roots and slowly refining it. During this process, he continuously performed different types of absorption and refinement methods, carefully observing how each spell pulled and processed the Moon Essence.
After reaching a conclusion, he tested and improved, running the spells under controlled variables to find the optimal solution. About two weeks passed, and Qi Ping lost count of how many times he had tried and failed; it was likely in the thousands or tens of thousands. Had it not been for his soul, comprehension, and Dao Heart, he could never have sustained such high-intensity research.
Fortunately, the result was positive!
'I have finally created a spell suitable for the Moon-Glow Tree!'
Feeling the Moon Essence being absorbed and refined at high speed within his body, Qi Ping was elated. After thousands of failures, he had found the optimal path! The spell he used now ensured maximum traction and refinement speed, which would significantly boost the tree's production. For a production-type tree, this was a versatile "all-rounder" spell; while its individual traits weren't overwhelming, its speed would vastly increase the accumulation of Moon Essence.
He spent another two days perfecting the spell.
"I'll call it the Moon-Glow Refinement Method."
After finishing the creation and basic refinement of the manual, he came before the Moon-Glow Tree, which was now three times his height. Its silver-white trunk and leaves emitted a hazy, mysterious lunar power, and special lunar spiritual energy surrounded it like mist. The entire tree looked exceptionally holy and beautiful.
Beneath the tree, the little Spirit Fox was fast asleep after its recent training session. Since the tree matured, the fox had taken a liking to it, even moving its nest to its side. In its words: 'The fox likes it here; sleeping here is so comfortable!'
Qi Ping did not disturb the fox. He sent his consciousness into the spirit of the tree. A strong thought radiated from the tree spirit.
'Moonlight is the best! More moonlight!'
'How can I eat more moonlight?'
Confirming the tree's readiness, he summoned the Tree-Spirit Imprint and merged all his insights regarding the Moon-Glow Refinement Method into it. As the imprint neared the tree spirit, an incredibly joyful thought was transmitted.
'Want it... Wonderful... A spell to gather and refine moonlight!'
'It seems the refinement method is perfect for the Moon-Glow Tree.'
'Next, I'll wait to see to what level the tree can elevate and perfect this spell through constant practice.'
Qi Ping believed that as the tree grew and practiced the art without pause, the spell would eventually reach an unimaginable level. Having completed the spell for the Moon-Glow Tree, he followed the same process to create the Star-Dust Refinement Method. With his previous experience, it only took him a little over a week to hammer it out.
'Now the simplest ones are done!'
These two spells would greatly accelerate the condensation of Moon and Star Essences, boosting the growth and breakthrough of the trees themselves. Succeeding in creating two complete spells on his first try was a great satisfaction for Qi Ping. These successes bolstered his confidence.
As for the Sun-Blaze Wood and the Ghost-Iron Tree, his expectations were far higher. What he wanted to create for them were not simple absorption methods like the Star-Dust Refinement Method; they were arts tied to Yaya and his own Natal Spirit Tool!