Chapter 161: Swift and Precise
The surroundings fell silent for a while.
"I can use spells," Mo Hua emphasized.
Elder Yu gathered his thoughts, then praised him first.
"Not bad. You are a spiritual cultivator. If you continue to study spells diligently, your future will surely be promising."
That praise was not entirely sincere.
After complimenting him, Elder Yu added with concern,
"However, your cultivation is still low, and your spiritual power weak. Even if you know spells, they are not suitable for open combat, especially in chaotic battles like this."
He feared that Mo Hua, in a moment of youthful recklessness, would rush into the fray against the Qian Family's cultivators.
In such large-scale battles, spiritual cultivators were particularly vulnerable if not tightly protected.
Yu Chengyi nodded repeatedly, equally worried that Mo Hua might take unnecessary risks.
Mo Shan, however, merely looked at Mo Hua thoughtfully.
After a moment, Mo Hua said, "I think I can still help a bit."
Elder Yu was slightly surprised. "How?"
"I can't help much in a melee, but I can deal with those spellcasters."
Elder Yu frowned.
Mo Hua explained, "I'm only at the sixth layer of Qi-Refining. My spells aren't very powerful. I might not be able to kill them, but interrupting their casting shouldn't be difficult."
"What if they cast spells at you?" Yu Chengyi asked.
Mo Hua grinned. "They won't hit me."
Yu Chengyi blinked. "Why not?"
"Their Divine-Sense isn't as strong as mine," Mo Hua said. "If I stay beyond the reach of their perception, they can't lock onto me. Without that, their spells won't land."
Yu Chengyi and Elder Yu exchanged a glance of realization.
Elder Yu nodded decisively. "Very well. We'll test it tomorrow, but you must stay inside the mine. Do not step out."
"Alright," Mo Hua replied.
...
The next day, battle broke out once more.
The Qian Family repeated their usual tactics—body cultivators to suppress, spiritual cultivators to attack—slowly wearing down the demon hunters.
The demon hunters, acting on Elder Yu's secret orders, avoided direct assaults and focused on dodging spells to minimize injuries.
Meanwhile, the more agile among them feinted from the sides, pretending to flank the Qian spiritual cultivators, forcing the body cultivators to spread out.
Under this tug-of-war, the Qian Family's spiritual cultivators naturally came into Mo Hua's line of sight.
Mo Hua didn't need to see them directly; his Divine-Sense could easily lock on.
The purpose of drawing the enemy apart was simply to clear the line for his Fireball Technique.
Elder Yu stood behind him, not to interfere, but to protect. If any danger arose, he would not hesitate to intervene.
He did not care if this offended the Dao Court Division. Even if the department head complained, he could always apologize later. His face was thick enough to take it.
After all, a young Formation master who had already reached first-rank potential at barely ten years old—born from among their rogue cultivators—was worth far more than a bureaucrat's pride.
Elder Yu gauged the distance to the Qian spiritual cultivators and muttered quietly, "It's quite far. Can you hit from here?"
He knew Mo Hua's Divine-Sense was strong—strong enough to draw a first-grade array, but strong perception did not necessarily mean accurate spellcasting. Hitting from this distance was another matter.
Mo Hua hesitated. "It should be fine."
He had to try.
As the chaotic battle raged, the Qian spiritual cultivators began forming hand seals.
Elder Yu's eyes narrowed. The moment had come.
Then, before he even registered Mo Hua's movements, a flash of flame streaked out.
Elder Yu's eyes widened. "That fast?"
A single motion—two fingers raised—and the Fireball was already launched.
It curved through the air and struck one of the Qian spiritual cultivators squarely.
The target was mid-chant when it hit him, breaking his concentration and forcing his spell to collapse.
A clean hit!
Elder Yu's heart leapt with satisfaction, only to see Mo Hua frown slightly and mutter, "Missed…"
"Didn't you just hit him?" Elder Yu asked, baffled.
Mo Hua sighed. "I was aiming for the heart meridian. It hit the wrist instead."
Elder Yu's mouth twitched.
At this range, landing any hit was impressive. You're complaining about missing the heart?
"…Fine," he managed to say.
Suppressing his astonishment, Elder Yu tried to keep his tone calm.
"Not bad. A hit is a hit. Just aim a little better next time."
"Got it!"
Mo Hua raised his fingers again, another Fireball flew.
This time Elder Yu watched closely.
It was indeed fast, far faster than normal casting speed.
He thought in disbelief, "Whose technique did this child learn? It's just the ordinary Fireball spell, yet it looks completely abnormal…"
The second Fireball struck a Qian spiritual cultivator's shoulder.
Mo Hua exhaled in mild disappointment, steadied his mind, and fired again.
The third and fourth Fireballs were much better.
One struck a spiritual cultivator right in the heart meridian, dropping him stiffly to the ground, unconscious, but alive.
The other exploded against another man's face, searing his hair and bursting his skin.
Elder Yu said nothing, but his eyelid twitched.
Was this really just the Fireball Technique?
How could anyone be that accurate?
It was absurd.
In a chaotic melee, one Fireball might go unnoticed, but two or three perfect hits? Impossible to miss.
Especially when one man fell and another's face exploded.
Even fools could tell something was wrong.
"Spells!?"
"There's a spiritual cultivator on their side!"
The Qian cultivators turned toward Mo Hua's position. The boy ducked down, hiding beneath the thick shrubs.
Numerous Divine-Sense probes swept toward him, but none could detect a thing.
A Qi-Refining ninth-layer cultivator's Divine-Sense simply could not reach him.
Frustrated, the Qian spiritual cultivators hurled spells blindly in his direction, Fireballs, Water Arrows, Wind Blades, and Golden Rays.
Yet before they could travel far, the spells dissipated, losing guidance without Divine-Sense lock.
They could not touch Mo Hua at all.
Now entirely confident, Mo Hua peeked out and began flinging Fireballs in rapid succession.
Each streak of flame cut through brush and stone, slamming into the enemy spellcasters.
His Fireball Technique, though powered only by sixth-layer Qi-Refining, still packed enough force to hurt unarmored foes.
For the fragile spiritual cultivators, being struck meant burns, concussions, or singed hair, none of it pleasant.
Worse, they could not focus to cast their own spells under such bombardment.
With the Qian spellcasters suppressed, the demon hunters faced no magical interference.
Yu Chengyi's eyes blazed. He shouted, "Kill!"
The demon hunters roared in unison, their killing intent surging.
Spiritual energy erupted like waves; blades flashed in arcs of white light as they charged.
The Qian cultivators panicked.
Their entire strategy relied on coordination, spellcasters for offense, body cultivators for defense. With the spellcasters neutralized, the defense crumbled instantly.
Under the fierce assault, the Qian Family was forced into full retreat once again.
Qian Zhongxuan's face turned ashen.
"Where did those spells come from!?"
He extended his Divine-Sense toward Mo Hua's direction, only for Elder Yu to step forward and block it completely.
Qian Zhongxuan's eyes snapped open to see Elder Yu smirking with open mockery.
Before the elder could taunt him further, Qian Zhongxuan made the only sensible choice.
"Retreat!"
(End of Chapter)