Chapter 4

Returning to his room, Su Xian took a deep breath and firmly locked the door, making sure no one could spy on him. It wasn't that he didn't trust his mother and sister in this life; it was just that the matter was too significant. Su Xian dared not be the slightest bit careless. After all, if he wasn't careful, he might end up spending the rest of his life on an experimental table.

After all, it was the soul of an ancient human. Could there be anything rarer and more precious than that?

Even Su Xian himself thought that if his identity were really discovered, he would be dissected and studied thousands of times in a laboratory, which would be a waste of his grand background.

These geniuses, based on a bunch of completely fabricated novels, had managed to research countless mystical and profound techniques. Even methods to bind souls, which Su Xian didn't know, had been heard of many times... The VIP status was his greatest secret and must not be revealed to anyone.

Even in a secluded corner, he still lowered his voice and said, "Dian Niang, are you there?"

【I'm here, Master.】

"My bookshelf has an extra book on Thunder Flame. What's going on?"

Dian Niang replied, 【Master, you actively collected this book. Would you like to subscribe?】

"I... actively collected it? Subscribe..."

Confusion appeared on Su Xian's face. He thought to himself, "I just used it once. So, using this skill means I've collected it?"

He asked, "How many Qi Points does it cost to subscribe?"

【For the first-level spell Thunder Flame, it costs 300 Qi Points to fully subscribe.】

"Expensive?!"

Su Xian gasped, recalling the 5,000+ Qi Points in his account. He couldn't help but feel regretful. If he had known, he would have recharged 100,000 or 80,000 Qi Points at once.

Although he didn't know the specific effects of subscribing, it was clear that Qi Points were the key...

But... to test the truth of the subscription.

Su Xian gritted his teeth and said, "Subscribe!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw his account's Qi Points sharply decrease by 300.

The book, which had been closed, suddenly opened...

It grew larger and larger, and everything around him became incredibly dark, as if the sky had suddenly turned pitch black. As time passed, a faint, yellowish light flickered.

In front of Su Xian, a holographic projection appeared. Two white-haired elders were facing off. Suddenly, one of them shouted, "Thunder Flame!!!"

As he spoke, a thunderous bolt descended from the sky, followed by heavenly fire. The combination of thunder and fire was terrifying, far exceeding what Su Xian had imagined for a mere first-level spell. Instead, it was... incredibly powerful. However, through the true essence flow within the elder, it was clearly... the Thunder Flame spell, but much more complex than he had imagined.

"Huh? I... I can see their true essence flow?!"

Su Xian suddenly realized that the true essence flow was extremely subtle. Without a significant power gap, it was impossible to detect the other's intentions. Yet, he could see everything clearly, as if the elder had no secrets from him.

Just as he was thinking...

The scene changed again.

In the pitch-black night, with rain and thunder, a young man with a cold expression shouted, "Thunder Flame!"

The true essence flow within him was different from the elder's, but more concise, and the power... was even greater.

Heavenly thunder and fire descended, burning the earth...

Directly incinerating all the enemies in front of him.

Then, the scene changed again.

A woman shouted "Thunder Flame," and her true essence flow was even more concise.

Su Xian watched dozens of people use Thunder Flame, and he could clearly see their true essence flow.

...

This... This is the evolution history of the Thunder Flame spell?!

Su Xian's eyes widened. Even though he knew his VIP status was different from ordinary users, he never expected to see the evolution history of a spell... and it only cost 300 Qi Points.

This is simply too...

He knew that the many Thunder Flame spells he had seen were all far more powerful than a mere first-level spell, with the strongest reaching levels 3 and 4. But why had the Thunder Flame spell become so weak?

As he was thinking, the scene changed again, this time to a room with white walls and a red table.

A white-haired elder sighed, "Sigh, to promote universal cultivation, we need sufficiently low-level spells. Among all the spells, Thunder Flame requires the least true essence, making it suitable for beginners. However, its frequency is too complex and profound... Well, it's just for those who are just starting to learn cultivation, so we don't need to worry too much about its power. Why not reduce its frequency to make it easier to learn?"

His eyes lit up, and he immediately began to research.

How long he researched... Su Xian didn't know.

In an instant, it felt like he had seen years pass.

Strangely, even though the modification process was complicated, any small change could lead to instability and backlash, Su Xian could see it quickly. Time seemed to lose its meaning here.

Then...

Su Xian saw the current Thunder Flame.

Its power had weakened significantly, but the casting method had been simplified, almost to the point of being castrated. It had gone from having some prerequisites to having none, and even those with a slight amount of spiritual energy could use it, making it the lowest-level spell.

All this effort, just to make it easier for beginners?

Why?

Wait... The appearance of the table in front of the elder...

Looking at the redwood table with a light golden border, Su Xian vaguely remembered seeing it somewhere. A thought suddenly came to him, and he scanned the elder's surroundings... and indeed, he saw the calendar next to him, which clearly read—

Year 2017 of the Alliance!

Two thousand years ago!!!

Su Xian remembered that in history class, the teacher had said that after personal evolution replaced technology, the first thing to rise was not universal cultivation but a strict hierarchy like sects, where talent determined one's future. Innate talent almost decided a person's entire life... Will and effort were just jokes.

But later, something happened, and cultivation, which was once held by a few, was promoted to the masses, and schools were established. Although competition was still intense, it was no longer as brutal as before.

What exactly happened, history could not confirm, but Su Xian knew that the year of the change was 2017 of the Alliance!

So, it makes sense... This elder must have wanted to establish a school. Starting anything is difficult, and cultivation spells were designed for those with exceptional talent. For ordinary people to master these spells like geniuses, it would be as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

So, the only thing to do was to weaken the spells and lower the standards!

This way, ordinary cultivators could perfectly master the spells and build their confidence.

So...

Thunder Flame, which was once a fourth-level spell, was reduced to a first-level spell.

The content of the subscription... is real!

This elder must be the legendary Yuan Tian Dao Ren, who founded the first school, as mentioned in history books.

I actually saw... the evolution history of a spell?!

Su Xian opened his eyes.

Then, his pupils dilated as he clearly saw the clock on the wall showing 4:15:23 PM.

So much time had passed in his mind...

But in reality, it had only been less than a minute, maybe even a second. Su Xian had only glanced at it before, but he felt as if he had lived through countless years.

Along with the Thunder Flame spell, all the techniques and secrets from its creation to its modification and its current first-level form were now deeply ingrained in his mind.

【In the spiritual world, time has no meaning.】

Dian Niang, as if knowing Su Xian's confusion, explained.

"Is that so? So, this is what subscribing means..."

Surprise appeared on Su Xian's face. 300 Qi Points... it was worth it.

"Thunder Flame!"

He shouted, and true essence rapidly surged within him, but not at the frequency of a first-level Thunder Flame spell. Instead, it was... the frequency of a third-level spell, which only those who truly entered the cultivation world had the right to use.

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