Chapter 13: Perfect Fireball Spell

The hour of the hare.

Dew had turned to frost, and the evening mist was heavy.

The outside was still pitch black, but in the small house by the stream, Luo Chen was already busy.

His personality in his previous life was just like this.

Once he had a goal, he would persistently work towards it.

The 996 work schedule was exhausting, and even after work, he had to attend WeChat meetings, but he had never been late even once.

Compared to the painful mornings back then, at least now, practicing the Chángchūn Technique twice a day, morning and evening, brought him a comfortable experience, making it less difficult to get up.

The only thing was that he couldn't practice more than three times a day, or his head would hurt unbearably.

In that state, he couldn't even handle the basic tasks of processing herbs.

Today's workload was large, but the tasks were few.

Processing the raw materials for the Pigu Pill and the Zhongmiao Pill.

He was already extremely familiar with the Pigu Pill, especially with the Grandmaster-level proficiency, which not only made the refining process smooth but also made the initial processing of the herbs more efficient.

The processing of the raw materials for the Zhongmiao Pill was also faster than the last time.

Sometimes, when Luo Chen had some free time, he would study his system.

A plain attribute panel with only two functions: increasing proficiency and using achievement points to learn entry-level techniques of the same realm.

Leaving aside the achievement points, he understood the proficiency function more and more.

It wasn't limited to success; even enough failures could increase proficiency.

Moreover, each time his proficiency broke through a realm, it seemed to give him an additional insight.

He was certain that the conventional "practice makes perfect" was insufficient to explain that insight.

It was more like, after reaching a certain proficiency level, the system filled in all the insights belonging to that level.

Therefore, in the same category of skills, he was more comprehensive than others at the same level.

This comprehensiveness was reflected in his Grandmaster-level Pigu Pill, which had a stable output rate and guaranteed high quality.

If he maxed out the Grandmaster-level proficiency, he didn't know if there would be any further levels, but he imagined that the quality of the Pigu Pill would reach the supreme level!

A supreme Pigu Pill, isn't it still a Pigu Pill?

A common product, with high market saturation, many competitors, and slow customer consumption.

Even if it were supreme, it wouldn't be useful. The Zhongmiao Pill was better.

A niche product, a blue ocean market, with mild effects, and many repeat customers could be imagined.

The downside was the high cost, five spirit stones per batch, and a high failure rate.

Moreover, the so-called blue ocean market itself wasn't large.

Most of the scattered cultivators who persisted in the Dahuang Market were aiming to build a foundation.

Those indulged in enjoyment were actually few.

However, for now, this was the only standout product Luo Chen could offer!

Therefore, expanding production was necessary, even if the current investment and returns didn't generate a net profit.

But Luo Chen had to persist!

As long as the success rate increased, his future would be promising!

Lunch was still braised beef rice.

Because his proficiency in the Pigu Pill had reached the Grandmaster level, his consumption was reduced to the minimum.

Originally, the frozen beef should have been consumed faster, but after switching to refining the Zhongmiao Pill, the consumption rate slowed down.

Luo Chen even felt that the spiritual energy in the beef of the yellow ox beast was leaking out too much.

So, recently, he had been cutting a thicker slice of meat when cooking.

After a satisfying meal, Luo Chen burped.

So fragrant!

Whether it was the raw materials for the Pigu Pill or the Zhongmiao Pill, they all needed time as the final step in processing.

Sitting by the stream, he set up a fishing rod and started fishing.

Luo Chen noticed that recently, the number of fish and shrimp in this small stream, which originated from the Lancang River, had increased.

He planned to catch a few for a feast.

While fishing, he opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Luo Chen]

[Lifespan: 27/75]

[Spirit Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Qi Condensation Level 3: 76/100]

[Technique: Chángchūn Technique Proficient: 257/300]

[Spells: Cleanse Spell Entry: 52/100, Entangle Spell Proficient: 176/200, Fireball Spell Perfect: 315/500, Free Roam Proficient: 102/200]

[Skills: First-Class Alchemist: Pigu Powder Grandmaster: 510/1000, Zhongmiao Pill Entry: 13/100]

[Achievement Points: 1 (usable for entry-level techniques, spells, and skills of the same realm)]

This time, the panel display made him very pleased.

His realm, which hadn't moved for a long time, had increased from 75 to 76, a full point!

Breaking through to Qi Condensation Level 4 was just around the corner!

The other items didn't bring much surprise. Whether it was the Chángchūn Technique or the Pigu Powder and Zhongmiao Pill, they all progressed as expected, providing positive feedback.

Only the Fireball Spell and Free Roam in the spell section caught his attention.

Free Roam had jumped from the entry level to the proficient level, making his speed faster and faster.

It was worth the daily sprinting on the plain.

As for the Perfect-level Fireball Spell, he hadn't had the chance to test it yet.

When lighting the stove for cooking, he only felt more adept.

Half an hour later, the dug-out water pit was still empty!

"How can I be so indulged in enjoyment? It's time to practice the protective techniques!"

Luo Chen put aside the fishing rod and aimed at the deepest part of the stream, casting a Fireball Spell.

Boom!

The calm stream suddenly exploded with a huge splash, and scalding steam spread in all directions.

Burned fish carcasses fell onto the pebbles at the bottom of the stream, slowly floating up with the flowing water.

Luo Chen looked at the results of the Fireball Spell with satisfaction.

One fire burned the stream, and all the fish sank!

Truly a Perfect-level Fireball Spell!

He slightly felt the consumption of spiritual energy in his body and raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm, a Fireball Spell used to consume one-tenth of my spiritual energy, but this time it only consumed less than half of that!"

"Does that mean I can cast twenty Fireball Spells in a row?"

It doubled!

This was a qualitative change!

And the speed seemed to have doubled as well?

Previously, when lighting the stove, he would follow the steps, pinch the seals, and chant the incantations, afraid of blowing up the stove, and the amount of spiritual energy injected was very small.

Just now, without that concern, he casually threw a Fireball Spell.

Only then did he realize that the speed was incomparable.

A normal cultivator would take three breaths, Luo Chen at the proficient level took two breaths, and now at the Perfect level, it was reduced to one breath.

"One breath, even a Fireball Talisman can't do better than that!"

The activation of talismans also has a process: injecting spiritual energy, triggering the internal spiritual energy, and aiming at the enemy.

This process often requires experienced hands to activate them calmly and quickly.

After all, they are external objects.

The feeling can often be misleading.

To avoid any illusions, Luo Chen cast three more Fireball Spells at the stream.

No mistake!

Three Fireball Spells, plus the first one, only consumed two-tenths of his spiritual energy.

The speed was much faster than before, comparable to activating a Fireball Talisman.

Getting the experimental results, Luo Chen couldn't help but smile happily.

He practiced the Chángchūn Technique every day, absorbing and converting a small amount of spiritual energy, and each time he used his full strength, it only restored one-fifth.

This meant he couldn't practice spells extensively, fearing that his spiritual energy would be depleted, leaving him vulnerable in dangerous situations.

But now that the Fireball Spell's consumption had decreased, it meant he could increase his proficiency by twice as much every day.

Moreover, what made Luo Chen even happier was not just this.

"Comparable to the activation speed of a talisman, in unexpected situations, I can completely catch the enemy off guard."

"Finally, I have a combat skill to rely on!"

All along, Luo Chen lacked effective combat skills, and because he was as insignificant as dust, no one paid attention to him.

But being ignored and having combat skills were two different things.

His anxious heart calmed slightly, and Luo Chen almost let out a long howl.

But after careful consideration, he decided to be low-key.

Next time, when he breaks through to the middle Qi Condensation realm, he'll howl to the sky!

Picking up a fish that had been stunned by the steam from the shore, he could have a feast tomorrow.

"Um, today I caught a fish, so my fishing skill proficiency increased by one!"

(End of Chapter)