15: Chapter 15 The Void Fire Bomb Shows Initial Destructive Power

Zhang Feng's appearance and that "battlefield experience" he shared with such ostentation were like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring ripples in Ye Qing's heart before quickly returning to an even deeper calm.

The sense of urgency did not make him panic; instead, it made his deductions more focused and efficient.

Borrowing inspiration from the "explosive diffusion" imagery in the "Fire Snake Spell," and combining it with the experience accumulated from countless previous failures, under the almost cheating bonus of his Comprehension Ability in the Void Realm, a "Pseudo-Fireball Technique" model—simplified to the extreme yet vaguely feasible—finally became clear in his mind.

It discarded many characteristics of the formal Fireball Technique, such as stability, longevity, and the ability to be manipulated after leaving the body.

It only retained the core elements: "Energy Gathering," "Shaping," and "Detonation."

Using a variant of the Li Fire Pattern as the core, it incorporated the rapid energy gathering of the Spirit Gathering Rune, the brief restraint of the Shape Stabilizing Rune, and the initial thrust of the Rapid Shot Rune, supplemented by an extremely streamlined finishing rune simulating the "explosive" Concept.

The structure was crude, stability was poor, the power was questionable, and it had to be constructed and activated within an extremely short time, otherwise, he might injure himself before harming the enemy.

But its advantages were also prominent—it consumed relatively little, built up quickly, and was based entirely on the Void Realm talisman-drawing techniques Ye Qing had already mastered, requiring no external objects.

"Theoretical deduction passed. Next, I need practical verification."

Late that night, Ye Qing arrived again at that absolutely secluded stone hollow on the back mountain.

This place was rugged with strange rocks, provided excellent cover, and the ground was mostly hard rock, making it unlikely to start a forest fire.

He stood quietly for a moment, confirming that there was absolutely no one else's aura within a few miles.

Then, he slowly raised his right hand.

His mind was calm, merging with the internal space, and his thoughts entered that state of clarity and insight.

A faint spiritual light emerged from his fingertips; pale cyan spiritual power flowed out, but under the precise control of his Divine Sense, it quickly simulated a trace of scorching "Fire Element" intent.

This was due to his extremely strong control over spiritual power, as well as a certain "malleability" that the spiritual power itself possessed after being purified by the Void Realm.

The first stroke, a variant of the Spirit Gathering Rune, was used to quickly induce the thin fire-element Spiritual Qi in the surroundings and gather spiritual power.

The pale red trace of spiritual light flashed in the air and vanished, forming a minimalist ring of light.

The second stroke, a variant of the Shape Stabilizing Rune, was used to restrain the gathered spiritual power, preliminarily kneading it into the unstable prototype of a "projectile."

The spiritual light converged inward, forming a fist-sized, flickering, pale red ball of light that trembled slightly, extremely unstable.

The third stroke, the core variant of the Li Fire Pattern, outlined the connotation of "explosion" and "burning."

The interior of the ball of light suddenly lit up, the temperature rose sharply, and the color turned crimson, as if it were a miniaturized, irritable ball of magma.

The fourth stroke, a variant of the Rapid Shot Rune, granted it initial kinetic energy and direction.

Ye Qing's fingertips aimed at a half-person-high, dark blue-black rock three zhang away.

Finally, there was that streamlined finishing rune used for "detonation."

The moment he completed the final stroke with his fingertip, vaguely connecting it with the initial brushwork—

"Go!"

He whispered in his heart.

That "Pseudo-Fireball," suspended in front of his fingertips and emitting an unstable crimson glow, shot toward the target rock like an arrow released from a bow, dragging a brief red trail behind it!

The flight trajectory was not straight, swaying slightly, and the speed was much slower than a real Fireball Technique.

But the moment it touched the surface of the rock—

Boom!

A muffled explosion echoed in the stone hollow.

Crimson firelight appeared suddenly, and a heatwave rushed toward him.

The surface of that hard blue-black rock was blasted with a bowl-sized, inch-deep crater, the edges charred and covered with radial cracks, with some traces of melting even at the center.

Fine rock debris fell with blue smoke.

The firelight extinguished quickly, leaving only the smell of scorching and the lingering heat in the air.

Ye Qing stood where he was and slowly lowered his right hand; there was a slight burning and numbness in his fingertips, the result of the instantaneous explosive output of spiritual power and the slight recoil.

About half a percent of the spiritual power in his body had been consumed.

His Divine Sense also felt a trace of fatigue.

But at this moment, what danced in his eyes was an irrepressible light of excitement.

"It worked!"

"Although the flight is slow, the trajectory is unstable, the power is probably only three or four tenths of a formal Middle Stage Qi Refining Fireball Technique, and the range is extremely short—it would probably dissipate on its own or deviate from the target if it exceeds five zhang..."

"But, this is truly an attack method with substantial lethality that I deduced myself!"

Moreover, it was Void Realm talisman-drawing, instant casting, requiring no talisman paper or spiritual ink, and it had extremely high concealment!

He walked to the rock and carefully examined the charred crater.

The power was enough to threaten an Early Stage Cultivator and could even cause considerable damage to a Middle Stage Cultivator if they were caught off guard.

If it hit a vital point...

"It's enough. As a defensive trump card at the current stage and a means of surprise attack at critical moments, it is enough."

Ye Qing felt settled in his heart.

With this "Pseudo-Fireball Technique," combined with his Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation, his body repeatedly nourished and strengthened by the Void Realm, and his increasingly refined Light Body Technique, his self-preservation ability had finally undergone a qualitative improvement.

He was no longer just a "sweeping servant" who could only rely on his legs to run when encountering danger.

He did not try a second time immediately.

The success of the first time was lucky; he needed time to digest, experience, and consolidate the feeling.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes to adjust his breathing, and carefully reviewed every detail of the Spell casting in his mind.

The rhythm of spiritual power output could be a bit smoother when outlining the variant of the "Li Fire Pattern" to reduce unnecessary fluctuations.

The constraint of the unstable "Fireball" by his Divine Sense could be more decisive at the moment before "detonation" to avoid premature energy dissipation.

Could the stability of the flight trajectory be improved by fine-tuning the structure of the "Rapid Shot Rune" or adding a trace of the lingering charm of the "Shape Stabilizing Rune"?

Countless optimization ideas surged in his mind, only to be quickly analyzed and screened.

This was the benefit of having high Comprehension Ability and a powerful "learning ability."

Every practice, whether successful or failed, was valuable experience that could be quickly converted into nutrients for growth.

Half an hour later, Ye Qing opened his eyes.

Both his spiritual power and Divine Sense had recovered by more than half.

He stood up and raised his hand again.

This time, he deliberately slowed down the casting speed, paying more attention to the stability of spiritual power and the coordination of the rune structure.

Another crimson, slightly unstable "Pseudo-Fireball" formed at his fingertips.

It shot out.

Boom!

On another rock, a similar charred crater was left behind.

The power was about the same, but the casting process felt a fraction smoother, and the efficiency of spiritual power utilization seemed to be a bit higher.

"Very good, it can be cast stably. The next step is practice makes perfect—improving casting speed, stability, and power."

He did not get greedy; he only practiced twice more before stopping.

Too much is as bad as too little.

This kind of Spell practice involving unstable energy structures consumed a lot of mental energy and carried certain risks.

Steady and gradual progress is the Righteous Path.

After tidying up the scene slightly and erasing the charred rubble, Ye Qing quietly returned to the Servant Quarters.

Lying on the communal bed, listening to the snoring beside him, his heart felt completely at ease.

On the road of steady development, the "spear" of attack finally had a prototype.

Next, perhaps it was time to consider the issue of the "shield."

Could Void Realm talisman-drawing also deduce simple defensive means?

For example, a strengthened version of the "Shape Stabilizing Rune" used to instantly construct a spiritual power barrier in front of oneself?

Or, combining his understanding of "Metal and Iron Qi" to simulate an effect similar to the "Gold Shield Spell"?

Once his train of thought was opened, ideas flowed like a spring.

With all kinds of ideas for the future, Ye Qing fell into a deep sleep in the darkest hour before dawn.

The internal space operated quietly; in the small world of six zhang in radius, the gray mist at the edge slowly swallowed and exhaled free energy, and the Spiritual Qi mist on the black soil seemed to have thickened by an imperceptible fraction.

Everything was developing in a better direction.

Just waiting for the wind to rise.