Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 6 The Three Essentials of Spellcasting
Inside the cave, water dripped.

Fang Shu sat cross-legged, holding a gray fox fur coat in his hands. The pouch was turned inside out, and thirteen bloody and complex characters were written on it.

These are indeed thirteen secret texts of immortal learning.

Each one was drawn by Fang Shu with his own blood and essence; not a single stroke could be wrong, and it had to be done in one go.

Therefore, even after he had thoroughly understood the magic, it took him nearly half a month to write these secret characters on the fox fur.

Even so, it was because he had experience in refining the Long Tongue Sword.

Moreover, the method of refining the skin and fur is simpler than that of the Long Tongue Sword. Its refining only requires writing the words in blood, unlike the Long Tongue Sword, which requires tattooing the words onto the flesh.

in the dark.

Fang Shu looked down at the blood-red runes on the fox fur.

He then reached up and wiped his mouth, removing the long tongue from his mouth.

He placed his long tongue on the fox fur, using the tip of his tongue to feel the flow of blood and energy within the fur to see if it was compatible.

These secret texts, whether written or engraved on ritual implements, are not isolated from each other, but rather form a "restriction," much like the meridians in the human body.

Only by forging the restrictions can the embryo be transformed into a controllable magical artifact; otherwise, it remains an inanimate object.

After carefully sensing the fur, Fang Shu confirmed that he had not wasted the fox fur in his hand.

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and let out a soft sigh:
"Techniques cannot be learned without secret texts, and tools cannot be made without restrictions."

Also.

According to his second uncle, the study of immortality is an empirical discipline.

Cultivators must learn spells and forge magical artifacts, but they also need magical power as a bridge to connect the former two in order to unleash their power externally and bring that power back to themselves.

Spells, magical artifacts, and magical power are essentially one entity.

They complement each other, are interconnected, and are indispensable; these are known as the "Three Essentials of Spellcasting".

Without magic, one cannot forge magical artifacts; without magical artifacts, one cannot use magic; and without magical power, one is like a strong man who has collapsed from hunger, unable to perform any skill or tools.

Of course, Fang Shu has not yet entered the Dao, and he has no immortal magic power at all.

Fortunately, "essence blood" can also be used to replenish magical power, but the price is that it will harm the body and shorten lifespan, so it should not be used too often.

Fang Shu pondered in his mind:

"The way I use magic in this life is quite different from the way it was in the storybook in my dream."

Casting spells requires the use of magical implements, which seems quite cumbersome and inconvenient.

He himself had inquired about it.

It was discovered that only in ancient fairy tales were magic spells and magical artifacts separate entities, with the two not being closely related.

Fang Shu thought to himself:

"Perhaps what my second uncle said is more accurate to call magic today 'magic arts'."

These so-called immortals, though euphemistically called "immortals," are actually quite devoid of any otherworldly air; they should more accurately be called "magicians" or "sorcerers."

However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since that's what everyone calls him, he just went with the flow.

Also.

Modern magic (spells) may seem cumbersome to practice and cast.

However, once mastered, it proved to be more convenient and faster than the spells in ancient fairy tales.

Because many spells can be cast without chanting incantations or practicing energy, or by making hand seals or taking steps; they can be activated with a single thought, just like the limbs and fingers of the human body!
This is related to the materials used when refining ritual implements and the methods used when storing them.

In terms of materials, immortals can choose not only demonic creatures, but also gold, silver, copper, iron, thunder, rain, and dew, as well as the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, eyes, ears, nose, throat, and even the cultivator's own three souls and seven spirits...

Everything in the world can be used as a tool!
Once the magical artifact is crafted, it can be placed outside the human body as clothing or ornaments, or inside the body as the five internal organs, constantly nourishing the body, and can be large or small, ever-changing.

One more thing.

When Fang Shu first began studying immortality, he was still filled with unfounded worries, so he wrote to his second uncle to ask:

"Even so, if all the magical artifacts of the immortals are stolen, wouldn't they be reduced to their original form and become no different from ordinary mortals?"

His second uncle's answer to this was extremely brief:
"He who can pull out your tongue can also cut off your head."

Lost in thought for a moment.

Fang Shu collected his thoughts and stopped thinking about it.

He examined the fox fur ritual implement in his hand repeatedly, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, he immediately stood up, held the fox fur, and chanted an incantation:

"Using the demon's skin as a guide, I will transform myself into it."

"Shedding her fur and changing her skin, the change is entirely up to her."

Inside the cave, he had already set up a simple altar, on which lay human hair, human armor, and human saliva, along with a fox heart, fox eyes, and fox fur. The air was thick with eerie demonic energy and wild, untamed power.

As he ascended the altar, chanted incantations, and walked in a ritualistic manner, yellow paper within a six-foot radius continued to clatter and flutter in the wind.

Once the ritual implements are crafted, they should be kept for one's own use.

What he is doing now is performing the final ritual, refining the artifact and attaching it to his body.

Tweet!

Suddenly, the sound of a fox's cry rang out from inside the cave.

Fang Shu was seen hunched over, draping the fox fur shawl over his body, and speaking on all fours.

Suddenly, he bit his tongue and spat it out onto the yellow paper around him.

Whoosh! The yellow paper ignited upon contact with blood, emitting a strong incense-like aroma, and slowly formed a fox shape, which was darting around in the cave.

This is precisely how he uses his own essence and blood as a guide to generate magical power and drive spells and artifacts.

Fang Shu tilted his head back, strained his lungs, and swallowed all the fox-shaped smoke into his body.

Then his voice became strange, high-pitched and rapid, like a fox's cry or a human's voice, and he chanted a spell:
"With your power, I will reveal my magic!"

Chirp!

Its body suddenly lowered and crouched, wriggling strangely, shrinking to a size of six feet.

When Fang Shu looked up again, he had long, narrow eyes, gray hair on his face, and a pointed face, making him look like a lively fox.

He sat cross-legged on the altar, grooming himself and licking his paws. He shook himself and found that from his face to his tail, from his back to his paws, he looked exactly like a fox.

At this moment, he was a fox through and through, far beyond what could be achieved by using illusion magic to disguise himself.

Swoosh, swoosh.

He jumped off the altar and wandered around the cave, moving up and down.

The cave, which had been quite dark in his eyes, was now no different from daytime.

Furthermore, various scents appeared around his mouth and nose, and his sense of smell was more than ten times stronger than when he was in human form.

After Fang Shu transformed into a fox, he opened his long tongue and spat out the long tongue sword from his mouth.

Even in fox form, one can still use the tongue sword, and it differs quite a bit from the human form, with its ghostly aura amplified, making it easier to wield the sword and ambush enemies from the shadows.

After having a good time playing around.

Fang Shu stood up straight, a grin spreading across his fox-like face, and used his claws to peel the fox skin off his face.

His body leaped out of the fox fur, grew larger with a snap, and transformed back into human form.

As for the fox pelt he removed, it did not immediately fall into a pile of fur.

It wobbled, its fur folded up, transforming into a fox with a half-smile, and then it floated around in place a few more times.

When its lifeless eyes slowly met Fang Shu's gaze.

Tweet!
Fang Shu let out a fox cry, and it pounced on him, leaping onto his neck and coiling into a fox fur hood.

Stroking the smooth fox fur around his neck, Fang Shu's face lit up with excitement, and he said with fervor:

"How fortunate! I have mastered another magical art."

With this skill, he will find it much easier and more discreet to travel in the mountains and fields in the future.

At the critical moment, he was able to discard the fox fur and escape like a gecko shedding its tail, thus saving his life.

Once we arrive at the Fairy Market, we can consider selling these fox pelts to supplement our income.

The more Fang Shu thought about it, the happier he became.

Furthermore, the fox pelt had only just been refined. He would need to nurture it for a long time and use some medicinal herbs to further refine it.

Who knows, it might just go from being a second-rate magical artifact to a high-level, first-tier magical artifact.

At that time, it will be able to bring him even greater value!
Fang Shu looked forward to it.

The ritual artifact has been refined; there is no need to linger here any longer.

He glanced at the messy cave and felt a strong urge to leave.

Immediately, Fang Shu packed up his belongings in the cave, then, clutching the lightness talisman, leaped away from the cave.

When he landed, he instantly transformed back into a gray fox.

He took a few tentative steps and then darted around at the bottom of the cliff.

In the blink of an eye, Fang Shu vanished into the mountains and forests, disappearing without a trace, just like a wild fox.

(End of this chapter)