Record of Mortals Slaying Heaven

Having mastered the Fireball spell, Shen Moqi turned her attention to the book "Introduction to Wood Element".

It wasn't because he had any particular preference for the wood element, but rather because he was currently claiming to be a "dual wood and fire" user. Since he had already trained in the fire element, he naturally couldn't neglect the wood element. Besides, the book said that wood-based magic was more about control, and could trap enemies in crucial moments, buying him time to escape.

He likes this.

There's no shame in running away if you can't win a fight.

That night, he sat cross-legged on the bed, opened "Introduction to Wood Element" and found the page that recorded "Wood Vine Technique".

The book explains it clearly: the principle of the Wood Vine Technique is to condense a vine from outside the body using wood spiritual energy. The length and thickness of the vine are determined by the practitioner's cultivation level and the amount of spiritual energy. Once condensed, it can be controlled by thought to whip or entangle the target.

It doesn't sound difficult.

Shen Moqi closed the book, shut her eyes, and began to try.

He first located the wood elemental energy in his dantian—the advantage of having all five elements was that he possessed all five types of spiritual energy. He carefully guided a wisp of wood elemental energy upwards along his meridians to his palm, and then, as instructed in the book, used his mind to "release" it.

A warmth spread through his palm, and a tiny wisp of green light emerged.

Shen Moqi was overjoyed and quickly used her mind to control it, trying to turn it into the shape of a vine.

The green light flickered, then "poof" it dissipated.

He paused for a moment, but didn't lose heart, and continued trying.

The second time, the third time, the fourth time...

Each time, it would just peek out with a hint of green light, and before it could take shape, it would dissipate. Or it would take shape, but the moment he had a thought, the vine, as thin as a hair, would snap off.

After struggling for half an hour, he was exhausted and covered in sweat. The wood spirit energy in his dantian was almost depleted, but that damned vine still hadn't taken shape.

He leaned against the headboard, panting heavily, staring blankly at his palm.

The book makes it sound so simple, so why is it so difficult for me?

He picked up the book and read it again, realizing he might have missed a crucial point—the book mentioned "shaping with intention," but it didn't clearly explain that this process required multitasking. He needed to maintain the output of spiritual energy while simultaneously controlling the shape of the vines; neither was dispensable.

He was only focused on forming the spiritual energy and didn't pay attention to maintaining its output. Once the spiritual energy was cut off, it naturally dissipated.

"So that's how it is." He patted his head and sat up straight.

After resting for a while and waiting for the spiritual energy in his dantian to recover somewhat, he tried again.

This time, he devoted part of his mind to stabilizing the output of spiritual energy, and the other part to controlling the shape of the vines.

A green light shone in his palm, more stable than before. He held his breath and used his mind to slowly pull the green light, allowing it to extend little by little—

A thin, green vine slowly grew from his palm.

It's only as long as a little finger, so thin it seems like it could break at any moment, but it is indeed shaped like a vine.

Shen Moqi stared at the vine, not daring to move.

The vine swayed gently in his palm, and then it snapped.

But this time it wasn't scattered, it broke—it broke off at the root, fell into his palm, and vanished as a wisp of green light.

Shen Moqi stared blankly at her palm, then suddenly grinned.

It became.

Although he was only the length of his little finger, and although he only lasted a few breaths, he succeeded.

His face turned red, and he felt that he had a decent talent for calligraphy. He then opened the book again and continued reading.

The book says that when the Wood Vine Technique is practiced to a high level, the vines can grow to several meters long and as thick as an arm, with enough power to strangle a monster.

He looked at his palm, and the little finger-length vine still seemed to flicker before his eyes like a phantom.

The road ahead is still long.

---

A few days later, in the evening, Shen Moqi did not return to the courtyard as usual. Instead, she carried her identity token and headed towards the servants' hall.

Senior Lin had said that the servants' hall had a dining hall, and that the meat of ferocious beasts was beneficial to cultivation. He had been at the sect for over a month and hadn't eaten a single meal there yet, so he planned to try it today.

The dining hall was larger than he had expected, with more than a dozen long tables set up, and about twenty disciples sitting sparsely. There was a window at the entrance, where a servant in a gray robe was serving food to the disciples in line.

Shen Moqi reached the back of the line. When it was his turn, the servant glanced at him and asked, "New here? Where's your token?"

Shen Moqi handed over the token. The servant took it, pressed it on the table, returned it to him, and then scooped a spoonful of meat, a spoonful of vegetables, and a large bowl of rice, placing them on the tray.

"There are empty seats over there, please find a place to sit."

Shen Moqi, carrying the tray, looked around and found a corner against the wall to sit down.

The meat was braised, a deep reddish-brown color, and smelled delicious. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, his eyes immediately lighting up—this meat was more fragrant than anything he had ever eaten in the Great Yan Kingdom. The meat was firm and chewy, and after swallowing it, his stomach felt warm and cozy, as if something was melting inside.

He recalled what Senior Lin had said about "benefiting cultivation," and understood a little better.

After eating for a while, he suddenly felt someone watching him.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the dining hall before finally settling on a table diagonally opposite him.

There sat a boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a blue robe. He had regular features, but the expression on his face... wasn't very pleasant.

The boy was staring at him, his gaze carrying something indescribable. It wasn't curiosity, nor was it scrutiny; it was... hostility.

Shen Moqi was stunned for a moment, confirming that she hadn't misread it—it was indeed hostility.

He was utterly bewildered. He didn't know this person at all, not even his name, so why was he hostile towards him?

Their eyes met, but the boy didn't look away. Instead, he smirked and lowered his head to continue eating.

Shen Moqi frowned, but didn't think much of it and continued eating.

After finishing his meal, he picked up his empty tray and got up to leave. As he reached the door, he couldn't help but look back one last time.

That boy is no longer here.

He shook his head, putting the matter out of his mind, and returned to his courtyard to continue practicing his magic.

---

Over the next few days, Shen Moqi went to the cafeteria several more times and occasionally ran into the boy.

Every time the boy saw Shen Moqi, his gaze would be fixed on him, filled with an inexplicable hostility. But he never came over to speak or make any move; he just watched.

Shen Moqi felt increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze, but she didn't know what to do.

Ask? Ask what? They didn't do anything to me, they were just staring at me, I can't just go up to them and say, "Why are you glaring at me?"

He could only pretend not to see it and lower his head to eat his meal.

That evening, he was eating in the canteen when someone suddenly sat down next to him.

He turned his head and saw Chen Ping—the disciple from Lingzhitang who often came to borrow books.

"Junior Brother Shen," Chen Ping greeted with a smile, "Eating alone?"

Shen Moqi nodded and smiled, "Senior Brother Chen."

Chen Ping looked around, his gaze sweeping over the boy's location, then leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Do you know Su Junmo?"

Shen Moqi was taken aback: "Who?"

Chen Ping gestured in that direction: "That guy over there, the one who's been watching you. His name is Su Junmo, from the Weapon Refining Hall."

Shen Moqi followed his gaze and saw that the young man—whose name was Su Junmo—was eating with his head down and was not looking in their direction.

"I don't know him." Shen Moqi shook her head. "I've never seen him before. What's wrong?"

Chen Ping glanced at him, hesitated, and finally said, "It's nothing, it's just... he seems to be asking about you lately. Be careful."

Shen Moqi's heart tightened: "Inquiring about me? Inquiring about what?"

Chen Ping shook his head: "I don't know the specifics. But Su Junmo comes from a family of cultivators, and he has quite good talent. He's already at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and he's rather arrogant among the outer disciples. The fact that he suddenly inquired about you means there's something going on."

Shen Moqi fell silent.

Chen Ping patted him on the shoulder: "I'm just reminding you to be careful."

After saying that, he picked up his tray, got up, and left.

Shen Moqi sat there, looking at the boy named Su Junmo, feeling a strange sense of bewilderment.

When exactly did I offend him?

---

Almost two months later, Shen Moqi was organizing the bookshelves in the Sutra Repository when Senior Lin came down from upstairs.

Shen Moqi quickly stood up straight: "Senior."

Senior Lin waved his hand, walked behind his desk and sat down. He picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, took a slow sip, and then said, "The outer sect disciple competition will begin in three days."

Shen Moqi nodded: "I've heard about it."

Senior Lin glanced at him: "You didn't register, did you?"

"No," Shen Moqi scratched her head, "Senior thinks too highly of me. I know my own limitations. Signing up would be like handing someone a piece of cake. I won't go."

Senior Lin snorted: "Good to know. But don't just stay cooped up in your room. Go watch the battle and see how others use their spells. It's better than practicing blindly on your own."

Shen Moqi nodded seriously: "Yes, senior."

Senior Lin put down his teacup and added, "The Scripture Pavilion will be closed during the competition, so I'll give you a day off."

Shen Moqi's eyes lit up: "Then thank you very much, senior!"

Senior Lin glanced at him, said nothing, stood up, turned around and went upstairs.

Shen Moqi stood there, watching his figure disappear at the top of the stairs, and suddenly felt that this Senior Lin was actually quite nice.

Although he's fierce and prone to swearing, he'll still offer reminders when necessary.

He smiled, turned around, and continued tidying the bookshelf.