"The Northern Sea has always been full of demonic beasts. I went out to sea with my elders to hunt when I was young, but this was the biggest spectacle I've ever seen."

"Exactly. I still can't believe there were that many demonic beasts gathering inside the Ruined CIty. If it wasn't for the complex terrain of the Flowing Sea Region and the grand formations there, those things would've all come to the human territory by now, and that would've been disastrous."

"What I don't understand is why those demons have stayed put in the Ruined City. They clearly broke out of the Heaven of Northern Yama, but they haven't left the Surging Sea. It's so strange..."

"I don't know what they're planning... On a different topic, Fellow Daoist Li, that sword-light division technique you used that day was absolutely amazing."

On the flying boat's deck, more than a dozen Initiates gathered in small groups. They drank tea and wine, admired the scenery, and discussed the battles they had fought at the Flowing Sea Region. The atmosphere was so relaxed it hardly seemed as though they had survived a life-and-death combat. It was clear that after the battle, each of them had grown more mature. Though they seemed to be exchanging compliments, they were in truth sharing combat insights and making up for weaknesses.

Among them, Wang An was on the receiving end of praises, yet he wore a bitter smile. "You only saw the might of my Divergent Mountain suppressing three second-tier demons, but you did not see that it nearly drained all my spirit power. If Senior Brother hadn't been there to cover me, I would've been left at their mercy."

"Huh? Does it consume that much spirit power?"

"I never realized it during practice, but it seems like it. Divergent Mountain is one of Resonant Jade Mountain's most renowned third-tier spells, and we use it specifically for that restraining effect. I spent years practicing it and I've been treating it as my trump card. I never expected it to have such a flaw... and to discover the flaw in the middle of battle...."

The same spell wielded by different people naturally had different might. Likewise, under different conditions, its casting could change. Wang An usually stopped short in practice and never pushed it far enough to affect himself. But in battle, there had been too many demons. To ease his senior brother's burden, he had poured as much spirit power as he could into the spell. By the time he noticed, it was too late. His spirit power was leaking out like a flood, almost entirely out of control.

Before everyone, Wang An demonstrated Divergent Mountain once more. Above the deck, an illusory mountain appeared. It carried an obvious oppressive force, but clearly not enough to pin down three demons of the same tier at once. Wang An said bitterly, "This is how it is under normal conditions. If I go all out like I did on the battlefield, then I won't be able to stop my spirit power from going out of control. And once that happens, I'll have no means of defending myself. If I can't solve this problem, then I simply can't use this thing again."

Though the others were unfamiliar with the workings of Divergent Mountain, they still offered their own guesses and insights to help Wang An. After this battle, they had grown much closer. In fact, they considered the others comrades now; perhaps, in a century or two, when each ruled their own force, these ties would become valuable support. But for now, it was clear their insights barely touched the problem. None could resolve Wang An's predicament. If a sect elder proficient with Divergent Mountain had been here, they might have pointed the way forward. But Resonant Jade Mountain had joined the Blue Sea Alliance and was mired in the war. Where would he find an elder to guide him now?

Just as disappointment set in and he was about to drop the subject and move on to something else, a cold voice came from the doorway of the largest hall. "Your approach is wrong."

Wang An froze and instinctively turned around. The others did the same, all eyes falling on the red-robed Daoist. Under everyone's gaze, he walked over step by step and looked at Wang An. "I may not know the exact details of your spell, but the main principle is obvious enough. It's a force amplifier. It amplifies a small amount of energy enough to resist a greater amount of energy. In practice, that means using a reasonable amount of your own spirit power to bring out several times that force and restrain a stronger opponent. Am I right?"

Wang An nodded. "Senior, it is exactly so."

"Then yes, your approach is wrong." Luo Chen smiled confidently. "Your spirit power is too forceful when you release it, and it lacks flexibility. A spell like this is about precision, not brute strength. Try this: When you cast it, don't send the spirit power straight out from your sea of qi. Run it through your meridians first, then release it."

Wang An was doubtful. Wouldn't that overload my meridians and risk damaging them? And wouldn't it slow the casting as well?

Still, with everyone watching and Luo Chen's encouraging gaze, he tried again. The process was slow, even twice as slow as before, but he followed Luo Chen's instructions exactly. The instant the mountain took shape... tremendous pressure descended, and even the speeding flying boat was slowed down!

"What the—" Wang An's eyes went wide in disbelief.

His senior brother blurted out, "That's it, that's exactly it! On the battlefield, the power of your Divergent Mountain was about the same as this! Junior Brother, how much spirit power did you use this time?"

Wang An swallowed. "Less than a third...." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Exclamations erupted. A spell that had just days before required all his spirit power now used only a third! It wasn't any more powerful than before, but doing it this way left Wang An with more than enough spirit power to defend himself. And this was the result of just a casual instruction!

Wang An was overjoyed and hurriedly asked the questions he had thought of before.

Luo Chen looked as if he had expected this. "A third-tier spell was never meant for Initiates to wield easily. If you want to bring out that kind of power, you have to pay a price. The strain on the meridians is that price. As for the casting being slower, that's not a problem with the method. It just means you haven't practiced enough."

Wang An nodded. This spell was not something taught to him by the sect elders. He had learned it in secret after reaching Foundation Establishment, and because he lacked guidance, he had only partially grasped its principles. With Luo Chen's guidance, everything suddenly became clear. No wonder his spirit power had gone out of control before. The principle was to use a small force to restrain a greater one. But if the amplified force of the spell overwhelmed the spirit power within him, the effects would reverse. At that point, it would no longer be the cultivator wielding the spell, but the spell dragging the cultivator. The insight brought clarity, but it also left Wang An troubled. It seemed this move could not be used when fighting alone. He would need allies to hold the front so he had enough time to cast it.