The White Pearl's Spell Duplication Miracle
Spells could be duplicated? Baek Cheong waged a desperate all-night battle with the revision orb in her private residence. She tried injecting the five elements' energies in alternating sequences like cracking a code, and even ran through all nineteen divine patterns at her disposal. She didn't hesitate to resort to childish antics like reciting incantations from fairy tales she'd seen in her previous life while stroking the orb. But the stubborn magic tool remained stubbornly silent.
"Ah, seriously!" As dawn broke, Baek Cheong—having pulled an all-nighter with wide eyes—finally lost her patience. Huffing and puffing, she snatched up the orb and headed to the spacious Yeonha Baek family's training ground.
"I told you, let's see who wins."
Baek Cheong placed the orb on the sturdy blue stone floor in a corner of the training ground.
"Let's see if you can take a hit and stay intact."
She stepped back about five paces and sharply drew up the water-attribute energy from her dantian. In both hands, she simultaneously deployed the first-grade spell Ice Dragon Chains. Two ice serpents sliced through the air and flew forward. Under the control of her divine patterns, the ice serpents plunged straight toward the orb.
Boom!
A deafening roar tore through the air as thick cold energy swept over the corner of the training ground. The solid blue stones on the floor shattered into pieces that flew everywhere, and a haze of ice dust obscured the view.
"Gasp, why is the young lady unleashing such fierce spells this early in the morning..."
The household servants wandering nearby jumped in alarm at the explosive noise and turned their gazes toward it. What they saw through the thick cold mist was the youngest miss, breathing heavily.
"No way..."
Baek Cheong couldn't close her mouth at the scene revealed as the dust slowly cleared. The blue stone floor had been utterly shattered by a mere first-grade spell. But her eyes weren't on the broken floor—they were fixed on the orb sitting demurely in the center of the wreckage.
"Is it bulletproof or something?"
Baek Cheong was dumbfounded by the unbelievable sight. Despite taking a direct hit from a first-grade spell, the orb showed not a single scratch or trace of frost. It gleamed even more pristinely, as if the dust on its surface had simply been brushed away, making it shine whiter than ever.
"This thing has insane durability. Might as well use it as a shield."
She clicked her tongue in amazement, shuffled over, and picked up the orb. Despite having just taken the cold spell head-on, its temperature remained comfortably pleasant. At this point, her frustration had given way to a strange sense of challenge.
It doesn't absorb energy, bloodline arts don't work, and it won't break... So how the hell am I supposed to use this thing?
Baek Cheong propped her chin on her hand and pondered deeply. Then, looking at the pure white orb, a fantasy novel flashed in her mind. Along with it came a ridiculous yet ingenious idea.
Round orbs like this are usually what mages in fantasy stories attach to the end of their staffs, right? What if I use it as a medium to cast spells... er, law techniques?
In the world of cultivators, magic tools were intuitive implements. Flying swords sliced enemies, shields blocked attacks, bells rattled minds with their tolls, and fans whipped up winds. They all felt straightforward, fully leveraging the tool's innate abilities.
But the idea of using a magic tool itself as an amplifier to channel one's own spells? That was utterly alien and unconventional to the rigid mindset of cultivators. Even her grandfather probably hadn't tried it.
"Alright, nothing to lose. Let's give it a shot."
Suppressing her excited little heart, Baek Cheong gripped the orb tightly with both hands. She closed her eyes, drew energy from her dantian, and began the meridian circulation for the basic spell Water Flow Technique. Instead of letting the energy exit through her fingertips or palms as usual, she forcibly twisted its outlet toward the orb clutched in her hands.
"Ugh."
But it was harder than she'd imagined, furrowing her brow. Shaping a spell through an external object outside her body was far more finicky and painful. The energy skimmed the orb's surface and tried to bounce off, while her meridians twisted, sending unpleasant backflow sensations surging through her.
Ah, so that's why no one does this.
She keenly felt the clear reason other cultivators never used magic tools as spell mediums. A mismatch between the tool and energy could easily lead to qi deviation.
But Baek Cheong didn't give up.
Still, it's possible.
She finely controlled her vast divine patterns to manage the energy. Forcing the spell through the orb was a reckless attempt that would have caused qi deviation long ago without her exceptional control.
Just a bit more...
After dozens of failures and narrowly averting energy backflows, sweat poured down her forehead like rain. Finally, after persistent efforts, she sensed a faint resonance of energy stirring inside the orb.
"Oh? It went in!"
Baek Cheong cried out in joy and completed the final incantation of the Water Flow Technique. The pure white orb momentarily took on a blue glow and shone brilliantly.
Whoosh!
At the same time, streams of water burst from the orb. But the water streams had an odd shape. She'd input exactly the amount of spiritual energy for one Water Flow Technique, yet what emerged from the orb and stretched into the air split into two streams.
"Huh?"
Baek Cheong blinked wide-eyed, glancing back and forth between the orb and the water streams. She'd consumed energy for one spell but produced two.
"No way... is this spell duplication?"
This was the mysterious magic tool whose power even her grandfather couldn't discern. But its true ability—to duplicate spells—only revealed itself when used in a way that defied conventional cultivator wisdom. Not an orb, but the White Pearl.
"Jackpot."
Excited, Baek Cheong's eyes sparkled with interest. Using one spell produced two. This simple yet cheat-like ability, combined with her multi-spell deployment, sent shivers of anticipation through her body just imagining the possibilities.
But the White Pearl's duplication had a fatal limitation. The duplicated second spell was also formed from the caster's energy, so fully controlling its trajectory and power required twice the divine patterns. For spells like Ice Dragon Chains that needed precise post-casting manipulation via connected divine patterns, the mental load skyrocketed exponentially. Even cultivators versed in divided attention techniques would struggle to handle the duplicated controlled spells simultaneously.
With this, I could be the top in mid Qi Refining.
But Baek Cheong trusted her vast divine patterns and her ability to split them. The only shackle on her multi-spell deployment had been her meridians' energy limit. If five Ice Dragon Chains were her meridian cap, channeling through the White Pearl meant ten. With sufficient divine control, it was a perfect amplifier for infinite expansion.
"Shall we try?"
Baek Cheong leaped to the center of the training ground. Gripping the White Pearl in both hands, she drew up spiritual energy from her dantian. She split her divine patterns into ten strands while simultaneously starting the meridian circulation for five Ice Dragon Chains.
Water-attribute energies surged through her meridians toward the White Pearl.
Vmmm!
The White Pearl emitted a blinding blue light and trembled violently as if about to burst. In the next instant, the energy passing through it duplicated, and ten ice dragons unfurled spectacularly in the sky above the training ground. Still at the beginner level, they resembled ice serpents more than true dragons, but the cold aura and overwhelming pressure from ten intertwined serpents was a sight to behold.
"Go!"
Grinning with excitement, Baek Cheong directed them with her divine patterns. Under her command, the ten ice dragons roamed freely through the air. Three shot vertically upward piercing the sky, four skimmed the ground kicking up dust, and the remaining three circled her protectively in a defensive formation.
With a flick of her wrist, the ten dragons moved in perfect unison, performing a fantastical dance.
She controlled ten independent ice dragons simultaneously without a single tangle in her divine patterns.
"Whoa!"
"Is that really the power of Qi Refining?"
"Handling ten spells at once..."
The Baek family servants, drawn by the early commotion, dropped their tasks and gawked speechlessly at the ice dragons painting the sky. The grand, majestic scene evoked not just visual awe but instinctive reverence.
Baek Mujin, Baek Muyeong, and the family elders rushed out from inside upon hearing the noise, frozen in place nearby as they witnessed the unbelievable spectacle.
"Brother... for Cheong's sake, you must reach Gold Core no matter what..."
Baek Muyeong muttered in a trembling voice. Baek Mujin stared blankly, alternating between the ten ice dragons adorning the sky and his daughter joyfully conducting them with her fingers below.
The sight of her masterfully wielding a magic tool whose power even the former family head couldn't discern was nothing short of prodigious genius.
A hidden dragon has been born in our Baek family.
Baek Mujin swallowed dryly and clenched his fist tighter. To protect his daughter—blessed with rainbow talent and genius—he couldn't just focus on family affairs. He too needed to diligently cultivate and elevate the family's status. Only then could he shield her from those coveting her talent, even vicious spirit beasts, under the Yeonha Baek name.