Having cast the spell successfully, Fang Hao flicked his arm and the flame snake shot at the ground several meters away. There was a crumbling noise and a hemispherical flash of light as the flame snake collided with the ground. When the flash of light subsided, Fang Hao noticed a bowl like depression on the ground, about 15 cm (6 inches) deep and half a meter (19 inches) wide ash-covered charred region in his backyard.

'OK. I am pretty sure my first flame snake spell was much more powerful than that outer disciple I fought. Still the cast time is a bit longer. It took me roughly 5 seconds to cast it. I guess I can shorten it with higher proficiency.' He then recalled the contemplation image of the flame snake...and the previously static image was shivering in a seemingly erratic manner with glittering scales! 'Looks like it is at least partially due to my augmented contemplation image. Perhaps that is what caused the upgrade in power of the spell.'

He then immersed his full concentration in the image of the flame snake and it slowly dawned to him that the flame snake's scales were pulsating in a fashion very similar to his first drop of Liquid Qi! 'So the contemplation image somehow synchronized with the pulsing rhythm of my Qi. So this means, if the cultivation manual I follow is of a higher quality and has beneficial characteristics; then the spells I cast automatically receive a boost in their power! No wonder good quality cultivation manuals are so highly sought in the sect.

Meanwhile, in the deeper regions of the jade Pagoda Sect, a short skinny young man was gazing reverently at a hook nosed scar-faced old man in what looked like a pleasant garden near the base of a small hill. There was a cave entrance visible in the background. The hook-nosed scar-faced old man had a look of approval in his eyes as he addressed the short skinny teenager before him.

“Your progress is good, disciple. You have gained initial success in the Severing Sword Scripture and thus reached the peak of the early foundation establishment realm. This scripture is one of the best sword scriptures for your cultivation base and it will be sufficient for you to reach the peak of the Core Formation Stage as long as you work hard enough.”

“Disciple thanks master for his generous praise.” said the short skinny teenager with genuine gratitude in his eyes. The hook-nosed scar-faced old man's face broke into a smile as he flicked his sleeve. A translucent dull glassy sword appeared in thin air, gently floating between the master and disciple. The short skinny teenager had a look of longing in his eyes as he stared at the glassy bastard sword. The hook-nosed scar-faced old man then said,

“For your progress in cultivation and your acute battle sense, I have prepared this flying sword for you. It is made from the shell of the Slumbering Crystal Tortoise, and is very compatible with the Severing Sword Scripture. While it may not be the most powerful flying sword for Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivators...it is perhaps the most suitable one for you considering your spirit roots and sword scripture!”

The short young man kowtowed in gratitude as he said, “Disciple thanks master for his generous gift. Disciple swears to be worthy of master's faith and generosity.” The hook-nosed scar-faced old man gave a laugh in appreciation and also passed on a jade slip to his disciple. The disciple respectfully received the jade slip and inquired, “Master, what kind of spell is this jade slip for?” The hook-nosed scar-faced old man just had a glint of amusement in his eyes and replied, “See for yourself and tell me your opinion about it.”

The disciple held the jade slip to his forehead, and closed his eyes for a couple of breaths. When he opened his eyes and looked at his master with some confusion in his eyes. “Master, while this seems like a powerful body refining scripture, shouldn't disciple focus solely on the Severing Sword Scripture? Shouldn't the Dao of the Sword be the singular focus of this disciple?” The hook-nosed scar-faced old man sighed and said.

“Yes, the Severing Sword Scripture is very powerful. With sufficient enlightenment and mastery of it along with the flying sword I bestowed you, you will have an unrivaled attack and superior speed to most cultivators of your level. But the sword scripture is not infallible. Every Sword Cultivator has a major weakness. Do you know what that is?”

“Yes master, it is defense! Sword Cultivators are comparatively fragile, but shouldn't some barrier spells and talismans able to compensate for it?”

“To a certain extent yes. But most powerful Sword Scriptures have moves which consume a lot of Qi! How can you expect to maintain powerful shield and barrier spells while your powerful sword moves drain significant portion of your Qi? You may be able to slaughter legions with your flying sword, but once your Qi is depleted and all talismans are used, it wouldn't take much more than a well placed sneak attack to kill you or shatter your dantian crippling your cultivation base. Now do you understand the need to have a secondary focus on body cultivation?”

The skinny short teenager had a thoughtful look on his face as he clasped his hands and bowed, replying “Disciple thanks Master for his Invaluable advice!” The hook-nosed scar-faced old man had a glint of approval in his eyes as he further encouraged his disciple. “And this body refining scripture is no ordinary body refining scripture. The Frostfire Titanic Physique Scripture uses extreme heat and extreme cold to temper the body. It is one of the better body-refining scriptures granting a very durable physique and has a good practicing speed with supporting resources being comparatively easier to procure.”

“But it has one major flaw. It is extremely painful! Each refining is nothing short of torture. Due to your good aptitude and cultivation resources bestowed by the sect, your cultivation base has increased too quickly! While everything may seem fine now, without you facing major bottlenecks at this stage... it is better to take a break from Qi cultivation for a while. Focus on practicing the Frostfire Titanic Physique Scripture for now to at least the large success stage. Not only will it allow you to shrugg-off most spells from early foundation establishment cultivators with your body alone, the pain will temper your sword heart and stabilize your cultivation base making your Qi denser and thus paving the road for a smooth journey to core formation!”