Chapter 4: Spells

Leng Huangnu's eyes narrowed as the Spirit Beast lunged towards her, its jaws open wide.

"Young Miss!" The other guards shouted, and were alerted by the sudden attack. They hadn't thought that one of the Spirit Beast would suddenly lunge towards their Young Miss.

Yu immediately rushed forward, but he wouldn't arrive in time as the beast he was fighting wouldn't letting him go. The same went for the others guards.

However, Leng Huangnu wasn't scared at all. Should I use the life-saving talisman my father gave me?

It was a one-use type talisman, and she was hesitant to use it.

As she was deciding what to do, Huang Longtian stepped forward, channeling the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth on his fingers. 

He moved his fingers quickly in intricate patterns, drawing symbols in the air with the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Drawing the word "Shield". The latter was magnificent, as the word hung in the air sustained by the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. 

The it suddenly expanded, becoming a massive word "Shield" drawing.

As the massive word "Shield" glowed with an ethereal light, a barrier formed between Leng Huangnu and the Spirit Beast. 

Leng Huangnu's eyes widened. It was the first time she had appeared so surprised. 'A spell,' she looked at Huang Longtian, her eyes shining. 'He's a legendary Spell Master!'

This was something that he, Huang Longtian, had studied without stopping in the Primordial Origin Library. 

A rare and powerful secondary profession derived from the secondaries professions of Formation and Talisman masters—A Spell Master!

Boom!

The Spirit Beast slammed into the massive word "Shield", momentarily stunned by the unexpected resistance. 

Leng Huangnu's beautiful eyes looked at Huang Longtian with admiration and a certain hesitation… If I could form some sort of relationship with him, I could help big sister….

"He's a spell master!" one of the guards, the one with a scar on his left eye exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. His name was Dong Jiang.

Yu, the voluptuous lady; Dong Cai Hong and Lu Bing were equally surprised.

This will be tricky… we actually offended a legendary Spell Master… We should apology after this….

Huang Longtian focused on maintaining the barrier, his mind racing. He had to buy enough time for the guards to regroup and launch a counterattack. 

But when he saw then daydreaming, he was furious, almost breathing out fire: "What hell are you doing?! Get yours asses and came help! I can't maintain this shield for too long!"

The guards awakened from their initial surprise. What are we doing? If something happens to the Young Miss, we're finished!

The Spirit Beast recovered quickly, pounding against the massive word "Shield" with increasing ferocity. 

Huang Longtian felt the strain, but he held firm, drawing more Spiritual Qi from the surroundings to reinforce the spell.

Whoosh!

The guards, seeing their chance, moved swiftly. They even ignored their initial opponents. 

Saving the Youngs Miss was their priority!

Yu, despite his earlier animosity, was the first to strike. 

Baam!

His sword flashed as he delivered a powerful blow to the Spirit Beast's flank, drawing a pained roar from the creature.

Boom! Bang! Baam!

The other guards followed suit, attacking with precision and coordination.

Leng Huangnu stepped back, her eyes never leaving Huang Longtian. She was impressed by his spells, but there was no time for questions. 

Boom! Bang! Baam!

The battle was fierce, the Spirit Beast fighting with a desperate fury. But it didn't last long, for it was rapidly killed by their conjoint effort and began to falter. 

Swoosh!

Yu delivered the finishing blow, his sword slashing through the Spirit Beast, dividing into two equal parts. 

Roooaaaar!

With a final, agonized roar, the Spirit Beast collapsed, its massive body thudding to the ground.

Nevertheless, Huang Longtian continued to support them, his spell buying the guards crucial seconds to kill the remaining Spirit Beasts.

Sigh!

The guards breathed a collective sigh of relief, their exhaustion evident. They turned to Huang Longtian, their expressions a mix of gratitude and newfound respect. One by one, they approached him, introducing themselves.

"I'm Dong Jiang," the scarred guard with a scar on his left eye, said while bowing slightly. "Thank you for your assistance Master Huang. I owe you an apology for my earlier actions."

"And I'm Dong Cai Hong, his sister," said the voluptuous lady, clear green her eyes brimming with charm. Her early disdain replaced with a warm smile. "You can call me Big Sister Hong," she said with a warm smile. "I hope you can forgive my earlier behavior, Master Huang."

Lu Bing, a handsome man with long platinum hair, said with a respectful nod, "Thank you for helping to keep the Young Miss safe, Master Huang."

Huang Longtian noted that their introductions seemed too enthusiastic, each guard expressing their appreciation.

'So this is the power of one's value… I should act with caution around people like them… Not too friendly but also not too unfriendly… Just casual to not offend them greatly, like the cultivation novels' protagonists…'

Even Yu, though still visibly irritated, gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. "Huang Longtian, no, Master Huang," Yu said, his tone grudging but respectful. "You fought well. But don't let this get to your head; even without you, a Spell Master, we could easily defeat these spirit beasts. After all, we are Spiritual Foundation Realm experts."

He couldn't really shallow the fact, that the mortal he despised was a legendary Spell Master.

Huang Longtian smile at him, not taking his words serious. Such person wasn't worth any reaction from him.

Seeing that the atmosphere was being strange, Leng Huangnu stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Huang Longtian. She joked, "Master Huang, you have been hiding your skills deeply," a hint of smile on her face, "I really did not expect to find a legendary Spell Master here, lost and having hit his head in the Fallen Desolate Forest."

A Spell Master was a unique and highly esteemed secondary profession, that only extremely talented individuals could could became. It combined the already complex knowledge and skills of both Formation Masters and Talisman Masters. 

Spell Masters could harness the power of formations and talismans to create powerful spells that could alter reality, protect vast areas and more importantly they could unleash devastating attacks. Their spells power were significantly higher than Formation Masters and Talismans Masters, making them highly sought out by multiple sects, families, and other organisations.

However, this secondary profession was rare due to the immense knowledge, precision, and innate talent required to master both underlying secondary professions. One couldn't became a Spell Master without mastering formations and talismans alike. 

So one could imagine the difficulty of becoming a Spell Master, that's why these guards became more docile. Leng Huangnu knew that in the whole Eastern Domain there wasn't a single Spell Master; perhaps the Central Domain had some. But, she didn't know since she never had the opportunity to go there.

Huang Longtian had wryly smile on his face. How embarrassing, why she doesn't forget this… "I only studied plenty of spells before, but this was my first testing them. I'm just glad I could help."

Leng Huangnu's lips curved into a slight smile, she didn't appear cold and aloof anymore. "There's no need to belittle yourself, Master Huang. You are a rare Spell Master, you should hold your head high. Your help was very welcome. I wouldn't managed to get away in one piece without you."

The other weren't surprised by Leng Huangnu's new form of address to Huang Longtian. Huang Longtian looked at her, "There's no need for such formality; we are probably the same age. So, we shouldn't use such formalities, instead we could be friends."

Hmph! You think I'm stupid? How can a Young Miss of respectable background such as yours not have any life-saving trump cards? Huang Longtian smiled broadly.

At mention of friends, Leng Huangnu smiled beautiful, she appeared genuinely happy.

Only Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing. He clearly knew the value of having a Spell Master on their side. So, the tension between him and Huang Longtian could only be appeased for the moment…

"There are no eternal enmities, only eternal benefits," Dong Jiang wisely said. "Being friends with a Spell Master is far better than being enemies."

Huang Longtian looked at him with disdain from the corners of his eyes. You were the one second to insult to insult me earlier. Just look at Yu; even though he agreed with these words, he didn't degraded himself to flatter me like you guys. Though he is a snobbish and arrogant man, he has his principles in check and acts accordingly.

He was disgusted by these guards' attitudes, changing rapidly like flipping a book page. However, he knew that in a cultivation world, alliances were crucial. Having the support of these Spiritual Foundations Realm guards—and more importantly, Leng Huangnu—could prove invaluable later….