Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Qin Lu’s public execution of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had sent shockwaves through the crowd. His overwhelming strength was now obvious to all, undeniable and terrifying.

As a result, he didn’t need to hunt for volunteers. They came to him.

Scores of cultivators surged forward, actively begging to join his squad. They knew that standing behind a powerful leader was their best chance of surviving the night.

Qin Lu didn’t waste time with interviews.

His eyes shimmered as he activated the Heavenly Eye Technique. Instantly, the aura and cultivation depth of every cultivator within range were laid bare to his gaze. He didn’t need them to introduce themselves; their strength was written in the air around them.

Empowered by Jiang Ge with the authority of life and death, Qin Lu didn’t bother asking for consent. He simply pointed, his finger picking out the strongest among the desperate mob.

“You. You. You. And you…”

His selection was swift and ruthless. Within moments, he had his 20.

Of the selected squad, the majority were at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation. Two were at Qi Condensation Perfection—half a step from Foundation Establishment—and the remainder were sturdy eighth-layer cultivators.

Scanning the group, Qin Lu nodded. This was a force capable of holding the line.

“Is everyone ready?”

Gu Yue glided over to his side, her voice soft amidst the din. She had already hastily assembled her own squad of 20.

“I’m set,” Qin Lu replied calmly.

A moment later, Gu Can rushed up from behind, his face flushed with adrenaline and excitement. A large group trailed behind him; evidently, he had leveraged his status and bluster to gather a formidable team as well.

“Let’s move, then,” Gu Yue commanded.

Together, the three leaders and their sixty Qi Condensation subordinates took to the skies, a dense swarm flying rapidly toward the southern wall of White Jade Market.

As they flew, Jiang Ge’s voice boomed once more, rolling across the entire market like thunder.

“Cultivators of White Jade Market! I am your Sect Leader, Jiang Ge! The mountain-protecting formation has been fully activated for one reason: An immense beast tide is upon us!”

The announcement hit the city below like a physical blow.

“I have organized the Foundation Establishment seniors and the elite Qi Condensation cultivators into defense squads to man the walls,” Jiang Ge continued, his tone brokering no argument. “But those remaining in the market cannot stand idly by! This is an unprecedented calamity. If the market falls, we all perish!”

“Therefore, I command every cultivator to contribute! Cooperate with the patrol teams. Deliver your supplies, pills, and talismans to the front lines immediately!”

“Give everything you have! If the beast tide breaches the walls, White Jade Market will be utterly destroyed, and every soul here will be slaughtered! Do your best, or die!”

The echoes of his voice faded, replaced instantly by a chaotic eruption of noise from the streets below.

From his vantage point in the sky, Qin Lu saw the order dissolve into panic. Cultivators ran into the streets, pointing at the sky and cursing in uncontrollable rage.

Some, driven by sheer terror, summoned their flying Magical Artifacts and attempted to bolt toward the exits, hoping to flee before the siege began. But the exits were sealed, and the patrol teams were ruthless. Flashes of light erupted as enforcers clashed with deserters, striking them down without mercy.

The entire market had descended into anarchy.

Rumors of the beast tide had been circulating in hushed whispers, but the confirmation brought a suffocating reality. If the Demon Beasts broke through, the weak had no path to survival.

A heavy, suffocating aura of death settled over the low-level cultivators of White Jade Market.

South Wall, White Jade Market.

Qin Lu led his troops to their designated sector, landing softly on the broad stone battlements.

The massive, shimmering light curtain of the formation hummed just ten zhang (approx. 100 feet) beyond the wall. It was a thin barrier of energy separating civilization from the wilderness.

“Hm? The shantytown residents… they’re evacuating?” Qin Lu’s sharp eyes caught movement beyond the shield.

Through the translucent energy barrier, he could see the chaotic sprawl of the shantytown outside. Shadows flickered frantically. The faint sounds of screaming and the clatter of panicked movement drifted through the barrier. The Loose Cultivators who lived outside the protection of the formation were fleeing for their lives.

“If the beasts only target the market, those Loose Cultivators might slip away. But if the beasts have a taste for blood…” Qin Lu sighed internally.

The shantytowns had no walls, no arrays. Their only option was to run into the wild. But wandering the wilderness during a beast tide was a death sentence. They would be nothing more than snacks for the approaching horde.

He turned his gaze back to his squad. The 20 cultivators looked pale, their eyes darting nervously.

“Listen to me!” Qin Lu’s voice was low but carried a weight that snapped their attention to him. “This situation is dire. No one can guarantee your safety today. Stay sharp, stay cautious, or you will end up in the belly of a beast.”

“Yes, Senior!”

The cultivators cupped their fists, their voices trembling slightly.

Qin Lu turned back to the front, staring at the flowing light of the shield. He frowned.

The formation gave them a significant advantage—they wouldn’t have to fight the beasts tooth and nail immediately. But formations were not invincible. Under a sustained, relentless assault, the energy would deplete. The shield would fracture.

If a gap opened, the beasts would pour in like water through a cracked dam.

That would force them into close-quarters combat—a brutal, bloody meat grinder.

His mission was simple: Hold the line. Kill anything that tried to damage the shield.

Just as he was running through tactical scenarios, a sound vibrated through the air.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It was a dull, rhythmic thumping, like a giant heart beating in the earth, coming from the distance.

Qin Lu immediately kicked off the ground, soaring into the air for a better view. To his left and right, Gu Can and Gu Yue rose as well, their expressions grim.

The three of them looked East.

On the horizon, a black line appeared. It expanded rapidly, looking like a terrifying, living mudslide sweeping across the plains.

It was moving with impossible speed.

As it drew closer, the “mud” resolved into details. It was a tsunami of flesh—countless beasts galloping, slithering, and charging in a frenzied stampede.

Thick clouds of dust billowed into the sky, choking the horizon. Above the dust storm, dozens of flying Demon Beasts circled like vultures, screeching as they heralded the arrival of the horde.

Red eyes glowed in the twilight. Maws dripped with saliva and blood. The roar of the beasts merged into a single, deafening sound wave that slammed against the market walls.

Even the Foundation Establishment cultivators felt a suffocating pressure squeeze their chests.

“So many…” Qin Lu whispered, his grip tightening on the Silver Sand Sword. “This is terrifying.”

He was used to fighting alone, or dealing with small packs. He had never witnessed a calamity on this scale. If a cultivator—even one at Foundation Establishment—were to fall into that stampede, they would be trampled into paste instantly.

The ground shook violently now.

The sheer momentum of the charge was overwhelming. It felt less like an army and more like a natural disaster.

Three hundred zhang.

One hundred zhang.

Forty zhang.

Ten zhang.

BANG!

The vanguard of the beast tide slammed into the light curtain with the force of a crashing train. The entire mountain-protecting formation shuddered violently, the light rippling wildly under the impact.

“ATTACK!”

A roar erupted from the commander on the East Wall.

Instantly, the city walls lit up. Countless beams of spiritual light, artifacts, and techniques shot out from the defenders!

The war had begun.