Chapter 1014: Above Me
Chapter 1014: Above Me
The Xuan Character Tournament in Lunjian had various formats, and Mo Hua seemed to have both good and bad luck with the ones he participated in. So far, aside from the Execution Match, he had only experienced the Chaotic Battle format.
Mo Hua hadn't played a single round of the other formats, such as offense and defense, monster hunting, or escort missions.
This particular Lunjian against Xiaoyaomen was also just a basic Chaotic Battle.
The goal was to 'slay' all the opposing disciples to win.
However, at this point, none of the spectating cultivators cared about the 'format' anymore. They were only concerned with one thing:
Who could slay Mo Hua?
Who could make this despicable and shameless Mo Hua die once in the Lunjian Assembly?
Who could wash away the humiliation of Qianxue's Tianjiao with Mo Hua's blood?
Just killing Mo Hua once would be enough.
They didn't care about winning or losing.
Or rather, as long as someone could kill Mo Hua, that person would be the 'winner' in everyone's hearts.
This simple yet intense desire filled the hearts of all the cultivators on Lundao Mountain.
The atmosphere among the spectators was like a furnace, stirring everyone's blood.
The one who carried the greatest hopes in this Lunjian was none other than Xiaoyaomen's Tianjiao, Feng Zichen, with his handsome appearance, white robes, and sword aura like the wind.
It wasn't just the Feng Family Elder who had such expectations.
Most of the spectating cultivators shared the same anticipation.
They eagerly awaited Feng Zichen to slay Mo Hua with a single sword.
Soon, the Lunjian began.
After a brief reconnaissance and maneuvering, the disciples of Xiaoyaomen and Tai Xu Gate met, and like the wind and thunder stirring the earth's fire, their sword lights shook the heavens as they clashed.
There were no fancy tactics, only pure slaughter.
Mo Hua, of course, bore the brunt of the onslaught.
It was clear to anyone with eyes that among the Tai Xu Gate disciples, two individuals could not be allowed to roam freely.
One was Ling Huxiao.
If Ling Huxiao was left unchecked, he would undoubtedly be killed by Chongxu's sword aura.
The other was Mo Hua.
If Mo Hua was left alone, he would disgust everyone to death, and victory would also be impossible.
Originally, Mo Hua's importance was second only to Ling Huxiao.
But unfortunately, he had made too many enemies, and that handsome face of his was naturally mocking.
As a result, there were far more people who wanted to kill him than those who wanted to kill Ling Huxiao.
Moreover, this Lunjian had accumulated the experience from several previous sect Lunjian matches and crystallized the wisdom of the elders from various sects. With Xiaoyaomen's determination and means to 'kill' Mo Hua, their offensive was like a rainbow.
Their mobility was like the wind, their sword aura like shadows, and they moved freely with fierce attacks, pressing Tai Xu Gate from both sides.
Mo Hua had no choice but to flee in disarray.
The spectators watched with pounding hearts.
Elder Feng was also deeply satisfied.
"Xiaoyaomen's sect-protecting legacy is the Xiaoyao Fengying Gong. Their mobility technique is the Tafeng Step, and they cultivate the Xiaoyao Yujian Jue. As a result, their disciples excel in 'fast sword' techniques..."
"Not only are their mobility skills excellent, but their swords are also swift. With each attack and retreat, the sword aura follows the wind, and the killing intent is like a thread, cutting off throats and taking lives."
"When wind-type mobility and sword techniques are combined, the faster the mobility, the stronger the sword techniques."
"It is because of such supreme skills that Xiaoyaomen, in the past, surpassed several sword-focused sects among the Twelve Streams and became one of the Eight Great Gates."
Elder Feng explained to Elder Zhang, and then continued with a smile:
"And my Feng Family's Tianjiao, Feng Zichen, is the outstanding talent of Xiaoyaomen in this generation. His cultivation methods and sword techniques come from Xiaoyaomen, but his mobility skills, on top of Xiaoyaomen's Tafeng Step, also incorporate our Feng Family's unique Bagua Youfeng Step."
"Combining Xiaoyaomen's Tafeng Step and Bagua Youfeng Step, two supreme mobility techniques, into one."
"In terms of sword techniques, Zichen may not be the strongest. But when it comes to mobility, there's hardly anyone in the entire Lunjian Assembly who can compare to him."
"And Xiaoyaomen's sword techniques heavily rely on mobility. The stronger the mobility, the stronger the sword techniques, so Zichen's wind-type sword techniques, when displayed, are also invincible..."
Elder Feng's face glowed with pride.
Elder Zhang looked at the Hua Mu and indeed saw that the five disciples of Xiaoyaomen had swift mobility and continuous sword moves, like a raging storm.
The leader among them was even faster.
In his fluttering white robes, he and his sword became one, coming and going like the wind, graceful and fierce."
Especially his mobility, which combined the swiftness of the Tafeng Step and the agility of the Youfeng Step, was exquisite.
"Excellent!"
Elder Zhang nodded in praise, but his heart couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
Their Zhang Family was also known for their exceptional mobility techniques.
The family's inherited Luohua Step and Shishuibu were also considered exquisite. But compared to the Xiaoyaomen's Tafeng Step and Bagua Youfeng Step, they were still slightly inferior.
Moreover, there wasn't a single disciple in the Zhang Family who could cultivate these two types of mobility techniques to perfection.
Not to mention, no one could compete with the Feng Family's outstanding talent in the Lunjian Arena.
Comparing oneself to others can be disheartening.
Elder Zhang didn't say anything, and his expression remained unchanged, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
On the arena, Feng Zichen led the Xiaoyaomen disciples in displaying their prowess.
Sword aura swept like a raging storm.
In just a few dozen rounds, Xiaoyaomen's formation was torn apart by the swift swords of Tai Xu Gate.
As the formation fell into chaos, Mo Hua lost his protection.
The Xiaoyaomen disciples immediately unleashed their sword aura like the wind, all of them rushing towards Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was truly overwhelmed and had no choice but to activate his Invisibility, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Feng Zichen had anticipated this and immediately took out a Five Elements Concealment Mirror, shining it directly at Mo Hua, revealing his hidden figure clearly.
The spectators outside the arena were astonished, and everyone clapped their hands in praise:
"Broken!"
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"His Invisibility technique has finally been broken! Where can he hide now?"
Amidst the cheering crowd, Elder Zhang was a bit confused.
Elder Feng explained, "Elder Zhang, you may not know this, but Mo Hua is proficient in Invisibility. Moreover, his Invisibility technique comes from an unknown heritage. It's invisible to the naked eye, imperceptible to divine perception, and even ordinary Invisibility-breaking spirit artifacts can't break it. It's truly troublesome..."
"But this is Qianxue Prefecture, with its ancient Dao traditions and numerous legacies. How could there be an unbreakable spell?"
"And so, after the various elders of the Daoist sects had spent days and nights strategizing and deliberating, they finally uncovered the secret of this invisibility technique and found a countermeasure—a spiritual mirror."
"Now, with this Five Elements Spirit Mirror, this disciple can no longer hide his movements."
Elder Feng's tone carried a sense of dramatic revelation.
Elder Zhang's expression remained silent, but his mind couldn't help but ponder:
A group of elders from various major sects gathered together, staying up all night to discuss and break a disciple's invisibility technique...
Is this really something to be proud of?
But this thought was a bit rude, and Elder Zhang didn't dare voice it.
Moreover, seeing Elder Feng's triumphant expression and the surrounding cultivators' joyful reactions, Elder Zhang couldn't bring himself to say those words.
"This disciple's mobility techniques are average, relying solely on invisibility for survival."
"Once his invisibility is broken, he'll have no chance of escape!"
Elder Feng declared solemnly.
Not only did Elder Feng think this, but it was also the consensus among most of the surrounding spectators.
They had been watching the previous Lunjian matches, so they were well aware of Mo Hua's mobility skills and their level.
Among the crowd, only Zhang Lan was shocked.
He had no idea what Elder Feng and the others were talking about.
Average mobility, relying solely on invisibility for survival?
Who were they referring to?
How did they come up with such an absurd judgment?
Are the cultivators in Qian Xue Prefecture this naive...?
Inside the Lunjian Arena, Feng Zichen held the spiritual mirror, revealing the hidden "petty thief" Mo Hua. Without hesitation, he swung his sword like the wind, launching an attack.
Mo Hua's invisibility technique was exposed, and he panicked, dodging at the last moment and narrowly avoiding the sword qi. His movements were clumsy and desperate.
He barely managed to evade that sword strike.
But without the protection of his invisibility, Mo Hua was exposed to the sword's edge, like a mouse under a cat's paw. He might have dodged one sword, but there would be a second.
Feng Zichen specialized in swift sword techniques, and this second strike was equally fast.
However, Mo Hua, perhaps due to luck, lunged forward and rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding this sword as well.
Ling Hu Xiao and the others, seeing Mo Hua's perilous situation, wanted to lend a hand.
But the Xiao Yao Gate disciples, with their swift movements and sword techniques, worked together, weaving sword qi into a continuous wind curtain that trapped Ling Hu Xiao and the others in the middle.
The faster the sword, the stronger the power.
But a fast sword also meant it couldn't last long.
The Xiao Yao Gate disciples couldn't trap Ling Hu Xiao for long, but restricting them for a short time, suppressing them with fierce attacks, was enough.
This brief moment was all Feng Zichen needed to kill Mo Hua.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Feng Zichen unleashed his third and fourth sword strikes.
Neither of these swords managed to kill Mo Hua.
But they earned him a round of applause.
The spectators outside the arena, witnessing Feng Zichen's relentless pursuit of Mo Hua, cheered:
"Well done! Toy with him!"
"Let him taste the feeling of being played with by others."
"Take your time, don't kill him too quickly, or it'll be too easy for him."
"Yes, play with him slowly, strike him with one sword at a time, let him hover between life and death, make him scurry like a mouse, humiliate and toy with him until he dies!"
"Just like how he played with others using Five Elements magic..."
"This is called repaying him in his own way..."
...
Inside the arena, Feng Zichen couldn't hear their words, but he was indeed acting according to the spectators' wishes, relentlessly striking at Mo Hua with his sword.
Mo Hua dodged and rolled on the ground, occasionally.
The audience laughed heartily, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.
But as time passed, their laughter faded.
Feng Zichen kept striking, and Mo Hua kept dodging.
"It's enough... almost there... you can kill him with one sword..."
"Stop playing..."
"Has Feng Zichen become addicted to this? Just kill him with one sword, don't play around, don't overdo it..."
But Feng Zichen wasn't playing around.
From the start, he had been serious, but after striking for so long, he hadn't landed a single blow.
Now, he realized there was a problem.
Not only Feng Zichen but also many elders outside the arena and sharp-eyed cultivators noticed something amiss, their faces turning solemn.
Elder Zhang spoke slowly, "This Mo Hua's mobility techniques don't seem as bad as we thought, do they?"
Elder Feng fell silent.
But faced with the facts, he had to admit, "There is something to it..."
But it was just a little.
No matter how good this boy's mobility was, could it compare to Feng Zichen, who possessed both the Xiao Yao Step and the Bagua Youfeng Step?
Inside the Lunjian Arena, Feng Zichen's gaze grew colder.
He wasn't like Mo Hua, a dignified and upright "good boy."
Lunjian emphasized direct confrontation, testing whose sword was faster, more accurate, and more powerful, without resorting to schemes.
Therefore, from the beginning, Feng Zichen's intention was to kill Mo Hua with a single sword strike."
In his original plan, this sword was enough to take Mo Hua's life.
But clearly, he had miscalculated; Mo Hua dodged past.
After that, his sword strikes became faster, aiming for Mo Hua's vital heart and lungs, but Mo Hua still dodged.
Each subsequent sword strike was faster than the last.
But no matter how fast, Mo Hua could always dodge.
Feng Zichen realized that this Mo Hua was toying with him.
His mobility wasn't as weak as he thought.
On the contrary, it was quite exquisite.
"As expected, so sinister!"
Feng Zichen's voice turned cold, and he no longer held back, fully unleashing the Xiao Yao Step, increasing his speed even more.
Seeing the white-robed youth's faster sword techniques, Mo Hua felt a bit helpless and had to bring out a portion of his strength to deal with him seriously.
Thus, on the Fang Tian Hua Ying, Feng Zichen's movements were like the wind, and Mo Hua's body flowed like water.
The wind followed the sword, and the water flowed with the momentum.
As the pursuit and escape continued, the scene unfolded like a gentle breeze caressing the surface of a lake, or like a stream avoiding the wind's path, each displaying their prowess in equal measure.
The observing cultivators' expressions shifted, revealing their surprise.
"His mobility techniques... they seem rather extraordinary, don't they?"
"To match the Xuanxiao Gate's Tafeng Step, and even surpass it... this is far beyond ordinary..."
Murmurs of discussion filled the air.
Elder Feng's face betrayed a hint of discomfort.
Elder Zhang intently observed Mo Hua's movements, studying them carefully, and whispered to himself:
"This water-type mobility technique is executed flawlessly... his agile maneuvers are seamless, and the flow of spiritual energy is smooth without the slightest hindrance..."
"It's definitely not an ordinary Liu Shuibu..."
He was purely observing the battle, appreciating Mo Hua's movements, and thus hadn't given it much thought.
On the other hand, Zhang Lan seemed to have a thorn in his seat, growing increasingly restless.
Only he knew that it was indeed not the Liu Shuibu...
Elder Zhang pondered for a moment, then shook his head again:
"But it's a pity, no matter how extraordinary his mobility is, it still falls short of the Tafeng Step..."
"Moreover, the Feng Clan's Tianjiao possesses not only the Tafeng Step as their ultimate mobility technique. As things stand, this young man is undoubtedly headed for defeat."
Elder Feng's expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this.
In his heart, this should have been a swift and decisive victory, a single sword stroke to end the battle, a thrilling and satisfying outcome.
However, the situation had unexpectedly taken a twist.
But this was for the better; a swift death would not showcase the prowess of the Feng Clan's Tianjiao.
Allowing Mo Hua to struggle for a few more rounds would give the Feng Clan's Tianjiao the opportunity to display his true strength before the countless cultivators of Qianxue.
Not only Elder Feng, but most of the Feng Clan disciples, and even the majority of the observing cultivators, shared this thought.
This Mo Hua, proficient in the Fireball Technique, was acceptable.
Mastery of the Water Prison Technique was also tolerable.
Being adept in a large number of low-grade Five Elements Spells was not entirely unbelievable.
Even if he was skilled in a unique invisibility technique, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to trace his movements, it was still a fact, though hard to accept.
However, on top of all that, if he were also proficient in mobility techniques, it would be a bit shameless...
Moreover, his opponent was a member of the Xuanxiao Gate, a Feng Clan disciple who possessed the dual ultimate techniques of their sect. His mobility was among the fastest in the entire Qianxue sect.
No matter how exquisite one's mobility was, there should be a limit. Could he possibly surpass the Feng Clan's Tianjiao?
As long as the Feng Clan's Tianjiao unleashed his full power, Mo Hua's defeat was certain.
Thus, the tension in everyone's hearts slowly subsided.
But often, things don't go as planned.
The subsequent development of the situation gradually exceeded their understanding.
Feng Zichen continued his relentless attacks, while Mo Hua kept evading.
Soon, the raging winds surrounding Feng Zichen intensified, forming the Xun trigram, swirling around him, enhancing his mobility with countless variations on top of its swiftness.
Discerning cultivators could now see that Feng Zichen was no longer holding back, combining the Xuanxiao Gate's Tafeng Step with the Feng Clan's Baguayu Feng Step.
This was a fusion of mobility techniques that, until now, only he could achieve.
Feng Zichen's mobility reached new heights, not only in speed but also in unparalleled agility.
The intricate interplay of wind and water within his movements was awe-inspiring, leaving onlookers in admiration.
Even Elder Zhang's face revealed his astonishment.
The Zhang Clan's expertise in mobility techniques allowed him to discern the intricacies, understanding the profound insight and exceptional talent required to master and merge these two techniques.
Feng Zichen's talent was indeed awe-inspiring.
The Zhang Clan, though influential, had no disciple who could match Feng Zichen's level of mobility.
Elder Zhang felt a mix of envy and bitterness.
Feng Zichen's feet danced with the wind, his body moving like a gust, and as his mobility shifted, his sword techniques transformed, becoming even swifter and more ferocious, almost invisible to the naked eye.
Then, this sword, as if embodying the raging wind, thrust towards Mo Hua once more.
But this strike, like the previous ones, made no difference.
Mo Hua's body, fluid as water, moved in the exact same manner as before, effortlessly dodging the attack.
Feng Zichen's eyes widened in surprise, his mind momentarily blank.
Why?
His sword technique was faster, his sword energy stronger, and he had poured his entire life's mastery into this exquisite strike.
Yet, when it pierced towards Mo Hua, the result was no different.
Mo Hua's body, as natural as flowing water, moved identically to before, slipping away from the attack once again.
The spectators outside the arena exchanged bewildered glances.
"What's happening?"
"That sword was so fast I couldn't see it clearly, and it still didn't hit him?"
"What's going on?"
"How can he not kill Mo Hua?"
...
In the Feng Clan's seats, Elder Feng's pupils constricted, and his face changed slightly.
Elder Zhang slowly straightened up, his gaze heavy with concentration.
Both of them stared intently at Fangtian Huayin, their minds filled with disbelief.
Even more incredulous was Feng Zichen.
"Impossible to miss..."
"Impossible..."
His expression turned cold, his eyes sharp as blades, but deep within, a sliver of fear arose, one that even he was unaware of.
"I must slay him!"
Feng Zichen's eyes reddened, and this time, he truly held nothing back, pushing himself to the limit, harnessing the Xuanxiao Sword Technique to its fullest.
The sword light flowed like liquid silver.
The sword energy howled like a raging wind.
In the forest, all trees and stones were pulverized by the white sword light.
These sword strikes were so fast that ordinary Zhuji disciples couldn't see them clearly.
But no matter how fast, dense, or ferocious his sword was, when it slashed towards Mo Hua, it was like striking the surface of a deep lake.
The sword left ripples on the water, but no trace remained.
Feng Zichen's sword was swift.
But Mo Hua's mobility was even faster, more elusive, and harder to grasp, seemingly possessing a "premonition" ability. Before the sword moved, the water flowed away, accompanied by a hint of mist, making it even more impenetrable and intangible.
Feng Zichen's heart turned cold.
An unbearable, terrifying fact loomed in his mind:
"This Mo Hua... his mobility surpasses mine?!"
(End of Chapter)
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