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Chapter 737: Sword Array
Chapter 737: Sword Array
An hour later, Mo Hua gazed at the broken and charred Duan Jin Sword before him, its blade curled inward and blackened beyond repair, and fell into deep thought.
This exquisite high-grade Duan Jin Sword had been completely ruined in less than an hour under his care.
Mo Hua confirmed one thing:
The sword array within the spirit sword did indeed self-destruct.
At least, the one in front of him had self-destructed.
Despite his utmost caution and the application of all his knowledge in artifact refinement, it was to no avail.
The Duan Jin Sword chose destruction over submission, ruining itself completely.
The sword array within had also incinerated itself.
Mo Hua didn't even have a chance to catch a glimpse of it, let alone discern the type of array or the number of array patterns used...
Mo Hua sighed deeply, his heart aching with regret.
Such a fine spirit sword, now lost forever.
What a waste of a heavenly treasure...
Mo Hua paused for a moment to mourn the loss of the high-grade spirit sword before turning his thoughts to when he should hand this "broken sword" over to Master Gu, to see if it could be melted down and the materials recycled.
However, for the time being, he needed to focus on the matter of the sword array.
"The sword array self-destructs, so even if we steal a spirit sword, we can't obtain the sword array by dismantling it."
"Then, how should we go about acquiring a sword array?"
Mo Hua was stumped.
He began to ponder possible solutions to this dilemma.
Should he capture a disciple from Duan Jin Men and torture them for information?
Ever since he was forbidden from leaving to capture rogue cultivators, the improved array torture boards he had created had gone unused. Perhaps it was time to make a disciple of Duan Jin Men kneel before it? Mo Hua contemplated this briefly before shaking his head.
No, that wouldn't do...
It was too cruel.
Those iron boards were meant for dealing with rogue, evil, and demonic cultivators.
The ordinary disciples of Duan Jin Men, despite their enmity with Tai Xu Men and their despicable behavior, did not deserve such a fate.
There had to be a line drawn between good and evil.
The methods of punishment should also be moderate; otherwise, he would eventually become a ruthless and bloodthirsty demon himself, contrary to the teachings of his parents, Master, Master Xun, and the elders of Tai Xu Men.
Moreover, even if he did resort to torture, it was unlikely to yield results.
Such secrets were not something that an ordinary disciple would know.
And this sword array, capable of amplifying sword qi, was undoubtedly highly confidential, perhaps not as significant as the Five Elements Source Array but still far from ordinary.
It would undoubtedly be extremely challenging to learn.
The disciples of Duan Jin Men didn't seem very bright or strong in their spiritual sense, so it was improbable that any of them could master such a complex sword array.
If they didn't know it in the first place, there was no point in interrogating them.
So...
Should he find out the location of Duan Jin Men's artifact refinement facility for sword forging and sneak in to steal the secrets of the sword array?
Or should he try to obtain a sect token from Duan Jin Men and see if he could tamper with it somehow?
Mo Hua considered these options before rejecting them himself.
The security at Duan Jin Men's sword-forging facility would undoubtedly be extremely tight. How could he, a mere mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, possibly infiltrate such a place...
At least, not at the moment.
Even if he got his hands on a sect token from Duan Jin Men, it would be useless.
He had no understanding of the profound Yuan Magnet Arrays, so he wouldn't know how to manipulate them.
These two methods were not feasible for now.
"None of these options will work..."
Mo Hua lay on his bed, racking his brains for a solution, going over the possible approaches he could take several times. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Derivation!"
Spiritual sense derivation could reverse-engineer an array's patterns from its residual traces.
If a sword cultivator could activate sword qi through the sword array within a spirit sword...
Did that mean that he could use the traces of sword qi to reverse-engineer the highly confidential sword array sealed within the sword artifact? Mo Hua took a sharp breath.
Wouldn't that mean he was defying the heavens? In the future, whenever someone displayed their sword techniques before him, he could unravel the secrets of their sword artifact's legacy!
Mo Hua himself found this idea hard to believe.
However, he would need to find a way to test if it was even possible...
The next day, Mo Hua sought out Shi Tuo Jian again.
"Shi Tuo, I need your help with something."
Shi Tuo Jian was puzzled but soon asked, "Is it about the Duan Jin Sword?"
"No," Mo Hua replied. "That sword is already ruined."
Shi Tuo Jian was stunned, and then his whole person froze in shock.
"Ruined?!
"It's only been one night. How could a high-grade spirit sword be destroyed so easily?" Shi Tuo Jian was astonished.
Mo Hua thought to himself: To be precise, it was only an hour...
"These are minor details, nothing to worry about."
Shi Tuo Jian felt a twinge of pain in his heart.
How could this be a minor issue? It was a high-grade spirit sword...
Suddenly, he felt a pang of sympathy for that young man from Duan Jin Men.
That exquisite Duan Jin Sword must have been something he carried with him at all times, carefully nurturing and cherishing it. Yet, in just one night, his junior fellow disciple had ruined it.
Unconsciously, Shi Tuo Jian tightened his grip on his Li Huo Sword.
The Duan Jin Sword was destroyed, and that was that.
But he resolved that his Li Huo Sword must never fall into his junior fellow disciple's hands again!
Just as he was hesitating about whether to keep a low profile in the future and refrain from flaunting his identity as a sword cultivator, keeping his Li Huo Sword safely tucked away in his storage bag, Mo Hua continued, "Can I borrow your Li Huo Sword for a moment?"
Shi Tuo Jian shuddered.
Mo Hua quickly added in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, I won't dismantle your Li Huo Sword. I just need you to activate the sword qi with it so I can observe it.
Only then did Shi Tuo Jian feel relieved.
After class, Mo Hua pulled Shi Tuo Jian along to the Dao Fa Room.
With numerous disciples in Tai Xu Mountain, it wasn't convenient to practice sword techniques elsewhere.
Only the Dao Fa Room was enclosed and quiet enough, free from disturbances.
"Just keep unleashing the Li Huo Sword Qi and strike that Dao Fa puppet." Mo Hua instructed Shi Tuo Jian.
"That simple?" Shi Tuo Jian asked.
"Yeah," Mo Hua nodded, "that simple."
Shi Tuo Jian didn't ask what Mo Hua was planning to do, as past experiences had shown that Little Senior Brother's actions usually held deeper meanings.
Even if it was related to formations, he might not understand even if Mo Hua explained it to him.
"Alright!" Shi Tuo Jian agreed readily.
Then, in front of Mo Hua, he summoned the Li Huo Sword, unleashed the Li Huo Sword Qi, and struck the Dao Fa puppet with one sword after another.
Mo Hua sat cross-legged nearby, his eyes dark as the Tian Ji lines appeared, using the Tian Ji Guisu to amplify the Tian Ji Yansu, and began to deduce the intricacies of Shi Tuo Jian's Li Huo Sword Qi.
The Li Huo Sword Qi was a fire-attributed sword qi, entwined with blazing flames, a sea of crimson.
At first glance, one would only see the scorching heat of the sword qi.
Mo Hua stimulated his spiritual sense, and shadows appeared in his eyes as he continuously attempted to use the Tian Ji Yansu to deduce the deeper layers of the sword qi.
Shi Tuo Jian, who was in the midst of unleashing his sword qi, felt a chill in his heart as he sensed Mo Hua's gaze.
Although he didn't know what Little Senior Brother was up to, he felt as if his sword qi was being gradually seen through...
Shi Tuo Jian was astonished.
How... How is this possible?
Little Senior Brother isn't a sword cultivator, how could he possibly see through my sword qi just by looking a few times?
"Must be an illusion..."
Shi Tuo Jian's heart wavered, but since he had already promised Mo Hua, he didn't dare to back out, and could only grit his teeth and continue striking the Dao Fa puppet with his sword.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Shi Tuo Jian's unease was growing stronger, he heard Mo Hua say, "That's enough."
Shi Tuo Jian stopped and turned to look at Mo Hua, only to see a clear look of disappointment on his face.
He couldn't deduce it...
Mo Hua sighed.
After a moment of silence, Shi Tuo Jian still couldn't help but ask, "Little Senior Brother, what are you trying to do..."
"I'm studying sword qi to deal with Duan Jin Men," Mo Hua replied.
Shi Tuo Jian breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he still didn't understand why studying his Li Huo Sword Qi was necessary to deal with Duan Jin Men.
And what could he possibly find out just by looking? Shi Tuo Jian's expression was perplexed.
However, Mo Hua fell silent, deep in thought.
The idea of using sword qi to reverse-engineer the sword array within a spirit sword was feasible.
He could indeed deduce a little, but it was very forced, and he could only glimpse vague traces of the sword array.
His method of deduction still needed more refinement.
Even with the enhancement of the Tian Ji Guisu, he was unable to see through the highly confidential sword array.
But Mo Hua didn't give up.
This was similar to drawing formations; practice makes perfect.
If he couldn't do it once, he would try twice, thrice... until he succeeded.
From then on, whenever Mo Hua had free time, he would ask Shi Tuo Jian to practice his sword techniques in front of him so that he could practice deducing the sword array.
However, Mo Hua also felt bad for constantly bothering Shi Tuo Jian, so he decided to transfer some merit points to him.
Shi Tuo Jian, on the other hand, felt embarrassed about this arrangement.
"Little Senior Brother, I can't accept this."
Mo Hua said, "Even close brothers should keep a clear account. It's your goodwill to help me, but I can't let you suffer a loss!"
Shi Tuo Jian still wanted to refuse.
Mo Hua frowned and said, "Just take what I give you. I don't lack these merit points!"
He had been accumulating merit points for a long time, and now he had a substantial amount.
In terms of background, he was a lone cultivator, while his fellow disciples came from influential families.
But when it came to merit points, he was the true "influential family" disciple, far "richer" than the average disciple.
Only then did Shi Tuo Jian gratefully accept.
He couldn't refuse the sect's merit points.
After receiving the merit points, Shi Tuo Jian became even more diligent in displaying his Li Huo Sword Qi for Mo Hua, focusing all his attention on it.
He couldn't let Little Senior Brother's merit points go to waste.
As for the feeling of his sword qi being seen through...
Shi Tuo Jian thought about it over and over again, and he still felt that it must have been an illusion.
How could his Li Huo Sword Qi be "seen through" just by using the Li Huo Sword Technique and the Li Huo Spirit Sword in a normal manner?
If simply summoning a spirit sword and using sword qi would allow others to see through it, then wouldn't all sword cultivators in the world be unable to unsheathe their swords?
That was clearly impossible.
A sword cultivator who didn't unsheathe his sword wasn't a sword cultivator at all. Shi Tuo Jian's worries gradually faded.
Moreover, Little Senior Brother, with his kind heart, had also given him a substantial number of merit points.
Shi Tuo Jian felt even more that he shouldn't suspect Little Senior Brother of having ulterior motives.
With Shi Tuo Jian's cooperation, Mo Hua's skill in deducing sword qi gradually improved...
However, Shi Tuo Jian wasn't always available.
On occasions when Shi Tuo Jian was busy, Mo Hua would hire other sword cultivator disciples to demonstrate their sword qi for him.
But these disciples' sword techniques weren't as refined as Shi Tuo's.
And so, Mo Hua practiced over and over again, deducing and comprehending, constantly expanding the depth of his deductions and enhancing his understanding of sword qi.
His divine sense became clear, and his vision widened.
Within his spiritual sense, the crimson Li Huo sword qi, flowing like molten lava, began to break apart, inch by inch, revealing the sharp sword marks hidden within its essence, as if they were carved by a knife or axe.
These sword marks were the sword array within the spirit sword!
Mo Hua was overjoyed and immediately wrote down these marks with swift, flowing strokes.
Although these marks resembled formation patterns, they lacked curves and consisted only of sharp, straight lines imbued with a chilling sword intent, as if they were carved by a blade.
This was...
The Situ family's sword path legacy: the Blazing Tiger Sword Formation!
It was also the legacy of the Sword Ancestor's Li Huo Sword Art, at least one of the crucial legacies within the second-grade Li Huo Sword Art.
At this moment, this top-secret sword array had been deduced and reconstructed by Mo Hua...
Mo Hua looked up and saw that Shi Tuo Jian was still unaware, focusing intently on manipulating his sword qi to strike the Dao Fa puppet in the distance. Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then erased the sword array he had just recorded.
At the same time, he forced himself to forget the Li Huo Sword Array that was imprinted in his mind.
This sword array must not be kept.
Sword arrays were the closely guarded secrets of sword path legacy families.
If this Li Huo Sword Array were to be leaked, it would undoubtedly bring disaster to the Shi Tuo family.
Although Shi Tuo Jian was unintentional and unaware, it couldn't be helped that the source of the leak could be traced back to him.
In that case, he would be in a very difficult position.
Since Shi Tuo had called him "Little Senior Brother" and trusted him, Mo Hua couldn't betray him.
Mo Hua nodded.
He erased the Li Huo Sword Array on the paper and forcibly erased it from his mind as well.
Feeling relieved, Mo Hua said, "Shi Tuo, we're done here."
Shi Tuo Jian sheathed his sword and asked in confusion, "Is it over already?"
"Yup." Mo Hua nodded and smiled, "I'll treat you to a good meal!"
Shi Tuo Jian politely declined a few times before finally agreeing to join Mo Hua for a feast in the dining hall.
Although he wasn't greedy for such worldly pleasures, he couldn't refuse Little Senior Brother's invitation.
And so, Mo Hua treated Shi Tuo Jian to a sumptuous spirit meal in the second-floor dining hall of the disciples' residence.
Yu'er, of course, was there as well, along with Yang Qianjun, Hao Xuan, Xie Ling, and Cheng Mo, who happily joined in.
The atmosphere during the meal was lively and enjoyable.
However, Mo Hua paid special attention to Cheng Mo, even specifically ordering a plate of elbow meat and placing it in front of him, "Cheng Mo, eat more of this."
Cheng Mo was both surprised and puzzled by the special treatment, "Little Senior Brother, aren't you treating Shi Tuo? Why are you always telling me to eat more..."
Mo Hua said, "Because next, it's your turn to help me."
Cheng Mo looked at the fragrant and spicy elbow meat in front of him and patted his chest, assuring, "Little Senior Brother, don't worry. Whatever it is, I'll take care of it."
Mo Hua nodded, "Then eat more and fill your stomach so you can take a beating."
Cheng Mo, who had his mouth wide open and was about to take a bite, froze.
"Take a... beating?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, "a beating."
...
Two days later, during the biweekly break, in the Beast Taming Mountain, Mo Hua equipped Cheng Mo with three layers of armor: a Gold-Conquering Armor, a Soft Silk Armor, and an Fine Iron Armor.
"Later, when I call for someone from Duan Jin Men to duel with you, act arrogantly. Don't aim for victory, just drag it out for as long as possible."
Cheng Mo looked miserable.
Hao Xuan was very puzzled, "Little Senior Brother, what are you up to?"
Mo Hua kept him in suspense, "You'll know soon enough."
Hao Xuan nodded as if he understood but was still confused.
Mo Hua patted Cheng Mo's shoulder, "Endure a little and take some beatings. These three layers of armor are specially refined, and although they can't withstand sword qi, they can reduce the damage from metal spiritual power and physical strength. With your sturdy body, you should be able to last a long time."
Cheng Mo looked at Mo Hua with a woeful expression.
Mo Hua spoke sternly, "This matter is of utmost importance, concerning the dispute over territory between our Tai Xu Men and Duan Jin Men disciples, as well as our future gains from beast hunting. Such a crucial task can only be entrusted to you!"
Cheng Mo was a little skeptical, "Really?..."
"I'm your Little Senior Brother, don't you trust me?" Mo Hua said.
Cheng Mo's expression became complicated.
Mo Hua decided to sweeten the deal, "If you take the beating, I'll reward you with merit points. Half an hour of endurance earns you a hundred merit points!"
Cheng Mo hesitated, "Really?"
Mo Hua nodded, "Payment will be made immediately after."
Cheng Mo suddenly felt embarrassed, "Then, I'm sorry to trouble you, Little Senior Brother..."
"If you don't want to, I'll find someone else."
"No!" Cheng Mo quickly interrupted, "Other disciples definitely can't take a beating like I can. For such a tough task, I'm the best choice."
He then confirmed, "Half an hour for a hundred merit points?"
"That's right," Mo Hua said, "If you can drag it out for five hours, that's a thousand merit points!"
A thousand merit points! Cheng Mo's eyes lit up with excitement.
Nearby, Shi Tuo Jian and the others were also envious. Unfortunately, their physical constitutions weren't as robust as Cheng Mo's, and they couldn't endure beatings like he could, so they couldn't earn this reward.
Cheng Mo laughed foolishly and replied, "Okay!"
Mo Hua left the group and, keeping a low profile, wandered around Beast Taming Mountain, looking for his chosen target.
Before long, he spotted the fair-faced young man from Duan Jin Men.
The fair-faced young man, Song Jian, was scowling as he led ten Duan Jin Men disciples, searching the mountains and valleys for something.
Mo Hua revealed himself and called out, "Fair-faced young man."
Song Jian was clearly startled. When he saw Mo Hua standing alone, ten zhang away, he found it hard to believe.
How dare this little brat show up before him alone?! Song Jian's pale face turned red with anger.
This was clearly looking down on him!
How outrageous!
Song Jian waved his hand and coldly ordered, "Capture him, and beat him to a pulp!"
The other Duan Jin Men disciples were about to rush towards Mo Hua.
But Mo Hua asked, "Don't you want your sword anymore?"
"Stop!" Song Jian immediately ordered.
The group of Duan Jin Men disciples abruptly stopped and remained in their places.
Song Jian's eyelids twitched as he glared at Mo Hua, "Where's my Duan Jin Sword?"
It had already been reduced to scrap metal...
But he couldn't very well say that, so Mo Hua vaguely replied, "We'll have a match. If you win, I'll return the 'sword' to you."
Song Jian's eyes narrowed as he coldly snorted, "Why should I bother competing with you?"
"If you don't want to, then forget it," Mo Hua casually said, "I'll just find a refiner to dismantle your Duan Jin Sword and melt it into scrap metal in the furnace..."
"How dare you?!" Song Jian's eyes widened in anger.
Mo Hua looked unconcerned.
What was there to dare or not dare... He had already done it, and was just one step away from completing it...
Song Jian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
When one is under another's roof, one has to bow their head.
With the sword in Mo Hua's hands, he had no choice but to compromise.
"Fine," Song Jian said, "I'll compete with you."
"It's not you competing with me," Mo Hua shook his head, "it's you competing with my 'big brother'."
Mo Hua slightly elevated Cheng Mo's status.
Song Jian frowned, "Your big brother?"
Mo Hua nodded, "Yes, the big guy who chopped at your neck with an axe the other day."
Song Jian immediately recalled the burly man who had led the group, and the two axe heads that had been pressed against his neck. The anger in his eyes intensified.
"Good, we'll settle both new and old grudges."
However...
Song Jian's gaze turned slightly dark as he looked at Mo Hua, "Why specifically challenge me to a duel?"
Mo Hua sighed and hesitated:
"We came to Beast Taming Mountain just to hunt magical beasts and earn some merit points. We don't want to keep quarreling with you people from Duan Jin Men, as it won't benefit either of us."
"Since that's the case, let's have a match."
"If you win, we'll return the sword."
"If you lose, Duan Jin Men will back off and stop causing trouble for us."
Song Jian frowned, feeling that Mo Hua was being childish.
The matter of Beast Taming Mountain concerned the sect and the interests of many disciples. How could it be decided by a single duel?
Furthermore, the matter of Duan Jin Men wasn't something he, as a disciple, even if he was a direct descendant, could decide, no matter how high his status was.
However, the most pressing issue was to first win back the Duan Jin Sword.
He was currently at the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment.
Once he reached the late stage, he would need to prepare for the nurturing of his "Life Source Spiritual Treasure." This sword was the embryo of a spiritual treasure and was of utmost importance to him. He couldn't afford any mishaps.
Promises made by word of mouth weren't reliable, and no one would really take them seriously. First, he would placate this little brat by agreeing to the duel, and then he would win back his Duan Jin Sword.
So Song Jian pretended to agree:
"Fine, a promise is a promise!"
But what Song Jian didn't know was that Mo Hua was also just making things up as he went along.
He could return the Duan Jin Sword since it was already scrap metal anyway, and he didn't have much use for it.
But Beast Taming Mountain was such an important territory, where they could hunt magical beasts, draw their blood, harvest their materials, and earn merit points... There was no way he could give that up.
No matter who agreed, he wouldn't consent.
Mo Hua nodded, "Follow me."
After saying that, he turned and walked away.
Song Jian hesitated.
The surrounding Duan Jin Men disciples, most of whom were from the Song family, cautioned, "Young Master, be careful. He might be up to something."
"This little brat is probably plotting something."
"It's better to be cautious..."
Song Jian hesitated, but Mo Hua kept walking, not turning back. He was about to walk out of sight.
Once Mo Hua really left, Song Jian feared that he would never get his Duan Jin Sword back in his lifetime.
After much hesitation, Song Jian finally gritted his teeth and instructed, "Wait here."
Then he immediately used the Escape Golden Body Technique, transforming into a golden light and chasing after Mo Hua. He followed closely behind Mo Hua and walked into the small forest...
(End of Chapter)
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