Chapter 738: What Are They Talking About?
Chapter 738: What Are They Talking About?
In a small grove, Cheng Mo stood with three layers of armor, shoulders bearing twin axes, and an intimidating aura.
Mo Hua walked into the grove and respectfully said, "Big Brother, I've brought the person you asked for."
Cheng Mo was stunned, but then he saw Mo Hua signal him, and he immediately understood. Nodding proudly, he said, "Good!"
Seeing Cheng Mo's demeanor, Song Jian thought, as expected.
The boy who led the way was merely a "sidekick."
This imposing big guy was the leader, the "Big Brother" of this session of the Tai Xu Men disciples.
Ignoring Mo Hua, Song Jian focused all his attention on Cheng Mo, staring at him intently.
Cheng Mo let out a cold laugh, unfazed.
This was what Mo Hua had instructed him beforehand—to display an arrogant demeanor as if he feared nothing.
The two sides faced off.
Mo Hua pointed to the grove and said solemnly, "The duel will take place right here in the woods. There are no restrictions on methods, only the outcome matters, not life or death. Whoever admits defeat or fails to get up within ten breaths of falling is considered the loser."
"Whoever loses must abide by the agreement..."
Mo Hua glanced at Song Jian and continued, "If I, Tai Xu Men, lose, I will return your Duan Jin Sword. If you lose, you must not cause any more trouble for my Tai Xu Men disciples within Lian Yao Mountain."
Mo Hua confirmed, "Are we clear?"
Song Jian replied, "I keep my word."
Cheng Mo also agreed, "A deal is a deal."
Both sides nodded in agreement.
Only the distant Xun Zi You was left confused, wondering, "What are these kids up to? It's all so mysterious..."
A duel?
What's the point of that?
Do they have that much free time...
Xun Zi You was perplexed.
Ever since Elder Xun had spoken to him and seriously confirmed that one strand of Mo Hua's hair was equivalent to one of his arms in terms of exchange value, he had become Mo Hua's exclusive "bodyguard" within Lian Yao Mountain.
He didn't care about Mo Hua's affairs outside of Tai Xu Men, but as soon as Mo Hua entered Lian Yao Mountain, it was his duty to keep watch.
Otherwise, if something unexpected happened, the Elder would never let him off the hook.
Xun Zi You knew about Mo Hua taking Song Jian's Duan Jin Sword; he had witnessed it himself that day.
However, he was unclear about what had happened after the sword was taken.
He also didn't understand why Mo Hua had taken the initiative to steal someone else's spiritual sword and arrange this strange duel...
Xun Zi You frowned slightly.
What was this child up to?
He couldn't quite figure it out.
However, as long as Mo Hua didn't get hurt, he didn't bother with the rest.
Moreover, it wasn't the frail Mo Hua who was fighting in this duel; it was Cheng Mo and Song Jian, two insignificant disciples, squaring off, and he was just there to observe. As long as no one died, he didn't care.
On the other side, the duel was about to begin.
In less than a moment, Cheng Mo and Song Jian were locked in combat.
Cheng Mo, clad in his armor, exuded surging blood qi. Wielding his two large axes, he swung them with vigor, causing his spiritual power to surge.
Song Jian, on the other hand, employed the Dun Jin Body Technique to dodge and weave, seizing opportunities to wield his Duan Jin Sword and unleash dazzling golden sword auras to clash with Cheng Mo.
His original high-grade Duan Jin Sword had been taken by Mo Hua, and the spiritual sword he now held was only a temporary replacement, also of high grade and similar design, but not as good as his previous sword.
However, due to his strong cultivation and mastery of the orthodox Duan Jin Sword Technique, he was able to hold his own against Cheng Mo in a one-on-one fight, even without the advantage of Mo Hua's scheming.
But Mo Hua's intention was not for them to truly duel to the finish.
After several dozen exchanges, Cheng Mo, following Mo Hua's instructions, pretended to be unable to withstand the onslaught and only defended without attacking.
Feeling Cheng Mo's weakening spiritual power and softening strikes, Song Jian thought that his sword techniques were too formidable for Cheng Mo to handle. His expression became more arrogant as he mocked, "You disciples of Tai Xu Men are nothing but this!"
With that, he intensified his offense.
He pushed the Duan Jin Sword Technique to its limit, taking advantage of the spiritual sword's sharpness to manifest dazzling golden sword lights that slashed at Cheng Mo.
He wanted to defeat Cheng Mo in one go and win back his Duan Jin Sword.
Then, in front of these Tai Xu Men disciples, he would humiliate them and avenge his previous embarrassment.
Sword marks began to appear on Cheng Mo's armor.
As Mo Hua had expected, despite the triple layers of soft silk and refined iron armor, which were supposed to counter gold, the defense against the sharp sword auras of the Duan Jin Sword was not particularly effective.
After enduring a few more sword auras, the armor started to crack.
Cheng Mo could only dodge and take the blows, relying on his robust physique and abundant blood qi to endure the sword auras, which made him appear rather disheveled.
At the same time, he maintained a contemptuous expression and shouted the lines Mo Hua had taught him in a hoarse voice:
"This is all there is to the Duan Jin Sword Aura?"
"Your Duan Jin Men's sect's sword technique is nothing special!"
"Being slashed by it is neither painful nor itchy, not even enough to be considered a scraping..."
"...Use some strength, pretty boy, did you even eat today?"
Enraged, Song Jian swung his spiritual sword relentlessly, filling the air with sword auras that formed a net-like barrier around Cheng Mo, as if he wanted to cut him into a thousand pieces.
He hated being called "pretty boy" the most.
Cheng Mo's situation became even more dire.
Xun Zi You, watching from the sidelines, shook his head continuously.
What are they doing? Taking a beating and acting tough? Why are the disciples of Tai Xu Men doing something so senseless...
Xun Zi You sighed and felt a sense of disappointment.
Ever since the three sects had split and continued to the present, the legacy of Tai Xu Men had declined one after another. Even the once-renowned "Tai Xu Divine Thought Sword Transformation Technique" had become a forbidden technique, no longer to be passed on...
The current state of the sect was far inferior to its past glory.
On the other hand, Tai Ah Men had emerged as the winner of the previous Session Assembly, claiming the top spot among the eight sects.
Chong Xu Men had also made steady progress.
Only Tai Xu Men lagged behind.
Now, the disciples couldn't even learn a decent sword technique, and they were being suppressed by the second-rate Duan Jin Men with their sword aura.
It was truly a case of a dragon in shallow waters and a tiger on flat land.
In the past, even if they had borrowed ten more daring hearts, they wouldn't have dared to provoke Tai Xu Men.
Xun Zi You felt a slight anger.
With the addition of the Tai Xu Sword Intent, his spiritual sense became as sharp as a sword. If he truly harbored killing intent, he could take the lives of some petty demons with just a glance!
It was just a pity...
No one practiced the Divine Thought Sword Transformation, no one dared to, and no one could...
The sect no longer taught it.
This ultimate skill would forever be buried in the Sword Tomb, along with the countless broken iron swords on the mountain, sealed away in the endless river of cultivation.
With these thoughts, Xun Zi You felt a sense of melancholy, and a hint of sadness had already crept into his heart.
He remained in this pensive state for a long time before suddenly realizing that he seemed to have forgotten something.
He snapped out of his reverie and looked around, only to discover that Mo Hua was gone.
Xun Zi You sighed despondently.
Xun Zi You released his spiritual sense, scanning the surroundings, only then noticing that Mo Hua had sneaked behind a large tree while everyone else was distracted.
Over there, Cheng Mo and Song Jian were engaged in an intense battle.
Hiding behind the tree by himself, Mo Hua was up to something secretive.
Xun Zi You frowned slightly.
"What mischief is this kid up to now...?"
He utilized his third-grade spirit artifact to conceal his presence and quietly retracted his aura as he tiptoed over to Mo Hua's hiding spot.
He didn't get too close, maintaining a distance of several dozen feet, as he craned his neck to spy on Mo Hua's actions.
Mo Hua sat on the ground, his body emanating a profound, abstruse, and slightly bizarre aura.
From time to time, he would lift his head to glance in the direction of Cheng Mo and Song Jian's duel.
After looking, he would lower his head and carefully draw something on the paper in front of him.
Xun Zi You was perplexed.
"What could he be drawing?"
A comic strip?
Was he drawing the process of Cheng Mo and Song Jian's sword fight? Mo Hua, this kid, occasionally acted in a childish manner, but he wouldn't be this bored, would he...?
Xun Zi You took a few steps closer to get a better look.
The paper was filled with intricate patterns that seemed to resemble formation lines.
"They're formation lines..."
"I knew he wouldn't be doing something that boring."
Xun Zi You took another glance and realized that these formation lines seemed rather special. There were no curved lines, only straight lines that resembled cuts from a knife or an axe, radiating a sharp and piercing aura.
Xun Zi You was taken aback.
Was this... a sword formation? He looked again.
That's when he noticed that these sword lines were shimmering with strands of golden light, intertwining and intersecting like the cross-sections of metal, looking strangely familiar.
Golden Break... Sword Formation? Xun Zi You's pupils contracted, and he felt a chill run down his spine, startling him into silence.
This... this was...
The closely guarded secret of the Duan Jin Sect, the ultimate sword formation that was never to be shared with outsiders - the Duan Jin Sword Formation?!
Xun Zi You abruptly sucked in a breath of cold air.
This was completely outrageous!
It was utterly preposterous!
This was something that even the most core disciples of the Duan Jin Sect might not be taught, and even if they were, they would have to sign a "death pact."
Yet, here was Mo Hua, secretly hiding in a corner and drawing it out!
Xun Zi You's heart and soul were shaken to the core. Just as he wanted to take another look to confirm what he was seeing, Mo Hua suddenly turned his head, startling Xun Zi You.
A pair of clear and profound eyes were looking directly at him.
Even Xun Zi You, a late-stage Gold Core cultivator and an elder of the Tai Xu Sect, was shocked to his core by Mo Hua's sudden action.
It was like a peeping Tom being caught in the act.
Fortunately, his cultivation foundation, the third-grade spirit artifact he possessed, and his twenty-eight threads of spiritual sense allowed him to maintain his composure so that Mo Hua couldn't see through him.
Mo Hua's clear and bright eyes scanned past his body and looked around, then frowned as he muttered:
"How strange..."
"Did someone just peek at me?"
He could clearly sense a strong wave of emotional fluctuation.
It seemed like someone was "shocked" by something.
Mo Hua released his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings, but the surrounding trees and empty space showed no signs of disturbance.
Was it a high-realm cultivator spying on him? A low-realm or even a same-realm cultivator's spiritual sense would be far inferior to his own, so they wouldn't be able to hide from his perception.
For someone to escape his detection, their cultivation realm must be far superior to his.
But a true high-level cultivator wouldn't bother to spy on a minor cultivator like him, would they?
Moreover, he didn't sense any obvious malicious intent.
Was it just his imagination?
Mo Hua furrowed his brows but decided to put it out of his mind for the moment.
More important matters awaited.
He continued to use his profound calculations to understand the essence of the Duan Jin Sword Qi, eliminating its external form and unraveling its underlying sword principles, thereby deconstructing the true Duan Jin Sword Formation.
Then, stroke by stroke, he recorded it on the formation paper in front of him.
Xun Zi You's eyes trembled with shock, but he dared not show any more emotion. Instead, he quietly retreated, moving farther and farther away from Mo Hua before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
Xun Zi You glanced at Mo Hua's focused back in the distance, his expression solemn and his eyes still holding a trace of lingering astonishment.
To deduce a sword formation from sword qi... How was this possible?
Just what kind of monster was this child...?
This must be something the Ancestor taught him...
Xun Zi You's thoughts raced.
Nearly half an hour later, Mo Hua felt that it was about time to stop.
His deduction of the Duan Jin Sword Formation was not yet complete, and there were still quite a few things missing, but his spiritual sense had already reached its limit.
Moreover, Cheng Mo was also reaching his limit.
Even though he was a body cultivator with an exceptional innate physique, he couldn't continue taking blows indefinitely.
It was time to call it a day.
Mo Hua walked to the edge of the woods and scattered some bloody and putrid meat, which soon attracted a one-person-tall, salivating, and foul-smelling beast that resembled a mane-lion.
The beast roared at the group, its eyes gleaming with malicious intent.
Cheng Mo's spirit lifted as he knew it was time to end the fight.
His armor was almost chopped to pieces, and his body had sustained multiple wounds. If the fight continued, he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
Without hesitation, Cheng Mo swung his axe to push back Song Jian, who was wielding the Duan Jin Sword, and then pretended to be dissatisfied as he said:
"This beast is causing a ruckus. We'll continue our fight another day."
Song Jian refused to back down. He felt that he was just a step away from defeating Cheng Mo, and he wanted to trample on the pride of the Tai Xu Sect, washing away the humiliation he had suffered earlier.
But just at the crucial moment, Cheng Mo decided to stop the fight and even talked about continuing another day.
Another day? Song Jian was furious at the idea and shouted:
"Coward! If you have the guts, don't run, and let's decide the winner now!"
Cheng Mo coldly smiled and said: "Fool! A beast is approaching. Do you want to stay and die?"
Without waiting for Song Jian's reply, Cheng Mo turned and fled.
Song Jian was furious and chased after him while cursing:
"You bastard! Coward! If you run, you lose!"
Cheng Mo had thick skin, and as he ran, he argued:
"Bullshit! According to our agreement... I didn't admit defeat, nor did I fail to get up within ten breaths of falling. So, I didn't lose. Your Duan Jin Sect's sword techniques are nothing special. In my opinion, they're just so-so, and I didn't even bother to dodge..."
His tone was defiant, but his armor was tattered, and his body was covered in wounds, making his words sound unconvincing.
Song Jian repeatedly called him "shameless."
Seeing the mane-lion getting closer, Cheng Mo said: "I was just unlucky this time. If it weren't for this beast interrupting, I would have defeated you in another twenty exchanges and made you kneel and call me 'Grandfather.'"
"If you have the skill, let's fight another day."
Song Jian's eyes narrowed, knowing he had no choice but to agree. "Fine, next time I'll definitely chop you into mincemeat!"
Cheng Mo coldly smiled, "Big talk."
Left with no choice, Song Jian turned back and reunited with the other disciples of the Duan Jin Sect.
"Young Master, what happened?" Seeing Song Jian's heavily depleted spiritual energy, the Duan Jin disciples asked in concern.
With a gloomy expression, Song Jian replied, "Those insignificant Tai Xu disciples are not worth mentioning."
"This time, they were just lucky. If they come again, I will surely cut them down with my sword!"
The group of disciples flattered him, saying,
"Young Master, your bravery is admirable!"
Song Jian took a breath, his lingering anger still evident.
On the other side, Mo Hua had set up an ambush with an array formation. Working together, they managed to chop down the mane-lion that had been pursuing them.
Cheng Mo plopped down on the ground, waving his hands in defeat, "Little Brother, it's no use. I can't take another beating."
Even with his sturdy physique, he couldn't withstand the relentless strikes of the Duan Jin Sword.
Holding his ground for an hour was already impressive.
Mo Hua turned to him and said, "Hold on a little longer. Next time, I'll get you a better set of armor, and it should be much easier."
He hadn't finished deducing the Duan Jin Sword Array yet.
He estimated that Cheng Mo could take a couple more beatings before they were done.
Mo Hua said, "The next set of armor will be much stronger."
Cheng Mo sighed, "Alright."
Mo Hua instructed the group to skin the mane-lion, collect the materials, and exchange them for merit points.
Half of the merit points went to Cheng Mo as compensation for enduring the beatings.
Cheng Mo felt much better now.
After returning to the sect, Mo Hua eagerly returned to the disciple's residence, eager to study the Duan Jin Sword Array on the array paper.
The Duan Jin Sword Array, imbued with golden light, crisscrossed with sharp, exposed edges.
However, this was only a fragmented sword array, incomplete and merely a second-rate array.
Mo Hua recorded the array patterns, attempting to redraw them several times, but each attempt ended in failure.
The sword array he drew was merely a shell, lacking the essence, and bore no resemblance to a true sword array.
Mo Hua frowned.
This sword array seemed somewhat similar to the Absolute Array, where the array patterns were just external forms. To truly master the Absolute Array, one must understand its essence and comprehend a special law.
The Reverse Spirit Array, Thick Earth Array, Spirit Pivot Array, and Five Elements Origin Array all followed this principle.
Could the sword array also be an Absolute Array?
Mo Hua pondered this, finding it unlikely.
Absolute Arrays were extremely difficult to learn, and very few array masters could control them.
If the sword array were truly an Absolute Array, the sword arts passed down in the noble families would eventually become extinct.
It would be impossible to mass-produce these spiritual swords.
Producing Absolute Arrays was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Therefore, the sword array couldn't possibly be an Absolute Array, and its difficulty level shouldn't be too high.
Mo Hua's brows furrowed slightly.
Or, to put it another way, the difficulty of the sword array should be rather unique?
Based on his own understanding of array techniques and cultivation, Mo Hua speculated that the sword array presented a threshold of sorts.
If you could cross it, learning the sword array wouldn't be challenging.
But if you couldn't, you would never grasp it in this lifetime.
This threshold was controlled by the noble families, who used it to monopolize the sword array and prevent the leakage of their secrets.
What, then, was this "threshold"? Mo Hua's divine sense raced with thoughts.
Putting himself in the shoes of an array master within the noble family, in control of the sword array's legacy, he contemplated where he would set this threshold.
After a moment's thought, Mo Hua's eyes brightened with a sudden insight.
"Sword manual..."
The true core legacy of the noble families was systematic and intricately linked.
The tighter the system, the stronger the legacy.
Similarly, the tighter the system, the lower the probability of the legacy being stolen.
Since both were related to the sword, it was highly likely that the legacy of the sword array was also integrated with the sword manual.
One would need to learn the Duan Jin Sword Manual before they could learn the Duan Jin Sword Array.
Even if the sword manual were leaked, without the sword array, one couldn't create spiritual swords, and the power of the Duan Jin Sword Technique would be greatly diminished.
And even if the sword array were leaked, without mastering the Duan Jin Sword Manual, one wouldn't be able to wield the Duan Jin Sword Qi and thus, couldn't possibly learn this confidential Duan Jin Sword Array.
The legacy of the sword manual and sword array were intertwined.
Obtaining either one alone didn't constitute possession of the complete legacy.
Stealing the entire legacy of the Duan Jin Sect would be an incredibly difficult task.
Unless...
Mo Hua's heart trembled at the thought.
Unless one was extraordinarily lucky...
He quietly took out a jade slip containing the Duan Jin Sword Manual from his storage ring and glanced at the half-completed Duan Jin Sword Array he had been working on, his mind wandering for a moment.
But it seemed like he had... almost gathered everything? Especially the legacy of the sword arts, he had obtained a substantial portion of it.
The Duan Jin Sword Qi, the art of sword forging, the technique of sword manipulation, and even the core sword array...
The direct disciples who had been initiated into the Duan Jin Sect might not have learned as much as he, a disciple of Tai Xu Sect, had...
Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed.
However, as the saying goes, "When heaven bestows a gift, one must accept it, or risk inviting disaster."
Since all these secrets had fallen into his lap, he might as well start learning.
Mo Hua began to use the sword manual to comprehend the sword array.
His understanding of the Duan Jin Sword Manual was rudimentary, and his cultivation of the Duan Jin Sword Qi was also lacking.
But a threshold was a threshold.
Even with a poor understanding, as long as he could cross that threshold, it would be enough.
Mo Hua's goal was the Duan Jin Sword Array, so he didn't need to master the Duan Jin Sword Qi perfectly; a passable level would suffice.
Mo Hua calmed his mind and gathered his Duan Jin Sword Qi.
A weak and shallow stream of Duan Jin Sword Qi slowly flowed into the sword array.
The sword array immediately displayed its essence, exuding a sharp edge capable of severing jade.
This was the sign that the sword array was activated.
Mo Hua's eyes brightened, and he continued to infuse the Duan Jin Sword Qi into the sword array, causing it to activate and the sword qi to circulate, thus allowing him to understand the true nature of the "sword array" in motion...
Or, to be more precise, the nature of the "sword art" embodied in the array.
...
At that moment, in the Elder's residence, Xun Zi You paid a visit to Elder Xun and uttered a sentence that he himself barely dared to believe:
"Mo Hua... has secretly learned the Duan Jin Sword Array..."
Elder Xun, who had been writing, paused and slowly lifted his head, his eyes widening in disbelief, "How did he learn it?"
Xun Zi You explained, "He set up a scheme and deceived the direct descendants of the Song family from the Duan Jin Sect, arranging a one-on-one duel with our Tai Xu Sect disciple."
"Then, the direct descendant of the Song family displayed the Duan Jin Sword Qi."
"Mo Hua watched from the sidelines..."
Xun Zi You sighed, "And then, somehow, just by watching, he managed to reconstruct the Duan Jin Sword Array..."
Elder Xun's expression turned wooden.
Just by watching, he reconstructed the sword array...
What nonsense is this...
(End of Chapter)
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