Chapter 747: The Youth
Chapter 747: The Youth
Controlling the sword with divine consciousness, using spiritual consciousness as the medium, the sword formation as the structure, and the principles of inverse and convergent spiritual power... This would create a terrifyingly destructive force.
Just the thought of it made Mo Hua feel apprehensive.
It was a pity, though...
Up till now, he had not formally studied the art of array paths.
As for sword formations, he had only learned the "Golden Severing Sword Formation," let alone simplifying complexity and unifying the many into one, or understanding the fundamental "Sword Dao Array Path."
That goal was still far off.
However, because of this, Mo Hua gradually gained some ideas and direction.
Combining divine consciousness sword control with the killing power of array formations.
From now on, he would study more array formations to comprehend the laws of all things and practice sword control to improve his understanding of the Sword Dao.
One day in the future, he would surely attain enlightenment of the Great Dao, merge with the sword formation, and create a Sword Dao "ultimate weapon" that harnessed the power of the Great Dao's laws through the method of "divine consciousness sword control," with the sword as its form and the array as its core! Mo Hua couldn't wait.
He patted Ouyang Mu on the shoulder, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"You must learn smithing well!"
From now on, the task of smithing would fall on Little Mu.
Ouyang Mu was a bit perplexed, but he felt happy to have Mo Hua's acknowledgment.
From then on, he diligently studied smithing.
The quality of the spirit swords had reached its limit.
The power of sword control had also hit a bottleneck.
Ouyang Mu could only think of other ways to improve, starting with reducing costs.
Every time Mo Hua used his unconventional sword control technique, a spirit sword would be "sacrificed."
Spirit swords had become disposable.
Using them for extended periods would incur a massive expense.
Ouyang Mu thought that since he couldn't increase their power, he could at least reduce the cost and save some merit points for his senior brother Mo.
Merit points were hard to come by.
He knew this from experience.
Although he was earning a substantial amount of merit points by smithing for Senior Brother Mo now and sharing in his spoils, the habit of "frugality" was ingrained in him.
Ouyang Mu discussed with Mo Hua and then began to experiment with ways to "cut corners" reasonably without reducing the power of the spirit swords, using some "inexpensive" materials for their refinement.
Ordinary spirit swords, meant for long-term use and requiring both power and durability, were intricate to smith, and the refining materials were expensive. You got what you paid for, and there was no room for cutting corners.
But with Mo Hua's sword control, the sword formation would explode, and a spirit sword would be destroyed with each use.
Therefore, the traditional smithing concepts of making the spirit sword "sturdy and durable," with a "stable sword shape," and "elegant appearance" could be discarded.
Even the sword itself could have a "bursting" structure.
Instead of durability and stability, it should be designed to be easily ignited, exploded, and shattered.
This was something Mo Hua had mentioned casually.
It was the first time Ouyang Mu heard that swords could be crafted with such a peculiar method.
Refining was not always about following a strict set of rules; there was room for flexibility and creativity.
"The norms for objects are set by people, but objects are inert, and people are alive. We should adapt the rigid 'object' according to the needs of the living person..."
So spoke Mo Hua.
Ouyang Mu felt enlightened, and he admired, "Senior Brother Mo, you know so much!"
Although Senior Brother Mo's refining skills weren't impressive, what he said made a lot of sense!
"Objects are inert, but people are alive. Put people first and be unconstrained by form..."
Ouyang Mu nodded earnestly.
And so, Ouyang Mu, who had been a bit wooden, restrained, honest, and straightforward like a "little wooden boy," gradually followed Mo Hua's lead and became more flexible in his refining approach.
From then on, Ouyang Mu began to explore diverse refining ideas.
Guided by the needs and practical applications of cultivators, he refined artifacts with an ends-justify-the-means mentality.
This saved Mo Hua a lot of trouble.
Basically, all Mo Hua needed to do was tell Ouyang Mu what kind of spiritual artifact he needed, the effect he wanted to achieve, and what array formation to use, and Little Mu would figure it out himself. By the next day, he would have designed a refining diagram for Mo Hua.
Moreover, since the Taihe Gate and the Taiwu Gate were relatively close, communication between them was convenient.
...
Time flew by, and several months passed without their noticing.
Under Mo Hua's leadership, the "team" of Taiwu Gate disciples hunting demons grew steadily.
They accumulated more and more hunting strategies.
The process of hunting demons became clearer, the supporting spiritual artifacts became more refined, and the hunting system became more mature.
They hunted and killed more and more demonic beasts, and the variety of materials they obtained from them increased as well.
Any Taiwu Gate disciple who followed Mo Hua and hunted in the Demon Hunting Mountains reaped a substantial amount of merit points.
With such a rich supply of demonic beast materials, Ouyang Mu's refining skills improved rapidly.
At the same time, because he often followed Mo Hua and helped repair spiritual artifacts for the Taiwu Gate disciples, Ouyang Mu became familiar with many of them.
In the Taihe Gate, Ouyang Mu had been rather reclusive.
Due to his unique background as a direct descendant of the Ouyang family, he was expected to become a prominent figure in the sect, just like his eldest brother.
However, compared to his brother, he was ordinary, wooden, and not good at socializing.
The disciples of the Taihe Gate looked at him strangely.
Their gazes held a mixture of jealousy, contempt, distance, and sympathy.
Ouyang Mu felt uncomfortable.
But when he was with Mo Hua and the disciples of the Taiwu Gate, Ouyang Mu felt much more relaxed.
He could refine and smith as he pleased.
Everyone called him "Little Mu," and no one cared whether his surname was Ouyang or compared him to his extraordinary elder brother.
They treated him as a junior brother, a reliable artificer, and he didn't have to worry about others' gazes.
Although Ouyang Mu's temperament was still somewhat wooden, the corners of his eyes were brighter, and a simple smile often graced his thin face.
...
Another month passed, and in just two more months, it would be the New Year.
Mo Hua's fourth year at Tai Xu Gate was coming to an end, filled with busy and eventful days.
On this day, which was also a day of rest, Mo Hua ventured into the mountains as usual, and along the way, a group of Tai Xu Gate disciples greeted him.
"Hello, Junior Brother Mo!"
Mo Hua smiled and waved back at them one by one.
As he walked through the mountains, he eventually came to a secluded spot. He chose a large rock to sit on with his legs crossed, and placed a spirit sword in front of him.
This was a sword that looked plain and even a bit "cheap."
At the same time, it was also the latest "shattering" style spirit sword forged by Little Mu according to Mo Hua's specifications.
Since the swords he controlled would inevitably be damaged, he might as well have them completely shattered.
When the sword formation exploded, the spirit sword would also "blast apart."
This had two advantages.
First, when the spirit sword shattered, the tiny shards of the sword would scatter along with the sword qi, resembling a rain of metal petals, thus enhancing the power of his sword control to a certain extent.
Second, it could "destroy all evidence."
After sword control, the spirit sword would directly shatter and "self-destruct," leaving no intact sword behind, making it difficult for others to discern the intricacies of this sword control technique.
Moreover, this spirit sword was inexpensive to make.
Little Mu had also researched for a long time and attempted many times before he was able to forge this shattering spirit sword.
And so, Mo Hua was here to test out the sword once more.
"A second-rate low-level flying bird-type demon beast won't do, it's a bit too weak..."
Mo Hua thought to himself.
Bird-type demon beasts naturally had thinner blood and weaker defenses than beast-type ones; they were only tricky to deal with because they could soar through the sky at high speeds.
However, none of these advantages could counter Mo Hua's "sword control."
Ever since Little Mu had improved the spirit sword, Mo Hua had been able to kill a hawk demon with a single use of his sword control technique.
Now, after several iterations, the spirit sword had become even more powerful, and Mo Hua wanted to test his skills on a stronger demon beast.
"A second-rate mid-level Yaomu Eagle."
This was Mo Hua's deliberately chosen target.
Among second-rate mid-level demon beasts, the Yaomu Eagle was relatively weak, but it was definitely much stronger than a second-rate low-level one.
Mo Hua calmed his mind, released his divine sense, and sat in place, waiting for his prey.
He waited for a while, but only second-rate low-level bird demons flew by.
Mo Hua sighed softly.
To encounter a second-rate mid-tier demon beast in the outer mountains, one would indeed need some luck.
Of course, it was also mainly because the disciples of Tai Xu Gate had been too ruthless in these mountains.
Although there were too many demon beasts in the Refining Demon Mountain for them to kill them all, the demon beasts also knew which mountains and cultivators were dangerous, and they would migrate accordingly.
With fewer second-rate low-tier demon beasts, there would naturally be even fewer mid-tier ones.
Mo Hua was helpless.
"Let's try a different place?"
Outside of the mountains occupied by Tai Xu Gate, there might be a chance to encounter the desired demon beast.
After all, they were all in the outer mountains, and he had already explored these areas, so there wouldn't be much danger.
Mo Hua put away his sword, stood up, and gazed into the distance. Then, he chose a direction where he felt he might encounter a demon beast and set off.
Indeed, after leaving the mountains of Tai Xu Gate, the surrounding terrain looked a little unfamiliar.
After walking for a while, he met several disciples from other sects.
Some of them wore their sect's robes, while others did not.
Those wearing sect robes did so because they had many fellow disciples around, and they needed to look out for each other.
Those who didn't wear sect robes traveled in small groups of three to five people, keeping a low profile and trying not to reveal their identities.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then silently took off his Tai Xu Gate robe and changed into a light gray casual outfit.
It was better to be low-key when traveling alone.
After walking for some time, Mo Hua finally discovered the trail of a second-rate mid-tier Yaomu Eagle.
He released his divine sense, followed the trail, and soon found the eagle demon circling in the air above a forest, its gaze fierce and its shrill cries piercing.
The eagle demon's massive body exuded a startling amount of pressure.
Both its blood energy and demonic power were a notch higher than those of ordinary second-rate low-tier demon beasts.
Mo Hua looked behind him and chose an escape route in case things went wrong.
If his sword strike didn't heavily injure the eagle demon, he would have to flee immediately.
Otherwise, if he drew its attention, things could get troublesome.
After confirming his escape route and ensuring it was safe, Mo Hua sat down, took out his spirit sword, locked onto the enemy with his divine sense, and controlled the sword with his divine consciousness.
As his divine consciousness stirred, the spirit sword resonated.
A dazzling golden light appeared, and a sharp golden line slashed through the air, accompanied by a faint sword hum, striking the Yaomu Eagle circling in the sky with lightning speed.
In the instant the spirit sword made contact, golden sword qi blossomed.
The sword qi formed by the sword formation was like a miniature hurricane, shredding the eagle demon's body.
At the same time, the spirit sword itself was also destroyed by the sword qi, shattering into countless fragments.
The sword body broke apart, turning into thin shards that mixed with the sword qi, exploding like golden fireworks in broad daylight.
The shattered sword and the sword qi worked together to shred the demon beast.
Even a second-rate mid-tier Yaomu Eagle couldn't withstand such an attack out of the blue.
Its feathers were shredded by the sword qi, and at the same time, the shattered spirit sword sliced through its flesh.
This shattering sword control technique was also a way of achieving sword qi and sword fusion.
Based on his experience, flying demonic beasts would usually be severely injured from such a fall.
Mo Hua decided to take a closer look.
If the demon beast was badly wounded, he would have the opportunity to deliver the final blow.
Even a heavily injured second-rate mid-tier demon beast would yield a substantial amount of merit points, especially if its flesh was intact.
However, if the Yaomu Eagle's vitality proved strong and its injuries were not severe, Mo Hua would leave it be and consider it lucky.
Following the trail of the fallen Yaomu Eagle, Mo Hua was perplexed to find no sign of it when he reached a small cliff.
It seemed that after falling, the eagle had managed to flutter about and accidentally tumbled down the cliff.
Peering over the edge, Mo Hua could vaguely make out the forest below through the mist. It didn't seem too dangerous.
After some thought, he infused his spiritual power into his hands and feet and carefully made his way down the steep cliff, inch by inch.
But the cliff was steeper and the drop greater than he had anticipated, and it took him nearly half a period of time to reach the bottom.
At the base of the cliff was a lush forest, yet still no sign of the Yaomu Eagle.
Mo Hua released his divine sense to detect any traces of its presence and, using the Heavenly Machine Derivation Calculation, he traced the causal consequences and finally discovered traces of blood seeping into the soil, along with a faint causal aura.
Following this aura, Mo Hua walked for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before he suddenly stopped and looked up, his gaze sharpening.
He had found the Yaomu Eagle, but someone had taken it!
The Yaomu Eagle lay dead on the ground, its blood drained, its life force extinguished. Its body, already riddled with fine golden sword marks, now bore an additional distinct sword wound, apparently inflicted by an extremely sharp and powerful sword qi, which had ultimately been its demise.
Standing next to the eagle was a youth.
The young man wore a light blue robe, appearing quite young, with a handsome face, fair skin, and an arrogant look in his eyes, which were as sharp as swords.
It wasn't just his gaze, but his entire being that seemed like a sharply honed spiritual sword.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered his next move. Ultimately, he decided against concealing his presence and strode forward, stopping ten zhang away from the youth.
The young man sensed his approach and slowly turned, his cold gaze falling on Mo Hua, and for a moment, he looked taken aback.
Mo Hua got straight to the point, pointing at the Yaomu Eagle, "This demon beast is mine."
The youth in blue's expression turned even colder, and his eyes clearly showed hostility.
"Yours?" His voice was crisp like a youth's, yet it carried the chill of a sword edge.
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, pointing upwards, "I killed it with my sword. It fell from the cliff up there."
"Killed with a sword..."
The youth glanced at the sword marks on the Yaomu Eagle's body, and the hostility in his eyes intensified. With a cold smile, he said, "Now it's mine."
Mo Hua was taken aback, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, "Are you... trying to take what's mine?"
The youth's heart skipped a beat, and he replied with a cold smile, "So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?"
The youth's tone was defiant.
Mo Hua's eyebrows rose slightly.
He realized that this youth dressed in light blue was also a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his sword skills were exceptional. However, he couldn't pinpoint which sect he belonged to.
Regardless of his sect, Mo Hua had never encountered a cultivator of the same level who dared to take what was his.
Even if they tried, they would end up spitting out their bones and blood.
Moreover, this youth exuded arrogance and clear hostility towards him, indicating that he wouldn't back down easily.
Mo Hua's gaze deepened as he said, "If you dare to take what's mine, don't blame me for being impolite..."
The mountain forest fell silent, the atmosphere turning oppressive.
The youth in blue's expression turned cold, but his heart sank.
There was something off about this young monk...
Despite his weak aura and thin spiritual power, the youth exuded a subtle sense of pressure.
In that instant, he realized that this young monk was no ordinary opponent.
This pressure was indescribable and intangible, yet unmistakably clear.
His "Sword Heart's Clarity" intuition told him that this young monk was undoubtedly a formidable "great enemy."
However, this only stirred up the youth's arrogance.
A cultivator of the sword must have a fearless and unwavering sword heart.
The youth in blue felt a mix of tension and excitement.
Only by defeating strong enemies could his sword path become stronger!
Although he couldn't pinpoint what made this young monk so formidable, his intuition and the sword heart's premonition never lied.
The youth in blue slowly drew out the long sword in his hand.
His sword was an ancient one, simple yet profound, and it carried an inexplicable air of profundity.
The sword's body was lustrous, emitting a faint blue light, like the clear moonlight, yet it also concealed a graceful killing intent.
His expression was focused, his gaze icy, and his entire being exuded a formidable sword qi, giving him an invincible aura.
Mo Hua's eyebrows rose slightly.
What a sharp sword qi!
Among his peers, he had never encountered such a powerful sword cultivator.
Even Situ Jian, did not possess such a formidable sword aura.
In the mountain forest, the sword light flashed, and a murderous aura suddenly emerged.
The sword qi slashed past him, cutting through a tree trunk and into the ground, leaving behind a clear sword mark.
This sword mark was almost identical to the ones on the Yaomu Eagle's body.
In response, Mo Hua casually threw a Fireball Spell.
Although this fireball lacked the power of the youth's sword light, it was fast and accurate.
The youth in blue moved with the sword light, using a series of flashes to create distance. However, the fireball seemed to have locked onto him, slightly altering its trajectory to pursue him.
The youth's expression turned slightly solemn as he slashed his sword, causing a sword light to dissipate the fireball, countering each other.
But it was clear that the fireball's might was no match for the sword qi.
In the blink of an eye, a second fireball was already on its way.
The youth's pupils contracted slightly.
This spell was incredibly fast.
He slashed out another sword light to counter the fireball.
"At least it's not that powerful..."
The youth muttered to himself.
The two continued their exchange, with Mo Hua casting fireballs and the youth dispelling them with sword lights, both utilizing their agility to maneuver through the mountain forest.
They were testing each other's capabilities.
Mo Hua wanted to gauge just how formidable the youth's swordsmanship truly was.
Meanwhile, the youth in blue sought to uncover what other tricks Mo Hua had up his sleeve.
After a while, Mo Hua decided he had seen enough.
The sword qi was strong, but it was only at the peak of the mid-stage for cultivators at the Qi Refining realm; perhaps the youth had more powerful moves, but there was no way he could use them against Mo Hua.
The youth's agility seemed to be a type of sword escape art.
It was fast, but not as fast as Mo Hua's, and like the sword light, it lacked variation and was straightforward.
Mo Hua began contemplating which technique he should use to defeat this youth.
Should he get up close and use the small meteorite forbidden art, or should he create distance and control the sword with his divine consciousness?
Or perhaps he should secretly draw an array and set up an ambush, then bombard his opponent with spells...
Mo Hua was conflicted.
The issue was that some of his more powerful techniques were too overwhelming.
Although this youth had stolen his demonic beast and had a bad attitude, Mo Hua didn't want to kill him and bring trouble upon himself.
Winning without killing was going to be a challenge...
On the other hand, the youth in blue was growing impatient.
Over and over, it was just the fireball spell.
They had exchanged blows dozens of times, and this brat kept using the same spell.
"Is he trying to humiliate me?!"
The youth in blue was slightly enraged, and his voice turned cold as he asked, "Is that all you know? Where are your Jianmen's sword techniques? Why don't you use them?"
Mo Hua threw two more fireballs and asked in confusion, "Why would I use Jianmen's sword techniques? I'm not even from Jianmen."
The youth in blue paused upon hearing this, then slashed out two more sword lights to counter the fireballs. He furrowed his brows and asked,
"You're not from Jianmen?"
Mo Hua retorted with a question, "What about me makes you think I'm from Jianmen?"
The youth pointed at the Yaomu Eagle, "You said you killed that eagle, and those sword marks on its body are clearly Jianqi."
Mo Hua was taken aback, then he realized the reason.
When he controlled the sword with his divine consciousness, he used a Jianmen sword array, so naturally, the sword qi produced would be Jianqi.
Of course, he couldn't admit to using Jianqi.
"This is a sword qi passed down in my family. How is it Jianqi?" Mo Hua argued.
"This sword qi is of the gold element..." The youth in blue frowned.
"Gold is one of the five elements, and there are countless sword cultivators in this world who cultivate gold-element sword qi. What does that have to do with Jianmen?" Mo Hua countered with unwavering logic.
The youth paused, at a loss for words.
Indeed, there seemed to be no flaw in what Mo Hua had said...
The youth had seen the golden sword marks and hastily concluded that the eagle demon had been injured by Jianmen's sword qi. Now he felt embarrassed.
The youth in blue silently sheathed his longsword.
Mo Hua was surprised, "You're not fighting anymore?"
The youth cupped his hands and sincerely apologized,
"I was too hasty, my apologies..."
Although he was apologizing, his expression was stiff, and it was clear that he felt awkward.
Mo Hua was taken aback by his direct apology and gestured to the Yaomu Eagle, "Then what about this demonic beast..."
The youth hesitated for a moment but quickly made a decision, "It's yours."
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.
Not stealing other people's demonic beasts? Now that's a good kid.
It was just a misunderstanding, and he, the mature and generous person that he was, would let it go.
Mo Hua folded his arms behind his back, his sleeves rolled up, and his gaze, which had been deep and profound, now turned clear and serene, the killing intent vanishing.
The youth in blue studied Mo Hua, noticing that the strange oppressive feeling and heart-shaking sense of threat that had emanated from him earlier had completely vanished. He was slightly shaken by this change.
He looked deeply into Mo Hua's eyes and asked solemnly,
"What sect are you from?"
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
This youth was blunt, his face cold, and he carried an air of arrogance. He didn't seem to understand the concept of manners.
Mo Hua replied, "When asking about someone's origins, you should first state your own."
The youth in blue paused, realizing his mistake, and cupped his hands, "An outer disciple of Chongxu Sect..."
"Ling Huxiao."
Mo Hua was taken aback.
Ling Huxiao? He glanced at the youth's cold face and thought to himself, I've never seen this Ling Huxiao smile before...
(End of Chapter)
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