Chapter 1002: Chapter One

The morning sun pierced through the dawn mist, bathing Tai Xu Mountain in light; pavilions and terraces among the peaks seemed draped in rosy clouds, the dark green forests edged with gold.

Among the disciples, Mo Hua opened his eyes after practicing a formation on the Dao Stele all night.

His eyes, like the first light of dawn, flashed with golden light—more brilliant than the entire sky's morning glow.

"Finally, today is the Sword Discussion Assembly…"

Mo Hua murmured softly.

He took a deep breath, faced the rising sun, and practiced for half an hour as usual; when the Qi circled Zhou Tian, flowed through his meridians, and settled in his dantian, he donned the Qiandao Sect's robe and stepped out of the disciples' quarters.

Outside the disciples' quarters, most students were already awake.

Now, in small groups, they bathed in the morning glow, their faces lively and noisy.

Today was their day of Sword Discussion.

It was the one and only Sword Discussion Assembly of their lives.

All disciples felt both anticipation and tension.

At the appointed hour, after breakfast, Elder Xun Zixian arrived, gathered the disciples, counted their numbers, gave reminders about the Sword Discussion, then looked around and slowly said:

"Set out. Head for Lun Dao Mountain."

The disciples' expressions grew more solemn, their heartbeats quickened.

Then Xun Zixian led the group out of Tai Xu Gate, heading straight for Lun Dao Mountain at the center of Qianxue Province.

On the main road, cultivators were dense. Disciples from all sects of Qianxue Province, dressed in varied Dao robes, flowed like multicolored streams converging toward Lun Dao Mountain.

The mountain path was long and winding, the disciples bustling and crowded.

About an hour later, the group finally reached Lun Dao Mountain.

Now, Lun Dao Mountain was even more crowded—not only with cultivators from Qianxue Province and its surrounding clans, sects, and factions of all statuses, but also:

Cultivators from all Nine Provinces, come to observe the ceremony.

Looking out, the entire mountain was packed with people.

The noise surged like mountains roaring and seas crashing.

For the first time, Mo Hua truly felt what "a sea of people" meant—his heart trembled.

Not just Mo Hua—all Tai Xu disciples, and those from other sects—stood frozen in awe.

This year's Sword Discussion was grander than ever before.

Its scale was astonishing.

Previously, they had been mere "spectators," watching others debate swords; now, they were the "protagonists," about to debate for others to see.

Their personal experience differed, and so did their emotions.

Some disciples turned pale with nervousness.

Others felt their legs weaken, their breath catching.

Yet others glowed with excitement, eager to shine on the debate arena and make their names known.

Passing through the mountain gate, walking the long path, crossing several barrier peaks, all disciples arrived at Lun Dao Mountain's grand arena.

In the grand arena, the "Sword Offering" ceremony was underway.

This was a mandatory ritual for every Sword Discussion.

Only the Yu Hua leaders of the Four Major Sects of Qianxue were qualified to preside over this "Sword Offering."

It was the highest honor in Qianxue Province.

Above Lun Dao Mountain, a Bai Yu platform floated, encircled by nine towering Shi Zhu pillars, each carved with mighty divine beasts and adorned with auspicious clouds and auspicious patterns.

At the center of the Bai Yu platform rested a Bai Yu sword over ten zhang long, resembling a small Shanfeng.

Its blade was translucent and radiant, radiating an ancient, majestic aura.

Legend said this sword was a relic of the ancient ancestor of Lun Dao Mountain, ten thousand years ago.

For every Sword Discussion, all Qianxue disciples must sincerely pay homage to this sword, to honor the ancestor's spirit.

It was also to express gratitude for his contributions and sacrifices to Qianxue Province and the cultivation world's legacy.

At Chen Shi, the Qianxue Sword Offering began.

The Yu Hua leaders of Qiandao Sect, Tianjian Sect, Long Ding Sect, and Wan Xiao Sect arrived, their Qi transforming into feathers, flying through the air.

Then they set up the altar, offered tributes, drank blood, and performed the Sword Offering.

With the blood oath sealed, pure light flooded the sky.

The ancient sword of Lun Dao Mountain emitted a low hum; its sword qi surged upward, like a primordial beast awakening, singing a clear song to heaven.

All present were shaken to their cores.

Mo Hua's pupils contracted sharply.

Gazing at the colossal ancient sword, he felt his soul tremble—deep within, a faint resonance stirred.

In his mind, a dragon's roar echoed; the ancient Tai Xu sword intent reverberated endlessly.

In a daze, Mo Hua felt a delusion.

He seemed to see himself transformed into a divine form—a colossal giant wielding Lun Dao Mountain's ancient sword, cleaving mountains and splitting earth, invincible.

But the next instant, it vanished.

Nothing had happened.

The leaders of the Four Major Sects, solemn, shouted in unison:

"All Qianxue disciples—three bows, offer the sword!"

Their Yu Hua voices rang like temple bells across Lun Dao Mountain.

Mo Hua stilled his mind and, with the other disciples, bowed three times with utmost reverence toward the Bai Yu ancient sword of Lun Dao Mountain.

The cultivators observing from the outer mountain also followed custom, bowing once toward the Bai Yu ancient sword.

After the sword was consecrated, the Sword Discussion Ceremony continued.

The four sect leaders read the imperial edict in turn.

This edict was exceedingly long, containing reflections on the Liezulie Sect of Qianxue Province, gratitude to the cultivators who came to observe, earnest expectations for the disciples, guidelines for the Sword Discussion, and unbreakable rules…

Each of the four leaders delivered one section, fluently and at length, exceeding ten thousand characters, successfully turning Mo Hua, who had been slightly excited, into a drowsy state.

Finally, the lengthy reading ended.

After consecrating the sword and reading the edict, the official draw began.

One senior elder from each of the Sida Sect, the Eight Gates, and the Twelve Streams stepped forward, holding their sect's official token, and unsealed the great Celestial Mechanism treasure in the center of the Grand Arena.

This Celestial Mechanism treasure was named — the Lun Dao Tian Yi.

This was also the "legacy" of the Lun Dao Mountain Patriarch.

This "Tian Yi" was normally sealed; only when all four sects, eight gates, and twelve streams gathered, each holding their sect's jade token, could it be opened.

After opening, the names and teams of each sect's Sword Discussion disciples were written on bamboo slips and placed inside the Tian Yi.

The Lun Dao Tian Yi would then operate automatically, arranging the match order according to the predetermined rules of the Sword Discussion.

This ensured no one could manipulate the draw, guaranteeing fairness and impartiality.

It also completely blocked all celestial mechanism, karmic calculations, interference, tampering, and foreknowledge.

The Lun Dao Tian Yi operated according to its laws, its internal compass tracks rotating alternately, flowing endlessly, complex and mysterious.

It possessed a profound beauty of "karmic law."

Mo Hua's spirit perked up; he couldn't help but widen his eyes, staring unblinkingly at the "Lun Dao Tian Yi."

Unfortunately, his celestial mechanism skill was still too low to discern any insight.

Of course, the Patriarch of Lun Dao Mountain's artifacts would never let him truly perceive any clues.

Half an hour later, the Lun Dao Tian Yi ceased rotating.

The calculation was complete.

The initial stage of the Sword Discussion — the "Huang" tier of the "Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Yellow" — was now determined.

The senior elders of each sect recorded the match list onto jade slips, then withdrew.

The morning's sword consecration and draw ceremony ended.

The afternoon would be the formal Sword Discussion.

During the one or two hours in between, elders from Lun Dao Mountain would arrange the match order and venues according to the draw results produced by the Lun Dao Tian Yi.

Senior Elder Xun Zixian also withdrew, returning to the Grand Void Gate disciples and transmitting his voice to them:

"The Lun Dao Tian Yi has completed its calculation."

"I have transmitted the list into your Grand Void Tokens; check them yourselves, confirm your match times, and do not make mistakes."

Xun Zixian paused, then added:

"In a few hours, the formal Sword Discussion begins. Give your best. Whether you win or lose, you fight for the Grand Void Gate — the sect will be proud of you…"

Xun Zixian was a formation master, always rigorous and composed; he was not one to speak overly emotional words.

For him to say this much was already quite good.

The disciples felt moved inside.

Of course, moved as they were, their morale was still low.

Xun Zixian sighed faintly and glanced at Mo Hua.

With just one look, Mo Hua understood the elder's meaning; he immediately nodded, stepped forward from the crowd, and addressed the disciples:

"When you go out to fight, don't overthink it — just go up and fight. Win, and you profit immensely; lose, and you lose nothing!"

The disciples froze, then their eyes ignited with fighting spirit.

Their little brother had laid out the strategy clearly: just go up and fight one match — nothing else needed consideration.

If they didn't believe in themselves, didn't they believe in their little brother?

Win one match, and it's immense profit; lose, and there's nothing shameful about it.

"Yes, Little Brother!"

The disciples responded in unison, their voices loud, morale soaring.

Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.

Xun Zixian looked at Mo Hua, momentarily stunned, then smiled and shook his head.

There followed one or two hours of preparation time.

The disciples either sat in meditation, reviewed the list, discussed tactics, rested when tired, or swallowed a Qi-Abstaining Pill to stave off hunger.

With the Sword Discussion imminent, they had no appetite for fine food.

Mo Hua, with free time, sat aside, gnawing on dried meat while reviewing the Sword Discussion list generated by the Lun Dao Tian Yi.

As he read, he noticed something odd.

This list was not truly "fair."

The Lun Dao Tian Yi was not operating purely on "randomness"; it was using karmic calculation to filter out the true "strong ones."

It was also striving to ensure these strong ones reached the final stages of the Sword Discussion.

Thus, it would not let the prodigies of the Four Sects and Eight Gates clash violently in the "Huang" tier preliminary matches.

In the Huang tier, disciples from the Four Sects, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams mostly faced opponents from the Qianxue Hundred Gates.

The probability of "seed-level" prodigies meeting was extremely low.

Even if prodigies did meet, it wouldn't matter.

The Huang tier had high tolerance; losing one or two matches wouldn't affect advancement.

As a result, the Grand Void Gate's path was not so difficult.

But for ordinary Qianxue Bai Men disciples, the difficulty of climbing up is very great.

This is unfair.

But in a certain sense, selecting the strongest cultivators as much as possible, and preventing teams from reaching the end merely due to lucky "picking up leftovers," is another form of fairness based on "strength."

"Still, using the Heavenly Mechanism algorithm to judge strength and control probabilities… the Laozu of Lun Dao Mountain truly has original ideas…"

Mo Hua muttered to himself.

Mo Hua checked his match sequence again and found his placement was very late—he wouldn't fight his first match until the day after tomorrow.

Perhaps the "Lun Dao Tian Yi" had foreseen his karmic thread and recognized him as a "deeply hidden" powerhouse, so it wisely placed his match sequence at the back…

Mo Hua speculated inwardly and nodded.

Experts always appear last.

This makes sense.

Besides, his opponents were mostly Qianxue Bai Men disciples, and they didn't seem like much of a threat.

There was even less reason to be nervous.

"Watch the show today, compete the day after tomorrow…" Mo Hua took out all the dried meat he'd brought and ate it all.

After eating his fill, he sat in meditation to rest, waiting to observe his junior disciples' performances.

He also wanted to see the results of the "Grand Void Dao Soldiers" he had painstakingly crafted over these days, using his knowledge of arrays.

The Great Dao begins with duckweed.

Great cultivation achievements often arise from seemingly casual attempts and efforts.

…

Lun Dao Mountain was still preparing.

On the outer mountain's spectator stands, there was a sea of people.

More than an hour later, amid slightly dull, tense, and anxious anticipation, a deep bell rang, echoing across the mountaintop.

Everyone perked up instantly.

This meant the Lun Jian was finally about to begin.

Elders called out names in turn, leading away the competing disciples.

A moment later, a massive "Boom—" resounded.

A surging torrent of spiritual power rose, spreading toward the horizon and flooding into the fifth-rank Lun Dao Mountain array.

Upon the array, light suddenly blazed brilliantly, the light screen resembling a silver river, awe-inspiring.

This was the effect of the fifth-rank array fully activated.

The power of empty space spread, connecting to the disciples' Lun Dao Jade.

The Lun Dao Jade contained spatial power, protecting the disciples' safety; once the Lun Dao Jade shattered, the disciple would lose and be forcibly removed.

A moment later, the sounds of battle erupted—the Lun Jian had begun.

Simultaneously, the white giant screen above Lun Dao Mountain suddenly shimmered with shifting light.

The Fang Tian Hua Ying unfolded.

Patches of colorful moving images appeared, twisted, split, then transformed into square "screens."

Each square image displayed a terrain, corresponding to one Lun Jian match.

On the vast Fang Tian Hua Ying, nearly a hundred Lun Jian matches were displayed simultaneously.

The imagery was clear, the figures vividly visible.

The scene was at once magnificent.

All attending cultivators could not help whispering to each other, their expressions shaken.

Even Mo Hua, gazing at the grand, intense, dazzling "giant screen" before him, was momentarily awestruck.

Though this thing greatly irritated him.

But he had to admit—the effect was indeed excellent.

A single glance revealed hundreds of prodigy-level Lun Jian matches.

Sword qi crisscrossed, spells danced, fists and feet clashed—so dazzling one could not look away, heart pounding with excitement.

Mo Hua himself watched with great enjoyment, and could no longer bring himself to call it wasteful or a waste of spiritual stones.

As time passed, the wonder at the Fang Tian Hua Ying gradually faded, and everyone's attention turned to the Lun Jian itself.

The Huang-class matches were only preliminaries, not very difficult or crucial.

Thus, at the same time, many Lun Jian matches were displayed on the Fang Tian Hua Ying.

All spectators could choose whichever ones they liked to watch.

Generally, elders and disciples of the same sect watched only their own sect's matches, occasionally paying attention to opponents' battles.

Clan patriarchs and elders prioritized watching their own clan's disciples.

Parents, meanwhile, watched only their own children, whether their child was displaying divine power or being passively beaten.

At first it was fine—the prodigies clashed in chaos, everyone watched for the spectacle.

But as they watched, some experienced, sharp-eyed cultivators began to sense something odd.

"That's… a disciple of Grand Void Gate?"

"The style seems… off?"

In the Fang Tian Hua Ying, Grand Void Gate disciples mostly wore standardized armor, used uniform spiritual weapons, were enhanced by arrays, and emitted a uniform glow, moving with discipline, obeying orders, striking with decisive force.

Moreover, their spiritual armor, weapons, and embedded arrays seemed to have a certain suppressing effect on their opponents.

Five together, leveraging the armor's resilience, the weapons' advantage, and the array's power, they swept forward without opposition in combat.

Everyone froze, stunned—and began murmuring in surprise:

Did I miss something?

Is this a sect sword contest or an army at war? Why such a setup?

Isn't this supposed to be selecting prodigies?

If you turn them into soldiers, what's left to select?

What do you know? The original purpose of the Qianxue Sword Contest was to train commanders to lead Dao soldiers into battle…

That was ages ago; the rules have been changed countless times already…

Besides, the cultivation world has been peaceful for many years—why need so many Dao soldiers?

Isn't today's sword contest, at its core, just "selection"?

Selecting disciples for the sect, talent for the clans, and prodigies for the Dao Court.

With so many major powers' patriarchs and elders watching, if you perform well and catch someone's eye, boundless wealth and fortune will come rushing toward you—your future is limitless, even ascending in a single step is possible…

Let me be honest: if you want to win today's sword contest, you must treat both your opponents and your teammates as "stepping stones."

Only by defeating your opponents can you prove your strength.

Only by treating your teammates as "footstools" can you grow stronger.

If you fight like Dao soldiers, is it you who's powerful—or your team?

Someone disagreed: "Your thinking is too narrow."

How is it narrow? It's the truth. If not for this, why didn't the clans or sects do it before—why did only Grand Void Gate adopt this Dao soldier system?

What do you think "sect Dao soldiers" are? Do you think they're so easy to create?

What's hard about it? Isn't it just spirit weapons and arrays? Let me be the sect leader—I'd definitely create a system like this…

Besides, this "Dao soldier formation" isn't necessarily superior…

I think the results are good…

…

Outside the mountain, voices buzzed loudly.

Among the spectators of the sword contest were all kinds of cultivators, all saying different things.

Some praised it, thinking Grand Void Gate had brilliant ideas.

Others remained utterly unmoved, thinking these sect Dao soldiers were nothing special.

Some looked down on it, believing Grand Void Gate was "cheating"—winning through the advantage of spirit weapons and arrays, which was dishonorable.

Training disciples in uniform formations crushed their "innate nature" and "individuality," preventing them from freely engaging in sword contests and fully expressing their true strength.

Disciples who won this way didn't rely on their own strength—they didn't deserve to be called "prodigies."

The high-ranking figures of the various clans and sects mostly remained silent.

They had tried such experiments before, but the results were poor; the practical problems were far greater than anticipated.

Grand Void Gate has reached this level—clearly they've put in tremendous thought; it's far from as simple as it appears.

But since the sword contest has just begun, it's too early to judge whether this formation is good or bad.

On the high platform, several Jin Dan cultivators, even a Liu Yuhua, stared with unusual interest.

These people mostly came from Dao soldier clans, their faces stern, seasoned by countless battles, radiating an aura of decisive, ruthless authority.

One of them was the Liu Yuhua True Person of the Yang family.

As soon as Grand Void Gate unveiled its formation, his eyes lit up; he watched several actual sword contests closely, nodding inwardly.

Many things others couldn't see, he—as one raised in a Dao soldier clan—understood perfectly.

"Does Grand Void Gate have any Yang family disciples?" asked the Yang family's Liu Yuhua.

A nearby elder replied softly:

"Yes, in the Cheng'en lineage, there's a boy named 'Qianjun' in Grand Void Gate. Other branches have a few scattered disciples as well."

"Hmm."

The Yang family's Liu Yuhua nodded, memorizing the name; after a moment's thought, he added: "Tell the patriarch when you return—we'll increase our ties with Grand Void Gate. These disciples are all promising…"

"Yes…" the elder replied softly, then added regretfully, "but they're still rather immature."

"They're all children who've never left their sect—immaturity is natural," said the Yang family's Liu Yuhua, his gaze hopeful. "Experience will come. What matters most is they've developed the Dao soldier mindset—'fighting alongside your brothers.' With time and battlefield trials, they'll surely become formidable."

"Your words are wise…" the elder pondered, then frowned: "But these children are all clan scions, precious heirs—they won't be sent to the battlefield."

"It doesn't matter…"

The Yang family's Liu Yuhua spoke calmly, gazing at the vast Dao Mountain, his eyes deep.

Should war ever come, flames spreading across the land, all living beings will be swept up—whether they wish it or not won't matter…

…

On the Fang Tian Hua Ying screen, the sword contest continued.

Disciples from other sects each had their own strengths, but ultimately followed the traditional "sect sword contest" style.

Four disciples protect one "prodigy."

Or five prodigies gather, cooperating with each other.

These are essentially "elite" tactics.

Under Mo Hua's leadership, Grand Void Gate's disciples had, unconsciously, turned the contest into a "war," following a "collective" tactic.

In cultivation level or Dao techniques, they may not hold an advantage.

But their tactical execution was more thorough—movement unified, orders obeyed without question.

To win, they even abandoned their "individuality."

They didn't use inherited spirit weapons; instead, they uniformly selected customized spirit weapons tailored to tactical needs, strictly adhering to the required Dao techniques, avoiding showy duels or self-promotion—everything served the "tactic," everything served victory.

Thus, the difference became instantly clear.

Disciples of Grand Void Gate had an unusually high win rate during the "Huang" stage of the competition.

Thus, until the sun set at Luoshan, dusk descended.

The first day of the Sword Discussion ended slowly amid noise and brilliance.

After the matches, Mount Lun Dao tallied the wins.

Grand Void Gate, which had originally been feared to be in perilous standing, saw its first-day wins surge straight to the top, temporarily ranking first in the Qianxue Sword Discussion!

When this result came out, the Grand Void Gate's sect leader was stunned.

During the daytime Sword Discussion, he had watched the win counts and the situation, and guessed that Grand Void Gate's initial ranking would not be low.

But to actually take first place, he still felt an unreal, dreamlike sensation.

Not just the sect leader—everybody on Sanshan, from the sect leader to the elders, down to every disciple, stood frozen in shock.

Sword Discussion first place?

Even though it was only the first day, and only temporary, could Grand Void Gate… truly surpass the Sida Sect and the Eight Gates to rank first in the Sword Discussion?

This was Sword Discussion first place.

Even if only for the first day, even if only temporary, even if merely a "fleeting bloom," it had never happened before.

The entire sect was filled with joy.

And all of this was thanks to Mo Hua's planning.

Mo Hua's prestige among the disciples quietly rose another level.

Even the ancestral elders and sect leaders of Tai'e and Chongxu Mountains, as well as some high-ranking elders, looked upon Mo Hua with new eyes.

The more they looked, the more they found Mo Hua pleasing, the more they found him handsome.

They themselves knew deep down that Grand Void Gate's "Sword Discussion first place" could not last.

Yet even so, it was enough to make them feel vindicated.

And this "temporary" Sword Discussion first place of Grand Void Gate spread through the Si Sect, Eight Gates, and Twelve Streams, causing considerable shock.

(End of Chapter)