Chapter 1007: Qin Cangliu

His face burned, his head buzzed, and Wu Ming was completely stunned.

"Is this… Fireball Technique?"

"How did it hit me so fast, from that distance?"

He couldn't understand—he had just seen a wisp of flame, a blurred, unformed fireball.

The next instant, that fireball had already exploded against his face?

What kind of speed is this?

And can this even be called Fireball Technique?

The force, the residual shock—it's far too "violent." Like a cannonball, it made his scalp tingle.

With the Discourse Jade protecting him, Discourse Sword disciples don't directly suffer damage.

But the residual burn, the throbbing pain, and the impact were still felt.

This fireball was cunning and unexpected.

Wu Ming was blasted by it, nearly toppled over, staggered a few steps, then barely steadied himself, shaking his head for a long while before recovering from the Fireball Technique's shock.

Then Wu Ming's eyelid twitched violently, and his heart screamed:

"Damn it!"

He immediately looked up—and sure enough, a clear, moonlike sword light was coalescing.

Linghu Xiao, having been pinned down the entire match, had already been pushed to rage and would not let Wu Ming escape.

He and Mo Hua had perfect coordination; while Mo Hua used the Fireball Technique to create an opening, he had already begun gathering his qi.

By the time Wu Ming regained his senses, the sword qi was fully gathered.

Linghu Xiao's gaze was icy as he stared at Wu Ming like a dead man, then cried out sharply, swung his longsword, and slashed out a sword beam over ten feet long.

This sword beam was razor-sharp.

Wu Ming wasn't stupid—he immediately tried to flee.

The Iron Robe Talisman's effect was still active, reducing the sword qi's power, but he had no intention of taking Linghu Xiao's blow head-on.

A sword prodigy, rare once every five hundred years, unleashing his full power—this was no joke.

If he could just dodge this sword beam, Linghu Xiao would be drained of qi and become a lamb awaiting slaughter.

The others? Merely fish on the chopping block.

He could deal with that brat who had ambushed him with the Fireball Technique later.

Wu Ming spun around, his feet tapped the ground, his body blazed like flowing fire, and he tried to escape.

But just then—a whistling tore through the air.

A fireball shot a straight red streak, striking Wu Ming's back even before the whistling sound reached him.

"Damn, what the hell—"

Wu Ming's heart erupted in fury, but the impact sent him off-balance, crashing to the ground.

The surging Void-Cutting sword qi arrived instantly, slashing hard into him.

A faint blue glow rose from Wu Ming's body, blocking the power of the Void-Cutting sword qi, but at the same time, the glow of his Discourse Jade was rapidly fading.

Finally, the light vanished—and the Discourse Jade shattered.

Wu Ming's face turned pale, but he could do nothing.

With a flash of the void's light, his form vanished entirely, teleported out of the Discourse Sword arena.

Wu Ming was defeated.

Linghu Xiao held his sword in one hand, gasping heavily.

Though he was a sword prodigy with immense sword qi power, this "power" was merely cultivation power.

Real combat was ever-changing, utterly different.

Only now did he truly understand what his senior brother had told him: a powerful cultivator must not only have great combat power, but also great practical combat ability.

His senior brother had also mentioned a strange term:

Combat Conversion Rate.

Great power, combined with a high Combat Conversion Rate—that's what makes a truly powerful cultivator.

If one had profound cultivation and refined sword techniques but lacked practical combat experience, couldn't handle pressure, and froze the moment they were targeted, they were merely a "paper general."

No matter how strong your combat power, if you can't unleash it in battle, it's as useless as a bone with no meat.

Through the Discourse Sword Assembly, training through combat, facing off against prodigies, adapting to all kinds of situations, increasing practical combat experience, improving the Combat Conversion Rate of sword techniques, fully unleashing the power of the Void-Cutting Sword Art—to become a truly powerful sword cultivator.

This was also his senior brother's expectation and plan for him.

Linghu Xiao calmed his emotions, silently summarized his gains and losses, then raised his sword and pointed it at the other four disciples of the Spirit Talisman Sect.

His qi was nearly exhausted, but now it was five against four—and victory was certain.

With Wu Ming defeated, Linghu Xiao was free to join the other battles; even with his qi nearly gone, the tide instantly turned.

Mo Hua fired a few more fireballs, and the Discourse Sword match was settled.

Grand Void Gate won.

On the Sky Mirror, the figures of Mo Hua and the others gradually faded.

Outside, the audience fell quiet for a moment, then scattered murmurs began to rise:

"Linghu Xiao is still strong…"

"Grand Void Gate barely won this round…"

"That Mo Hua really has something—he used that Fireball Technique pretty well, didn't he?"

"Yeah, good," someone nodded, "the battle was stuck, and his Fireball Technique broke the deadlock, saving his teammates from disaster."

Others disagreed: "Could it be that because of him, his teammates ended up in disaster to begin with?"

"Have anyone else step in, five-on-five, they'd have won long ago—why drag it out like this?"

"Besides, isn't Fireball Spell something anyone with hands can cast?"

"Among all cultivators in this world, anyone with even a hint of fire affinity can cast Fireball Spell."

"Have you ever seen a prodigy win at the Sword Debate Assembly by relying on Fireball Spell? Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock…"

"But his Fireball Spell seems… different… there's something odd about it…" someone mused.

Hearing this, many observant cultivators fell into thoughtful silence.

The Sky Painting Shadow was merely a "projection" of imagery; no matter how clear, it always carried some distortion.

The audience outside still had the full-field perspective.

Under the distortion of the painting shadow, they could see Mo Hua casting Fireball Spell, but by naked eye alone, it was hard to discern the spell's true nature.

They could only faintly sense that the Fireball Spell carried a hint of unease.

Yet most cultivators still dismissed it.

Especially those who had long held prejudice against Mo Hua—and even malice—sneered:

"What could possibly be different about Fireball Spell? Like anyone can't cast it…"

"It's just Fireball Spell—even if you play with it, what's the point? It's still Fireball Spell."

"Those fools from Spirit Talisman Sect? I say they're all show with no substance—they got beaten by Fireball Spell? How laughable…"

"It's just throwing a Fireball Spell—I could do it too…"

…

Among the crowd, Gu Changhuai paid no mind to these remarks.

He merely stared intently at the Sky Painting Shadow, recalling Mo Hua's Fireball Spell…

And the dozen or so human traffickers, burned to ash and erased from existence in the thatched hut outside Qingzhou City, couldn't help but frown and sigh:

"This kid really knows how to hide…"

…

With the Sword Debate against Spirit Talisman Sect concluded,

the discussions about Mo Hua temporarily ceased.

Mo Hua wasn't useless.

He was useful—but only a little.

Roughly, the utility of one or two Fireball Spells.

The crowd's perception of Mo Hua shifted from being a useless, burdensome "Crown Prince" of Grand Void Gate…

To… "a formation master who can cast Fireball Spell."

…

Outside Dao Debate Mountain,

Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao packed up, preparing to return to their sect, but had barely taken a few steps when they encountered several members of Spirit Talisman Sect face-to-face.

Leading them was still Wu Ming.

His face was twisted with resentment, tinged with fury; his spirit armor glowed red, flaring like a defeated rooster.

Wu Ming fixed his gaze on the crowd, especially on Mo Hua within it.

His old hatred still rested on Linghu Xiao.

But now, having been humiliated by Fireball Spell to the face, his hatred had successfully shifted.

"Mo Hua…" he muttered Mo Hua's name, teeth gritted with shame and rage:

"If not for you, using Fireball Spell to ambush me, I wouldn't have lost."

"If not for you, Linghu Xiao would already be my defeated rival…"

"I'll remember you—wait and see."

After spitting out his threats, he left.

Mo Hua frowned, confused, and turned to Linghu Xiao: "Even if I blasted his face with Fireball Spell, it was still your sword technique that defeated him. You won—he's holding a grudge against me for what?"

Linghu Xiao had no good answer and fell silent.

"Perhaps… he'd rather die by a master's sword than be humiliated by Fireball Spell?" Sister Situ said.

After all, in the Prodigy Sword Debate, losing to the Void-Dispelling Sword Technique of a sword prodigy—even in defeat—carried a tragic dignity.

But if a prodigy lost to Fireball Spell… all that remained was absurdity.

"It can't be that serious…" Mo Hua frowned. "The Dao has countless methods, each with strengths and weaknesses—the art lies in application."

"That's true, but Fireball Spell… is still just Fireball Spell…" Sister Situ murmured.

Mo Hua shook his head solemnly. "Don't dismiss Fireball Spell as mere magic—I'll prove to them that Fireball Spell is a powerful art!"

Mo Hua's expression was grave, as if determined to vindicate "Fireball Spell." After all, the first offensive spell Master Puppet had taught him was Fireball Spell.

He would not allow anyone to look down on Fireball Spell!

"Return to the sect—prepare tactics for the next Sword Debate!"

Mo Hua ordered, then departed with a solemn face.

Sister Situ watched Mo Hua's back and sighed silently.

He had a persistent feeling.

This Wu Ming was merely the first "enemy" crushed by Young Master's suppressed fury.

This was only the beginning—Young Master hadn't even begun to unleash his true power.

Even more crushing methods lay ahead.

Even more frustrating tactics were yet to come.

If things continue like this, by the time Senior Brother finishes the Sword Debates, who knows how many more "enemies" he'll have accumulated…

…

Back at Grand Void Gate, Mo Hua rested for a while, then began planning for his next Sword Debate.

His next opponent in the Tian Xuanzi match was the Eight Major Sects.

But the name of this sect was quite surprising…

Gui Shui Sect.

Mo Hua's eyes grew thoughtful.

Gui Shui Sect was originally one of the Shierliu Sects, descended from the old Water Prison Sect, the main sect behind the Yanzhi Zhou incident, which had violated Daoist law and Ganxue's rules by secretly running brothels and fallen into moral decay—until the Dao Ting Si completely purged it.

Now, Gui Shui Sect had undergone a "mass bloodletting" from its high ranks down to ordinary disciples.

After the bloodletting, the blood flowing through Gui Shui Sect's veins was that of the Dao Ting Si—even, one could say, of the Central Dao Ting itself.

At the last Dao Debate Assembly, the sect underwent its first institutional reform.

Tai'e Sect and Chongxu Sect dropped in rank and were forced to merge with Grand Void Gate, meaning two spots in the Eight Major Sects had opened up.

One of those two spots went to Gui Shui Sect, one of the Shierliu.

The other spot went to another "old acquaintance."

Duanjin Sect…

Once ranked among the Shierliu Sects, it took the Duanjin Yu Jian Jue as its core inheritance; its disciples had clashed repeatedly with Mo Hua, and even after the Ten Thousand Demons Valley affair, Duanjin Sect underwent a power shift and a bloodletting.

Mo Hua's ties to Duanjin Sect ran deep.

The human trafficker Jiang Laoda he first encountered upon entering Ganxue Prefecture was a traitor from Duanjin Sect.

Mo Hua possessed both of Duanjin Sect's core inheritances: the Duanjin Yu Jian Jue and the Duanjin Sword Array.

"Duanjin Sect…"

Mo Hua's gaze flickered, his thoughts stirring.

In truth, whether Gui Shui Sect or Duanjin Sect, his ties to both ran deep.

The "mass bloodletting" of both Gui Shui Sect and Duanjin Sect had been orchestrated by him alone.

And now, both Gui Shui Sect and Duanjin Sect had been promoted together into the "Eight Major Sects"… Mo Hua couldn't help but feel something odd about it.

Gui Shui Sect's promotion to the Eight Major Sects, beyond its high ranking, surely involved maneuvering by the Dao Ting.

And the hidden hand behind this was likely Xia Jiancha.

Xia Jiancha—or rather, the Dao Ting—wished to intervene in Ganxue Prefecture's affairs, and its core targets were the Si Sect, the Eight Major Sects, and the Shierliu.

The Si Sect was too powerful; the next tier down was the Eight Major Sects.

Infiltrating an existing Eight Major Sect was far less direct and thorough than elevating a new one.

Gui Shui Sect was an open card—it was now the Dao Ting's "pawn."

But what of Duanjin Sect?

After the Ten Thousand Demons Valley affair, Mo Hua had little contact with it, and Song Jian had not been seen for a long time—he didn't know if something had happened there too.

Was the Dao Ting also backing Duanjin Sect?

If so, did that mean… all these events, everything behind them, were being watched and quietly calculated by some high-ranking Dao Ting master?

Then that would mean…

He himself had unwittingly become a "pawn"?

Had his own actions, unintentionally, pushed the game's shifts and developments?

"Who is this Dao Ting master orchestrating it all?"

"What is his goal?"

Mo Hua frowned, unable to fathom it—but he kept a thought in mind, to remain alert in the future.

The Heavenly Mechanism works this way: when you peer into it, it peers into you.

When you calculate others, they calculate you.

When you treat others as pawns, somewhere in the shadows, someone may be treating you as a "pawn" in a grander game…

Mo Hua's gaze brightened slightly; karmic threads swirled in his eyes, and his insight into the Heavenly Mechanism deepened a fraction.

Then he stilled his thoughts, focusing on being a mere "pawn," continuing to prepare for the Sword Debate Assembly.

"As long as I can swallow the bait, being a pawn once doesn't matter…"

…

Two days later, the Dao Debate Mountain.

Another Sword Debate began.

The merged Grand Void Gate faced the newly promoted Eight Major Sect, Gui Shui Sect.

This time, the random format finally changed.

This time, it was a "Decapitation Match."

Each side selected one disciple as their respective "leader."

Regardless of whether other disciples lived or died, whether the battle favored one side or the other, whoever killed the enemy's "leader" won—that was "Decapitation."

In Dao Bing warfare, occasional death squads were chosen to carry out "Decapitation" missions, assassinating enemy cultivators of high status and special rank.

This was the origin of the "Decapitation Match" format.

Before the "Decapitation Match" began, both sides would first confirm their "leader."

This "leader" was usually the strongest prodigy in the team.

On Gui Shui Sect's side, the disciple chosen as "leader" was named Qin Cangliu.

The Qin family was a fifth-rank clan of Ganxue Prefecture, and seemed to have deep ties to the Central Dao Ting.

Qin Cangliu was the direct disciple of the Qin family line and among the top talents in the Gui Shui Sect.

Today, the Gui Shui Sect is directly subordinate to the Central Dao Ting Si.

With the Qin family's deep ties and the sect's direct subordination, barring unforeseen circumstances, Qin Cangliu, given time, would surely become the head of a provincial Dao Ting Si.

Even entering the Central Dao Ting Si and rising to the rank of Dao Ting "Jiancha" is not impossible.

Therefore, the leader of the Gui Shui Sect's team must be him.

On the Tai Xu Gate side, Mo Hua is the "leader."

Those who knew the details were not surprised.

But among the outside spectators, the cultivators found it baffling.

"What is Tai Xu Gate doing?"

"This is a beheading match—do they even understand the rules? Do they even comprehend what 'beheading' means?"

"Not choosing Linghu Xiao is one thing, but even choosing Ouyang Xuan would be fine. Or that sword-carrying young man—even that 'big fool'… at least he's tough and can take a beating."

"Why choose Mo Hua?"

"His Dao-discourse jade is as brittle as a paper-thin walnut shell—one touch and it shatters. How can he compete?"

"Do they even have brains when they argue with swords?"

…

Outside the arena, murmurs erupted again.

Inside, both sides' disciples had already taken their positions.

On the Gui Shui Sect side, Qin Cangliu led them, clad in black water Dao robes, a "leader" plaque pinned to his chest.

He cultivated water-based arts, his demeanor soft yet steeped in coldness.

Having aspired to serve in the Dao Ting Si and having joined the Gui Shui Sect, he had, through constant exposure, acquired a faint air of authority befitting a "Zhou Zhangsi."

Several senior Qin family members serving in the Dao Ting Si, men of great insight, had all declared:

This boy will one day hold high power and influence.

But now, he is still merely a disciple.

He must demonstrate his strength at the Sword-Debate Gathering, win fame and renown, and use this as a foundation to gradually realize his grand ambitions.

Now, his opponent before him is Tai Xu Gate.

The man he must "behead" is named Mo Hua.

Qin Cangliu himself found this puzzling.

Why did Tai Xu Gate choose anyone but this frail arrayist—this man who would die from one slash, be ruined by one squeeze—as their "leader"?

On what grounds?

His fireball technique?

But regardless, the objective was now clear:

"All of you, strike with full force, at any cost—kill Mo Hua!"

Among these five, if even one could close the distance to Mo Hua, a single slash, a single sword thrust, or even just a punch would end his life and shatter his Dao-discourse jade.

With that, the beheading would succeed, and Gui Shui Sect would win this round.

And he, Qin Cangliu, would take another step toward his future.

"Yes, Brother Qin!"

The other Gui Shui Sect disciples bowed in unison.

On the Tai Xu Gate side:

Mo Hua also wore a "leader" plaque around his neck, and instructed Linghu Xiao and the others:

"The rules have changed, the game has changed—we must change our tactics."

"You all attack; I'll support."

"That guy over there…"

"Qin Cangliu," Sister Situ said.

Mo Hua nodded. "Kill Qin Cangliu, and we win."

This Qin Cangliu, born of noble lineage and gifted with talent, may have boundless potential ahead—but right now, this is the Sword-Debate Gathering. First, kill him once.

(End of Chapter)