Chapter 1008: Chapter One Thousand and Five: Beheading Match

This sword discussion is a beheading match.

Regarding the "beheading" format, Mo Hua had originally had a better plan, but the Tian Xuanzi Bureau had only just begun a few matches, and it was still early—revealing too many trump cards would not be good.

Besides, Mo Hua wanted to vindicate the Fireball Art.

He wanted to tell everyone a principle: the Dao is vast and varied, each with its own strengths and weaknesses; it is not necessarily the case that only superior Dao techniques are formidable.

As long as one studies diligently and uses it well, uses it ingeniously, even an ordinary Fireball Art cannot be looked down upon.

The bell of the Discussion Hall tolled, and the sword discussion began.

The disciples on both sides began to move.

The "beheading match" of the Tian Xuanzi sword discussion required a larger venue, with more complex mountain terrain—mountains and forests, streams, swamps, and woodlands.

The entry positions were randomized.

The two sides might run into each other directly, so one absolutely could not be careless.

The disciples of the Gui Water Sect, led by Qin Cangliu, the moment they entered, immediately released their divine sense and held their swords at the ready.

After confirming the surroundings were safe, the Gui Water Sect, with Qin Cangliu as the "leader" at its center, advanced forward while scouting for the enemy.

They chose to "attack."

And on Mo Hua's side, they chose to "defend."

In a beheading match, the opposing leader was "strong," while their own leader was "weak."

Mo Hua didn't even need to think—the opposing side would definitely choose to "attack fiercely."

If it were him, he would choose the same.

After all, a "squishy" leader who could be killed in a single sword strike was simply too tempting a target.

Therefore, Mo Hua planned to "wait by the stump for the rabbit."

Unlike the Gui Water Sect's wariness, after Mo Hua entered, his expression was very composed.

His divine sense was too strong—just a slight sweep, and he had a thorough grasp of the nearby terrain. He pointed to a small grove a few li to the right and said:

"We'll go there."

Linghu Xiao and the others nodded.

Although Ouyang Xuan didn't nod, he obediently followed along.

After arriving at the small grove, Mo Hua began to set up formations and arrange the formation.

The five disciples of the Gui Water Sect, after circling around a few times, found no one in the various swamps and hillsides, and wandering about, they headed toward Mo Hua's small grove.

The two sides were not far apart; within less than a quarter of an hour, they would likely meet.

Outside the Discussion Hall, the watching crowd, after a period of tedious waiting, gradually began to look forward to it.

"Now, finally there's a good show to watch…"

"This 'Qin Cangliu' of the Gui Water Sect is no ordinary disciple. He comes from the Qin family—if we trace his lineage, it can even be traced back to the noble houses of the Daozhou Dao Court."

"I've also heard that he was originally a child of Daozhou, and was fostered in the Qin family of Qianzhou for the sake of his education…"

"Really?"

"I already said, it's 'hearsay'…"

"Whether it's hearsay or not, his status is certainly not low. I've also heard that in the Qianxue State border, quite a few legitimate daughters of fifth-rank noble families sent people to the Qin family to propose marriage, hoping to form a good match with this Young Master Qin, but they couldn't even cross the threshold…"

"His marriage was arranged by the Daozhou side."

"Other things might be faked, but an 'engagement' of this sort absolutely cannot be faked. Without a solid family foundation, one simply wouldn't have the confidence for it."

"Not only that, I heard this Qin Cangliu's inherited sword art is also extremely good."

"The Gui Water Sect's Gui Water Sword Art?"

"No, what he inherited is not the Gui Water Sect's sword Dao, but his Qin family's 'Vast Sea Raging Streams Sword Art.' This sword art is a top-tier superior water-system sword art, famous far and wide, the treasure of the Qin family, and hardly anyone can learn it…"

"Then how does he compare to Linghu Xiao?"

"That's hard to say. Linghu Xiao has a clear sword heart and a renowned reputation, but this Qin Cangliu has the low-key, steady bearing of a noble family's son, and doesn't show off on ordinary days."

"Presumably he's settled his heart, sharpening his sword for ten years, wanting to amaze the world and stand out at this sword discussion conference."

"That's how geniuses are—sometimes everyone blows each other's horn, praising each other, looking splendid and impressive on the surface, but beneath the great reputation, there are surely some who don't live up to it. Who is 'real gold' and who is 'gold-plated'—a real clash will reveal it."

"Then this sword discussion will be worth watching…"

"This is the true duel of sword Dao geniuses!"

Almost everyone's attention was on the contest between the two prodigies, Linghu Xiao and Qin Cangliu.

In addition, quite a few people still remembered Mo Hua, the formation master who knew the Fireball Art.

"This is a beheading match, and that Mo Hua somehow ended up as the 'leader.' Now he can't just stand by and watch, can he…"

"If he doesn't stand by and watch, what else can he do?"

"Use the Fireball Art again?"

"That Wu Ming last time was a poser—his hometown is Kunzhou, which has many wealthy clans, nouveau riche types. Their disciples don't strive for improvement, deck themselves out in flashy spiritual artifacts, and still want to come to the sword discussion…"

"Wu Ming was incompetent, which is why he fell to the Fireball Art."

"But Qin Cangliu is different—he's a properly trained prodigy of a sect, and he can't possibly be ambushed by a mere Fireball Art."

"Most likely, the moment they meet, that Mo Hua won't even have time to use his Fireball Art before he's killed in one sword strike…"

"That would be a pity—we wouldn't get to see the duel between the two great sword Dao geniuses."

"Hopefully that Mo Hua can hold out a bit longer and not lose too quickly, otherwise there'll be no fun to watch…"

……

As the crowd outside chatted on, the two groups of disciples inside finally met outside the small grove.

Qin Cangliu and his five companions, clad in black water Dao robes and wielding water-cold-colored long swords, looked toward the disciples of the Grand Void Gate:

Linghu Xiao, Ouyang Xuan, Cheng Mo, and Sister Situ.

There is no Mo Hua.

The four members of Grand Void Gate now formed a "defensive" formation, facing off against the Gui Water Sect, guarding the small grove.

Qin Cangliu's gaze passed over the four, fixed on the distant small grove.

The grove was dense; within it, a qi fluctuated faintly—clearly, someone was hiding inside.

"That array master is useless in combat; better to make him the 'leader' and hide him in the hills, so the other four can fight without restraint."

"Not a bad solution under the circumstances."

Qin Cangliu's eyes flashed, and he softly ordered:

"Kill!"

The other four Gui Water Sect disciples immediately moved in unison, their forms swift as wind, their sword-light like water, charging toward the Grand Void Gate disciples.

The Gui Water Sect is directly subordinate to Dao Ting Si.

Most of its disciples' future paths lead into Dao Ting Si, starting as Zhisi and gradually rising to Gu Diansi.

Thus, their stillness and action both carry the style of Dao Ting Si.

Orders are obeyed without question; strikes are decisive.

These four Gui Water Sect disciples wielded nothing but Gui Water swords, their techniques coordinated, and soon they clashed with Ouyang Xuan and the others.

Amidst the crossing swordlight, Qin Cangliu also drew his longsword and engaged Linghu Xiao.

Both were sword prodigies; though their personalities differed, each carried an inner pride, and both had trained daily since childhood, pouring immense effort into the sword path.

The moment their blades met, each instantly recognized the other as a formidable rival on the sword path—not to be underestimated.

Both felt a deep unease, then their eyes sharpened, and each abandoned all restraint.

Sword qi surged wildly; as their blades clashed, the two prodigies locked in deadly combat.

A master's first move reveals all.

Outside the Sword Arena.

The watching cultivators all expressed admiration.

"No wonder they're both sword prodigies!"

"They've barely clashed, yet their brilliance is already clear."

"Linghu Xiao's sword qi is pure, his insight exceptional; Qin Cangliu is no less impressive—his sword techniques steady, vast as the sea…"

Even some elders were satisfied: "At such a young age, to have honed the sword path to this level—both are worthy of cultivation."

Some watching disciples gazed at the clashing prodigies with longing and envy.

……

The audience was highly satisfied.

Yet within the arena, the situation slowly shifted.

Qin Cangliu and Linghu Xiao's duel was dazzling, neither gaining the upper hand.

But the other battles were unmistakable.

Four versus three.

Four Gui Water Sect sword disciples: two tangled with Ouyang Xuan, one fought Sister Situ with her Li Huo sword, and one clashed with Cheng Mo wielding his massive axe.

Those who participated in the Sword Debate were elite disciples.

Without using their ultimate techniques, in a pure exchange of ordinary strikes, the gap in cultivation between prodigies could not overcome the disadvantage of numbers.

The Grand Void Gate side was clearly falling behind, struggling more and more to hold their ground.

Finally, Ouyang Xuan, now forced to fight two at once, was the first to reveal an opening.

Though gifted, he could not fight four hands with two fists; after dodging and parrying for so long, he grew angry and swung his sword—only to miss.

Ouyang Xuan immediately sensed danger and hastily retracted his strike to defend himself, fearing a treacherous Gui Water sword strike.

But then, nothing happened.

The Gui Water Sect sword disciple did not seize the opening to press his advantage; instead, he used the moment to abandon Ouyang Xuan and charged toward the small grove.

His target was clear: decapitation.

This was a decapitation match, not a free-for-all.

Stabbing one more time would only worsen Ouyang Xuan's injuries—but not decide victory.

Conversely, if he entered the grove and killed Mo Hua with one strike, they would win immediately.

This was Qin Cangliu's original plan.

This was a Sword Debate, a clash of prodigies—but the goal was to "win," not merely to prove superiority.

Seeing the Gui Water Sect disciple head for the grove, Cheng Mo roared loudly, leapt into the air, and swung his twin great axes toward him.

The strike was sudden and ferocious; the Gui Water Sect disciple could not dodge, and could only raise his sword to block.

Blocking that axe bought him a moment—but the opportunity was lost.

Ouyang Xuan thrust his longsword forward, closing in again to engage the Gui Water Sect disciple.

The situation stalled once more.

Yet at that moment, another Gui Water Sect disciple in the crowd suddenly blurred, dissolving into a water shadow—then reappeared, already within ten zhang of the small grove.

This was unexpected.

Cheng Mo and the others were startled.

The watching cultivators outside also murmured in shock:

"What's happening?"

"Is that… the Water Shadow Step of the Gui Water Sect?" said a well-informed cultivator.

"The Water Shadow Step is the Gui Water Sect's ultimate technique; for an ordinary-looking Gui Water Sect disciple to have refined it to such mastery at late Foundation Establishment is truly remarkable…"

"His talent in body techniques must be quite impressive…"

"Qianxue State truly produces talent after talent."

Inside the Sword-Discussion arena, Cheng Mo recovered from his shock in an instant, immediately raised his great axe and hacked again, while Ouyang Xuan covered him.

But his axe cleaved empty air once more.

That disciple of the Gui Water Sect turned his body into water-mist and escaped again; when he reappeared, he was already at the edge of the small grove.

Cheng Mo was a big fellow, and his body technique was a weakness — for the moment, he couldn't catch up.

The Gui Water Sect disciple gave a cold laugh, then raised his ice-cold longsword, stepped out, and headed toward the small grove.

Mo Hua was too "fragile" — killing him would only take one sword.

Anyone who killed him would do.

As long as they killed him, the Gui Water Sect would win this match.

He was confident in his body technique; that short-legged array master who couldn't run fast would absolutely "die" beneath his Gui Water Sword.

The Gui Water Sect disciple had just stepped into the small grove.

From within the dense forest, a sudden whoosh — and a fireball flew out.

This fireball was extremely fast.

The Gui Water Sect disciple wasn't surprised; his gaze went cold at once, and he swept his longsword sideways to block the fireball.

But the next instant, his face changed.

The firelight exploded, the blast wave surged, and the Gui Water Sect disciple's sword trembled, numbing his Hukou until it tingled — he even staggered back two steps.

"This thing… can it really be a Fireball Art?"

For a moment, he could hardly believe it.

On the surface it didn't look any different, just the color was a touch deeper, but its power was on an entirely different level compared to an ordinary Fireball Art.

Without taking a hit yourself, you'd never feel it.

"As expected… being the top of the Dao of Arrays, he does have some tricks…"

The Gui Water Sect disciple thought silently.

But a Fireball Art was, after all, just a Fireball Art.

After so much difficulty, they'd seized this chance — as long as they killed Mo Hua, they'd win.

A lion taking down a rabbit still uses its full strength.

At this moment, they had to go all out, with no room for the slightest carelessness.

The Gui Water Sect disciple's gaze hardened; he played the same trick, turning into water-mist, intending to rely on the cover of "Water Shadow Steps" to charge straight into the grove and drag Mo Hua out.

But the moment his Water Shadow Steps began and his body had just turned into water-mist, a fireball — as if it had grown "eyes" — slammed into him with uncanny "precision."

The Discussion Jade dimmed a little.

There were burns and the pain of an explosion on his body.

The Gui Water Sect disciple was blasted back several steps, his expression gradually turning to disbelief:

"How… how did I still get hit by a Fireball Art?"

"What exactly is going on?"

"I clearly performed my exquisite 'Water Shadow Steps' — water-shadows to veil my body, water-mist to cloud his eyes — how could he possibly still hit me?"

The Gui Water Sect disciple was bewildered.

Inside the small grove, Mo Hua gave a cold snort in his heart:

"Playing Water Shadow Steps in front of me? That's like a little grandson paying New Year's respects to Laozu Sect — laughable…"

He flicked a finger, and another Fireball Art whooshed out.

The Gui Water Sect disciple could only block it head-on, then was blasted back several feet again, and the "health" of his Discussion Jade was shaved down a bit more.

He felt both annoyed and a little panicked.

"It has to be a coincidence!"

"I've cultivated Water Shadow Steps for over ten years, pouring in endless effort — how could it possibly be seen through so easily by someone else?"

"I don't believe it!"

He kept using Water Shadow Steps to approach the small grove, and sure enough — without surprise — he was blasted out again by a precisely aimed Fireball Art.

This Fireball Art was fast, accurate, and vicious, as if it had grown eyes, fixated on exploding against him.

No matter how he pushed Water Shadow Steps to its limit, he simply couldn't escape this life-hounding Fireball Art.

The Gui Water Sect disciple nearly spat blood in his heart.

"Dammit! Just what kind of bored bastard could cultivate Fireball Art to this extent?!"

At the same time, he was filled with regret.

Water Shadow Steps to advance, Fireball Art to blast back — after several rounds like this, the chance to charge into the small grove and "behead" Mo Hua had long been missed.

Cheng Mo, Ouyang Xuan, and Sister Situ Jian all closed in.

With that, everyone was once again locked in a bitter fight.

Grand Void Gate was still four against five.

Only this time it was a little different, because from the small grove, every now and then another fireball would fly out, slamming precisely into the Gui Water Sect disciples.

Not only fast, but powerful as well — it forced them to split their attention to deal with it, stay on guard at all times, and drained them terribly.

The Gui Water Sect disciples instantly felt the pressure.

And with Mo Hua's Fireball Art support, Grand Void Gate's formation shifted once more.

Cheng Mo was still at the very front, his pair of Mountain-Splitting Axes swinging with majestic might.

Sister Situ Jian, meanwhile, switched from offense to defense, guarding in front of Linghu Xiao, using the Departing-Fire Sword to block the enemies' attacks and buying Linghu Xiao time to gather Void-Piercing Sword Qi.

Linghu Xiao, with the front line secured, focused on offense, using sword qi to strike down enemies.

Ouyang Xuan took the vanguard role, restraining the enemy.

Mo Hua hid within the grove, supporting and assisting with fireball spells, overseeing the entire battlefield and controlling the situation.

One defense, one hold, one offense, one vanguard.

Added to this was Mo Hua's role as "support."

Thus, the formation of Grand Void Gate had begun to take shape.

Before the small grove, figures interwove, sword qi surged, fireballs flew—intense beyond measure.

Their direct clash with the Gui Water Sect held no disadvantage.

And within this, the most troublesome element was Mo Hua's fireball spell.

During the battle, any Gui Water Sect disciple who revealed an opening would be struck by a fireball.

Anyone who launched a frontal assault would be blocked by fireballs.

Anyone who attempted water evasion would be bombarded by fireballs.

Anyone wounded would face fireballs adding insult to injury.

It combined suppression, rescue, interruption, detection, and bonus damage into one.

Mo Hua's fireball spell was executed with masterful finesse.

Especially since he remained hidden in the grove, unseen, participating only through fireballs—this unknown mystery imposed immense pressure on the Gui Water Sect disciples.

But this was the feeling of the Gui Water Sect.

The spectators outside the arena felt otherwise.

The Gui Water Sect disciples could not see Mo Hua, so they found him mysterious—but the spectators could.

On the vast Sky-Reflecting Image, Mo Hua's image was clearly displayed.

He was "crouching" in the small grove, fingers tapping rapidly, firing off fireballs with a chirp-chirp-chirp.

It looked utterly childish.

Through the global perspective of the image, merely by sight, they could not perceive the speed, power, precision of the fireballs, nor the helplessness of being suppressed and oppressed by them in person.

They only felt it was absurd.

This was Qianxue Province, this was the Sword Debate Assembly—a grand event gathering geniuses from all nine provinces, converging the prodigies of the Four Sects, Eight Clans, and Twelve Schools, a gathering of the finest talents, debating swords in competition.

At such a prestigious event, when had a beginner-level Qi Condensation fireball spell ever been allowed on stage?

Worse still, were people actually afraid of fireballs?

"That Gui Water Sect disciple who knows Water Shadow Step—he's already reached the edge of the grove. Just charge in, cut down Mo Hua, and you win!"

"Got hit by two fireballs and you retreat?"

"What's so scary about a simple fireball?"

"Exactly. The other Gui Water Sect disciples look like useless fools—taken all these fireballs, none of them dodged."

"How could you not dodge?"

"This fireball spell is dragging down the prestige of the Sword Debate Assembly…"

"I couldn't agree more…"

Most ordinary disciples and cultivators, lacking firsthand experience, debated this endlessly.

But elite disciples, sect elders, and high-ranking clan members all frowned.

They had extensive experience and a deeper understanding of spells.

Though separated by the Sky-Reflecting Image, with distorted visuals, they could still sense something amiss.

It wasn't that the Gui Water Sect disciples were weak—it was that this fireball spell was truly extraordinary…

…

The Sword Debate on the field continued.

Relying on his masterful fireball spell, Grand Void Gate gradually gained the upper hand.

Qin Cangliu frowned.

He knew well that under these circumstances, it was no longer possible to sneak into the grove and slay Mo Hua, the "leader."

If so, then only direct frontal assault remained.

Defeat Linghu Xiao, eliminate the other Grand Void Gate disciples, then charge into the grove and cut down that despicable Mo Hua who wielded fireballs.

Under these conditions, it all came down to the prodigies' performance.

To alter the tide, to reverse disaster, to accomplish what ordinary men cannot—that is the true "child of heaven" of a clan.

One who lacks the ability to break the deadlock does not deserve the title of prodigy.

Streams of water light, like a vast ocean surging, converged upon Qin Cangliu's sword—sword aura surged violently, terrifying in might.

His gaze, cruel and icy, locked onto Linghu Xiao.

Linghu Xiao's expression remained calm, yet his eyes hardened with battle intent, sword qi flaring around him.

Their gazes met, and in the void, sword qi sharpened like daggers.

All watching cultivators tightened their hearts, then stared with anticipation.

They knew the battle to come was the true Sword Debate of Qianxue—the true "prodigy clash."

(End of Chapter)