Chapter 1010: Victory and Defeat

In the Sword Debate Arena.

Sword qi surged wildly, sword light spilled everywhere.

The mountain stones on the ground were carved with spiderweb-like cracks; the surrounding trees were pulverized into dust by the violent collision of sword qi.

Qin Cangliu unleashed the Qin family's secret Canghai Hengliu Sword Art, while Linghu Xiao wielded the Chongxu Mountain sect's Chongxu Jiejian Zhenjue.

One was a pure water-element sword art.

The other was the Jiejian Zhenjue, an anomaly born of water and moon.

Both were supreme Dao methods—one vast as the ocean, the other clear as moonlit water—two distinct yet beautiful blue hues interwove, brimming with terrifying killing power that could make Foundation Establishment cultivators turn pale.

The sheer force of these two prodigies clashing was overwhelming.

Under the swirling sword qi, other disciples of Chongxu Mountain and Guishui Sect were forced to retreat and seek other grounds to fight.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then refrained from using Fireball Technique to strike Qin Cangliu, instead giving them space to fight one-on-one.

A clash between prodigies was also a good opportunity for Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao had exceptional talent and profound comprehension, but being young, he lacked combat experience—so for now, he was merely an "embryo" of a fine sword.

Mo Hua intended to use the Sword Debate Assembly to temper Linghu Xiao, letting this sword slowly "sharpen" and grow stronger.

A fine sword's edge comes from honing.

Only then could they go further in the Sword Debate Assembly.

Only then could Xiao Xiao advance unimpeded on the sword path.

Mo Hua avoided Qin Cangliu and began using Fireball Technique to support Cheng Mo and the others.

Meanwhile, Linghu Xiao and Qin Cangliu, two top sword prodigies, began fighting with undivided focus.

In their eyes, there was only each other.

For prodigies, the more equal the opponent, the more their battle spirit is ignited.

Once they defeat another prodigy, they solidify their Dao heart, confirm their entire path, and can advance further.

This was not just for the Sword Debate—it was for their own sword paths.

Thus, both spared no effort, clashed head-on, and fought to the death.

Exquisite sword techniques appeared like antlers hung on a tree, endless and fluid; powerful sword qi bloomed like lotuses, dazzling and brilliant.

This match instantly became the focal point of the Fangtian Hua Ying.

All eyes were drawn to this brilliant, radiant, and lethally charged prodigy sword debate.

Everyone inwardly marveled:

"This is true Sword Debate!"

"This is true prodigy!"

"Only such exquisitely refined supreme sword art, such a clash of starfire-like prodigies, deserves this pinnacle Sword Debate event."

"What is Fireball Technique…?"

They had traveled countless miles to the Qianxue Zhou border to witness this very scene.

Not to see someone hiding in the woods, shooting fireballs at others.

The battle grew fiercer.

The clash of sword qi neared its boiling point.

All watching cultivators held their breath, hearts taut with tension.

A question rose in everyone's mind:

Who will win?

Qin Cangliu, though obscure in reputation, had shown in this duel his peerless sword cultivation—only his humble origins and family background had forced him to join the twelfth-tier Guishui Sect.

In raw talent alone, he was more than sufficient to enter one of the Eight Gates' sword sects, even if not the Four Major Sects.

Given time, he would surely become a great sword cultivator.

As for Linghu Xiao, there was no need to say more.

A sword prodigy Chongxu Mountain had not seen in five hundred years—his comprehension was astonishing, his talent visible to the naked eye; though still slightly immature, he was like a sword embryo lying dormant—once refined, he would unleash astonishing sharpness.

Such a peak confrontation was rare even within the Tian Xuanzi arena.

Either could win, yet either could also lose.

All stared without blinking, watching this exhilarating duel, witnessing the outcome of this prodigy sword debate.

Inside the Sword Debate Arena, time passed slowly.

The clash of sword qi continued unabated, the battle intensifying bit by bit.

After who knew how long, nearly everyone had reached the brink of exhaustion—their spiritual energy was nearly depleted.

Yet Qin Cangliu's battle spirit grew even more full.

His temperament was calm, bordering on cold—he rarely showed emotion—but after fighting Linghu Xiao this long, he could not help revealing an excited, bloodthirsty expression.

This was a true opponent!

This was true killing!

Only such a sharp opponent could serve as his "whetstone," refining him, pushing him further on the sword path, climbing toward higher peaks.

In this instant, he lost himself completely—his eyes held only the sword.

A golden light enveloped his entire body.

Qin Cangliu activated the Golden Body talisman, using its power to shield himself, gripping his sword horizontally, gaze surging, eyes like rivers contained.

His spiritual energy surged like rivers; sword qi radiated dazzling light, immense power converging into his blade.

Canghai Hengliu Sword Form.

The final form of the Canghai Hengliu Sword Art.

A supreme sword technique's ultimate strike.

Qin Cangliu intended to use this sword technique, forged from a lifetime of devotion, to decide victory or defeat.

This was a challenge between prodigies.

Linghu Xiao did not dodge—he activated his Golden Body talisman.

Amidst the glow of golden light, his gaze grew clear and bright; upon his sword, a pale blue moonlight seemed to ignite, and his entire aura merged seamlessly with the blade.

Man became sword, and also moon.

The cold moonlight, like swordlight, carried an ethereal killing intent.

Clash of supreme sword techniques.

This was the pivotal moment of the sword debate—and also a massive vulnerability.

Ouyang Xuan swept aside his opponent and, leading the charge, thrust his sword like a mountain peak toward Qin Cangliu.

Cheng Mo and Situ Jian immediately understood, abandoning their own foes without hesitation, rushing toward Qin Cangliu.

The disciples of Guishui Sect also realized the danger and turned to strike at Linghu Xiao.

Such a clash of supreme killing techniques would mean certain death for anyone caught within—normally, they would flee at once.

But this was the Sword Debate, protected by a grand array.

Life and death were irrelevant; their only goal was to "win!"

Thus, both sides' disciples threw themselves recklessly into blocking each other's sword prodigies' attacks.

Ouyang Xuan's swordlight, Cheng Mo's great axe, and Situ Jian's Li Huo Sword all struck Qin Cangliu, gradually wearing down the power of his Golden Body talisman, preventing him from unleashing Canghai Hengliu Sword.

Four cold Guishui sword qi also pierced Linghu Xiao, eroding his Golden Body and hindering his Chongxu Sword Technique.

Disciples from both sides became locked in brutal combat.

At this critical moment, Qin Cangliu's eyes snapped open, and he roared—a final, desperate effort—before his Golden Body talisman shattered, he unleashed Canghai Hengliu Sword.

Linghu Xiao's gaze turned solemn; he gritted his teeth, enduring the assault from the four Guishui disciples, and with nearly all his strength, unleashed Chongxu Jiejian true qi.

On one side, swordlight flowed like water, like the vast tide of Canghai Hengliu, engulfing heaven and earth.

On the other, sword qi gleamed like moonlight, like the clear radiance of noon, cold and piercing.

The sword techniques collided, exploding into brilliant light and violent tremors.

Countless shards of sword qi, like rivers flowing backward and the moon shining over the sea, twisted and entangled, then surged outward, tearing mountains apart, shattering rocks, reducing vegetation to ash, swallowing all in their path.

Even watching from the Fangtian Huaying was shocking.

This beautiful yet perilous scene, woven from supreme sword techniques and top-tier sword qi, was deeply etched into everyone's hearts.

All held their breath, forgetting to breathe.

It was not only the Foundation Establishment disciples who were shaken.

Even some Jin Dan, and even Liu Yuhua cultivators, stared in stunned silence.

At this moment, their realms were higher, their strength naturally greater than these disciples'.

But when they themselves were still at Foundation Establishment, their power was far from this level.

These Qianxue prodigies, at Foundation Establishment, could unleash such devastating killing power—what heights would they reach once they entered Jin Dan, or even broke through to Liu Yuhua? The thought was unimaginable.

"This is… the Qianxue Sword Debate…"

This sigh arose nearly simultaneously in the hearts of most cultivators present.

Whether low- or high-rank cultivators, all were awestruck.

On the Fangtian Huaying, sword qi still clashed, explosions still raged, stirring dust across Manshan.

As the sword qi faded and the explosions subsided, the dust slowly cleared.

A tense anticipation rose in everyone's hearts.

Who… had won?

The clash of sword techniques had drawn in nearly all combatants from both sects.

This was the true, decisive strike.

It decided both life and death, victory and defeat.

The victor remained; the loser withdrew.

In this clash of prodigies, Qin Cangliu of the Qin family, and Linghu Xiao of Grand Void Gate—whose sword qi was stronger?

Who was the true victor?

Everyone's hearts tightened.

On the Fangtian Huaying, the dust slowly lifted, revealing one figure.

The battle had been too brutal; the clash of supreme Dao techniques had left nearly all disciples of both sects dead.

Only one remained alive, standing where he stood.

Everyone quickly recognized his face.

Dressed in black water Dao robes, his face pale and cold, his breath faint, his clothing torn, he stood alone with sword in hand—tragic, elegant, and astonishing.

"Qin Cangliu!"

"He actually won!"

"Remarkable…"

"Truly magnificent!"

"Guishui Sect defeated Grand Void Gate—Qin Cangliu of Guishui Sect defeated Linghu Xiao of Grand Void Gate…"

…

On the viewing platform, elders from various Shijiahe Sects and clans all showed visible emotion, their thoughts varied.

The Guishui Sect elders, in particular, stroked their beards and nodded with satisfaction—but the next instant, they all froze, staring at the Fangtian Huaying, their pupils shrinking…

The Sword Debate Arena.

Qin Cangliu stood alone, the surroundings empty; Linghu Xiao was nowhere to be seen, and he was the only one left on the field.

"I… won?"

"I defeated Linghu Xiao."

"My sword Dao… is right…"

Qin Cangliu's heart swelled with countless emotions; the joy of victory over a formidable foe, after pushing himself to exhaustion, rose like spring bamboo shoots from deep within him, then spread through his entire body.

He became even more certain of his sword Dao.

"I won…"

Qin Cangliu murmured, then released a breath, blinking slightly his dry eyes.

He blinked only once.

When he opened his eyes again, he suddenly realized that someone had already stood before him—a pair of Bai Xi fingers pointed at his forehead, firelight gathering at the fingertips, and then…

And that was the end.

All these changes happened too fast—he had no time to react.

A shadow appeared, Bai Xi fingers tapped once, a flash of firelight, searing pain on his forehead, the Discourse Jade shattered.

When Qin Cangliu finally came to his senses, he found himself outside the arena.

He lost.

Qin Cangliu stood frozen in place for a long while, his heart a tangle of conflicting emotions—hard to articulate, hard to accept.

Even harder to accept than him were the spectators outside the arena.

They had been cheering for Qin Cangliu, applauding him, awed by the prodigy's performance…

Then, without warning, a shadow appeared, a finger tapped lightly, a fireball shot forth—and Qin Cangliu was sent flying away.

Everyone, as if suddenly strangled, fell silent.

The arena plunged into instant stillness.

A tragic hero fell to a treacherous ambush.

A legendary sword prodigy was defeated by a simple fireball technique.

A brilliant and heroic prodigy duel ended with a strangely absurd, botched conclusion.

All the cultivators felt a lump stuck in their throats, unable to utter a word.

Mo Hua's fireball technique silenced everyone present.

…

But no matter how it happened, loss is loss, victory is victory.

Mo Hua was in high spirits.

Using the smallest cost to achieve the greatest victory—a tiny fireball technique ending the match—was perfect.

The Sword Debate was over. Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao prepared to leave Discourse Mountain.

At the crossroad, they met Qin Cangliu again.

Qin Cangliu stared fixedly at Mo Hua; his eyes held complex emotions—hatred, admiration, anger, and a faint trace of sorrow.

All these emotions piled up in his heart; Qin Cangliu could not speak, and finally choked out just one sentence:

"Mo Hua, I'll remember you…"

Without looking back, he turned and walked away.

Mo Hua took it in stride—he'd heard those words before.

Behind him, Sister Situ sighed quietly.

Another rival added to Little Master's list of Sword Debate enemies…

Everyone headed toward Grand Void Gate.

On the way back, Linghu Xiao remained silent.

Mo Hua stole a few glances at him, then asked softly: "Xiaoxiao, are you feeling down?"

Linghu Xiao shook his head, but when he turned and met Mo Hua's clear, sincere gaze, he instinctively nodded and admitted:

"I lost."

Mo Hua asked him: "Do you think you'll win forever?"

Linghu Xiao froze, then shook his head.

No matter how gifted he was, no matter how strong his sword art, he could never truly win every single time.

Mo Hua said: "Some prodigies sail through life, winning endlessly—but the moment they lose one battle, their Dao heart shatters, they collapse completely, and become useless, vanishing into obscurity."

"No matter how high their talent, how sharp their insight, how many victories they've amassed, they still cannot break through their mental barrier—they lose their own 'Dao,' and will never advance again."

"Others have average talent but great resilience. They lose, again and again, endure cold words and bitter scorn, taste the world's cruelty—but never give up, climbing step by step toward their Dao."

"Which of these two types do you want to be?"

Linghu Xiao thought for a moment, then said: "I seem to be neither."

He was gifted, but not so gifted that he'd never lose.

Today, he had already lost to Qin Cangliu.

Yet because he was gifted, he could never lose forever—he would still win more than he lost.

Mo Hua nodded. "Yes, most cultivators live lives of both wins and losses."

"Winning and losing, at their core, are one thing: the Dao's revelation to the cultivator, shaping their path."

"Winning strengthens your path; losing corrects it."

"Win, and you keep walking forward; lose, and you find your flaws, then improve step by step…"

Mo Hua continued, "This is a truth I realized from studying arrays."

"To others, I might seem like an array prodigy, the master of array Dao, dominating the Array Symposium, unbeaten in array technique."

"But in truth, whenever I study arrays, I fail."

"I cannot learn an array, cannot draw it, I fail again and again—so I keep studying, keep practicing, keep realizing… and through so many failures, I slowly come to understand."

The Dao Stele breaks the limit of spiritual sense quantity, giving him far more opportunities to practice arrays than ordinary cultivators.

This also means his failures in drawing arrays are dozens, even hundreds of times greater than those of ordinary cultivators.

Precisely because he has failed at arrays far, far more than others,

he has grown so strong that his peers in array arts cannot even glimpse his back.

"True strength is forged by countless failures."

"Don't care about others' praise; don't believe that so-called 'prodigies' must always advance unimpeded, accumulate victories, and never lose once."

"These are the thoughts of mediocrities."

"True prodigies see only their own Dao."

"True sword cultivators see only their own sword."

"Everything else is irrelevant."

"Only one's ultimate pursuit is real. All wins and losses are but clouds."

Linghu Xiao was moved, thought for a moment, then said firmly, "Little Brother, I remember."

Cheng Mo and Sister Situ also fell into thought.

Even Ouyang Xuan glanced at Mo Hua with surprise.

Seeing that Linghu Xiao understood, Mo Hua nodded.

Xiao Xiao is a sword Dao prodigy of Grand Void Gate, and my little brother.

Mo Hua sincerely hopes he will be free from worldly fame and noise, uphold his own sword Dao, grow stronger bit by bit, and one day become a great sword cultivator who pierces heaven and earth…

…

Afterward, everyone returned to Grand Void Gate.

The Sword Symposium ended; they rested briefly.

Mo Hua had another matter he deeply cared about: the "Fireball Technique."

He specifically sought out Xie Ling to ask what others thought of his Fireball Technique.

During the Sword Symposium, the great array isolated him—he could not hear others' discussions.

He did not know what people truly thought of his Fireball Technique.

Mo Hua wanted to know whether anyone had understood his belief, inherited from the Puppet Elder: "Dao methods are myriad, each with strengths and weaknesses; their true mastery lies in the mind—Fireball Technique can also be powerful."

So he needed to ask someone.

Xie Ling, after competing in the Huang-class matches and winning two bouts, was eliminated. Though regrettable, he had given his all, leaving no regrets.

Afterward, he stayed outside the arena watching the matches, naturally overhearing others' conversations.

When Mo Hua asked this question, Xie Ling hesitated, seemingly reluctant to speak.

After Mo Hua pressed him repeatedly, Xie Ling reluctantly whispered:

"Little Brother, others say you're cunning, shameless, using Fireball Technique to 'pick off fallen opponents'…"

"A despicable array cultivator who uses Fireball Technique."

Mo Hua froze, then found it hard to believe.

His exquisitely refined Fireball Technique had been utterly misunderstood.

They even called him "picking off fallen opponents"…

Mo Hua felt weary.

Seeing this, Xie Ling promptly offered praise:

"Little Brother, your Fireball Technique is truly amazing—I was stunned when I saw it, never imagining Fireball Technique could be used like that…"

This flattery was somewhat childish.

But Mo Hua still felt a faint warmth in his heart.

His little brothers are still the best.

If so, he must strive hard to make Grand Void Gate one of the Sida Sect, and turn all his little brothers into "Sida Sect prodigies"…

Though he said so, the situation for Grand Void Gate in the Sword Symposium grew increasingly grim.

After one day's matches ended, Grand Void Gate, as expected, slipped to second place.

Current rankings: Tianjian Sect first, Qiandao Sect third, Long Ding Sect fourth.

Grand Void Gate had failed to hold onto first place.

Moreover, even second place now seemed precarious.

The entire sect's atmosphere grew somewhat oppressive…

(End of Chapter)