Chapter 1011

"If this keeps up, my ranking will keep falling—I need to think of a way out..."

Mo Hua pondered for a moment, opened the List of Sword Debates, and discovered that in the coming dozens of debates in the Tian Xuanzi arena, the greatest opponent for the Grand Void Gate was none other than...

Duanjin Gate.

Gui Shui Gate and Duanjin Gate were the two newly elevated Great Gates.

So, they were also the "gatekeepers" of the Eight Great Gates.

It was normal for the Tian Xuanzi arena to encounter them often.

From now on, in all of the Grand Void Gate's disciples' dozens of Tian Xuanzi debates, at least one-third of their matches would be against Duanjin Gate.

Mo Hua's eyes grew thoughtful.

Duanjin Gate was an old rival...

When they first entered the Beast Hunting Mountains, Mo Hua and his junior disciples had their earliest conflicts with Duanjin Gate's students.

There had been many back-and-forth battles since then.

All these grudges could not be explained in a moment.

Mo Hua's eyes flickered with sudden insight.

But since it was Duanjin Gate, it was actually easier.

The "Duanjin Armor" he had designed long ago could be put to use again.

Not only that.

Mo Hua now carried within him two core transmissions from Duanjin Gate.

The Duanjin Sword Art and the Duanjin Sword Array had both been stripped of their "Sword Dao Principles" and integrated into his Mind-Sword Formation.

Although in reality, his Duanjin Sword Qi was negligible.

But within his mind, especially his understanding of Duanjin's Sword Dao, it was profoundly deep.

In other words, at least the Foundation Establishment portion of Duanjin Gate's core transmission was entirely in Mo Hua's hands.

Using these transmissions to refine the "Duanjin Armor" and forge a "Po Jin Sword," his win rate against Duanjin Gate disciples would rise by at least two tenths.

With their core transmission exposed by an array expert like him, Duanjin Gate had virtually no chance.

"No wonder people say that once a sect's transmission is leaked, the consequences are endless..."

Mo Hua nodded in agreement.

Right now, he himself was Duanjin Gate's "curse."

After that, Mo Hua began refining the "Duanjin Sword," forging the "Po Jin Sword," specifically to counter Duanjin Gate.

But after pondering for a moment, Mo Hua couldn't help thinking of someone.

He flipped through the debate list several times, finally finding a name—

Song Jian.

Since the Wan Yao Valley incident, Duanjin Gate had been in turmoil, its power structure shifted, the Jin family fell, the Song family rose, and after that, one incident followed another; Mo Hua had been too busy to keep in touch with Song Jian.

But now, in the Sword Debate Assembly, he was facing Duanjin Gate again...

Mo Hua considered for a moment, then sent Song Jian a message.

Between the two of them was a specially crafted message seal.

Mo Hua had obtained it through Gu Changhuai's connections from the Dao Ting Si's storage.

After obtaining it, Mo Hua, uneasy, had personally altered its magnetic patterns to ensure secure communication.

Between Tian Xuanzi debates, there was usually one day of rest and preparation for disciples.

Mo Hua also happened to have one day free.

The next day, Mo Hua went to the Beast Refining Mountains, to a secluded little grove.

This was the agreed meeting spot.

Mo Hua crouched on a tree, idly waiting; after a long while, Song Jian finally arrived, entered the grove, glancing left and right like a thief.

Mo Hua whistled.

Song Jian looked up, saw it was Mo Hua, sighed in relief, activated his movement technique, and in a few leaps, landed on a branch opposite Mo Hua.

"What do you want?"

Song Jian asked.

Years had passed; Song Jian had grown taller, his face paler, his complexion better.

After the Wan Yao Valley incident, he had learned the world's dangers and the unpredictability of human hearts; his demeanor had become far more composed.

Yet even before Mo Hua, he still couldn't help feeling uneasy.

After all, what Mo Hua had done in Wan Yao Valley had deeply shaken him—he still could not forget it.

"Are you going to compete in the debate?" Mo Hua cut straight to the point.

"Yes..." Song Jian nodded.

"I'll help you," Mo Hua said. "In your sect, do you have any enemies or rivals? Tell me all of them—I'll help you 'suppress' them."

"You'll help me?" Song Jian froze.

"What else?" Mo Hua looked utterly unsurprised.

Song Jian frowned. "Is there... some condition?"

He could never outmaneuver Mo Hua in games of cunning.

So better to be honest and ask outright.

Mo Hua nodded. "One small request... tell me everything about your opponents: what sect arts they practice, which sword techniques they favor, their habits, their hidden trump cards..."

Song Jian had never met such a brazen person, who openly asked him to "betray" his own sect.

"That... isn't very proper..." Song Jian said delicately.

"What's wrong with that?" Mo Hua said. "The Sword Discourse Assembly isn't just about the duels on stage — there's also the intelligence work behind the scenes."

"An information war is a war too."

"Doesn't your Broken Gold Sect also go around digging up intelligence on disciples of my Grand Void Gate?"

Song Jian silently nodded.

That was a fact — he couldn't refute it.

Before the Sword Discourse, everyone would definitely be probing each other for information, and Broken Gold Sect's methods were probably even more "underhanded" than Mo Hua's.

"Well then," Mo Hua went on, switching tack, "actually, I already have a plan for how to deal with your Broken Gold Sect. This intelligence is just icing on the c—"

That was also true.

Broken Gold Sect's core sword formation had already been terribly unlucky to fall into the hands of Mo Hua, that monster of an array master.

The reason he was gathering this intelligence was to make sure nothing could go wrong.

If he could get it, great; if not, it didn't really matter.

It would just make things a little harder, that's all.

Song Jian had suffered too many losses at Mo Hua's hands. Knowing how formidable Mo Hua was, he didn't doubt his abilities.

But he was, after all, a disciple of Broken Gold Sect, so he was bound to hesitate.

"If I do this, wouldn't I be aiding the enemy…"

Mo Hua's face turned solemn. "Are we friends or not?"

Song Jian was a little stunned. He had wanted to say no, but in front of Mo Hua he didn't quite dare, so he could only nod reluctantly.

Mo Hua nodded. "Since we're friends, how can helping a friend count as 'aiding the enemy'?"

"You help me, and you're helping yourself. If it's helping yourself, how is that aiding the enemy?"

"Those fellow disciples of yours — sure, they're decently strong, but they're petty and small-minded. They'll never amount to much."

"Suppress them, and you'll rise."

"Once you rise, only then can you lead Broken Gold Sect to become better, step by step."

"That's a good thing for you, and a good thing for Broken Gold Sect. How could something this good ever be called 'aiding the enemy'?"

Song Jian was being snowed by Mo Hua, one wave after another.

It was clearly a straightforward case of "aiding the enemy," yet Mo Hua had spun it into something where you win, I win, everyone wins — even Broken Gold Sect wins.

Song Jian knew perfectly well he was being conned by Mo Hua.

But then again, what Mo Hua said was actually true.

Broken Gold Sect acted out of pure self-interest; its disciples were at odds with one another, everyone scheming and trimming their sails to the wind.

If you were strong, everyone would flatter you; the moment you weakened, not even your own father or mother would spare you a second glance.

No one could look out for you better than yourself.

Besides, given how shrewd and cunning Mo Hua was, even if he didn't get this intelligence from Song Jian, he'd obtain it through other channels.

Since that was the case, it was better to do him a favor and cash in on the goodwill.

At least Mo Hua never played games — everything he gave was solid, tangible benefit.

"Fine!"

Song Jian nodded, and then proceeded to tell Mo Hua, one by one and in full detail, about his several rivals within Broken Gold Sect — their cultivation methods, their Dao techniques, their habits, their hidden cards.

Mo Hua took out a jade slip and recorded everything.

With "Song Jian" acting as a mole feeding him information, things were now even more foolproof.

After finishing the recording, Mo Hua put away the jade slip, suddenly thought of something, and asked Song Jian:

"How's your Broken Gold Sword-Control Art coming along?"

Song Jian didn't quite understand and asked, "What do you mean?"

Mo Hua said, "Go down there and practice for a bit. Let me see your level."

If he was going to "prop up" Song Jian to take the top spot, then this Song Jian naturally couldn't be too much of a pushover — otherwise it'd be like trying to plaster a wall with mud that won't stick, and all his effort would be wasted.

Song Jian couldn't refuse, so he went down and performed a set of Broken Gold Sword moves for a while.

After watching, Mo Hua had a good idea where things stood, called him back up, and said, "Your Broken Gold Sword is decently learned, but it's too restless — all form, no spirit. Let me give you some pointers…"

Song Jian was practically dumbfounded.

For a moment his thoughts were in disarray; he thought he must have misheard.

A disciple of Grand Void Gate, giving pointers to him — a direct-line disciple of Broken Gold Sect — on how to practice Broken Gold Sect's sect-defining Broken Gold Sword-Control Art?

What kind of logic was that?

What kind of joke was this…

But very soon, Song Jian discovered that Mo Hua really wasn't joking. Every flaw in his sword Dao, Mo Hua pointed out for him.

Even the finer details — the circulation of spiritual energy, the driving of sword intent — the parts his parents had neglected and been too lazy to teach, the parts the elders had hidden their best techniques and refused to teach, the parts he himself had carelessly practiced wrong and never properly learned — Mo Hua corrected every single one of them.

This cultivation world was too absurd.

Song Jian truly felt like he'd been thoroughly screwed over. And so it was that Song Jian, a direct-line disciple of Broken Gold Sect, spent an afternoon in the little grove receiving "Broken Gold Sword Art cultivation guidance" from a junior senior brother of Grand Void Gate, and returned to his sect with a face full of disbelief.

After that, things were simple.

The "foundations" of Broken Gold Sect's prodigies had been thoroughly mapped out.

Combined with higher-quality "Broken Gold Armor" and "Gold-Breaking Swords," and with a little arrangement, when Grand Void Gate faced Broken Gold Sect, they cut through them like a hot knife through butter.

The entire Broken Gold Sect was furious.

In past Sword Discourse Assemblies, they had indeed been targeted by spiritual artifacts like "Broken Gold Armor" and "Gold-Breaking Swords," but never had any sect's spiritual artifacts been as troublesome as Grand Void Gate's.

This was a complete and total counter — from the forging of the spiritual artifacts down to the underlying arrays.

Broken Gold Sect's internal leadership concluded that their core inheritance must have been leaked; otherwise they wouldn't have been countered so thoroughly.

Even within Grand Void Gate, some may have been scheming behind the scenes, using elaborate means to steal the Profound Heaven Sect's heritage.

Including the sect's core technique, the Break Gold Sword Art, and the Break Gold Sword Array.

But they could not hold Grand Void Gate accountable.

Because Grand Void Gate, "on paper," truly possessed fragments of the Profound Heaven Sect's heritage.

After the Ten Thousand Demons Valley incident, the Profound Heaven Sect, to quell the unrest, was forced to "cede territory and pay reparations," handing over part of its Break Gold heritage to Grand Void Gate.

These heritages were all superficial layers, rigorously vetted by the Profound Heaven Sect's elders; logically, they should not have leaked the true core secrets.

But now, these heritages had become a mere "formality," allowing Grand Void Gate to legitimately use parts of the Profound Heaven Sect's techniques and arrays to turn against it.

This was an arrangement made by Elder Xun specifically for Mo Hua.

And the Ten Thousand Demons Valley incident remained an unhealable wound for the Profound Heaven Sect.

They dared not mention it, could not confront Grand Void Gate, and thus swallowed this bitter pill in silence.

This generation of the Profound Heaven Sect's prodigies had mostly been defeated in the Sword Debates, falling to Grand Void Gate, their win rate plummeting, their chances of advancement slim.

The Profound Heaven Sect's hatred toward Grand Void Gate grew deeper.

But this made Song Jian the sole remaining hope.

He was lucky—he rarely faced Grand Void Gate in the Sword Debates.

In the remaining matches, other disciples from his sect bore the brunt; he remained calm, and with Mo Hua's guidance on his swordplay, Song Jian grasped the essence and, in a moment of exceptional performance, won many victories in the Tian Xuanzi Debates.

Though his results were not the best in the Profound Heaven Sect, among his peers, he ranked among the top three.

Under adversity, he withstood pressure and performed beyond expectation.

Song Jian's performance earned the sect master's nod, the elders' satisfaction, and made his parents beam with joy.

No one had expected that Song Jian, once overlooked, could deliver such an outstanding showing at a critical moment.

Song Jian was from the Song family, inherently "pure of root and true of sprout"; with his debate results as foundation, he naturally caught the attention of the senior leadership.

Song Jian grew increasingly valued, rose swiftly in reputation within the Profound Heaven Sect, and became a "prodigy" among his peers.

Yet no one knew that this "prodigy" of the Profound Heaven Sect had been nurtured by their enemy—Grand Void Gate's "shadowy hand"…

…

On the other side, with the Profound Heaven Sect handing out losses, Grand Void Gate had suffered a heavy blow; though it did not reclaim first place, its second-place ranking gradually stabilized.

The entire sect breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Hua had done all he could; no second "Profound Heaven Sect" would now hand out easy points in the upcoming debates.

They could only rely on their junior disciples to perform as best they could—win as many as they could.

And he must now focus all his attention on his own debates.

The debate audience was vast, filled with many fools.

But among them were surely those who understood—especially the elders of each sect.

Mo Hua knew that if he revealed even a fraction of his true strength, he would draw attention.

The later matches would grow increasingly difficult.

…

Several days later, another debate match arrived.

Mo Hua's opponent was the Twelfth-Rank Bai Lian Sect.

This was a forging sect—and the first to make deliberate preparations specifically targeting Mo Hua.

Each of them wore a set of armor.

It was a "Fire-Resistant Armor."

Moreover, it was a specially refined set, optimized against Mo Hua's Fireball Technique, integrating resistance to impact, disruption, and burning into one.

And a helmet, designed to prevent flame explosions from scorching the head.

This was inside the arena.

Outside, beside Grand Void Gate's seating area.

Elder Murong Caiyun scanned the surroundings, her expression slightly solemn.

She had participated in the Sword Debates herself, having been Grand Void Gate's previous generation's "prodigy," and with one glance, she sensed something amiss.

Around the audience seats, many unusual cultivators had appeared.

These cultivators were mostly at the Jin Dan realm or higher, their breaths long, their spiritual energy flowing swiftly—they were the specialized Dao Law instructors from various sects.

Each elder held a jade slip, their gaze sharp and cold, fixed on Mo Hua's image on the Sky-Reflecting Screen, occasionally inputting text into the jade slip.

Others held "Shadow-Copy Maps," meticulously recording every movement and expression Mo Hua made on the field.

Previously, Mo Hua had never received such treatment.

But after demonstrating his strength—especially after ending the sword prodigy Qin Cangliu with his Fireball Technique—he had clearly drawn the attention of every sect.

Some were now studying him in depth.

His mastery of the Fireball Technique might not be widely recognized.

But its subtleties escaped none of the eyes of the Dao Law elders from the Geda Sects, who had taught for decades and possessed vast experience.

It seemed merely a matter of throwing a Fireball Technique.

But when to throw it, where to throw it, how fast, how accurate, how ruthless, how decisive—within these details lay vastly different levels of combat experience and Dao Law mastery.

The simpler the technique, the harder it is to perfect it to its utmost.

Mo Hua's Fireball Technique was far from simple as it appeared—must be guarded against…

The winds of fortune turn.

For the first time, this match made Mo Hua feel what it was like to be "targeted."

His Fireball Technique struck the Bai Lian Sect disciples' Fire-Resistant Armor—and felt like scratching an itch.

Not only was the fireball's damage reduced by more than half, but the explosion's shockwave and the heat of the flames were all absorbed by the Fire Armor.

Moreover, within the Fire Armor was embedded a "Fire Conversion Array."

When the Fireball Spell struck, part of the fire damage was absorbed by the armor, converted into Qi, thereby "charging" the armor and powering its operation.

Mo Hua couldn't help but sigh.

Indeed, retribution comes full circle.

He had just used the "Break Gold Armor" to punish the Break Gold Sect.

And now, in turn, he himself was punished with the "Fire-Repelling Armor."

Mo Hua now understood, a little, the suffering in the hearts of the Break Gold Sect disciples.

In the end, though grueling, the Grand Void Sect won the Sword Debate.

It was chiefly thanks to Linghu Xiao.

Linghu Xiao was a "growth-type" genius; his defeat at the hands of Qin Cangliu forced him to reflect deeply.

After Mo Hua's guidance, he abandoned his obsession with victory or defeat, embraced the resolve to hone himself, focused entirely, and his swordplay improved further.

Almost all the damage was dealt by him.

As for Mo Hua…

It wasn't that he contributed nothing; at least his Fireball Spell had charged the Break Gold Sect disciples' armor with a bit of Qi.

But unfortunately, Linghu Xiao was too strong.

That bit of Qi helped the Break Gold Sect not at all.

After this Sword Debate, Mo Hua knew his Fireball Spell was effectively useless.

Of course, it couldn't be said to be completely useless.

At least, it was no longer of any practical use.

In the next match, against the Danqing Sect disciples of the Twelfth Stream, Mo Hua used the Water Prison Spell.

The formation remained the same as before.

Cheng Mo defended, Sister Situ guarded, Linghu Xiao led the assault, Ouyang Xuan served as vanguard, Mo Hua coordinated the whole battle, supporting with spells.

Only now, the supporting spells shifted from the single Fireball Spell to the "Water Prison Spell."

The two sides met and clashed.

Linghu Xiao said nothing, immediately activated his Golden Body Talisman and prepared the True Art of Void-Cutting Sword.

The Danqing Sect disciples were stunned, utterly baffled.

Is it even possible to unleash a major technique right at the start?

They weren't fools—they ran, of course.

By burning through the Golden Body Talisman and dodging the sword aura technique, Linghu Xiao would be harmless for a short while.

With Linghu Xiao no longer a major threat, they were almost certain to win.

The Danqing Sect disciples turned and fled.

Mo Hua extended his pale hand, grasping the air; water-light condensed out of nothing, chains forming into cages that bound each Danqing Sect disciple one after another.

Mo Hua's move was swift and precise, reinforced by his powerful spiritual sense lock—utterly impossible to defend against.

The Danqing Sect disciples, seized by Mo Hua, stared in shock.

Linghu Xiao's killing strike swept through, "sending" them all away.

Outside the Sword Debate arena, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

Within the Gui Water Sect, several elderly, senior elders who knew the inner details were visibly shaken:

"Water Prison Spell?!"

"That was from the old Water Prison Sect… how could this kid know it?!"

(End of Chapter)