Chapter 1023: I'm Done Playing

The situation was almost entirely one-sided.

Under the powerful sword qi of Xiao Wuchen, the top disciple of Tianjian Sect, the disciples of Taixu Gate had almost no chance to counter.

Even Linghu Xiao was no match for him.

Xiao Wuchen suppressed Linghu Xiao completely with just a few strikes.

Each sword strike was ancient and majestic, naturally complete, exuding a divine rhythm that harmonized with the Dao and merged with the void.

Each sword strike carried a powerful sword qi condensed from vast spiritual power.

With every strike, Linghu Xiao had to give his all.

With each slash from Xiao Wuchen, Linghu Xiao stepped back one pace.

Xiao Wuchen, clad in a white robe embroidered with sword patterns, had a handsome, indifferent expression, his posture straight and elegant.

Yet Linghu Xiao, the once-celebrated prodigy of Chongxu, a genius appearing once every five hundred years, could only grit his teeth and struggle desperately, looking utterly disheveled.

He no longer resembled the man who once swept the arena with sword qi, slaughtering all before him.

At this moment, the crowd finally understood clearly.

What truly constituted a prodigy.

What truly constituted a sword genius.

Reputation may be real or false.

But a sword does not lie.

Once they clashed, strength and weakness were instantly revealed.

Watching Linghu Xiao's desperate state, the crowd felt sorrow and pity, yet few mocked or kicked him while he was down.

They knew Linghu Xiao was already strong enough.

In previous sword debates, he had already proven his strength.

It was just that Xiao Wuchen was stronger.

After all, the Sida Sect were the Four Great Sects.

Xiao Wuchen, the top disciple of Tianjian Sect and the foremost sword master among the Si Sect, was a figure floating above the clouds.

While the prodigies of the Eight Gates, no matter how strong, stood only atop a mountain peak.

Such was the way of the sword.

In cultivation level, Xiao Wuchen was also a full step ahead.

Xiao Wuchen was at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Linghu Xiao was only slightly stronger than a typical late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Strictly speaking, the Foundation Establishment realm was divided only into early, middle, and late stages; further breakthroughs would lead to Jin Dan.

But forming a Jin Dan was extremely difficult.

Most Foundation Establishment cultivators, unless exceptionally lucky, would remain stuck before reaching Jin Dan.

This stagnation could last from a year to decades, even a century.

Many remained stuck for their entire lives.

Thus, between late-stage Foundation Establishment and Jin Dan, there existed a prolonged, variable phase.

During this time, cultivators continued training, their spiritual power slowly increasing and gradually settling, until they forged a solid foundation and gained the opportunity to break through to Jin Dan…

Or perhaps they had already attempted to break through to Jin Dan and failed.

Or their life treasure embryo had formed, but the Golden Core had not yet crystallized…

All these stages were collectively called the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Meaning: above Foundation Establishment, but not yet full Jin Dan.

Xiao Wuchen was at this level; Linghu Xiao was not.

Thus, the gap in cultivation level further intensified his disadvantage in sword art.

In the sword debate arena, Linghu Xiao was no match for Xiao Wuchen, his movements desperate and disordered.

The others were in even worse shape.

Xiao Wuchen's team was among the strongest in the Sword Debate Assembly; apart from Xiao Wuchen, the other four Tianjian Sect disciples were all formidable.

These four's strength was slightly inferior to Linghu Xiao's.

But they were stronger than Ouyang Xuan.

Compared to Cheng Mo and Sister Situ, they were far superior.

This was a complete, overwhelming dominance in raw, sect-disciple strength.

Thus, under the terrifying sword qi of the five Tianjian Sect disciples, all of Taixu Gate were forced into desperate defense, struggling terribly.

Mo Hua's situation was no better.

With his teammates utterly suppressed, his spells had little effect.

He could only survive by relying on his body movement, dodging the swords of the Tianjian Sect disciples.

But this kind of "survival" was meaningless.

The situation was clear.

Taixu Gate was slowly sliding toward defeat.

Some spectators still hoped for a "miracle," waiting for someone to turn the tide.

But sadly, no miracle occurred.

The weak always lose.

Linghu Xiao was the first to fall.

He struggled desperately under Xiao Wuchen's sword, seeking any opening, but in the end, fate defied his wishes—he could not turn the tide.

Under the dual weight of inferior cultivation and sword art, Linghu Xiao fought until his strength was spent, finally cut down by Xiao Wuchen's calm, forward slash—a single sword stroke ended him.

Linghu Xiao died by Xiao Wuchen's sword.

The situation turned abruptly for the worse.

Others too began to exhaust, one after another falling…

The watching cultivators grew silent.

On many faces, anticipation faded, replaced by dull indifference.

They had expected a clash of heaven's thunder and earth's fire, a confrontation between prodigies, fierce and blazing.

Even if one side was destined to lose, it would still deliver a spectacular prodigy-level duel.

The sword prodigies of Heaven's Sword Sect and Grand Void Gate would engage in a peak confrontation—"Climbing to the summit, overlooking all."

But the outcome left them deeply disappointed.

Grand Void Gate was utterly defeated, from start to finish, with not a shred of suspense.

Linghu Xiao simply had no chance against Xiao Wuchen, the first of Heaven's Sword Sect.

Not to mention Mo Hua.

At this moment, someone sneered:

"This is Grand Void Gate, after the three sects merged?"

"Three sects, each at the level of the Eight Great Sects, combined—and still not enough to withstand a single strike from Heaven's Sword Sect? How laughable…"

"Three sects merged? Merged into nothing."

"Think of it another way—they only reached this point because they merged. Without merging, they'd be even weaker…"

"The gap is simply too vast. There's no contest…"

"Wasted anticipation…"

"Boring…"

"Grand Void Gate's strongest team, undefeated until now—now they're going to lose too…"

"They're bound to lose. Everyone's dead, only Mo Hua remains. What can that nobody kill?"

"Forget Xiao Wuchen—even the other four of Heaven's Sword Sect, any one of them would be top-tier in the Eight Great Sects. Mo Hua can't even 'beg for scraps' against them."

Someone teased: "Don't say that—maybe Mo Hua will pull off a one-against-five?"

The crowd paused, then burst into roaring laughter.

But as they laughed, they found it meaningless too.

Grand Void Gate performed so poorly that even mocking them felt tiresome.

The only thing remotely interesting was Mo Hua:

"This time, will Mo Hua finally die?"

This was, so far, the only thing in this contest—from "full of anticipation" to "utterly dull"—that still stirred interest.

It even lifted spirits slightly.

Someone agreed: "If Grand Void Gate loses, he'll surely die at the hands of a Heaven's Sword Sect disciple."

"Good! Good!" Many cultivators clapped and cheered.

"Finally, someone will kill Mo Hua."

"Too bad he dies at the hands of Heaven's Sword Sect disciples—it's hardly a great humiliation."

"Heaven's Sword Sect disciples are simply too strong, especially Xiao Wuchen. Dying to their swords feels… almost inevitable?"

"Lacks flavor…"

"Best would be in a critical match, where neither side can afford to lose, both fighting desperately, evenly matched, trading blows with heart-stopping intensity, as if trying to crush each other's brains out…"

"Then, at the crucial moment, Mo Hua slips up, exposes an opening, and is shamefully cut down—Grand Void Gate utterly crushed, Mo Hua branded a traitor to history, nailed to the pillar of shame, turned into a joke for all to mock…"

"Only such a death befits Mo Hua."

"What a pity…"

"Yeah, he got off too easy."

Someone said: "Enough. Contentment brings joy. If I live to see Mo Hua die once, I'll have no regrets—I can't ask for more."

"Makes sense."

"He lost in the first match of the Earth-level round and died once—consider it a 'good start.'"

"Besides, the Earth-level matches have only just begun. Many tougher duels lie ahead."

"Mo Hua will have many chances to die."

"There'll be plenty more drama."

"Today's just the appetizer…"

Thinking this way, the crowd's mood instantly improved; their gaze toward the dueling arena grew eager again.

They waited to see how Mo Hua would "die"…

…

Inside the dueling arena.

Mo Hua moved like water, still evading.

Two Heaven's Sword Sect prodigies chased him, slashing.

Xiao Wuchen did not move, only watched from the side.

Killing Mo Hua didn't seem worth his effort.

Two other Heaven's Sword Sect disciples stood nearby, cold-eyed, swords ready—waiting for the slightest opening from Mo Hua, then striking to kill him instantly.

Their strategy was clear and simple.

It's not that simple to outmaneuver Mo Hua solely with body movement techniques.

They are the top prodigies of the Sida Sect, their strength formidable.

But this strength lies mainly in their cultivation and combat power, not necessarily in their body movement being absolutely top-tier.

At least, in body movement alone, they are no stronger than Feng Zichen of the Xiaoyao Gate.

In swordplay alone, they may not be faster than Feng Zichen's Wind Sword.

Even Feng Zichen couldn't catch Mo Hua and cut him down with one strike.

They may not be able to either.

Therefore, they could only relentlessly chase him with swords, increasing the pressure on Mo Hua, wearing him down by force, forcing him to make a mistake.

If Mo Hua made a mistake and his body movement revealed an opening, the disciples of the Tianjian Sect lurking nearby would strike instantly and end his life. Even if he didn't make a mistake, he'd be drained of his spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy is the foundation of cultivators; all Dao arts are driven by spiritual energy.

Even body cultivation techniques require spiritual energy as a catalyst to awaken the body's potential.

Once spiritual energy is exhausted, even the most refined body movement becomes "water without roots," unsustainable.

Low spiritual energy is one of Mo Hua's most fatal weaknesses as a spiritual cultivator.

Mo Hua sighed.

He knew it was over.

Without Linghu Xiao and Cheng Mo, he truly had "no recourse."

His body movement was indeed excellent, but this was a sword debate—no matter how good his body movement, it couldn't kill anyone.

You can't expect body movement to tire someone out to death…

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And with his meager spiritual energy, Zhou Tian, it would be him who collapsed first.

But Mo Hua had no intention of surrendering easily.

Even during this "useless" sword debate time, he wouldn't waste it.

Mo Hua calmed his mind, set aside victory or defeat, and continued to engage the Tianjian Sect disciples using the Flowing Water Step.

One reason was to use the Tianjian Sect's prodigies to further hone his Flowing Water Step.

Another was to observe the Tianjian Sect's sword techniques, familiarize himself with their sword moves, and accumulate sword Dao experience for future use.

All sword techniques and methods, their strengths and weaknesses, must be absorbed into the heart and transformed into combat experience.

A mature cultivator must learn to extract nourishment from such experience, refining a powerful combat awareness.

Of course, such maneuvering consumed enormous spiritual energy.

Mo Hua's body movement gradually grew stiff, harder to maneuver, the situation critical.

Outside the sword debate arena, Elder Zhang stared intently at Mo Hua, his gaze deep, lost in thought.

Other watching cultivators, seeing the signs of Mo Hua's defeat, all wore expressions of great delight.

"He's going to die…"

"Guess who'll be the one to kill this brat?"

Not just the audience was guessing.

Even some sect prodigies, clutching their "Murder Mo Hua Tokens," felt both excitement and regret.

Excited that Mo Hua was about to be slain.

Regretful that it wouldn't be them who killed him.

Amidst the gaze of countless eyes,

Mo Hua felt the moment was right. He reached up, tapped his forehead, shattered his Dao Debate Jade, and in a flash of blue light—he vanished.

He was done.

He withdrew…

The Tianjian Sect disciple, who had just raised his Celestial Star Sword, ready to end Mo Hua's life as he appeared spent, froze in place.

The other Tianjian Sect disciples were also stunned.

Even Xiao Wuchen's expression faltered for a moment.

Outside the Dao Debate arena, the watching cultivators, moments ago smiling with anticipation, instantly froze like stone statues, utterly dumbfounded.

Long moments passed before someone dared to whisper:

"Just now… did that brat…?"

"Shatter his own Dao Debate Jade?"

"Then… does that count as him being killed?"

"He killed himself—how can that count as being killed?"

"Sssss—"

The sound of sharp intakes of breath rose and fell.

At the same time, an unnamed rage surged uncontrollably in every heart.

"Is this even allowed?"

"I'm really… fed up with this little brat…"

"Can't you just die properly?"

"I can't take it—my blood is rushing to my head…"

The Grand Void Gate was nearly certain to lose; Mo Hua was nearly certain to die.

The scene everyone anticipated was about to unfold.

But this brat, shamelessly, shattered his Dao Debate Jade and withdrew.

He just couldn't be properly "killed" once.

The crowd erupted in angry shouts:

"I've never seen such a shameless person!"

"He actually broke his own Discourse Jade?"

"This is a Sword Discourse, not real life-or-death combat—the Great Array of Discourse Mountain protects us. Can he really not even face death against an opponent?"

"A coward is more disgraceful than a loser!"

"If he had even a shred of dignity, he'd never do such a thing—even entertaining the thought would be a heinous sin!"

"He's a prodigy of Grand Void Gate, the leader of Qianxue Array Studies. How do his fellow sect members see him now? How do the elders see him? How does the sect master see him? How does the ancestral elder see him?"

"Shouldn't he feel utterly humiliated?"

"Doesn't he care about anyone in all of Grand Void Gate? Not even in all of Qianxue Province?"

……

The crowd, inflamed with rage, hurled furious accusations at Mo Hua.

Gu Changhuai, among the crowd, sighed silently, thinking: No wonder it's Mo Hua—this kid always finds some twisted angle to make everyone furious…

Of course, Mo Hua remained completely unaware of this.

To him, breaking his own Discourse Jade was nothing major.

Moreover, he was accustomed to keeping "life and death" entirely under his own control.

Even if he lost, he would withdraw himself.

He always felt uneasy letting someone else strike him down.

What if the fifth-rank Great Array of Discourse Mountain failed? Wouldn't that one sword strike kill him?

Though it was a fifth-rank Great Array, and the chance of failure was vanishingly small, nearly impossible.

But Mo Hua was an array master—he trusted only his own arrays.

No matter how powerful another's array was, it was still someone else's, and he always found it unreliable.

No blind worship. No blind trust.

This was the self-discipline of an excellent array master.

Therefore, rather than being "killed" off by another, it was safer to shatter his own Discourse Jade.

As for how others—or even his sect—viewed him, Mo Hua didn't care.

By convention, the Sword Discourse Assembly was protected by a great array, so no one truly died; thus, the implicit expectation for most Sword Discourse disciples was:

"Fight to the death."

Especially with so many sect elders, senior members, and fellow disciples watching.

Fight to the death, give your all—even if you lose, no one will blame you.

But if you shatter your Discourse Jade and flee without fighting, the consequences would be severe.

A "prodigy" without courage would be looked down upon by fellow disciples, rejected by elders, and dismissed by sect leadership.

But these ordinary opinions meant nothing to Mo Hua.

His situation was unique.

Among his peers in Grand Void Gate, he held considerable "prestige"; whatever he did, his fellow disciples saw as "wise and heroic" elder brother Mo.

Many Grand Void Gate elders even adjusted their actions based on Mo Hua's mood, trying to please him.

The Grand Void Gate sect master treated Mo Hua with great leniency—he was, after all, an "illegitimate son."

The Grand Void Gate ancestral elder doted on Mo Hua even more—he was, after all, his "grandson."

No one in all of Grand Void Gate ever controlled Mo Hua.

Shattering a Discourse Jade? It wasn't even blowing up the sect's main gate—nothing worth mentioning.

Thus, this Sword Discourse ended.

Mo Hua had clearly lost, yet he managed to infuriate everyone even more.

The spectators seethed with rage, muttering curses, desperate to drag Mo Hua out and beat him.

But not everyone was angry at Mo Hua.

Among the crowd, many genuinely cared for Mo Hua and wished him to win.

Zhang Lan sat behind the Grand Elder, expression unreadable, yet silently sighing with deep regret:

"He still lost…"

He had hoped to see Mo Hua display another dazzling feat, showcasing his might at the Sword Discourse Assembly.

Now he saw—he'd been too naive.

The Qianxue Sword Discourse Assembly was truly a top-tier event of Qian Province; each prodigy was stronger than the last—there were always greater talents out there…

Even Mo Hua had to lose.

Zhang Lan sighed.

On the other side, the Shangguan family's viewing platform.

Yu'er, who had been full of anticipation, now wore a disappointed expression, whispering softly:

"Brother Mo lost…"

Wenren Wan's gaze dimmed slightly, yet she still smiled and ruffled Yu'er's head:

"Winning and losing are common in warfare—even your Brother Mo can't win forever…"

Yu'er nodded, yet couldn't help feeling down.

Wenren Wan smiled and comforted him: "Losing one match isn't a big deal—you'll have more chances. Brother Mo will win them back, one by one…"

Hearing this, Yu'er's eyes brightened with renewed hope, and he nodded earnestly:

"Mm!"

Wen Renwan gently stroked Yu'er's little cheek, her gaze soft.

Yet between her brows, a faint layer of worry also lingered.

She had naturally seen it too — the disparity between Grand Void Gate and Heaven Sword Sect was simply far too great.

Xiao Wuchen's strength was also simply too overwhelming.

And Heaven Sword Sect was only one of the Sida Sect.

There were at least three other heaven-proud geniuses on the same level as Heaven Sword Sect's Xiao Wuchen.

The matches ahead would only grow more and more perilous.

To win against such top-tier heaven-proud geniuses, to score points off the Sida Sect — it was truly… as hard as scaling the heavens.

Wen Renwan could not help but let out a sigh.

……

Two days later, in the next Earth-rank sword debate, Mo Hua's luck was equally poor.

His opponent was Ao Zhan — one of the strongest disciples of this generation from Dragon Cauldron Sect, one of the Sida Sect, and likewise one of the top-tier heaven-proud geniuses of the Qianxue Sword Debate.

The Ao clan's ancestors possessed the bloodline of a Karmic Dragon.

Ao Zhan was the disciple of this generation of the Ao clan with the highest talent, whose bloodline most closely resembled that of the ancestors.

His Dragon Cauldron Body-Forging Art had also been cultivated to extreme strength.

Relying on his indestructible sinews and bones tempered by dragon-blood body-forging, Dragon Cauldron Sect's Ao Zhan was a top-tier heaven-proud genius who could be mentioned in the same breath as Heaven Sword Sect's foremost disciple, Xiao Wuchen.

Mo Hua lost this sword debate as well.

(End of chapter)