Chapter 1024: Ao Zhan

The duel format with Ao Zhan of the Dragon Cauldron Sect was a beast hunt.

Disciples from both sides competed to hunt and kill a second-rank high-grade beast.

Whoever killed the beast and extracted its core would win.

During the duel, cultivators must hunt beasts while also fighting each other.

They could use the beast to weaken their opponents.

They might also be betrayed by their opponents and fall victim to the beast's wrath.

The struggle over the beast could spawn diverse tactics, countless tactical variations, making the battle more complex and the outcome harder to predict.

But the Dragon Cauldron Sect disciples adopted a more direct approach.

They did not hunt the beast—they hunted "people" instead.

Ao Zhan led his team, abandoned the beast, and charged straight at the five Grand Void Gate disciples, planning to kill them first, then slay the beast.

This was an extremely arrogant fighting style.

It meant they had enough confidence to annihilate the five Grand Void Gate disciples in a short time with overwhelming force.

It also meant they could still spare enough strength to hunt down the second-rank high-grade beast afterward.

Clearly, they did not regard Mo Hua and the others as threats.

In fact, it carried a tone of "insult."

But the facts proved they indeed possessed such strength and had every right to act this way.

At the start of combat, the five Dragon Cauldron Sect disciples unleashed dragon energy, roaring like a storm, charging at Mo Hua's group like tigers escaping their cage.

Mo Hua had previously fought second-rate Dragon Cauldron Sect disciples and experienced the power of the Dragon-Tiger Body Refinement Art.

But those disciples were utterly incomparable to the five before him, especially their leader, Ao Zhan.

Ao Zhan, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, was as fierce as a dragon and as vigorous as a tiger; his gaze carried heavy authority, his aura terrifying.

A phantom blue dragon-shaped cauldron shadow coiled around him.

As his blood qi surged, faint dragon roars echoed.

In that moment, he bore a faint resemblance to the Mo Sect commander who perished in the Solitary Mountain Shrine, bearing the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array—the Grand Desert's Third Imperial Prince, Shen Tu Ao.

When the two sides met, the strongest clashed first.

Ao Zhan roared, his fist wind like a dragon, and engaged Linghu Xiao in combat.

Xiao Wuchen was the top disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

And Ao Zhan was the top disciple of the Dragon Cauldron Sect; their reputations and strength were evenly matched.

But Ao Zhan was a powerful body cultivator with balanced offense and defense, his blood qi surging, dragon energy roaring; once he closed the distance, his punches and kicks opened and closed with overwhelming force, hard to resist.

In this regard, he was better suited to counter Linghu Xiao, a ranged sword cultivator, than Xiao Wuchen was.

Ao Zhan closed in, striking with ferocious, swift, and brutal moves, his power unmatched; as dragon shadows flew, mountains cracked and rocks shattered.

Linghu Xiao was continuously suppressed, denied even the chance to strike first, forced into steady retreat.

On the surface, he was defeated even more utterly and helplessly than in his battle against Xiao Wuchen.

The watching cultivators shook their heads.

Some elders of Chongxu Mountain even wore worried expressions, sighing repeatedly.

Linghu Xiao was on the defensive.

The other Grand Void Gate disciples were likewise crushed, gasping for breath.

Not only could they not support Linghu Xiao or create an opening for his sword, they could barely defend themselves against the Dragon Cauldron Sect disciples' slaughter.

Mo Hua was no better off.

A tall Dragon Cauldron Sect disciple was chasing him down.

Mo Hua could only rely on his footwork to evade as best he could.

The Dragon Cauldron Sect disciple could not break through the Flowing Water Step to kill Mo Hua.

Mo Hua could not use his footwork to kill him either.

This was Mo Hua's second Earth-ranked duel.

The terrain, the rules, and the opponents were all different from his first.

But the course of battle was no different.

Soon, Linghu Xiao exhausted his strength and was crushed by Ao Zhan's punch, defeated.

The situation rapidly deteriorated.

Sister Situ, Ouyang Xuan, and Cheng Mo were all defeated in turn.

Again, only Mo Hua remained, helplessly evading alone.

Five against one.

But this time, the five Dragon Cauldron Sect disciples had none of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples' courtesy.

The five broke all codes of honor and attacked together; two pursued Mo Hua with fists and feet, while two others blocked his escape routes.

Ao Zhan's eyes sharpened, locked onto Mo Hua, his fist brimming with dragon-like blood qi, his killing technique poised to strike.

Xiao Wuchen feigned nobility—he did not strike a fallen opponent.

But Ao Zhan was different.

Even a lion uses full force against a rabbit.

He would kill Mo Hua with his own hands!

Five Dragon Cauldron Sect prodigies surrounded him, locking in lethal intent.

Mo Hua's heart jolted—he thought: "This is bad."

If he didn't flee now, he might truly die in Ao Zhan's hands.

Mo Hua immediately used the Flowing Water Step to create distance, tapped his forehead, and prepared to repeat his old trick—shattering the Discourse Jade.

Ao Zhan sneered, as if expecting it, immediately channeling Qi into his dantian, resonating through his chest, and opening his mouth to roar.

That roar truly echoed like a dragon's cry.

A white sonic wave, carrying the dragon's shockwave, surged straight into Mo Hua's eardrums.

The dragon's cry pierced his eardrums, pierced his consciousness, and shook Mo Hua's spiritual awareness.

And then—nothing more…

Mo Hua's spiritual perception, Golden Body, unbroken, stood immovable as a mountain.

The deafening, heart-stopping dragon's cry entered Mo Hua's ears like a gentle breeze whispering—utterly devoid of intimidation.

He had eaten dragon souls.

How could he fear a human's roar mimicking a dragon's?

This dragon roar could not intimidate him at all.

Mo Hua merely blinked, then without the slightest hesitation, vibrated spiritual energy through his fingertip, shattered the Discourse Jade, and his figure vanished again.

In the instant Mo Hua vanished, a dragon-shadow fist wave howled in, reducing the ground and rocks where he had stood to rubble.

The force spread outward, the entire ground cracking like a spiderweb, inch by inch.

Dragon roar to intimidate, plus dragon fist to obliterate.

This was nearly a killing blow—and it missed completely.

Ao Zhan slowly retracted his fist, straightened his body, stared at the ground he had shattered, and his cold face slowly furrowed his brows.

"... Didn't stun him?"

How could it be…

Meanwhile, outside the Discourse Arena.

Seeing Mo Hua shatter the Discourse Jade and flee again, the crowd erupted in boos:

"Disgusting coward—he ran again!"

"Fled mid-battle—no doubt a coward!"

"No spine at all—utterly shameless!"

Others sighed in regret:

"What a pity—Ao Zhan's fist was just a hair too slow… if only it had been a fraction faster, he'd have reduced Mo Hua to ash…"

"If he hadn't roared, maybe Mo Hua would've died…"

"What do you mean 'roared'? You don't know anything—that was the Tiger Roar Dragon Roar Art of the Dragon Cauldron Sect."

"It's a supreme technique of the Dragon Cauldron Sect, mysteriously profound and extremely difficult to master…"

"Ordinary disciples learn only the Tiger Roar; only top disciples can master the Dragon Roar."

"In battle, they use the Tiger Roar and Dragon Roar to stun their opponents."

"Once the opponent is stunned by the roar, and then takes a solid hit from a Dragon Cauldron Heavy Fist, they're either dead or half-dead."

"Ao Zhan never used this technique in his previous Sword Discourse. Using it on Mo Hua is already giving him face."

"He probably guessed that this brat Mo Hua, sensing trouble, would flee—so he used the Dragon Roar Art to trap him, then finish him with a punch."

"Too bad—he was still just a bit too slow…"

"That brat Mo Hua is as cunning as a ghost…"

"Even ghosts aren't as cunning as him…"

…

Outside, the crowd buzzed; inside, Ao Zhan, having failed to kill Mo Hua, stared coldly, clearly angered—he swung a fist into empty air in frustration, smashing through a vast stretch of forest and rocks, then turned and ordered coldly:

"Kill the beast."

"Yes!"

The other four Dragon Cauldron Sect prodigies replied in unison.

Then, all five combined their physical strength, clashed head-on for dozens of rounds, and slaughtered a high-grade Rank-Two bear demon, severing its limbs, slicing open its chest, and bloodily extracting its core.

Thus ended the Sword Discourse—the Dragon Cauldron Sect won.

And Mo Hua's team lost again.

Zhang Lan, Wenren Wan, Gu Changhuai, Elder Murong Caiyun, and all the cultivators quietly watching and concerned for Mo Hua fell silent, their expressions somber.

Yu'er clenched her lips, her small face troubled.

…

Next came the Sword Discourses of other sects.

Inside the Discourse Mountain arena.

Mo Hua, along with Linghu Xiao and the others, were packing their storage bags, preparing to return to their sect.

Cheng Mo and Sister Situ looked desolate, saying nothing.

Ouyang Xuan's face was even darker, tinged with resentment.

Linghu Xiao's expression was cold as well.

Though his demeanor was always cold, this time his coldness carried deeper confusion, gloom, and solemnity—as if a dark cloud had settled within him.

"Xiao Xiao." Mo Hua called out.

Linghu Xiao froze, lifting his head to look at Mo Hua.

Mo Hua sighed, regretful: "We lost again."

Linghu Xiao nodded, saying nothing.

He lost more thoroughly.

Under Xiao Wuchen and Ao Zhan's hands, he had no chance to fight back, being brutally suppressed throughout the entire match, then slain personally.

The more gifted one is, the more prideful their disposition, the less they can tolerate failure.

Especially when it happens at the Qianxue Sword Forum, before countless eyes, defeated one-on-one by another prodigy…

Linghu Xiao's heart was filled with unbearable pain and torment.

Even though Mo Hua had told him before that true strength is forged through failure.

But his inner confusion and anguish nearly swallowed all his self-respect and confidence in the Sword Dao.

Linghu Xiao fell silent for a moment, then whispered:

"Little Brother Mo, I…"

Mo Hua understood his thoughts, reached out, and patted his shoulder. "Don't think too much. No matter how strong the enemy or how dire the situation, you only need to think of one thing—and only one thing…"

Mo Hua paused slightly, his gaze clear and bright:

"... Trust your own sword, give your utmost, fully embody your Sword Dao, and just slash out your sword qi…"

"As for whether this strike wins or loses, whether it slays or is slain—you need not consider it."

"The purer your mind, the stronger your sword."

"Hesitation only weakens your sword."

In terms of sword qi cultivation and foundational sword techniques, Mo Hua was naturally far inferior to Linghu Xiao.

But in terms of embodying sword intent and comprehending the Sword Dao, across the entire world, among his peers, few could match Mo Hua, who had cultivated the Grand Void Divine Mind Sword Transformation Scripture and fused it with the Soul-Slicing Sword Style.

Linghu Xiao froze, his thoughts cycling repeatedly, then gradually cleared, his gaze slowly brightening.

Linghu Xiao froze, his thoughts cycling repeatedly until clarity suddenly dawned, his gaze gradually brightening.

Linghu Xiao nodded, and a thread of unyielding "resilience" radiated from his entire being.

Like tempered steel, the more it is hammered, the more it refines itself.

Like steel forged a hundred times, the more it is hammered, the more it refines itself.

To accomplish great deeds, to pursue the Great Dao—"resilience" is sometimes more important than talent.

No matter how great one's talent, if it breaks at the first strike, it is meaningless.

Only with resilience can one remain unyielding through a hundred setbacks.

Afterward, everyone packed their storage bags and returned to the sect.

Within the Grand Void Gate, the group practiced tactics again and studied their opponents; as night deepened, they parted ways.

Linghu Xiao was a disciple of Chongxu Mountain and had to return to Chongxu Mountain.

Ouyang Xuan was a disciple of Tai'e Mountain and had to return to Tai'e Mountain.

Cheng Mo and Sister Situ, like Mo Hua, all lived on Grand Void Mountain.

And they even lived in the same disciple quarters.

The three of them finished dinner; the hour was late, so they prepared to return to their respective rooms.

Before parting, Mo Hua told them to rest well, then rose to leave.

Sister Situ, having held back for a long time, finally spoke slowly: "Little Brother Mo…"

Mo Hua turned to look at him.

Sister Situ fell silent for a moment, sighed, then voiced his inner confusion:

"Little Brother Mo, can we… still win?"

Cheng Mo also gazed silently at Mo Hua, clearly lacking confidence.

Cheng Mo and Sister Situ differed from Linghu Xiao and Ouyang Xuan.

They were not true "outstanding" prodigies, lacking such high pride and arrogance.

Their opponents were the top disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Dragon Cauldron Sect; though they resented losing, they had no choice.

Qianxue Province was vast, with countless prodigies, many stronger than them.

They had long known this well.

But they were disciples of the Grand Void Gate, truly bound to their sect's fate.

They wanted to win.

Even if the glory went to others, even if they were merely going to "die," as long as they contributed to the forum's victory, they would not hesitate.

Moreover, they were on the same team as Mo Hua—shared glory, shared ruin.

But now, the problem was, they truly could not see any hope of "winning."

This was the "Earth" scenario.

And they had only fought two matches.

Already, both their hearts harbored a faint sense of despair.

The watching cultivators merely watched from outside; these forum disciples were the ones actually fighting on the stage.

They understood better than anyone else the strength of the Sida Sect.

They understood better than anyone else the near-desperate helplessness when facing top prodigies like Xiao Wuchen of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Ao Zhan of the Dragon Cauldron Sect.

He now understood fully the near-desperate helplessness one feels facing top-tier prodigies like Xiao Wuchen of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Ao Zhan of the Dragon Cauldron Sect.

But at this moment, even their own hearts were filled with confusion and torment.

They had not wanted to voice these doubts—but they simply could not hold back.

Mo Hua looked at Sister Situ and Cheng Mo, fell silent for a moment, then smiled gently: "We can win—but it depends on the situation."

Mo Hua looked at Sister Situ and Cheng Mo, fell silent for a moment, then smiled gently, "It's possible to win—but it depends on the circumstances."

Sister Situ froze; Cheng Mo was even more confused.

Sister Situ's sword stance faltered, and Cheng Mo was even more baffled.

Mo Hua nodded and said, "Don't be intimidated—the Earth Character debate matches aren't all dominated by top prodigies like Xiao Wuchen and Ao Zhan."

"Besides them, there are still many teams composed of prodigies from the Eight Great Gates and first-rate disciples from the Sida Sect."

"Running into Xiao Wuchen and Ao Zhan back-to-back is just terrible luck."

"But against other teams, we can still fight—we're not truly without a chance to win."

"It depends on the specifics: we must plan according to the debate format, the exact opponent…"

"Of course, we also need a bit of luck…"

The Earth Character debate matches differ from the Heaven Character ones.

The Heaven Character debate roster is fully projected all at once by the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus.

But the Earth Character matches are different.

In the Earth Character debate, matches occur one by one; after each match, the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus projects the next opponent pair.

Before each match, no one knows who will face whom.

This tests the disciples' ability to adapt on the fly and their tactical awareness in combat.

It preserves some suspense for spectators.

It also prevents certain cultivators from learning the roster in advance and scheming behind the scenes.

The Earth Character matches carry greater significance, feature more prodigies, offer more thrilling debates, and are conducted with greater solemnity, strictly eliminating all external interference.

Thus, during the debate, no one knows who their next opponent will be.

Mo Hua's vision, too, was shrouded in mist.

He could not see the entire sequence from start to finish and plan holistically—he could only feel his way forward, step by step…

Who he would face depended on the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus's "deal"—only then could he devise a strategy.

Thus, timing and a bit of luck were essential.

The Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus operates on cause and effect.

Luck cannot remain bad forever.

Mo Hua smiled. "Don't worry—we'll win."

Sister Situ pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Cheng Mo didn't fully understand, but he was infected by Mo Hua's confident demeanor and nodded as well.

The two had trained alongside Mo Hua for nine years—they knew him well.

Often, they might not trust themselves, yet they nearly instinctively trusted Mo Hua, their "Little Senior Brother."

Even in dire circumstances, as long as they followed Little Senior Brother, their hearts grew calmer and steadier.

Sister Situ's gaze was gentle as he bowed. "Little Senior Brother, rest early."

Cheng Mo followed suit, clasping his fists in salute.

Mo Hua smiled. "Rest early."

…

Thereafter, amid frantic preparations and a solemn, tense atmosphere, the debates continued.

The Grand Void Gate was not only losing through Mo Hua—other disciples were falling one after another.

The situation grew increasingly dire.

Unease spread throughout the hearts of all Grand Void Gate cultivators.

Under these conditions, every victory became precious.

Yet Mo Hua remained quietly waiting for the Dao Discernment Celestial Apparatus to "deal."

He was also waiting for the right moment, and that one bit of "luck."

Two days later, Mo Hua's third Earth Character debate opponent was decided.

Wan Xiao Sect.

Mo Hua's luck improved slightly—this opponent was neither Wan Xiao Sect's strongest disciple nor its top team.

It was a slightly weaker first-rate team from Wan Xiao Sect.

Everyone believed this time the Grand Void Gate could finally put up a real fight.

But in this debate, Mo Hua's team still lost.

Worse, in this match, Mo Hua fully exposed the fundamental flaws of his inherited cultivation.

His Qi was low—he couldn't outlast others.

His body movement was good, but utterly useless.

Low-tier spells could only annoy.

He lacked offensive capability.

Once his teammates failed, he became a complete "waste."

Facing the spell barrage from five elite spiritual cultivators of Wan Xiao Sect, Mo Hua contributed nothing.

This match, which seemed winnable, ended in defeat.

Many hearts truly grew cold.

Especially those who had once held hope for the Grand Void Gate—now they felt stifled, lamented its weakness, and raged at its helplessness.

"Losing to top prodigies is understandable—but even a first-rate team from the Sida Sect lost?"

"Is the gap between the Eight Great Gates and the Sida Sect truly this vast?"

"What can you do with Mo Hua?"

"In the end, he can only annoy—useless in true prodigy duels, offering no real help…"

"His body movement is decent, but if he can't kill anyone, what good is it?"

"In the end, he's just a low-end spiritual cultivator."

"No matter how well you use low-end spells, they're still low-end spells."

"And his spiritual energy is far too weak..."

"His little tricks were long ago fully studied and exposed in the Tian Xuanzi arena—useless now, completely ruined..."

"If things continue like this, his team won't go far."

"Not just his team—even the Grand Void Gate won't go far..."

Outside the Sword Debate Arena, countless cultivators voiced their criticisms.

After this round concluded, the situation truly worsened.

The Grand Void Gate suffered repeated defeats, and its ranking plummeted rapidly, falling directly out of the top four and slipping to fifth.

It had already fallen out of the possibility of entering the Sida Sect.

Moreover, based on the current situation, it had effectively lost all qualification to compete for a place among the Sida Sect...

The entire sect was low in spirits, morale sagging.

The elders sighed in frustration.

Even the sect master and several elder ancestors could not help but sigh.

For countless sects in Qianxue Province, the Sida Sect was an unreachable dream.

The Grand Void Gate had once dreamed this dream.

But now, this dream had shattered, as expected.

Of course, by now, everyone in the Grand Void Gate had gradually awakened and no longer harbored false hopes.

They only wished to hold their current ranking and avoid further decline.

Even just winning a few matches would suffice.

Naturally, this hope rested on the Grand Void Gate's strongest team—Linghu Xiao and Mo Hua's team.

They desperately hoped Mo Hua's team could win at least one match.

Even just one win.

Even if it couldn't stop the bleeding or salvage the Grand Void Gate's precarious ranking, it could at least lift morale.

In the hearts of everyone in the Grand Void Gate, there was both hope and tension.

They even hoped for a "soft persimmon"—someone easy to beat—so Mo Hua's team could rack up some victory points.

Under this tense and oppressive atmosphere, the Grand Void Gate's fourth opponent in the Di Zi Sword Debate was revealed by the Dao Discourse Celestial Apparatus.

But when everyone saw the name, their hearts grew colder still.

Again, the Sida Sect—still an "old friend":

The Heaven Sword Sect.

Not a soft persimmon.

Though not Xiao Wuchen's team, it was still the Heaven Sword Sect's team, led by their second-most talented prodigy.

It was an elite, top-tier Sword Debate team.

Stronger than the Sword Debate team from Wan Xiao Sect that Mo Hua's team had previously lost to.

This wasn't the most difficult part.

The most difficult part was the Sword Debate format:

It was an offense-defense match.

The Heaven Sword Sect would attack; the Grand Void Gate would defend.

Five Heaven Sword Sect prodigies, whose sword qi was fierce and deadly, would launch the assault; the Grand Void Gate must hold the defense.

Anyone who had watched Sword Debate matches understood clearly.

This was nearly a death sentence.

There was not the slightest chance of victory.

In some ways, the severity of this match was no worse than the one against Xiao Wuchen.

The Sida Sect, the Eight Gates, and countless other cultivators watching the Sword Debate Conference glanced once and shook their heads inwardly, muttering that the Grand Void Gate was unlucky.

Those who cared for the Grand Void Gate now truly felt as if their hearts had turned to ash.

Only Mo Hua, staring at the Sword Debate roster, saw his eyes brighten more and more, a faint, unnoticed smile curling at his lips...

(End of Chapter)