Chapter 123: Sparring

Mo Shan blinked in surprise.

"I want to stay with Hua'er, watch him marry and have children, see his descendants fill the house…" Liu Ruhua's eyes shimmered with longing, "but who can say what the future holds?"

Mo Shan comforted his wife, "You needn't worry."

Liu Ruhua shook her head, "I'm not worried. I know you fear Hua'er will face danger, but how can a cultivator avoid peril throughout his life?"

Mo Shan thought for a moment, then nodded.

A cultivator's life, even if smooth, inevitably brings setbacks and perilous situations. How much more so for us itinerant cultivators, who fight just to survive?

Liu Ruhua continued, "There's a saying: parents who love their children plan for their long-term future. We're merely Qi Condensation cultivators—we can't shield him from danger, so we must teach him to face it."

Mo Shan fell silent, stroking his wife's long hair, his expression eased.

"You're right. The Dao is long—we can't care for him his whole life. We can only teach him to care for himself."

The next evening, Mo Shan called Mo Hua into the small courtyard and said:

"How's your body movement technique coming along?"

Mo Hua thought his father was about to scold him; he paused, then replied:

"I've mostly mastered it."

Mo Shan nodded. "Let me test you."

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Good!"

He wanted to know if his father, at Late Qi Condensation, could break through his Departing Water Step.

Mo Hua stepped ten zhang away, turned, stood firm, and fixed his gaze on Mo Shan.

"Father, I'm ready."

"Alright, pay attention."

The moment Mo Shan spoke, his body blurred into an afterimage and shot forward.

So fast!

Mo Hua's heart jolted; he released his spiritual sense, spurred his spiritual energy, and drifted backward.

As Mo Hua retreated halfway, his father vanished from sight—then suddenly, a faint pressure pressed against his back. He froze, spun lightly, and drifted left.

Mo Shan, who had appeared behind Mo Hua without warning, grabbed empty air. His expression flickered with surprise, then he flashed again, his right hand reaching once more for Mo Hua.

Mo Hua's expression turned solemn.

Mo Shan's speed was too fast—and his years of battling beasts gave him rich experience; his form shifted between real and illusory. In Mo Hua's spiritual sense, Mo Shan's figure was nearly undetectable.

And by the time he sensed him, Mo Shan was already beside him.

Mo Shan's spiritual sense wasn't much stronger than Mo Hua's. Mo Hua couldn't perceive him simply because Mo Shan moved too swiftly, acted decisively, and deceived him with uncanny precision.

Mo Hua couldn't help sighing—his battle experience was still far too weak.

The two exchanged several more rounds; Mo Hua dodged clumsily, left and right struggling, yet still barely held on.

As the chase continued, Mo Hua's spiritual sense gradually sharpened—Mo Shan's form became clearer, more distinguishable.

Mo Hua's evasions began to take shape.

Mo Shan used feints and surprise attacks; Mo Hua learned to blend deception with reality, striking unexpectedly.

The more they fought, the more composed Mo Hua's body movement became.

Just as Mo Hua's technique was reaching its peak, Mo Shan suddenly seized him without warning, grabbing his collar and lifting him off the ground.

Mo Hua stared blankly. "Father, how did you catch me?!"

Mo Shan snorted. "Your body movement still needs more practice."

Yet despite his words, Mo Shan was deeply shaken.

Mo Hua's body movement technique was far stronger than he'd ever imagined!

In that chase alone, even a cultivator at his own realm might not have dodged every move.

Yet Mo Hua not only dodged them all—he seemed at ease. Aside from initial panic, he grew calmer with each moment, his steps fluid, his advances and retreats precise, rivaling seasoned beast hunters.

And this body movement technique left no trace—it revealed no source of power, no way of borrowing force, no method of withdrawing it.

Judged by standard body cultivator techniques, it was utterly inscrutable.

Mo Shan hadn't deciphered the technique. He'd merely guessed where Mo Hua would appear, based on years of life-or-death combat and his familiarity with his son—he'd simply guessed blindly.

Had he not done so, he'd have needed dozens more rounds, waiting for Mo Hua to tire and slip, before he could catch him.

Mo Shan's heart churned.

Mo Hua is only at Qi Condensation Level Five…

Seeing his father standing still, expression calm, neither pleased nor angry, yet seemingly lost in thought, Mo Hua asked, "Father?"

Mo Shan snapped back to attention, looked at Mo Hua, and after a moment said:

"Your body movement's decent—but keep practicing. Don't slack off!"

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded.

But since it was, in a way, praise, he felt a little pleased.

"Father, have you learned a body movement technique too?" Mo Hua asked.

Mo Shan shook his head. "What I use isn't a real technique—I just figured out some moves through beast battles, trying not to get hurt, then picked up bits from others' techniques, piecing them together."

"Purely combat-based body movement?" Mo Hua said with deep respect.

"You could say that."

Mo Hua's eyes gleamed. "Can you teach me?"

Mo Shan hesitated. "Aren't you already learning a technique? Don't scatter your focus—master one first."

"I just want to study it for inspiration…" Mo Hua said.

Mo Shan thought briefly, then nodded. "Alright."

Seeing Mo Shan demonstrated a few basic footwork movements for Mo Hua.

Some of the movements resembled Flowing Water Steps, but with slight differences; some were merely simple-looking advance-and-retreat footwork; others were scattered moves from other body techniques. In the end, these were all blended together into one set of footwork that was concise and fierce.

It looked like it had been pieced together from bits and pieces, but Mo Hua did not look down on it in the slightest.

This was currently the set of footwork that posed the greatest threat to him, and he simply could not think of how to counter it.

Concise, efficient, no superfluous movements, emphasizing adaptability—using no-form to defeat form.

One could say it was full of openings, but used well, one could also say it had none at all.

If he broke these footwork techniques down and mixed them into Flowing Water Steps, could Flowing Water Steps become even more powerful?

Mo Hua's spirits lifted. He carefully memorized every one of these moves, planning to find time to practice them more.

Seeing Mo Shan thought of the body technique Mo Hua had used earlier and still found it unbelievable. He asked:

"This body technique of yours… was it taught to you by Gu Diansi?"

"Uncle Zhang won't let me say."

"Mm." Seeing Mo Shan nodded, then could not help thinking, you might as well have just told me…

"Dad, you're not angry anymore?" Mo Hua asked in a small voice.

Seeing Mo Shan glared at him. "You still know I can get angry?"

Mo Hua let out a sheepish chuckle.

"Get up early tomorrow morning," Seeing Mo Shan said.

"Tomorrow morning?" Mo Hua was momentarily stunned.

Seeing Mo Shan said nothing more and turned to leave.

The next day at the mao hour, Mo Hua got out of bed and went to the courtyard, where he saw his father Seeing Mo Shan already standing there.

"Your mother made breakfast. Eat a bit first," Seeing Mo Shan said.

After father and son finished eating, Seeing Mo Shan took Mo Hua out of the house.

The two of them walked through the streets in the early morning, passed through the gates of Xiancheng, and stepped onto the mountain road outside the city.

"Dad, where are we going?"

Mo Hua could not help asking.

Seeing Mo Shan was silent for a moment, then said: "I'm taking you into Great Heishan!"