Chapter 729: Demon Refining Mountain

This was Mo Hua's fourth year in the Grand Void Gate.

It was also the year of Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

This year, Mo Hua would begin studying the Foundation Establishment mid-stage Dao cultivation curriculum, engaging with second-rank intermediate alchemy, artifact forging, and talisman crafting.

And he would gradually delve deeper into second-rank advanced arrays.

He aimed to raise his spiritual sense to nineteen lines within three years.

This was the small goal he had set for himself.

He had originally wanted to aim for twenty lines, but he knew deep down it was impossible.

Twenty lines was the spiritual sense of a Jin Dan cultivator; with his current cultivation level and the rate of his spiritual sense growth, he could not possibly reach it in the short term.

After that, everything proceeded as usual.

Although the Dao cultivation curriculum had changed, the overall structure of the inheritance remained unchanged.

The senior elders and instructors teaching the courses had not changed either.

Thus, Mo Hua quickly adapted to the Foundation Establishment mid-stage year.

After two months, once all the disciples' cultivation had stabilized and everything settled into routine, the sect informed Mo Hua and the others:

The Demon Refining Mountain was open.

The Dao cultivation elder stood before the lecture hall and addressed the disciples:

"The Demon Refining Mountain, as the name suggests, is a place for disciples to hunt demonic beasts, hone their Dao arts, and temper their bodies."

"This is also, besides taking on bounty missions, your most important source of merit during your Foundation Establishment mid-stage."

"Some bounties themselves require you to hunt demonic beasts."

"The demonic beasts in the Demon Refining Mountain are numerous in species, possess unique bloodlines, and are powerful; many rare demonic beast materials cannot be bought even with spiritual stones."

"Therefore, any sword cultivator, artifact forger, alchemist, or disciple needing to craft high-grade spiritual artifacts must go to the Demon Refining Mountain."

"However, demonic beasts differ from cultivators…"

The Dao cultivation elder paused slightly, lifting his eyes to look at the disciples.

"You come from noble families, raised in comfort and luxury; most of you have only encountered docile spiritual beasts. You know of demonic beasts, but few among you have seen one with your own eyes."

"Demonic beasts have thick blood qi, surging demonic power, and are extremely difficult to deal with; they are cruel by nature and often prey on humans."

"Even demonic beasts that feed on spiritual herbs and drink dew will kill humans."

"Therefore, hunting demonic beasts requires at least five people, and up to ten. You must be extremely cautious to avoid falling victim to their jaws."

"When you take on bounty missions against criminal cultivators or demonic cultivators, though they won't reason with you, these evil beings fear the sect and dread your noble families behind you—they may not dare to kill you outright."

"But once you enter the Demon Refining Mountain, demonic beasts are cruel and devoid of humanity—there is truly no reasoning with them."

"If you are careless or negligent for even a moment, you may very well end up as their meal."

"Moreover, the demonic beasts placed here by the sect's ancestral elders were never ordinary ones—they are even more troublesome to deal with…"

The Dao cultivation elder paused thoughtfully, then spoke slowly, "Although the Demon Refining Mountain is now open, according to general convention, at least until the second half of this year, or perhaps next year…"

"Once your cultivation is more solid, and your spiritual artifacts and Dao arts are better aligned with your level, it won't be too late to enter the Demon Refining Mountain to hunt demonic beasts, harvest materials, and earn merit."

"Sharpening the blade doesn't delay the chopping of firewood; don't rush for merit and take unnecessary risks, or you may end up reaping the bitter fruit."

"I've said all I need to say. When you enter the Demon Refining Mountain—that is for you to decide."

The Dao cultivation elder's gaze grew solemn as he scanned the disciples below. "Let me say one final thing…"

"If you are betrayed by fellow disciples or disciples from other sects while in the Demon Refining Mountain—even if they are from the Sida Sect—our sect will certainly demand an explanation."

"But if you die simply because of your own foolish recklessness, swallowed by a demonic beast, the sect will not take responsibility."

"This is not just the Grand Void Gate's rule—it is the universal custom across the Qianxue Province."

Noble family heirs who wish to degrade themselves may live in silk and jade, indulging in luxury.

But if they truly seek advancement, the pressure is great and the competition fiercer.

Yet even so, raised deep within great clans, untouched by wind or rain, their internal struggles revolve only around clan interests and personal advancement—not life and death—never having encountered the true dangers of the cultivation world.

Thus, upon entering the sect, they must begin to adapt appropriately.

Bounty missions are one step—to teach disciples how to deal with criminal cultivators and understand the treachery of human hearts.

The Demon Refining Mountain is the second—to teach disciples the ferocity of demonic beasts.

Thus, long ago, an ancestral elder of the Qianxue Province, against all opposition, established this rule:

In the Demon Refining Mountain, if you die in a demonic beast's jaws, you die in vain.

This rule was meant to instill in the sect's disciples a sense of risk, to make them understand how hard life is and how terrifying death can be.

Upon hearing this, the disciples below looked solemn, their hearts chilled.

Mo Hua was also somewhat tense.

But his tension stemmed from anticipation.

Hunting demonic beasts!

He felt the "bloodline" of a demonic beast hunter stirring within him.

In the towering, dense forests of the Demon Refining Mountain, where demonic beasts gathered in abundance, there was much to do.

But he did not know whether Mr. Xun would approve his entering the mountain.

Mo Hua pondered silently.

On the surface, Mr. Xun's restriction forbade him from leaving the Qianxue Province.

The Demon Refining Mountain lay within the Qianxue Province, so within the limits, it should pose no problem.

But Mo Hua knew Mr. Xun's intent was to keep him from danger, to let him study arrays in peace.

The Demon Refining Mountain was dangerous; Mr. Xun might not approve his entry.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then decided to ask Mr. Xun first.

Mo Hua went to find Old Mr. Xun, and sure enough, the moment he opened his mouth, Old Mr. Xun refused him outright.

Old Mr. Xun kept a stern face, his tone severe yet tinged with concern. "You child, what crowd are you trying to join in on?"

"The demon beasts on Demon Refining Mountain are far more dangerous than you know."

"Besides, you're not a body cultivator—your physical body is frail; your spiritual power is meager, and your spells aren't superior either; you don't refine spiritual weapons, so demon beast materials are useless to you; you draw formations every day, so you're not short on merit points either…"

"What would you even go to Demon Refining Mountain for?"

Old Mr. Xun's question left Mo Hua speechless.

Though Old Mr. Xun's words did diverge somewhat from the actual situation.

His physical body may be weak, but his movement techniques were good; his spiritual power was meager, but his spells were fast; he didn't refine spiritual weapons himself, but he had Master Gu to refine them for him.

It was true he drew formations every day, but how could he not be short on merit points?

Merit points were the sort of thing that the more, the better—always welcome in greater quantities.

He might not need to use them himself, but he couldn't afford not to stockpile them.

Money emboldens a hero's courage.

The more merit points he had, the more at ease Mo Hua felt in his heart. He wished he could stockpile ten or twenty thousand merit points, and flip through the Grand Void Token in his spare time—looking at them was a feast for the eyes.

But Old Mr. Xun had a point too.

None of these were strictly necessary at the moment.

Still, Mo Hua was somewhat unwilling to let it go.

Old Mr. Xun saw through him and shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that this child Mo Hua, though good-natured and steady in temperament, and looking a bit more grown up—in the blink of an eye already a fair and lovely young lad.

But after all, he still had a child's heart, fond of joining in on the excitement.

And Demon Refining Mountain, with disciples from a hundred sects gathered there, forming teams to hunt demons, was indeed extraordinarily lively.

But was this sort of excitement something a child like you could join in on?

"Your talent lies in formations. One outstanding talent can mask a hundred flaws. Push your talent to its utmost, and in the future you can carve out your own path—no need to imitate others…"

"Some paths you simply cannot walk, and there's no need for you to walk them at all. Formations themselves are a broad and level road!"

Old Mr. Xun said with earnest and heartfelt weight.

"Oh…" Mo Hua nodded slightly.

Seeing that Mo Hua was still a bit unhappy, Old Mr. Xun thought for a moment, flipped his wrist, and took out a thick stack of formation diagrams.

"You've pretty much mastered the seventeen-pattern Five Elements and Eight Trigrams formation inheritance of Grand Void Gate. Now learn this set of mine…"

Mo Hua was slightly startled. "Old sir, isn't yours also from Grand Void Gate?"

"It's a little different…"

Old Mr. Xun said, "Grand Void Gate's formation inheritance emphasizes 'inheritance'—it's for passing down teachings and instructing disciples…"

"What I'm giving you now is true formation 'research'."

"These formation diagrams are also Five Elements and Eight Trigrams formations, but they're considerably harder than the previous ones…"

Mo Hua's eyes lit up. "Considerably harder?"

He hurriedly took the formation diagrams with great respect, glanced through them roughly, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter the more he looked.

These formation diagrams actually shared the same wonderful approach as the formation inheritances of the Shangguan family and the Wen family. And looking at them, they seemed even more profound.

"Thank you, Old sir!" Mo Hua said with a beaming smile.

Seeing that Mo Hua was happy, Old Mr. Xun finally breathed a slight sigh of relief and waved his hand, saying:

"Go on, go study your formations."

"Mm, mm."

Mo Hua immediately tucked the formation diagrams into his chest and scampered off at a jog.

Old Mr. Xun watched him go, unable to hold back a chuckle, and shook his head slightly.

Afterward, so as not to betray Old Mr. Xun's good intentions, Mo Hua temporarily put Demon Refining Mountain out of his mind and devoted himself wholeheartedly to learning the new formations.

But new formations always had a day when they'd be fully learned.

Once Mo Hua finished learning them, he ran off to find Old Mr. Xun and said he wanted to enter Demon Refining Mountain.

To pacify Mo Hua, Old Mr. Xun had no choice but to give him more formation diagrams, to keep him occupied and soothe that restless heart of his.

And so, nearly another half year passed.

Using Demon Refining Mountain as an excuse, Mo Hua had "extorted" quite a few formation diagrams from Old Mr. Xun that shouldn't have been taught to him at this stage.

Meanwhile, Cheng Mo and the others, their cultivation foundations now solid, had also adapted to mid-Foundation Establishment combat and had already begun entering Demon Refining Mountain in teams of five.

Mo Hua, a proper demon hunter in name, could only watch longingly.

At mealtime, Cheng Mo and the others gathered together, chattering away about Demon Refining Mountain.

"Disciples and demon beasts as far as the eye could see, covering every hill and plain…"

"Tigers with claws longer than their necks, bear-like creatures that stood up like small mountains, wolf demons with heads full of green fur, and luan birds cloaked in fiery red…"

"Fighting demon beasts, you can go all out—no need to hold back on martial arts or spells. The fighting is thoroughly exhilarating."

"A single early second-grade demon core is worth three hundred merit points."

"And there are pelts, bones, essence blood, livers and gallbladders—all incredibly valuable…"

Cheng Mo described it vividly, his eyebrows dancing with excitement.

But after another ten or so days, Cheng Mo went to Demon Refining Mountain a few more times and became somewhat dejected.

Mo Hua asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Mo sighed. "Inside Demon Hunting Mountain, most of them are senior brothers and sisters at late Foundation Establishment—rich in experience, skilled in technique, profound in cultivation, and their spiritual weapons are top-grade."

"We simply can't squeeze into their teams…"

"The five of us did form a team and tried to take down an early second-grade wolf demon to test ourselves, but that wolf demon was truly cunning. We spent half a day of effort and finally, with great difficulty, managed to find it…"

"And then?"

"I didn't win…"

Cheng Mo looked deeply gloomy.

Mo Hua nodded, not surprised.

Beast beasts are very strong.

Especially for disciples like Cheng Mo, who have never actually hunted beast beasts and have nearly zero experience, suffering setbacks in their first encounter is unavoidable.

In the profession of beast hunting, newcomers find it extremely hard to survive.

Mo Hua could only offer a few notes on beast hunting to warn them.

He couldn't give them too much advice yet.

Because each specific problem requires specific analysis.

Mo Hua's beast hunting experience mostly came from Great Heishan.

Great Heishan is a second-grade mountain range in Zhou, where Mo Hua was born and raised, and where he knew the environment and beast beasts intimately.

But now they were in Qianzhou's Demon Refining Mountain.

Mo Hua had never personally visited Demon Refining Mountain and knew nothing of its conditions; naturally, he couldn't apply Great Heishan's methods to hunt demon beasts there like a man carving marks on a boat to find a lost sword.

He could only pick out general beast hunting techniques and explain them simply.

Such as the habits of beast beasts: feeding, hibernating, ambushing, nesting, feigning death; and the common methods beast hunters use: setting ambushes, surrounding and killing, and eliminating beast beasts.

Cheng Mo and the others listened, nodding repeatedly.

Hao Xuan's eyes sparkled, "Little Senior Brother, you know so much…"

"It's nothing much."

Mo Hua replied modestly.

Cheng Mo had taken in all of Mo Hua's advice.

But taking it in was one thing; actually going out to hunt beast beasts was entirely another.

Cheng Mo and the others' beast hunting journey remained bumpy and difficult.

Yet after some time, they gradually managed to hold on.

After all, those who came to Qianxuezhou to study and became disciples of the Grand Void Gate, one of the Eight Great Sects, were all prodigies in their own families, possessing their own spirit and pride.

More days passed like this.

Everything had been going fairly smoothly until Mo Hua saw Cheng Mo, bandaged, arm in a sling, face bruised and swollen, unable to move…

"Punched by a bear."

Sister Situ said.

Mo Hua's expression was complex, unsure whether to laugh or feel sorry.

Cheng Mo, however, remained defiant: "This time I was careless. Just a second-grade early-stage bear beast—I'll heal up, then fight it three hundred rounds, chop off its paws, and wipe away this humiliation!"

Sister Situ said quietly, "If your bones were half as hard as your mouth, you wouldn't have broken eight of them…"

As soon as Sister Situ spoke, Cheng Mo winced in pain.

"Sister Situ, you've definitely picked up bad habits from Little Senior Brother! You never used to be this annoying!"

Sister Situ no longer wanted to respond to him.

Mo Hua asked, "How long will he need to recover?"

Sister Situ shook her head, "Elder Murong examined him and said the bear beast's strength was too great—this fool has damaged his tendons and bones. He'll need at least half a month to recover, and we'll see after that."

"Then you're short one person for beast hunting," Mo Hua said.

Losing an ordinary member wouldn't be too bad.

But Cheng Mo had thick blood qi and wielded a mountain-splitting axe with great force—he was a body cultivator who could take hits and fight hard.

Now that he was injured, finding a replacement would be difficult.

Sister Situ sighed, "Let's take a break for now. Our cultivation levels are still too low; entering Demon Refining Mountain might indeed be too soon. These past days, we haven't earned much merit, and we're spending more than we make…"

"Let's prepare more, wait until next year when our cultivation is more solid, then try Demon Refining Mountain again."

Mo Hua asked again, "What about the other disciples?"

Sister Situ shook her head, "It's the same for all of them. Demon Refining Mountain is just too hard to survive in—this beast hunting business really isn't easy."

Sister Situ sighed again.

Mo Hua silently shook his head.

There was no choice—it seemed he, this "Little Senior Brother," would have to lead them through this.

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then went to find Mr. Xun.

"Going into the mountains again?"

Mr. Xun frowned.

Mo Hua presented his prepared excuse: "I've learned many arrays and want to put them into practice—paint them onto spirit tools to test their effects. Demon Refining Mountain is the most suitable place."

"Where did you get the spirit tools?"

"A third-grade spirit smith from the Gu family, Master Gu, will help me forge them."

The Gu family?

Mr. Xun was surprised, his eyes filled with thought, but he said nothing.

Mo Hua added, "I'll only paint arrays and improve spirit tools—I'll stay behind the crowd and won't fight myself."

Mr. Xun still had reservations: "The demon beasts inside Demon Refining Mountain are cruel…"

"It's fine," Mo Hua lifted his head, stood tall, and said proudly:

"Mr., I won't hide it—I was born into a beast hunting family. Since childhood, I've dealt with beast beasts. My beast hunting experience is inherited!"

Grandmaster Xun was left dumbfounded by Mo Hua's words.

What the hell…

Demon Hunter?

He glanced at Mo Hua—pale, delicate, with thin arms and legs—and couldn't see how he resembled a "Demon Hunter" at all.

More like a "Feeder."

Offering himself up to demon beasts…

Seeing Grandmaster Xun didn't believe him, Mo Hua swore earnestly: "Really!"

Grandmaster Xun silently studied Mo Hua; though still doubtful, he figured that with this boy's character, he wouldn't dare lie so absurdly to his face.

It's absurd, but probably not false.

"Fine," Grandmaster Xun sighed.

He had no other arrays left to soothe Mo Hua.

He'd already given Mo Hua every array with seventeen markings, and Mo Hua had learned all he could; the rest either required higher spiritual awareness than Mo Hua possessed, or…

Were arrays that could never be passed on to outsiders.

He had to give the boy something to do.

And arrays, after all, must be "applied in practice"; if learned but never used, one becomes like those old scholars, relics of the past.

Grandmaster Xun suddenly recalled how, years ago, that man had discussed the Way of Arrays with him, saying words like these:

In the study of arrays, "applying what you learn" is the key to the Path.

"Learning" is the threshold to entering the Path; "application" is the foundation of walking it.

Learn to apply; apply to deepen learning.

Learning and application support each other; knowledge and action are one.

Only then can one remain balanced, persevere steadily, and glimpse the most fundamental Dao of arrays…

Now those words still echoed in his ears, yet that peerlessly gifted man—so envied—was gone.

Grandmaster Xun felt a sudden pang of melancholy; when he turned back to Mo Hua, he froze, his heart stirred with unexpected emotion:

"He really does look a bit like him…"

But Mo Hua didn't dwell on it; his eyes sparkled as he said:

"Thank you, Grandmaster!"

Grandmaster Xun gave a slight nod but still warned: "Be careful. Stay behind others. Study the arrays—don't touch them yourself."

"Mm-hmm!"

Mo Hua promised eagerly, then bowed deeply and took his leave.

After Mo Hua departed, Grandmaster Xun's gaze darkened slightly; after a moment's thought, he called for the Daoist acolyte and ordered: "Bring Ziyou to me."

The acolyte bowed and left.

Soon after, a man in the inner sect robes of Grand Void Gate, handsome and relaxed, walked in and bowed to Grandmaster Xun:

"Ancestor."

Grandmaster Xun gave a slight nod and asked: "You know Mo Hua, right?"

The man replied respectfully: "I know him."

Mo Hua might not know him, but he knew Mo Hua.

With Grandmaster Xun's connection, every senior elder and instructor in Grand Void Gate had to know that Mo Hua, who was even closer than Grandmaster Xun's own great-grandson.

Grandmaster Xun nodded. "Mo Hua is going into Demon Refining Mountain—that's your duty post. Keep a close eye on him…"

He fixed the man with a look. "If he loses a single hair, you'll kneel in the ancestral hall."

The man froze, then his scalp prickled.

He felt a massive trouble had fallen from the sky onto his head.

And this trouble might turn into a "huge black pot."

Seeing no one around, he lowered his voice and asked the question he'd long wanted to ask but never dared:

"Ancestor… could it be… that Mo Hua, this boy, also bears the surname 'Xun'?"

Grandmaster Xun lifted his head and gave him a cold glance, speaking calmly:

"I see you're too idle. After you finish this task, I'll assign you more duties—give you more training…"

The word "training" was spoken by Grandmaster Xun with deep implication.

The man's face twisted as if he'd swallowed bitter herb.

He regretted his foolish mouth—he shouldn't have asked that.

Could any task assigned by the Ancestor be easy? He'd probably lose skin, if not his life…

Seeing the man subdued, Grandmaster Xun brushed his sleeve. "Go. Remember what I said: losing an arm is fine, but that child must not lose a single hair."

The man sighed deeply, helplessly:

"Yes…"

He was certain now: the boy definitely didn't bear the surname "Xun."

Because anyone who bore the surname "Xun" never received such treatment.

After the man left, Grandmaster Xun remembered another matter and pondered:

A Demon Hunter by origin?

How could he be a Demon Hunter by origin?

A Demon Hunter from the wilderness—where would he have learned arrays?

Grandmaster Xun's brow furrowed slightly.

Leaving the prefecture to Qian Prefecture, the journey was long and distant.

Mo Hua was just a rogue cultivator.

Old Mr. Xun hadn't previously thought to specifically investigate Mo Hua's background either; he simply didn't care at all.

A hero is not judged by his origins.

Being able to enter Qianxue Prefecture and take the disciple ceremony at the Grand Void Gate could be considered a fated opportunity.

As long as Mo Hua had a good disposition, had talent, and could learn formations well, that was enough.

Old Mr. Xun held no prejudice toward family background, nor did he judge people by their birth; moreover, as an Ancestral Elder, he was swamped with duties and would certainly not concern himself with the origins of a single disciple.

But now, he was suddenly very curious.

Just what had this child grown up doing?

And just what had he done to become an Array Master with such a profound foundation in the Five Elements formations?

Old Mr. Xun pondered for a moment, then summoned a Dao boy again and said in a low voice:

"Go to the Inner Gate and call over a disciple who knows the Wind-Roving Thousand Li body technique."

"Yes, Ancestral Elder."

The Dao boy withdrew. After a while, a disciple wearing the Inner Gate disciple's Dao robe arrived, his figure swift as the wind, his footwork vigorous and nimble.

"Ancestral Elder!" That disciple cupped his hands in salute.

Old Mr. Xun nodded and instructed: "Pack up, set out as soon as possible, hurry to Cloud Crossing City, then take the Cloud Crossing to leave the prefecture, go to a second-grade prefecture called Great Heishan Prefecture, and inquire into some matters for me…"

(End of chapter)