Chapter 750: Linghu Xiao

The humorless Linghu Xiao, after introducing himself, fixed Mo Hua with a gaze like a sword.

Mo Hua also bowed his hands.

"Grand Void Gate, Mo Hua."

Linghu Xiao froze, then remembered—Chongxu Gate and Grand Void Gate shared a common ancestral lineage, making them sects with historical ties; his expression softened considerably, and the hostility in his eyes gradually faded.

Mo Hua's gaze flickered as he recalled earlier events and asked:

"Do you have a grudge against Duanjin Gate?"

Linghu Xiao hesitated a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Something like that…"

"What kind of grudge?" Mo Hua was deeply curious.

Linghu Xiao rarely conversed with others, but Mo Hua's piercing gaze made him feel it was improper not to speak.

Moreover, their earlier conflict had been caused by his own misjudgment.

Though his nature was proud and aloof, he still believed matters must be clarified.

Linghu Xiao then spoke:

"Duanjin Gate's disciples are base and shameless—they've repeatedly stolen my prey on this mountain."

"I've clashed with them many times, accumulating deep enmity."

"Today, when I saw this eagle fall from the cliff with golden sword marks on its body, I assumed Duanjin Gate had been hunting it—so naturally, I took it…"

Linghu Xiao paused, glancing at Mo Hua again. "Besides, you weren't wearing your sect's robe—I didn't know who you were…"

…

"Oh…"

Mo Hua suddenly understood—he now had a rough idea.

Linghu Xiao had seen the demon eagle and noticed the golden sword marks, suspecting they were caused by Duanjin Gate's Duanjin Sword Qi.

He had guessed correctly—it truly was Duanjin Sword Qi.

But it was his own Duanjin Sword Array that had simulated the Qi.

And this demon eagle had been wounded by his own sword.

Before entering this mountain, to remain inconspicuous, he had taken off his Grand Void Gate robe and worn only a light gray everyday tunic.

Since Linghu Xiao couldn't recognize his identity, it was only natural he'd assume Mo Hua was a Duanjin Gate disciple.

Duanjin Gate had stolen his demon beast, so naturally he'd stolen it back—that explained his obvious hostility.

Now that the misunderstanding was cleared, he didn't stubbornly cling to pride—he openly admitted his mistake and apologized.

Though this second-rank mid-tier demon wood eagle was worth considerable merit, he generously returned it to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua gave a slight nod.

Though he appeared aloof and hard to approach, this Chongxu Gate disciple had clear principles and acted with integrity.

Mo Hua smiled warmly and waved his hand. "Since it was a misunderstanding, let it go."

Then he glanced at Linghu Xiao and looked around, asking with some puzzlement:

"You came into the mountains alone to hunt demons?"

Linghu Xiao tilted his chin slightly, sounding rather arrogant:

"I don't need anyone else."

Mo Hua's eyes widened slightly.

Linghu Xiao's demeanor, though conceited, didn't seem like a lie.

But alone… even if he were immensely strong, hunting in this demon-infested Lianyao Mountain wouldn't be easy.

Mo Hua studied the sword marks on the demon eagle, recalled Linghu Xiao's sword technique during their clash, and, drawing on years of demon-hunting experience, pieced together a rough conclusion.

This Linghu Xiao was clearly a "pick-up" hunter…

Some demon beasts, wounded by cultivators, fled into the forests;

Or demons fought each other over territory and were left severely injured.

These wounded demons were weaker.

Linghu Xiao's sword technique was refined enough, and with his inherited spirit sword, he could condense immensely powerful sword qi to swiftly kill such injured demons.

Thus, with one man and one sword, he killed one demon at a time—and all the merit went to him alone.

Even if inefficient, as long as he made a kill, he earned substantial rewards.

But such a method, though simple to describe, was fraught with difficulty.

Beyond needing profound sword skill and ferocious combat ability, he had to master sensing demon aura, tracking demons, avoiding danger, and escaping to survive.

And it relied heavily on luck.

After all, wounded demons weren't easy to find.

If unexpected dangers arose and he fell into peril, no one would come to his aid.

Thus, demon hunting was best done in small teams with fellow sect members who could support each other.

"Don't you hunt with your sectmates?" Mo Hua asked again.

Linghu Xiao's expression darkened. "I said—I don't need anyone else!"

Mo Hua understood.

His sectmates wouldn't take him along.

Whether it was because his talent was too high, provoking jealousy and exclusion,

Or because his temper was too cold, making him unpopular and leaving him friendless—so he hunted alone in the mountains.

Mo Hua asked again: "What about Duanjin Gate? Can you handle them alone?"

Mo Hua asked again: "What about the Break Gold Gate? Can you take them on alone?"

Linghu Xiao said coldly, "Three or five men aren't my match. If there are more, I can escape with my Sword Flight technique—they won't catch me. But…"

Linghu Xiao frowned, a hint of contempt in his voice, "These trash from Duanjin Gate use feints and decoys—two or three hold me off while the rest steal my beast."

"They grab it and run—truly… despicable and shameless!"

Mo Hua realized: this Linghu Xiao wasn't very good at cursing.

Even though he was furious, his mouth kept repeating only those few words: "despicable and shameless."

But…

Mo Hua fell into quiet thought.

He could face five opponents head-on with swordplay alone.

This Linghu Xiao, in the Chongxu Sect, was no ordinary figure. Even if not among the top talents, he was surely one of the finest in sword arts.

As Mo Hua pondered, Linghu Xiao suddenly fixed his sharp gaze on him and said solemnly:

"Mo Hua, I want to fight you again."

Mo Hua blinked. "Why?"

Linghu Xiao's gaze darkened slightly. "You look weak, but I sense your strength is unfathomable—you're a true expert. I want to settle this with you."

Mo Hua finally understood why this man had no friends.

Great talent, but arrogant and combative.

And a bit odd in the head…

"No." Mo Hua shook his head.

"Why?" Linghu Xiao looked puzzled.

Mo Hua replied matter-of-factly, "Why would I fight if there's no benefit?"

He was very busy.

This kind of childish sparring was pure waste of time.

He could use that time to cultivate, learn arrays, practice sword flight, slay beasts, and earn merit points…

Linghu Xiao froze, then snapped:

"A swordsman seeking a duel must be fearless, resolute, and press forward—only by defeating strong foes can one forge the ultimate sword technique and strengthen the sword heart…"

Mo Hua shrugged. "I'm not a swordsman. What do ultimate sword techniques or a strong sword heart have to do with me?"

"Aren't you learning swordplay too?"

"I just dabble. I don't rely on it for a living…"

Linghu Xiao fell silent.

He realized Mo Hua was utterly unmoved by ideals, brutally practical, incapable of understanding the noble pursuit of a swordsman. Frustrated, he finally spat out coldly:

"Our paths differ—we cannot work together!"

"Oh." Mo Hua nodded vaguely.

The two fell silent.

Seeing the hour was late, Mo Hua glanced at Linghu Xiao, then at the beast-eagle, thought for a moment, and said:

"Do you want this eagle? I'll split it with you."

Linghu Xiao blinked, shook his head. "I said I gave it to you—I don't want it!"

Mo Hua said, "Though I wounded it, you delivered the final strike. So we killed it together—you deserve your share."

"I don't like being cheated, but I won't take advantage of others."

"Half each. I don't lose, you don't get tricked."

Linghu Xiao fell silent.

Mo Hua added, "You sure you don't want it? This is a Rank-Two Mid-Stage beast, and a flying one. Converted to merit points, it's worth two or three thousand—split evenly, that's over a thousand each."

"Over a thousand merit points."

Over a thousand merit points?!

Linghu Xiao's heart leapt—he wavered.

He knew little about flying beasts and couldn't judge their ranks.

But when he'd slain it with Chongxu Sword Qi, he'd felt unprecedented pressure.

He'd guessed the beast was at least Mid-Stage, maybe between Low and Mid.

He hadn't expected it to truly be a Rank-Two Mid-Stage flying beast!

And this Mo Hua—just a junior disciple of the Grand Void Sect, only Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage—what ancestral sword art had he used to wound this skyborne eagle so badly it crashed to the ground?

As Linghu Xiao now thought it through carefully, the more he pondered, the more stunned he became.

At the same time, that familiar thrill of facing a formidable opponent surged within him.

He spoke again: "Fight me."

"Maybe later…"

Mo Hua dismissed him with a lazy reply.

Then he asked again: "Do you still want those thousand-plus merit points?"

Linghu Xiao fell silent again.

Mo Hua saw clearly—he wanted it.

As a lone hunter, his beast-slaying efficiency couldn't be high.

A thousand-plus merit points was a fortune.

But his pride made it hard for him to ask.

Mo Hua sighed. "Skin the eagle, strip the bones, then we go to the sect gate together—we split the merit points evenly."

Linghu Xiao said nothing; after a moment of silence, he silently began working, skinning and boning the demon wood eagle…

Over a thousand merit points—too much to refuse.

Linghu Xiao finished processing the demon beast materials, packed them into a storage pouch, and handed them to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua took them, tucked them into his chest, and said to Linghu Xiao:

"Let's go, head down the mountain together."

Without waiting for Linghu Xiao's reply, he strode off alone, walking boldly straight down the mountain.

Linghu Xiao watched Mo Hua's back, hesitated a moment, then silently followed…

…

After the two left, a cultivator slowly revealed himself from the nearby forest.

He glanced at their retreating figures, lost in thought.

A moment later, he suddenly froze, turned his head to the right—and realized someone had appeared beside him without notice.

The two sudden arrivals sensed each other and both recoiled in shock.

Then they locked eyes, their expressions subtly shifting.

"Ziyou?"

"Xuanjian?"

"What are you doing here?"

They asked in unison, then simultaneously understood.

Elder Xun Ziyou said: "Your Qixu Sect's ancestral elder asked you to secretly watch over your sect's sword prodigy?"

The Qixu Sect elder sighed: "A mind-pure sword heart—rare once in five hundred years. How could the ancestral elder not treat him like a treasure?"

"The problem is, he's reclusive, solitary. If I don't keep an eye on him, he could die in these mountains, devoured whole by demons—no one would ever know…"

"True…" Elder Xun Ziyou nodded.

A sword prodigy appearing once every five hundred years—if the Taixu Sect had one, they'd treat him like a treasure too.

Lianyao Mountain is a trial, ostensibly with life and death self-responsibility, meant to train disciples to face crisis.

But such rare talents are an exception—if one truly died here, it would be a catastrophic loss for the sect.

The Qixu Sect elder asked Elder Xun Ziyou: "And you? What are you doing here?"

Elder Xun Ziyou's gaze drifted slightly. "I was just… taking a casual stroll, happened to pass through here."

The Qixu Sect elder frowned. "I tell you the truth, and you mock me? You just happen to stroll here, hidden in form, suppressed your aura like a thief?"

Elder Xun Ziyou said nothing.

The Qixu Sect elder snorted, glanced at Mo Hua's retreating figure, and mused: "His speech and bearing are indeed different—but his talent… looks rather ordinary…"

The Qixu Sect elder turned to Elder Xun Ziyou:

"What's this boy's background? His origin? What's so special about him that you're personally watching him?"

Elder Xun Ziyou knew he couldn't hide it; after thinking, he sighed:

"He has decent array talent…"

"Array talent?" The Qixu Sect elder blinked. "When did your Taixu Sect start focusing on arrays?"

"What about sword arts?"

The Qixu Sect elder sighed in frustration. "Even Tai'o Sect, which forges swords as its core, focuses on sword arts. My Qixu Sect may lack other strengths, but in sword qi, we're still the pinnacle of Qianxue Province. What about your Taixu Sect? Where are your sword arts?"

Elder Xun Ziyou gave him a withering look. "Mind-formation sword technique—would you dare learn it if I gave it to you?"

The Qixu Sect elder fell silent, thought for a moment, then nodded:

"True—I wouldn't dare. I'm not worthy…"

That kind of "self-mutilation" technique? Only a madman would learn it.

Elder Xun Ziyou sighed deeply. "The three sects split apart. What Taixu Sect truly possesses can't be passed on. What else can we do but drift along…"

The Qixu Sect elder fell silent.

Indeed, from Taixu Sect's perspective, it was truly difficult.

"Still," the Qixu Sect elder asked again, puzzled, "this boy—Mo Hua, right? How good could his array talent be? Why do you personally watch him?"

Elder Xun Ziyou thought inwardly:

I'd scare you to death if I told you.

But I won't.

"Just average," Elder Xun Ziyou said meaningfully. "Among short men, he's the tallest—better than his peers by just a little bit…"

The Qixu Sect elder didn't believe him.

A disciple so important that the ancestral elder ordered a Jin Dan elder to secretly watch over him—his array skill could never be "just average."

This shameless Xun Ziyou was lying.

The Qixu Sect elder thought silently.

But he also didn't believe he was truly that strong…

Taixu Sect wasn't an array sect, nor did it excel in arrays.

Even if this boy was strong in arrays, could he surpass Wan Zhen Sect, the Twelve Streams, or the Sida Sect—especially Qiandao Sect, with its deep array lineage?

But circumstances being what they were, even a skillful housewife couldn't cook without rice.

Taixu Sect had done its best—this was all it could manage now.

The Qixu Sect elder understood fully.

"Let's have a drink sometime," the Qixu Sect elder said.

"Maybe sometime…"

Elder Xun Ziyou's expression was complex.

That boy Mo Hua never gives me an easy moment.

The elder of Chongxu Sect was only speaking offhand—he's very busy, and keeping an eye on this aloof, sword-mind-illuminated sword prodigy isn't easy at all.

But before leaving, he thought for a moment and added a warning:

"You should already know about the sect's reforms—I won't repeat it. Just be careful yourself."

Elder Xun Ziyou frowned. "Tai'o Sect wants to enter the Sida Sect. Are you Chongxu Sect also thinking the same thing?"

The Chongxu Sect elder laughed. "We Chongxu Sect are far behind. But…"

He let out a faint sigh. "Once reforms happen, the balance shifts. A sect is like rowing upstream—fall behind, and you're done."

"We Chongxu Sect merely seek stability through advancement—just staying in the 'Eight Gates' is enough. The Sida Sect? Not even worth considering for now…"

Elder Xun Ziyou nodded.

The Chongxu Sect elder smiled faintly, but inside, he pondered deeply.

"For now" not considering…

If that boy Linghu Xiao could fully unleash his talent, and perfect the Chongxu Sword Qi to its utmost limit…

Chongxu Sect might yet advance further.

On the surface, Tai'o Sect is clearly the strongest, but who will reach the Sida Sect first?

Before things settle, it's truly hard to say.

That boy Linghu Xiao's sword talent is far more terrifying than outsiders imagine…

Even within Chongxu Sect, only the Ancestor and a handful of direct-line elders know of it.

The world only knows Chongxu Sect has produced a sword prodigy once in five hundred years—but they have no idea just how "prodigious" this sword prodigy truly is…

The Chongxu Sect elder's heart trembled slightly.

Elder Xun Ziyou naturally had no idea what he was thinking.

The two chatted a while longer, then took their leave.

…

At this moment, Chongxu Sect's sword prodigy had silently followed Mo Hua across mountains and valleys, arriving at the gates of Lianyao Mountain.

"Materials from a Rank-Two Mid-Grade demon tree eagle, for merit points. Thank you."

Mo Hua handed over his storage bag, speaking politely.

"Rank-Two Mid-Grade?" The disciple at the gate, handling material exchanges, blinked in surprise. "Aren't you usually killing Rank-Two Low-Grade? Can you even kill Mid-Grade?"

Previously, Mo Hua often came to him, exchanging Rank-Two Low-Grade hawk-demon materials for merit points—they were fairly familiar.

Mo Hua smiled. "Lucky break."

The disciple shook his head.

There's no such thing as that much luck…

But he had no right to pry further.

Whatever the method, killing a demon beast proves ability.

He counted the materials—the feathers, bones, claws, fangs, and skull—did a quick mental calculation, then said:

"Total: two thousand six hundred and seventy-two merit points. Check it."

Mo Hua flipped through the list, confirmed it was correct, and nodded.

The merit points were transferred into his Tai Xu Token. Mo Hua then split half and gave it to Linghu Xiao.

Linghu Xiao froze.

He hadn't expected Mo Hua to be this generous—without even blinking, he'd given him such a massive sum of merit points.

So far, he'd never met a sect disciple so "lavish" and generous.

And this disciple, so generous toward him, wasn't even from Chongxu Sect—he was from Tai Xu Sect, someone he'd met only once, and who'd once had a misunderstanding with him…

Linghu Xiao's emotions grew complicated.

But Mo Hua stared at Linghu Xiao, his thoughts shifting.

This young sword prodigy's sword technique was truly formidable.

From the sword qi, he must be practicing Chongxu Sect's core scripture—the Chongxu Sword Qi Art.

He could never learn such a technique.

He could never cultivate such sword qi.

But such a powerful swordsman? Worth recruiting—could make a good enforcer…

Mo Hua blinked, revealing a fox-like smile.

(End of Chapter)

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