Chapter 795: The Tai Xu Diagram

Even after returning to the Elder's residence, Master Xun remained distracted.

Disciples with excellent spiritual roots are rare, but not nonexistent.

Especially within great clans and major sects, each generation produces some with top-grade spiritual roots.

Even the legendary, once-in-a-century Heaven Spiritual Root, he had seen in his lifetime.

But disciples with strong mental faculty potential are truly hard to encounter.

Mental faculty potential is utterly unobtrusive; it shows nothing in daily life.

Moreover, the cultivation world has no methods for "mental cultivation," and the spiritual path's lineage is scarce; some disciples with mental faculty potential, unaware of how to hone their consciousness sea or strengthen their mental energy, easily waste their natural gifts without realizing it.

And even if they do cultivate it, the path is difficult.

The path of mental faculty is ethereal, elusive, and perilous beyond measure.

If one cultivates mental faculty, all one's abilities focus on consciousness, resulting in extreme imbalance, with grave flaws and drawbacks.

Even if one possesses such potential, few cultivators truly choose this path.

Thus, disciples with strong mental faculty potential are hard to discover, hard to nurture, and hard to grow.

To date, the only disciple he had seen with extraordinary mental faculty potential was Mo Hua.

But Mo Hua's situation was very special.

This was no longer a matter of whether his potential was good or not.

At his realm, with this level of consciousness, he had already become "defying heaven," surpassing the understanding of ordinary cultivators—and even his own Void-Exploration Elder's understanding.

Master Xun drew in a sharp breath.

At the same time, he became even more certain of his earlier hypothesis:

"That person wants his disciple to walk the path of 'consciousness-certifying the Dao'!"

Master Xun sighed inwardly.

To make a lone cultivator walk such an obscure, unpopular, perilous, lineage-starved, pathless ancient road…

It was sheer fantasy.

And the audacity was truly immense!

Yet, this was exactly the sort of thing that person would do.

And…

Master Xun thought of Mo Hua, thought of his nineteen-stripe consciousness, and his heart trembled slightly.

He really made it work!

Mo Hua is still at Foundation Establishment, yet already possesses such profound consciousness foundations; given time, as his mental faculty is further honed, his future is unimaginable…

Consciousness is hard to cultivate, hard to train, with obscure methods and narrow applications.

But that's for ordinary cultivators.

If one truly becomes utterly unmatched on the path of consciousness, reaching full mastery of mental faculty, one becomes a truly terrifying "monster."

Master Xun's pupils narrowed slightly, and a name surfaced in his mind.

"The Deceiver Daoist…"

This name was taboo in both orthodox and demonic circles.

He was the Mo Sect's first—and possibly only—prodigy to be granted the title "Daoist" while still at Liu Yuhua realm.

And this "Deceiver Daoist" walked the path of mental faculty, his cultivation strange and unfathomable.

Even now, at Liu Yuhua, he appears and vanishes like a ghost, striking terror into all who hear of him.

Countless powerful cultivators have sought his life, yet none knew how to strike.

Once he breaks into Void-Exploration, no one can predict how he will die…

Moreover, Master Xun had a persistent premonition.

With the Deceiver Daoist's intellect and calculations, his departure from Liu Yuhua and his step through the void could not be far off…

When that day comes, what kind of heaven-defying calamity will unfold?

"So much suffering…."

Master Xun sighed deeply.

Then he raised his head, gazing through the floating clouds and mist of Tai Xu Mountain at the dim, uncertain sky of Qianxue Continent, and sighed again.

As for the Deceiver Daoist, set that aside for now.

The calamity now plaguing Qianxue Continent is likely no small matter either…

After a day of rest, Mo Hua's body was no longer seriously impaired.

His problem lay primarily at the level of consciousness.

The gentle, beautiful third-grade Alchemist Elder Murong examined his meridians, unblocked his Qi and blood, massaged the acupoints on his back and forehead, then said softly:

"I'll give you some pills to invigorate blood, dispel stasis, and calm the mind. Take them every morning upon waking. If you feel any discomfort afterward, come find me again."

Mo Hua moved his arms, and indeed felt much more comfortable; he smiled happily and said:

"Thank you, Elder Murong."

Elder Murong smiled and nodded.

Mo Hua bowed, then left the Alchemy Chamber.

Back at the disciples' residence,

Mo Hua sat in meditation for a moment, then eagerly took out the visualization chart Master Xun had given him—not given, but temporarily "lent" him.

The chart was stored in a jade box; the paper was ancient, with curled edges, its age impossible to guess.

Mo Hua extended his palm and gently stroked the chart, faintly sensing the ancient aura accumulated through centuries.

Yet he did not open it immediately; remembering Master Xun's instructions, he first bathed and calmed his mind, then lit the high-grade Peace-Inducing Incense.

The Anshen incense was inserted into the incense burner.

A flicker of flame ignited it; wisps of white smoke rose, drifted into the air, and transformed into a fragrant, serene aroma that slowly drifted through the room.

Mo Hua sniffed it, and indeed felt his soul refreshed, his thoughts clear.

"The old gentleman gave me something truly fine—though I wonder how many Spirit Stones it's worth; it's surely not cheap…"

Amid the swirling smoke of the Anshen incense, Mo Hua sat quietly for a while longer, then carefully unrolled the "clean" visualization chart gifted to him by Mr. Xun—the long-hidden treasure of the Grand Void Gate.

Upon the painting.

His eyes met a lush mountain range.

The mountains' contours were ancient and unadorned; amidst the emerald forests, deep ink tones lent a profound, timeless charm.

Among the woods stood a solemn, majestic Daoist courtyard.

Palaces and pavilions rose in tier upon tier, half-hidden among the mountains, merging seamlessly with the ancient peaks, having endured countless storms and centuries of change.

Above the forests, white clouds drifted in mist.

Immortal cranes flew across the sky; strange beasts vanished into the shadows, adding a vivid touch of celestial aura.

"Is this… the Grand Void Gate?"

Mo Hua stared at the visualization chart for a while, thinking it resembled it—but not quite.

The painting clearly depicted a sect.

But this sect was unmistakably larger than the Grand Void Gate; its palace and pavilion styles were similar, yet far more ancient, far older in origin.

Especially the sky above the sect—higher, purer, more upright.

"Is this the Grand Void Gate of the past?"

Mo Hua gazed for a moment, then shook his head, letting go of the thought.

"Better to begin the visualization first…"

He released his spiritual awareness, sensing the chart—and truly found no trace of demonic or malevolent energy, just as Mr. Xun had said: it was a "clean" visualization chart.

"Rare indeed…"

Mo Hua gathered all his thoughts and began to focus on the visualization.

White clouds, mountain hues, mist-shrouded terraces, the ancient, time-worn Gushan Dao Courtyard—all these scenes filled his heart with stillness.

A pure, lofty aspiration for the Dao rose like gentle rain, nourishing his inner field.

In but a moment, Mo Hua felt all his demonic influences, malevolent energies, restless thoughts, and greedy desires washed clean.

His spiritual awareness barely increased at all.

But his Dao heart became far clearer.

"This is…"

Mo Hua's heart startled.

Could this truly be the real "visualization chart"?

Sitting in meditation, comprehending the painting's essence, purifying spiritual awareness, cleansing the Dao heart?

Had all the ones he encountered before been demonic, corrupted fakes?

Mo Hua slowly nodded.

No wonder his master had told him that visualization charts were the ultimate treasures of cultivators, secret treasures of great clans and even the Dao Court.

Yet he also warned that visualization charts concealed peril, their truth and falsehood indistinguishable, dreadfully dangerous…

True visualization charts contain pure, upright essence—they strengthen spiritual awareness and refine the Dao heart, truly peerless treasures.

False visualization charts harbor demonic spirits and corpse-ghosts—they devour spiritual consciousness and corrupt the Dao heart, truly dreadfully dangerous.

Truth and falsehood are indistinguishable; fortune and misfortune coexist.

Ordinary cultivators truly struggle to tell them apart.

"But…" Mo Hua frowned slightly, "after my visualization, my spiritual awareness doesn't seem to have strengthened much?"

"Is it that I'm using it wrong—or does the Grand Void Gate's visualization chart only refine the Dao heart, offering negligible benefit to spiritual awareness?"

Mo Hua looked up again at the chart, puzzled, then said:

"Enough. Contentment brings joy. If it refines my Dao heart and cleanses my demonic thoughts, that's enough. One must not be greedy…"

Mo Hua settled his mind and continued the visualization.

He visualized for an hour, his spiritual awareness clear and unobstructed, free of any demonic or restless desires.

Mo Hua felt it was sufficient, and reverently rolled up the visualization chart.

Mr. Xun had instructed him: one hour per day, no less, no more—moderation is best.

He who heeds advice eats his fill.

After putting away the chart, Mo Hua took out his storage bag and pulled out a broken sword.

It was a white-bone broken sword, entirely pale and eerie in appearance.

It was the very broken sword housing the Sword Bone Head.

Such eerie bone swords were, by right, forbidden from being brought into the sect.

Mo Hua pleaded with Mr. Xun, saying he needed this bone sword for great purposes, and swore it would cause no trouble.

After a moment's thought, Mr. Xun nodded and allowed Mo Hua to bring the bone sword into Ru Sect.

The other elders could only pretend not to notice.

But certain rules still had to be followed.

This bone sword had been "registered" with the Mountain Entry Elder.

It could enter the mountain without inspection, and be carried into the disciples' quarters.

But if any demonic incident occurred within the sect, Mo Hua would naturally be the first suspect.

Mo Hua didn't want to take the blame.

Therefore, for safety's sake, he added the Divine Lock Array to the bone sword to seal away the evil thoughts, and the Divine Mist Array to conceal its aura.

Not giving the bone sword even the tiniest chance to stir.

After ensuring absolute safety, Mo Hua gently lifted a corner of the array, stirred his divine sense slightly, sensed the aura within the broken sword, then whispered:

"Hey…"

No response.

"Bone Sword, are you dead?"

Bone Sword: "..."

"Speak!"

"Oh oh," Bone Sword immediately replied, "thanks to Xiaozu, I'm still alive..."

Mo Hua frowned. "Don't call me 'Xiaozu.' I'm not old, and I'm not a malevolent spirit—why call me 'ancestor'?"

You may not be a malevolent spirit, but you eat malevolent spirits...

Bone Sword thought to himself.

"Then... what should I call you?" Bone Sword whispered.

"Figure it out yourself," Mo Hua said.

Bone Sword immediately understood, and his heart sank.

This was a test—seeing whether he understood the situation, had the wit to read the air, could recognize the power dynamics.

The current situation was crystal clear.

Bone Sword bowed respectfully. "Then, may I address you as... 'Master'?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "I don't like those two words—no one in this world ought to be another's master."

Bone Sword froze.

What did that mean?

He didn't quite understand.

Then he said again: "Then may I call you... 'my lord'?"

Mo Hua's expression hardened. "Are you mocking me for not growing up?"

In reality, he could grow—he wasn't obvious about it, but his height did increase a little each year.

But his divine sense's avatar seemed forever stuck in the state before the Foundation Establishment realm, before the "transformation of divine perception."

He didn't know if he'd ever grow taller in this form.

So when this malevolent spirit called him "my lord," Mo Hua was deeply displeased.

"No, no..."

Sensing Mo Hua's displeasure, the scene of countless demonic spirits dying, devoured by Mo Hua, flashed before his eyes, and his skull trembled with dread.

This won't do, that won't do either...

Bone Sword's mind raced, and he hurriedly said:

"Then... may I still call you 'Young Master'?"

Mo Hua was about to say no.

Too many Young Masters in Qianxue Prefecture, and the masterminds behind these misdeeds were also Young Masters—he found the title unpleasant.

But Mo Hua reconsidered, dismissed the thought, and nodded.

"Fine. From now on, call me 'Young Master.'"

Bone Sword exhaled deeply.

This Xiaozu was truly hard to please.

Serving a lord is like serving a tiger.

More importantly, he really was a tiger that ate people—so not a single moment of carelessness was allowed.

Bone Sword quickly pledged loyalty:

"Then I shall call you 'Young Master.' From now on, should Young Master give any order, Bone Sword will brave fire and water, without hesitation."

"Hmm."

Mo Hua was slightly satisfied, and added:

"Stay inside, don't come out, don't play any tricks—if the sect elders or ancestral spirits find out, I can't save you."

"And if it comes to that, I'll have to crush you first, erase all traces."

"Remember that!"

Bone Sword's heart tightened, and he hurriedly replied:

"Yes, yes, I will remember every word of Young Master!"

Mo Hua nodded, then resealed the array, checked it thoroughly, confirmed not a trace of evil aura leaked out, and finally relaxed.

He truly had great use for Bone Sword.

First, as his life-bound treasure.

His own forging experience was insufficient.

But Bone Sword's former self was a master smith with deep knowledge of forging, orthodox lineage, and who had cast countless demonic swords.

He would need him in the future to nurture his life-bound treasure, even to forge its embryonic form.

Second, for divine sense infiltration.

Mo Hua's own divine sense couldn't leave his body voluntarily.

In the future, if he encountered some malevolent spirits—if they were wise enough to invite him into their dreams, that would be fine.

But if these evil entities refuse to cooperate, he could only stare helplessly, with no way to act.

Even something like the Spirit-Refining Map, a divine thought artifact, he could not infiltrate unless he knew the "sacrifice" ritual.

With the sword bone and this broken white bone sword, he now had a "medium," through which he could use the Divine Path array technique to construct a Divine Lock bridge, linking the medium and intruding into other divine thought artifacts to achieve divine thought infiltration.

Of course, this was merely Mo Hua's hypothesis.

In practice, there would likely be many complications.

But having a way is better than having none.

Mo Hua put away the broken white bone sword; seeing night had fallen, he sank his divine awareness into his mind sea and continued practicing arrays on the Dao Stele…

The Elder sat in the center.

Though it was deep night, the white-haired Elder Xun Ziyou still bent over his desk, organizing some Juan Sect texts and arrays.

After a while, Elder Xun Ziyou arrived.

He had been away on affairs these past days and, having just returned to the sect, came straight to visit Elder Xun Ziyou despite the late hour, weary from travel.

He knew that, with so much happening, the Ancestor must still be awake.

Elder Xun Ziyou waited respectfully outside the door.

"Enter."

Elder Xun Ziyou said calmly.

Elder Xun Ziyou bowed, entered the room, and told Elder Xun Ziyou every detail of what he had learned:

"The Dao Court has found out—likely because spies were planted within Qianxue Province's borders. Though they sealed the news, they still couldn't hide it from the Dao Court…"

"But this matter has been suppressed by the Sida Sect in unison."

"After all, if this were exposed, it would cause panic, triggering inevitable investigations, and the sect's reform would inevitably be delayed."

"Reform should be done early, not late. Delay it for years or even decades, and circumstances may change, making it impossible to push forward ever again."

"Thus, the Sida Sect all wish to avoid stirring up trouble. To them, the sect reform is the single most important matter now—they naturally won't let the Spirit-Refining Mountain incident disrupt the bigger picture or ruin their plans."

"Of course," Elder Xun Ziyou said, with a touch of grim satisfaction, "a heavy bloodletting is unavoidable."

"To suppress this matter, they must feed the big mouths above."

"The Dao Court's appetite is enormous—and hard to satisfy…"

Elder Xun Ziyou nodded slightly. "What about Duanjin Gate?"

Elder Xun Ziyou said: "Because of these disciples, the Jin family has completely fallen. The Grand Elder has retired; other Jin family elders retain their positions—for now—because Duanjin Gate seeks stability and doesn't want to escalate matters and provoke suspicion…"

"But these Jin family elders now have no chance of further advancement, and these positions will never be inherited by Jin family disciples again."

"After the Jin family's fall, the Song family has taken their place."

"The former vice-patriarch of Duanjin Gate—the Jin family scion who died in the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, Jin Yicai's father—was the most likely candidate to succeed as patriarch."

"Now, that's impossible."

"The next patriarch or elder will be chosen from the Song family."

"For the next several years, even decades, Duanjin Gate will gradually 'reshuffle,' purging Jin family disciples and allowing the Song family to rise step by step."

"In the future, Duanjin Gate may well become the 'Song' Gate…"

Elder Xun Ziyou sighed.

The Jin family's influence in Duanjin Gate was the result of centuries of painstaking effort by their Ancestor and generations of elders.

Now, because of a few reckless disciples, it was all lost in a single day.

Watching this, Elder Xun Ziyou felt a sudden sense of awe—as if a towering building had risen, only to collapse abruptly.

From now on, for the Jin family to regain power would be exceedingly difficult.

And the Song family, suppressed for centuries, now risen, would certainly not make things easy for the Jin family.

Elder Xun Ziyou's mind stirred, and he whispered to Elder Xun Ziyou:

"Ancestor, now that the situation in Duanjin Gate has changed, shouldn't we…?"

Elder Xun Ziyou understood his meaning and immediately shook his head.

"Don't even think about it."

Elder Xun Ziyou was puzzled.

Elder Xun Ziyou said calmly: "When Duanjin Gate was ruled by the Jin family, it was at odds with our Grand Void Gate. Now that the Song family rules, they will likewise target our Grand Void Gate."

"The Duanjin Gate lineage is close to the Sida Sect."

"They act according to the Sida Sect's wishes, and…"

Elder Xun Ziyou paused.

And judging from the Ten Thousand Demons Valley incident and the sect reform, there may be deeper "collusion" involved.

But without evidence, Elder Xun Ziyou did not say it outright.

He looked at Elder Xun Ziyou and said:

"Do you think the Jin family fell because of us, and the Song family rose because of our help, so we have a debt from them?"

Elder Xun Ziyou slowly nodded.

Elder Xun Ziyou sighed and shook his head. "You're thinking too simply…"

"Whether the Jin family rules or the Song family takes over, Duanjin Gate remains Duanjin Gate."

"Mountains and rivers may change, but nature is hard to alter."

"Moreover, in Qianxue Province, dark storms are brewing. To maintain stability, the Song family won't possibly change course and ally with the Grand Void Gate, which has never had any ties with them."

"Internally, they will suppress the Jin family; externally, they will still court the Sida Sect, using the name 'Duanjin Gate' to absorb all the old networks the Jin family once controlled."

"That is the correct approach."

Elder Xun Ziyou suddenly understood, then looked at Elder Xun Ziyou with admiration.

The Ancestor is truly worthy of the title.

"Then this time, regarding the negotiations with the Broken Gold Gate…" Elder Xun Ziyou asked.

Mr. Xun's gaze was sharp as he said in a low voice:

"Show no mercy—squeeze them dry!"

"If you hold back, they won't remember your kindness; instead, they'll think the Grand Void Gate is weak and easy to bully."

"Cut them deep enough to make them bleed—they may harbor resentment, but they'll know the Grand Void Gate is not to be trifled with."

Elder Xun Ziyou bowed his hands. "Yes, Ancestor."

"There's one more matter…"

Mr. Xun's eyes darkened with thought, then he said: "After these negotiations, set aside one portion of the assets the Broken Gold Gate cedes—record it under…"

Mr. Xun paused, then spoke slowly:

"Record it under 'Mo Hua'."

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