Chapter 873: Expectation

In the following days, Mo Hua was distracted.

All the experiences in the Sword Tomb remained vivid in his mind.

The pitch-black night, the desolate dead graves, the scattered broken swords, the terrifying Ancestor—each detail often surfaced in his thoughts.

Of course, most importantly, this mysterious Ancestor of the Forbidden Zone had promised to teach him the True Scripture of Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword!

But Mo Hua's heart was uneasy.

He wasn't sure whether this Ancestor would truly keep his word and teach him the Spiritual Sword technique.

"Could this Ancestor be deceiving me?"

"Probably not…"

Mo Hua shook his head, "He's an Ancestor, a Void-Exploration cultivator—why would he waste time tricking a mere Foundation Establishment disciple?"

"But what if this Ancestor breaks his promise…"

Mo Hua furrowed his brows.

The Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword was within reach.

Yet it also seemed impossibly distant, elusive.

For the following days, Mo Hua spent his time in this state of anxious uncertainty.

Until seven days later.

Mo Hua tidied his attire, sat upright in the disciple quarters, waiting for the Ancestor to come and "fetch" him.

But he waited and waited, and the expected tear in space never appeared.

Mo Hua grew restless.

But it was still early, so he forced himself to wait patiently.

Finally, near midnight, a terrifying disturbance suddenly surged forth.

Space was ripped open without warning.

A spatial crack appeared, and a withered, bony hand reached out.

Having gained experience, Mo Hua was no longer nervous—he calmly allowed the hand to seize him and drag him into the spatial rift.

Around him, darkness shimmered with brilliance; space flickered in birth and death, laws fragmented and chaotic.

When he opened his eyes, night was ink-black, the bright moon hung high, broken swords and dead graves covered the ground, Lin Mu stood dark and silent.

It was the back mountain Forbidden Zone.

There, the Grand Void Ancestor, sealed by countless arrays and chains, sat alone amid the mountains.

Mo Hua exhaled in relief.

It seemed this powerful Ancestor had not broken his word—he truly intended to teach him the Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword.

Meanwhile, the bearded old man silently watched Mo Hua, recalling the scene seven days prior: the bamboo sword bearing the name "Mo Hua" returning to the tomb, the Forbidden Zone trembling with sword qi, broken swords humming, ancient sword intent awakening, white smoke rising from the graves, coalescing into sword clouds—a magnificent omen.

"The reason the Sword Tomb emitted smoke… was because of this child."

The bearded old man's gaze turned solemn.

Why?

This meant… the true inheritance of the True Scripture of Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword truly belonged to this child.

This is the sign of the Grand Void Sect's Spiritual Sword Dao reviving.

Upon seeing the old man, Mo Hua bowed and said, "Ancestor, greetings."

The bearded old man spoke slowly, "My surname is Du Gu."

Mo Hua froze, then quickly clasped his hands and bowed, "Ancestor Du Gu, greetings."

The old man gave a slight nod, "From today, I shall transmit to you the Grand Void Sect's secret technique—'Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword'—a technique long classified as a 'Prohibited Art'!"

Mo Hua's spirit surged; he bowed deeply and respectfully said:

"Disciple thanks Ancestor for the gift of the Dao."

Ancestor Du Gu nodded, his expression grave, and spoke directly:

"Grand Void Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword begins with the sword and ends with the spirit."

"Use the sword to refine Qi, refine Qi to nourish the heart, let the heart enter the soul, refine the soul to forge the spirit, let the spirit exit the body, transform spiritual mind into sword intent—only then can you strike down."

"When perfected, sword, Qi, and spirit become one—flesh, spiritual power, and spiritual mind can all be severed; demons, monsters, and malevolent spirits can all be slain…"

…

Nothing cannot be severed, nothing cannot be slain…

Mo Hua's heart trembled.

This sword scripture seemed far stronger than he had imagined.

"Did you understand?" asked Ancestor Du Gu.

Mo Hua nodded.

He firmly memorized Ancestor Du Gu's words, then, combining them with his own understanding of Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword, pondered for a moment before speaking slowly:

"Ancestor, when you spoke of 'using the sword to refine Qi,' did you mean learning sword techniques and condensing sword Qi?"

"And 'nourishing the heart with Qi' means that after prolonged sword practice, as sword Qi becomes refined, day and night, the sword naturally takes root in the heart—that is nurturing the sword heart;"

"And 'letting the heart enter the soul' means transforming one's sword Dao into a mental image and integrating it into one's spiritual soul…"

Just like the Seven Soul Blood Prison Eye of the Gui Shui Sect, which integrates a "Punishment Prison Diagram" as a mental image into the spiritual soul to cultivate a gaze that terrifies the spirit.

"Integrating the mental image into the spiritual soul is 'refining the spirit through the soul.'"

"And to unleash the full power of Spiritual Mind Turning into Sword, one must naturally 'let the spiritual soul exit the body,' transforming spiritual mind into sword intent…"

Mo Hua spoke with clarity and precision.

Ancestor Du Gu was astonished within.

This child's understanding of the Spirit Soul Dao, especially the transformation of sword qi into sword intent, is astonishingly profound—he grasps it at the slightest hint…

Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but harbor suspicion, asking Mo Hua: "Before… did you ever study this?"

Mo Hua's heart tightened, and he immediately shook his head: "No!"

Mo Hua's thoughts shifted slightly, then he added, "Disciple merely… because of his Spirit Sense Dao, has studied Spirit Sense more extensively, previously inquired far and wide, and pondered on his own—thus gaining only a superficial grasp, enough to understand the basic principles of Spirit Mind turning into sword…"

The Lone Ancestor made no comment, nor did he press further.

"Since you can understand, I won't need to explain further. You walk the path of Spirit Sense cultivation; thus, transforming sword qi into sword intent, and eventually letting your Spirit Soul exit the body, should come more easily to you."

"Exiting the body is harder, but Spirit Soul exit is not something you can learn yet—you must wait until Jin Dan…"

Mo Hua truly wanted to say he could already exit his Spirit Soul, but he thought better of it: his method of Spirit Soul exit was still crude, unlikely to impress someone of the Ancestor's caliber, so he stayed silent, lest he become a laughingstock.

More importantly, his Evil Embryo was parasitic within his Spirit Soul, sealed together with it.

His Spirit Soul could no longer exit the body.

The Lone Ancestor knew none of Mo Hua's private thoughts, and continued:

"Your Spirit Sense foundation is sufficient. If you wish to cultivate Spirit Mind Turning into Sword, your greatest problem is not your Spirit Mind—but your narrow sword foundation, weak sword qi, and shallow understanding of the sword."

Mo Hua whispered: "Ancestor, if I can't master sword qi, can I still learn Spirit Mind Turning into Sword?"

The Lone Ancestor countered: "Can a man learn to run before he learns to walk?"

Mo Hua froze, thought for a moment, and realized the Ancestor was right.

But his situation was somewhat unusual.

"What if…" Mo Hua said again, "someone truly mastered Spirit Mind Turning into Sword despite having a shallow sword foundation and weak sword qi?"

The Lone Ancestor frowned.

He had wanted to say "impossible," but given his experience and knowledge, he knew that in this world, strictly speaking, nothing was truly impossible.

Mid-Foundation Establishment, nineteen-mark peak Spirit Sense—he once thought that was impossible too.

Yet now he had seen it with his own eyes.

If that were so, then if someone truly mastered Spirit Mind Turning into Sword despite a shallow sword foundation…

It wasn't impossible.

Though he had never seen it happen in all his years.

But ultimately, learning Spirit Mind Turning into Sword without mastering the sword was like trying to fly without growing wings.

"Even if someone truly learned Spirit Mind Turning into Sword without cultivating the sword…" the Lone Ancestor's gaze burned, "his Spirit Mind-formed sword intent would still be crude, his Spirit Mind Sword Dao methods shallow, incapable of truly entering the hall, unable to unleash the full power of Spirit Mind Turning into Sword…"

Mo Hua felt inexplicably guilty.

The Ancestor was truly the Ancestor—he had guessed everything.

He had indeed mastered the Form of Transformation.

But the sword formed by his Spirit Mind, as the Ancestor said, was indeed extremely crude.

He had also learned the Startling Spirit Sword.

But this sword technique was cobbled together by borrowing and blending the pupil technique of the Gui Water Sect—there was certainly an element of blind guesswork, and it was hardly truly refined.

Mo Hua sighed.

The Art of Arrays was vast and profound; it seemed the sword Dao was no less so.

Any cultivator's Dao, if to be mastered and truly enter its hall, was never easy—it demanded immense effort and painstaking study.

It could not be achieved by random tinkering.

Mo Hua's heart grew considerably more humble.

But then he thought: even without mastering true Spirit Mind Turning into Sword, merely grasping fragments and superficial insights, he had already achieved such power, dominating the Spirit Dao.

Then if one day he truly mastered the genuine Spirit Mind Turning into Sword secret, what kind of unparalleled power would that be?

With Spirit Mind refined to rival the divine, wielding the most orthodox Transformation Sword Secret of the Grand Void Gate—wouldn't it…

Be enough to slay even true Evil Gods?

Mo Hua's heart pounded.

He unexpectedly thought of the Evil Embryo dwelling within his Life Soul…

The Lone Ancestor looked at Mo Hua, frowning slightly.

This child—sometimes sighing, sometimes disheartened, sometimes suddenly bright-eyed and full of anticipation, as if recalling something.

Do children who cultivate Spirit Sense always have such lively minds…?

Is it because cultivating Spirit Sense fills their Spirit Mind, making their thoughts restless?

The Lone Ancestor fell silent.

On the other side, Mo Hua, as if coming to some realization, nodded, his eyes gleaming:

"Ancestor, I understand now. Tell me—what exactly should I learn now?"

The Lone Ancestor paused, then said:

"You already know: true Spirit Mind Turning into Sword is not merely Spirit Mind alone—it is the union of sword, qi, and spirit, and only then can maximum power be unleashed."

"There are currently four Spirit Mind Sword Forms: Form of Transformation, Startling Spirit Form, Shatter Spirit Form, and Sever Spirit Form."

"But these Spirit Mind Sword Forms are still too early for you."

"Your greatest problem is your weak sword foundation. Thus, what you must do now is fill this gap, deepen your understanding of the sword Dao, and lay a solid foundation for Spirit Mind Turning into Sword."

"I have here a book, *Beginner's Explanation of the Sword Dao*. It contains my decades of insights on the sword Dao, along with methods for condensing sword qi—suitable for beginners."

"Take it back, study it carefully, and practice cultivating sword qi. Return in seven days—I'll see how far you've come…"

Mo Hua cherished and valued the *Beginner's Explanation of the Sword Dao* as he accepted it, bowing deeply:

"Thank you, Ancestor!"

The Lone Ancestor nodded, then tore open a rift in space and sent Mo Hua back to the disciples' quarters.

In the forbidden zone, only Master Du Gu remained.

He pondered within:

"This child… his foundation in sword Dao is weak, but his comprehension is high, his understanding of the soul is profound, and his Dao heart is exceptional."

"Could the hope of our Grand Void Gate's Soul-Reflection Sword Dao lineage truly… lie in this child?"

Even Master Du Gu, whose heart had been as dead ashes, could not help but stir a flicker of hope.

But his hope soon began to fade.

Seven days later.

When he once again brought Mo Hua to the forbidden zone to inspect his progress in sword cultivation, Master Du Gu's face turned ashen.

In terms of sword Dao knowledge and understanding, Mo Hua answered fluently.

Clearly, he had read the "Basic Treatise on Sword Dao" carefully—and thoroughly.

Yet, the sword qi he had cultivated was pitifully weak.

"You really trained?" Master Du Gu frowned.

"I did," Mo Hua affirmed.

"How did you train?"

"Exactly as the 'Basic Treatise on Sword Dao' instructed—strictly, without deviation. I trained every day, from dawn to dusk, whenever I had spare time."

"And this is what you've become?"

Mo Hua's expression was solemn: "I am only responsible for effort; the rest I leave to Heaven's will. But clearly, Heaven has betrayed me…"

These seven days, his training was as if wasted.

No matter how he trained, his sword qi barely improved.

Yet, this seemed normal.

His base was weak to begin with, his sword aptitude poor, he took up the path mid-stream, and had trained for only seven days—what results could he possibly achieve?

Master Du Gu fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "Very well, take it slowly."

He knew mastering sword techniques and forging a sword Dao foundation was no task for a single day—he had been too hasty.

In the past, the Grand Void Gate had only ever entrusted its Soul-Reflection Sword Dao lineage to cultivators who were truly one in a thousand, even one in ten thousand sword geniuses.

These geniuses learned sword techniques with astonishing speed.

Master Du Gu had always taught such sword geniuses, so he naturally misjudged the pace of ordinary sword cultivators.

Not to mention, Mo Hua was even worse than an ordinary sword cultivator.

In terms of spiritual root aptitude, he could be called a "sword idiot."

If the Grand Void Gate selected disciples by sword aptitude, someone like Mo Hua would not even be allowed to sweep the front gate, let alone receive personal instruction from the Ancestor in the forbidden rear mountain.

Mo Hua was also troubled.

He had studied, he had trained, but sword techniques—especially sword qi cultivation—were something you either could do or you couldn't.

He had no solution.

Master Du Gu silently regarded Mo Hua, did not press him further, but patiently offered a few more pointers, then said:

"Go back and keep training. In seven days, I'll bring you here again."

"Yes, Ancestor," Mo Hua replied respectfully, though his expression still carried a trace of confusion after Master Du Gu's explanation.

Master Du Gu was a Void-Perceiving cultivator, his mastery of sword Dao refined to perfection, his attainments at the peak.

In comparison, Mo Hua's understanding of sword techniques was extremely "naive."

Even though Master Du Gu believed he had explained things with sufficient "basic" clarity, these were the basics of a Void-Perceiving cultivator—still far too profound for Mo Hua to grasp easily.

Even though Elder Du Gu believed he had explained it well enough as "basic," this was the foundation of the Void Penetration realm, and in Mo Hua's eyes, it was still profoundly esoteric and difficult to comprehend.

No one is born knowing anything.

Anything difficult must be learned.

Learning doesn't guarantee mastery, but not learning guarantees failure.

Mo Hua then took up the "Basic Treatise on Sword Dao" and returned to his solitary study.

In the forbidden rear mountain, only Master Du Gu remained once more.

He could not help but sigh again.

"Can this child truly inherit the Soul-Reflection Sword Dao…?"

"Can this child truly inherit the Divine Thought Sword Transformation…?"

In his spare time thereafter, besides studying arrays, Mo Hua read sword Dao insights and trained his sword qi.

His understanding of sword Dao gradually deepened, but his control over sword qi remained painfully slow.

One day, after finishing his array lesson, Mo Hua was lost in thought about sword techniques and did not notice that Mr. Xun had quietly stood behind him.

Mr. Xun watched Mo Hua in silence, then asked: "What are you thinking about?"

Mo Hua jumped, looked up, saw it was Mr. Xun, and exhaled in relief. "Nothing—I was just pondering arrays…"

Mo Hua jumped in surprise, looked up, and saw it was Mr. Xun; only then did he sigh in relief and shake his head. "Nothing. I was just pondering the array."

He always felt that Mo Hua now seemed somehow different.

Some quality within him—whether "vital energy" or "karmic thread"—appeared to be subtly shifting.

Of course, Mr. Xun did not dwell on it.

Especially when he saw Mo Hua's weary expression, as if he had been obsessively studying and had not rested properly, his heart ached a little.

Especially upon seeing Mo Hua, his expression weary, as if he had been obsessively studying something without proper rest, his heart ached slightly.

"Diligence in studying arrays is commendable, but you must balance effort with rest. Don't overexert yourself—lest your soul energy be drained and your soul sea damaged."

"Studying arrays diligently is good, but be sure to balance work and rest—don't overexert yourself, or you may drain your spiritual sense and damage your consciousness sea."

Mo Hua felt moved, "Thank you, Mr. Xun."

Mr. Xun nodded, then turned and left; recent affairs entangled him, causes and effects intertwined, and he still had much to do.

Yet after taking only a few steps, Mr. Xun suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask Mo Hua:

"By the way, your spiritual sense..."

Before he could finish, as if sensing the profound spiritual aura emanating from Mo Hua, Mr. Xun's expression changed.

Without waiting for Mo Hua to speak, he said gravely, "Come with me."

Mo Hua followed Elder Xun out of the Lecture Hall, along the mountain path, into the Elder's Residence.

Inside the Elder's Residence, Mr. Xun closed the door, sealed the array, activated the compass to sever part of the karmic threads, and only then asked carefully:

"Your spiritual sense..."

His voice, unconsciously, carried a hint of hope.

Mo Hua did not hide it; he nodded, "It's grown stronger again—already at the peak of Nineteen Lines..."

Though his tone was humble, a trace of pride still lingered in his eyes.

At this, Mr. Xun's breath caught; his hands hidden in his sleeves trembled slightly.

Nineteen Lines... at the peak!

"You..." Mr. Xun paused, forcing himself to calm down, "Release your full spiritual sense. Let me see."

Mo Hua released his spiritual sense.

With trepidation, Mr. Xun confirmed it, then exhaled a long breath; moments later, his heart surged with emotion, and he repeated:

"Good, good, good..."

His gaze burned into Mo Hua; in his clouded eyes, a glimmer of light appeared, sweeping away years of weariness.

Heaven truly bestowed upon the Grand Void Gate a treasure!

May Liezulie Sect protect us...

The turning point has finally come.

In this chaotic karmic game, the Grand Void Gate now holds a piece capable of reversing heaven and earth!

Mr. Xun said, "From now on, you will remain within the sect—go nowhere else, take no more bounties. Attend the sect's lessons if you wish; if not, it doesn't matter."

"You need only do one thing: study arrays."

"I will teach you personally. Within one year, I will impart to you every array of the Second Rank's beginner, intermediate, and advanced stages—across all Five Elements and Eight Trigrams categories that I can teach you."

"This matter is more important than anything else."

"Within one year, you must fully comprehend and integrate all these arrays, mastering the Second Rank arrays to their utmost limit—become the supreme Second Rank Array Master, drawing from all schools, profound as the sea!"

Mr. Xun's tone was solemn beyond measure.

Second Rank Array Master...

Mo Hua was stunned, slightly dazed.

This was the first time he had heard such expectations from Mr. Xun, and never before had he seen such gravity on Mr. Xun's face.

As if this matter truly concerned the survival of the lineage, the fate of the sect...

After a moment's thought, Mo Hua's gaze turned solemn, and he nodded with solemn resolve.

"Yes, Mr. Xun!"