Chapter 996: Sword Pointing to the Four Sects

Disciples reside outside, in a remote forest.

Ancient trees tower skyward, their branches and leaves thick and lush.

Mo Hua stands beneath the ancient tree.

This towering ancient tree is precisely the one he uses to train his spiritual awareness into a sword.

Hundreds of disciples gather together, surrounding Mo Hua.

These disciples were assembled by Cheng Mo at Mo Hua's instruction—junior brothers of the Grand Void Gate.

These disciples are, of course, not all of them.

It is the final year of cultivation in the sect; most disciples are busy, each with their own tasks.

Some are secluded in cultivation, some are venturing out to hunt demons, some are refining their Dao arts, some continue taking bounties, and others are studying arrays, talismans, pill refining, and weapon forging.

Mo Hua's impromptu gathering has already drawn this many disciples—that's quite good.

Among these, the vast majority are disciples of the Grand Void Mountain line, with only a few from the Tai'e Mountain and Chongxu Mountain lines.

The Grand Void Mountain disciples share the same lineage and origin as Mo Hua, have spent long years together, and hold deep bonds; they trust and revere Mo Hua as their "Junior Brother."

If Mo Hua calls out, most Grand Void disciples who have free time will immediately rush over.

The Tai'e and Chongxu lines were only recently merged into the Grand Void Gate; their disciples are much more distant toward Mo Hua.

Of course, Mo Hua doesn't care.

These disciples here are sufficient for now.

In the small grove, hundreds of disciples stand or sit, densely packed in a circle, silently watching Mo Hua.

"Junior Brother, why did you summon us here?" someone asked.

Others' gazes also carried varying degrees of confusion.

Mo Hua spoke bluntly:

"Will you all participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly?"

Some disciples nodded, others shook their heads.

Mo Hua asked them: "Why not go?"

The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then someone said:

"Junior Brother, my foundation is shallow, my Qi Circulation count is low…"

"I'm not good at combat…"

"My Dao art is weak."

"I don't know who to team up with…"

"The Sword Discussion Assembly is a major event, a grand occasion—with so many watching, I… I'm nervous…"

"Yes, my strength is already insufficient; I shouldn't go up there and make a fool of myself."

"If I lose badly in front of so many, it might bring shame to the sect—we'd feel guilty…"

The disciples debated among themselves; ultimately, it boiled down to either lack of confidence, inability to fight others, or fear of disgracing the sect.

After all, the entire sect has many disciples, each with different aptitudes and temperaments.

Not everyone possesses the ability or the mindset for killing and combat.

Mo Hua paused, then said:

"You all know the scoring system of the Sword Discussion Assembly, right?"

"As long as you win even one match—even the smallest, earliest match—you contribute one victory point to the sect."

The disciples nodded.

They were aware of this system.

But…

"One victory point… is really just… insignificant…" a disciple murmured.

Mo Hua shook his head, "Do not disregard small good deeds."

"It may seem like only one victory point, but sand accumulates into a tower; if gathered in sufficient quantity, it establishes the ultimate advantage."

"This isn't about one victory point—it's about your contribution to the sect."

Mo Hua's gaze burned brightly:

"We are all members of the Grand Void Gate, sharing its glory and shame."

"For the Grand Void Gate to flourish and grow strong, it needs the effort of every disciple."

"When you participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly, you are not fighting only for yourselves—you are fighting for the sect's honor and interests."

"Even if you lose, you lose with honor."

"Others may mock you, but the sect's ancestors, the sect master, and every elder will recognize your effort, your dedication to the sect."

"And if you win—even one match, one point—you have made a tangible contribution to the Grand Void Gate's victory."

"Without small steps, one cannot reach a thousand li."

"Victory is never achieved overnight—it is built, bit by bit, through accumulation…"

"The Grand Void Gate is not the Grand Void Gate of one or two heavenly prodigies—it is the Grand Void Gate of every disciple!"

"The Grand Void Gate's strength depends on every disciple."

Mo Hua's tone was sincere, piercing straight to the heart.

Upon hearing this, the disciples' hearts stirred.

They did not wish to avoid the Sword Discussion Assembly—they merely felt their efforts were insignificant against the sea of heavenly prodigies, and thus had retreated in hesitation.

Mo Hua understood this well.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary disciples are merely "cannon fodder"; whether they compete or not truly makes little difference.

The sect won't force disciples to compete; it's entirely up to them.

But the situation now is different.

After the three sects merged, the number of junior disciples in Grand Void Gate has more than tripled.

And they've just happened to have Mo Hua as their "young senior brother."

"But, young senior brother…" a disciple whispered, "I want to go, but my strength is truly too weak…"

"And I don't even know how to fight others…"

"Me neither—I've never trained in combat…"

"If I really go up, I probably won't win a single match…"

Mo Hua merely waved his hand. "It's fine. You haven't debated swords, but haven't you hunted demons?"

Everyone froze.

Mo Hua continued: "If you truly don't know how to fight or how to win, treat the sword debate as 'hunting demons.'"

"You're not going to debate swords—you're going to hunt five 'human-form demon beasts.'"

With this, many disciples suddenly stopped feeling nervous.

They hadn't debated swords, but they were very familiar with hunting demons.

Especially after Mo Hua systematized the "hunting demons" process, even disciples who were least skilled in combat or disliked fighting could, by following the steps precisely, kill one or two demon beasts in Demon-Slaying Mountain and harvest their pelts for merit points.

"But…" a disciple said, "debating swords and hunting demons are still different, aren't they?"

Demon beasts have thick hides and strong power, but their habits are fixed.

Cultivators are different—flexible, unpredictable, and full of cunning.

One is against beasts, the other against humans—these two kinds of combat require entirely different mindsets.

Mo Hua said confidently: "Don't worry—I've thought it all through. When the time comes, follow my instructions: unify your formation, equip array tools, match your spirit weapons, and stick to the battle strategy."

"Treat yourselves as Dao soldiers. Don't fear. Focus entirely. Just execute orders. Winning is great; losing doesn't matter. It's a sword debate—it won't kill anyone."

After Mo Hua's words, everyone's eyes lit up involuntarily.

Seeing their fighting spirit rise, Mo Hua's tone grew enthusiastic:

"Every disciple in Qianxue Province has only one chance in their life to participate in a sword debate. I don't believe you truly want to give up this opportunity."

"If you don't want to give up, then fight for it."

"Qianxue Province is filled with renowned sects, with prodigies like clouds and countless experts."

"But no matter how excellent your talent, how high your cultivation, or how strong your power, a prodigy is still just a human—not inherently superior to you."

"Under the Dao, all beings are grass and dogs."

"If all are grass and dogs, who is nobler than whom?"

"The Dao is long and arduous; a cultivator's life is filled with countless hardships."

"You must not lose your drive to advance, nor your courage to draw your sword against the strong."

"Besides, it's a sword debate—you lose nothing, but win big if you win!"

"Even if you face a prodigy from the Sida Sect, you must find a way to bite off a piece of flesh from them!"

These words rang with conviction.

The disciples were swept up in fervor.

Some felt their hearts swell with ambition, their eyes turning slightly red.

When Mo Hua sensed their emotions had calmed slightly, he spoke solemnly: "There's one more crucial point…"

He looked at them all, slowly saying:

"During this sword debate, we will surely face 'encirclement' from the Sida Sect—and even the Qitage Sect. The process will be extremely difficult. But don't forget… this is the sect's reform sword debate!"

"In other words, this sword debate will determine our sect's ranking!"

"If we truly defeat the Sida Sect, then Grand Void Gate will become one of the Sida Sects from now on!"

Mo Hua's gaze was calm as he scanned the crowd, speaking slowly and clearly:

"Think about it… when you entered, you were disciples of the Eight Gates. But when you graduate, you'll be among the top-tier prodigies of the Sida Sects in Qianxue Province!"

All the disciples froze.

Sida Sect disciples!!

They had never considered this before.

Not because they couldn't imagine it—but because they never dared to think in that direction.

What kind of sects are the Sida Sects? How easily could one cross their threshold?

What kind of miracle could this be?

But now, after Mo Hua spoke, the hidden ambition within their hearts spread like wild grass stirred by spring wind.

Mo Hua's tone grew sharp: "To be blunt, with our talent, we're not even qualified to join the Sida Sects…"

"Since we can't join the Sida Sects…"

Mo Hua's voice rang clear and steady, his gaze shining brilliantly like starlight: "Then let our own efforts turn our sect into the Sida Sect!"

These words struck like morning bells and evening drums, shaking their souls.

The Grand Void Gate disciples felt their chests tighten, then an endless battle fury erupted from within them like Xiong Xiongliehuo.

Turn our sect into the Sida Sect through our own efforts!

Not only these disciples—even distant Grand Void Gate elders who had been eavesdropping were stunned.

Their hearts pounded thump-thump.

Mo Hua's words applied to these elders too.

To be blunt, even these elders weren't qualified to enter the Sida Sects.

Some lacked the family background, cultivation, or ability to cross the threshold of the Sida Sect. Others were bound so tightly to the Grand Void Gate that their generations could only serve as its elders.

No matter how high their cultivation, as long as they possessed even a shred of shame, they could never betray their family to join the Sida Sect.

In this lifetime, they would never earn the title of "Sida Sect Elder."

But Mo Hua was right.

If the Grand Void Gate became the Sida Sect…

Then all of us, originally elders of the Eight Gates, would instantly be promoted, transforming into Sida Sect elders!

This would truly be… a fortune even ancestral graves emitting blue smoke couldn't match!

The Grand Void Gate's elders exchanged stunned glances, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Farther away, in a distant pavilion.

The Grand Void Gate's sect master also fell into a daze for a moment.

He had been eavesdropping too.

After all, Mo Hua had suddenly gathered so many disciples together—not only the elders were uneasy, but as sect master, he had to keep an eye out, lest trouble arise.

Thus, he had heard every word Mo Hua said.

The Grand Void Gate's sect master stood frozen for a moment, silently sighing:

This child Mo Hua—how could his mouth be so gifted? He spoke like a torrent, his tongue blossoming like lotus flowers, even stirring this Yuhua-stage sect master into a flush of hot-blooded passion.

After all, if the Grand Void Gate became the Sida Sect…

Then this Grand Void Gate sect master would become the Sida Sect sect master.

This was truly an unexpected, one-step-to-heaven turn of events.

Of course, he knew deep down that Mo Hua's words were merely sweet talk—turning them into reality would be no easy feat.

If the Sida Sect's position were so easily contested, would it still be the Sida Sect?

This child Mo Hua was merely painting a grand cake for his fellow disciples…

The Grand Void Gate's sect master shook his head.

Yet, gazing at the young faces in the forest—each glowing with hope—the Grand Void Gate's sect master was deeply moved.

Regardless of the outcome of this Sword Discussion…

These disciples might become the seeds of the Grand Void Gate.

One day, scattered across the Nine Provinces, they would grow into a vast, flourishing forest.

He turned his head again toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua stood beneath a great tree.

His slender figure was half-hidden by leaves, yet his aura subtly merged with the towering ancient tree behind him.

In a daze, Mo Hua seemed to *be* that sky-piercing tree, shading the entire forest, covering all of Grand Void Mountain.

"Tree…"

The Grand Void Gate's sect master's pupils shrank.

That night, when the long night blazed like day, the divine tree loomed vast, a thousand trees and ten thousand trees obscuring Grand Void—its image rose again in his mind.

The Grand Void Gate's sect master was startled, staring at Mo Hua with disbelief.

After a moment, he rubbed his forehead and murmured:

"I've thought too much lately—easily falling into wild imaginings. What even is this…?"

Mo Hua merely stood beneath a tree—what connection could that have to the divine tree omen I glimpsed that night…?

The Grand Void Gate's sect master shook his head.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Mo Hua watched the spirited crowd and nodded in satisfaction, concluding:

"I've arranged the tactics—follow my instructions."

"In Qianxue Province, prodigies abound; you don't need to stand out or shock the world to win the top prize to be victorious."

"Our goal is to give our all. Even winning one match counts as a win."

"Every victory, no matter how insignificant, will lay the foundation for the Grand Void Gate's ultimate triumph."

"The more you win, the higher the Grand Void Gate will climb toward the Sida Sect's position."

"This is for you—and for the sect!"

"From this moment, we begin preparations. Three months from now, our swords will point toward the Sword Discussion Mountain, aiming for the Sida Sect!"

After Mo Hua spoke, the crowd erupted.

The junior disciples of the Grand Void Gate, eyes blazing with fervor, shouted: "Yes, Younger Brother Mo!"

Hundreds surged with passion, hearts pounding, their cries shaking Lin Yue.

The watching elders, stunned, also found it incredible.

Mo Hua's prestige among the disciples—and this kind of influence—left even these Grand Void Gate elders feeling utterly outreached.

The Grand Void Gate's sect master, his thoughts roiling, stared at Mo Hua with deep contemplation.

…

Afterward, Mo Hua began frantic preparations.

Pretty words are easy to speak—the key is how you act.

First, the issue of team formation.

The Sword Discussion is a five-person format, with no substitutes. If you're short-handed, you'll have to fight four against five.

This is also a warning to the disciples.

In the real cultivation world, battles are brutal—there is no true "fairness," and no one waits for you to be ready.

If you can't even guarantee a full team, then losing the Sword Discussion is your own fault.

Since it's five versus five, team composition matters greatly.

Previously, team assignments, aside from top disciples, mostly followed the principle of "voluntary self-organization."

Disciples with similar cultivation levels and deep friendships formed teams together.

This had advantages and disadvantages.

The benefit was greater synergy, but the drawback was that their cultivation systems lacked complementarity, failing to unleash stronger combat power.

Mo Hua simply broke up most disciples' existing teams and reassigned them anew.

He used cultivation level as the baseline and disciples' friendships as a reference.

Most importantly, he ensured disciples' team pairings were more complementary, producing unexpected effects in battle, and combined with appropriate formations and spirit artifacts, achieved a result greater than the sum of its parts…

Some disciples understood these things, but they couldn't do it themselves.

Some couldn't bear to abandon close friends;

some lacked social skills and couldn't find other teammates;

others were clueless about their own abilities and had no idea who to team up with.

Their cultivation had always been solitary, lacking coordination.

Thus, they couldn't accomplish such unified team assignments themselves.

Likewise, the Grand Void Gate's elders couldn't do it either.

Because they were elders, there was a status gap between them and the disciples, and they lacked genuine, intimate understanding of the vast majority of disciples.

Without understanding the situation, they couldn't properly assign teams.

Forced pairings would either result in mismatched teams or breed resentment among disciples.

Moreover, their time and energy were limited, and most of their attention was focused on the chosen ones.

Therefore, such large-scale, sect-wide coordination of disciples could only be done by Mo Hua.

He was the junior elder, lived and cultivated daily with fellow disciples, was deeply familiar and close to them, and his words carried weight and high prestige.

Previously, when disciples hunted demons, they used tactics he had devised.

Many of the strategies disciples used for bounty missions also originated from his planning.

All these things Mo Hua had done before were now gradually laying the foundation for the Grand Void Gate's Sword Discussion.

Moreover, Mo Hua's team assignments for disciples incorporated practical combat considerations and many nuances.

First, there must be a frontline, equipped with a shield artifact or a Earth-element body cultivator, thick-skinned and tough, to draw enemy fire.

Second, there must be one or two vanguards—sword cultivators or body cultivators, balanced in offense and defense, skilled at charging and slashing.

Then, there must be a spirit cultivator or a sword cultivator who cultivates sword qi, responsible for casting ranged spiritual arts.

Finally, add a functional cultivator.

This disciple must have a specific strength—whether skilled in reconnaissance, stealth attacks, or control spells, and so on.

Only then is it a complete team.

It can advance or retreat, attack or defend, and handle most combat scenarios.

Of course, this kind of team could only be formed by disciples with decent cultivation.

Some disciples, who were poor at combat, lacked strong cultivation, had narrow social circles, and no standout abilities, could only "get by" and rely on luck.

Mo Hua assigned some "odd" teams.

For example, the "Fast Runner" team.

All five excelled in movement techniques—when they couldn't win, they ran; if they could draw, they drew; with good luck, they might even win a round.

There was also the "Unbreakable" team.

Entirely composed of body cultivators who were only thick-skinned and tough, their goal was simply to "outlast" opponents.

Mo Hua also assigned some "Cleaver Teams."

Tai'e, Chongxu, and Grand Void all cultivated swords.

In fact, most disciples across Qianxue Province also cultivated swords.

Otherwise, the Qianxue martial competition wouldn't be called the "Sword Discussion."

But with so many sword cultivators, personnel became redundant, making balanced team composition impossible.

Among these sword cultivators, many were "fools" like Cheng Mo.

Aside from being sword cultivators, they had no other strengths, were hard to classify, refused to think strategically, and were reckless.

Tactics were useless to them.

They couldn't execute even moderately complex tactics.

Mo Hua could only group them together into "Cleaver Teams" and tell them:

"During the Sword Discussion, don't overthink it. Don't obsess over winning or losing—just slash at anyone you see, and let the outcome be what it may…"

This message was plain, easy to understand, simple to follow, and stirring.

A group of sword-wielding fools cheered loudly:

"Junior Elder Mo is brilliant!"

Additionally, there were other bizarre teams, designed purely for surprise—win one round, and that's victory.

As long as you win one round, it's a win.

After the teams were largely set, Mo Hua made a few adjustments based on disciples' preferences, confirmed they were generally sound, and then began formal drills.

At this moment, the Grand Void Sect Master brought a tall, upright youth before Mo Hua and introduced him:

"Mo Hua, this is the prodigy disciple from the Tai'e Mountain lineage I mentioned to you earlier—Ouyang Xuan."

(End of Chapter)