Chapter 998: The Highest Good Is Like Water

"Dao soldiers" are an extremely powerful cultivation combat force.

Ordinary cultivators, limited by their talent and cultivation level, can combine into Dao soldiers through formations, array techniques, and spirit weapon enhancements, uniting as one to stand against exceptionally gifted cultivators.

This is a martial array art that transforms the mundane into the miraculous.

Uniting the weak to confront powerful enemies.

In cultivation history, some demonic tyrants whose personal power was so immense that cultivators of the same realm could not match them were ultimately crushed to death by swarms of Dao soldiers with ironclad Dao hearts and fearless determination.

Before vast, well-equipped, fully formed Dao soldiers, even the most gifted prodigies must avoid their edge.

Ordinary cultivators, when formed into Dao soldiers, are already this formidable.

What of prodigy cultivators?

If prodigy cultivators formed into Dao soldiers, would they not be utterly unstoppable, with no one able to stand against them?

Throughout cultivation history, countless clans, sects, and secret organizations, openly or covertly, have attempted to breed "prodigy Dao soldiers."

Aside from a handful of rare successes, the rest have essentially all failed.

First, the cost is far too high.

Raising ordinary Dao soldiers requires a complete inheritance of spirit weapons, array techniques, cultivation methods, Dao arts, and tactical doctrines.

It demands massive quantities of spirit stones, years of grueling training, and immeasurable dedication.

Each tier higher in a Dao soldier's talent, the cost multiplies exponentially.

Using top-grade, even supreme-grade spirit roots as the foundation to train Dao soldiers consumes an incalculable amount of inheritance and resources.

Even great clans may not afford it.

The reason prodigies are called "prodigies" is because each one is unique.

If they do anything, they become "generals."

They cannot suppress their individuality and pride to become mere "soldiers."

Especially in today's Qianxue State, the prevailing tradition is "elite inheritance."

Sects use "survival of the fittest" to cultivate top disciples, pushing them to stand out and win honor and profit for the sect.

This aligns with both sect interests and clan interests.

Clans desire their disciples to tower above others, to claim the top spot, and one day ascend to even higher positions.

They do not need prodigy disciples to form Dao soldiers.

It would be a waste.

Even before, some sects had attempted to organize disciples in the style of "Dao soldiers" for the Sword Debate Assembly.

In fact, Tai'e Gate had tried it long ago.

But the results were poor.

From team coordination to spirit weapon forging, array compatibility, formation shifts, and tactical drills, there were too many thorny problems.

First, the cost was already exorbitant.

Spirit weapon forging and array matching were the greatest issues.

After all, the Sword Debate arena shifts endlessly.

The opponents in the Sword Debate vary greatly.

Even if a sect could afford the spirit stones, it lacked the corresponding cultivation "industry" to complete large-scale, specialized "customizations" in a short time.

Organizing them was also extremely difficult.

No one could truly command respect and "organize" the prodigies.

Each generation of a sect has a "Senior Brother," but even the most revered Senior Brother often cannot oversee the entire picture and earn the full trust of every disciple.

Moreover, in the Sword Debate Assembly, the later stages carry exponentially higher weight.

The four-character battle phases: Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow.

Especially the "Earth" phase and the final "Heaven" phase—winning one match can earn dozens, even hundreds of victory points.

Thus, after all the fuss, it remains simpler and more efficient to directly use "survival of the fittest" to cultivate "top disciples" and have them achieve higher rankings.

Over time, the "Dao soldier system" for the Sword Debate has been rarely attempted by any sect.

Tai'e Gate also abandoned this approach.

Now, watching the perfectly synchronized, orderly drills of the Tai Xu disciples, the Tai'e Sect Master suddenly felt a moment of daze.

It truly is the "Dao soldier system" for the Sword Debate…

Then he studied them more closely, and a hint of surprise arose in his heart.

It seemed somewhat different…

Tai Xu Mountain's drills were not a rigid, one-size-fits-all Dao soldier system—not all disciples followed the same pattern.

Some teams were specially formed based on disciples' strengths, Dao arts, and formations.

There were balanced offense-defense teams, frontal assault teams, swift ambush teams, escape-specialized teams, and endurance-focused teams…

Though time was short and no spirit weapons or array support were provided, their true combat power was somewhat diminished.

But their potential was already evident.

At least they had discipline—they were far stronger than the previous "voluntary" team formations.

The Tai'e Sect Master, gazing at the scene before him, inwardly marveled and sincerely told the Tai Xu Sect Master:

"Brother Dao, your foresight and methods are truly extraordinary."

The Tai Xu Sect Master smiled: "Not at all—it's all thanks to the disciples' diligence."

"Too modest."

"Truly, it's the disciples' diligence…"

"Still being humble…"

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch sighed helplessly; everything he said was true—his disciples were truly accomplished, and as patriarch, he had done little beyond appropriately "delegating authority."

Afterward, the two continued drinking tea.

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch gazed downward at the drill of the "Heavenly Prodigy Dao Soldiers" in formation, growing increasingly absorbed; he drank three rounds of tea before snapping back to reality and remembering why he had come.

"Xuan'er… he hasn't caused trouble, has he…?"

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch scanned the surroundings, finally spotting Ouyang Xuan's figure in a corner of the drill field.

Everything was normal.

Ouyang Xuan was drilling normally with the sword prodigy from Chongxu Mountain, the array master from Grand Void Mountain named Mo Hua, a large-built man, and a talented sword cultivator.

The process went smoothly, and the atmosphere was perfectly normal.

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch exhaled in relief, thinking: this child Xuan, though usually defiant, showed remarkable restraint at critical moments—he hadn't caused trouble, and his tactical execution was solid.

Indeed, a man changes greatly in three days.

One must not cling to "prejudices" when judging others.

People change; they grow.

This "cousin" of equal seniority now got along quite harmoniously with disciples from the other mountains.

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch felt deeply reassured.

He lifted his teacup, about to drink, when before the tea touched his lips, he heard a sudden "plop!"—an incident occurred.

Ouyang Xuan and the large-built man had misaligned their tactical positions and suddenly collided, one behind the other, each falling to the ground.

The large-built man got up, muttering complaints.

Ouyang Xuan's expression turned cold.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch froze, thinking: trouble—before he could react, a clear voice rang out:

"Xiao Xuan, flank right and feint carefully—don't bump into Cheng Mo…"

He was Liu Yuhua, deeply cultivated; though far away, he had still heard.

This single sentence left even the patriarch stunned.

"Xiao Xuan"… who was that referring to?

Could it be… Ouyang Xuan?

This… with that brat's stubborn temper, could he tolerate it?

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch stared closely—and indeed, Ouyang Xuan's face was grim, clearly repulsed by the "nickname," his eyes blazing with anger.

Clearly, he could not tolerate it.

The next moment, he raised his chin haughtily, sneered with contempt, and walked straight to the right on his own.

Clearly, he had held back.

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch froze, almost thinking he had misseen.

Was this really Ouyang Xuan?

Could he really endure this?

In Grand Void Gate, even when he himself scolded him, Ouyang Xuan grew impatient; when a True Transmission Elder scolded him, he would openly sulk.

This stubborn donkey had changed his nature at Grand Void Mountain?

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch pondered for a moment, gazing deeply at Mo Hua, his thoughts churning.

Linghu Xiao from Chongxu Mountain was paired with him.

Now, even Ouyang Xuan of Grand Void Mountain obeyed him, and accepted being called "Xiao Xuan" without losing his temper.

Could this child be some kind of… a "demon" who could bewitch hearts?

He glanced at Mo Hua—clearly handsome, with bright eyes and white teeth—and his suspicion deepened…

This matter lingered in the Grand Void Gate's patriarch's mind.

Even after he bid farewell to the Grand Void Gate's patriarch, left the drill field, returned to Grand Void Mountain, and sat in his patriarch's quarters, he remained burdened with worries.

After a moment, he made up his mind and summoned an elder, instructing:

"Have all Grand Void Mountain disciples seek out Mo Hua and ask him to help form teams for joint drills and the Discourse on Sword."

The elder blinked in surprise, "Patriarch, this…"

The Grand Void Gate's patriarch waved his hand. "Don't argue—I've decided. This child 'Mo Hua' has even 'tamed' Xuan'er; arranging teams for Grand Void Mountain disciples should be no problem."

"Besides, I've seen the drills at Grand Void Mountain—they're highly organized. Whether we'll win is uncertain, but they're certainly better than ours."

"Since the Three Sects are merging, there should be no division."

"We'll join them and learn from them."

This patriarch always acted practically.

If someone was good, learn from them; if someone was strong, follow them.

This was called seeking truth and being pragmatic—and precisely because of this, Grand Void Gate once rose to the top of the Eight Great Sects.

When this patriarch spoke, other elders rarely dared to defy him.

"Then…" the elder hesitated, "shall I arrange it?"

"Yes." The Grand Void Gate's patriarch nodded. "Do it as soon as possible—the Jianxue Discourse on Sword is imminent; time waits for no one."

"Yes."

The elder withdrew and issued the patriarch's orders.

The orders reached the disciples.

In the disciples' quarters of Grand Void Mountain.

A group of disciples gathered, discussing animatedly.

"The elder instructed us to find 'Little Brother Mo' and have him lead us to the Sword Debate."

"What 'Little Brother Mo'?"

"You mean Mo Hua? Is there any other Little Brother Mo?"

"I know—I mean..." a disciple lowered his voice, sounding resentful, "He's the Little Brother of the Grand Void Gate line—what does he have to do with us, Tai Asan?"

"Didn't he teach you formation arts?"

"Even if he did, that's not enough. At most, you greet him when you meet. To call him 'Little Brother Mo' behind his back? He doesn't have the standing for that."

"Do as you like. You don't have to call him—I will."

"You've got no backbone."

"The disciple retorted, 'He taught me formation arts, gave my assignment an 'A', and said I had boundless potential... If I don't call him Little Brother Mo, should I call you?'"

"A person should have some conscience..."

"Enough, enough. Let's get back to the matter at hand."

"For the Sword Debate, are we really going to stick with Mo Hua?"

"What else can we do? It's the elder's order—the Sect Master's will..."

"By the way, Mo... Little Brother Mo—he's just a formation master, right? Is he good at the Sword Debate?"

"I'm not sure..."

"But the Sword Debate at Grand Void Gate seems completely different. A few Tai Asan disciples teamed up with Grand Void Gate disciples—I asked them, and what they train is utterly unlike ours..."

"So we really have to go to Grand Void Gate?"

The Tai Asan disciples hesitated.

After a moment, someone's eyes lit up as he asked a thin, slightly dark-skinned disciple in the crowd:

"Muto, you're close to Little Brother Mo—is he really that strong?"

Ouyang Mu was bent over, designing a forging schematic.

These were all diagrams Mo Hua had given him, asking him to correct and improve the alignment between formations and forging.

At this, Ouyang Mu lifted his head.

Though still thin and slight, after spending so much time with Mo Hua and surviving the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, his demeanor had grown far calmer, and a quiet, resolute confidence now shone in his brows.

Unconsciously, his fellow Tai Asan disciples had come to respect him greatly.

Ouyang Mu put down his brush and said seriously, "Little Brother Mo is very strong."

"How strong?"

"No matter how strong, he's only good at formation arts..."

"Exactly—he has poor elemental roots, weak spiritual energy, knows no supreme Dao arts, and his body is weak. What can he possibly achieve in the Sword Debate?"

Ouyang Mu shook his head, "It's not just formation arts—but I can't explain it clearly to you. Just know this: if you want a good ranking in the Sword Debate, stick with Little Brother Mo. Be polite, be sincere, don't harbor ulterior motives—otherwise, Little Brother Mo sees through you at a glance..."

"This matter serves Grand Void Gate, serves Tai Asan, and serves yourselves. How you act depends entirely on you."

After speaking, Ouyang Mu fell silent and returned to studying the forging schematics.

He would not attend the Sword Debate.

His own ambition lay not in competing in the Sword Debate, battling others to prove superiority, but in mastering forging, crafting supreme sword artifacts.

Yet the Sword Debate concerned the sect's honor—especially Little Brother Mo's—and he would not stand idly by.

Thus, Mo Hua entrusted him with tasks concerning spirit-artifact design and crafting.

This eased Mo Hua's burden.

At the same time, it gave Ouyang Mu the chance to hone his sword-casting foundation through actual design and forging.

Such an opportunity was incredibly precious for a Foundation Establishment disciple—and Ouyang Mu cherished it deeply.

He devoted himself entirely to the tasks Mo Hua gave him, working with utmost seriousness.

Watching Ouyang Mu's complete focus, the others fell silent.

Those who can truly concentrate on one thing are often worthy of admiration.

Ouyang Mu's words had sunk into everyone's hearts.

The next day, Tai Asan disciples began arriving one by one to find Mo Hua, sincerely requesting:

"Please, Little Brother Mo, guide us in the way of the Sword Debate."

In other words: Little Brother Mo, take me under your wing.

Mo Hua accepted them all without refusal.

After all, strength lies in numbers.

The more low-tier disciples strengthened by the "Dao Soldier Form" he trained, the stronger Grand Void Gate would become, and the higher their chance of winning the Sword Debate's championship.

Mo Hua began compiling lists and assigning teams.

Of course, since he wasn't familiar with the Tai Asan disciples, before forming teams he always asked:

"Who do you hate?"

"Who would you never team up with?"

"Do you have any close friends?"

Questions like these.

So he wouldn't pair two enemies in the same team and cause division.

After assigning teams, Mo Hua devised specific tactics for each, then considered customized spirit-artifacts and formations.

Then he had the Tai Asan disciples join the Grand Void Gate disciples for training.

The Grand Void Gate training grounds instantly swelled with a vast crowd—crowded, bustling, figures interweaving, Dao arts of every color flying through the air, a scene of great commotion.

And soon, it became known that the Tai Asan disciples had infiltrated Grand Void Gate and been "recruited" by Mo Hua.

Chongxu Mountain could no longer sit idle.

The three sects merging was originally due to Tai Xu Mountain's uniqueness, thanks to Mo Hua.

But now, Tai E Mountain is actively drawing closer to Tai Xu Mountain.

Chongxu Mountain, by contrast, has become the one that feels "out of place."

The abbot of Chongxu Mountain was displeased, so after reporting to the Ancestor, he ordered the disciples below the mountain to also "defect" to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua accepted them all without refusal, thus "integrating" them once again.

In Tai Xu Mountain's training ground, voices surged like a boiling sea.

Disciples from all three mountains now trained as both teammates and opponents, sparring and refining their skills, blending together seamlessly.

For a time, heads thronged, no longer distinguishing friend from foe, as they moved back and forth in chaotic clamor.

This sight left even the Tai Xu abbot momentarily stunned.

Even Mr. Xun, for a moment, felt disbelief and deep emotion.

None of them had expected that disciples from the three mountains, still harboring divisions, would—because of the Sword Discussion Assembly—be forcibly "fused" together by Mo Hua.

Now, the entire Tai Xu Mountain teemed with disciples, buzzing with energy, truly radiating a vibrant, flourishing spirit.

The three sects truly were merging…

And in the vast training ground,

whenever Mo Hua had free time, he would stroll back and forth, hands behind his back, offering tactical advice, directing formations, and improving the flaws of countless squads.

All disciples, regardless of origin, cultivation level, or strength of their Dao methods, greeted him with respectful deference: "Little Senior Brother."

On the high pavilion,

the Tai Xu abbot watched this scene and couldn't help shaking his head in awe:

"I won't hide it from the Ancestor—after decades as an elder and then as abbot, I've seen countless disciples, yet I've truly never met a child like 'Mo Hua'…"

He came from humble origins, his spiritual roots were poor, and his personality and aura were anything but dominant.

Yet every disciple of the entire Tai Xu Gate—the top prodigies, the ordinary students—all those with far superior origins and talent compared to Mo Hua—none of them refused to obey him…

It was truly… unimaginable…

And beside him, Mr. Xun, watching Mo Hua's calm and composed figure among the crowd, felt both satisfaction and deep emotion.

In his original plan, he had indeed intended for Mo Hua to become the "Little Senior Brother" of the three sects: Tai Xu, Tai E, and Chongxu.

But he never imagined Mo Hua would achieve this level…

Mr. Xun gazed at Mo Hua's figure, his heart suddenly trembled, and he suddenly recalled an ancient saying:

"The highest goodness is like water."

"Water benefits all things without contention."

"Precisely because it does not contend, none under heaven can contend with it…"

Precisely because it does not contend, none under heaven can contend with it…

Mr. Xun whispered softly, his pupils shrinking, his heart long unable to settle.

…

On Tai Xu Mountain, disciples from the three mountains crisscrossed, noise overwhelming.

Amid the frantic, intense training and urgent preparations, time slipped away bit by bit.

Soon, three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The long-awaited Sword Discussion Assembly, awaited by thousands of sects and myriad cultivators across Qianxue Prefecture and the entire Qian Province, finally began…

(End of Chapter)