Chapter 1002: Xuan Level Sword Discussion

Early morning at Dao Discourse Mountain (Lun-Dao Mountain).

At Debate Mountain, early morning.

Disciples from every sect gathered, a sea of people.

Elders from the Four Sects, Eight Gates, and Twelve Schools took the sect command tokens and, under the witness of the Four Sect Masters, cast bamboo lots into the Heaven-Observing Instrument of the Debate Gathering. After a round of “deduction” that severed heavenly secrets and cause and effect, the sword debate match list for the “Xuan” Division was set.

Aberto_Tempest

TN: 玄 (xuán) meaning: Profound/Mysterious

Each sect’s elders copied the list, then withdrew, leading their disciples back to their sects.

The Huang Division was the preliminary round—many participants, dense matches, and a tight schedule—so lots were drawn in the morning, and battles began in the afternoon.

By the time it reached the Xuan Division, after the preliminaries’ elimination, fewer than one in ten teams remained, and the number of participants dropped sharply. This allowed for more leeway in the schedule.

Today was the lot drawing; tomorrow the formal debates would begin.

Moreover, the “Xuan” Division’s sword debates would change in format—opponents would be stronger, battles more complex, and the disciples’ fights in the debate gathering would truly start to become fierce.

Thus, before each round, time would be given for teams to discuss tactics and formulate strategies.

Inside the Great Dao Arena of the Great Void Sect.

The “Xuan” Division list had already been distributed.

Mo Hua held the Great Void Token, eyes fixed on the list, expression focused, a thoughtful look in his gaze.

The Great Void Sect had around fifty teams entering the Xuan Division, with an elimination rate of eighty to ninety percent.

This meant that for about eighty to ninety percent of the disciples, the sword debate gathering would end here. They would only participate in the Huang Division, fight perhaps a dozen matches, and see their one and only chance in life to join the sword debate come to an end.

This elimination rate was already far lower than that of other sects.

Thanks to the Great Void Sect’s large number of disciples, they could dominate the preliminaries and win first place in the sword debate.

Mo Hua glanced at the surrounding disciples.

Those who were eliminated felt unwilling, even regretful, yet not dejected.

They had done their utmost, contributing real effort to the sect’s ranking in the sword debate.

The sect’s current first place was won bit by bit by these many ordinary disciples, weaker than others, through one blade and one sword at a time.

The later matches were uncertain for now.

But at least the current victory was not won by some “heaven’s chosen” standing above the crowd—it was fought for by the multitude of average disciples.

Mo Hua suddenly froze, his mind stirred.

“In this world, existence and nonexistence give rise to each other, difficulty and ease complete each other, strength and weakness are relative…”

“If there is strength, there must be weakness; if there is weakness, there must be strength…”

“If there are prodigy disciples, then there must be ‘ordinary’ disciples, plain and unremarkable in comparison.”

“The prodigies are strong; the ordinary disciples are weak…”

“Prodigies are few; ordinary disciples are many.”

“If… the ordinary disciples, common cultivators, and even the lowest strata of the cultivation world could be united to the fullest, and their strength fully unleashed—wouldn’t that mean one could ‘turn weakness into strength,’ ‘use the weak to defeat the strong’?”

“If enough cultivators were gathered, the strength would be great enough… to truly change heaven and earth?”

Mo Hua’s gaze became distant.

A glimmer of insight into the mutual generation of existence and nonexistence, the reversal of strong and weak, and the transformation between the “Two Forms” was born in his heart.

The thought of “using weakness to overcome strength” was like a spark, buried in his heart, a wisp of burning light illuminating a faint, hazy path.

Above the arena, Elder Xun Zixian, who had been about to speak, instinctively held his tongue when he saw Mo Hua’s absentminded, enlightened expression, afraid to disturb him.

After an unknown time, Mo Hua raised his head, eyes deep, pupils bright, like a flame in the night—almost dazzling.

Elder Xun Zixian was stunned.

“This child… has he comprehended something again?”

With keen divine sense, extraordinary talent, a transparent heart, and a sharp mind, one who observes, learns, and thinks much will indeed more easily attain sudden enlightenment toward the myriad matters of the world and the principles of the Great Dao.

He had seen Mo Hua in this state of sudden insight many times.

To be honest, Xun Zixian was deeply envious.

But this time, he felt something different.

It seemed Mo Hua had grasped something extraordinary.

That faint, elusive “fire” in his eyes carried a trace of… “defiance of heaven and order”?

Xun Zixian shook his head. Seeing Mo Hua return to himself, he gathered his thoughts, cleared his throat, and spoke of the sword debate:

“The Huang Division sword debates before were just the preliminaries, so the format was simple free-for-all battles.”

“The Xuan Division is different.”

“In the Xuan Division, other sword debate formats are mixed in. These formats are random, deduced by the Heaven-Observing Instrument of the Debate Gathering.”

“Each match is different.”

“The exact format will only be revealed six hours before the match…”

A disciple asked doubtfully, “Elder, why not decide the format earlier?”

Others nodded. “Yes, that way we can prepare in advance.”

Xun Zixian asked in return, “When you travel the cultivation world in the future, if someone wants to kill you, will they inform you in advance so you can prepare?”

“Or, if you lead Dao soldiers in battle and encounter an ambush, will you ask your enemies to wait while you discuss how to fight them?”

The disciples fell silent.

Xun Zixian continued, “In the earliest sword debates, the format was revealed only right before the match to train your ability to adapt to the unexpected.”

“Whether to attack, defend, kill, flee, behead, or escape—you had to make split-second decisions on the spot.”

“Later, it was considered that you are still disciples and haven’t experienced many life-and-death situations where blood is licked from the blade’s edge…”

He suddenly paused, unable to help glancing at Mo Hua again.

He had long heard of Mo Hua’s deeds—Fire Buddha, Ten Thousand Demons Valley, Rouge Boat, Dragon King Temple… and the Lone Mountain tombs…

Each one was a deadly “killing situation.”

Mo Hua had been in them all from start to finish, not missing one, yet still survived unscathed—truly incredible.

Even more incredible was that after all this, he could still look pure and clear-eyed, blending into the crowd, like an “inexperienced” ordinary disciple.

A hungry wolf in sheep’s clothing, looking more “harmless” than the sheep around him…

Xun Zixian sighed slightly and rephrased his words:

“Most of you haven’t been through such deadly situations. Forcing you to decide on the spot would be too hard for you.”

“So the format is decided six hours in advance.”

“These six hours are a buffer period for you to discuss, decide, and prepare for the debate.”

“But you must know—once you leave the sect and enter the cultivation world, many dangers happen in a single thought, leaving no time for you to think or react.”

“The sword debate is both a contest of strength and a form of tempering…”

“Yes, Elder!” the disciples answered solemnly.

After that, Xun Zixian gave a few more reminders before letting everyone prepare on their own.

It was really to give Mo Hua more time.

Mo Hua gathered the junior disciples participating in the “Xuan” Division in a small grove and, as usual, instructed them on tactics and array deployment.

But that was all he could do.

Everything that needed explaining had been explained; everything that needed training had been trained; spirit tools and formations were prepared.

When the battle came, Mo Hua wouldn’t be able to command—the Xuan Division matches would rely mostly on the disciples’ own performance.

When he finished, he let the disciples go to the training grounds to practice on their own.

Mo Hua stayed with Linghu Xiao and the others, practicing Dao techniques nearby, considering what methods he should display in the upcoming debates…

On the high platform, the sect masters of Great Void, Tai’a, and Chongxu gathered, watching the diligently training disciples. Though gratified, their hearts were shadowed.

“The Huang Division is over… the good days are at an end,” the Tai’a Sect Master sighed softly.

The other two said nothing, but nodded silently.

What others could see, the sect masters naturally knew as well.

The title of “first place” in the sword debate was as tempting to them as celestial treasures.

Once they’d tasted it, it was hard to give up.

Even knowing it was temporary, “borrowed,” and would eventually have to be returned—when the time came, it still felt unpleasant.

Humans truly are greedy…

Even the usually detached Great Void Sect Master, after experiencing the flavor of fame and gain, found it hard to remain calm.

In the face of true benefit, no one can be fully indifferent.

If they are indifferent, it’s only because the benefit isn’t great enough.

“The battles ahead will be tough—these children will suffer…”

“Yes…”

“Tomorrow it begins…”

The Xuan Division debates were starting.

The Great Void Sect’s ranking would finally begin to slide, step by step.

Like meat being cut away by a dull knife, the fat they’d built up would be sliced off bit by bit.

The three sect masters each sipped their tea in silence.

…

The next day, the Xuan Division sword debates officially began.

Before the matches, the participating disciples had already learned the competition formats. Most of them would still follow the Yellow-level’s “free-for-all” battle format.

Only a small portion drew formats such as “Siege,” “Defense,” or “Assassination.”

Obviously, having just entered the Profound-level bracket, the organizers wouldn’t make sweeping changes right away.

The changes in the sword debate’s formats would follow a gradual process, allowing the disciples to adapt over time.

For the first day of the Profound-level debate, Mo Hua still didn’t have to participate.

His first match was scheduled for the second day, against a Profound-level team from the Twelfth-Grade sects.

So, on the first day, he was mainly there to watch—wanting to see how the younger brothers from his Tai Xu Sect would perform.

On the massive Fangtian Shadow Arena, match after match unfolded in dazzling fashion.

The geniuses of the various sects began to fight in earnest.

As expected, the situation for Tai Xu Sect quickly became dire.

The Dao-soldier formations, along with the counterplay between spiritual tools and arrays, could indeed strengthen lower-level cultivators—but this “strengthening” had its limits.

With limited training time, Tai Xu disciples could not truly surpass the constraints of cultivation level and Dao arts to defeat the geniuses of other sects.

Especially since most opponents in the Profound bracket were from the Twelfth-Grade sects, with some even from the Eight Great Sects—it was no easy feat to win against them.

Most Tai Xu disciples found themselves in grueling battles.

The fights were fierce, with back-and-forth exchanges and heavy attrition—each victory came at a greater cost.

In the Profound-level debate, each victory earned ten victory points—meaning one Profound win was worth as much as ten Yellow-level wins.

With gains and losses balancing out, Tai Xu Sect’s rise in rank stalled. The gap between them and the second place “Heavenly Sword Sect” began to close.

After a full day of intense fighting, the rankings had shifted considerably, but Tai Xu Sect was still first.

Yet everyone knew—this “first place” had shifted from “rising” to “declining,” and was now headed downhill.

Today would be Tai Xu Sect’s “peak.” From here on, it would be a steady fall.

Many people were already looking forward to the day Tai Xu Sect dropped out of first place—or even out of the top four entirely.

That would mean Tai Xu Sect had truly been “beaten back to their original form.”

It was in this atmosphere that Mo Hua’s first Profound-level match finally began.

The match drew immense attention.

Mo Hua already had a special status and high reputation—paired with his previous “inaction” in earlier matches, which had been heavily criticized.

Although his reputation had plummeted, his level of public attention had skyrocketed.

All of Dao Debate Mountain was packed with spectators—many had come just to see him.

Some hoped he would step up and prove himself; others wanted to see him humiliated, so they could gloat and ridicule him.

Mo Hua knew nothing of this.

His entire focus was on the sword debate.

For this first Profound-level match, his luck was average—he drew a standard “free-for-all” battle.

A simple five-on-five.

Their opponents were from “Black Iron Gate,” one of the Twelfth-Grade sects.

It was a sect specializing in forging, that also taught body cultivation, with a secret body-tempering method to complement their smithing techniques.

Disciples of the Black Iron Gate cultivated both crafting and physique—their forging skills were superb, and their muscles and bones were as hard as iron.

Within the Twelfth-Grade sects, Black Iron Gate was considered one of the stronger factions.

However, the team facing Mo Hua was not their absolute strongest squad—it was one tier below, but still quite formidable.

When the time came, both sides entered the arena, and the battle erupted instantly.

This time, the fight did not end quickly.

The Black Iron Gate was stuck because their strength had limits.

Tai Xu Sect was stuck… because of Mo Hua.

He stood to the side, hands folded in his sleeves, unmoving.

This forced Tai Xu into a four-on-five situation.

Worse still, after the previous matches, Linghu Xiao and the others’ techniques had been exposed to other sects.

Black Iron Gate had prepared countermeasures.

They ignored Mo Hua completely, treating the other four as their only opponents.

This gave them a huge advantage.

All participants were geniuses from Qianxue Prefecture—while geniuses varied in skill, no one who made it to the Profound bracket was truly weak.

In a five-on-five, unless the gap in strength was enormous, having one more or one fewer person made a huge difference.

Linghu Xiao was pinned down by two Black Iron disciples.

Ouyang Xuan was locked in single combat with a large, muscular body cultivator.

Cheng Mo and Situ Jian were also locked in stalemates.

Tai Xu had a slight edge, but it wasn’t decisive.

Black Iron used their extra man to rotate attacks, constantly shifting pressure and targeting different Tai Xu members, keeping them under strain. The two sides traded blows evenly for a while.

Fortunately, Linghu Xiao was truly strong.

After half an hour of deadlock, he finally found an opening under pressure, forming a powerful Void-Piercing Sword Qi that directly crippled one opponent, shattering his Dao Debate Jade.

This turned it into a four-on-four, greatly reducing the pressure.

From there, with Linghu Xiao and Ouyang Xuan as “genius” anchors, Tai Xu gradually expanded their advantage and eventually won step by step.

Throughout the entire match, Mo Hua simply “watched coldly from the sidelines,” ignoring his teammates’ struggles and doing nothing.

This time, he truly enraged the spectators.

Especially with Tai Xu’s ranking already sliding, teams struggling, and his teammates fighting tooth and nail—yet he remained indifferent and inactive—it left many people furious.

“This Mo Hua is too much!”

“Takes the sect’s resources but does nothing!”

“This guy calls himself ‘Master of Formations’? A ‘genius’? What a joke!”

“Why does Tai Xu Sect even keep him?”

“It’s one thing to live under the sect’s protection and act arrogant, but now, when Tai Xu is in trouble, he’s actually dragging his teammates down while doing nothing himself…”

“He’s sucking the blood of his sect and teammates!”

“All for the sake of a hollow sword debate title—he’s thrown away his dignity.”

“What are Tai Xu’s sect master and elders thinking? Have they lost their minds? They won’t even pull him out, but treat him like some ‘little ancestor’?”

“Who would have thought that Tai Xu Sect, one of the Eight Great Sects, was rotten and corrupt like this inside…”

“In my opinion, he might as well just quit the competition outright, so he doesn’t embarrass himself here. If others saw this, they might think that everyone from Prefecture is this kind of useless trash…”

…

Voices of ridicule surged like a rising tide.

Wenren Wan, Murong Caiyun, and other cultivators familiar with Mo Hua also heard these malicious whispers, and couldn’t help but feel anger in their hearts.

But with Dao Debate Mountain packed to the brim, the cultivators saying such things were far too many. They couldn’t even tell who to argue with, so they could only silently suppress the fire in their chests.

The high-ranking members of the great clans and sects also silently shook their heads.

They could see clearly that Linghu Xiao’s team of five was currently the strongest sword debate team of the Great Void Sect.

If even the sect’s strongest team was only at this level, then for the Great Void Sect’s participation in this year’s sword debate… it really was as good as over.

Rumors, repeated thrice, become tigers; the tongues of the masses can melt metal.

Public opinion swayed hearts.

Even within the Great Void Sect, some elders began to waver in their hearts, questioning whether letting Mo Hua team up with Linghu Xiao had really been a wise decision.

These elders were mostly from the former Tai’a and Chongxu mountain branches.

They too whispered in secret.

But all such discussions were firmly suppressed by the sect masters of the two mountains.

A wager is a wager — since the agreement had been made, the teams formed, and the sword debate had reached this point, there was naturally no reason to go back on their word.

Besides, even if they wanted to go back now, it was already too late.

The Great Void Sect’s temporary lead in the sword debate was, in large part, Mo Hua’s doing.

It was Mo Hua who had been making the strategic arrangements.

They could not turn around and “burn the bridge after crossing the river,” blaming him just because he was now underperforming and contributing little in the individual team sword debate.

Moreover, although the Tai’a and Chongxu mountain sect masters had not interacted much with Mo Hua, they had always faintly felt that this young disciple was difficult to see through.

This formation master of the Great Void Sect was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

As for the Tai Xu Mountain branch itself, the atmosphere was peaceful.

From top to bottom, there was basically no dissent toward Mo Hua’s performance.

Especially those elders who had heard, to varying degrees, of some of Mo Hua’s “deeds” — toward all the outside criticism and slander, they only sneered inwardly:

What kinds of games does Mo Hua usually play?

And you call this a “game” in the sword debate?

How can the two even compare?

If a master’s skill could be seen through so easily by the likes of you, would they still be a master?

Amid such overwhelming, wave-like public criticism, Mo Hua’s second round in the “Xuan” Division of the sword debate officially began.

This time, the opponent was still from the Twelve Streams.

But they were much stronger than the Xuantie Sect from before.

As soon as they entered the sword debate preparation room in Dao Debate Mountain, a tall, imposing young man led a group of people up to Mo Hua’s team.

The youth didn’t even glance at Mo Hua, directly bypassed him, and went straight to Linghu Xiao, asking:

“You’re Linghu Xiao?”

Linghu Xiao gave a cold nod.

The youth pointed at himself with a self-assured expression. “Remember my name — I’m the one who’s going to defeat you!”

(End of this Chapter)