Chapter 1007: Victory or Defeat

In the Sword Debate arena.

Sword qi surged, sword light scattered in all directions.

The stones on the ground were sliced into web-like cracks by the sword qi, and the surrounding trees were ground into dust by the violent clash of sword forces.

Qin Cangliu wielded the Qin family’s secret Boundless Sea Surging Sword Art, while Linghu Xiao employed the Soaring Void Mountain’s sect-suppressing True Art of Dissolving the Sword.

One was a pure water-element sword technique.

The other was a variation of Water-Moon within the sword-dissolving art.

Both were top-tier Daoist sword arts—one vast and boundless like the ocean, the other clear and serene like the moon over water.

Two completely different yet equally beautiful shades of water-blue intertwined, carrying a terrifying killing power that would make any Foundation Establishment cultivator change color.

The might of the two prodigies’ clash was simply overwhelming.

Under the flow of sword qi, even other disciples of the Great Void Sect and the Yin Water Sect had to avoid their edge and find other grounds to fight.

Mo Hua thought for a moment and decided not to use his Fireball Technique on Qin Cangliu, giving them space for a one-on-one duel.

For prodigies, such clashes were opportunities.

Xiaoxiao had exceptional talent and comprehension, but he was still young, with little real combat experience—at present, merely the “embryo” of a fine sword.

Mo Hua intended to use the Sword Debate Assembly to temper Linghu Xiao, so that this sword embryo could be “sharpened” bit by bit, becoming stronger.

A treasured sword’s edge comes from grinding.

Only then could they go further in the tournament.

And only then could Xiaoxiao himself press forward unyieldingly on the sword path.

Mo Hua avoided Qin Cangliu and began using his Fireball Technique to support Cheng Mo and the others.

Meanwhile, Linghu Xiao and Qin Cangliu, two top-tier sword prodigies, began fighting with undivided focus.

In their eyes, only each other existed.

For geniuses, it is opponents of equal level who most ignite their battle spirit.

Defeating such a peer, affirming their Dao heart, confirming their chosen path—these things would push them further.

This was not just for the Sword Debate; it was for their respective sword Daos.

Thus, both fought without holding back, clashing head-on in a life-or-death contest.

Exquisite sword moves, subtle and unpredictable like an antelope hanging its horns, emerged endlessly.

Powerful sword qi bloomed like lotus flowers, dazzling and bright.

This match instantly became the focus on the Fangtian Illusionary Projection.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to this brilliant yet deadly prodigy duel.

In everyone’s hearts came sighs of awe:

“This is the true Sword Debate!”

“This is a true prodigy!”

“Such exquisite top-tier sword arts, such blazing clashes between prodigies—this is worthy of the finest Sword Debate event.”

“Fireball Technique? What even is that…”

They had traveled thousands of miles to Qianxue State to witness scenes like this—

not to watch someone hide in the woods shooting fireballs.

The battle grew ever fiercer.

The slaughter of sword qi reached its boiling point.

All watching cultivators were utterly focused, their nerves taut.

A question arose in their hearts:

Who would win?

Qin Cangliu, though not widely famous, had already shown through this fight that his sword mastery was superb. It was only due to his background and circumstances that he joined one of the Twelve Minor Sects, the Yin Water Sect.

In pure talent, even if he did not enter the Four Great Sects, joining one of the Eight Major Sword Sects would have been no problem.

Given time, he was bound to become a formidable sword cultivator.

As for Linghu Xiao, there was no need to say more—

a once-in-five-hundred-years sword genius of the Soaring Void Sect, with astonishing comprehension and obvious talent.

Though still a little unrefined, like a sword embryo keeping its edge hidden, once tempered, he would inevitably burst forth with blinding sharpness.

Such a peak duel was rare even in the Xuan Division bracket.

Either could win—

and either could lose.

The audience stared unblinking, determined to witness the outcome of this exhilarating contest.

Inside the arena, time passed bit by bit.

The sword clash never ceased; the battle kept intensifying.

No one knew how long had passed before nearly everyone was exhausted, their spiritual power almost gone.

But Qin Cangliu’s battle intent only grew.

Steady and cold by nature, rarely showing emotion, he now revealed an excited, bloodthirsty gleam after fighting Linghu Xiao this long.

This was a true opponent!

This was real combat!

Only such a sharp opponent could be his grindstone, tempering him to climb higher on the sword path.

At that instant, he forgot himself entirely—there was only the sword.

A golden radiance covered his body.

Qin Cangliu activated a Golden Body Talisman for protection, gripped his sword horizontally, eyes shining with the vastness of rivers, his spiritual power surging like a torrent. The sword qi gathered in his blade shone brilliantly.

Boundless Sea Surging Sword Style.

The ultimate move of the Boundless Sea Surging Sword Art.

A supreme killing technique.

Qin Cangliu intended to decide the match with this sword art infused with his lifetime’s cultivation and insight.

It was a prodigy’s challenge to another prodigy.

Linghu Xiao did not dodge—he also activated a Golden Body Talisman.

Golden light enveloped him, his gaze bright as his sword seemed to glow with an ice-blue moonlight. His aura merged with his sword.

Man as sword, sword as moon.

Cold moonlight as sword light, carrying ethereal killing intent.

It was the clash of ultimate sword techniques—

the key moment of the match, and also a tremendous opening.

Ouyang Xuan slashed away his opponent and was first to charge toward Qin Cangliu.

Cheng Mo and Situ Jian also understood immediately, abandoning their fights to attack Qin Cangliu.

Yin Water Sect disciples did the same, turning their blades toward Linghu Xiao.

In normal times, no one would dare approach such a collision—being caught in it was nearly certain death.

But this was the Sword Debate, with the grand formation protecting them.

Life and death could be ignored—victory was the only goal!

Thus, both sides’ disciples risked everything to obstruct the other side’s sword genius.

Ouyang Xuan’s sword light, Cheng Mo’s giant axe, and Situ Jian’s blazing sword all struck Qin Cangliu, chipping away at his Golden Body Talisman’s power to stop him from releasing his ultimate move.

Four cold Yin Water sword strikes hit Linghu Xiao, corroding his golden defense and disrupting his Soaring Void sword technique.

Both sides’ disciples were now fully entangled.

At the last critical instant, Qin Cangliu’s eyes widened—he roared and, just before his talisman shattered, unleashed the Boundless Sea Surging Sword with all his might.

Linghu Xiao, jaw clenched, endured the siege of four Yin Water disciples and likewise poured all his strength into releasing the True Art of Dissolving the Sword.

In an instant—

one side’s sword light was like water, vast as the surging sea, covering the sky.

The other’s sword qi was like the moon, cold and sharp as moonlight at midday.

They collided, erupting in brilliant radiance and violent shockwaves.

Countless fine streams of sword qi tangled together—like rivers in reverse flow, like the bright moon over the sea—then swept outward, splitting mountains, turning vegetation to ash, engulfing everyone.

Even watching on the Fangtian Illusionary Projection was shocking.

This beautiful yet deadly scene, woven of top-tier sword arts and peak sword qi, etched itself deep into the hearts of all present.

Everyone held their breath, momentarily forgetting to breathe.

Not only Foundation Establishment disciples were stunned—

even some Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators stared in a daze.

Though their realms were now higher, when they had been at Foundation Establishment, their strength had been far from this level.

These Qianxue prodigies could already unleash such fearsome power at this stage—

once they formed their Golden Core or even broke into Nascent Soul, their future strength was unimaginable.

“So this… is the Qianxue Sword Debate…”

This thought rose almost simultaneously in the hearts of nearly everyone present, regardless of cultivation.

On the projection, sword qi still clashed, explosions still roared, smoke covered the mountain.

As the sword qi faded, explosions ceased, and smoke dispersed, a tension gripped everyone’s heart.

Who had won?

That clash had swept in almost all the disciples from both sects.

It was the deciding move—

settling both life and death, victory and defeat.

The victor would stay; the loser would leave.

So—between Qin Cangliu of the Qin family and Linghu Xiao of the Great Void Sect—

whose sword was stronger?

Who was the true victor?

Everyone’s hearts tightened.

The smoke cleared slowly, finally revealing a lone figure.

The slaughter had been brutal—

the collision of top-tier arts had nearly wiped out all disciples from both sects.

Only one person remained standing.

All quickly saw his face—

black Yin Water robe, pale and cold features, breathing weak, clothes tattered, standing alone with his sword, both tragic and awe-inspiring.

“Qin Cangliu!”

“He actually won!”

“Remarkable…”

“Truly spectacular!”

“The Yin Water Sect has beaten the Great Void Sect—Qin Cangliu has beaten Linghu Xiao…”

On the stands, elders of various clans and sects looked moved, each with their own thoughts.

The Yin Water Sect elder stroked his beard, nodding in satisfaction.

But the next instant, all their expressions froze, eyes narrowing at the projection…

In the arena—

Qin Cangliu stood alone, no one else in sight, Linghu Xiao nowhere to be found.

“I… won?”

“I defeated Linghu Xiao.”

“My sword path is right…”

A flood of emotions rose in him—exhaustion, joy at beating a strong foe—firming his Dao heart.

“I won…”

He exhaled, blinked once…

And in that blink, a person appeared before him.

White, slender fingers pointed at his forehead—firelight condensed at the fingertips—

And that was it.

Too fast—before he could react, the fireball struck, burning pain on his forehead, his jade token shattered—

And suddenly, he was outside the arena.

He had lost.

Qin Cangliu stood frozen for a long time, his feelings a bitter mix hard to put into words.

The audience was even more shocked—

They had been cheering him, praising him…

And then, without a sound, someone appeared, tapped his forehead, and sent him out with one fireball.

The arena fell silent.

A tragic hero felled by a despicable sneak attack.

A sword prodigy defeated by Fireball Technique.

A glorious duel ended with an absurd anticlimax.

Every cultivator present felt choked, unable to speak.

Mo Hua’s one fireball silenced the entire crowd.

…

But regardless of process—loss was loss, victory was victory.

Mo Hua was pleased.

Winning with minimal cost—ending a match with a single fireball—was perfect.

The Sword Debate was over; Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao prepared to leave.

At the gate, they met Qin Cangliu.

He stared at Mo Hua, eyes full of complex emotions—hatred, respect, anger, and a faint trace of grievance.

Finally, he squeezed out one line:

“Mo Hua, I’ll remember you…”

And walked away without looking back.

Mo Hua didn’t mind—he’d heard that before.

Behind him, Situ Jian sighed.

Another Sword Debate enemy for Little Senior Brother…

They walked back toward the Great Void Sect.

On the way, Linghu Xiao stayed silent.

Mo Hua glanced at him and quietly asked:

“Xiaoxiao, are you feeling bad?”

Linghu Xiao shook his head, but seeing Mo Hua’s clear, sincere eyes, he nodded instead.

“I lost.”

Mo Hua asked:

“Do you think you’ll win forever?”

Linghu Xiao paused, then shook his head.

No matter his talent, no one could win every time.

Mo Hua said:

“Some prodigies go undefeated their whole lives, but one loss shatters their Dao heart and they never recover. No matter their talent or comprehension, they never advance again.”

“Others have average talent but great tenacity—they lose all their lives, suffer mockery, taste the world’s coldness, yet never give up, climbing step by step toward their Dao.”

“Which do you want to be?”

Linghu Xiao thought, then said:

“I don’t think I can be either.”

His talent was good, so he wouldn’t lose constantly—

but today, he had still lost to Qin Cangliu.

Mo Hua nodded.

“Yes—most cultivators win some and lose some.”

“Victory and defeat are the same thing in essence—they are the Dao’s guidance for a cultivator, shaping your cultivation path.”

“Winning affirms your path. Losing corrects it.”

“If you win, keep going. If you lose, find the flaws and improve…”

He continued:

“This is something I understood from formations. Others might see me as a formation genius, the champion of the Formation Debate, invincible in array arts.”

“But in truth, I fail all the time when learning formations.”

“If there was an array I can’t master or draw, I will keep learning, keep practicing, keep comprehending… after enough failures, I will succeed.”

The Dao Stele could break the limit on his divine sense capacity, giving him far more opportunities to practice arrays than the average cultivator.

That also meant the number of times he failed in drawing arrays was dozens, even hundreds of times more than others.

It was precisely because he failed in array formations so many, many more times than others…

That he became so strong his peers in the art of formations could only look up to him from far behind.

“True strength is forged from countless failures.”

“Don’t mind others’ praise, don’t think that so-called ‘geniuses’ must charge forward without ever losing, stacking victory after victory.”

“That’s just the thinking of the mediocre.”

“A true genius has only their own Dao in their eyes.”

“A true sword cultivator has only their own sword in their eyes.”

“Everything else is meaningless.”

“Only your ultimate pursuit is real. All wins and losses are like passing clouds.”

Linghu Xiao was moved, and after a moment of thought, his eyes grew resolute. “Little Senior Brother, I’ll remember this.”

Cheng Mo and Situ Jian also seemed lost in thought.

Even Ouyang Xuan at the side gave Mo Hua a surprised glance.

Seeing that Linghu Xiao understood, Mo Hua nodded slightly.

Xiao Xiao was the Great Void Sect’s sword genius and his own junior disciple.

Mo Hua sincerely hoped he would not be disturbed by mundane noise, but uphold his own sword Dao, grow stronger step by step, and one day become a peerless sword cultivator who could shake heaven and earth…

…

Afterwards, everyone returned to the Great Void Sect.

The Sword Debate ended, and they rested briefly.

Mo Hua still had something on his mind — the “Fireball Technique.”

He deliberately sought out Xie Ling to ask about others’ evaluations of his Fireball Technique.

During the debate, the grand array had isolated the stage, so he couldn’t hear the discussions outside.

He didn’t know what others truly thought of his Fireball Technique.

Mo Hua wanted to know whether the philosophy he had inherited from Old Kui — “The Dao has myriad methods, each with its strengths and weaknesses, and their marvel lies in the heart. Even the Fireball Technique can be formidable” — had been understood by anyone.

So, he had to find someone to ask.

Xie Ling, after competing in the Yellow Division, had won two matches before being eliminated. Although a pity, he had done his best and had no regrets.

After that, he’d stayed in the outer grounds watching matches, naturally hearing the comments of others.

When Mo Hua asked, Xie Ling hesitated, as if unwilling to speak.

Mo Hua pressed him repeatedly, and Xie Ling finally said in a low voice:

“Little Senior Brother, people said you’re sly and shameless, using the Fireball Technique to ‘steal kills’…”

“That you’re a despicable formation master who knows Fireball Technique.”

Mo Hua froze, then looked incredulous.

Such a refined Fireball Technique, and no one could appreciate it.

And they even accused him of “kill-stealing”…

Mo Hua felt a little weary.

Seeing this, Xie Ling quickly added some flattery:

“Little Senior Brother, your Fireball Technique is truly amazing. When I saw it, I was stunned — I never thought Fireball Technique could be used like that…”

The flattery was a bit clumsy.

But Mo Hua still felt a faint warmth inside.

His junior brothers were still the best.

Since that was the case, he had to work hard to make the Great Void Sect one of the Four Great Sects, so all his junior brothers could become “geniuses of the Four Great Sects”…

But saying so was one thing — in reality, the Great Void Sect’s Sword Debate situation was becoming grim.

After a day’s debates, the Great Void Sect, as expected, fell to second place.

At present, the rankings were: Heavenly Sword Sect first, Heavenly Dao Sect third, Dragon Cauldron Sect fourth.

They still failed to keep their first place.

And even second place now seemed precarious.

The entire sect’s atmosphere became somewhat heavy.

(End of this Chapter)