Chapter 1009: Ten Thousand Spells

The elders of the Yin Water Sect were abuzz with discussion:

“He’s the successor of the Water Prison Sect?”

“Or has he obtained the Water Prison Sect’s inheritance?”

“And this Water Prison Technique of his—he’s actually formed four water prisons at once. His control over the spell is quite refined, clearly no ordinary inheritance…”

“Indeed,” an elder of the Yin Water Sect nodded.

Another sharp-eyed elder said, “Don’t be fooled by this brat. He’s cunning. When he struck just now, his spiritual power flowed with astonishing speed, almost without the slightest pause, executed with perfect ease and skill. His mastery of the Water Prison Technique is definitely more than this. Forget four prisons—even six or seven might be possible…”

“Six or more water prisons…”

“Even back in the day, a direct disciple of the Water Prison Sect would have found it hard to reach such proficiency…”

“This boy must have deep ties to the Water Prison Sect!”

An elder with a hooked nose, deeply wrinkled face, long seniority, and high authority rasped an order:

“Investigate. Find out his connection to the Water Prison Sect. See if he’s hiding…”

He paused, not saying the rest aloud, then continued: “If he’s hiding… other Water Prison Sect inheritances.”

“Yes.”

A direct disciple received the order and was just about to leave when the elder called him back, warning in a cold tone:

“Do it in secret. Don’t alert the Great Void Sect.”

The Great Void Sect was no longer what it used to be, and this Mo Hua was someone close to the Great Void Sect’s ancestor.

“Yes, Elder…”

The disciple took the order and departed.

The other Yin Water Sect elders continued their heated discussion.

Their sect’s highly anticipated prodigy, Qin Cangliu, had been “ambushed” by Mo Hua’s Fireball Technique and lost in humiliation.

So these elders began paying more attention to Mo Hua.

Unexpectedly, that attention dredged up old matters of “Water Prison Technique” and the “Water Prison Sect,” causing great upheaval in the hearts of the Yin Water Sect’s upper ranks.

Between the Yin Water Sect and the Water Prison Sect, there was no good blood.

Although the Yin Water Sect had since changed leadership, the grudges of the past still lingered.

Mo Hua was well aware of this.

Once the Water Prison Technique was displayed, suspicion was inevitable.

However, he wasn’t afraid.

The Grade Two Water Prison Technique had indeed first been found in the Great Void Sect’s Dao Repository.

It was collected long ago by a Nascent Soul elder of the Yi family, gifted to him during a chivalrous journey.

The origin was clear and aboveboard—nothing to fear from investigation.

However, Mo Hua had later, “by chance,” obtained the Water Prison Sect’s sect-guarding inheritance, and had even interacted with one of their elders. Through these exchanges, his Water Prison Technique had become even more refined.

This part, however, had to remain secret.

As long as he didn’t speak of it, likely no one would know.

His sect would surely protect him.

In the Dao Court’s offices, he also had acquaintances.

Even Overseer Xia had once “colluded” with him.

If the Yin Water Sect really tried to investigate, they’d meet obstacles everywhere.

Therefore, the Water Prison Technique was still a card he could afford to “show” occasionally. It carried some risk, but not too much.

Unlike certain other, far more dangerous Dao arts—once those were revealed, the Dao Court might invite him for “tea,” or worse, straight into a prison cell.

Thus, that round of the Sword Debate ended.

Afterwards, Mo Hua relied on the Water Prison Technique to win two more matches in the Xuan Division.

And both wins came easily.

Mo Hua took control, Linghu Xiao launched the attacks, and the rest focused on disruption.

As long as the Water Prison Technique held the enemy in place, Linghu Xiao could charge up his Void-Sundering Sword Qi and finish them in one clean strike.

It couldn’t be helped—this combination of the “strong control” of the Water Prison Technique and the “strong offense” of the Void-Sundering Sword Technique was simply too powerful.

Especially since it was Mo Hua’s Water Prison Technique.

His spiritual sense was unbelievably strong, his casting lightning-fast, his targeting impeccable—once he struck, almost no one could escape.

With his Water Prison control, Linghu Xiao was essentially hacking at “wooden stakes.”

A sword genius dedicated to slaughter, given wooden stakes to cut in the Sword Debate, produced a level of lethality that defied imagination.

These two opponents had, of course, tried to counter Mo Hua’s Water Prison Technique.

But the Water Prison Technique was nothing like the Fireball Technique.

Fireball was a “normal” spell—Mo Hua just happened to use it well: interrupting, burning, tracking, adding fire damage.

It had a bit of everything, which also meant nothing about it was exceptional.

The Water Prison Technique was different. It was an obscure spell, insidious in nature, with no damage at all—its entire purpose lay in the “control,” along with a suffocating drowning sensation that was extremely unpleasant to endure.

Using a Golden Body Talisman to resist it was pointless.

The technique’s spiritual power cost was low and required almost no pause for recovery—it could be cast continuously.

A Golden Body Talisman could grant immunity, but once it wore off…

Mo Hua would just recast the Water Prison, Linghu Xiao would slash with Void-Sundering Sword Qi, and each strike would send another opponent packing.

This seamless combination of absolute control and devastating sword bursts made their team feel utterly unstoppable—every fight became “one prison, one sword,” and if that didn’t finish it, then “two prisons, two swords.”

Almost no one could survive three cycles of that.

All the spectators were stunned.

Those who had mocked Mo Hua as the Great Void Sect’s “princeling,” the “second-generation rich kid” of Three Mountains, the shame of the Sword Debate who only knew how to “kill steal” with Fireball Technique—claiming the ancestor was senile, the sect master incompetent, and the sect doomed—fell silent.

Only a few scattered voices still criticized him.

But now their complaint had shifted to: “What, so he only knows one Fireball Technique and one Water Prison Technique?”

“With just those two, he won’t get far.”

And they weren’t entirely wrong—he wouldn’t get far.

The Water Prison Technique paired with the Void-Sundering Sword Technique was indeed formidable.

It fully exploited Mo Hua’s control and Linghu Xiao’s killing power, looking unbeatable for now.

But this was the Qianxue Sword Debate.

Their opponents were the various sects’ prodigies—each backed by a great sect with thousands of years of history, deep foundations, abundant talent, and vast Dao Repositories.

It was too much trouble to tailor strategies against hundreds of teams from dozens of sects.

But against a single team—or even a single person—there were always ways.

Thus, in the next match, Mo Hua was countered.

This time, their opponent was none other than the Heavenly Dao Sect, one of the Four Great Sects.

However, it wasn’t their top-tier prodigies—just a team of slightly above second-rate strength.

In the Xuan Division, most sects had about a one-in-ten advancement rate.

The Great Void Sect’s was a bit higher.

The Four Great Sects’ was higher still.

Aside from the true peak prodigies, the Xuan Division still had many first- and second-tier teams from the Four Great Sects.

Even a second-tier Four Great Sect team was far stronger than most ordinary teams.

Now, this Heavenly Dao Sect team faced Mo Hua.

They wore red-and-blue interwoven “Water-Fire Dao Robes.”

These rare Grade Two sect-treasured artifacts could block most fire damage and reduce some water-based control effects.

In addition, all five carried superior “Fire-Meld Armor Talismans.”

Water and fire countered and neutralized each other, further reducing the time they could be trapped by the Water Prison Technique.

This was the depth of a great sect’s foundation—Water-Fire Dao Robes combined with Fire-Meld Armor Talismans.

Layering these two rare defenses meant Mo Hua’s Fireball and Water Prison Techniques could no longer have any decisive impact.

Heavenly Dao Sect’s strategy was simple and clear.

Of the five from the Great Void Sect, the most dangerous was undoubtedly Linghu Xiao.

He couldn’t be allowed the space to unleash his sword techniques freely.

Otherwise, apart from the very best prodigies, no ordinary team—even from the Four Great Sects—could withstand his sword strikes.

Thus, all pressure was to be directed at Linghu Xiao.

The rest of their resources—artifacts and talismans—were used to counter Mo Hua and nullify his spells.

With his water and fire techniques neutralized, Mo Hua was essentially crippled.

Heavenly Dao Sect could then fight five-on-four, a massive advantage.

And Heavenly Dao Sect’s disciples weren’t like those from an average Twelve-Stream sect—every one of them was elite. Even their second-tier disciples had excellent spiritual roots, high cultivation, and strong overall ability.

Their five-on-four could wear down even Linghu Xiao.

That was their plan.

In truth, these Heavenly Dao Sect disciples dearly wanted to “kill” Mo Hua once.

Mo Hua and the Heavenly Dao Sect had a long-standing grudge.

They had no good feelings toward him whatsoever.

Especially after the last Array Debate, where Mo Hua—at mid Foundation Establishment—had crushed a Heavenly Dao Sect senior brother and seized first place in array arts.

It had been a blatant slap in their face.

Every Heavenly Dao Sect disciple had felt the shame.

If it were up to them, they would have rushed straight at Mo Hua, cutting him down on the spot.

But this was the Sword Debate, not some back-alley brawl.

Victory was what mattered most.

It was tied to their sect’s interests, their personal honor, and their future path of cultivation.

They couldn’t let a moment of rage, just for the sake of killing Mo Hua to vent their anger, blind them to the bigger picture.

Linghu Xiao was the true key to the match.

They couldn’t mix up the big card and the small card.

As long as they took out Linghu Xiao first, Mo Hua—merely a spirit cultivator focused on control-type spells—would be powerless to change the tide.

They would still have the chance to hack Mo Hua to “death” with chaotic sword strikes, and the Heavenly Dao Sect’s grudge could still be avenged.

When the match began, things played out exactly as the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples expected.

Mo Hua’s Fireball Technique was useless.

His Water Prison Technique had some effect, but only barely.

His spiritual sense was too strong and his aim too precise—he could still trap Heavenly Dao Sect disciples with the Water Prison Technique.

But the control effect was mostly negated by the rare “Water-Fire Dao Robe.”

On top of that, the “Molten Flame Dao Armor Talisman” would instantly evaporate the Water Prison upon contact, leaving only a negligible duration.

The Water Prison Technique, as a control spell, ended up serving merely as a momentary interruption.

With his spells neutralized, Mo Hua stood at the edge of the arena looking like a complete “waste.”

The Heavenly Dao Sect disciples sneered coldly, then ignored him entirely, focusing on tightening their siege against Linghu Xiao and his group of four.

Linghu Xiao, beset on all sides, couldn’t fully display his swordsmanship.

Naturally, the Soaring Sky Sect’s situation worsened again.

This time, the audience, who had gone quiet, started murmuring once more:

“I told you, relying on Fireball Technique and Water Prison Technique won’t get you far. The moment someone counters you, you’re done for.”

“This Soaring Sky Sect lineup has serious problems.”

“Not Soaring Sky Sect’s fault—Heavenly Dao Sect is just too strong.”

“Yeah, they are one of the Four Great Sects after all. Even a second-tier team from them can completely suppress Soaring Sky Sect’s prodigies.”

The arena buzzed with commentary.

Inside the Sword Debate stage, the stalemate dragged on for a while longer.

Linghu Xiao was still heavily restrained, and Ouyang Xuan’s group couldn’t perform freely—their situation growing worse by the moment.

Mo Hua let out a faint sigh.

This was the Sword Debate.

With so many eyes watching, most techniques could only be used unexpectedly a couple of times to catch the opponent off guard.

Any trump card, once revealed, would be countered within one or two rounds.

His Fireball Technique and Water Prison Technique were already limited.

Mo Hua had no choice but to stop holding back.

He began unleashing the vast arsenal of low-level spells he had accumulated.

These spells came in a wide variety, from many different sources.

Most were from criminals he had captured during bounty hunts.

When he first entered Qianxue Prefecture and joined the Great Void Sect, he followed senior brothers and sisters on bounty missions, arresting large numbers of rogue cultivators.

Many of these criminals were defected disciples from various sects of Qianxue Prefecture.

They carried a wealth of sect inheritances with them—especially strange, eclectic, and miscellaneous low-level spell manuals, almost all of which Mo Hua “confiscated” through intense interrogation.

Besides these, there was the Great Void Sect’s Dao Repository, and various other occasional sources of small spell manuals.

Altogether, they numbered in the hundreds.

These spells were of lower quality, and as long as the spiritual root matched, they weren’t hard to learn.

Mo Hua, with his strong spiritual sense and high comprehension, could usually replicate a spell convincingly after glancing through its diagram just a few times.

It was second nature to him.

The more he learned and used, the deeper his understanding became, and the more refined his spellcraft grew.

Unfortunately, he rarely had the chance to use these low-level spells before—ever since the early Foundation Establishment stage, his opponents had been cultivators like the “Fire Buddha” and “Water Yama.”

Later, the situations he got involved in—facing Xiao Zhenhai, the various Demon Sect Elders, Demon Sect Commanders, and Mister Xuan—were all Golden Core level.

Even the best Tier-2 low-level spells were useless in those battles.

But this was different.

Here in the Sword Debate, the opponents were sect disciples around his own cultivation level.

His “master-of-all-spells” approach could finally show its true power.

Thus, the Heavenly Dao Sect’s five disciples became the first to experience Mo Hua’s “spell baptism” in the Sword Debate.

Mo Hua focused his mind, spiritual power flowing with his divine sense as spells streamed from his fingertips toward the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples.

Light flared again and again, spells came without pause.

Metal Blade Technique, Wood Binding Technique, Water Arrow Technique, Fire Illumination Technique, Earth Prison Technique, Flowing Sand Technique, Earth Burial Technique, Wood Poison Technique, Metal Resonance Technique…

The Five Elements cycled endlessly in dazzling variety.

He cast each spell as easily as breathing.

Though their power was modest, Mo Hua’s lightning-fast casting speed, enormous repertoire, pinpoint accuracy, and unpredictability left opponents overwhelmed and unable to guard against them.

It was a fusion of the puppet elder’s “In all the world’s spells, speed is invincible” and Elder Yi’s “Five Elements in rotation, all spells mastered,” producing a stunning effect.

Standing still, Mo Hua’s fingers danced, chaining Five Element spells in rapid succession like a humanoid “spell machine gun,” bombarding the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples until they were flustered, scrambling, and utterly disheveled.

The spectators, including the Heavenly Dao Sect’s elders, fell silent.

Even those who had been mocking earlier immediately shut their mouths.

Meanwhile, Wenren Wan, Yu’er, Murong Caiyun, Hua Qianqian, and the other Great Void Sect disciples—along with the elders—were stirred with excitement.

Especially Elder Yi, who looked deeply moved.

As the sect’s Daoist Arts elder, he had devoted his life to the study of spellcraft.

The image of “mastering all spells” had always been in his mind, and Mo Hua was the first disciple to truly display this “Five Elements rotation” in reality.

And it was happening in the Sword Debate.

Against the Heavenly Dao Sect, no less.

Using basic Five Element spells to suppress the geniuses of one of the Four Great Sects to the point they couldn’t raise their heads was proof enough of this “spell mastery” style’s ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

But after the excitement came regret.

“This child Mo Hua… his spiritual roots are too poor, his spiritual power too low…” Elder Yi sighed.

Even with low-level Five Element spells, casting them this quickly consumed a lot of energy.

Mo Hua couldn’t sustain this casting speed for long—his qi sea and spiritual power simply couldn’t support such “extravagance.”

Otherwise, just by himself, with his fast, overwhelming, and massive, perfectly synergized Five Element “spell chain,” he could have crushed all five Heavenly Dao Sect disciples to death.

“What a pity…” Elder Yi sighed again.

Still, nothing in the world was perfect.

Even with its inherent limitations, Mo Hua’s “Five Elements in rotation, mastery of all spells” was more than enough to handle the current situation.

And this was the Sword Debate—Mo Hua wasn’t fighting alone.

By suppressing the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples with his Five Element spells, Linghu Xiao could finally catch his breath and strike back.

With Ouyang Xuan, Cheng Mo, and Situ Jian joining in, the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples were soon forced onto the back foot.

Then, with one Fire Illumination Technique burning a disciple’s eyes, a Flowing Sand Technique trapping his feet, a Water Arrow melting his fire talisman, and a Metal Blade cutting a small opening…

The battle shifted completely.

Though each spell was low-tier and weak on its own, in a high-level fight where life and death hung on a thread, these tiny changes were enough to flip the outcome.

Situ’s Leaving Fire Sword pierced through the opening, Cheng Mo’s axe struck from above, Ouyang Xuan followed with a sword thrust, and Linghu Xiao’s sweeping sword qi shattered the Heavenly Dao Sect disciple’s jade token—eliminating him instantly.

With one man down, the Heavenly Dao Sect had only four left, and the tide turned sharply.

Without that extra man, Linghu Xiao’s sword qi was unrestrained—no one could stop him.

After another hundred exchanges, the remaining four Heavenly Dao Sect disciples were all “slain” by the Great Void Sect team.

This round, Great Void Sect claimed victory.

The massive spectator stands fell silent.

The Heavenly Dao Sect elders’ faces were dark.

The other sect elders also wore grave expressions.

They finally realized Mo Hua’s true role in the Sword Debate.

They had all been wrong.

This Qianxue Prefecture formation master was not participating as merely a “formation expert,” but as an unconventional, formidable spell cultivator.

He was someone who could not master high-grade Daoist arts, but who was proficient in a vast range of low-level spells—already showing the early form of a “master of all spells.”

(End of this Chapter)