Chapter 1010: Fairy Lu

After this battle, Mo Hua’s fame began to spread.

This reputation was not earned through his arrays, but rather fought out, blow by blow, in the Sword Debate Grand Assembly with his own mastery of spells.

Disciples of the mighty Heavenly Dao Sect were “suppressed to death” by Mo Hua using only low-grade spells.

This alone showed how extraordinary his spell mastery was.

Of course, strictly speaking, Mo Hua had only “assisted”; it was Linghu Xiao who actually killed them.

But although Linghu Xiao struck the killing blow…

The blame still fell on Mo Hua.

Linghu Xiao was a genius—dying by his sword was only natural.

But to be suppressed to death by Mo Hua’s low-grade spells—that was a humiliation beyond compare.

Very soon, this feeling of being “humiliated to death” by low-grade spells began to spread.

More and more sect prodigies came to know the taste.

From the Twelve Streams: Xuanhuo Sect, Lingyin Workshop.

From the Eight Great Sects: Carefree Sect, Purple Mist Sect.

In these four matches, all four sects fell to the Great Void Sect.

More precisely—they fell to Mo Hua.

Their disciples were pummeled senseless by Mo Hua’s endless, overwhelming, all-encompassing, suppressive, and versatile low-grade Five Elements spells, until they had no will to fight.

It wasn’t as though they hadn’t tried to devise ways to counter Mo Hua.

A single Fireball Technique, a single Water Prison Technique, or even only fire-and-water spells—those could be targeted.

But the bewildering variety of Five Elements spells left them with no clear approach.

If they wanted to defend, the only option was to craft spell-deflecting spiritual robes like “Spell-Repelling Robes.”

But artifact forging follows basic principles—

The more singular the spell you target, the more effective the artifact.

The more varied the spells you target, the less effective it becomes.

Mo Hua had a minor Five Elements spiritual root—a veritable kaleidoscope of spells.

To make a spell-warding robe against such “all-elements” variety meant it would block a little of everything…

Which meant it blocked nothing well.

Such a robe was basically chicken ribs—not worth wearing.

And with the Five Elements’ cycle, mutual generation, mutual restraint, and unity, there was no true counter element and no true “shortcoming.”

This trump card of his had been revealed too late for opponents to prepare properly.

Plus, Mo Hua’s twenty-lined divine sense meant he was no ordinary spell cultivator.

Thus, disciples of Xuanhuo Sect, Lingyin Workshop, Carefree Sect, and Purple Mist Sect were simply unable to deal with his flood of Five Elements spells and ended up defeated in frustration.

Mo Hua’s list of “enemies” grew considerably.

If they’d lost to his low-grade Five Elements spells alone, they might not have held such deep grudges.

But Mo Hua had a “bad habit”:

He liked to finish people off with a Fireball Technique.

Often, when his opponent was weary from prolonged combat and nearly out of spiritual power, Mo Hua would casually toss a little Fireball to “end” them.

And thus, the number of geniuses in Qianxue who “died” under his Fireball Technique grew.

For these prodigies, being finished off by a fireball was utterly despairing.

They truly wished to say:

Let Linghu Xiao strike me down with his sword—

Just don’t use that wretched Fireball Technique!

To die under the sword of a Chongxu Sword Dao genius, versus dying to a mere Fireball—there was simply no comparison.

All were prominent sect prodigies.

Dying under a genius’s sword wasn’t pleasant…

But compared to a Fireball, it was far preferable—something they might even wish for.

To die to the Fireball of an array master—that was humiliation written in blood.

Unfortunately, Mo Hua was so used to his fireball finishers that he hadn’t considered their pain.

And the more finishing blows he delivered this way, the deeper the “sin” of his Fireball became.

The grudges multiplied.

Among these, the most bitter grudge came from his match against Purple Mist Sect.

Purple Mist Sect—one of the Eight Great Sects—passed down the True Purple Mist Art, a profound and gentle cultivation method that nourished longevity and possessed respectable power.

Before this, Purple Mist Sect ranked higher than Great Void Sect, with stronger disciples.

But their misfortune was running into Mo Hua—a spell cultivator with unconventional, wild, and unpredictable methods.

Purple Mist Sect’s disciples cultivated harmonious, balanced arts, without strange tricks—naturally, they had little defense against an oddball like Mo Hua.

After a fierce back-and-forth, they were ultimately toyed to death by his endless Five Elements spells.

Mo Hua didn’t win easily, though.

His biggest issue was spiritual power—

His root and cultivation method meant his spiritual foundation was shallow.

This was the greatest drawback for a spell cultivator.

Thus, even when using low-grade Five Elements spells with low consumption, he couldn’t be too careless.

Especially in long fights—near the end, he had to manage his reserves carefully and use his spells sparingly.

Naturally, his suppression weakened.

But in the end, Mo Hua still won.

As usual, he habitually ended the match with a Fireball Technique kill, and then returned to Great Void Sect, planning to enjoy a good meal before preparing for the next match.

Yet when he sat in the dining hall, he noticed all his fellow disciples glancing at him with strange expressions.

Mo Hua, puzzled, asked, “What is it?”

Hao Xuan hesitated, then quietly asked, “Little Senior Brother, do you have no sense of pity for fragrant flowers and precious jade?”

Mo Hua froze. “Pity what flowers? What jade?”

Everyone fell silent, unsure how to explain.

Hao Xuan prompted, “In today’s match, didn’t you use a Fireball to finish someone?”

“Mm.” Mo Hua nodded.

“You fired it right in their face?”

“Mm.” He nodded again.

“Do you realize… that was a female disciple?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then nodded. “Seems like she was female…”

Hao Xuan’s expression turned complicated. “Do you remember what she looked like?”

Mo Hua recalled—

Fair skin, arched brows, big eyes, a pointed chin, red lips…

“I think I remember,” he said truthfully. “Why?”

Hao Xuan asked, “Do you think she was pretty?”

Mo Hua didn’t understand. “What does that have to do with anything? This is the Sword Debate—looks don’t fill your belly.”

Seeing he still didn’t get it, Hao Xuan sighed helplessly:

“Little Senior Brother, do you know who that girl was?”

Mo Hua shook his head.

Hao Xuan sighed again. “That girl… was Lu Zhenlong, Purple Mist Sect’s number one beauty, legitimate daughter of the prestigious Lu Clan of Kun Prefecture—wealthy, beautiful, renowned across all Qianxue, with admirers as numerous as the clouds, and suitors who could line up from Dao Debate Mountain to Smoke Water River…

“Today, when she competed, countless people came just to see her face, and then—”

And then you blasted her in the face with a Fireball Technique.

Mo Hua froze, then was shocked:

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Hao Xuan gave a wry smile—he’d have liked to, but there hadn’t been a chance.

Mainly, he’d never imagined that the number one beauty of Purple Mist Sect was someone his Little Senior Brother had never even heard of.

Even if he hadn’t heard of her…

With such a delicate face right in front of him, he could at least have guessed she wasn’t ordinary, right?

Hao Xuan couldn’t help asking, “Little Senior Brother, didn’t you think she was pretty?”

Mo Hua frowned, seriously thinking it over:

“Looks… were okay, her features were fine. But her temperament wasn’t great, her temper was bad, her attitude was arrogant, and her divine soul wasn’t so pleasing—beauty without substance…”

Not as good as his Little Senior Sister.

Hao Xuan sighed. “Alright then…”

His Little Senior Brother clearly wasn’t normal—he saw things differently.

Still, he warned, “Little Senior Brother, be careful when you go out these days.”

“Why?” Mo Hua asked.

Hao Xuan replied, “You were in the match, so you didn’t see—when you blasted Lu Zhenlong in the face with that fireball, the whole audience erupted, like a volcano exploding. The place was boiling over, and countless male disciples were burning with rage, wanting to settle accounts with you…”

Mo Hua felt a headache coming on and shook his head:

“These people don’t focus on cultivation—every day, all they think about is chasing women. No wonder when I’m competing, they can only watch from the sidelines…”

Though his Little Senior Brother did sometimes say irritating things, Hao Xuan was startled and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth:

“My Little Senior Brother, you must never say that outside…”

Otherwise, it would be pouring oil on the fire.

That volcano his fireball had ignited wouldn’t just erupt—it would explode into the heavens.

Mo Hua, muffled by Hao Xuan’s hand, nodded to show he’d keep quiet.

Only then did Hao Xuan relax.

After eating, Mo Hua returned to the disciples’ quarters.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

He’d used the Fireball Technique for convenience—But that convenience had now brought him big trouble.

If he’d known, he’d have had Xiao Xiao cut her down instead.

Even Ouyang Xuan would’ve been fine—he had a bad reputation and wasn’t afraid of offending people.

Still, thinking it over—he was competing in the Sword Debate, protected in the sect by the old ancestors, and at Dao Debate Mountain by a Fifth-Rank Grand Array—no one could truly harm him.

With that in mind, Mo Hua relaxed.

He began preparing for the next round of matches.

…

Outside the Great Void Sect, because he had used the Fireball Technique to blow off the head of the Purple Mist Sect’s number one beauty, Mo Hua had once again earned himself a fresh wave of deadly grudges.

Many sects also adjusted their strategies against Mo Hua because of this.

They decided to kill Mo Hua at all costs.

On one hand, Mo Hua’s actions were indeed infuriating—if they didn’t “kill” him at least once, it would be hard to dispel the hatred in their hearts.

Moreover, since the start of the Sword Debate, Mo Hua hadn’t “died” even once, which made many people even more unwilling to accept it.

If Mo Hua didn’t “die,” it was simply intolerable.

On the other hand, due to tactical needs in the Sword Debate, it really had reached the point where they needed to “forcefully kill” Mo Hua.

It couldn’t be avoided any longer.

Originally, the most feared person in the Great Void Sect’s team was Linghu Xiao—Mo Hua was hardly worth mentioning.

But now, Mo Hua’s Five Elements spells flowed endlessly, not only cunning and strange, varied in type, but also overwhelmingly powerful, turning him into a major hidden threat.

If he were allowed to stir up trouble, he would surely toy with them in the palm of his hand with his myriad spells.

And with Mo Hua’s magical support, Linghu Xiao’s sword qi became even more unstoppable.

Therefore, they had to kill one of the two first.

Killing Linghu Xiao would be very difficult.

But killing Mo Hua would be much easier.

After all, how frail Mo Hua’s body was and how fragile his Dao Debate Jade was—any cultivator with eyes could see it clearly.

Killing Linghu Xiao might take a hundred or more sword strikes.

But killing Mo Hua only required one.

Of course, wanting to kill Mo Hua wasn’t that simple—Linghu Xiao wouldn’t agree, and the other Great Void Sect disciples wouldn’t stand by and do nothing either.

Some sect teams had considered killing Mo Hua first by force.

But if they did that, they couldn’t suppress Linghu Xiao.

If Linghu Xiao was unrestrained, while they were killing Mo Hua, their teammates might be slain by Linghu Xiao first.

In that case, even if they killed Mo Hua, it would still be a loss.

So, they needed a sect team that could face Linghu Xiao’s sword qi head-on while still having manpower to spare for killing Mo Hua.

This heavy responsibility fell to the Vajra Sect.

The Vajra Sect was one of the Eight Great Sects of Qianxue.

Its disciples specialized in body refinement, inheriting the Vajra Indestructible Technique—bodies like bronze skin and iron bones, impervious to blades and spears, resistant to water and fire.

This sect could withstand Linghu Xiao’s sword qi and also resist Mo Hua’s magic to some extent.

And the one Mo Hua encountered was none other than the Vajra Sect’s “First Senior Brother” leading the team.

This team, relying on their all-in-one offense-and-defense Vajra Indestructible Technique, had swept through all sides in the Sword Debate without suffering a single defeat.

In some sense, this was the strongest—and most countering—team Mo Hua had faced in the Xuan Division.

Before the match even started, many cultivators had gathered outside the arena.

They were all here for Mo Hua.

More precisely, they were here to watch the Vajra Sect’s First Senior Brother, trained in external arts, brutally thrash the shameless and despicable Little Senior Brother of the Great Void Sect.

Someone confidently declared, “I can’t imagine how the Great Void Sect could win this one.”

“Same here. That’s why I came early to get a good seat and watch the show…

“Usually, I don’t even dare come watch—I’m afraid this kid Mo Hua will anger me to death…”

“To be honest, my own brother from the Carefree Sect was toyed to ‘death’ by Mo Hua with low-grade spells last time. A man can be killed, but not humiliated. Even now, when I think of it, my blood boils, and I wish I could go down there myself and beat him up…”

“Using Fireball Technique every day to finish people off—you tell me, is that reasonable?”

“Do the prodigies of Qianxue Prefecture have no dignity?”

“Killing others is one thing, but even the Purple Mist Sect’s Fairy Lu—he dared to make a move on her?”

“A lady as pure as the moon, as fresh as spring blossoms, as misty as autumn waters, as crystalline as winter snow—with a face so stunning it could rival a lotus in full bloom—how could he possibly bring himself to do it?”

“And using Fireball Technique?”

“Right in her face?”

“Didn’t even blink…”

“I understand human nature—this kid is either utterly deranged and inhuman, or he’s trying to use his cold-bloodedness to attract Fairy Lu’s attention, a toad lusting after swan meat, despicable and shameless!”

“I only regret that I’ve already graduated and can’t go down there myself to personally kill the scoundrel Mo Hua and avenge Fairy Lu.”

“Speaking of Fairy Lu…”

“The Lu family is truly rich, and Fairy Lu is truly beautiful…”

“I wonder who will be lucky enough to enjoy that sweet and soft life…”

…

While the crowd outside was abuzz, a deep bell rang within the arena.

The Sword Debate began.

Five burly men from the Vajra Sect stood at the forefront—the leader a towering, muscular figure like a golden iron statue, exuding majestic authority.

Yet his features were not rough, but rather handsome and composed, with a sharp light in his eyes.

This was the Vajra Sect’s First Senior Brother in this year’s competition, Shi Tiangang.

The Shi family was a great clan.

Shi Tiangang was extraordinary from a young age, born with exceptional bone structure—a prodigy in body refinement. His foundation in the art, and his mastery of the Vajra Indestructible Technique, left others in the Vajra Sect far behind, standing out above all.

Under his lead, the Vajra Sect team had not lost a single match.

And in this round, Shi Tiangang’s goal was to kill Mo Hua.

One reason was that Mo Hua’s spells were strange and had to be dealt with.

The other reason, of course, was Lu Zhenlong.

Lu Zhenlong had been humiliated by Mo Hua’s Fireball Technique and was furious.

Killing Mo Hua would be a way to curry favor with Lu Zhenlong.

Shi Tiangang was steady-minded, not someone blinded by beauty—his main reason was marriage alliance, to seek benefits for his clan.

The Shi family, being a body refinement clan, required many heavenly and earthly treasures to temper the body, wash the muscles, and cleanse the marrow.

Though powerful, their cultivation industries were weak, and they were not good at business, so they were not wealthy.

The Lu family, however, was a wealthy powerhouse in Kun Prefecture, with spirit stones as countless as cattle and spiritual materials in abundance.

If the Shi family could form a marriage alliance with the Lu family, they could complement each other’s strengths and fulfill their needs.

Shi Tiangang, a peerless talent of his generation, carried a strong sense of duty. He knew his growth came from his clan’s support, and as long as something benefited the family, he was willing to do it.

In matters of marriage, looking at clan interests alone, he had no right to speak of personal preference.

Most clan heirs could never marry the person they truly loved.

It was all cold, hard calculations of benefit.

Of course, Shi Tiangang admitted that Lu Zhenlong was indeed beautiful—not only with fine looks, but also with good family background and talent.

Youth’s admiration for beauty was natural.

A woman like that, even if arrogant and willful, with such a face, talent, and status, was impossible for anyone not to like.

Therefore, Mo Hua had to die.

As long as he was the first to “kill” Mo Hua in the Sword Debate, it would create an opening.

In the future, if the Shi and Lu families discussed marriage, this Sword Debate would be an advantage…

The clash was about to erupt.

This was an ordinary melee round.

In the arena, the five Vajra Sect men charged toward the Great Void Sect like five golden statues.

Four of them used their bronze skin and iron bones to lock Linghu Xiao and the others in close combat.

The Vajra Indestructible Technique was a top-tier body refinement art—even in direct clashes with Linghu Xiao’s sword qi, they wouldn’t fall behind in the short term.

This was the Vajra Sect’s advantage.

And to show respect, their First Senior Brother, Shi Tiangang, personally went to “kill” Mo Hua.

Now that Mo Hua was “master of all spells,” he deserved such treatment.

The moment the fight began, Mo Hua clearly sensed the Vajra Sect’s intent—without a word, he turned and ran, disappearing into a nearby small forest in a few flashes.

“Runs pretty fast…”

Shi Tiangang’s gaze darkened, a cold smile forming. He activated his movement technique, turning into a golden blur rushing toward the forest.

Linghu Xiao and the others tried to stop him, but the other four burly Vajra Sect disciples held them back.

These four, clad in golden armor from the Vajra Indestructible Technique, even had their skin gleaming gold—Linghu Xiao’s sharp sword qi only left shallow marks on them.

It was hard to say how much time and effort would be needed to take them down.

Linghu Xiao’s eyes grew cold, but he could only bide his time and keep fighting.

Meanwhile, Shi Tiangang stormed into the forest.

A flash of fire lit the air—several Fireballs flew toward him.

His skin, like gold-plated steel, was immune to water and fire. The Fireballs exploded on him with nothing more than wisps of flame and smoke, not even scorching his skin.

Several Water Prison Techniques came next, but they didn’t hold him for long.

Then came Gold Blade and Water Arrow spells—none of which harmed him in the slightest.

Enduring the barrage, Shi Tiangang strode into the trees.

Sweeping his divine sense, his gaze shot to the right—there, half-hidden by the forest, was a flustered figure fleeing deeper among the trees.

Shi Tiangang sneered, clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked like firecrackers:

“I want to see just where you can escape to!”

(End of this Chapter)