Chapter 1013: Visitors
Late at night.
The Daoist elders of each sect gathered together again.
Still the same grand hall.
Still the same elders.
Still Mo Hua on the projection diagram.
Only this time, the match was different.
And the “victim” was different too.
On the image, Mo Hua was hiding in a small grove, toying with five disciples of the Longding Sect.
Each of the five held a Concealment-Piercing Mirror in their hands.
But in the mirrors—nothing at all.
They looked at each other, faces blank, like five “big fools.”
“We wronged Shi Tiangang—it’s not that he’s all brawn and no brains, unable to see through concealment. It’s that Mo Hua’s concealment technique really is strange…”
“If even the Concealment-Piercing Mirror can’t reveal him… that means the principle behind this concealment is different from common inheritances.”
“Which type is it then? Light Concealment, Spirit Concealment, Eye Concealment, Five-Color Concealment, Five-Element Concealment, or Eight-Trigram Concealment?”
“Through this distant projection and image? Hard to say…”
“To tell true from false, you’d need to be there in person, sensing his qi flow, or probing with divine sense…”
“Lun Dao Mountain has a Grade-5 Grand Array isolating all outside spiritual interference and divine sense probing—we can’t interfere, so we can’t tell…”
The Grade-5 Grand Array shut out everything from outside.
Its purpose was to protect disciples, allowing them to use sect arts, top-grade Daoist methods, and rare inheritances in the debate matches without having them stolen by malicious, cunning cultivators through divine sense perception, law deduction, or karmic backtracking.
After all, the Qianxue Sword Debate was full of prodigies. And what prodigies learned was always top-tier Daoist scripture.
If someone stole it through “perception,” “backtracking,” or “deduction,” the consequences would be disastrous.
But this also meant the Daoist elders couldn’t figure out the details of Mo Hua’s concealment.
“Does the Great Void Sect have an exclusive concealment inheritance?”
“As far as I know—no.”
“Then this concealment must have some origin?”
“In the whole Qianxue State, are there any sects specializing in concealment?”
“There used to be, but most disappeared. Now, no sect focuses solely on concealment—too niche.”
“Then the only way is to test with different concealment-breaking artifacts?”
Artifact craft had advanced, with countless categories.
Concealment-breaking artifacts were also divided into many types depending on the concealment’s principle—breaking spiritual concealment, water concealment, color concealment, light concealment, and so on.
The rare, odd forms of concealment had few inheritances and few practitioners, so they were seldom encountered.
Thus, the most common were “general-purpose” concealment-breaking artifacts.
The Concealment-Piercing Mirrors the Longding Sect disciples used were such high-grade general-purpose types.
Usually, even rare concealment arts couldn’t hide from them completely.
But Mo Hua was different.
His Minor Five-Element Concealment Technique had been tempered for years, paired with extensive real-world experience, and had already reached a masterful level.
Now that his divine sense had formed a core, the technique had transformed, touching upon perfection.
Unless one had a targeted, top-grade concealment-breaker tuned to the Five Elements, it was impossible to pierce it.
“But testing one by one…” one elder frowned. “How long will that take?”
“One team of five—each with a different concealment-breaker—shine it on him. Won’t take many matches to figure it out.”
“And if he doesn’t conceal?”
“This kid’s clever—if he suspects something, he’ll ‘hold back’ and stop using concealment.”
“If he’s not concealing, what use is shining him with a mirror?”
“Then force him to hide—surround him, pressure him, make him conceal, then break it.”
“All this, just to target one disciple—no, one spell of one disciple?”
“This isn’t about winning—it’s about identifying which school his concealment belongs to.”
“So… we’d deliberately give up a few Xuan-tier matches, handing points to the Great Void Sect?”
“That’s the only way.”
“But these are Xuan-tier matches—once gone, they’re gone. Waste them?”
“You can’t catch the wolf without sacrificing the lamb.”
“And whose lamb, whose wolf?”
“Next few matches—who’s against the Great Void Sect?”
“Xuanqi Sect, Broken Gold Sect, and Soaring Sky Sect…”
“Xuanqi Sect and Broken Gold Sect are fine, but Soaring Sky Sect isn’t easy to deal with…”
“Then give them more benefits—everyone chips in…”
The elders fell silent, hesitant.
“You don’t realize how serious this is,” the leading elder said sternly. “Don’t underestimate this concealment. Paired with his absurd divine sense and masterful Five-Element arts, he could genuinely be ‘unbeatable’ in certain situations.”
“In beheading matches especially—practically unsolvable.”
“If you can’t pierce his concealment, you absolutely cannot win.”
“If we don’t solve it now, and it drags into the Di-tier or Tian-tier rounds, it’ll be trouble.”
“Every win in Di-tier and Tian-tier is precious.”
“And in beheading matches—if he hides, he’s invincible. Whoever meets him will suffer.”
“Even if he can’t win, he’ll make sure you can’t either.”
“Against even the top Four-Sect prodigies—if he can’t beat them, he hides, and no one can touch him. Ends in a draw. Great Void Sect can accept a draw—can you?”
Draws gave no points—equal to both sides losing.
Between the Four Sects, competition was fierce.
Drawing against Mo Hua meant falling behind.
The thought gave everyone a headache.
Who would have thought that grand elders of major sects would one day be driven to despair by a single concealment art?
After a pause, a respected elder said:
“Then it’s settled. Sacrifice some Xuan-tier matches to break his concealment. Compensation—we Four Sects will cover it. We’ll arrange the concealment-breakers.”
“We can’t let the Great Void Sect keep growing. And this Mo Hua—Qianxue’s array prodigy—cannot be allowed to act unchecked. Dig out all his tricks, and find a way to counter him.”
The elders nodded in agreement.
The plan was set—unite for now, share information, and make breaking Mo Hua’s concealment the top priority in upcoming Xuan-tier matches.
First up—Xuanqi Sect vs. Mo Hua.
The Xuanqi disciples each held a differently-shaped spirit mirror, designed to break different concealment types.
They also prepared special concealment-breaking formations.
All tactics centered on Mo Hua.
The flaw in this approach was obvious—ignoring Linghu Xiao meant Xuanqi Sect had no hope of winning.
This wasn’t a beheading match, so killing Mo Hua wouldn’t win them the game.
Mo Hua himself was puzzled.
Was… this a free win?
Until the match, when he was surrounded and forced to conceal.
The Xuanqi disciples instantly activated their mirrors.
Five beams of varying colors shot toward Mo Hua.
Mo Hua had helped revive Lone Mountain Forge—many artifact blueprints were his designs.
Though his practical forging skill was low, his theoretical knowledge was solid.
One glance, and he understood.
“They’re not here to win—they just want to break my concealment.”
With a thought, he dropped the concealment, openly letting the mirrors shine on him.
Without concealment, there was nothing to break.
The Xuanqi disciples, angered, tried to cut him down.
Mo Hua sidestepped fluidly and called out to Linghu Xiao:
“Xiao Xiao, protect me!”
Linghu Xiao and the others closed in, forming a shield around him.
The Xuanqi disciples, weaker and with poorer defense, dared not charge through Linghu Xiao’s sword qi to reach Mo Hua.
Mo Hua then alternated—conceal when no mirrors, reveal when mirrors appeared.
His switching was faster than their ability to ready and activate the mirrors.
The Xuanqi disciples could only fume.
Outside, the elders cursed Mo Hua as a “crafty little fox,” shameless and sly as a ghost.
Xuanqi Sect lost.
Next came Broken Gold Sect.
They were stronger and learned from Xuanqi’s mistake, refining their tactics.
Their Broken Gold Sword Art was a powerful, top-grade killing art.
Though Mo Hua had crafted a “Broken Gold Armor” tailored to counter it, he couldn’t wear it—his body was too fragile, and even reduced sword qi could still kill him.
With grudges old and new, the Broken Gold disciples went all out, sword light like snow filling the sky toward Mo Hua.
Unable to withstand it, he had to stay fully concealed—no more playful switching.
This gave Broken Gold Sect the time to test with different mirrors.
Yet—still strange.
Their mirrors worked inconsistently—sometimes showing him, sometimes not.
The elders watching frowned.
“Artifact malfunction? Or is his concealment malfunctioning?”
The mystery vexed them until after Broken Gold Sect’s loss.
Late that night, in the grand hall, the elders pored over the projection, frame by frame—until one sharp-eyed elder suddenly slapped the table.
“Damn it—!” He caught himself after swearing, but no one minded—they wanted to swear too.
“Speak!”
He ground his teeth.
“That brat’s using two concealment arts—one low-grade, one high-grade. He’s mixing them!”
“That’s why the mirrors work off and on—sometimes it’s one art, sometimes the other!”
The hall erupted.
“So simple? I… I’m speechless.”
“How does that kid’s brain work? Where does he get these ideas?”
“That’s not an idea—that’s the essence of Daoist arts: no art is inherently better or worse, only the skill of its use.”
“It’s still a dirty trick…”
…
Having seen through Mo Hua’s tricks, countering it naturally made things easier.
They once again began to study Mo Hua frame by frame, image after image, trying to determine exactly what kind of concealment he was using at that moment.
Unfortunately, only one match had been played, so there weren’t enough “samples.”
For the time being, these Daoist arts elders still couldn’t make a firm judgment.
“Let’s wait until the Soaring Sky Sect match is over, then see…”
“That’s all we can do.”
In the next match, Mo Hua’s group happened to face disciples from the Soaring Sky Sect.
The Soaring Sky Sect, one of the Eight Great Sects, specialized in spells. It was said to share the same origin as Wanxiao Sect, one of the Four Great Sects, though they later grew estranged and split apart.
The Soaring Sky Sect’s tactics were simple and brutal.
The five of them attacked together, unleashing a massive “spell bombardment” on Mo Hua.
Golden light, fire, stone, hail, and water arrows rained down in an overwhelming wave.
Mo Hua had no place to hide and had to use his Concealment Technique to dodge.
The battle with the Soaring Sky Sect lasted quite a while, and Mo Hua’s concealment technique was nearly completely exposed.
After the debate match ended, Mo Hua’s every move was once again projected onto the shadow-image map for the various Daoist arts elders to study.
After careful differentiation and comparison, several sharp-eyed, experienced Daoist arts elders finally sighed and said firmly:
“I see it now—it’s a Five Elements-type Concealment Technique.”
“The Five Elements, huh…”
“Blending into the Five Elements, hiding within heaven and earth… that’s why he deliberately chose to hide in a small forest—to borrow the wood, earth, and water elemental qi in the forest to facilitate his concealment.”
“As I thought… I had already guessed it was a Five Elements-type Concealment Technique.”
“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“There was no proof before—better not to make a careless judgment. Now that we have proof, I can state it with certainty…”
“…”
“But… there are quite a few Five Elements concealment arts. Which one exactly is this brat using?”
The Daoist arts elders each had their own theories, with guesses all over the place—though someone really did figure it out:
“From my observation, it looks a bit like… the Little Five Elements Concealment Technique from the Five Concealments Sect.”
“Didn’t the Five Concealments Sect disappear?”
“The inheritance must have been partially lost. I’m guessing this brat got lucky and got his hands on it…”
“Either way, knowing the principle is enough.”
“We’ll prepare some Five Elements-type concealment-breaking spiritual tools. In the next debate match, we’ll strip this brat bare!”
“Good!”
The elders all agreed.
Someone else asked, “Who are they fighting in the next debate match?”
“The Free and Unfettered Sect… they have a disciple from the Feng Family.”
Everyone slapped the table in delight: “A disciple of the Feng Family from Xun Prefecture? Excellent! This time Mo Hua won’t be able to escape. Once his concealment is broken, we’ll make sure he has no way to heaven, no path to earth, and not even a burial place left.”
“That brat Mo Hua deserves to die.”
“Making us elders stay up late for meetings every day—if he doesn’t die at least once, where will our dignity be?”
“The Feng Family… excellent. This brat’s fate is sealed.”
“Let him also see just how treacherous this Sword Debate can be…”
The elders set their plan, feeling deeply satisfied.
…
That night.
In Qianxue Prefecture, at the Feng Family’s estate.
A thin, sharp-featured Feng Family elder stood outside the estate under the cool night wind, as if waiting for someone.
Half an hour later, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.
The Feng Family elder’s eyes lit up as he looked over, and saw a carriage slowly approaching in the hazy night.
The carriage was understated yet luxurious, with a touch of travel dust, as though it had come from thousands of li away for this meeting.
A banner shimmered faintly in the night, bearing a Kan trigram, with the character “Zhang” written upon it.
Seeing this, the Feng Family elder immediately stepped forward with a smile to greet them.
The carriage came to a slow stop, the curtain lifted, and several cultivators of considerable skill stepped down in turn.
The one in the lead had childlike features and white hair, with an extraordinary bearing.
The Feng Family elder quickly cupped his hands and smiled: “Grand Elder, it’s been a long time.”
The cultivator addressed as “Grand Elder” also smiled and said, “Brother Feng, we’ve been Dao friends for many years—no need to be so formal.”
The Feng Family elder shook his head. “What are you saying? Friendship is friendship, courtesy is courtesy.”
He glanced at the Grand Elder, then at the talented young men behind him, and quickly gestured in invitation:
“It’s getting late. You’ve traveled far and hard—please come into my humble home for a rest.”
The Grand Elder cupped his hands. “Then I’ll trouble you…”
“No trouble at all. Brother Zhang’s presence brings glory to my home—please.”
“Please.”
After a few polite exchanges, they had the carriage and horses taken care of and entered the Feng Family estate.
The Feng Family, a prestigious clan of Xun Prefecture, had an estate that seemed plain and unremarkable from the outside, but within was a different world entirely—elegant pavilions, lush flowers, and the refined charm of a place for cultivation.
The Zhang Family’s Grand Elder walked alongside the Feng Family elder, chatting casually.
“Kan Prefecture hasn’t been peaceful lately…”
“We were delayed on the road for some days… so we arrived late.”
“By now, the Sword Debate must have already started?”
“It has.”
“A pity…”
“No matter—this is only the Xuan Division. The real show is yet to come…”
They entered the main hall and took their seats, with a young servant offering tea.
After drinking, the Zhang Family’s Grand Elder nodded slowly and asked the Feng elder:
“Kan Prefecture has been unsettled, and I’ve been tied up with matters there. Thinking about it, it’s been nearly three hundred years since I last came to Qianxue Prefecture to watch the Sword Debate. Tell me, in this session of Qianxue Dao Discourse, what kind of talents have emerged?”
The Feng elder cupped his hands proudly:
“Qianxue is a land of flourishing Daoist learning, gathering heroes from all nine prefectures, bringing together the elite of the world—its prodigies are beyond counting.
“If we speak of the most outstanding, of course it’s still the Four Great Sects.
“In this Sword Debate, Shen Linshu of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Xiao Wuchen of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Ao Zhan of the Dragon Cauldron Sect, and Duanmu Qing of the Ten Thousand Skies Sect—all are top-tier prodigies. Thus far, they’ve swept through all opponents without a single defeat…”
“Below the Four Sects, the Eight Great Sects also have many prodigies—Linghu Xiao, Shi Tiangang, Qin Cangliu—all quite remarkable…”
The Feng elder listed them one by one, then paused to think before adding:
“There is… one other person. If counted, he should also be an unprecedented monster of talent—except… he has talent but no virtue, and a bad reputation.”
The Zhang Grand Elder was a little surprised. “Who is it?”
The Feng elder said gravely:
“This one, at mid Foundation Establishment, possesses nineteen-stripe peak divine sense, overpowering even the Four Great Sects to seize first place in the Dao of Formations. His aptitude and cultivation are average, but his Five Elements spells are used with divine mastery, and his concealment techniques leave no trace to be found…”
“Such a genius exists?”
The others were shocked.
Even the Zhang Grand Elder was moved and asked, “What’s his name?”
“Mo Hua!?”
Among the Zhang clan members, a blue-robed cultivator instantly spat out a mouthful of tea.
(End of this Chapter)