Chapter 1423: Temp - Chapter 1421: Sparring
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Chapter 1421: Sparring
(TN: This is a temporary chapter. It will be updated when I receive the Raws.)
Eastern District, Sword Debate Dao Arena.
Young Master Wu and his group led Mo Hua into the arena.
At the center of the arena was a large Spell Combat Arena, where a crowd of cultivators seemed to be watching some kind of sword debate or combat match, creating a lively atmosphere.
Outside the main Spell Combat Arena, there were also many private Spell Combat Chambers.
These chambers could be used by cultivators to practice sword techniques, spells, and Body Refinement Martial Arts, or for sparring and duels between cultivators.
Of course, all of this came at a cost. Two hours cost approximately ten thousand Spirit stones. After all, this was Houtu City, where everything was expensive. However, Mo Hua didn’t mind, as he wasn’t the one paying for it anyway.
After the group entered the Sword Debate Dao Arena, a manager came forward to greet them. Seeing they were a group of young masters, he put on a flattering smile and asked: “Young Masters, are you here to practice or to spar?”
Young Master Wu said, “To spar.”
The manager then asked, “Publicly or privately?”
Young Master Wu replied, “Naturally, publicly.”
Public combat, defeating Mo Hua in front of a large audience, was the only way to achieve their goal of humiliating him.
After speaking, he leaned in and whispered something to Young Master Wu.
Mo Hua’s Divine-Sense was strong, so he heard everything clearly. The gist was that they felt Mo Hua’s strength was unknown, and the outcome of a match was uncertain, so it wasn’t wise to start with public combat right away.
Most importantly, once a public match began, it would be seen by people from other prominent families, potentially exposing their Cultivation Methods and magical treasures.
Furthermore, idle gossip could easily spread back to their clans, accusing them of being overly competitive, fighting over trivial matters, or engaging in petty rivalries, which would draw criticism from the clan elders.
Mo Hua nodded slightly.
It seemed these young masters weren’t completely thoughtless.
Upon hearing this, Young Master Wu indeed became more cautious. He said to the manager, “First, open a private Spell Combat Chamber.”
They wanted to test Mo Hua’s level first.
The manager nodded, “Yes, please wait a moment, Young Master.”
Afterward, the manager went through the procedures, collected the room token, and led the group to a private Spell Combat Chamber heavily fortified with formations.
This was not public; whatever happened inside the chamber would only be known by those sparring within.
In Houtu City, many young talents from prominent families and nobles cultivated unique legacies, so they naturally didn’t want their sparring sessions to be seen by others.
Therefore, aside from certain sword debate or combat matches, the vast majority of duels in the Eastern District’s Sword Debate Dao Arena were actually kept confidential.
Now that the Spell Combat Chamber was ready, Mo Hua looked at Young Master Wu and the others and asked, “How shall we proceed?”
Young Master Wu said, “What do you mean?”
Mo Hua replied, “There are so many of you. Surely I can’t fight all of you one by one.”
He wouldn’t mind doing so, but he didn’t have that much spiritual power. Fighting them all one by one would drain him completely.
Mo Hua said, “I can only fight three.”
Young Master Wu was so angry he laughed. “Only three… you think too highly of yourself.”
However, he also knew that since this was a “sparring” session, they couldn’t just gang up on this Mo fellow and beat him up. If word got out, it would only tarnish their own reputations.
Young Master Wu then said, “Me, Wu Gui, along with Jin An and Zhu Xian—the three of us will fight you.”
Young Master Wu pointed to the people beside him.
Only then did Mo Hua learn that this leading young master surnamed Wu was named Wu Gui.
The slightly thinner young master from the Jin family was named Jin An, while the somewhat portly young master was named Zhu Xian.
Mo Hua nodded. “Fine. The wager is fifty thousand each. Bring it out first.”
Wu Gui was somewhat displeased, but he still ordered someone to fetch fifty thousand spirit stones and placed them at the steward’s desk as a prize.
Jin An and Zhu Xian each took out fifty thousand as well.
Then the three of them looked at Mo Hua. “What about yours?”
Mo Hua asked, “What about mine?”
Wu Gui gritted his teeth. “You have to put up a prize too.”
Mo Hua replied, “What prize should I put up? You’re the ones insisting on sparring with me. I only agreed reluctantly because of the prize.”
Wu Gui sneered, “So you’re just taking advantage?”
Mo Hua looked at him as if he were a fool. “Why don’t you understand? If I win, I only get this small prize. But if you win, you gain prestige, and maybe even Miss Lu’s special attention. Clearly, you’re the ones getting the better deal.”
The three of them were taken aback. After pondering for a moment, it did seem to make sense.
Compared to Miss Lu’s special attention, a mere fifty thousand spirit stones as a prize was truly insignificant.
They were indeed getting the better deal.
“Alright,” Mo Hua said, flexing his fingers. “Who’s first?”
It had been a while since he last sparred with someone, and he was itching for a fight.
Wu Gui, Jin An, and Zhu Xian exchanged glances. Jin An said: “I’ll go first. I’ve been annoyed by this kid all along the way. I’ll take the lead, give him a beating, and let him experience the prestige of us Kunzhou disciples.”
Wu Gui and Zhu Xian nodded. “Alright, you go first.”
Jin An stepped forward and stood before Mo Hua. Following the steward’s lead, the two of them entered the Spell Combat Chamber together.
The others waited outside the door.
Zhu Xian couldn’t help but ask, “Wu Gui, who do you think will win?”
Wu Gui sneered, “Jin An’s cultivation isn’t weak. He practices his Jin family’s Mystic Spirit Body Forging Art, and his magical treasures are of decent quality. How could that pretty-faced Mo possibly win?”
Zhu Xian nodded and was about to say something more when the door to the Spell Combat Chamber suddenly opened. Jin An walked out, looking utterly bewildered.
Wu Gui and Zhu Xian were both stunned. “Why are you out? Weren’t you sparring?”
Jin An stammered, unable to get the words out. “I…”
Wu Gui and Zhu Xian were stunned again. “Don’t tell me you’re already done?”
Jin An remained silent.
Wu Gui opened his mouth. “Don’t tell me you lost?”
Jin An was still silent.
Wu Gui looked as if he had seen a ghost, unable to believe it. “What the hell, in the blink of an eye… How did you lose?”
Jin An frowned. “I…”
He was still replaying the fight in his mind, trying to figure it out.
Wu Gui felt his head spinning with frustration. “Don’t tell me you don’t even know how you lost.”
Jin An fell silent again, his expression numb, because he truly didn’t understand how he had lost.
Wu Gui took a deep breath and, after a long pause, spat out two words: “Useless.”
Losing to a pretty-faced kid was bad enough, but losing so quickly was even worse. And to top it off, he couldn’t even explain how he lost.
At that moment, Mo Hua appeared at the entrance of the Spell Combat Chamber and said, “Next.”
Zhu Xian and Wu Gui exchanged glances.
Zhu Xian said, “I’ll go.”
Zhu Xian entered.
Wu Gui shook his head and said to Jin An beside him, “Watch carefully. See how Zhu Xian…”
But before he could finish his sentence, Zhu Xian also came out, his expression dazed, staring blankly at Wu Gui like a fool.
Wu Gui wore an expression as if he had just eaten shit. “Don’t tell me… you lost too.”
Zhu Xian struggled for a long time before finally saying, “I… was careless.”
Wu Gui asked, “How did you lose?”
Zhu Xian’s expression shifted erratically, yet he couldn’t find the words to summarize the reason for his defeat, leaving only a look of utter confusion on his face.
Wu Gui took a deep breath and couldn’t help but curse, “Two useless fools!”
Just then, Mo Hua appeared at the doorway again, his tone unnervingly calm as he said, “Next.”
Wu Gui instantly flew into a rage, turning to Jin An and Zhu Xian and saying, “You two useless fools, watch and learn!”
With that, he angrily stood up and followed Mo Hua into the Spell Combat Chamber.
At the entrance to the Spell Combat Chamber, he and Mo Hua each received a talisman. Once activated, it transformed into a spiritual energy shield enveloping their bodies.
Wu Gui was no stranger to sparring with others, so he was familiar with the general procedure.
Houtu City was home to many scions of prominent families, all of whom were either wealthy or noble, and none would take their lives or cultivation lightly.
In the Sword Debate Dao Arena, it was impossible for anyone to actually lose their life.
Thus, “sparring” truly meant just that—not only was there no life-or-death struggle, but ideally, there wouldn’t even be any injuries.
During sword debates and spell combat, both cultivators would activate a “Body-Protecting Talisman,” which transformed into a spiritual energy shield enveloping their bodies.
This protective spiritual energy shield was essentially equivalent to their “lives.”
Whose shield shattered first was equivalent to losing their “life,” and naturally, they would be considered defeated.
This method was, of course, not entirely fair.
Different cultivators had varying levels of vitality, defense, and protective techniques, meaning the “hardness” of their “lives” differed as well.
But since this was merely sparring and not a fight to the death, the rule was generally accepted as a way to keep things within limits.
Wu Gui activated his spiritual energy shield and stepped into the Spell Combat Arena, facing the slender figure of Mo Hua.
He wanted to see for himself what tricks this Mo fellow had up his sleeve to defeat both Jin An and Zhu Xian in succession.
Then he saw Mo Hua raise a hand, and a fireball flew toward him.
Wu Gui was momentarily stunned, then sneered inwardly, “All this fuss, and he’s using such a common Fireball Technique? Who does he think he’s looking down on?”
Wu Gui channeled his Golden Core power, intending to summon his magical treasure, but before he could, the fireball exploded with a “boom” right in his face.
The spiritual energy shield fluctuated violently.
Wu Gui was taken aback. “So fast?”
While he was still stunned, a second fireball flew toward him. Wu Gui tried to dodge using his movement technique but failed.
Another “boom” echoed.
Before Wu Gui could regain his composure, he caught a glimpse of yet another fireball flying toward him, followed by another “boom.”
Amid the scattered flames, Wu Gui grew frustrated and tried to release his Divine-Sense to lock onto Mo Hua’s position.
But from a corner he couldn’t see, another fireball exploded with a “boom” against his back.
One fireball after another exploded, infuriating Wu Gui to no end.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried to dodge, he couldn’t.
No matter how hard he tried to defend, he couldn’t hold out.
Every time he tried to summon his magical treasure, he was repeatedly interrupted.
By the time he finally seized an opportunity to activate his magical treasure, there was a “crack,” and his protective shield shattered.
His “life” was gone.
The sound of a bell rang, signaling the end of the spell combat.
Wu Gui walked out of the Spell Combat Chamber with a numb expression and sat down with Jin An and Zhu Xian, who both looked utterly shocked.
The three of them sat there dazedly, like three fools questioning their very existence.
Behind them, a group of followers and guest cultivators all wore expressions of shock and confusion, unsure of what had just happened.
Mo Hua walked out of the Spell Combat Chamber with an air of serene indifference.
He approached the steward and, in front of everyone, tucked the 150,000 Spirit stone wager into his own embrace.
This was his “hard-earned” reward, and Mo Hua accepted it with a clear conscience.
Then he turned to leave.
Wu Gui suddenly snapped back to reality and shouted, “Stop!”
Mo Hua looked back at him.
Gnashing his teeth, Wu Gui said, “That didn’t count just now! I… I wasn’t prepared. Let’s fight again!”
He couldn’t accept it—how could someone use only a low-level Fireball Technique to utterly humiliate him like he was nothing?
Mo Hua didn’t mind, but…
“Do you still have a wager?” Mo Hua asked.
Wu Gui patted his storage bag and froze for a moment.
While scions of noble families never lacked Spirit stones for cultivation, their spending money wasn’t exactly lavish.
He had left in a hurry and hadn’t brought many Spirit stones with him. The 50,000 from earlier was almost everything he had.
Knowing Wu Gui had no more Spirit stones, Mo Hua shook his head. “I’ll fight you again once you go back and gather enough for a wager.”
Fighting without a wager was a pure waste of time.
Furious and resentful yet powerless, Wu Gui had just lost—and lost in a completely baffling manner—so he naturally lacked the confidence to press the matter further.
Mo Hua then glanced at the others and casually asked, “Do any of you want to fight? It’s not much—50,000 Spirit stones per match.”
The other retainers and guards exchanged glances but remained silent.
Their Spirit stones weren’t that plentiful either, and they weren’t fools.
Fighting Mo Hua meant risking both Spirit stones and face if they lost.
Even if they won, it might seem like they were reclaiming honor, but was it really their place as retainers and guards to salvage their young master’s reputation?
It would be tantamount to showing off in front of their master, which could easily lead to trouble later.
Seeing no one take up the challenge, Mo Hua felt a bit disappointed.
Then he looked at Wu Gui and the others, thinking to himself that these guys were prime targets—he couldn’t let them lose their fighting spirit.
With that in mind, Mo Hua sighed and said with a concerned expression: “If Miss Lu finds out about this, you’ll lose a lot of face.”
Sure enough, Wu Gui and the other two flushed with shame and anger.
“However,” Mo Hua sighed, “I know you weren’t fully prepared this time. You acted hastily and carelessly, and your cultivation wasn’t fully utilized, which is why you lost the match.”
“Next time, we’ll spar again.”
Putting on a considerate demeanor, Mo Hua encouraged them: “Even if you lose, don’t lose your spirit. A person must have ambition—where you fall, you must rise again. If you lose to someone, you must win it back from them.”
Wu Gui and the other two turned bright red, unsure how to react.
“Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll head back now.”
Mo Hua nodded to Wu Gui and the others, then swaggered out of the arena with the Spirit stones tucked away.
Wu Gui and his companions could only stare wide-eyed as Mo Hua left.
After leaving the Sword Debate Dao Arena, Mo Hua didn’t linger. He bought a few things and headed straight back to the Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land.
Along the way, Mo Hua was in a rather good mood.
150,000 Spirit stones—while not an enormous sum—was entirely an unexpected windfall.
In less than half a day, he had openly used others as practice targets to hone his spells and earned 150,000 Spirit stones in the process.
Kunzhou truly was a wonderful place—full of gullible people and abundant Spirit stones.
He had definitely come to the right place.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
The journey back was uneventful. After returning to the Little Luan Mountain Blessed Land, Mo Hua followed his usual routine, studying formation books and discussing formations with his junior sister.
Once night fell, Mo Hua returned to his guest room and gathered his Spirit stones to count them. He found that he had enough to fully feed his second Taotie Spiritual Skeleton, with an additional three to four hundred thousand left as backup.
This progress in earning Spirit stones was quite gratifying.
Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction.
After that, he stayed put and spent three full days consuming six hundred thousand Spirit stones, fully feeding the Taotie spiritual meridian along the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Taiyin.
As a flash of blue-black light shimmered, the Taotie patterns on his body grew even more vivid.
Thanks to the Life-Bound Spiritual Skeleton Formation, the circulation of his spiritual power had once again increased significantly.
With more spiritual power, he now possessed stronger spell-casting and suppression abilities.
After fully feeding the second spiritual meridian, Mo Hua attempted to feed another hundred thousand Spirit stones to the third meridian, the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin.
However, the growth of the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin was minimal.
Mo Hua estimated that it would truly take around four million Spirit stones to fully feed the third Taotie spiritual meridian.
“Four million Spirit stones…”
Mo Hua sighed softly.
The appetite of the Taotie—or rather, the appetite of his Life-Bound Formation—was truly growing larger and larger.