At the regular three-line meeting in the Taixu Great Hall.
After the Taixu Sect Master finished speaking, the Taixu Sect Master was a little taken aback. He absolutely did not expect that someone would rush to put people into Mo Hua's team.
"This might not be too suitable, perhaps," the Taixu Sect Master said with a frown, planning to make things more complicated. More importantly, he didn't know what Mo Hua thought. If Mo Hua's team was already set and the spots were filled, forcing someone in might make Mo Hua unhappy. Mo Hua always did things meticulously, and he also had the support of the old ancestors. As the Sect Master, he sometimes needed to consider Mo Hua's feelings when making decisions.
The Tai'a Sect Master, however, firmly insisted: "This is precisely my condition. If you agree, then our Tai'a lineage has no other opinion, and you all will be in charge of the Sword Discussion Assembly. The three lineages merge, one prospers all prosper, one suffers all suffer. If there are no disciples from my Tai'a Mountain in this sword discussion, how can that be?"
It wasn't so much about Mo Hua being in this team, the key was Linghu Xiao. This was the only 'heavenly pride seedling' among the combined three lineages of Taixu. Therefore, this team absolutely needed to include a disciple from the Tai'a Gate. Only then would they be truly connected, like grasshoppers tied to a rope, bound together tightly.
The Taixu Sect Master was silent. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said: "This matter—I will consider it."
"Naturally," the Tai'a Sect Master did not press further. Matters of the Sword Discussion Assembly naturally needed careful consideration and cautious decision-making.
With this, the regular meeting dispersed. The three lineages returned to their respective mountains.
Inside the great hall at the back mountain of Chongxu Mountain.
The Chongxu Sect Master told Linghu Old Ancestor about everything.
"The original arrangement has been disrupted. Xiao'er may need to go participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly with that 'Array Path Demonic Prodigy' from the Taixu Gate."
Linghu Old Ancestor frowned, "What did Xiao'er say? Did you ask him?"
The Chongxu Sect Master nodded and sighed, "I asked him, and he just said one sentence, that he wants to be with Mo Hua."
Linghu Old Ancestor's heart suddenly felt a little sour. Their Chongxu Gate's 'treasure' was just like that, led away by the Taixu Gate. And it was voluntary.
Seeing that the Old Ancestor was a little displeased, the Chongxu Sect Master said: "Perhaps, I can find a way to persuade Xiao'er and let him form a team with the disciples of my 'Chongxu' lineage."
This Sword Discussion Assembly was said to be a merger of the three lineages, making the three sects one body, but each lineage was also secretly competing. As long as the disciples of the Chongxu Gate performed outstandingly in the Sword Discussion Assembly, the status of the 'Chongxu' lineage within the Taixu Gate would also be higher in the future. He was the Sect Master, and even though the three sects merged, prioritizing the benefit and status of his own lineage was also his duty.
The Chongxu Sect Master continued: "——Although Xiao'er's nature is cold, he is not an indifferent person with thin emotions. If I explain with reason, move with emotion, and add the greater righteousness of the 'Chongxu' lineage's inheritance, he should agree——"
Linghu Old Ancestor was a little moved. But after considering it, he still shook his head, "A child like Xiao'er has a high spirit and a proud demeanor. If you let go appropriately, he will remember your emotion and righteousness. If you force him, no matter how good it sounds, he will still harbor resentment in his heart. Don't think he's still a child and treat him like a fool, binding him with some righteousness. Although his mind is simple, his intuition is keen. He knows in his heart who is truly good to him."
The Chongxu Sect Master thought for a moment, then nodded, "Old Ancestor is absolutely right." He actually didn't want to be this 'villain'. But given his identity, sometimes he had no choice but to consider it.
"Then this matter——"
"Just let it be," Linghu Old Ancestor sighed, "Mo Hua of the Taixu Gate, for better or worse, is a leader in the array path, and being in the same team as Xiao'er is still a good match. Moreover——" Linghu Old Ancestor thought for a moment, wrinkled his brow, "This child named 'Mo Hua', who is everywhere clever and strange, and is also a 'treasure trove' in the eyes of Old Ancestor Xun, is probably somewhat capable. At least he shouldn't be a burden——"
He hadn't personally seen Mo Hua, so he could only infer based on general circumstances.
"Yes," said the Chongxu Sect Master.
Linghu Old Ancestor looked at the Chongxu Sect Master again and slowly pointed him out: "Since the three lineages have merged, the current priority is still to cross the river in the same boat. If the sect is strong, then strive for some benefits. If the sect is defeated, no matter how you strive, it will only be three melons and two dates, without meaning."
The Chongxu Sect Master understood the Old Ancestor's meaning and immediately cupped his hands, saying: "Old Ancestor is absolutely right."
Linghu Old Ancestor gently waved his hand. The Chongxu Sect Master then retreated. The great hall was quiet for a while. Linghu Old Ancestor sat there for a long time, his brows becoming heavier and heavier. There was one sentence he didn't say out loud, because it wasn't very auspicious. But he was an Old Ancestor, standing high and seeing far, and his heart was actually very clear.
"The three sects have merged. If they are defeated again, there may not be a 'Chongxu Gate' in the future either———"
On the other side, the Taixu Sect Master also found Mo Hua.
"Add people?" Mo Hua was a little surprised.
"A heavenly pride from the Tai'a lineage," the Taixu Sect Master said, "the Tai'a Sect Master values you and insists that you bring a disciple from their side." The Taixu Sect Master's words were very pleasant to hear, so as to avoid Mo Hua feeling repelled. Mo Hua accepted the compliment, and sure enough, his face became much happier.
"What's his name?"
"Ouyang Xuan," said the Taixu Sect Master.
"Ouyang Xuan——" Mo Hua thought for a moment. This name was a little strange, and it seemed like there had been no interaction before. Although it was also normal to think this way, he wasn't too familiar with the disciples on the Tai'a Gate side. Even though the three sects had merged and the thousands of disciples from the three lineages all called him 'Little Senior Brother', the number was too large, and it was impossible for him to remember all of them. Moreover, many people just called him that on the surface; they were definitely not convinced in their hearts and would usually keep a distance.
"Okay, I'll bring him," Mo Hua said. Putting everything else aside, he definitely needed to give face to the Tai'a Sect Master.
The Taixu Sect Master thought for a moment, then said: "This Ouyang Xuan is the most talented and strongest disciple of the Tai'a lineage in this generation, but his temper doesn't seem too good, and his nature is also a bit proud—." He wanted Mo Hua to be mentally prepared so there wouldn't be any disharmony.
Mo Hua said: "Sect Master, you can rest assured. My temper is not too good either, and I am also very proud. We should be able to get along."
Taixu Sect Master: "Really—is there really no problem?" Taixu Sect Master said slowly.
"It doesn't matter," Mo Hua nodded, "I just like 'proud' people."
The Taixu Sect Master was silent for a while, then sighed and said: "Okay, then———"
This matter was settled like this. With the addition of this Ouyang Xuan from the Tai'a Gate, Mo Hua's team was also complete. However, Mo Hua hadn't met this 'Ouyang Xuan' yet, and he didn't know his character or cultivation level, whether he was easy to cooperate with or not. Therefore, it was difficult to make arrangements; he could only see him later and then consider this issue.
Inside the disciple residence, atlases were spread out in front of Mo Hua. The atlases depicted mountains and rivers, rivers, swamps, dangerous ridges, ruins, caves, and other terrains. These were all given to him by Senior Sister Murong. These terrains were all possible to encounter in the Sword Discussion Assembly.
Besides these, there were also various tactical maps, array maps, and spirit tool casting maps. These were all tactical processes that he simulated and imagined himself in actual combat.
But despite so much preparation, Mo Hua was still not completely at ease. The Sword Discussion Assembly was different from the Array Discussion Assembly. The array law was his most proficient domain; no matter who the opponent was, he would not have the slightest fear, especially within the Qian Xue region when compared to sect disciples. But when it came to sword discussion, he didn't have an ounce of actual combat experience. Not having actual combat experience, just 'watching' wasn't enough. Moreover, even if it was watching, he had only watched one session—and that was before the reform. After the sect's reform, the Sword Discussion Assembly system and format all changed. At that time, because Mo Hua needed to prepare for the Array Discussion Assembly, all his attention was on array law, so he didn't go to the site to watch. He only simply heard about the specific changes and never personally witnessed them.
Therefore, his plans lacked verification, and he had no idea whether they would work or not. In the Sword Discussion Assembly, there were many participating disciples, complex terrains, and ever-changing forms, so there were naturally many variables. Coupled with the abundance of heavenly prides, even with him and Xiao Xiao, wanting to get first place was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
"The situation isn't too good, or—should I calculate it?" Mo Hua hesitated for a moment, took out a copper coin, and quickly deduced a little. Soon, he furrowed his brows. Heaven's secrets deduction pushed 'cause' and 'effect'. Under the current situation, all the plans and preparations he made, plus the time, place, people, and other factors that formed the 'cause', simply couldn't lead to the 'effect' of getting first place in the Sword Discussion Assembly that he desired. The distance between this cause and effect was even very far. This also meant that getting first place in the Sword Discussion Assembly was remotely hopeless.
Mo Hua's eyes showed thought. This was the premonition of 'heaven's secrets', the judgment of cause and effect. The so-called 'heaven's secrets', in the eyes of outsiders, might be illusory and difficult to grasp. But the longer Mo Hua researched, the more he felt that the essence of heaven's secrets was just a gathering of vast cause and effect, and cause and effect were the principles of all things. It was just that heaven's secrets were profound, and cause and effect were ever-changing, full of variables, which made it seem difficult to grasp. But the inherent vein could be seen. Enough objective 'causes' would eventually derive into the desired 'effect'. This was a kind of perception similar to 'heaven's secrets intuition', which Mo Hua, who carried 'heaven's secrets deduction', 'heaven's secrets strange calculation', and 'return to origin algorithm' in one, and who proved his way with divine consciousness after crossing over with divine thought, summarized through constant contact with objective facts, research of cause and effect laws. This was a simple intuition. But because Mo Hua's divine consciousness was too strong and his divine thought attainments were too deep, this intuition was more like an 'innate' insight. He didn't even need to calculate meticulously, didn't need to deduce carefully, just a slight thought in his heart, and he could perceive that this path wouldn't work.
He wanted to get first place in the Sword Discussion Assembly. But this 'effect' was floating in the sky and simply could not be reached. Mo Hua sighed softly. "Still not enough, how can I get first place in the Array Discussion Assembly?" This problem had perplexed Mo Hua for several days. He even thought about it while eating and walking. But the more he thought, the more he fell into a dead end. His own strength was restricted. Xiao Xiao was strong, but only one person. There were top heavenly prides in the four major sects. As long as one was not blindly overconfident and looked objectively, they would find that he basically had no great hope of getting first place in this Sword Discussion Assembly. Unless his luck was truly against the heavens. But luck was originally illusory and simply couldn't be relied upon.
In the small woods outside the disciple residence, Mo Hua finished his class and walked on the small road, still walking and thinking about this problem. Even if someone greeted him, he didn't hear it.
"Little Senior Brother——Little Senior Brother?" Mo Hua's heart checked, and he came back to himself, discovering that it was actually Xie Ling shouting at him. Xie Ling handed him several jade slips, "Little Senior Brother, you said before you were interested in cultivator 'tomb burial' and Yin dwelling array law. I searched for some and sent them for you to read."
"Oh?" Mo Hua's expression suddenly dawned. After going to the solitary mountain tomb burial, he felt that array law related to tomb burial, including relevant common knowledge, was a short board in his cultivation experience. Even though he had been through a trip in the tomb, there were still many details he didn't understand. He had just found Xie Ling, who had the origin of the Qinyin area of Liangzhou and family-passed Feng Shui secret law, asked him some questions, and also entrusted him to find some materials for himself. The cultivation world was vast and boundless, and a cultivator's lifespan was limited, so what they saw and learned were also limited. Therefore, mutual exchange and mutual verification were needed, so that vision could be gradually broadened and cognition could be gradually improved. Mo Hua had learned a lot from Xie Ling, and now Xie Ling had even specially prepared some jade slips and classics for him. Mo Hua was even more grateful.
"In the future in the Taixu Gate, if anyone bullies you, you can come find me——" Mo Hua promised. In other places, he couldn't brag. But in the small area of Taixu Gate, his words still had some use.
Xie Ling was a little dumbfounded, but he was also grateful in his heart, "Thank you, Little Senior Brother." Mo Hua accepted the jade slips, planning to read them when he had time later. Then, he walked the same road with Xie Ling, returning to the disciple residence together. They chatted for a while on the road, talking about the Sword Discussion Assembly several months later. Xie Ling's words were full of envy.
Mo Hua was a little curious, "Aren't you participating?"
Xie Ling nodded.
"Why?" Mo Hua asked.
Xie Ling then said: "I know my limits. I have learned family inheritance since I was young, which is Feng Shui tomb burial, and I am not good at fighting face to face with people. My upper-middle-grade spirit root qualification might still be ranked in the Liangzhou Xie family, but in this Qian Xue region, I can only be ranked in the lower stream."
"My spirit root is only middle-lower," Mo Hua said.
Xie Ling laughed heartily, "Little Senior Brother, you are different. Although your spirit root is not good, your array law is very powerful. As for me..." Xie Ling sighed, "I am inferior to others in everything. Going is just cannon fodder and will only lose the sect's face."
Mo Hua looked at Xie Ling, his expression paused slightly, and asked: "Then do you want to go participate in the Sword Discussion Assembly?"
Xie Ling was silent. After a moment, he calmly sighed: "Little Senior Brother, in this world, some people are destined to be spectators. Since they are spectators, they can only stand on the side and watch the 'protagonists' put on a grand show. They only have the share of cheering."
When Xie Ling said these words, his expression was very calm. This was the truth he had understood after coming to the Qian Xue region, and he had also gradually begun to accept this icy reality. The Sword Discussion Platform was full of scenery. But most people could only sit below the platform and be spectators. And most people's lives were just like this, blending in with the crowd. Just like him. Xie Ling's expression was low.
Mo Hua's gaze narrowed, and for a while, he didn't know how to comfort him. He could say pleasant words, but this kind of only pleasant 'superficial words' had no meaning at all. The two walked to the disciple residence and separated. Xie Ling's state of mind recovered very quickly. Although there was just a touch of envy, a touch of loss, a touch of defeat, a touch of unwillingness, a touch of helplessness. Disciples like him, who were ordinary 'lower stream', had long been accustomed to this kind of feeling.
"Little Senior Brother, good luck in the Sword Discussion Assembly!" Xie Ling sincerely said to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua nodded with a complex expression. But his heart, on the contrary, became uneasy.
Always back at the disciple residence, Mo Hua's heart always felt a little sour. In this world, everyone wants to be the protagonist. No one is willing to be silently unknown. But for disciples like Xie Ling, they can't even form a team, and they fundamentally don't know how to compete with others. They are all disciples of the world's families. But in the Qian Xue region, they are undoubtedly all 'bottom layer' disciples again. And since they are the 'bottom layer', there are definitely many such disciples——
Mo Hua's expression was silent. He sat in front of the table, looking at the tactical map he drew, lost in thought. He didn't know how long passed when a spiritual light flashed in his mind. Mo Hua was suddenly shocked. He suddenly realized that his previous idea was not quite right. He had previously thought, how should he plan to get 'first place in the Sword Discussion Assembly'? This idea was essentially wrong. It wasn't about him wanting to get first place. The power of one person was limited. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't really contend with that group of top heavenly prides from the four major sects. What he should do was to mobilize all the disciples of the Taixu Gate and let them all strive for it. It wasn't about his team wanting to take first place. But it was about the Taixu Gate wanting to take first place. As long as the Taixu Gate took first place, and the 'Yimu Huichun Array' fell into the hands of the Taixu Gate, that was also equivalent to falling into his hands. Whether he was first or not was fundamentally irrelevant. His purpose was just the array law.
"If I want the Taixu Gate to take first place——" Mo Hua thought with focused expression. The Sword Discussion Assembly was a 'cumulative victory system'. For every match won, a certain amount of victory points would be accumulated. The sect with the highest victory points would be the winner of the Sword Discussion Assembly. So, the essence of the Sword Discussion Assembly was actually a 'sect sword discussion'. It was about selecting the sect that educated the strongest disciples. And not selecting the strongest 'disciple' within the sect. It was precisely because of this that the Sword Discussion Assembly was a small team system, which would contribute victory points to the sect based on the matches won. The initial intention of the Old Ancestors in the Qian Xue region when holding the Sword Discussion Assembly might have been just this. They wanted to let disciples work together to contribute to the sect and use this as a standard to measure the development of the sect. This was precisely the 'sword discussion' within the sect. But with the development of the cultivation world and the evolution of the Sword Discussion Assembly system, this initial intention was also gradually forgotten by people. Now the Sword Discussion Assembly was just about comparing whose disciples were more outstanding. The two seemed almost the same, but the implication was vastly different. And the Taixu Gate now, although it didn't have too many 'outstanding' disciples, after the merger of the three sects, it had a more massive disciple base. As long as the lower-layer disciples won enough matches, the accumulated victory points of the Taixu Gate would also be more, and the chance of winning would naturally be greater.
Mo Hua thought again about the Master's exhortation to him initially. The Master told him to be an 'auxiliary' cultivator who assisted in killing, so there would be less disputes and he could stand on undefeated ground. But the Master only said auxiliary, not how many people to auxiliary concretely. Assisting one person was auxiliary. Assisting a team was auxiliary. But assisting a whole session, even an entire sect's disciples, was equally 'auxiliary'——
"Auxiliary" the entire Taixu Gate's disciples, launch the broadest power, raise the power of the entire sect, and strive for this first place! Don't abandon the small junior brothers alone. Being strong by himself doesn't count as strong; everyone being strong and the sect being strong is truly strong. Only like this can he be considered the true 'Little Senior Brother' of the Taixu Gate!
Mo Hua's gaze became brighter and brighter. In front of his eyes, a hidden path containing heaven's secrets and communicating cause and effect also became clearer and clearer. After considering it, Mo Hua immediately began to handle and prepare a set of tactics, array laws, and spirit tool schemes—all were redesigned and improved by him.
The next day, Mo Hua found Cheng Mo, "Gather all the small junior brothers; I have something to say to them."
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