Chapter 997: Fang Tian Huaying

Qianxuezhou Realm, the sect's holy land.

Since a month ago, the entire state has been decorated with lights and traffic, creating a prosperous scene.

The magical horses are like long dragons, the precious beasts are pulling the carriages, the canopies are everywhere, and the sedan chairs are like clouds.

One after another, huge cloud ferries, puffing out clouds and mist, came from afar, riding on the wind and docked at the ferry crossing at the border of Qianxuezhou.

On the Yundu, monks got off the boat one after another, looked up at the sky, and were amazed by the rolling mountains and rivers, numerous sects, and the flourishing academic atmosphere of Qianxue.

Dense crowds of cultivators, along different roads, gathered at the border of Qianxuezhou, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, with a mighty momentum.

The cultivators from different states, different forces, and different identities, either to study, travel, seek the truth and visit friends, or broaden their horizons, all gathered here to attend this grand event of Qianxue Sword Discussion and catch a glimpse of the geniuses of the Nine Provinces.

Due to the large number of monks, Qianxuezhou even made an exception and lifted the "no-fly" restriction.

Above the vast white sky, there were occasionally cloud boats flying across the sky, and spirit boats shuttling back and forth, leaving gorgeous tail clouds behind them, and they would stop at the residences of various sects and families.

From time to time, there are even immortals who turn their spiritual power into feathers, ride on clouds and fly alone in the sky, with a graceful posture, just like a banished immortal.

The Yuhua realm is a high level realm for cultivators.

In some small and medium-sized states, it is rarely seen in hundreds of years.

Some monks never see the real person in their entire life.

But now in Qianxuezhou, just by looking up, one can see immortals ascending into the sky and flying across the sky, which really shocks many cultivators.

They came from small and medium-sized states and boasted of their extraordinary knowledge, but when they stepped into Qianxue State and saw the scenery around them, they actually felt extraordinary and as if they had "ascended" to the fairyland.

Lundao Mountain, located in the center of Qianxuezhou, is the focus of this event.

At this time, the area in front of Lundao Mountain was blocked by water.

Disciples from various sects gathered here wearing their own Taoist robes.

Looking from above, the disciples of the geniuses were everywhere in the mountains, like mountains and seas, but they were all wearing the same Taoist robes, connected together, like a huge, colorful, yet orderly and beautiful silk.

The Taixu Sect's team was also among them.

Elder Xun Zixian, dressed in a dark white Taoist robe, with a straight posture, gentle and elegant, stood at the front of the queue.

At this time, he slowly spoke to the disciples of Taixu Sect:

"The sword fight will begin in three days. Before that, I will take you to familiarize yourself with the venue and explain the specific rules to you."

The disciples looked solemn and a little nervous, and said with a cupped hand, "Yes."

Elder Xun Zixian looked to his right and saw a handsome and unworldly Mo Hua, dressed in Taixu Taoist robes, following him obediently and nodded slightly.

This is the order from the ancestor.

When Mo Hua goes out, whichever elder he follows must ensure his safety.

There were many monks at the sword-fighting conference, and they were a mixed bunch.

Although in theory no one would dare to make trouble, we still had to keep an eye on the ink painting just in case.

Xun Zixian glanced at Mo Hua again, then turned around and said, "Follow me."

Then Xun Zixian took the lead and led the Taixu Sect disciples along the mountain path and entered the Lundao Mountain one by one.

Lun Dao Mountain was now filled with disciples from various sects, and it was crowded with people.

This is the inner field for the sword fight.

The mountains are vast and the terrain is complex.

There are many sword-fighting venues with different terrains.

The light of the fifth-grade formation in the sky condensed into a barrier, magnificent and vast.

As everyone walked and watched, they couldn't help but marvel at the sight.

They had only seen Lunjian Mountain from the "audience seats" before, and had never entered the inner field, nor felt the grand and solemn atmosphere.

They didn't need to play in person before, so the feeling was naturally different.

As Xun Zixian walked, he explained to his disciples:

"In front of us is the sword fighting arena. Three days later, you will draw lots and arrange your matches. Then, you will compete with other sect disciples in this arena based on your cultivation and Taoism..."

"After nine years of training, this is the only chance for me to fight with the sword."

"The sword-fighting competition system is divided into four levels according to the 'Heaven and Earth'."

"The ones you joined first were all 'yellow' bureaus."

"Every time you win a game, you accumulate a victory point for the sect. When you win a certain number of games, you will be promoted to the 'Xuan' game."

"You don't have to win all the games to advance. There is still room for error, but don't lose too much either."

"Overall, it depends mainly on ability, but also on luck."

His voice was gentle, but with the help of spiritual power, it was amplified and reached the ears of thousands of disciples.

Xun Zixian paused and explained:

"There are many types of battle situations..."

"The 'yellow' battle is a basic battle, used for preliminary selection. It is relatively simple in form, and most of them are straightforward 'decisive battles'."

"If you defeat all five enemy disciples within a certain period of time, you will be the winner. Alternatively, when the time is up, the side with the most disciples present will win."

"When it comes to the 'Xuan' battle, the rules are different. The battle will be more complicated. It is no longer a simple fight."

"It includes the basic 'decisive game', as well as the 'survival game', 'monster hunting game', 'decapitation game', 'city defense game', 'city siege game', etc..."

"The tactics are ever-changing, and the conditions for winning are also different. If you want to win, the difficulty is also higher..."

…

Xun Zixian explained patiently.

"Elder Zixian," Mo Hua asked curiously, "These competition systems are similar to fighting with Taoist soldiers."

Xun Zixian nodded, "This is a sword-fighting competition format modeled after the battles of Taoist soldiers."

The fighting between monks is not more thrilling, complicated, changeable, or able to temper one's character more than the battles between Taoist soldiers.

Of course, this was just a small-scale "sword fight" among five people, which was different from the large-scale killing of thousands of Taoist soldiers.

However, although the sparrow is small, it has all the organs.

In terms of shape, it is indeed carved out of one bone.

"The ancestors of Lun Dao Mountain specially set these rules and passed them down, which also has a deep meaning."

"Be prepared for danger in times of peace and take precautions before it happens."

"Born in a peaceful time, I will never forget the disaster of the war that brought devastation to the people..."

Xun Zixian sighed softly.

Mo Hua nodded silently.

Afterwards, Xun Zixian led everyone and continued to move forward.

Walking to the top of a mountain, Xun Zixian pointed at the bright and shining light curtain above his head, rippling in the void, like crystal glass, and said:

"This is the fifth-grade Dao Discussion Mountain Formation."

"It is a fifth-grade formation that can seize the fortune of heaven and earth and contains the power of the void!"

All the disciples looked up, sensing the terrifying and indescribable power of the formation in the rippling void, and were all shocked speechless.

Fifth Rank… Grand Formation…

The ink painting is shocking and my heart is filled with emotion.

"I don't know if I will ever be able to construct a fifth-grade cave-empty formation…"

When Mo Hua thought about the day when he could understand the principles of void arrays and construct a fifth-grade void array, he felt shaken and distracted.

Xun Zixian looked at Mo Hua's longing eyes and couldn't help but smile gently.

Once upon a time, when he was young and seeking the truth, when he first saw the Lun Dao Mountain formation, he was also like Mo Hua, full of shock and longing.

Although the fifth-grade formation is too far away, he has never touched its edge in his practice.

But it is a good thing to have this vision.

Xun Zixian turned around and asked, "Do you know what the fifth-grade formation of Lundao Mountain is used for?"

Everyone looked at each other.

When it comes to sword fighting, many of them just watch for fun and never delve into it in depth.

It was Mo Hua, who had done some research before, who answered, "It is to use the power of the void to protect the disciples."

Xun Zixian nodded, "The Lun Dao Mountain formation is not a killing formation, a trapping formation, or an ordinary defensive formation."

"This formation was designed by the ancestors of Lun Dao Mountain specifically for the Sword Contest."

"Use the void power of the great formation to protect the disciples who are discussing swordplay..."

"Three days later, when you discuss swordplay, each of you will be given a 'Discussion Jade', shaped like a water drop, delicate as a pendant, to be worn on your forehead."

"This Dao Discussion Jade is connected to the power of the great formation of Dao Discussion Mountain. It will form a void shield to bear the damage you suffer during the sword discussion."

"This Dao Jade is equivalent to your 'life'."

"Before the duel, several elders will fairly and impartially assess your 'injury tolerance' based on your blood, physical body, and spiritual power."

"This amount is the 'blood volume' of your Dao Yu."

"During a battle, once a fatal injury is sustained, the 'blood volume' is emptied and the Dao Jade is shattered, which means the sword fight is lost."

"The formation will be activated, using the power of the void to forcibly transport you out of the sword fighting arena."

"This way, we can ensure that when disciples participate in the sword fight, they can fight with all their might and not have to worry about actually killing someone or being killed..."

Xun Zixian told the story slowly and leisurely.

This is a sword fight, not murder or raising poison.

Every disciple who participated in the sword debate was a direct descendant of an aristocratic family and a talented person of the sect. It was impossible to really let them "fight for their lives".

Otherwise, all the disciples that we have trained with great effort would be killed or injured in every sword fight.

Not only do the noble families disagree, but even the sect itself is going to vomit blood.

Those true chosen ones are gifted with natural talents. If they die or become disabled because of a sword fight, no one can afford to compensate them.

Xun Zixian looked up at the sky and said with some emotion:

"There are only a few such top-level fifth-grade void formations in the entire cultivation world."

"Without this great void formation, which protects the young geniuses and allows them to go all out and fight without any worries, it would be very difficult to hold a sword fight..."

"Because of this, only the Qianxuezhou Realm can hold this unique 'Sword Discussion' conference, attracting talents from all over the world to gather together, allowing cultivators from all over the Nine Provinces to come and watch the ceremony, which is why there is such a grand event now..."

The eyes of all the disciples were bright and they felt proud.

After talking about the battle formation, Xun Zixian led everyone forward, familiarizing himself with the venue while adding some specific rules whenever he could:

"There are also strict restrictions on the items you can bring to participate in the sword fight."

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

"Spiritual stones are limited in quantity, you can't bring more than you want."

"There are a number of pills. You can choose yourselves."

"These two things are provided by Lun Dao Mountain and cannot be taken privately. Especially the elixir..."

Xun Zixian added, "Before, a disciple secretly took a banned elixir in order to get a good ranking during a sword contest. He almost exploded and died, causing a lot of trouble. So from then on, it was forbidden to bring elixirs privately..."

Behind every outrageous regulation, there is an outrageous case.

"You can't bring your own talismans. Lun Dao Mountain will provide them. Each disciple is limited to choosing one high-level talisman of the second grade."

"You can bring your own spiritual weapon, but it is also limited to high-grade second-grade ones."

After all, spiritual weapons are quite special, and most disciples will even nurture them into their own magical treasures.

The compatibility with spiritual weapons is itself a part of a cultivator's strength.

Therefore, disciples are allowed to bring their own spiritual weapons.

"But the number and types of spiritual weapons are limited. You can only bring one piece of each of armor, weapons, accessories, etc."

"Then, there are formations. There are also restrictions on formations. Each person can only bring one set, and it is limited to the second-level intermediate level..."

Mo Hua almost thought he had heard wrongly, "Second-grade intermediate level?"

Xun Zixian nodded, "Intermediate."

Mo Hua was a little confused. "Medicine, spiritual tools, and talismans are all limited to high-grade second-grade ones, so why can only the formation be used at the middle grade?"

Xun Zixian said: "Because most disciples in the late stage of foundation building can only draw a second-grade intermediate formation at most..."

Mo Hua was stunned.

Xun Zixian said: "This is determined based on general circumstances..."

"Generally, a foundation-building cultivator cannot draw a high-level second-grade formation. This is considered an ability beyond the 'standard', so it is naturally subject to restrictions."

"Moreover, the second-grade high-level formation is too powerful. Whether it is for attack and defense, or for trapping the enemy, the effect is too strong. If the disciples are allowed to use it, then all tactics will inevitably revolve around the 'formation', which goes against the original intention of the sword fight."

"The sword-fighting competition should still focus on 'fighting', with other things as supplementary."

Mo Hua was a little dumbfounded.

Only then did he realize that he was being "held back" by the geniuses in Qianxuezhou.

In Qianxuezhou, the backward formation level of the majority of the talented disciples restricted the use of his formation.

Mo Hua had never noticed such detailed rules before.

No one told him.

Because the difficulty of this formation has always been the "default".

But Mo Hua is different from everyone else. His formation level is too high. His "default" basic formation has always been a "high-level" formation.

Even high-level formations were just commonplace in his eyes.

He never expected that the formation assigned to the sword competition could only be "second-grade intermediate"...

Mo Hua sighed.

The rules were made by others and there was nothing he could do about it.

And if you think about it carefully, this is indeed reasonable.

But without the formation, he would lose a lot of "trump cards".

Mo Hua frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and asked,

"Elder Zixian, besides these, is there anything else I can take?"

Xun Zixian said: "That's basically it. In addition, some sundries will be stuffed into the storage bag to simulate real combat situations."

Mo Hua suddenly had an idea and asked quietly, "Among those things..."

Xun Zixian saw through his thoughts and nodded, "Yes."

Mo Hua immediately became happy again.

Xun Zixian smiled faintly and shook his head.

Afterwards, the group continued to move forward in a mighty procession.

As Mo Hua walked, he considered the limitations of the "second-grade intermediate" formation.

Will this restriction have an impact on my tactics?

Especially, the tactics involving other disciples of Taixu Sect.

After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua realized that there was indeed an impact, but it was not that great. It was just a little weaker and was generally still applicable.

Besides, we haven't really started the sword fight yet, so there's still time for temporary adjustments.

Only then did Mo Hua feel relieved.

As they walked, the group soon reached the end of Lundao Mountain, and outside were the seats for "watching the ceremony".

At this moment, there was a huge, strange "white cloth" across the sky.

The disciples were all surprised.

Mo Hua was also a little puzzled, so he pointed at the "white cloth" and asked, "Elder Zixian, what is that?"

"That's a spiritual weapon."

"Spiritual weapon?" Mo Hua was stunned.

Xun Zixian said: "That is a giant 'spiritual artifact' specially forged by the four major sects for this sword fight."

"From the outside, it's just a huge painting."

"When the sword fight is going on, the images of the disciples fighting will be clearly presented for the disciples of Qianxue and the various families and sects in Jiuzhou to watch."

"This spiritual weapon is very expensive, and its name is..." Xun Zixian said slowly:

"Fang Tian Huaying!"

Fang Tian Huaying...

All the disciples raised their heads and looked at the huge painting curtain that covered half of the mountain. They were shocked as they thought about the grand scene of thousands of disciples fighting with swords that was about to be presented on it.

The ink painting was also shocked, and its scalp was numbing.

He was speechless.

His original plan was to "make a fortune quietly" and hide those shady means.

When the fight breaks out, he can do some sneaky moves and no one will notice.

But he never expected that the sword-fighting conference would actually create such a large Fang Tian Huaying for "projection".

How could he hide his cards on such a big screen?

By then, even the color of his underwear would be clearly visible to everyone.

Moreover, such a big "Fang Tian Huaying" was obviously not cheap.

Mo Hua couldn't help but complain in his heart.

I wonder which of the four major sects was so bored that they spent so much money to build such a big thing...

This is more targeted at him than the restrictions of the "second-grade intermediate" formation.

Of course, it is also possible that the four major sects created such a large Fangtian painting simply to make it easier for the audience to "watch the ceremony".

But Mo Hua was still very depressed.

Even after visiting the sword-fighting arena and returning to Taixu Gate and sitting at the disciple table, Mo Hua was still frowning.

Apart from anything else, this Fang Tian Huaying is really too strong for me...

He doesn't want to be a "conspicuous bag".

But it had already been built, and he couldn't sneak over and blow it up.

What's more, Fang Tian Huaying is of very high grade at first glance, so even if he wants to blow her up, he may not be able to destroy her.

"That's all…"

Mo Hua sighed.

Now that things have come to this, the only thing I can do is to find a way to hide myself a little deeper.

Don't reveal your true identity, keep a low profile, "play the pig and eat the tiger", the longer you hide, the deeper the better...

"This requires careful planning..."

Mo Hua took out the original plan and re-planned it.

How to move forward step by step, concealing one's own strength, and at the same time achieve victory step by step, and go further step by step without exposing one's own trump card...

This is extremely difficult.

However, the general idea gradually became clearer under the planning of Mo Hua.

(End of this chapter)