Chapter 1019: No More Playing

The situation was almost completely one-sided.

Among the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Xiao Wuchen's powerful sword aura overwhelmed the disciples of the Taixu Sect, leaving almost no one left standing.

Even Linghu Xiao was no match at all.

With just a few sword strikes, Xiao Wuchen completely suppressed Linghu Xiao.

Each strike was ancient and imposing, carrying a boundless celestial essence, blending with the profound charm of the void.

Each strike was infused with immense spiritual power, forming an overwhelmingly powerful sword aura.

Each strike forced Linghu Xiao to go all out to resist.

With every sword slash, Linghu Xiao was forced to retreat a step.

Xiao Wuchen, dressed in a white robe embroidered with sword patterns, had a composed and indifferent expression. His posture was upright, exuding elegance.

In contrast, Linghu Xiao—who had been highly anticipated and hailed as a once-in-500-year prodigy of the Chongxu Sect—could only grit his teeth and struggle to hold on, appearing extremely battered.

There was no longer the domineering presence of his sweeping sword aura, slaughtering all in his path.

At this moment, everyone finally understood.

What it truly meant to be a "heavenly prodigy."

What it truly meant to be a sword cultivator genius.

A reputation could be exaggerated, but a sword could never lie.

A single exchange was enough to make the difference in strength clear.

Seeing Linghu Xiao's miserable state, the spectators couldn't help but sigh. However, there wasn't much ridicule or mockery.

They understood—Linghu Xiao was already strong enough.

In this sword duel, he had already proven his strength.

But unfortunately, Xiao Wuchen was simply stronger.

The Four Great Sects were, after all, the Four Great Sects.

As the top sword cultivator of the Four Great Sects, the number one disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Xiao Wuchen was a figure who stood above the clouds.

While the prodigies of the Eight Great Sects, no matter how strong, were merely standing atop a mountain peak.

This was the way of the sword.

In cultivation, Xiao Wuchen was also superior.

Xiao Wuchen was at the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment Realm, while Linghu Xiao was only slightly stronger than an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Strictly speaking, the Foundation Establishment Realm was divided into three stages: early, mid, and late. After that, the next breakthrough would be to the Golden Core Realm.

However, forming a Golden Core was extremely difficult.

Most Foundation Establishment cultivators, unless exceptionally lucky, would find themselves stuck at the threshold of the Golden Core Realm.

This bottleneck could last for years, decades, or even centuries.

Some might even be stuck for their entire lives.

This is why the transition from late-stage Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was often seen as uncertain and long.

During this period, cultivators would continue to refine their spiritual power, gradually stabilizing their foundation until they had the opportunity to break through to the Golden Core Realm…

Or, they might have already attempted a breakthrough and failed.

Or their Natal Magic Treasure embryo had formed, yet the Golden Core had not condensed…

All of these stages were collectively known as the peak of Foundation Establishment—a realm that meant "having reached the limit of Foundation Establishment, but not yet forming a Golden Core."

This was Xiao Wuchen's current realm, but Linghu Xiao was not there yet.

Thus, in terms of cultivation, there was already a disparity, further worsening Linghu Xiao's disadvantage in swordsmanship.

In this duel, Linghu Xiao was no match for Xiao Wuchen, left in an utterly miserable state.

The situation for the others was even worse.

The Heavenly Sword Sect's team was among the strongest in this sword duel competition. Besides Xiao Wuchen, the other four disciples were also formidable.

The strength of these four was only slightly inferior to Linghu Xiao but significantly stronger than Ouyang Xuan. Compared to Cheng Mo and Situ Jian, they were even more dominant.

This was a complete suppression of raw power by the disciples of a major sect.

Thus, under the overwhelming sword aura of the Heavenly Sword Sect's five disciples, the members of the Taixu Sect struggled desperately and were forced into a difficult battle.

Mo Hua's situation wasn't any better.

With his teammates completely suppressed, his spells were barely effective.

He could only rely on his movement techniques to barely survive under the swords of the Heavenly Sword Sect's disciples.

But such "survival" was meaningless.

The outcome was clear.

The Taixu Sect was steadily slipping toward defeat.

Some spectators still hoped for a "miracle," for someone to turn the tide and change the battle's course.

Unfortunately, no miracle happened.

The weak would lose—such was the law of the world.

Linghu Xiao was the first to fall.

He struggled bitterly against Xiao Wuchen's sword, searching desperately for a turning point. But in the end, it was all in vain—he couldn't reverse the tide.

Against both a higher cultivation realm and superior swordsmanship, Linghu Xiao exhausted his strength and was finally struck down by Xiao Wuchen, whose expression remained indifferent.

Linghu Xiao perished under Xiao Wuchen's sword.

The battle swiftly spiraled out of control.

One by one, the others also fell, utterly defeated…

The spectators fell into silence.

Many of them had initially watched with anticipation, but now their excitement had faded, replaced by disappointment and disinterest.

They had expected an intense clash between heaven's chosen talents, a fierce battle where pride and honor clashed like thunder and fire.

Even if one side was destined to lose, it should have at least been a breathtaking and brilliant showdown of peerless geniuses.

The duel between the sword prodigies of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Taixu Sect should have been a grand battle—one that reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

But the result was a letdown.

The Taixu Sect's defeat was too overwhelming, leaving no suspense from beginning to end.

Linghu Xiao was completely outmatched against the top genius of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Xiao Wuchen.

Not to mention Mo Hua.

At this moment, some couldn't help but sneer:

"So this is the great 'Three-Sect Alliance' of the Taixu Sect?"

"Three sects from the 'Eight Great Clans' merged into one, yet they still couldn't even withstand a single sect from the Four Major Sects? That's hilarious…"

"The three-sect alliance… was for nothing."

"Look at it from another angle—they could only reach this stage because of their alliance. If they hadn't merged, they'd be even weaker…"

"The difference in strength is just too big. This wasn't even a fight…"

"What a waste of anticipation…"

"No excitement at all…"

"The strongest team of the Taixu Sect, undefeated until now, finally lost…"

"Of course they lost. The others are already dead—only Mo Hua is left. A mere trickster—who can he possibly kill?"

"Definitely going to lose, going to die, and only Mo Hua will be left. He's just a mixed-rank nobody—who can he kill?"

"Don't mention Xiao Wuchen. Among the Tianjian Sect's team, any one of them, placed in any of the Eight Major Sects, would still be a top disciple. Mo Hua isn't someone who can just 'play dead' to escape."

Someone joked, "Don't say that—what if this Mo Hua miraculously wins five rounds in a row?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

They laughed, but it really wasn't that funny.

The reputation of Taixu Sect was already terrible. Even their mockery lacked enthusiasm.

The only thing slightly interesting was still Mo Hua:

"This time, isn't Mo Hua supposed to die for real?"

That was the only thing worth looking forward to in this otherwise utterly boring sword tournament.

It was even something that made people feel a bit excited.

Someone praised, "If Taixu Sect loses, he'll definitely die at the hands of the Tianjian Sect disciples."

"Good! Good!" Many cultivators clapped in agreement.

"Finally, someone will get to kill Mo Hua."

"Unfortunately, dying at the hands of the Tianjian Sect disciples isn't really that humiliating."

"The disciples of Tianjian Sect are just too strong. Especially Xiao Wuchen—dying under his sword seems almost… reasonable?"

"A bit lacking in excitement…"

"The best kind of fight is one where both sides cannot afford to lose. In order to win, they go all out, evenly matched, fighting so fiercely that their brains nearly get bashed out…"

"And then, at the most critical moment, Mo Hua makes a single fatal mistake, exposes a flaw, and gets ruthlessly cut down. Taixu Sect suffers a complete defeat, Mo Hua becomes a disgrace for the ages, nailed to the pillar of shame, forever a laughingstock…"

"Now that kind of death would suit Mo Hua."

"But alas…"

"Yeah, what a pity, he's getting off too easy."

Someone said, "Forget it. Be content. In my lifetime, just getting to see Mo Hua die once is already satisfying. No need to ask for too much."

"That makes sense."

"This is just the opening match, and he's already lost and died once—quite a 'good start' indeed."

"Besides, the tournament has only just begun. There are still many battles ahead, plenty of tough fights."

"Mo Hua will have many more chances to die."

"The good show has only just begun."

"Today is just the appetizer…"

With that thought, the crowd's spirits instantly lifted, and their gazes toward the tournament stage filled with anticipation.

They were waiting to see exactly how Mo Hua would "die"…

Inside the Tournament Arena

Mo Hua's figure was as fluid as water, constantly evading.

Two Tianjian Sect prodigies were relentlessly pursuing him, intent on killing.

Xiao Wuchen hadn't even moved. He was merely watching from the side.

As if killing Mo Hua wasn't even worth his effort.

Meanwhile, two other Tianjian Sect disciples stood coldly by, swords in hand, waiting for Mo Hua to make the slightest mistake. The moment he did, they would strike and end his life.

Their strategy was clear and ruthless.

In pure movement techniques alone, defeating Mo Hua wasn't easy.

They were top prodigies from one of the Four Great Sects, incredibly powerful.

However, their real strength lay in combat prowess. That didn't mean their movement techniques were weak either—on the contrary, they were among the best.

At least, when it came to pure agility, they weren't stronger than Feng Lingchen from Xiaoyao Sect.

And in swordsmanship, they might not be faster than Feng Lingchen's Wind Sword.

Even Feng Lingchen hadn't been able to catch Mo Hua and kill him in one strike.

So, they might not be able to either.

Thus, their approach was simple: continuously chase Mo Hua with their swords, applying unrelenting pressure, wearing him down, forcing him to make a mistake.

If Mo Hua made a mistake and exposed a flaw in his movements, the waiting disciples of Tianjian Sect would seize the opportunity and end his life with a single strike.

Even if he didn't make a mistake, they would simply exhaust his spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy was the foundation of all cultivators—it powered all techniques.

Even physical cultivation techniques required spiritual energy to activate the body's potential.

If one's spiritual energy was depleted, even the best movement techniques would become useless—like "a rootless river," impossible to sustain.

And having low spiritual energy was precisely Mo Hua's greatest weakness as a spiritual cultivator.

Mo Hua sighed.

He knew—this was the end of the road.

Without Linghu Xiao and Cheng Mo, he really had no backup plan.

His movement technique was excellent, but this was a sword tournament. No matter how good his evasion was, he couldn't kill anyone with it.

He couldn't expect to just dodge until his opponents dropped from exhaustion…

And with his limited spiritual energy, he would be the one to collapse first.

Still, Mo Hua had no intention of surrendering easily.

Mo Hua had no intention of conceding easily.

Even if this was just a "trash" duel, he wouldn't waste the opportunity.

He calmed his mind, putting aside thoughts of victory and defeat, and continued to rely on his Shifting Water Steps to maneuver against the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

On one hand, he was using this to train his Shifting Water Steps against the so-called "pride of the Heavenly Sword Sect."

On the other hand, he was using this opportunity to observe their sword techniques, familiarize himself with their sword moves, and accumulate experience for future battles.

All sword techniques in the world, regardless of their strength, must ultimately be refined into battle experience.

A skilled cultivator must extract valuable lessons from these experiences, using them as nourishment to refine stronger combat instincts.

However, the cost of this prolonged exchange was immense spiritual energy consumption.

Mo Hua's movements were gradually becoming sluggish, making it harder to maneuver—his situation was becoming dire.

Outside the dueling arena, Elder Zhang stared at Mo Hua intently, his gaze deep and unreadable.

The other cultivators watching the battle, on the other hand, saw this as a sign of Mo Hua's imminent defeat and were visibly excited.

"He's about to die…"

"Guess whose hands this little bastard will die by?"

And it wasn't just the audience guessing.

Among the talented young disciples of the sects, many clutched the "Kill Mo Order", feeling both excited and regretful.

Excited that Mo Hua was about to be killed.

Regretful that they weren't the ones to do it.

At the very moment when all eyes were on him—

Mo Hua, sensing that the timing was unfavorable, reached up and tapped his forehead, shattering his own Dueling Jade.

With a flash of blue light—

He disappeared.

He quit the match.

Seeing Mo Hua's spiritual energy nearly depleted, the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple had already raised his Heavenly Star Sword to deliver the final blow. But in that instant, he froze in place.

The other disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect were also dumbfounded.

Even Xiao Wuchen's expression stiffened momentarily.

Outside the dueling arena, the originally cheerful spectators, who had been watching with great anticipation, suddenly fell silent.

Their expressions froze as if they had turned to stone.

After a long moment, someone finally spoke in disbelief:

"Just now… that brat… did he just…"

"Did he actually shatter his own Dueling Jade?"

"Does that… count as him being 'killed'?"

"If he killed himself, how can that be considered getting killed?"

"Hiss—"

Sounds of people sucking in cold breaths echoed across the crowd.

At that moment, a nameless fire of frustration spread in everyone's hearts.

"What the hell was that?"

"I'm actually impressed… This brat really just… ran away."

"Damn it, wouldn't it have been better to just die once?"

"No way, my blood pressure is rising…"

The battle had been almost certainly lost for Tai Xu Sect, and Mo Hua had been practically doomed to die.

The moment that everyone had been waiting for was about to unfold.

And yet—

That shameless bastard shattered his Dueling Jade and quit the match.

Rather than being "killed" once, he simply left.

The crowd erupted in anger:

"I have never seen someone so shameless!"

"Breaking his own Dueling Jade—who does that?"

"This is a duel, not a life-and-death battle. With the grand protective formation of Dueling Mountain, would he really not dare to fight to the end?"

"A coward is more disgraceful than a loser!"

"Anyone with a shred of dignity wouldn't even think of doing something like that—it's a crime against nature!"

"To think that he's supposed to be a top talent of Tai Xu Sect, the head of Formation Techniques… How will his sect look at him? How will the elders see him? The sect master? The grand elder?"

"Shouldn't he feel ashamed?"

"Does the entirety of Tai Xu Sect, no, all of Qianxu Prefecture, have no regard for this?"

The crowd was in a furious uproar, cursing and condemning Mo Hua.

Among them, Gu Changhuai sighed silently.

Honestly, he wasn't surprised.

Mo Hua always had a knack for irritating people in the most creative ways possible…

Meanwhile, Mo Hua himself remained blissfully unaware of the commotion.

To him, breaking his Dueling Jade was nothing significant.

It was not a big deal.

Besides, he was accustomed to keeping control over his own "life and death."

Even if he lost, he would leave on his own terms.

Letting someone else strike him down? That just didn't feel safe.

What if the Grand Formation of Dueling Mountain failed for some reason? Wouldn't he actually die from that sword strike?

Even though it was a Fifth-Tier Formation, a high-grade formation, the chance of failure was minuscule—practically impossible.

But Mo Hua was a Formation Master. He only truly trusted formations he set up himself.

No matter how strong someone else's formation was, it was still someone else's.

He simply couldn't rely on it.

Not blind worship, not blind trust.

That was the mindset of a skilled Formation Master.

So rather than letting someone "kill" him, it was much safer to shatter his own Dueling Jade and withdraw.

As for how others viewed it, whether it was the sect or the audience—Mo Hua didn't care.

By common standards, a Dueling Battle had a powerful protective formation ensuring that no one would actually die.

For most participants, the understood goal was:

"Fight to the bitter end."

Especially when sect elders and sect masters were watching.

As long as they fought to the best of their ability, even if they lost, it wouldn't reflect poorly on them.

However, breaking one's Dueling Jade and withdrawing instead of fighting to the end—that was a problem.

A so-called "genius" with no courage would be looked down upon by their sect and even dismissed by the higher-ups.

But for Mo Hua, none of these concerns mattered.

His situation was unique.

Among the younger generation of Tai Xu Sect, he had considerable "prestige."

No matter what he did, to his junior disciples, he was still their "wise and mighty Senior Brother."

The elders of Tai Xu Sect often considered his opinion before making decisions—sometimes even humoring him.

The sect master was particularly lenient with Mo Hua—after all, Mo Hua was their "personal disciple."

The grand elder outright spoiled him—because Mo Hua was his biological grandson.

In short, no one in Tai Xu Sect actually disciplined Mo Hua.

Shattering his Dueling Jade was nothing. It wasn't like he had blown up Tai Xu Mountain's Sect Gate.

And so—just like that, the Dueling Battle came to an end.

Mo Hua had clearly lost, but somehow, the audience was even more furious than if he had won.

The crowd fumed, muttering curses under their breath, feeling an overwhelming urge to drag Mo Hua back and give him a beating.

But not everyone was angry.

Among them, there were quite a few who genuinely cared about Mo Hua—people who had hoped he would win.

Zhang Lan sat behind the Grand Elder, his expression calm and unreadable, but inwardly, he sighed in disappointment, deeply regretting the outcome:

"In the end, he still lost…"

Originally, he had hoped to see Mo Hua display his strength once again on the Sword Debate stage, making a name for himself.

However, looking at the current situation, he had been too naive.

The Qianzhou Sword Debate was indeed a top-tier event, where every genius was stronger than the next—there was always someone more powerful out there…

Even Mo Hua had to lose.

Zhang Lan let out a sigh.

On the other side, in the viewing stands of the Shangguan Clan.

Yu'er, who had been full of anticipation, now looked somewhat dejected. Lowering her voice, she murmured:

"Brother Mo… lost…"

Hearing this, Wen Xinwan's eyes darkened slightly, but she still smiled and gently ruffled Yu'er's hair.

"Victory and defeat are common in battle. Even your Brother Mo can't always win…"

Yu'er nodded in agreement, though she couldn't hide her disappointment.

Wen Xinwan smiled, comforting her, "Losing one match is nothing. There will be more battles ahead, and Brother Mo will surely win them back one by one…"

Yu'er's eyes lit up upon hearing this, looking forward with renewed hope, and she nodded seriously, "Mhm!"

Wen Xinwan patted her small face gently, her gaze soft.

However, between her brows, a faint worry lingered.

She could also see clearly now—the gap between the Tai Xu Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect was simply too vast.

Xiao Wuchen's strength was overwhelming.

And the Heavenly Sword Sect was merely one of the Four Great Sects.

Among the Heaven's Chosen of the Heavenly Sword Sect at Xiao Wuchen's level, there were at least three more.

The matches ahead would only grow more treacherous.

To defeat such peak geniuses and secure points against the Four Great Sects… was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Wen Xinwan couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Two rounds later, in another stage of the Sword Debate, Mo Hua's luck had not improved.

His opponent was from one of the Four Great Sects—the Dragon Cauldron Sect's strongest disciple in this competition and one of the top prodigies in the Qianzhou Sword Debate: Ao Zhan.

The Ao Clan's ancestors carried traces of True Dragon blood.

Ao Zhan was a direct descendant of the Ao Clan, born with extraordinary talent and a bloodline closest to his ancestors.

His mastery of the Dragon Cauldron Body Refining Art was also incredibly powerful.

With his near-indestructible dragon-blood-tempered physique, Ao Zhan of the Dragon Cauldron Sect stood as one of the very few who could rival Xiao Wuchen of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

In this match, Mo Hua still lost.

.

.

.

(End of this Chapter)