Chapter 738: What the Hell Are They Even Saying?
In the grove—
Cheng Mo stood tall in triple-layered armor, twin axes resting on his shoulders, brimming with killing intent and ready for war.
Mo Hua entered the forest and respectfully called out,
"Big Brother, I brought the guy."
Cheng Mo froze for a moment, then caught the look Mo Hua shot him. Immediately, he caught on, puffed up his chest, and nodded imposingly.
"Good."
Seeing Cheng Mo's commanding presence, Song Jian nodded to himself: As expected.
That scrawny brat was just a lackey.
This burly guy was clearly the true "boss" among the Great Void Sect's disciples.
So Song Jian completely ignored Mo Hua and focused all his attention on Cheng Mo.
Cheng Mo let out a cold laugh, calm and fearless—just as Mo Hua had instructed. He was to act cocky and unafraid.
The two sides squared off.
"The duel will happen right here," Mo Hua announced. "No restrictions on methods. It's not a fight to the death, just to determine victory. Whoever admits defeat or can't get up after ten breaths loses."
He was well aware of the sword snatching incident—he'd seen it with his own eyes.
Cheng Mo, clad in armor, blood essence surging, spun his massive axes with ferocity. Spiritual power crackled with each swing.
The battle was about to erupt.
Only Xun Ziyou, watching from afar, was utterly confused.
"What the hell are these kids even doing?"
Still, with his cultivation not too shabby and his Broken Gold Sword Technique trained to the extreme, Song Jian was able to put up a decent fight. Even though his spirit sword was only a temporary replacement—still top-grade, but inferior to his original—he fought evenly with Cheng Mo for now.
He activated the full power of the Broken Gold Sword Technique, summoning dazzling golden sword-light that slashed toward Cheng Mo.
Using his Metalflash Movement Art, Song Jian darted around, taking potshots with bursts of golden sword Qi, relentlessly dueling Cheng Mo.
His temporary spirit sword was serviceable, but not as refined as the original—also taken by Mo Hua.
And whatever happened after it got taken… he had no idea.
He just knew: if something went wrong, the ancestor would not let him off.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua pointed at the forest with a solemn expression.
"If our Great Void Sect loses, I'll return the Broken Gold Sword. But if you lose, then you're to stop harassing our disciples here in Beast-Refining Mountain."
As he said this, Song Jian was hell-bent on defeating Cheng Mo in one go and winning his sword back.
The two clashed for dozens of rounds. Cheng Mo, remembering Mo Hua's instructions, faked being overwhelmed—defending but never attacking.
What's the point of this nonsense? Song Jian thought.
Seeing Cheng Mo's spiritual energy falter and his strength weakening, Song Jian grew smug. He figured his swordplay was just too fierce for the guy to handle. He sneered:
"So this is the so-called elite of the Great Void Sect? What a joke!"
Besides, it wasn't even that weakling Mo Hua fighting—it was just two nobodies. So long as no one died, whatever.
Ever since Mo Hua entered Beast-Refining Mountain, Xun Ziyou had been tailing him—essentially becoming his full-time "bodyguard."
But he still didn't understand Mo Hua.
Why steal someone's spirit sword and set up this bizarre duel? What's this kid up to?
Mo Hua checked with Song Jian again:
"So we're agreed, right?"
Song Jian nodded.
"I keep my word."
Cheng Mo added,
"Deal."
Xun Ziyou frowned slightly.
Moments later, Cheng Mo and Song Jian were brawling in earnest.
As Mo Hua had anticipated—even with layered armor made from copper-resistant silk and refined steel, it couldn't completely block the sharp sword Qi of the Broken Gold Sword Technique.
Several slashes tore through the armor, causing cracks to appear.
Cheng Mo could only dodge while relying on his brute strength and robust vitality to absorb the blows—making him look rather pathetic.
And yet, he still wore a mocking expression. With a hoarse voice, he shouted the lines Mo Hua had taught him:
"That's it? This is all your Broken Gold Sword Qi can do?"
"Your sect's prized sword technique is trash!"
"Hit me all you want—it tickles. You're not even scratching me—this wouldn't count as acupuncture!"
"Come on, Pretty Boy! Did you skip breakfast?!"
Song Jian was livid. His sword danced like a blur, weaving golden threads of sword Qi into a deadly net. He wanted nothing more than to cut Cheng Mo into mince.
He hated being called "Pretty Boy."
The insults made Cheng Mo look even more miserable.
Xun Ziyou shook his head.
What is this nonsense? Trash talk while getting beat?
When did Great Void Sect disciples become this… dumb?
He sighed. Deep down, it stung.
Ever since the three sects split, the Great Void Sect had been in decline. Even its most feared sword technique—the "Great Void Divine Sense Sword Manifestation Technique"—was now banned and no longer passed down.
The sect's glory was gone.
Meanwhile, the Tai'a Sect had taken first place in the last Dao Discussion Conference.
The Chongxu Sect had steadily improved.
Only the Great Void Sect fell further and further behind.
Now, its disciples didn't even have proper sword techniques. They were being bullied by second-rate sects like the Broken Gold Sect.
A dragon stranded in shallow waters.
A tiger humiliated on flat plains.
Back in the day, even with ten times the guts, no one would've dared provoke the Great Void Sect.
Xun Ziyou's aura flared with fury. If he activated the Great Void Sword Intent, his divine sense could turn razor-sharp—one glance could slice down lowly demons and evil cultivators alike.
But sadly…
The Divine Sense Sword Technique had no successors. No one dared to cultivate it. No one could.
The sect had stopped passing it down.
That unparalleled technique was now fated to remain forever sealed in the Sword Tomb—buried alongside the broken and rusted swords of the past, dust-covered and forgotten in the long river of cultivation history.
As he thought this, Xun Ziyou fell into a melancholy trance.
After some time, he suddenly realized—
Wait. Something's missing.
Looking around, he blinked.
Mo Hua was gone.
Xun Ziyou let out a defeated sigh.
Babysitting this brat is exhausting. Can't relax for a second.
The moment you looked away, he vanished who-knows-where.
Expanding his divine sense, he scanned the area—finally spotting Mo Hua sneakily hiding behind a large tree while everyone else was focused on the duel.
Cheng Mo and Song Jian were going at it tooth and nail.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua was squatting behind a tree, secretly… doing who-knows-what.
Xun Ziyou furrowed his brow.
What is this kid plotting now?
Using a third-grade spirit artifact, he cloaked himself and silently crept behind Mo Hua.
He didn't get too close—just kept a distance of several meters, craned his neck, and peeked over…
Mo Hua was sitting cross-legged, fully focused. His body emanated a strange, obscure, and faintly eerie aura.
Every so often, he'd look up toward the duel, observe carefully, then bow his head again and seriously scribble something on a sheet of paper in front of him.
Xun Ziyou was completely baffled.
What… is he even drawing?
A picture book?
Drawing a Comic?
Is he... drawing a comic strip?
Was he sketching out the fight between Cheng Mo and Song Jian?
Xun Ziyou blinked. Mo Hua might be childish at times, sure—but not this bored, right?
He stepped a little closer for a better look.
On the paper were lines—no, patterns. Looking closely… they looked like formation patterns.
"Formation patterns, huh…"
"I knew he couldn't be that bored."
Xun Ziyou studied the paper again—and finally noticed: these formation lines weren't flowing or curved. Every stroke was sharp and straight, like cuts made by sword and axe—radiating with keen, dangerous energy.
Xun Ziyou stiffened.
Wait a second…
A sword array?
Looking more carefully, he noticed golden light flowing through the etched sword marks, intertwining and crossing like shattered metal fragments—distinctly familiar.
Is that… the Broken Gold Sword Array?!
His pupils shrank. A chill crept up his spine.
What the hell?!
That was the top-secret, absolutely forbidden sword array of the Broken Gold Sect. Even core inner disciples rarely got access to it—and only under life-binding contracts.
And yet… here was Mo Hua, hiding in a corner, casually doodling the whole damn thing?
Xun Ziyou sucked in a sharp breath.
This ain't just off-script—this is off the whole damn stage!
This is a one-way ticket to getting your whole family obliterated!
He was stunned speechless.
Even if you were from the Broken Gold Sect, even if you were the heir, they might still not teach you this!
And Mo Hua… just watched a fight and reverse-engineered it from scratch?!
Just as Xun Ziyou tried to lean in for another look, Mo Hua suddenly jolted—his head whipped around.
A pair of deep, crystal-clear eyes locked onto him.
Even with Xun Ziyou's late-stage Golden Core cultivation, even as a Great Void Sect inner elder—he nearly jumped out of his skin.
It felt like being caught peeping by a ghost.
Luckily, his cultivation base held up, along with his third-grade spirit artifact and 28-line divine sense foundation. Mo Hua didn't seem to notice him directly.
Mo Hua simply squinted and muttered:
"Weird…"
"Was someone just spying on me?"
He could clearly feel a surge of intense emotion—someone had just been shocked to their core.
He spread his divine sense wide, scanning the area. The forest remained still—nothing out of place.
Was it a high-realm cultivator watching?
Anyone below or equal to his realm wouldn't be able to hide from his divine sense.
Whoever it was had to be far above him.
But would such a high-level expert really waste their time spying on a Foundation Establishment kid like him?
And besides—there was no hostile intent.
…Was it just his imagination?
Mo Hua frowned but let it go. He had work to do.
He resumed his deduction—analyzing the Broken Gold Sword Qi, stripping it down, restoring the original sword principles, and reconstructing the true formation behind it: the Broken Gold Sword Array.
Stroke by stroke, he recorded it on the array paper in front of him.
Xun Ziyou's eyes trembled, but he dared not react. Slowly, silently, he backed away—only once he was far enough did he let out a long breath.
He glanced again at Mo Hua's focused back and grew solemn. His heart still pounded with lingering fear.
He deduced a sword array… just from watching sword Qi?
How?!
What kind of little freak is this kid?!
Don't tell me the old ancestor taught him this…?
His thoughts swirled in disbelief.
Nearly half an hour passed before Mo Hua finally stopped.
He hadn't finished deducing the entire array—there were still many parts missing—but his divine sense was completely drained.
Plus, Cheng Mo was reaching his limit.
No matter how strong his physique was, no body cultivator could keep tanking hits forever.
Time to wrap it up.
Mo Hua walked to the edge of the forest and scattered some pungent, bloody bait. Sure enough, within moments, a human-sized, hyena-like beast with foaming fangs and rancid breath appeared.
The monster let out a feral roar, its eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
Cheng Mo perked up immediately—he knew it was time to retreat.
His armor was hanging on by threads, and his body was covered in cuts. Another few rounds, and he might really drop.
He swung his axe and pushed back Song Jian, then pretended to scoff:
"This beast is interfering—we'll settle this another day."
But Song Jian wasn't having it.
He felt he was just about to win—just one more moment and he could stomp on Cheng Mo, ridicule the Great Void Sect, and reclaim his dignity.
And now Cheng Mo wanted to back out?
Settle this another day, my ass!
He roared:
"Coward! Don't run! Let's finish this!"
Cheng Mo sneered,
"Idiot. A beast is charging us and you still want to play tough guy?"
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and ran.
Song Jian cursed as he chased:
"Bastard! Coward! If you run, that means you lost!"
Cheng Mo shouted back, shameless as ever:
"Bullshit! According to the rules—I didn't surrender, and I'm not down for ten breaths. That means I didn't lose!"
"You Broken Gold Sect types love to brag about your sword techniques, but I say they're barely mediocre! I didn't even bother dodging!"
He talked big, but he looked like hell—his armor was in shreds, and he was bleeding all over. His tough talk didn't exactly sell the image.
Song Jian cursed him up and down for being shameless.
As the beast closed in, Cheng Mo added:
"Tsk, unlucky. If it weren't for this monster, give me twenty more rounds and you'd be on your knees calling me Grandpa!"
"If you've got the guts, we'll fight next time."
Song Jian's expression turned dark, but he had no choice.
"Fine. Next time, I'll chop you into mincemeat!"
Cheng Mo laughed coldly,
"Keep dreaming."
Then spun and bolted left.
With all the blood on him, the hyena-beast didn't hesitate and chased right after Cheng Mo.
Song Jian had no choice but to give up and return to rejoin the other disciples from the Song family.
"Young master, how did it go?" they asked, seeing his spiritual energy drained.
Song Jian scowled darkly,
"That Great Void brat isn't worth mentioning."
"They got lucky this time. Next time, I'll cut them down for sure."
The other disciples quickly chimed in with flattery:
"Young master, you're so mighty!"
"Young Master is valiant!"
Song Jian exhaled heavily, clearly still fuming.
On the other side, Mo Hua had already set up a formation to ambush the hyena-like beast. With combined effort, the group had successfully chopped the beast to pieces.
Cheng Mo collapsed to the ground with a thud and waved his hand weakly.
"Senior Brother, I can't take it anymore. One more beating and I'm done."
Even if his body were made of iron, there was no enduring that Broken Gold Sword Qi forever.
Holding out for a whole hour was already impressive.
Mo Hua transferred 200 merit points to him, then patted his shoulder.
"Hang in there a bit more. Next time I'll swap in a better set of armor—it'll go way smoother."
The Broken Gold Sword Array still wasn't fully deduced.
Mo Hua estimated: Cheng Mo just needed to take two more beatings, and it would be enough.
"The armor for next time will be way stronger," Mo Hua added.
Cheng Mo sighed,
"Alright then..."
Mo Hua then ordered everyone to skin the beast, collect its materials, and exchange them for merit.
He gave half of the total merit to Cheng Mo as compensation for "getting thrashed."
That made Cheng Mo feel a lot better.
Back at the sect, Mo Hua couldn't wait to return to his disciple quarters. He immediately unrolled his array paper and dove back into studying the Broken Gold Sword Array.
This array shimmered with inner golden light—each stroke sharp, cutting, and radiant.
But it was incomplete, a fragmented sword array, and merely of the second grade.
Mo Hua copied the array patterns several times. Every attempt failed.
The arrays looked correct on the surface—but lacked any true substance. They didn't feel like sword arrays at all.
Mo Hua frowned.
Why does this feel like those Absolute Arrays…?
The array patterns are just surface-level. To truly master them, you have to grasp their essence—a specific, hidden law.
Just like the Reverse Spirit Array, Earth-Fortress Array, Spiritual Pivot Array, and Five Elements Source Array.
Wait… is the Sword Array an Absolute Array too?
Mo Hua thought about it—then shook his head.
That didn't seem likely.
Absolute Arrays were notoriously difficult to master. The number of array masters who could grasp them could be counted on one hand.
If sword arrays were on that level, the sword-arts inheritance of all these noble clans would've already gone extinct.
Mass-producing spiritual swords would be impossible.
And mass-producing Absolute Arrays?
Yeah… that's like trying to catch starlight with a bucket.
So no—sword arrays definitely weren't Absolute Arrays. Their difficulty had to lie elsewhere.
Mo Hua frowned.
Or rather… sword arrays might have a unique kind of difficulty?
Based on his own array expertise and cultivation knowledge, he deduced:
Sword Arrays probably serve as a threshold. If you can cross it, learning them is no big deal. If not, you'll never learn them in this life.
And that threshold… is deliberately controlled by noble clans to monopolize sword array inheritance and prevent leaks.
So… what is that threshold?
Mo Hua's divine sense whirled into motion.
Putting himself in the mindset of a noble clan's internal array master, he thought:
If I wanted to set up a threshold for learning sword arrays, where would I start?
After a moment, his eyes lit up.
"Sword arts (sword techniques)..."
Noble clans don't just pass down techniques—they pass down complete systems, interlocked and mutually dependent.
The more rigorous the system, the stronger the inheritance—and the harder it is to steal.
So if sword arts and sword arrays are both vital, it's very likely that they're interlinked.
Only by learning the Broken Gold Sword Technique could one properly learn the Broken Gold Sword Array.
That way, even if the sword art gets leaked, without the array, you can't forge spiritual swords, and the swordplay loses power.
Even if the sword array gets leaked, without the matching sword technique and Qi, you can't activate it. The secrets stay secret.
In short: sword technique and sword array are bound together.
Having only one doesn't give you the full inheritance.
And stealing both? That's near impossible.
Unless…
You get really lucky…
That thought gave Mo Hua a small shiver.
He silently took out a jade slip from his storage ring—one that read:
"Broken Gold Sword Control Technique"
Then looked at the half-completed Broken Gold Sword Array he had deduced.
His expression turned a bit blank.
Wait a minute… am I almost done collecting the whole set?
The Broken Gold Sect's inheritance—especially their sword inheritance—
He might already have… more than half of it.
Broken Gold Sword Qi, the sword forging method, the sword-controlling art, and even the core sword array...
Those so-called core disciples of Broken Gold Sect might not even have as much as me…
Mo Hua felt a little guilty.
But hey—
"If Heaven gives and you don't take… that's on you."
So he might as well… learn it.
Mo Hua began using the sword art to comprehend the sword array.
He had only scratched the surface of the Broken Gold Sword Control Technique, and his Broken Gold Sword Qi was janky and unstable.
But hey—a threshold is still a threshold.
Even if his technique was sloppy, as long as he passed the gate, it counted.
His goal wasn't the sword Qi, after all—it was the Broken Gold Sword Array.
The Qi could be a little trashy. No problem.
Mo Hua held his breath and focused, condensing Broken Gold Sword Qi.
A weak, unstable wisp of sword Qi slowly flowed into the array.
The array patterns on the page instantly flared—sharp and brilliant like shattered jade.
The sword array was active.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
He began infusing more sword Qi into the array, activating it, allowing the Qi to circulate—
Through that process, he could now understand how the sword array actually functioned…
Or more precisely—
He was beginning to comprehend the essence of the "Way of the Sword" embedded in the array.
Meanwhile, at the Elder's Residence—
Xun Ziyou was reporting to Elder Xun.
What he said next—even he found hard to believe:
"Mo Hua… he secretly learned the Broken Gold Sword Array…"
Elder Xun, mid-writing, paused—then slowly looked up, dumbfounded.
"How… did he learn it?"
Xun Ziyou replied,
"He set a trap. Lured a direct disciple of the Broken Gold Sect's Song family into a one-on-one duel with one of our disciples."
"That Song disciple used the Broken Gold Sword Qi…"
"Mo Hua watched from the side…"
Xun Ziyou let out a long sigh.
"And then somehow, just by watching, he managed to reconstruct the entire Broken Gold Sword Array…"
Elder Xun's expression went completely blank.
He watched… and just figured it out…?
Do you even hear the words coming out of your mouth…?
(End of Chapter)