Chapter 741 – Sword Control Prodigy
At Demon-Refining Mountain, the morning sun bathed the peaks in crimson light, and the forests were lush and green.
Though it was a dangerous mountain teeming with beasts, Mo Hua strolled through it as if he were on a spring outing—relaxed, light-footed, humming a tune.
Upon reaching a hillside, he stopped, pulled out some fruit wine, pastries, and dried meat from his storage ring, and began eating while enjoying the tranquil morning scenery.
After a while, a figure appeared in the distance.
Mo Hua immediately stood up and waved excitedly:
"Situ! Over here!"
The figure, a handsome youth with a tall, straight posture and a sword called Lihuo on his back, smiled and waved in return, walking toward Mo Hua.
It was Situ Jian.
Also known as Mo Hua's new sword training partner.
Technically speaking, both of them hailed from Lizhou—hometown buddies.
Mo Hua had interacted with the Situ Clan before, having met the likes of Situ Fang and Situ Xiu (siblings), as well as Elder Situ Jin and other cultivators.
But the Situ Clan was huge, and those folks were probably from a side branch. They likely weren't close to Situ Jian.
So Mo Hua didn't bring it up.
The two of them sat together in the mountain light, sharing wine and snacks amid the morning glow.
Once full and satisfied, it was finally time for sword practice.
Just before they began, Situ Jian voiced his doubt:
"Senior Brother Mo, you're not a sword cultivator, right? What made you suddenly want to learn sword control?"
Mo Hua put on a serious face and bullshitted smoothly:
"The Broken Gold Sect is naturally petty and underhanded. Sure, they've backed off for now, but who's to say they won't return? It's best to prepare for the worst and study sword control in advance."
"And besides the Broken Gold Sect, this entire Dry Academy Province is full of sword cultivators. I've got to be ready in case I run into one."
"Know yourself, know your enemy—only then can you win every battle."
"Ah," Situ Jian nodded slowly. "As expected of Senior Brother. So far-sighted."
"That far?"
"Yeah," Situ Jian said. "True sword control is something learned in the late Foundation Establishment stage and only mastered at the Golden Core level."
Mo Hua blinked, surprised.
"That far ahead?!"
Situ Jian silently stared at him and thought: So… Senior Brother knows absolutely nothing about this.
He sighed, sat down on a nearby boulder, and began explaining patiently:
"All sword cultivators begin with sword Qi. That's the foundation—using spiritual energy to manifest sword energy."
"But early on, sword Qi is weak, so we need to rely on spiritual swords to amplify it and enhance killing power."
"The weaker your cultivation, the weaker your sword Qi—and the more you depend on your sword."
"Later, when your cultivation deepens and sword Qi strengthens, you can fight with no sword in hand, becoming the sword yourself. At that point, you don't need to rely as much on a physical weapon."
"Though of course, having a sword still makes you stronger."
"That's because combining sword Qi and sword weapon through sword control creates a deadly synergy."
"How strong are we talking?" Mo Hua asked eagerly.
Situ Jian shook his head.
"No idea…"
"…"
Situ Jian scratched his head in embarrassment.
"It's really strong… but I haven't learned the full Lihuo Sword Control Art yet, so I don't actually know."
"So the Broken Gold disciple we fought before—wasn't really using sword control?" Mo Hua asked.
"Which one?"
"The one who got stripped, hung on a tree, and had a turtle drawn on his chest."
"Oh." Situ Jian remembered and nodded.
"Right. He had practiced a sword control technique, but with his level of cultivation and sword comprehension, it was still just basic-level sword Qi control—not true sword control."
Situ Jian's expression grew serious, eyes full of longing:
"To truly control a sword…"
"You first need extremely strong sword Qi."
"Then, you attempt to fuse that sword Qi with your sword."
"Once that's done, use divine sense to control the fused spiritual sword, lock onto an enemy, and strike from afar."
"Only when sword, Qi, and divine sense unite—that's the foundation of real sword control. At higher levels, you can begin to manifest… Sword Intent."
"Sword Intent?!"
Mo Hua's expression changed drastically, utterly shocked.
Situ Jian jumped, startled.
"Senior Brother, did I say something wrong?"
Mo Hua realized he had overreacted and quickly composed himself, patting Situ Jian's shoulder:
"No, no—you're absolutely right."
"Please… continue."
Situ Jian paused, then shook his head.
"That's all."
"That's it?" Mo Hua asked.
Situ Jian nodded.
"Anything beyond Sword Intent is too advanced. My cultivation isn't deep enough to comprehend it…"
He hadn't even properly learned sword control yet, much less anything beyond it.
"Fair enough," Mo Hua sighed.
Although he couldn't get deeper insights into "Sword Intent," he had at least understood one crucial thing:
Sword control through divine sense—uniting sword Qi, sword weapon, and divine sense—is the seed of Sword Intent.
Sword control is the culmination of merging Qi and blade.
But it's also the beginning of true Sword Intent.
This stuff was important—and definitely not covered in standard sect curricula.
If sword control only becomes practical in late Foundation stage or even post-Inner Sect promotion, then…
Yep, asking your fellow disciples really does pay off.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
"So how does divine sense sword control actually work?"
"Is it like divine sense object control?"
"You just guide the sword forward with your mind and stab the enemy from a distance?"
He asked curiously.
Situ Jian replied:
"The usual process is: first accumulate sword Qi. Then inject the Qi into the sword, then use divine sense to control it."
"Once your divine sense, sword Qi, and sword are fully united, you can enter the true sword control state—then use divine sense to locate enemies and strike from afar."
"Sword control is based on object control. The stronger your object control, the better your foundation."
"But sword control is harder than normal object control—it consumes more divine sense and makes targeting more difficult…"
Mo Hua carefully memorized every word.
Although—he completely skipped the "accumulate Qi and inject into the sword" step.
His sword Qi was too weak to be useful anyway.
He planned to just replace that part with an array formation.
Skip the foreplay—just go straight to the good stuff: divine sense locks target → sword breaks the air → distant enemy gets stabbed.
The rest can be left to the "array formation."
"As for the specific method of using divine sense to control a sword and kill across space, it's actually a specialized divine sense technique that requires learning a unique sword-controlling method…"
At this point, Situ Jian looked slightly apologetic and said to Mo Hua:
"My Situ Clan does possess a divine sense sword-control technique. Before I joined the sect, my father had me carry it with me, telling me to study it in the future…"
"But it's a family inheritance. I can't pass it on to others, so I can't tell you."
Situ Jian was completely honest.
"Mm, it's fine," Mo Hua nodded.
He appreciated the thought.
But as for sword control methods—he actually had one himself.
From Boss Jiang, he'd acquired a jade slip with the Broken Gold Sword Control Art, and part of it included a method for sword control.
Mo Hua had already studied it in secret last night.
However, some of the sword-related terms were a bit too obscure, and he hadn't fully understood them.
Now that Situ Jian had given him a full overview of sword control from the ground up, Mo Hua was finally starting to get it.
He sighed slightly.
His sword foundations were just too weak.
Some things—if Situ Jian hadn't explained them—he would've never figured out by fumbling around on his own.
"There's also the issue of divine sense…"
Situ Jian continued, "If your divine sense isn't strong, there's no way you can control a sword. So divine sense is also key to sword control."
"As we all know, divine sense has a range."
"At Foundation Establishment, a first-pattern divine sense equals about 10 zhang. A typical early-stage cultivator has 11 patterns, meaning just over 100 zhang of range…"
"At peak Foundation, a 19-pattern divine sense gets you over 150 zhang, almost 200—but never quite reaching 200."
"If you reach the Golden Core stage, the range jumps directly to 400 zhang."
Mo Hua nodded, "So generally speaking, a late-stage Foundation cultivator can control a sword up to about 190 zhang?"
Situ Jian shook his head. "Not that far."
Mo Hua looked puzzled, but quickly realized:
"Because of attenuation, right?"
"Exactly," Situ Jian nodded. "Divine sense released freely has the greatest range. But the moment you start controlling something, the range decreases."
"And sword control is even more demanding—it attenuates the range even more."
"Typically, a Foundation sword cultivator using divine sense to control a sword ends up with an effective range that's less than half of their divine sense limit."
Mo Hua blinked.
"So even at peak Foundation, most people can only control their sword around 100 zhang?"
Situ Jian nodded slightly, "Unless they're sword prodigies with exceptional talent, that's usually the case."
"Sword prodigies, huh? Do we have any in the Great Void Sect?"
Mo Hua asked, his gaze drifting meaningfully to Situ Jian—who had "Sword" in his name.
Situ Jian looked a bit embarrassed.
"Senior Brother, don't look at me like that… In the Situ Clan—or even in nearby provinces—I rank pretty high in talent…"
"But in this Dry Academy Province, I'm only above average."
"As for within our Great Void Sect… There are a few with better sword aptitude than mine, but not by much."
He paused, looked at Mo Hua, and added helplessly:
"This may sound harsh, but it's the truth…"
"True sword geniuses usually join one of the Four Great Sects. Especially Sky Sword Sect, which leads in swordsmanship. The other three also get their fair share."
"Talents of that caliber wouldn't choose our Great Void Sect. Honestly, our sword heritage here is… lacking."
"Well, maybe not lacking, just… average. A bit better than some, worse than others."
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked in a quiet voice:
"Situ… have you ever heard of 'Divine Thought into Sword'?"
Situ Jian blinked.
"Divine Thought into Sword? What kind of sword art is that?"
Seeing that Situ Jian had never heard of it, Mo Hua replied casually:
"Nothing. Just something I heard from a storyteller. Might be nonsense."
Situ Jian sighed inwardly.
You're really taking storytellers seriously…?
Senior Brother was reliable when he wanted to be.
But sometimes, he also blurted out random stuff—kind of naïve and whimsical.
"I've learned a little about sword control. Can you take a look and tell me if I'm doing it right?"
"Sure," Situ Jian nodded—then froze mid-nod, confused.
"Senior Brother, where did you learn sword control?"
"And… you're only at mid-stage Foundation, right?"
"Also, you're not a sword cultivator. You don't train in sword Qi. If sword and Qi can't merge, how do you control the sword?"
Mo Hua shushed him and whispered:
"I stole it. Don't tell anyone."
Though he said "stole," his expression was righteous and proud.
Situ Jian stared at him blankly, then slowly nodded.
"I'm not cultivating sword Qi—just using divine sense to control a sword. Just testing it out for fun…"
As he spoke, Mo Hua pulled out a broken sword.
Well, not that broken—just dirty and rusty, probably pulled from some dusty corner.
Situ Jian had truly never seen anyone use a broken sword to practice sword control before.
No doubt about it—Senior Brother's thinking was unconventional.
"Alright," Situ Jian sighed. "Let's test your sword control range first."
He looked around, picked a direction, and pointed toward a distant slope:
"Stand here and try sending your sword to that slope across the way."
"Got it!" Mo Hua nodded.
He began recalling the "Sword Control" section from the Broken Gold Sword Control Art, then activated his divine sense to manipulate the old spiritual sword.
Sword control was essentially a specialized form of object control.
Controlling ink with divine sense also counted as object control.
The difference?
Divine Ink Control emphasized fine-tuned, intricate manipulation—flexible and precise.
Divine Sword Control emphasized raw force and lightning speed.
But as long as it was a divine sense technique, Mo Hua didn't find it difficult.
Compared to Heaven Pattern deduction and the baffling chaos of formation calculations, divine sense sword control was child's play.
Mo Hua began.
He focused all his attention, holding his breath, releasing his divine sense, gripping the broken sword with an iron will until he achieved total control.
Then he glanced at the opposing slope.
In an instant, his divine sense surged, circulating rapidly, pouring power into the sword.
Golden light flashed.
Situ Jian only heard a sharp whoosh.
Before he could process what had happened, the sword flashed like a golden streak—and vanished.
He didn't even see it move.
It was too fast.
Too fast…
Situ Jian stared at the opposite slope, looking dazed.
"Where's the sword?"
It had clearly flown toward the slope—so how had it disappeared?
Situ Jian squinted into the distance, and then his expression shifted.
Behind the slope was a wooded forest.
The sword…
It seemed to have flown past the slope and into the woods beyond.
"No way…"
Suppressing his shock, Situ Jian activated his movement technique and, with a few flashes, arrived in the woods. He released his divine sense to search—and sure enough, found a sword embedded deep in a tree.
The blade was worn, still rusty.
It was the same broken sword that his Senior Brother had used.
Situ Jian turned to look back, estimated the distance—and was instantly hit by a tidal wave of shock.
That had to be at least…
One hundred seventy or eighty zhang?!
His scalp tingled. He couldn't believe it.
"Is my Senior Brother… some kind of monster?"
Mid-stage Foundation, controlling a flying sword across nearly 180 zhang?
Was that even allowed?!
Situ Jian let out a long sigh, picked up the rusty sword, and walked back to Mo Hua. He couldn't help asking:
"Senior Brother… just how strong is your divine sense?"
Mo Hua casually replied:
"Just average… mid-stage Foundation divine sense, maybe a tiny bit stronger. I mean, I draw formations all day, after all."
Situ Jian's emotions were… complicated.
"This 'tiny bit' seems a lot stronger than average…"
Being in the same sect—and even living in the same dorm—he'd always known Mo Hua's divine sense was strong.
But this strong? That was insane.
No wonder his formations were so good.
No wonder Elder Xun had personally designated him as the sect's "Junior Brother of Formations."
Situ Jian didn't pry further.
After all, everyone had different cultivation talents. Senior Brother might be weak in qi and spiritual power, but there had to be something extraordinary about him for the Great Void Sect to accept him.
Some people had strong blood vitality, others exceptional spirit roots, others still were born with sword talent…
Senior Brother Mo was likely born with an unusually strong divine sense.
Situ Jian didn't study arrays or divine sense, so he didn't fully grasp what this meant.
But he was shocked by something else:
"Senior Brother, your sword control distance… didn't attenuate?"
Mo Hua paused, thought for a moment, and then slowly nodded:
"Seems like it…"
His divine sense was currently at seventeen patterns, almost at the cusp of eighteen.
And his sword-control distance? Just between 170 to 180 zhang—his absolute divine sense limit.
So the distance his divine sense could reach… was exactly how far the sword had flown.
Not even a hint of attenuation.
Mo Hua thought about it and immediately understood:
Divine Sense Quality Transformation.
His divine sense had undergone a qualitative change—becoming resilient and bearing heavier loads—thus his sword didn't lose distance when controlled.
His eyes lit up.
This meant his sword-control range was nearly double that of the average sword cultivator.
And that was compared to those with equal divine sense.
Compared to cultivators of the same cultivation stage?
It would be even more exaggerated.
Situ Jian stood frozen for a moment, then gasped in awe:
"Senior Brother… you might actually be a sword genius…"
Then he thought something was off and corrected himself:
"Well… a sword control genius."
Because Mo Hua was only good at controlling the sword.
As for swordsmanship—especially sword qi—he had basically none.
Situ Jian sighed, deeply regretful:
"What a shame. Senior Brother, your sword control is so fast and so far—you're a born flying sword prodigy."
"But you don't cultivate sword qi… Your sword has no power behind it…"
He sighed again.
"All flash, no slash."
It was like having a spearmanship genius who could thrust with perfect technique… but had no spearhead.
A complete waste of talent.
Situ Jian looked truly pained.
Mo Hua just smiled, eyes curved like crescent moons:
"It's fine. I'm not a sword cultivator anyway—I'm just doing this for fun~"
(End of Chapter)