Chapter 737 – Sword Array
An hour later, Mo Hua sat in front of the ruined remains of the Broken Gold Sword—its edge warped inward, its blade scorched black—lost in deep thought.
This prized, high-grade Broken Gold Spirit Sword had been completely destroyed… in less than an hour.
Mo Hua confirmed one thing:
The sword array inside a spirit sword will indeed self-destruct.
At least, the one in front of him certainly had.
Even though he'd taken extreme precautions, employing every scrap of weapon-refinement knowledge he possessed—it had all been in vain.
The Broken Gold Sword would rather die than surrender. It utterly destroyed itself.
The sword array within it burned itself to nothing.
Mo Hua hadn't even had the chance to catch a single glimpse—not even what type of array system it used, or how many array runes it contained.
He let out a long, heavy sigh. His heart ached.
Such a fine spirit sword… just gone.
What a waste.
Mo Hua mourned the loss of the high-grade spirit sword in silence for a moment. Then he began thinking about when to toss the broken thing to Master Gu—maybe he could melt it down and make some use of the scrap.
But for now, he had to focus on the real issue: the sword array.
"The sword array self-destructs. Even if I steal spirit swords, I can't dismantle them to get the array inside…"
"Then, where do I start if I want to acquire a sword array?"
Mo Hua was stumped.
He began brainstorming solutions.
Torture some Broken Gold disciples until they talk?
He hadn't used his improved array-based torture board ever since he stopped being allowed to go out and capture rogue cultivators. Maybe it was time to let some Broken Gold disciples kneel for a change?
But after pondering it for a bit, Mo Hua shook his head.
No… that's too brutal.
That torture device was meant for criminals, heretics, and demonic cultivators.
Sure, Broken Gold Sect disciples had their issues with Great Void, and they did act like arrogant jerks—but they didn't deserve that.
There should still be a line between right and wrong.
Punishment must be measured—otherwise, I'll end up corrupting my own heart and turning into a bloodthirsty maniac.
That would go against everything his parents, his master, Old Mister Xun, and the elders of the Great Void Sect had taught him.
Besides, even if he did torture them—it probably wouldn't help.
That kind of secret was unlikely to be known by regular disciples.
After all, sword arrays could enhance sword qi. That made them extremely confidential—even if not quite on the level of the Five Elemental Source Arrays, they were far from ordinary.
No way those average disciples—with weak divine sense and barely any brains—could understand such complex arrays.
If they don't even know it, what's the point in torturing them?
Then what?
Infiltrate the Broken Gold Sect's weapon refinery and steal their array secrets?
Or maybe get a hold of an official sect token and try to mess with their systems?
Mo Hua thought through both plans—and vetoed them on the spot.
There was no way a mid-Foundation stage junior like him could sneak into a place as heavily guarded as the Broken Gold Sect's forging workshop.
Absolutely impossible—for now.
And even if he got his hands on a sect token, what good would it do?
He didn't even understand the high-level Primordial Magnetic Arrays—how would he even begin to tamper with their systems?
Both methods were a dead end.
"None of this will work…"
Mo Hua lay on his bed, racking his brain, reviewing every ability and technique he could use. Then, suddenly—a spark of inspiration lit up in his mind.
"Deduction!"
Divine Sense Deduction—he could reverse-engineer array patterns based on the lingering traces of array energy.
So, if a sword cultivator was channeling sword qi through a sword array…
Wouldn't that mean—
He could reverse-deduce the sword array, just by analyzing the sword qi?!
Mo Hua gasped.
If this works… am I not about to defy the heavens?
From now on, if anyone dares show off their swordplay in front of me, I'll strip their entire sword array lineage bare!
Even Mo Hua himself found the idea hard to believe.
Still, whether or not it was possible—he had to try.
The next day, Mo Hua went looking for Situ Jian.
"Situ, I need your help with something."
Situ Jian looked confused.
"Is this about the Broken Gold Sword?"
"No," Mo Hua replied, "that sword's already trashed."
Situ Jian froze—then stood there, completely stunned.
"Trashed?!"
"It's only been a night! How did a high-grade spirit sword already get destroyed?!"
Mo Hua muttered silently in his heart:
Technically, it took just one hour.
"Small stuff. Don't worry about it."
Situ Jian winced.
Small stuff? That's a high-grade spirit sword, man…
For a moment, he actually felt a little sorry for that Broken Gold pretty boy.
A sword like that must've been carried and nurtured for years, and now Mo Hua had wrecked it in one night.
Situ Jian instinctively tightened his grip on his own Blazing Fire Sword.
If the Broken Gold Sword was gone, so be it…
But no way can I let my Blazing Fire Sword fall into Little Senior Brother's hands!
As he was contemplating whether to start hiding his sword in his storage ring and stop flaunting his sword cultivator identity, Mo Hua suddenly added:
"Hey… let me borrow your Blazing Fire Sword real quick."
Situ Jian shivered all over.
Mo Hua quickly clarified in a gentle tone:
"Relax. I'm not going to take it apart—I just need you to activate its sword qi and let me watch."
Situ Jian let out a breath of relief—but still couldn't help asking:
"Really?"
"Absolutely." Mo Hua nodded with conviction.
Situ Jian finally relaxed.
After class, Mo Hua dragged Situ Jian to the Dao Technique Chamber.
There were too many disciples on Great Void Mountain—no place to safely test sword arts.
Only the Dao Chamber was closed off and quiet enough to avoid interruption.
"Just keep activating your Blazing Fire Sword qi. Hit that practice dummy," Mo Hua instructed.
"That's it?" Situ Jian asked.
"Yup. Just that simple," Mo Hua nodded.
Situ Jian didn't ask why. After all, experience had taught him—when it came to array stuff, Little Senior Brother always had a deeper plan.
And even if Mo Hua did explain it, Situ Jian probably wouldn't understand it anyway.
"Alright!" Situ Jian agreed cheerfully.
He then summoned the Blazing Fire Sword and began unleashing wave after wave of fire-element sword qi, hacking away at the Dao dummy.
Mo Hua sat cross-legged nearby, eyes darkened as Heavenly Pattern Runes surfaced in his gaze. Using Celestial Fate Deduction, he began tracing the essence of the Blazing Fire Sword Qi.
Fire-type sword qi, wrapped in flame, painted the room crimson.
At first glance, it was just blazing sword qi.
But Mo Hua unleashed his divine sense, letting phantom overlays appear in his vision as he tried to push deeper with Heavenly Deduction—seeking the subtle forces behind the technique.
Situ Jian felt a chill run down his spine under Mo Hua's gaze.
He didn't know what Little Senior Brother was doing… but it felt like his sword qi was being unraveled.
How could this be?
He's not even a sword cultivator—how can he understand my sword qi just by watching?!
…Must be my imagination…
Feeling more and more unsettled, Situ Jian still didn't stop. He'd already promised, and there was no backing out now.
So, sword strike after sword strike, he continued hacking at the Dao dummy.
Time passed—he wasn't sure how long.
Just as his unease peaked, Mo Hua suddenly said:
"That's enough."
Situ Jian halted, turned his head—and saw that Mo Hua looked… disappointed.
Didn't work…
Mo Hua sighed.
Situ Jian was quiet for a moment, then couldn't help but ask:
"Little Senior Brother… what exactly are you trying to do?"
Mo Hua replied,
"Studying sword qi—so I can deal with the Broken Gold Sect."
Situ Jian let out a tiny breath of relief, though he still didn't really understand…
Why study his Blazing Fire Sword Qi to fight the Broken Gold Sect?
And just by looking—what could Mo Hua possibly see?
Situ Jian looked puzzled.
Meanwhile, Mo Hua sat there silently deep in thought.
Reverse-deducing a sword array from sword qi—it was definitely a viable idea.
He had managed to deduce a little… but it was a struggle. All he could see were vague traces—faint residual marks of a sword array.
His deduction technique just wasn't refined enough.
Even with the support of Celestial Fate Trick-Deduction, he still couldn't unravel a top-secret sword array.
But Mo Hua wasn't discouraged.
It was just like drawing formation diagrams—the more you practiced, the better you got.
If he couldn't deduce it the first time, then he'd try a second. A third. However many it took.
So from then on, whenever he had spare time, Mo Hua would have Situ Jian practice swordplay in front of him while he used it as training—to hone his array deduction skill.
But constantly bothering Situ Jian made Mo Hua feel a bit guilty.
So he decided to transfer some sect contribution points (功勳) to him.
That, in turn, made Situ Jian feel awkward.
"Little Senior Brother, I can't accept that…"
Mo Hua said firmly,
"Even brothers should keep their accounts clear. You're helping me out of kindness—but I can't let you take a loss."
Situ Jian tried to refuse again.
But Mo Hua frowned and said,
"Just take it. It's not like I'm short on contribution points."
He had been saving for ages—he was basically loaded now.
In terms of background, he was just a rogue cultivator.
Most of his peers were born into powerful sect families.
But when it came to contribution points? Mo Hua was the real "rich heir"—he had more than any of them.
Only then did Situ Jian accept, full of gratitude.
After all, sect contribution points were no joke—he couldn't turn them down.
And having accepted them, he took his demonstrations much more seriously.
No way was he going to waste Little Senior Brother's generosity.
As for that weird feeling… of his sword qi being seen through?
Situ Jian thought about it again and again—and eventually convinced himself it had to be an illusion.
He was just using his Blazing Fire Sword Art like normal—channeling fire qi through the spirit sword. How could someone see through that just by watching?
If sword qi could be unraveled that easily, wouldn't all sword cultivators in the world be too afraid to draw their swords?
That's clearly impossible.
A sword cultivator who doesn't draw their sword—what kind of sword cultivator is that?
With that reasoning, Situ Jian finally felt at ease.
Besides, Little Senior Brother was such a kind and generous person—he'd even paid him!
Situ Jian scolded himself for being paranoid and pledged to trust him wholeheartedly.
Meanwhile, thanks to Situ Jian's help, Mo Hua's mastery of sword qi deduction steadily grew.
But Situ Jian wasn't always available.
Whenever he was busy, Mo Hua would hire other sword cultivators to demonstrate their sword qi for practice.
Unfortunately, most of them weren't very skilled.
Situ was still the best.
So Mo Hua kept practicing over and over—repeatedly refining his deduction technique, deepening his insight into the essence of sword qi.
Eventually, sword qi stopped appearing as just blazing slashes in his eyes.
The shape of the sword faded, and something deeper began to emerge…
And finally—on the seventh day, after countless rounds of painstaking deduction, Mo Hua had a sudden breakthrough.
His divine sense brightened.
His vision opened wide.
In the world of his divine sense, the crimson magma-like fire qi of the Blazing Fire Sword began to collapse—dissolving inch by inch.
Beneath that surface, it revealed streaks—sharp as blades—etched deep like cleaved marks left by knives and axes.
These streaks were the sword array hidden within the spirit sword!
Mo Hua was elated.
Immediately, he summoned his brush and, like wind and flowing water, swiftly transcribed the patterns he saw.
The lines resembled array runes, yet lacked curves—just sharp, fierce, straight lines full of killing intent.
They looked as if they had been carved by a sword.
This was—
The Situ Family's Sword Dao Legacy: the Blazing Fire Sword Array.
It was also the core of Situ Jian's inherited sword technique—a top-tier second-grade technique passed down through generations.
And now, this secret sword array had been deduced and fully reconstructed… by Mo Hua.
He looked up toward the distance, where Situ Jian was still unaware—focused intently on striking the wooden dummy.
After a moment of silence, Mo Hua erased the array he had just written down.
And then, he forced himself to erase it from his memory as well.
This sword array could not be kept.
It was the confidential legacy of a sword sect lineage.
If this Blazing Fire Sword Array were leaked, it would bring calamity to the Situ Clan.
Situ Jian had no idea what had happened—he hadn't done anything wrong.
But since the source of the leak would point to him, he would bear the blame.
He'd end up hated on both sides.
Situ Jian called him "Little Senior Brother" and trusted him—Mo Hua could never betray that trust.
Mo Hua nodded solemnly.
The sword array on the paper was gone.
The one in his mind—wiped clean.
Only then did he feel at peace.
"Situ. We're done," he said.
Situ Jian sheathed his sword, blinking in confusion.
"That's it?"
"Yup," Mo Hua grinned. "Now I'm treating you to something delicious!"
Situ Jian tried to politely decline a few times, but eventually followed Mo Hua to the dining hall.
He wasn't one to chase after food and pleasure—but if Little Senior Brother was buying, how could he say no?
So that day, Mo Hua treated him to a lavish spiritual feast on the second floor of the disciple cafeteria.
Yu'er was there too. Tagging along for the free meal were Yang Qianjun, Hao Xuan, Xie Ling, and Cheng Mo.
It was a table full of laughter.
But Mo Hua was especially generous toward Cheng Mo. He even ordered a big plate of braised pork knuckle and placed it right in front of him.
"Cheng Mo, eat up."
Cheng Mo looked surprised and confused.
"Little Senior Brother, weren't you treating Situ Jian today? Why keep telling me to eat more…?"
Mo Hua smiled.
"Because you're the one helping next."
Cheng Mo glanced down at the steaming, spicy pork knuckle in front of him.
He pounded his chest.
"Little Senior Brother, don't worry! Whatever it is—I've got your back!"
Mo Hua nodded.
"Then eat up. You'll need the energy… to take a beating."
Cheng Mo froze mid-bite, jaw hanging open.
"…A beating?"
"Yup," Mo Hua said seriously. "A beating."
—
Two days later, during a break in classes.
At the Beast-Refining Mountain, Mo Hua was busy armoring up Cheng Mo with three layers of gear:
a layer of Metal-Resisting Armor,
a layer of Soft Silk Armor,
and a layer of Refined Iron Armor.
"In a bit, I'm calling over some Broken Gold Sect disciples to duel with you. Be as arrogant as you can—don't try to win, just stall. The longer you last, the better."
Cheng Mo wore the face of a man being led to execution.
Hao Xuan was baffled.
"Little Senior Brother… what are you even planning?"
Mo Hua gave a sly smile.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Hao Xuan nodded, half-understanding.
Mo Hua patted Cheng Mo on the shoulder.
"You'll have to endure a bit. These three armors were specially crafted—while they can't fully resist sword qi, they'll greatly weaken metal spiritual force and impact. You're built tough, so you should last a while."
Cheng Mo looked at him with the face of a tragic hero.
Mo Hua spoke with solemn resolve:
"This is an important matter—it concerns our Great Void Sect's turf war with the Broken Gold Sect disciples. It could affect our monster-hunting profits in the future.
And only you can handle this mission!"
Cheng Mo squinted at him suspiciously.
"Really…?"
Mo Hua smiled sincerely.
"I'm your Little Senior Brother. How could I lie to you?"
Cheng Mo's expression grew increasingly complicated.
So, Mo Hua decided to dangle the carrot before swinging the stick.
"You take the beating, and I'll pay you in contribution points—100 per half-hour!"
Cheng Mo blinked in surprise.
"Really?"
Mo Hua nodded.
"Payment on the spot."
Cheng Mo suddenly looked a little shy.
"That's too generous... I'd feel bad making Little Senior Brother spend so much…"
"Forget it, then," Mo Hua said flatly. "I'll just find someone else."
"Wait—!" Cheng Mo jumped. "Other disciples definitely can't take a beating like I can! Something this painful obviously needs me!"
He confirmed again:
"Half an hour gets me a hundred contribution points… right?"
"Right," Mo Hua said. "If you last five hours, that's a thousand."
A thousand points.
Cheng Mo's eyes practically turned red with excitement.
Even Situ Jian and the others watching nearby were full of envy.
But alas, none of them had Cheng Mo's thick blood and tough physique—they just weren't built to be this punchable. So this goldmine of a job wasn't for them.
Cheng Mo immediately stood up tall and swore passionately:
"Little Senior Brother! Don't worry! Not just a beating—if you told me to walk through blades or leap into fire, I'd do it without even blinking!"
"Alright, alright," Mo Hua said, half amused and half helpless. "Stop bragging and get ready. Take some qi-replenishing pills beforehand—I'll go find someone to beat you up."
Cheng Mo grinned like a fool.
"Got it!"
—
Mo Hua left the group and stealthily roamed around the Beast-Refining Mountain, looking for his chosen target.
Before long, he spotted that pale-faced brat from the Broken Gold Sect.
Song Jian, face gloomy, was leading ten Broken Gold Sect disciples across the hills, searching for something.
Mo Hua revealed himself and called out—
"Hey, Pretty Boy!"
Song Jian froze.
When he saw Mo Hua standing alone, just ten paces away, he could hardly believe it.
This little bastard actually dared to show up alone in front of him?!
Song Jian's face turned red with rage.
This was blatant disrespect!
How dare he! He was being humiliated!
With a cold wave of his hand, Song Jian barked:
"Catch him—and beat him to death!"
The Broken Gold Sect disciples immediately charged toward Mo Hua.
But Mo Hua casually said:
"You sure you don't want your sword back?"
"Hold it!" Song Jian snapped.
The disciples screeched to a halt, frozen mid-step.
Song Jian's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he glared at Mo Hua.
"Where's my Broken Gold Sword?"
…It was already reduced to scrap metal.
But Mo Hua obviously couldn't say that, so he dodged the topic:
"Let's have a match. If you win, I'll return your sword."
Song Jian's eyes narrowed. He snorted coldly:
"And why should I fight you?"
"Then forget it," Mo Hua said casually. "I'll find a blacksmith and melt your sword into slag."
"You wouldn't dare!!" Song Jian roared, eyes bulging with fury.
Mo Hua looked completely unbothered.
Dare? He'd already done it. He just hadn't tossed it in the furnace yet.
Song Jian took a deep breath, trying to hold back his growing rage.
A man beneath the eaves must lower his head.
The sword was in Mo Hua's hands—he had no choice but to give in.
"Fine," Song Jian growled. "I'll fight."
"Not me," Mo Hua shook his head. "You'll be fighting my big brother."
He bumped Cheng Mo up in rank—purely for effect.
"Big brother?" Song Jian frowned.
Mo Hua nodded.
"Yeah—the big guy who smashed you with axes the other day."
Song Jian instantly remembered—that towering brute who had pinned two axes against his neck. His eyes burned even brighter with rage.
"Good. Old and new grudges—we'll settle them all!"
But then…
He gave Mo Hua a dark look.
"Why are you going out of your way to fight me?"
Mo Hua sighed, looking troubled.
"We came to the Beast-Refining Mountain to hunt monsters and earn some contribution points. We didn't want to waste time fighting with your Broken Gold Sect—it'll only end badly for everyone."
"So, why not settle it with a duel?"
"If you win, I'll return the sword."
"If you lose, the Broken Gold Sect backs off and stops causing trouble."
Song Jian frowned. Deep down, he thought Mo Hua was being ridiculously naive.
The Beast-Refining Mountain involved sect interests and the benefits of many disciples. How could something that big be decided by one duel?
Besides, no matter how high his status, he was still just a disciple. He had no authority to speak on behalf of the sect.
But right now, the priority was getting back his sword.
He was already in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Once he reached the late stage, he'd be preparing to refine his life-bound magic treasure. That spirit sword was its embryo—utterly vital.
He didn't trust Mo Hua's promises, of course. Verbal deals were meaningless. He just needed to fool this kid, win the duel, and take back his sword.
So Song Jian nodded, pretending to agree:
"Very well. It's a deal."
What he didn't know was—Mo Hua was also just spouting nonsense.
As for the Broken Gold Sword? Sure, he could return it. It was basically junk now. Keeping it was pointless.
But the Beast-Refining Mountain? A hunting ground for monsters, blood essence, rare materials, and easy contribution points?
No way was he giving that up.
Even if others agreed—he wouldn't.
Mo Hua nodded.
"Come with me."
He turned and walked away.
Song Jian hesitated.
The Broken Gold Sect disciples around him, all from the Song Clan, immediately voiced concern.
"Young Master, it could be a trap!"
"This little brat clearly has bad intentions."
"It's best to reconsider…"
Song Jian wavered. But Mo Hua kept walking—never looking back—and was about to disappear into the distance.
If he did disappear, Song Jian feared he might never get his sword back in this lifetime.
After a long internal struggle, Song Jian gritted his teeth and said:
"You all stay here and wait."
Then he activated his Metallight Movement Art, transforming into golden light and speeding after Mo Hua, tailing him into the nearby grove.
(End of this Chapter)