Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 993: The Odds of Victory

In the Grand Hall of the Great Void Sect, at the tri-branch council meeting—

After the Tai'a Sect Master finished speaking, the Great Void Sect Master looked genuinely startled.

He had never imagined someone would voluntarily try to stuff another person into Mo Hua's team.

"That might… not be too appropriate…" The Sect Master frowned.

Things were chaotic enough already.

But more importantly, he didn't know what Mo Hua wanted.

If Mo Hua had already finalized his team, and the numbers were full, forcing someone in might upset him.

And Mo Hua was always methodical in his planning—not to mention he had the backing of the Grand Elder.

As Sect Master, sometimes he had to consider Mo Hua's feelings.

But the Tai'a Sect Master pressed firmly:

"That's my condition. If you agree, then Tai'a will have no further objections, and you can take the lead on the Sword Debate."

"The three branches have merged. We prosper or fall together."

"How can there be a Sword Debate without a single disciple from Tai'a Mountain?"

The real focus wasn't even Mo Hua—it was Linghu Xiao.

He was the only true prodigy among all three branches. If Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao were in the same team, Tai'a absolutely had to get a disciple in there too.

Only then could they all be "grasshoppers tied to the same rope."

Sink or swim—together.

The Sect Master of the Great Void Sect fell silent. After a pause, he finally said:

"This matter… I'll have to consider."

"Naturally," the Tai'a Sect Master replied, not pushing the issue.

This was the Sword Debate after all. It had to be handled with care.

The meeting then adjourned, and the three branches returned to their own peaks.

Chongxu Mountain – Rear Hall

The Sect Master of the Chongxu branch had already informed Grand Elder Linghu of everything:

"The original arrangement has been disrupted. Xiao'er may be entering the Sword Debate with that 'array demon' from the Great Void Sect."

Linghu Grand Elder frowned.

"And Xiao'er? What did he say? Did you ask him?"

The Sect Master nodded and sighed.

"I asked. He said just one sentence—he wants to team up with Mo Hua."

Linghu Grand Elder suddenly felt a sour pang in his chest.

His precious prodigy of the Chongxu branch had been snatched away… by the Great Void Sect.

Willingly.

The Chongxu Sect Master noticed the Elder's bitterness and offered,

"If you like, I can try persuading him to join a team with other Chongxu disciples instead."

Even though the three branches had officially merged, they were still secretly competing.

If Chongxu disciples performed well at the Sword Debate, the status and influence of their branch would rise within the new Great Void Sect.

As Sect Master, it was his duty to seek advantage for his branch.

He continued:

"…Though Xiao'er has a cold temperament, he isn't heartless. If we reason with him and appeal to duty and legacy, he might agree…"

Linghu Grand Elder was tempted.

But after a moment's thought, he shook his head:

"Xiao'er is proud and ambitious. If you let him go freely, he'll remember your goodwill. But if you force him—even with noble-sounding reasons—he'll hold resentment."

"Don't assume he's just a child who can be bound by so-called ideals and obligation."

"His thoughts may be simple, but his instincts are sharp."

"He knows who truly treats him well."

The Chongxu Sect Master considered this, then nodded:

"What the Elder says is true."

He hadn't really wanted to play the villain either… but sometimes, duty left him no choice.

"Then what do we do?"

"Let it be," Linghu Grand Elder sighed. "Mo Hua of the Great Void Sect is at least the Array Dao Champion. Teaming with Xiao'er is acceptable. Besides…"

Linghu Grand Elder paused, frowning faintly:

"This Mo Hua—he gives off this clever, eccentric air. He's also regarded as a treasure by Elder Xun. I suppose he has some skill, at least shouldn't be a burden…"

He hadn't seen Mo Hua in person, so could only guess from reputation.

"Understood," the Sect Master said.

Linghu Grand Elder gave him a pointed look and said slowly:

"Now that the three branches have merged, our top priority is unity."

"If the sect rises in strength, then we can fight over benefits. But if the sect falls, what's the point in squabbling over scraps?"

The Chongxu Sect Master bowed:

"The Elder is absolutely right."

With a light wave of his hand, Linghu Grand Elder dismissed him.

The hall fell quiet once more.

Linghu Grand Elder sat alone for a long while, his expression growing heavier.

There was one thing he hadn't said aloud—because it felt ominous.

But as a Grand Elder, he stood high enough to see the truth clearly.

"If the merged three sects still lose this time… there may not be a Chongxu Sect anymore…"

Meanwhile, back on the Great Void side—

The Sect Master found Mo Hua.

"Adding another member?" Mo Hua looked surprised.

"A prodigy from the Tai'a branch," the Sect Master said. "Their Sect Master thinks highly of you, and really wants you to bring one of his disciples along."

The Sect Master phrased it nicely to avoid triggering Mo Hua's resistance.

Sure enough, Mo Hua looked rather pleased at being praised.

"What's his name?"

"Ouyang Xuan."

"Ouyang Xuan…"

Mo Hua thought for a moment.

The name didn't ring a bell—he didn't recall having any interaction.

But that wasn't surprising. He wasn't very familiar with disciples from the Tai'a branch.

Even though the sects had merged, and all the thousands of disciples now called him "Little Senior Brother," there were too many to keep track of.

And many only said it on the surface. Deep down, some likely didn't accept it and kept their distance.

"Alright, I'll bring him along," Mo Hua agreed.

At the very least, he'd give the Tai'a Sect Master some face.

After a pause, the Sect Master added,

"This Ouyang Xuan is the most talented and powerful disciple from Tai'a this generation—but… he has a bit of a temper. Arrogant too…"

He wanted to prepare Mo Hua mentally, to avoid conflict.

Mo Hua just waved it off:

"Sect Master, don't worry. I've got a temper too. I'm arrogant as well. We'll get along great."

The Sect Master: "..."

"You're… sure there won't be a problem?"

"No problem at all." Mo Hua nodded confidently. "I like arrogant people."

The Sect Master was silent for a long time… then sighed.

"Fine…"

So it was settled.

With the addition of Tai'a's Ouyang Xuan, Mo Hua's team was now complete.

That said, Mo Hua had yet to meet Ouyang Xuan. He didn't know the boy's temperament or strength, nor how cooperative he'd be. So for now, he'd have to wait until they met in person before planning around him.

Back in his chambers, Mo Hua sat surrounded by scrolls and diagrams.

They depicted mountains, rivers, swamps, cliffs, ruins, caves—various terrains.

Senior Sister Murong had given them to him.

Any of these terrains might show up in the Sword Debate.

In addition, there were tactical planning charts, array diagrams, spiritual artifact blueprints…

All these were part of Mo Hua's simulated battle strategies and self-devised tactical drills.

Still, despite all the prep work, Mo Hua couldn't shake his unease.

Sword Debate and Array Debate were different beasts.

Array formations were Mo Hua's specialty—his absolute domain of expertise. No matter who the opponent was, he'd never feel a shred of anxiety—especially within the Qianxue Province, where few disciples could match him.

But the Sword Debate?

He didn't have a single drop of real combat experience.

And without firsthand battle, just "watching" wasn't enough.

What's more, he'd only ever watched one round of the Sword Debate—and that was before the sect reformation.

Since the sect restructuring, both the rules and the format of the Sword Debate had changed drastically.

Back then, Mo Hua had focused all his energy on preparing for the Array Debate and didn't even attend the event in person.

He'd only heard vague mentions of the changes. He hadn't seen them for himself.

So all his current strategies lacked testing, and whether any of them would actually work… even he wasn't confident.

The Sword Debate had many participants, highly varied terrain, and ever-shifting scenarios. Naturally, that meant tons of unpredictable variables.

On top of that, the number of prodigies this time was through the roof.

Even with himself and Linghu Xiao on the team, aiming for first place felt like trying to pluck stars from the sky.

"The situation's not looking good… Should I divine it?"

After hesitating for a moment, Mo Hua pulled out some bronze coins and performed a brief deduction.

His brows quickly furrowed.

Heavenly Deduction operated on the principle of cause and effect.

All his strategies, all his preparations—even factoring in timing, terrain, and human connections—combined to form the "causes."

But when he traced those causes forward…

They led nowhere near the effect he wanted: first place in the Sword Debate.

In fact, the distance between cause and effect was immense.

Which meant—Sword Debate Champion was essentially out of reach.

Mo Hua's gaze deepened in thought.

This was Heaven's will—a judgment of cause and consequence.

To outsiders, something like "Heaven's Will" might seem mystical and elusive.

But the deeper Mo Hua studied it, the more he realized that the essence of Heaven's Will was simply the accumulation of cause and effect. And cause and effect was just the logic underlying all things.

It only seemed elusive because it was so vast and full of variables.

But its internal structure could still be traced.

Only with enough objective causes could you even begin to manifest the desired "effect."

This understanding came from Mo Hua's mastery of "Heavenly Pattern Deduction," "Heavenly Trick Calculations," and the "Return-to-Origin Algorithm."

His divine sense was peerless, and he had already started using it as a path to prove the Dao.

By constantly exposing himself to objective truths and studying cause and effect, he'd developed a kind of "Heavenly Intuition."

A simple, almost naive form of insight.

But because his divine consciousness was so sharp, that intuition became more like innate foresight.

He didn't even need to crunch numbers or deduce deeply—just a moment's reflection, and he could tell:

This path wasn't going to work.

He wanted to win the Sword Debate.

But that "effect" was floating far out of reach, like a cloud in the sky—untouchable.

Mo Hua sighed softly.

"Still not working…"

"What will it take… to win the Sword Debate?"

That question gnawed at him for several days. Even while eating or walking, his mind kept circling back to it.

But the more he thought about it, the more he hit a wall.

His own strength was too limited.

Linghu Xiao might be powerful, but he was still just one person.

The Four Great Sects had a whole crew of top-tier prodigies.

If he was being honest and not deluding himself, there just wasn't much hope.

Unless the heavens handed them absurd luck.

But luck was too intangible—definitely not something he could rely on.

As he walked back through the small grove near the disciples' quarters after class, Mo Hua was still pondering.

So much so, he didn't even hear someone greet him.

"Little Senior Brother…"

"Little Senior Brother?"

Mo Hua blinked, finally snapping back to reality. It was Xie Ling calling out to him.

Xie Ling handed him a few jade slips.

"Little Senior Brother, you said before you were curious about burial sites and yin-based formations. I gathered some materials for you—here, take a look."

"Oh…" Mo Hua looked a little dazed.

After the trip to the Lone Mountain tombs, he realized that burial-type arrays and related knowledge were a huge blind spot in his cultivation.

Even though he had survived a real tomb scenario, there were still plenty of details he didn't understand.

So he had asked Xie Ling—a native of the Yin Region in Genzhou, whose family practiced inherited feng shui arts—for advice and help gathering info.

The cultivation world was vast, and a cultivator's lifespan and learning capacity were limited.

Which was why mutual exchange and verification were crucial to expanding one's horizons and understanding.

Mo Hua had already learned a lot from Xie Ling, and now that he was even bringing jade slips and records—Mo Hua was genuinely grateful.

"If anyone in the Great Void Sect bullies you in the future, just come to me," Mo Hua promised.

He wouldn't make bold claims outside, but within the Great Void Sect's territory, his word still carried weight.

Xie Ling chuckled helplessly but was clearly moved.

"Thank you, Little Senior Brother."

Mo Hua stored the jade slips, planning to read them when he had time.

Then the two of them walked back to the disciples' quarters together.

As they chatted along the way, the topic shifted to the upcoming Sword Debate several months away.

Xie Ling's words were filled with envy.

Mo Hua raised a brow, curious.

"You're not participating?"

Xie Ling nodded.

"Why not?" Mo Hua asked.

Xie Ling replied:

"I know my limits. I grew up learning family feng shui techniques—burial sites and such. I'm not good at direct combat."

"My spiritual roots are lower-mid grade. That might earn me some rank in my clan back in Genzhou, but here in Qianxue Province, I'm bottom tier."

"I'm only mid-lower root," Mo Hua said.

Xie Ling smiled bitterly.

"You're different, Little Senior Brother. Your roots may not be great, but your array skills are terrifying. As for me…"

He sighed.

"I'm average in everything. If I joined the Sword Debate, I'd just be cannon fodder. I'd only disgrace the sect."

Mo Hua paused, looking at Xie Ling, and asked:

"But do you want to participate in the Sword Debate?"

Xie Ling fell silent.

After a long moment, he let out a calm sigh.

"Little Senior Brother, some people in this world are just destined to be bystanders."

If you're a bystander, then all you can do is stand aside and watch as the "main characters" shine brightly on the stage.

Your only role is to applaud.

When Xie Ling said these words, his expression was incredibly calm.

It was something he'd come to understand ever since arriving in the Qianxue Province—and bit by bit, he had begun to accept this cold reality.

On the Sword Debate platform, glory was boundless.

But most people could only sit below the stage, watching.

And for the majority, that would be their fate for life—to remain one of the faceless audience.

Just like him.

Xie Ling's expression darkened.

Mo Hua froze for a moment. He didn't know how to comfort him.

Sure, he could say something encouraging—but those kinds of pretty, empty words meant nothing right now.

When they reached the disciple quarters, the two went their separate ways.

Xie Ling, to his credit, recovered quickly.

After all, it was just a little envy, a bit of disappointment, a pinch of frustration, a smidge of unwillingness, and a trace of helplessness.

As a bottom-tier disciple, this kind of bitterness was something he had long grown used to.

"Little Senior Brother, good luck in the Sword Debate!"

Xie Ling said earnestly.

Mo Hua gave a complicated nod.

But inwardly, something felt… off.

Even after returning to his room, there was still a faint sourness in his heart.

In this world, everyone wanted to be the protagonist.

No one truly wanted to remain anonymous.

But disciples like Xie Ling couldn't even form a proper team. He had no way to compete against others at all.

They were all born into aristocratic families…

But here in Qianxue Province, they were still considered bottom-rung disciples.

And since that was the case, there must be many others like them…

Mo Hua fell into silent thought.

He sat at his desk, staring blankly at his tactical diagrams. He didn't know how long had passed when suddenly—

a flash of inspiration lit up his mind.

Mo Hua jolted.

He realized—his entire way of thinking had been off.

All this time, he'd been obsessing over how he could lead a team to win first place in the Sword Debate.

But that whole idea was fundamentally flawed.

It shouldn't be about him winning first place.

The power of one person… was limited.

No matter how strong he was, he simply couldn't compete against the collective elite prodigies of the Four Great Sects.

What he should be doing was mobilizing the disciples of the entire Great Void Sect—getting all of them to fight.

It wasn't about his team getting first place.

It was about the Great Void Sect winning first place.

As long as the Great Void Sect won, then the "Wood Rebirth Array" would fall into their hands—and that was as good as falling into his hands.

Whether or not he personally got first place was irrelevant.

His true goal… was the array.

"If we want the Great Void Sect to take first place…"

Mo Hua's expression sharpened in deep thought.

The Sword Debate was based on a cumulative victory system:

Every win earned points. The sect with the highest point total would be crowned champion.

So the core nature of the Sword Debate was actually a sect-wide evaluation.

It was about identifying which sect did the best job cultivating their disciples—

—not about which sect had the most powerful single disciple.

That's why the competition was team-based, and why each win contributed points to the sect.

The early elders of the Qianxue Province probably designed the system this way on purpose.

They wanted disciples to fight side by side, contributing to their sects—using that as the measure of a sect's overall strength and development.

This was a Sect-level Sword Debate.

But as the cultivation world evolved, and the system was adjusted over time, that original intention was forgotten.

Nowadays, the Sword Debate had become all about which sect produced the flashiest prodigies.

On the surface, that might look similar. But the meaning behind it was vastly different.

Right now, the Great Void Sect might not have many dazzling prodigies…

But ever since the three branches merged, they now had a massive disciple base.

If enough of the "low-tier" disciples could win, their total victory points would skyrocket—and so would their odds of winning the entire debate.

Mo Hua suddenly remembered what his master had once told him.

His master said he should walk the path of a support cultivator. That way, he would avoid unnecessary conflict and remain untouchable.

But his master never said how many people he was supposed to support.

Supporting one person… is support.

Supporting a whole team… is still support.

But if he could support an entire generation, even an entire sect…

That, too, was support.

Support the entire Great Void Sect.

Mobilize the broadest possible strength.

Use the full force of the sect to seize first place!

He couldn't leave the junior disciples behind.

His own strength was nothing special—but if everyone grew stronger, if the sect grew stronger, that was what truly mattered.

Only then… could he really call himself the Great Void Sect's true "Little Senior Brother."

Mo Hua's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

And in front of him, a path began to take shape—a path steeped in heavenly insight and cause and effect.

Once his thoughts settled, Mo Hua immediately began preparations.

Tactical plans, array strategies, artifact crafting blueprints—he redesigned and improved everything from scratch.

The very next day, Mo Hua found Cheng Mo.

"Call all the junior disciples together," he said. "I've got something to say to them."

(End of this Chapter)