Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 994: Sword Pointed at the Four Sects

In a remote mountain forest beyond the disciple quarters—

Ancient trees towered overhead, their leaves thick and lush.

Mo Hua stood beneath one of them.

This towering old tree was the very one he had used to train his Divine Sense Sword Manifestation.

Now, several hundred disciples gathered around him, forming a dense circle.

They had been summoned by Cheng Mo at Mo Hua's request—the junior disciples of the Great Void Sect.

Of course, this wasn't everyone.

It was their final year of sect cultivation training, and most disciples were busy with their own affairs—some in seclusion, others out hunting beasts, refining techniques, completing missions, or diving into various cultivation crafts like formations, talismans, alchemy, and artifact forging.

Given the short notice, the fact that so many had come already spoke volumes.

Among them, the majority were disciples of Mount Taixu, with only a few from Mount Tai'a and Mount Chongxu.

Mount Taixu disciples had trained alongside Mo Hua the longest—they shared a bond and had deep trust in him as their Little Senior Brother.

If Mo Hua called, most of them would come without hesitation.

As for the disciples of Tai'a and Chongxu, they had only recently merged into the sect and remained distant in attitude.

Mo Hua didn't mind.

For now, these present disciples were enough.

In the wooded grove, hundreds of disciples stood or sat, silently watching him.

"Little Senior Brother, what did you want to talk to us about?" someone asked.

Many others looked puzzled.

Mo Hua got straight to the point:

"Are you all going to participate in the Sword Debate Assembly?"

Some nodded. Others shook their heads.

Mo Hua asked,

"Why not?"

There was a brief silence, then voices came one after another:

"My cultivation base is too shallow… my spiritual circulation isn't stable."

"I'm not good at dueling…"

"My techniques are weak…"

"I don't know who to form a team with…"

"It's a major event—so many people watching—I… get nervous…"

"I'd probably just embarrass myself up there."

"If I lose in front of everyone and drag down the sect's name… I'd feel awful."

A flurry of comments followed. When boiled down, it came down to three things: lack of confidence, poor combat skills, or fear of shaming the sect.

After all, the sect housed countless disciples, each with different talents and mindsets.

Not everyone had the disposition or heart for battle.

Mo Hua paused, then said:

"You all know how the Sword Debate scoring system works, right?"

"As long as you win even a single match—just one, even in the earliest round—that's still a victory point for our sect."

Everyone nodded.

They did understand the rules.

But still…

"A single point… that's just too insignificant…" someone muttered.

Mo Hua, however, shook his head.

"Never dismiss a good deed just because it's small."

"It may seem like just one point, but grain by grain, sand becomes a tower. If we gather enough, we can secure final victory."

"This isn't just about one win—it's about your contribution to the sect."

His gaze was sharp and spirited:

"We're all part of the Great Void Sect. We rise and fall together."

"If our sect is to flourish—if we're to grow strong—it depends on every single disciple's effort."

"You're not just fighting for yourselves at the Sword Debate. You're fighting for the honor and interests of the sect."

"Even if you lose, it's a glorious defeat."

"Others might mock you—but the Grand Elders, the Sect Master, all the elders—they'll recognize your efforts, your dedication."

"And if you win, even just one match, you've made a real, tangible contribution to the Great Void Sect's overall victory."

"A thousand-mile journey starts with a single step."

"Victory never happens all at once—it's built, little by little…"

"The Great Void Sect doesn't belong to just one or two elite prodigies—it belongs to all of its disciples!"

"Its strength depends on every single one of you!"

His sincere tone struck straight to the heart.

The disciples were visibly moved.

It wasn't that they didn't want to participate—it was just that, compared to the sea of powerful prodigies, their own efforts felt too small to matter. That had made them hesitate.

Mo Hua understood.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary disciples were seen as cannon fodder. Whether they joined or not usually didn't matter much.

And the sect would never force participation—it was always voluntary.

But this time, things were different.

After the merger of the three branches, the number of "lower-tier" disciples had more than tripled.

And now, they had him—Little Senior Brother Mo Hua.

"But, Little Senior Brother…" someone said softly,

"I want to go… I really do. But I'm just too weak…"

"I don't even know how to fight properly…"

"Yeah, I've never trained for this…"

"Even if I go, I doubt I'll win a single match…"

Mo Hua waved a hand.

"No worries. Maybe you haven't participated in the Sword Debate—but haven't you all gone beast hunting?"

Everyone blinked in surprise.

Mo Hua went on:

"If you're not sure how to fight—how to win—just treat the Sword Debate like a beast hunt."

"You're not going to duel cultivators. You're going to hunt five human-shaped monsters."

That simple reframing actually eased many of their nerves.

They might not have sparred, but they'd all hunted beasts before.

Especially now that Mo Hua had systematized the beast-hunting process—even disciples who weren't fond of combat could still follow the steps, go to Demon-Honing Mountain, kill a beast or two, skin them, and earn some merits.

"But…" one disciple spoke up,

"Isn't fighting humans very different from hunting beasts?"

Beasts were tough, sure, but their behavior was predictable.

Cultivators, however—well, they were clever, adaptable, and full of tricks.

It was a completely different mental game.

Mo Hua smiled confidently:

"Relax. I've already planned for that. You'll follow my instructions: standardized formations, proper arrays, optimized spirit tools, and clear strategies."

"Just think of yourselves as battle formations. No fear. No distractions. Just execute your roles. If you win, great. If you lose, it doesn't matter—it's just the Sword Debate. Nobody's dying here."

At that, a light ignited in many eyes.

Seeing their rising morale, Mo Hua raised his voice with passion:

"Every disciple in Qianxue Province only gets one shot at the Sword Debate in their entire lives. You really want to give up your only chance?"

"If not—then fight."

"Yes, the province is filled with famous sects and elite geniuses."

"But no matter how talented, how powerful they are—they're still just people. They're not inherently more noble than you."

"Beneath the Heavenly Dao, all beings are but straw dogs."

"And if we're all straw dogs—who says they're better than you?"

"The path of cultivation is long and fraught with peril."

"We must never lose our ambition… and never lose the courage to draw our sword against the strong."

"Besides—this is the Sword Debate. If you lose, you lose nothing. But if you win—you gain everything!"

"Even if it's one of those Four Sect prodigies—if you meet one, find a way to tear a chunk of flesh off them!"

These words rang like thunder.

The disciples were stirred, hearts burning.

Some even teared up with a swelling sense of purpose.

Once they had quieted down a little, Mo Hua lowered his voice:

"And most importantly…"

He looked around at everyone and slowly said:

"This time, we will be surrounded—by the Four Sects and other powerful sects. It's going to be tough. Brutal, even."

"But don't forget… this is the restructured Sword Debate."

"Meaning—the results will decide the official sect rankings."

"If we actually beat the Four Sects—then from that moment on… the Great Void Sect becomes one of the Four Sects."

His eyes calmly swept the group. Then he enunciated:

"Think about it—when we enrolled, we were just disciples of one of the Eight Minor Sects."

"But by the time we graduate—we could become the top-ranked elite disciples of the Four Great Sects of Qianxue Province!"

Everyone fell silent.

Disciples of the Four Great Sects of Qianxue Province…!!

None of them had ever dared to dream of this.

Not because it was unimaginable—just that… they hadn't dared to even hope.

The Four Great Sects were simply that untouchable.

Who would've thought… that something like this could be real?

Where in the world would you find such a good thing?

And yet, after Mo Hua's words, the hidden ambitions buried in their hearts—like wild grass after a spring breeze—began to grow and spread uncontrollably.

Mo Hua's tone sharpened slightly:

"To put it bluntly, based on our talents alone, none of us actually qualify to enter the Four Great Sects…"

"So if we can't enter them…"

His voice rang out clear and firm, his gaze brilliant and dazzling like starlight:

"Then let's rely on our own strength—and make our sect one of the Four Great Sects!"

This sentence struck like a great bell at dawn and dusk—deep and soul-stirring.

All around, the Great Void Sect disciples felt their chests tighten—then suddenly, an unquenchable fighting spirit erupted like blazing fire from deep within.

To rely on their own efforts and raise their sect into the ranks of the Four Great Sects!

And it wasn't just the disciples.

In the distance, several Great Void Sect elders who had been secretly eavesdropping were also stunned into silence.

Their hearts pounded wildly.

Because what Mo Hua said applied just as much to them.

Bluntly speaking, they too had no chance of becoming elders in any of the Four Sects.

Some lacked the family background, resources, or raw power to ever cross that threshold.

Others were simply too deeply tied to the Great Void Sect—generation after generation serving it. Their bloodlines were bound to it.

Even if their cultivation soared, any elder with a shred of honor would never betray their family and jump ship to a more prestigious sect.

Which meant, for life, they'd never get to carry the title: Elder of the Four Great Sects.

But Mo Hua was right—

If the Great Void Sect became one of the Four Sects…

Then all these elders, once part of the Eight Minor Sects, would instantly be promoted—transforming on the spot into elders of the Four Great Sects!

Now that… that was the kind of fortune even ancestral tombs couldn't bless them with!

The elders looked at each other, expressions full of disbelief.

Further away, in a lofty pavilion—

Even the Sect Master of the Great Void Sect was momentarily stunned.

…Because he too had been eavesdropping.

After all, Mo Hua had suddenly gathered so many disciples at once. Not just the elders were uneasy—he, as the Sect Master, had to personally keep an eye on it to prevent any mishap.

So he heard every word Mo Hua said.

For a long moment, the Sect Master stood dazed, silently marveling:

"This Mo Hua kid… what is that mouth of his made of? Words flow like water, a lotus blooms on his tongue. Even I, a cultivator at the Ascension Realm, found myself fired up listening to him!"

Because if—if—the Great Void Sect really became one of the Four Sects…

Then he, the current Sect Master…

Would instantly become the Sect Master of one of the Four Great Sects!

That would truly be an overnight ascent to heaven—completely out of the blue.

Of course, deep down he also knew—

Mo Hua's words were beautiful, but making it happen?

Far easier said than done.

If the position of one of the Four Sects were so easily snatched, it wouldn't be worth being called the Four Sects.

In his mind, Mo Hua was simply feeding the disciples a big, inspiring fantasy pie...

The Sect Master shook his head.

Still, looking out over the wooded glade, at those young faces glowing with hope—

He couldn't help but feel moved.

No matter the outcome of this Sword Debate—

These disciples might one day become the Great Void Sect's seeds.

Scattered across the Nine Provinces, they could one day grow into a vast, flourishing forest.

He turned back toward Mo Hua.

Mo Hua stood beneath the ancient tree.

His thin figure, partly shrouded by leaves, seemed to faintly merge with the towering tree behind him.

For a fleeting moment, Mo Hua seemed to become the towering divine tree, reaching into the heavens, sheltering the mountain, covering the entire Great Void Sect.

"The tree…"

The Sect Master's pupils shrank.

That night—the night that lasted like day—the Divine Tree towering to the heavens, its flowers blooming like stars, covering the skies above the sect… That image rose once more in his mind.

His heart skipped a beat, staring at Mo Hua in disbelief.

After a while, he rubbed his temples and murmured:

"I've been thinking too much lately… letting my imagination run wild. That has nothing to do with this…"

Mo Hua merely stood under the tree for a moment. What did that have to do with the vision of the divine tree from that night?

The Sect Master shook his head.

Meanwhile, in the forest—

Seeing the disciples' surging morale, Mo Hua nodded in satisfaction and said at last:

"I've already arranged the tactics. Just follow what I tell you."

"In Qianxue Province, geniuses abound. But you don't need to be the brightest, or shock the world, or take the crown to count as victorious."

"What we need to do—is give it our best. Even if you only win one match—that's still a win."

"Even the smallest victory adds to the Great Void Sect's momentum toward the top."

"The more you win, the higher our sect climbs toward becoming one of the Four Great Sects."

"This isn't just for you—it's for the sect!"

"From this moment on, we begin preparation. Three months from now—our swords will point to Mount Daolun!"

"And our goal—to ascend into the Four Great Sects!"

The moment Mo Hua finished—

The atmosphere exploded.

All the junior disciples of the Great Void Sect lit up, eyes blazing, fighting spirit boiling, shouting in unison:

"Yes, Little Senior Brother!!"

Hundreds of voices surged with determination, echoing through the forest, shaking the trees.

The elders watching from the side were stunned, filled with disbelief.

Mo Hua's influence and leadership among the disciples…

Even they—elders of the sect—found themselves left in the dust.

The Sect Master's heart stirred. His gaze fixed on Mo Hua, full of deep thought.

...

After that, Mo Hua began organizing everything in full swing.

Nice words were easy to say—but what really mattered was how you acted.

First, came the problem of team formation.

The Sword Debate followed a five-person format, with no substitutes. If a team had fewer than five members, they'd have to fight four-on-five.

This, in itself, was a hard lesson for the disciples.

In the real cultivation world, battles were cruel, never truly "fair," and no one waited for you to get ready.

If you couldn't even guarantee a full team—then losing was only what you deserved.

So, if it was going to be five-on-five, then how you formed teams was critical.

In the past, except for the top disciples, most teams followed the "form your own groups" principle.

Disciples with similar cultivation and good personal ties would naturally group together.

That had its pros and cons.

Pros: They had strong camaraderie and better coordination.

Cons: Their cultivation styles often overlapped, lacking synergy—and the team's power ceiling stayed limited.

So, Mo Hua shuffled almost every team and reassigned members from scratch.

He based the structure on actual strength, referenced personal relationships, but prioritized complementary skills—so that in battle, they could achieve unexpected effects.

Then, with the right formation techniques and spirit tools, 1 + 1 could be greater than 2.

Many disciples understood this logic—but couldn't actually pull it off themselves.

Some were too bound by personal loyalty, unwilling to ditch their close friends.

Some lacked social skills and couldn't find new teammates.

Some had no clear idea of their own capabilities and didn't know who would match them.

Their cultivation path had always been individual. They'd never thought about strategic integration.

So this kind of unified coordination, they just couldn't do themselves.

And the elders of the Great Void Sect couldn't do it either.

Because they were, after all, elders—with a generational gap between them and the disciples, and they lacked the kind of real, day-to-day understanding needed.

Without knowing the disciples deeply, how could they form proper teams?

If they tried to force it, it would just lead to mismatched teams—or spark grudges.

Plus, they had limited time and energy, most of which went into grooming the most promising prodigies.

So this massive, coordinated planning across the sect's disciples—could only be done by Mo Hua.

He was the Little Senior Brother, someone who lived and cultivated alongside them daily, who was close, well-respected, and highly influential.

Previously, their demon hunts followed his tactics.

Even their bounty missions—many of the strategies came from his planning.

All those things Mo Hua had done before—step by step—had quietly laid the groundwork for the sect's Sword Debate.

And when it came to team-building, Mo Hua combined actual battle strategy with keen insight. There were many considerations.

First, each team needed a frontline tank—someone who used a shield-based magical treasure, or was a physically-tough Earth element body cultivator, to draw enemy fire.

Second, one or two vanguards—sword cultivators or other strong attackers with a balance of offense and defense.

Third, a ranged specialist—a spiritual cultivator or sword cultivator focused on ranged techniques or energy-based attacks.

Last, a utility role—someone with unique skills: maybe scouting, ambush tactics, control-based spells, or other special functions.

Only then would a team be complete.

Able to attack, defend, adapt—capable of handling most combat scenarios.

Of course, this type of team could only be formed from disciples with above-average strength.

Then there were the others—disciples who weren't good at fighting, whose cultivation was weak, who had few social ties, and lacked any standout skills.

For them, Mo Hua put together some "weird teams."

For example:

🦅 The "Fast Runners" team—

All five specialized in movement techniques.

If they couldn't win, they'd just run. If they could force a draw, that was fine. With some luck, they might even score a win!

🪨 The "Can't Be Moved" team—

Five ultra-tanky body cultivators with nothing but raw defense. Their whole purpose? Stall. Outlast. Be immovable walls.

⚔️ The "Cleave Brigade" (a.k.a. "Cleaver Squad")—

Just a bunch of brute-force sword cultivators.

From Tai'a, Chongxu, and Great Void—all three sects practiced sword cultivation.

In fact, across Qianxue Province, most disciples were sword cultivators.

After all, if that weren't the case, they wouldn't call the big tournament the Sword Debate.

But that created a problem: too many sword cultivators, not enough diversity. So teams couldn't be balanced.

And among them, a good chunk were reckless "brutes" like Cheng Mo—pure sword cultivators with no other skillset.

They had no role flexibility, refused to strategize, and only knew how to charge.

Tactics didn't work on them.

Anything too complicated, they couldn't follow.

So Mo Hua lumped them together into the "Cleaver Squad", and told them:

"When you're in the match, don't overthink. Win or lose—just swing. See someone? Chop. However the chopping turns out—that's the result."

It was simple, direct, and bloody motivational.

The sword cultivator brutes all shouted excitedly:

"Little Senior Brother is brilliant!!"

Besides that, Mo Hua also formed a few wild-card teams.

Their only tactic: surprise.

If they could win even one match with a strange strategy—that was enough.

A win was a win.

Once the teams were roughly finalized, Mo Hua adjusted them based on disciple preferences. After confirming there were no big issues—

They began official training.

And right around this time— The Sect Master of the Great Void Sect brought a proud-looking youth to Mo Hua and introduced him:

"Mo Hua, this is the one I told you about earlier—Ouyang Xuan, the prodigy of this generation from the Tai'a Mountain branch."

(End of this Chapter)