The Quest for Immortality

”The preliminary rounds are relatively simple, with each victory adding only one point.”

”As the tournament progresses, the opponents become stronger, and winning becomes increasingly difficult. Each victory accumulates more points, possibly reaching dozens or even hundreds.”

”So at the Sword Discussion Conference, it’s all about the foundation of the Heavenly Pride Disciples of each sect.”

”The more, and the stronger the Heavenly Pride Disciples a sect has, the further they can go, and the more points they can accumulate, resulting in a higher sect ranking...”

Murong Caiyun spoke with a hint of regret, ”Our Taixu Gate... No, it’s not just Taixu Gate, but the other Eight Great Gates, and Twelve Streams, that find themselves here.”

”The top disciples of our sects are significantly fewer than those of the Four Great Sects.”

”By the time the Sword Discussion reaches the semifinals or even finals, if Taixu Gate has one or two elite teams left, it’s already commendable.”

”But for each sect of the Four Great Sects, they might have four or five such elite teams.”

”Above those four or five elite teams, there are even more superior, bloodline Heavenly Pride teams.”

”Superior-Grade, even Heavenly Grade Spiritual Roots, cultivating the finest cultivation techniques, employing the most superior Daoist Magic, having honed their Spiritual Power Cycle to perfection, with direct lineage bloodlines, at the Foundation Establishment Peak...”

Murong Caiyun smiled wryly.

These are all disciples with perfect aptitude, perfect legacy, and Spiritual Power cultivated to the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment.

Taixu Gate would be fortunate to have just one, while the Four Great Sects can form an entire team of them.

Mo Hua was secretly amazed.

The foundation of the Four Great Sects runs extremely deep...

He had previously underestimated the situation somewhat.

Mo Hua frowned and pondered, lost in thought.

Murong Caiyun’s beautiful eyes glanced over Mo Hua, her mind silently contemplating.

She highly admired Mo Hua’s formation skills.

However, the Sword Discussion Conference isn’t a Formation Competition; it’s not directly about formations. In fast-paced offense and defense, complex formation setups are cumbersome and inconvenient.

Regarding actual strength, Mo Hua is quite ”unbalanced.”

His abilities in stealth, evasion, and spell control are all very strong.

But his physical body is weak, spiritual power low, and he lacks means for direct offense.

This was her impression when she had teamed with Mo Hua in the past for hunting Sin Cultivators, or during sect bounty tasks.

Beyond that, the most exceptional aspect was the ”Amplification Formation.”

Murong Caiyun still remembers the powerful sensation of ”spiritual power boiling” and the Five Elements Amplification.

This feeling of being empowered by the Five Elements Law was incredibly captivating.

Unfortunately, Murong Caiyun had only experienced this sensation once from start to finish.

This left a lingering resentment in Murong Caiyun’s heart for some time.

Murong Caiyun withdrew her thoughts and began assessing Mo Hua’s capabilities.

From the current situation, Mo Hua is a very strong ”support” cultivator.

He’s versatile, able to compensate for any lack.

But this means he becomes very dependent on ”teammates.”

The stronger his teammates, the stronger he becomes.

Conversely, if his teammates are weak, Mo Hua’s presence becomes somewhat awkward...

However...

Murong Caiyun eyed Mo Hua, pondering, ”Junior Brother, the Sword Discussion Conference is a five-person team event. Have you decided who you want as teammates?”

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then said, ”I have an idea, but it’s not set yet.”

”You’ll need to consider quickly,” Murong Caiyun advised.

Choosing weak teammates makes this ”support” unable to bolster them; participating in the Sword Discussion Conference would be pointless.

If he picks strong teammates, putting aside whether they’d agree to team up, at least explaining this to the sect would be challenging.

The Sword Discussion Conference is a major event, determining the sects’ share of the Qianlong Spirit Mine, concerning the sect’s core interests.

Arrangements for the Sword Discussion teams are planned early and handled with extreme caution.

Especially for those Heavenly Pride Disciples, they are precisely arranged, each a perfect fit for their role.

Mo Hua’s sudden intention to earnestly participate in the Sword Discussion Conference was out of plan.

And as he was favored by the ancestors and was the sect’s ”junior brother,” well-liked and highly regarded, pulling people to shift the Sword Discussion personnel could become quite a headache for the sect.

Mo Hua understood Murong Caiyun’s meaning and nodded seriously, ”I’ll thoroughly consider it.”

He then asked a few more questions about the Sword Discussion rules, gained a general understanding, and sensibly took his leave.

”Senior Sister, I am heading back to the sect now. I won’t disturb your Core Formation.”

After speaking, Mo Hua turned to leave but was suddenly stopped by Murong Caiyun.

”Junior Brother...”

”Senior Sister, is there something else?” Mo Hua asked.

Murong Caiyun was silent for a moment, her expression somewhat forlorn, softly sighed, ”There’s nothing I can do to help with Taixu Gate’s matters, I...”

Her face was full of unwillingness.

Understanding her thoughts, Mo Hua smiled gently:

”Senior Sister, rest assured. Leave the Sword Discussion matters to me; after all, I’m now Taixu Gate’s... No, Tai’a, Chongxu, Taixu, ’junior brother’ of the three lineages.”

Murong Caiyun was taken aback but oddly reassured, unconsciously smiling.

”Senior Sister, you should proceed to Core Formation soon, and then throw a grand Golden Core Feast, inviting me to celebrate.” Mo Hua said with a smile.

Murong Caiyun also smiled, ”Yes, travel carefully.”

Mo Hua waved his hand, bid farewell to Murong Caiyun, and set off for Taixu Mountain.

Upon the distant blue mountains, Mo Hua treaded the mountain path.

Watching Mo Hua’s figure recede, Murong Caiyun suddenly realized that unknowingly, Mo Hua had grown quite a bit.

At this moment, though he walked the mountain road alone, his silhouette appeared thin, yet indistinctly connected with the vast aura of Taixu Mountain, possessing a faint presence like treading the earth, embodying the mountains, bearing the sky...

Murong Caiyun gazed intently and then smiled gently, her eyebrows like colorful clouds, bright and charming.

...

Upon returning to Taixu Gate, Mo Hua began seriously considering the ”team formation” matters.