Recaps

Mo Hua watched the Sword Discussion Assembly conclude, then learned that the Four Great Sects were proposing reforms that could threaten Void Gate. He returned to cultivation and array study, and after a year advanced a grade and welcomed a new cohort of junior disciples.

• Mo Hua watched the Four Great Sects dominate the Sword Discussion Assembly, which Heavenly Sword Sect won ahead of Qiandao Sect, Longding Sect, and Wanxiao Sect.
• Mo Hua reunited with Ouyang Feng, who seemed troubled before Ta'a Gate disciples summoned him away.
• The Void Gate Sect Master told Elder Xun that the Four Great Sects and the Shen Family were proposing sect reforms that might push Void Gate out of the Eight Great Sects, while Elder Xun said he had his own plans.
• Mo Hua returned to Void Gate, pursued Foundation Establishment Late Stage, studied array techniques, and continued improving the Five Elements Source Armor while caring for Yu'er.
• A year passed, Mo Hua advanced a grade, and a new cohort entered Void Gate as his junior martial brothers and sisters.

After months of studying advanced array techniques, Mo Hua persuaded Elder Xun to let him enter Monster Refining Mountain and help his struggling friends hunt demonic beasts. Elder Xun arranged for Ziyou to watch over him and dispatched an Inner Sect disciple to investigate Mo Hua’s origins in Li Prefecture.

• The cultivation Elder warned the disciples about Monster Refining Mountain’s dangers, and Mo Hua became eager to hunt there, but Elder Xun refused and gave him difficult Array Diagrams to study instead.
• Mo Hua repeatedly asked to enter the mountain, while Cheng Mo and his companions began hunting in teams and struggled against stronger, more experienced hunters and demonic beasts.
• After a Bear Demon broke several of Cheng Mo’s bones, Mo Hua decided to help his friends and convinced Elder Xun that he would use his array techniques on Spirit Artifacts and avoid fighting.
• Elder Xun agreed to let Mo Hua go, ordered Ziyou to protect him, and warned Ziyou that he would be punished if Mo Hua was harmed.
• Elder Xun grew curious about Mo Hua’s Monster Hunter background and array knowledge, then sent an Inner Sect disciple to Great Black Mountain Province to investigate.

Mo Hua entered Monster Refining Mountain alone to survey its terrain and draw a detailed map, while Elder Xun secretly followed to protect him. After completing the map on a later visit, Mo Hua prepared to develop monster-hunting tactics so he could bring Cheng Mo and the other junior disciples into the mountain.

• Mo Hua spent one hundred merit points on a Monster Refining Token and entered Monster Refining Mountain alone, where Elder Xun secretly began following him on the old ancestor’s orders.
• Mo Hua mapped the Outer Mountain’s terrain, recording hazards and avoiding or outmaneuvering monster beasts as Elder Xun watched in astonishment.
• Mo Hua spent the night in an apparently empty late Second-Grade monster beast’s lair, setting protective arrays before sleeping while Elder Xun kept watch outside.
• Mo Hua returned to Void Gate after the ten-day break, then went back to Monster Refining Mountain during his next break and finished his topographical map.
• Mo Hua planned to combine arrays and Spirit Artifacts into monster-hunting tactics so he could bring Cheng Mo and the other junior disciples into the mountain.

Mo Hua led Cheng Mo and the others into Monster Refining Mountain, where his detailed preparations helped them hunt Azure Wood Wolves safely and profitably. After establishing a reliable hunting procedure, he shared it with more Void Gate disciples, while Elder Xun watched the growing wave of identical hunting parties enter the mountain.

• Mo Hua prepared specialized armor and a plan, then took Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, Yang Qianjun, and Hao Xuan into Monster Refining Mountain to hunt Azure Wood Wolves as Elder Xun secretly followed.
• Mo Hua tracked an Azure Wood Wolf, trapped it with an Earth Kill Array, and guided the group as they attacked and made sure it was truly dead.
• Mo Hua collected the wolf’s blood for Spirit Ink, while Cheng Mo and the others dissected the carcass; they sold its materials for contribution points and made a profit.
• Mo Hua and the group hunted another Azure Wood Wolf the next day, and Mo Hua refined their tactics into a repeatable procedure.
• Mo Hua gave new disciples a Jade Slip detailing how to hunt Azure Wood Wolves, and Elder Xun noticed more Void Gate disciples entering the mountain in matching gear and formations.

Mo Hua expanded his monster-hunting strategies, gained the respect of Void Gate disciples, and collected monster blood while testing newly made Five Elements Source Armor. When a Pig-Headed Demon chased after his group, Mo Hua and the others had to face danger despite retreating from the stronger beast.

• Xun Ziyou and another Elder noticed Azure Wood Wolves dwindling as Mo Hua’s strategies and custom spirit artifacts helped Void Gate disciples hunt monsters; Mo Hua also created methods for hunting Azure Sky Snakes and other beasts.
• Void Gate disciples increasingly called Mo Hua Senior Martial Brother, followed his guidance, and began giving him monster blood after their hunts.
• Master Gu delivered two suits of Five Elements Source Armor, and Mo Hua inscribed a Five Elements Absolute Array onto one before taking Cheng Mo, Yang Qianjun, and others to test them.
• As Mo Hua activated the armor against an injured Azure Wood Wolf, he sensed danger and ordered the group to retreat when a Second-Grade Mid-Tier Pig-Headed Demon appeared.
• The Pig-Headed Demon ate the Azure Wood Wolf, detected the scent of Mo Hua’s group, and charged after them.

Mo Hua led Cheng Mo, Yang Qianjun, Situ Jian, and Hao Xuan in a battle against a Second-Grade Mid-Tier Pig-Headed Demon, using layered arrays and the Five Elements Source Armor to help them kill it. The group survived, while Elder Xun wondered where Mo Hua had learned the armor’s array and nervously speculated that Mo Hua might be his senior by blood.

• The Pig-Headed Demon pursued Mo Hua and the others, so Mo Hua concealed himself and set layered Binding and Kill Arrays while the group lured the demon toward them.
• Mo Hua activated his arrays, trapping and badly wounding the Pig-Headed Demon before ordering Cheng Mo and the others to attack.
• The Pig-Headed Demon slowed when the Azure Wood Wolf’s poison affected it, and Mo Hua activated the Five Elements Source Armor to amplify Cheng Mo and Yang Qianjun’s Lingli.
• Cheng Mo, Yang Qianjun, Situ Jian, and Hao Xuan struck together and killed the Pig-Headed Demon, then made sure it was truly dead.
• Elder Xun suspected Mo Hua had learned the armor’s array from the old ancestor and worried that Mo Hua might outrank him in their family, while Mo Hua explained the armor to Yang Qianjun and Cheng Mo.

Mo Hua and his companions retreated from Duanjin Gate cultivators who stole their pig demon, then recovered and prepared a nighttime ambush. Their array and coordinated attacks defeated the rival group and brought its Foundation Establishment Late Stage leader to his knees.

• Mo Hua and his companions killed a Second-Grade Mid-Tier pig demon, but eight Duanjin Gate cultivators arrived and claimed the beast as theirs.
• Mo Hua ordered his companions to withdraw, then equipped them with Metal-Suppressing gear and poisoned weapons while they recovered their Lingli.
• Mo Hua tracked the Duanjin Gate group to its nighttime campsite and secretly drew an array beneath the cover of darkness.
• Mo Hua detonated the array, incapacitating five of the eight cultivators and severely injuring their Foundation Establishment Late Stage leader.
• Mo Hua called out the leader's planned moves as his companions attacked, and Cheng Mo's armor amplified his axe strike, breaking the leader's Golden Body Talisman and forcing him to kneel.

Mo Hua and his companions defeated Duanjin Gate disciples in Monster Refining Mountain, humiliated their leader without killing him, and returned to the sect. After Xun Ziyou reported Mo Hua’s methods to Elder Xun, Elder Xun concluded that Mo Hua was likely Zhuang Daoling’s personally taught disciple and wondered what immense opportunity had brought him to Void Gate.

• Mo Hua’s group stripped and hung Senior Brother Jin from Duanjin Gate, drew a turtle on him, and left him alive with a healing pill.
• Mo Hua and his companions collected the Pig-Headed Demon’s materials but returned the Duanjin Gate disciples’ Storage Bags before leaving the mountain.
• Senior Brother Jin woke, vowed revenge, and led his disciples down the mountain while Xun Ziyou watched from hiding.
• Xun Ziyou saw Elder Xun studying reports about Mo Hua’s past, including rumors that Mo Hua had helped build a great array and defeated the great demon Feng Xi.
• After Xun Ziyou described Mo Hua’s battle with Duanjin Gate and his unusual array methods, Elder Xun privately concluded that Mo Hua was Zhuang Daoling’s disciple and told Xun Ziyou to keep the matter secret.

Elder Xun gave Mo Hua a manuscript on array flow left by his old friend Zhuang, and realized Mo Hua’s connection to the man could have great significance for the Void Gate. As Duanjin Gate disciples continued harassing Void Gate students in Monster Refining Mountain, Mo Hua decided they needed a harsher response.

• Elder Xun gave Mo Hua an ancient manuscript on array flow and revealed that its author was his old friend surnamed Zhuang.
• Elder Xun told Xun Ziyou that Mo Hua was vital to the Void Gate and ordered him to protect Mo Hua without interfering in ordinary disputes between disciples.
• Mo Hua recognized the manuscript as his master’s work, treasured it, and continued studying array techniques to strengthen his Divine Consciousness.
• Cheng Mo told Mo Hua that Duanjin Gate disciples were harassing Void Gate students and stealing the demon beasts they hunted in Monster Refining Mountain.
• After a month of futile clashes, Cheng Mo reported that the Duanjin Gate disciples kept disrupting their hunts, and Mo Hua resolved to make them suffer enough to stop.

Mo Hua led Void Gate disciples in a sweep of Monster Refining Mountain, humiliating Duanjin Gate’s hidden disciples, but the next clash revealed that Duanjin Gate’s skilled sword cultivators could bypass their Metal-Suppressing Armor. As Mo Hua investigated how to defend against Sword Qi, he began focusing on the golden Spirit Swords wielded by Duanjin Gate.

• Mo Hua used his Divine Consciousness to locate Duanjin Gate disciples hidden throughout Monster Refining Mountain, and Cheng Mo and the others beat them, stripped their robes, drew turtles on them, and hung them from trees.
• Jin Gui reported the defeat to Jin Yicai, who ordered Jin Family disciples skilled in the Gold-Breaking Sword Art to challenge Void Gate and urged Jin Gui to finish capturing the demon beasts he had been assigned to find.
• Mo Hua and the Void Gate disciples fought Duanjin Gate’s stronger sword cultivators the next day and won, but more of their people were injured because Metal-Suppressing Armor offered little defense against Sword Qi.
• Mo Hua asked Elder Yi, Situ Jian, and other sword cultivators about Sword Qi, then turned his attention to Duanjin Gate’s Spirit Swords as a possible source of its power.

Mo Hua learned that Duanjin Gate's Gold-Breaking Sword Qi was amplified by secret sword arrays sealed inside Spirit Swords, then led a small group into Monster Refining Mountain to steal one. He returned to Void Gate with Song Jian's Gold-Breaking Sword and began considering whether he could dismantle it to study its array and forge a Spirit Sword of his own.

• Situ Jian explained that Spirit Swords amplified sword qi through sword arrays, and Mo Hua persuaded him to let him inspect the Separating Fire Sword.
• Mo Hua and four companions ambushed eight Duanjin Gate disciples in Monster Refining Mountain and took Song Jian's Gold-Breaking Sword before escaping.
• Song Jian gathered Duanjin Gate disciples to search for the thieves, but they failed to find Mo Hua and returned to their sect after nightfall.
• Song Jian and Jin Gui traded insults over their losses and renewed their private grievances against Mo Hua.
• Mo Hua studied the stolen Gold-Breaking Sword and wondered whether dismantling it would reveal its sword array and let him forge a Spirit Sword.

Mo Hua discovered that he could derive a spirit sword’s secret sword array from the sword qi it produced, then erased the Separating Fire Sword Array he reconstructed to protect Situ Jian and his clan. He arranged for Cheng Mo to endure a duel with Duanjin Gate, lured Song Jian into a match by holding his ruined Gold-Breaking Sword over him, and led him into a small forest.

• After the Gold-Breaking Sword self-destructed, Mo Hua concluded that dismantling spirit swords could not reveal their arrays and decided to study sword qi instead.
• Mo Hua asked Situ Jian to demonstrate Li Fire Sword Qi, practiced deriving its traces, and finally reconstructed the Situ Clan’s Separating Fire Sword Array before erasing his notes and forcing himself to forget it.
• Mo Hua thanked Situ Jian with a feast and recruited Cheng Mo to stall Duanjin Gate disciples in a duel, promising him Merit Points for enduring their attacks.
• Mo Hua found Song Jian searching Monster Refining Mountain and challenged him to a match, claiming he would return the Gold-Breaking Sword if Song Jian won.
• Song Jian accepted to recover his sword, left his disciples waiting, and followed Mo Hua into a small forest.

Mo Hua arranged a staged duel between Cheng Mo and Song Jian so he could study the Gold-Breaking Sword Qi and secretly derive Duanjin Gate’s Gold-Breaking Sword Array. After returning to the sect, he discovered that combining the array with his Gold-Breaking Imperial Sword Art let him activate it; Xun Ziyou then reported Mo Hua’s feat to Elder Xun, who could hardly believe it.

• Mo Hua persuaded Cheng Mo and Song Jian to duel under an agreement, while Cheng Mo pretended to struggle and Mo Hua observed Song Jian’s Gold-Breaking Sword Qi to derive the sword array.
• Xun Ziyou secretly watched Mo Hua draw the Gold-Breaking Sword Array and was shocked that he reconstructed a closely guarded Duanjin Gate inheritance from sword qi.
• Mo Hua ended the duel by drawing a Hyena Beast to interrupt the fight, then helped the group kill it and compensated the battered Cheng Mo with Merit Points.
• Back at the Disciple Quarters, Mo Hua realized the Gold-Breaking Sword Array required the corresponding sword art, used his Gold-Breaking Imperial Sword Art to activate it, and began studying its sword principles.
• Xun Ziyou told Elder Xun that Mo Hua had secretly reconstructed the Gold-Breaking Sword Array by watching Song Jian fight, leaving Elder Xun stunned.

Elder Xun and Xun Ziyou concealed Mo Hua’s ability to deduce sword qi, while Mo Hua secretly completed Duanjin Gate’s Gold-Breaking Sword Array and uncovered how sword arrays transformed spiritual power. He resolved to develop long-range sword control using array-bearing Spirit Swords, and planned to equip his junior martial brothers with Gold-Breaking Armor to take territory from Duanjin Gate and gather materials for forging swords.

• Elder Xun warned Xun Ziyou never to mention Void Gate’s Divine Sense Sword Transformation Art to Mo Hua and ordered him to conceal Mo Hua’s sword-array discovery from Duanjin Gate.
• Mo Hua studied Song Jian’s sword qi during repeated duels with Cheng Mo, using the observations to improve Gold-Breaking Armor and complete the Gold-Breaking Sword Array.
• Mo Hua realized sword arrays could transform spiritual power into sword qi, suggesting he could wield sword-array techniques without conventional swordsmanship or strong spiritual power.
• Mo Hua conceived a plan to control array-bearing Spirit Swords with divine consciousness for long-range attacks, accepting that the swords might be single-use.
• Mo Hua decided to outfit his junior martial brothers in Gold-Breaking Armor, take territory from Duanjin Gate, and harvest materials to forge specialized Spirit Swords.

Mo Hua perfected the Gold-Breaking Armor, which let Void Gate counter Duanjin Gate’s sword art, while Duanjin Gate’s leaders suspected a Song Family plot and chose to lie low. After Mo Hua returned Song Jian’s ruined sword, he headed to Monster Refining Mountain to test Divine Consciousness Sword Control.

• Mo Hua refined the Gold-Breaking Armor with Master Gu and equipped Void Gate disciples to defeat Duanjin Gate’s attacks, while adding safeguards to keep the armor’s formations secret.
• Jin Gui brought captured armor to Jin Yicai and his cousin, whose examination led them to suspect that a Song Family Elder or another Duanjin Gate figure had helped Void Gate; they decided to avoid attention and deal with Void Gate later.
• Mo Hua learned that Duanjin Gate had stopped provoking Void Gate, then faced Song Jian, who demanded his Gold-Breaking Sword.
• Mo Hua returned Song Jian’s sword as a shattered piece of scrap metal, and Song Jian vowed revenge after recognizing it.
• Mo Hua set out for Monster Refining Mountain with broken swords to test Divine Consciousness Sword Control.

Mo Hua practiced sword control with Situ Jian and discovered that his divine consciousness let him send a sword much farther than an ordinary Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator. Situ Jian recognized Mo Hua’s exceptional sword-control talent, though Mo Hua still lacked Sword Qi.

• Mo Hua met Situ Jian at Monster Refining Mountain and asked him to explain sword control and Sword Intent.
• Situ Jian explained that true sword control fused Sword Qi, a Spirit Sword, and divine consciousness, and that it could eventually nurture Sword Intent.
• Mo Hua revealed that he had secretly studied the Gold-Breaking Imperial Sword Art and used its sword-control method with a worn Spirit Sword.
• Mo Hua sent the sword roughly one hundred seventy or eighty zhang, astonishing Situ Jian with its speed and range.
• Mo Hua realized his sword-control range did not diminish because his divine consciousness had undergone a qualitative change.
• Situ Jian praised Mo Hua as a genius of sword control but regretted that he did not cultivate Sword Qi.

Mo Hua developed Divine Sense Sword Control by modifying Spirit Swords with Gold-Breaking Sword Arrays, then tested the method by hunting flying monsters to recover the swords’ cost. As Void Gate’s disciples established themselves in Monster Refining Mountain, more sects began entering the mountains, including Ta'a Gate and Chongxu Gate.

• Mo Hua practiced sword control with Situ Jian, then asked Master Gu to forge simple Spirit Swords that could serve as array media without revealing Duanjin Gate’s sword-array inheritance.
• Mo Hua inscribed modified Gold-Breaking Sword Arrays into the swords and tested one from 170 zhang away, shattering a boulder but ruining the sword.
• After realizing sword-control practice was too costly, Mo Hua began targeting flying monsters and killed a Gray-Headed Eagle with a sword array, Flame Fire Formations, and poisoned blood.
• Mo Hua sold the eagle for a thousand Merit Points and continued hunting eagles during his breaks, earning Merit Points while practicing sword control.
• Void Gate’s organized disciples held a large stretch of Monster Refining Mountain’s Outer Mountain, while Duanjin Gate and a few other sects kept their distance.
• As the second half of the year arrived, more sect disciples began entering the mountains, including disciples from Ta'a Gate and Chongxu Gate.

Ouyang Feng and the Ta'a Gate disciples discovered Void Gate’s disciplined demon-hunting operations in Monster Refining Mountain, then encountered Mo Hua skinning an eagle demon he had secretly killed with Sword Control. Suspecting Mo Hua’s connection to Void Gate’s organization, Ouyang Feng asked him to look after his younger brother, Ouyang Mu, when they met in the mountains.

• Ouyang Feng’s group found Void Gate disciples hunting demons in coordinated teams using specialized arrays, armor, and Spirit Artifacts, so Ouyang Feng warned his disciples not to provoke them.
• The Ta'a Gate disciples saw a golden Flying Sword kill a Gray-Headed Eagle and went to meet the presumed Duanjin Gate Sword Cultivator.
• They found Mo Hua skinning the eagle, and he claimed he had merely picked it up after it fell.
• Ouyang Feng questioned whether Mo Hua had entered the mountain alone, and Mo Hua said he had lots of little brothers nearby.
• Ouyang Feng connected Mo Hua’s remark to Void Gate’s organized hunting and asked him to look after Ouyang Mu if they met again.

Mo Hua watched Ouyang Mu struggle with an inexperienced hunting squad and learned that he wanted a Fire Demon Wolf spine to cast a sword. After the squad abandoned Ouyang Mu, Mo Hua had a Void Gate disciple kill a Fire Demon Wolf and bring him its spine, leaving Ouyang Mu stunned by Mo Hua’s influence.

• Mo Hua earned Merit Points hunting eagles while Xun Ziyou worried about his sword technique and discussed Ta'a Gate’s plans to advance in a possible sect-system restructuring.
• Mo Hua continued cultivating and studying the laws restricting his Divine Consciousness, then spent his break hunting Gray-Headed Eagles on Monster Refining Mountain.
• Mo Hua saw Ouyang Mu’s squad fail to kill a Fire Demon Wolf, and the other disciples blamed Ouyang Mu for their poor results.
• The next day, Ouyang Mu’s new squad also failed to hunt the Fire Demon Wolf, disbanded, and left him alone on the mountain.
• Mo Hua learned that Ouyang Mu wanted the wolf’s spine to cast a sword, then sent a Void Gate disciple to kill a Fire Demon Wolf and retrieve its spine for him.

Mo Hua arranged for Ouyang Mu to repay the cost of a Fire Demon Wolf spine by forging Spirit Swords, then discovered Ouyang Mu’s talent for sword casting and had him redesign a sword diagram. Ouyang Mu completed the first sword, and Mo Hua tested it by killing a savage eagle with a powerful Gold-Breaking Sword Array.

• Mo Hua offered Ouyang Mu the Fire Demon Wolf spine, and they agreed that Ouyang Mu would repay five hundred Merit Points by forging Spirit Swords.
• At Monster Refining Mountain, Ouyang Mu recognized that Mo Hua’s sword diagram used an open Sword Array and criticized its materials, structure, and compatibility.
• Ouyang Mu explained that he wanted to become a Sword Smith but feared disappointing his father, and Mo Hua urged him to pursue the craft that made him happy.
• Ouyang Mu carefully revised Mo Hua’s sword diagram, and Mo Hua chose to have the Spirit Swords forged according to his design.
• Ouyang Mu presented Mo Hua with the first golden Spirit Sword, and Mo Hua inscribed a Gold-Breaking Sword Array on it.
• Mo Hua used the sword to shred a savage eagle demon in midair and told Ouyang Mu to follow him from then on.

Mo Hua recruited Ouyang Mu as a swordsmith and helped him develop his craft, improving the Spirit Swords and custom artifacts used by Mo Hua and the Void Gate disciples. After Ouyang Mu explained that other Array Techniques might be transformed into Sword Arrays, Mo Hua began to suspect that Sword Dao Array Flow could let him create Spirit Power Disintegration and Fusion Sword Arrays.

• Mo Hua persuaded Ouyang Mu to forge Spirit Swords for Merit Points, supplying him with demon materials and promising steady work.
• Ouyang Mu grew more confident in sword forging, designed custom Spirit Artifacts, and had his work praised by Master Gu before it entered mass production.
• Mo Hua introduced Ouyang Mu to the Void Gate disciples, who welcomed him and began asking him to repair their Spirit Artifacts.
• Ouyang Mu optimized Mo Hua’s Spirit Sword until its materials and Sword Array reached a limit, then explained that stronger Sword Control depended on stronger Sword Arrays.
• Ouyang Mu suggested that other Array Techniques might be altered into Sword Arrays, prompting Mo Hua to connect Sword Patterns with variant Array Patterns and consider using Sword Dao Array Flow.

Mo Hua tested Ouyang Mu’s new Shattering-Style spirit sword by hunting a Second-Grade Mid-Tier Demon Wood Eagle, then confronted the youth who had claimed the fallen beast. After the youth realized Mo Hua was not from Duanjin Gate, he apologized, returned the beast, and introduced himself as Linghu Xiao of Chongxu Gate.

• Mo Hua encouraged Ouyang Mu to develop cheaper, shattering spirit swords, and Ouyang Mu became more comfortable among Void Gate disciples as their monster-hunting operation grew.
• Mo Hua tested Ouyang Mu’s latest Shattering-Style spirit sword on a Second-Grade Mid-Tier Demon Wood Eagle, severely wounding it and sending it tumbling over a cliff.
• Mo Hua tracked the fallen eagle and found a blue-robed youth beside its drained corpse, claiming the beast as his own.
• Mo Hua and the youth clashed, with Mo Hua repeatedly using Fireball Technique while the youth attacked with sword light.
• The youth mistook Mo Hua’s golden sword marks for Duanjin Gate sword qi, but Mo Hua denied belonging to the sect and called the sword qi his family’s inheritance.
• The youth apologized and returned the Demon Wood Eagle, then introduced himself as Linghu Xiao, an Outer Sect disciple of Chongxu Gate.

Mo Hua cleared up his misunderstanding with Linghu Xiao and split the Merit Points from a demon eagle they had killed together. Afterward, the elders watching them discussed their talents and the shifting sect landscape, while Mo Hua considered drawing Linghu Xiao closer.

• Linghu Xiao explained that he had mistaken Mo Hua for a Duanjin Gate disciple and had been trying to reclaim demon beasts they had stolen from him.
• Mo Hua declined Linghu Xiao’s challenge to fight again but persuaded him to share the Merit Points from the Demon Wood Eagle they had both helped kill.
• Xun Ziyou and Xuanjian revealed they had been secretly watching Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao, then discussed Mo Hua’s Array Techniques, Linghu Xiao’s sword talent, and the sect restructuring.
• Mo Hua exchanged the Demon Wood Eagle’s materials for 2,672 Merit Points and gave half to Linghu Xiao.
• Mo Hua decided Linghu Xiao’s formidable swordsmanship might make him a useful ally.

On the road back, Mo Hua persuaded Linghu Xiao to hunt with Void Gate disciples so he could earn merit and settle his grudge against Duanjin Gate sooner. Meanwhile, Elder Xun and Xun Ziyou discussed the dangerous sect reshuffling and its hidden stakes, and Elder Xun began to consider a bold gamble involving Mo Hua.

• Mo Hua convinced Linghu Xiao that teaming up with Void Gate disciples would help him earn merit and advance his sword Dao, and Linghu Xiao agreed to join them on the next ten-day rest.
• After returning to the sect, Linghu Xiao kept thinking about Mo Hua, while Mo Hua considered whether a Sword Array could reproduce or amplify Chongxu Sword Qi.
• Elder Xun asked an Inner Sect elder to seek the Murong ancestor’s approval to use the Void Heavenly Mystery Lock to lock away some karma.
• Xun Ziyou told Elder Xun about Mo Hua’s recent activities and questioned why the Four Great Sects were pushing sect reform; Elder Xun explained that the sects were gambling for power amid a deeper, dangerous secret.
• Elder Xun told Xun Ziyou to focus on looking after Mo Hua, then realized that Mo Hua’s ties to Ta'a Gate and Chongxu Gate might give Void Gate unexpected chips for a larger gamble.

Mo Hua recruited Linghu Xiao into Void Gate’s efficient monster-hunting teams and persuaded him that practical tactics could strengthen his sword dao. As Linghu Xiao settled into Void Gate, Mo Hua hit a growth bottleneck and noticed a suspicious connection between Elder Xun and Elder Xun Ziyou.

• Mo Hua waited for Linghu Xiao, then took him to hunt Kui Wood Wolves using traps and Array Techniques, earning them eight hundred Merit Points each.
• Linghu Xiao objected that ambushes and formations did not temper his sword dao, but Mo Hua warned him about the ruthless methods of evil cultivators and persuaded him to join future hunts.
• Mo Hua had Hao Xuan take Linghu Xiao hunting; Linghu Xiao’s swordsmanship helped their team kill five Demon Beasts, and he gradually became close with Void Gate’s disciples and Ouyang Mu.
• A Chongxu Gate Elder told Old Ancestor Chongxu that Linghu Xiao trusted Mo Hua, but Old Ancestor Chongxu believed Linghu Xiao would remain in control and benefit from the friendship.
• Mo Hua told Elder Xun that his cultivation, Divine Consciousness, Sword Control, and arrays had stalled, and Elder Xun cautiously asked whether his Divine Consciousness could grow further.
• Mo Hua recognized Elder Xun Ziyou, who had just visited Elder Xun, and realized the familiar aura might explain Elder Xun’s recent concerns.