Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2083 - 990: Rebirth (3)

"She's my biological sister—I can't simply shove her into the fire pit..."

"Fine, fine, fine! As fellow brothers, you owe me an explanation today: what on earth do you mean by 'fire pit'?"

...

Within the boisterous uproar, the dining hall's energy surged with even greater excitement.

Nearby, Mo Hua sank into profound reflection.

Although the words carried a teasing edge, the disciples' points rang true at their core.

"Why exactly am I joining the Sword Discussion Conference?"

This inquiry demanded serious deliberation and a crystal-clear resolution.

That night, back at the Disciple’s Residence, Mo Hua continued mulling over this very issue.

Fellow disciples chased top spots in the Sword Discussion Conference for glory, family gains, merit rewards, Inner Sect promotions, or promising unions...

But what drives me?

Glory? I've got plenty of notoriety already.

The tallest tree catches the wind; the fattest hog gets butchered first. For someone like me, too much spotlight could spell trouble.

Merit points? I have no shortages there, and Inner Sect life holds zero appeal for me.

As a Loose Cultivator, I carry no clan rivalries or heir duties to claim.

Marriage...

That's a distant prospect, unworthy of current concern.

Plus, knowing the little senior sister as I do...

If I actually enter the Sword Discussion Conference, she'll fret over my safety far more than any placement I might snag.

My spot on the leaderboard won't alter my role as her junior brother.

After tallying it up, Mo Hua saw that he truly lacked any pressing wants.

The sole potential draw could be the top prize from the Sword Discussion Conference.

Yet those prizes were fixed long ago, and Mo Hua had already reviewed them.

One option: select a supreme cultivation technique legacy from the Four Great Sects and Eight Great Gates.

The other: pick a premier Taoist skill legacy from the Four Sects and Eight Gates.

Plus, sect-donated treasures like high-quality pills and runes.

Without question, these were elite offerings, tailored for genuine "heaven’s chosen." For Mo Hua and his shaky base, they offered little real use.

Even the cultivation techniques and Taoist skills mismatched his Spiritual Root entirely.

Beyond that, the last motive for entering the Sword Discussion Conference might involve aiding Elder Master Xun and bolstering Taixu Gate through this tough patch.

After all, he'd benefited immensely from Elder Master Xun and Taixu Gate's generosity.

Naturally, it would also ease the Sect Leader's balding woes...

Still, that alone wouldn't justify pouring in excessive toil.

What's more, Mo Hua had weighed the dangers, finding this venture fraught with peril.

Elder Master Xun had hit the mark earlier: stepping into the Sword Discussion Conference meant exposure under countless gazes, slowly unveiling all his secret aces.

That vulnerability proved deadly.

Many of his secrets simply couldn't be voiced aloud.

Without deploying those hidden edges, he'd lack the strength to compete in such a massive Sword Discussion spectacle.

The Sword Discussion Conference wasn't some trivial game; it drew heaven’s chosen and hordes of powerhouses.

This would demand a grueling, drawn-out clash.

Mo Hua wasn't foolish enough to believe a strong showing came without total commitment.

Even pouring out every ounce of effort and baring all secrets, survival to the finish line stayed in doubt...

Towering challenges, immense hazards, meager gains.

Mo Hua wrestled with it endlessly, only to ruefully conclude that reality stacked up this way.

The smartest move was to join the Sword Discussion Conference without overdoing it.

Push Taixu Gate to climb a bit higher in the standings.

Leave the rest aside—no point dwelling.

Mo Hua let out a quiet sigh.

He revisited the dilemma repeatedly, even tapping causal calculation for a tentative forecast, confirming that "going with the flow" emerged as the optimal path no matter the angle.

A wave of disinterest washed over Mo Hua.

Yet facts were facts, causality unyielding.

One couldn't drift beyond the tangible world.

Mo Hua released his grip on the worry, his spirit settling into calm detachment toward the Sword Discussion Conference.

As peers threw themselves into frantic prep for the Sword Discussion Conference, Mo Hua stuck to his routine: drilling the Ultimate Formation and delving into array tenets.

Time slipped away like serene streams...

...

Over in Taoist State.

Heaven Shu Pavilion.

The lofty tower, veiled in fog and sealed from approach, sheltered a white-haired elder lost in slumber.

Amid swirling vapors, the elder slumbered in peaceful repose.

Ages seemed to drift by before the elder stirred from his doze, lifting his gaze leisurely to the chessboard before him.

Crafted from withered timber, the board held no obvious wonders, yet under the elder’s misty, bottomless stare, it gleamed subtly, harboring cosmic mysteries with threads of causality weaving through.

Fixing his eyes on the board, the elder’s tone rang like a fading chime, murmuring deliberately:

"The board... is laid, pieces aligned, yet... one element lingers absent."

These pieces stood inert, advancing solely along preset paths.

Thus, the game hung static, serene and devoid of spark.

It craved a wildcard, a "living piece" to ignite the entire board...

Then... who possessed the potential to serve as this "living piece"?

The elder’s gaze plunged into depths, Divine Thought swelling as causality streamed ceaselessly.

At the same instant, his gnarled fingers delved into the chess vessel, groped briefly, and plucked a plain black stone.

A flicker of astonishment crossed the elder’s eyes, striking him as oddly unforeseen.

"In this vast game of strategy, could someone truly emerge as the living piece?"

Intrigued, the elder probed to uncover this "living piece’s" essence.

Yet moments later, he abandoned the effort.

For a true "living piece" defied fixation; pinning it down would reduce it to a "dead piece."

"No matter, let it be..."

"With a living piece comes the fish; to hook the fish, 'bait' must draw it forth unaided..."

What form should this "bait" take?

The elder resumed his deductions, scheming the "angling" approach.

Heaven Shu Pavilion’s vast array of cultivation techniques paraded through his thoughts like flowing rivers, yet causality stirred not a ripple...

Skipping past the techniques, the elder turned to Taoist skills, pills, runes, formations...

But round after round of trials, even deploying rare legacies as "bait," failed to tempt this "fish."

The elder stayed composed, unperturbed.

In a scheme this immense, a "living piece" embodying change had to be no common soul, but a genuine "big fish."

And for a big fish, commonplace "bait" held no allure.

Escalating further, the elder drew "bait" from Heaven Shu Pavilion’s concealed reserves.

This round, causality indeed quivered.

But nothing more.

This "big fish" merely caught a whiff of the tempting scent, stirred faintly by longing, only to cling to its principles, shake off avarice, retreat to shadowed depths, and coil in wait.

At last, a trace of genuine surprise etched the elder’s features.

"Not even this could hook it?"

"Such impressive 'standing'..."

"Am I angling for a mere fish... or perhaps a dragon?"

A twinge of regret stirred within as the elder mused: "Spare the child, lose the wolf..."

Clenching his resolve, he rent the fabric of space with a finger, questing into Heaven Shu Pavilion’s locked-away ancient troves.

Sifting through a torrent of legendary titles, the elder hunted briefly before unearthing a legacy pulsing with radiant golden causality.

This legacy’s causality shone like molten gold, signaling that it would assuredly reel in this "big fish."

The elder revealed the ancient legacy.

It took the form of a timeworn jade slip, inscribed with five archaic, singular runes:

"Yin Yang Rebirth Formation."

These five runes exuded chaotic origins, where yin and yang swirled, life and death flipped, instantly thickening the chamber’s air.

The elder’s face hardened step by step, his eyes delving into terrifying profundity.

Yin Yang Rebirth...

Rebirth for whom?

Could it possibly be...

A steadfast resolve fractured into waves of disbelief.

The elder’s stare mirrored an endless void.