Chapter 1306: Chapter 746 Sword Stream
âThis⊠wouldnât be appropriateâŠâ
Ouyang Mu hesitated, somewhat stunned.
âWhatâs inappropriate?â Mo Hua said, âFrom now on, in Refining Demon Mountain, Iâll have your back.â
âBut, Iâm a disciple of Taiâa SectâŠâ Ouyang Mu whispered, casting a glance at Mo Huaâs Taoist Robe, âSenior Brother, youâre from Taixu Gate.â
Mo Hua replied matter-of-factly:
âYouâve already called me Senior Brotherâwhat difference does it make whether itâs Taiâa Sect or Taixu Gate?â
âBroaden your horizons; donât get stuck on sect rivalries.â
âBesides, Taiâa, Taixu, and Chongxu Sect have historical ties, and their ancestors were connected.â
âIf you trace it back over a thousand years, weâre practically family. Why make a fuss about it?â
Ouyang Mu slowly nodded, feeling that Mo Huaâs words made sense.
âBut I only know artifact refining and sword casting. Iâm afraid I wonât be able to help you much, Senior Brother Mo.â
âSword casting is already enough!â Mo Hua replied.
What he lacked was someone to cast swords for him.
Whether it was monster hunting or fighting, Mo Hua was never short on people.
Within the sect, when it came to combat, Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, Yang Qianjun, and Hao Xuan were always at his beck and call.
In Refining Demon Mountain, the surrounding hillsides were practically filled with his âJunior Brothers.â A casual whistle would summon a team.
Moreover, Mo Hua was fully capable on his own.
His repertoire of techniques was already quite extensive.
For treachery, he had Concealment Technique; for defense and retreat, he relied on Water Passing Step.
For attack, he commanded Formations, Forbidden Techniques, and Sword Control.
Outside the Qian Learning State Boundary, he could even âsummonâ Gu Changhuai, Uncle Gu of Golden Core Realm, and leverage the secret commands of the Gu Family to mobilize their cultivators.
He had plenty of hands for fighting.
But specialized and professional Tao cultivation talents were scarce.
At present, what he especially lacked were sword-casting masters with orthodox backgrounds, inheritance, and natural talent.
Seeing Ouyang Mu still hesitating, a glint flashed in Mo Huaâs eyes, and he added:
âIf youâre unwilling, we can forget about it. I wouldnât want to force you.â
After all, Ouyang Mu was a disciple of Taiâa Sect and a direct lineage of the Ouyang Family. Asking him to follow someone from Taixu Gate would naturally make him uncomfortable.
This was only human nature.
âSenior Brother Mo, Iâm sorryâŠâ
Ouyang Mu felt a little guilty.
Senior Brother Mo had been so kind to him, yet he rejected his offer.
âItâs alright,â Mo Hua smiled, âIf you donât want to work with me, thatâs fine. Letâs keep it strictly professionalâin the future, help me cast swords, and Iâll compensate you with Merit Points.â
Ouyang Mu froze, showing some concern in his expression.
Mo Hua roughly understood and asked, âAre you worried your father wonât let you cast swords?â
Ouyang Mu nodded.
âBut you still need to earn Merit Points, donât you?â
âI doâŠâ
âDoes your father give you Merit Points?â Mo Hua continued.
Ouyang Mu shook his head, âNo, Taiâa Sect has strict rules, and our Ouyang Family is also stringent. Within the sect, everything must be earned by oneself. We canât rely on our status to bully others, nor exploit identity for personal gain. Even Merit Points must be accumulated step by step.â
âThen aside from sword casting, do you have any other way to earn Merit Points?â
After racking his brain in deep thought, Ouyang Mu finally had to admit that, apart from sword casting, he had no other means of earning Merit Points.
âThere you have itâŠâ Mo Hua said, âIf your father wonât give you Merit Points and you must earn them yourself, then you can only rely on sword casting to do so.â
âBesides, whether itâs learning sword casting or honing swordsmanship, those are concerns for the future. Right now, the priority is earning Merit Points and focusing on cultivation.â
âWithout the present, there is no future.â
âSo for now, just focus on sword castingâdonât worry about anything else.â
Ouyang Mu couldnât help but nod in agreement.
Taking advantage of the moment, Mo Hua added some âpressureâ with a serious tone:
âFurthermore, think carefullyâthroughout the entire Qian Learning State Boundary, sword-casting masters arenât exactly rare; youâre not the only one.â
âSword-casting masters need a steady supply of monster beast materials to practice their craft.â
âOpportunities to receive stable material supply, employment for sword casting, and compensation with Merit Points are exceedingly rare.â
âIf you miss this chance, you might never encounter another like it in the futureâŠâ
Hearing this, Ouyang Mu immediately became nervous.
Sect missions were always fiercely contested.
He had difficulty competing with others in the first place, and extra opportunities for sword casting outside sect teachings were exceedingly rare.
If he wanted to refine on his own, the cost of materials alone would require a significant amount of Merit Points.
Ouyang Mu still remembered the efforts he went through to acquire the Flame Demon Wolfâs spine bone for sword casting.
Ultimately, relying solely on himself, he failed to obtain it.
It was Senior Brother Mo who had someone slay the Flame Demon Wolf, extract the spine bone, and gift it to him.
If he refused now, he truly feared heâd lose such lucrative âsword castingâ opportunities in the future.
Ouyang Mu promptly nodded multiple times and said:
âSenior Brother Mo, if you donât mind my crude skills, you can always come to me for sword castingâIâll do my utmost!â
âGood!â
Mo Hua nodded, satisfied.
After thinking for a moment, he said, âIâll provide you with materials. For now, forge six or seven of those golden Spirit Swords I showed you, and then Iâll consider crafting other types.â
âAlright, Senior Brother Mo.â
Ouyang Mu agreed.
Afterward, Mo Hua located an Eagle Demon that had been felled mid-air by Sword Qi and plummeted to the ground. He skinned and collected materials before handing them to Ouyang Mu, instructing him to exchange for Merit Points at the mountain gate and save them for personal use.
The poor boy had just over three hundred Merit Points to his name.
Without some assistance, he likely couldnât even afford the entrance fee to Refining Demon MountainâŠ
Ouyang Mu was both overwhelmed and deeply moved but couldnât refuse, given his financial struggles. He silently resolved:
To repay Senior Brother Moâs kindness, he must devote himself fully to sword casting.
Leaving Refining Demon Mountain, the two walked back to the sect side by side.
Because Taiâa Mountain and Taixu Mountain were adjacent, their paths to the sect coincided.