After a day of intense battles, the rankings have changed quite a bit, with Taixu Gate still holding the first position.
But everyone knows that this "first" has already shifted from "victory" to "decline," and is starting to head downhill.
And today will be the "peak" of Taixu Gate, after which it will begin to descend into obscurity.
Many people are already looking forward to the day when Taixu Gate falls out of the first position or even out of the "top four".
That would mean Taixu Gate will be truly knocked back to its "original form".
And under such circumstances, Mo Hua's first "Xuan" round of the sword competition officially began.
This competition also garnered immense attention.
Mo Hua was already a person of special status, and very famous.
In addition, his previous performance in the sword competitions, characterized by "inaction," had received a lot of "criticism".
Though his reputation plummeted, the attention on him soared.
The entire Mount of Tao, crowded with spectators, many were there specifically to watch him.
Some hoped he would perform well and not disappoint expectations, while others wanted to see him fail, to relish in his misfortune and throw stones while he was down...
Mo Hua was oblivious to all this.
His whole focus was still on the sword competition.
In this first round of the Xuan sword competition, Mo Hua didn't draw the best lot, as the format was still the ordinary "chaotic battle."
A simple five versus five.
The opponent was the Mystic Iron Sect, one of the Twelve Streams.
This is a sect specializing in artifact refining while also teaching body refinement, with a secret body refining method that complements their refining techniques.
The disciples of this sect are skilled in both artifact refining and body refinement, possessing techniques and physiques as tough as iron.
The Mystic Iron Sect is considered one of the stronger sects among the Twelve Streams.
However, those facing Mo Hua were not the strongest team of the Mystic Iron Sect, but rather a top but not the absolute top team.
Their strength was quite considerable.
The time arrived, and both sides entered the arena, with the battle ready to explode at any moment.
But this time, the battle did not conclude swiftly.
Both sides became somewhat entangled.
The Mystic Iron Sect was entangled because their strength was indeed limited.
While Taixu Gate was entangled because of Mo Hua.
Because he stood on the sidelines, watching, without moving or taking any action.
As a result, Taixu Gate was compelled to fight in a four against five situation.
Moreover, with the previous battles, Linghu Xiao and his team's strategies were mostly exposed to the other sects.
The Mystic Iron Sect also made targeted preparations.
They directly ignored Mo Hua, treating the remaining four as their opponents.
This gave them a significant advantage.
Everyone here is a celestial talent from the Qian Learning State Boundary, and though talents vary, anyone who can attend the Sword Discussion Conference and reach the "Xuan" level is no pushover.
In a five versus five battle, unless the strength disparity is too great, the presence or absence of one person makes a huge difference.
Linghu Xiao was pinned down by two Mystic Iron Sect disciples in close combat.
Ouyang Xuan was in a one-on-one with a large body refinement disciple.
Cheng Mo and Situ Jian were also in a stalemate.
Taixu Gate was gaining the upper hand, but the advantage was not clear.
While the Mystic Iron Sect, taking advantage of having more people, kept shifting their attack targets and applied pressure on Linghu Xiao's team, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.
Luckily, Linghu Xiao was truly strong.
After enduring for over an hour, Linghu Xiao finally seized an opportunity from the Mystic Iron Sect's shifting attacks, withstood the pressure, and unleashed a Chongxu Sword Qi to incapacitate one of the opponents, shattering his Dao Discussion Jade.
This turned the battle into a four versus four, drastically reducing the pressure.
Afterwards, Taixu Gate relied on the superiority of Linghu Xiao and Ouyang Xuan, the two "celestial talents," to gradually expand their advantage and eventually bring the battle to a close.
Throughout the entire process, Mo Hua remained a "cold-eyed spectator," watching his teammates struggle without the slightest involvement.
This truly infuriated the audience outside.
Especially since Taixu Gate's position was already on a downward trend, with the team caught in grueling battles, and teammates struggling arduously, his indifference and inaction were particularly angering to many.
"This guy called 'Mo Hua' is simply too much!"
"Eating food but not doing work!"
"How can such a person be called the 'Formation Leader'? How can he be deemed a 'genius'?"