Chapter 2155: Chapter 1013: Zhang Lan (Part 3) After three rounds of tea, suddenly a flash of light appeared on the horizon. The image of the sky traversing across the earth unfolded like a giant watercolor painting before everyone’s eyes. The people of the Zhang Family looked up, feeling deeply shocked. This immense spiritual artifact was truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 After a while, various colors gathered on the painting, revealing the landscape, and the outstanding disciples. "It’s starting..." said Elder Feng. In the painting, the situation indeed changed dramatically. Disciples from different sects fought each other according to different rules; they dueled with swords, their sword lights intertwined, spells whizzed through the air, and some cultivators clashed with fists, causing the earth to tremble and crack... Disciples from different sects, with different inheritances and Taoist skills, created a magnificent and exciting scene of a sword discussion. The people of the Zhang Family watched intently, amazed and awestruck. Great Elder Zhang couldn’t help but sigh, "The Qianxue State Boundary truly is a place where talents flourish..." Elder Feng nodded and said: "This is the ’Xuan’ level sword discussion. Sect disciples who have advanced to this level are no longer nameless; they are considered the ’pillars’ in their respective sects." "But these are just appetizers. The next match is the real highlight." "Carefree Sect against Taixu Gate." "This generation, the most gifted disciple of my Feng family, will compete with the prodigy of Taixu Gate." said Elder Feng with satisfaction. Great Elder Zhang nodded, his expression growing more and more expectant. Sitting behind him, Zhang Lan unknowingly became more nervous. The subsequent sword discussions continued. Great Elder Zhang and Elder Feng continued to chat casually. But Zhang Lan paid no mind to the conversation, his eyes fixed on the enormous painting, waiting for that disciple to appear and confirm the suspicions in his heart. Time passed uncertainly, and the sword discussions on the painting gradually came to a conclusion. The disciples who dueled also retreated from the stage one by one. Finally, the painting blurred, colors spreading, then reformed a new scene, presenting another batch of sword discussions. It also presented the figures of another group of prodigious sect disciples. Elder Feng, with a proud expression, pointed to one of the scenes: "Brother Dao, among that group of disciples dressed in white from the Carefree Sect, the one leading them is my family’s prodigy, Feng Zichen." Following his direction, Great Elder Zhang saw a young man in white, standing confidently with a sword, graceful as the wind, with starry eyes full of youthful vigor and exuberance. "A graceful young man, outstanding." praised Great Elder Zhang sincerely. Elder Feng, although smiling and showing modesty, said, "Brother Dao, you praise too highly." But while the two praised the Feng family’s prodigy from the Carefree Sect. Zhang Lan’s gaze appeared as if magnetically drawn to the other side. He looked to the opposite of the Carefree Sect, within the Taixu lineup, where there was a short figure standing in the center of five people, protected by his fellow disciples, a young yet familiar face... His eyebrows were like a painting, clean and untainted by the dust. His eyes were like deep pools, bright yet profound. His demeanor was friendly and cute, showing a bit of calm, composure, and some liveliness and cunning... At that moment, Zhang Lan felt a shock, his mind boiling like boiling water. "Mo Hua..." The memories of Tongxian City surged like a tide, endlessly surging into his heart. The first time they met, a boy leaning over a restaurant table, dressed plainly yet strikingly, flipping through a difficult formation book, nearly causing himself embarrassment, the quirky little kid... The little friend who drank and ate meat with him. The little brat who accidentally intruded into Black Mountain Stronghold, creating quite a stir. The astonishingly talented junior formation master who helped the needy and the precarious. The one he searched the mountains with, caught evil cultivators, wiped out bandit cultivators, and even plotted against the supervisor... Eventually, they built a large formation to fight against a big demon... All those scattered memories poured into his mind. Those lively, adorable, and clever figures overlapped and eventually merged with the elegant youth’s figure in the painting before him. Mo Hua. Zhang Lan felt a slight constriction in his chest, a bittersweet feeling arising in his heart. He hadn’t expected that, after a ten-year absence since the farewell at Tongxian City, he would meet Mo Hua again this way. Zhang Lan took a deep breath, finding it somewhat unbelievable. He pinched his thigh hard. It hurt a lot. It wasn’t a dream... Zhang Lan slowly exhaled. On the other side, Elder Feng began to talk about Mo Hua: "In the Taixu Gate opposite, the strongest disciple is the young sword dao genius at the front, Linghu Xiao." "Linghu Xiao, originally a rare sword dao genius from the Chongxu Sect in centuries. Later, after the Three Sects’ unification, he joined the Taixu Gate, allowing the Taixu Gate to gain a bargain." "And behind Linghu Xiao, the shortest one is the one I’ve mentioned to Brother Dao before - ’Mo Hua’..." "This child is exceptionally intelligent, with very strong divine sense." "His talent in formations is extraordinarily high." "Alas... his reputation is extremely poor..." Great Elder Zhang was puzzled, "Why is his reputation poor?" Elder Feng replied, "His temperament is terrible; he likes to use low-level spells to tease people. Moreover, he is very insidious, often using trickery techniques to trap people, employing devious spells to disgust others." "He does have some talent, but there is not a bit of virtue." "Most abominable is that this child prefers to use the ’Fireball Technique’ to kill people for amusement..." "Is there really such a thing..." Great Elder Zhang exclaimed, "This child is truly despicable." Zhang Lan: "..." If it weren’t for the difference in seniority, making it inappropriate to speak casually, he’d have to defend Mo Hua to clear his name. Could Mo Hua be such a person? Mo Hua, he... Zhang Lan was slightly stunned, falling into contemplation, then into silence. After thinking it over multiple times, he realized... Mo Hua seemed... just like that? From his perspective, Mo Hua was indeed a good kid, a good young man, just sometimes acting unpredictably, a bit headache-inducing. But from others’ perspectives, only the "headache" part remained. At this time, it was apparent that not only Elder Feng was speaking poorly of Mo Hua. Zhang Lan perked his ears, hearing the surrounding cultivators indignantly: "This Mo Hua is really despicable..." "How many rounds has he played with a Concealment Technique? Can’t anyone control him?" "A good Qianxue Debate, a contest for prodigies, was turned into ’hide and seek’ by him, is that reasonable?" "Indeed!" "It is lamentable that in this sword discussion so far, countless sect talents, young heroes, have fallen at the hands of this despicable person, truly hateful!" "Is my Lu Fairy’s face something he can blow up with a Fireball Technique?!" "Someone, one sword to cut down this evil monster, and I’ll recognize him as my big brother on the spot." "If not a big brother, I’ll recognize him as my foster father..." ... Zhang Lan remained silent for a while, speechless; however, he began considering: Maybe it would be better to pretend not to know Mo Hua in the future? Just then, the disciples from both sides took their places and the sword discussion began. Elder Feng spoke with anticipation: "This child Mo Hua is indeed very annoying; numerous talented disciples have fallen at his hands before." "But today is different; this child, with all his schemes, deserves disaster, Brother Zhang..." Elder Feng looked at Great Elder Zhang, speaking generously: "Today, let’s see how my family’s prodigy cuts down this child under the sword, earning thunderous applause, living up to expectations." Great Elder Zhang nodded delightedly: "That would be excellent!" Zhang Lan instinctively shrank back, tightly closed his mouth, and didn’t dare say a word.