Mo Shan terkejut sejenak.
"Aku juga ingin berada di samping Huar, supaya dapat melihatnya menikah dan memiliki anak, dengan cucu mengisi uptauannya," kata Liu Ruhua, matanya membara dengan keinginan. "Tetapi siapa yang bisa memprediksi masa depan?"
"Kau tidak perlu khawatir," Mo Shan menguatkan isterinya.
Liu Ruhua menggoyang kepalanya. "Aku tidak khawatir. Aku tahu kau peduli dengan Huar menghadapi bahaya, tetapi dalam kehidupan seorang kultivator, bagaimana bisa tidak ada bahaya?"
Mo Shan terpikir dan tak bisa menolak untuk menganggep setuju.
Bahkan bagi kultivator yang paling beruntung, tak ada yang mudah. Di balik keberuntungan itu, selalu ada kegelisahan dan bahaya yang menanti. Apalagi untuk kultivator lepas seperti mereka sendiri, yang sudah bertahan hidup lama-lama.
Liu Ruhua melanjutkan, "Seperti yang dikatakan, cinta seorang orang tua kepada anaknya melibatkan perencanaan jangka panjang. Kita hanya kultivator Qi Refinement; tidak mampu membuatnya tidak rentan bahaya, jadi yang paling kita lakukan adalah mengajarkan bagaimana menghadapinya."
Mo Shan berubah diam. Ia menggenggam rambut panjang istrinya, ekspresinya berubah menjadi sesuatu yang seramperti kekecewaan.
"Kau benar. Kultivasi Tao itu lama dan menyigitkan darah. Kita tidak dapat merawatnya selamanya. Yang kita bisa hanyalah mengajarkan cara merawat diri sendiri."
Pada malam berikutnya, Mo Shan memanggil Mo Hua ke dalam halaman dan bertanya:
"Seperte apa kemampuanmu Menguasai teknik gerikan?"
Mo Hua, menyadari kemungkinan dia akan dimarahi oleh ayahnya, terkejut dan menjawab:
"Aku sudah hampir menguasainya."
Mo Shan menganggep setuju. "Biarkan aku menguji kamu."
Mo Hua matanya berbinar. "Baik!"
Dia juga ingin tahu apakah ayahnya, yang berada di tahap akhir Qi Refinement, bisa memecahkannya dari Water Passing Step.
Mo Hua mundur sekitar tiga puluh kaki, berdiri tegak, dan memusatkan tatapan yang fokus pada Mo Shan, lalu berkata:
"Ayah, aku siap."
"Baik, jaga diri," jawab ayahnya.
Tidak lebih dari detik, Mo Shan tubuhnya menjadi bayangan yang melintas menuju Mo Hua.
Terlemah!\n
Mo Hua terkejut dan, melepaskan Kesadaran Ilahinya serta membangkitkan Kekuatan Spiritual, berpecut ke belakang.
Di tengah jalan keluar dari posisinya, Mo Hua tak lagi dapat melihat ayahnya, lalu tiba-tiba merasakan sedikit tekanan di belakangnya. Seolah-olah rasa dingin menyergelengergelkan tubuhnya, dan dengan sekadar berbalik ringan, ia beralih ke kiri.
Mo Shan muncul di belakang Mo Hua tanpa hedua, lalu melepas tangannya yang menggapai udara sekaligus memercepatkan tubuhnya kembali, tangan kanannya terus bertuju pada Mo Hua.
Ekspresi Mo Hua berubah menjadi sesuatu yang seram. Tinggi kecepatan Mo Shan membuatnya terkejut, dan tahun-tahun bertarung melawan Monster Binatang telah memberinya pengalaman yang banyak. Gerakannya tidak dapat diprediksi, kadang solid, kadang tidak nyata; dalam Kesadaran Ilahi Mo Hua, hampir mustahil untuk mendeteksi bentuk Mo Shan.
Dan bila ia berhasil mendeteksinya, Mo Shan biasanya sudah berada di samping Mo Hua.
Kesadaran Ilahi Mo Shan tidak jauh lebih kuat daripada Mo Hua. Kemampuan Mo Hua untuk tidak mendeteksinya itu sepenuhnya karena kecepatan gerakan Mo Shan dan tindakan yang decisive yang sangat menipu, membuat Mo Hua tidak mampu menentukan langkah berikutnya.
Mo Hua tak bisa menolak untuk merasa bahwa pengalaman pertempuraninya sangat kurang.
Setelah beberapa pertukaran lagi, Mo Hua menghindar dengan gerakan yang kaku dan tergesa-gesa, hanya berhasil membela diri dengan gelonja.
Seiring jarak bertarung memanjang, bentuk Mo Shan di dalam Kesadaran Ilahi Mo Hua akhirnya menjadi lebih jelas dan lebih mudah diidentifikasi.
Gerakan menghindar Mo Hua mulai menunjukkan pola.
Walaupun Mo Shan mengandalkan penipuan dan serangan mendadak, Mo Hua juga belajar untuk menggabungkan lawan dengan kebenaran, membuat lawan kebingungan.
Semakin banyak mereka bertarung, semakin tenang gerakan Mo Hua.
Tepat pada saat teknik Mo Hua mulai berkembang, tiba-tiba Mo Hua ditangkap oleh Mo Shan yang muncul dari gelap, lalu digoyangkan ke atas dengan lingkungannya.
Mo Hua terkejut. "Ayah, bagaimana caranya menguskap aku?"
Mo Shan mengheegah. "Kamu masih perlu berlatih teknik gerakan lebih lanjut."
Meski begitu, Mo Shan tetap terkesan dalam hati.
Teknik gerakan Mo Hua jauh lebih kuat dar yang ia sangka!
Dalam pengikutannya yang baru saja dilakukan, bahkan kultivator dengan realm yang sama dengan dirinya pasti tidak akan dapat menghindar dari setiap usangan. Bukan hanya itu, Mo Hua berhasil menghindar, bahkan dengan mudah. Selain kekacauan awal, semakin lama mereka bermain, semakin terkontrol gerakannya, langkahnya eterik, dan gerakan yang meyakinkan, setara dengan beberapa Pemburu Monster yang pengalaman.
Lebih penti lagi, teknik ini tidak terlihat dan tak mencurigakan, tanpa jejak di mana kekuatannya berasal, bagaimana ia menguasai, atau bagaimana ia ditekan kembali.
Dari segi standar Kultivasi Tubuh, teknik ini sekadar tidak dapat dijangkau.
Mo Shan tidak pernah benar-benar mengungkapkan teknik gerakan Mo Hua itu. Ia hanya mengandalkan tahun-tahun bermimpi dan berkelah dalam kehidupan, serta kemampuan mengenal buah hati, untuk menebak lokasi Mo Hua akan muncul dan secara sengaja menggapainya.
Jika tidak demikian, mereka mungkin akan bertarung selama dekade atau lebih hingga Mo Hua kelelahan dan mengungkap kelemahan, yang Mo Shan kemudian bisa manfaatkan untuk akhirnya menangkapnya.
Perasaan yang menyebar melalui hati Mo Shan melewat sekaligus.
Mo Hua hanya berada di tahap Lima dari Qi Refinement...
Melihat ayahnya berdiri diam, ekspresinya tenang, tak menunjukkan kegembiraan atau kemarahan, tampaknya terpuruk dalam pikiran, Mo Hua bertanya, "Ayah?",
Mo Shan kembali ke presentasi, menatap Mo Hua, lalu setelah dipikirkan, berkata,
"Teknik gerikanmu tidak buruk, tetapi kamu masih perlu berlatih lebih lanjut, jangan sombong!"
"Baik," jawab Mo Hua.
Namun memikirkan bahwa itu juga merupakan bentuk pujian, terasa sedikit bahagia di dalam dada.
"Ayah, sudahkah kau belajar teknik gerakan juga?" tanya Mo Hua.
Mo Shan menggoyang kepalanya. "Ini bukan teknik gerakan yang sebenar-benarnya; cuma sesuatu yang aku temukan sendiri untuk menghindari cedera saat bertarung melawan Monster Binatang, lalu belajar sedikit dengan menyaksikan orang lain dan menyusunnya.
"Kamu bilang... sebagai teknik yang ditujukan untuk Pertarungan?" tanya Mo Hua dengan hormat.
Chapter 123 Sparring (Second Update)_1
Mo Shan was momentarily taken aback.
“I also want to stay by Huar’s side, to see him get married and have children, with grandchildren filling the hall,” Liu Ruhua said, her eyes brimming with longing. “But who can predict the future?”
“You don’t have to worry,” Mo Shan comforted his wife.
Liu Ruhua shook her head. “I’m not worried. I know you’re concerned about Huar facing danger, but in a cultivator’s life, how can there be no peril?”
Mo Shan thought about it and couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
Even for the most fortunate cultivators, it’s inevitable to experience twists and face dangerous situations a few times. Especially for those loose cultivators like themselves, who had already been struggling for survival.
Liu Ruhua continued, “As the saying goes, a parent’s love for their child entails planning for the long term. We are only Qi Refinement cultivators; we can’t make him invincible to danger, so the least we can do is teach him how to face it.”
Mo Shan was silent. He caressed his wife’s long hair, his expression becoming one of resignation.
“You’re right. Tao cultivation is long and arduous. We can’t look after him for his entire life. We can only teach him how to take care of himself.”
The following evening, Mo Shan called Mo Hua to the courtyard and asked:
“How well have you mastered your movement technique?”
Mo Hua, thinking he was about to be scolded by his father, was taken aback and replied:
“I’ve pretty much learned it.”
Mo Shan nodded. “Let me test it.”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”
He too wanted to know if his father, who was at the late stage of Qi Refinement cultivation, could break through his Water Passing Step.
Mo Hua moved back about thirty feet, turned to stand firm, and with a focused gaze on Mo Shan, he said:
“Dad, I’m ready.”
“Alright, be on your guard,” his father replied.
No sooner had Mo Shan’s words fallen than his body became a fleeting shadow, speeding towards him.
So fast!
Mo Hua was startled and, releasing his Divine Sense and igniting his Spiritual Power, drifted backwards.
Halfway through his retreat, Mo Hua lost sight of his father and suddenly felt a slight pressure behind him. A shiver ran through him, and with a light twirl, he drifted to the left.
Appearing behind Mo Hua out of nowhere, Mo Shan grabbed at thin air, his expression one of mild surprise, then swiftly flashed his body again, his right hand continuing to reach for Mo Hua.
Mo Hua’s expression was solemn.
Mo Shan’s speed was too fast, and his years of fighting Monster Beasts had given him abundant experience. His movements were unpredictable, sometimes solid, sometimes elusive; in Mo Hua’s Divine Sense, it was almost impossible to detect Mo Shan’s figure.
And when he did detect him, Mo Shan would usually already be by his side.
Mo Shan’s Divine Sense was not much stronger than Mo Hua’s. Mo Hua’s inability to sense him was purely due to Mo Shan’s quick movements and decisive actions, which were highly deceptive and left Mo Hua unable to determine his next move.
Mo Hua couldn’t help but feel that his combat experience was sorely lacking.
After a few more exchanges, Mo Hua dodged in an awkward and flustered manner, barely managing to hold on.
As the chase went back and forth, Mo Shan’s figure in Mo Hua’s Divine Sense finally became clearer and easier to identify.
Mo Hua’s evasive maneuvers began to show a pattern.
While Mo Shan relied on feints and surprise attacks, Mo Hua also learned to blend the false with the true, catching the opponent off guard.
The more they clashed, the more composed Mo Hua’s movements became.
Just as Mo Hua’s technique was hitting its stride, he was suddenly caught by Mo Shan, who appeared out of nowhere, and hoisted up by his collar.
Mo Hua was taken aback. “Dad, how did you manage to catch me?”
Mo Shan humphed. “You still need to practice your movement technique more.”
Even so, Mo Shan was still profoundly moved.
Mo Hua’s movement technique was far more powerful than he had expected!
During their recent pursuit, even cultivators of the same realm as him would probably not have been able to dodge each attempt.
Not only had Mo Hua dodged them, but he also did it with ease. Aside from the initial chaos, the later he got, the more composed he became, his steps ethereal and his movements convincing, on par with some of the experienced Monster Hunters.
Moreover, this technique was invisible and traceless, with no indication of where the power originated, how it leveraged, or how it was retracted.
Judging by the usual metrics of Body Cultivation, it was simply inscrutable.
Mo Shan had not truly deciphered this movement technique; he had simply relied on his years of life-and-death combat experience, as well as his familiarity with his son, to guess where Mo Hua would appear and casually take a stab at it.
Had it not been for that, they would probably have had to spar for dozens more rounds until Mo Hua ran out of stamina and exposed a flaw, which Mo Shan could then exploit to finally catch him.
Waves of emotion rippled through Mo Shan’s heart.
Mo Hua had only reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement…
Seeing his father standing in place, his expression calm, showing neither joy nor anger, but seemingly lost in thought, Mo Hua asked, “Dad?”
Mo Shan came back to his senses, looked at Mo Hua, and after thinking for a moment, said,
“Your movement technique is not bad, but you still need to practice more, do not slack off!”
“Oh,” Mo Hua nodded.
But thinking that this was also a form of praise, he felt a little happy inside.
“Dad, have you also learned a movement technique?” Mo Hua asked again.
Mo Shan shook his head. “This isn’t really a movement technique of any sort; it’s just something I figured out on my own to avoid getting hurt while fighting Monster Beasts, then I learned a bit by watching others and pieced it all together.”
“Purely a combat-oriented movement technique?” Mo Hua asked with sudden respect.
“You could say that.”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up. “Can you teach me?”
Mo Shan hesitated, then said, “Haven’t you learned a movement technique? Do not learn too many at once, master one first.”
“I could use it for reference…” Mo Hua suggested.
After a brief moment of thought, Mo Shan nodded. “Alright.”
Mo Shan showed Mo Hua several basic steps of the technique.
Some moves were similar to the Water Passing Step, but slightly different; others were seemingly simple advance and retreat steps, and then there were assorted moves from other techniques. Eventually, they all blended together into a concise and sharp set of movements.
It appeared to be a patchwork of different elements, but Mo Hua did not take it lightly at all.
This was, as far as he was concerned, the most threatening set of movements he had faced, and he could not even think of how to counter it.
It was straightforward, efficient, without superfluous movements, emphasizing adaptability and the principle of winning by having no fixed moves against someone with a set repertoire.
One could say it was all openings, but if used well, one could also say it was flawless.
What if these steps could be broken down and integrated into the Water Passing Step; would that make the Water Passing Step even more powerful?
Invigorated, Mo Hua seriously memorized all these techniques, planning to practice them more when he found the time.
Mo Shan thought back to the movement technique Mo Hua had used and still found it unbelievable, asking,
“Did Court Leader Zhang teach you this technique?”
“Uncle Zhang told me not to tell.”
“Hmm,” Mo Shan nodded, and couldn’t help thinking to himself, isn’t that the same as telling me…
“Dad, are you not angry anymore?” Mo Hua asked softly.
Mo Shan glared at him. “You still know that I can get angry?”
Mo Hua chuckled.
“Get up early tomorrow morning,” said Mo Shan.
“Tomorrow morning?” Mo Hua was taken aback.
Without saying anything more, Mo Shan turned and left.
At 6 A.M. the next day, Mo Hua got up and went out to the courtyard, only to see his father Mo Shan had already been standing there early.
“Your mother made breakfast; eat something first,” said Mo Shan.
After the father and son finished eating, Mo Shan took Mo Hua out of their home.
The two walked through the streets in the early morning, exited the gates of Tongxian City, and stepped onto the mountain trail outside the city.
“Dad, where are we going?”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Mo Hua asked.
Mo Shan was silent for a moment, then said, “I’m taking you to Big Black Mountain!”
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