Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2169 Chapter 1018: The Five Tai'a Brothers

"Earth" Sword Discussion, the day before.

Taixu Mountain's small woodland.

Beneath the majestic ancient trees, Mo Hua gathered with the Taixu Mountain disciples joining the Earth Sword Discussion, making final preparations before the battles.

In the Xuan Character Bureau, eliminations typically hit nine out of every ten participants.

For the Four Great Sects, that rate dips just a bit lower.

With so many entrants, Taixu Gate's elimination numbers edge higher than those of the Eight Great Gates.

Only a handful of teams actually push forward, matching the Eight Great Gates in numbers.

From the Sword Discussion's start, Taixu Gate's edge has always been its sheer volume of participants.

Lower-tier disciples, thanks to Mo Hua's early setup of the "Heavenly Pride Taoist Soldiers" via Formation, Spiritual Artifact, and strategy synergy, unleash far greater fighting strength.

However, in tougher clashes as they climb ranks—particularly the Xuan Character Bureau and the Earth Sword Discussion itself—this edge starts to fade.

Taixu Gate simply lacks the count of elite gifted disciples compared to powerhouses among the Eight Great Gates, like the Vajra Sect,

Carefree Sect, or Lingxiao Sect.

It's even further behind the Four Great Sects.

So, Mo Hua feels pretty pleased with the ongoing elimination rates.

They beat his original grim forecasts by a wide margin.

Right now, Taixu Gate holds steady at third in the rankings.

That's an impressive spot, going beyond what Mo Hua had hoped for.

Several factors weave into this outcome.

For starters, the triumphs from Mo Hua and Linghu Xiao's squad have racked up plenty of victory points, locking in a strong lead.

Additionally, a big nod goes to the Sever Gold Sect.

Their key legacy got exposed and fell into the grasp of Mo Hua, that fiendish Formation Master prodigy, causing a total rout against Taixu Gate in the Xuan Character Bureau and handing over loads of points for free.

The final piece comes from the sect's "Junior Brothers" putting in the work.

Some of these disciples started out unremarkable in the sect, but through the Sword Discussion Conference's relentless fights, they've been forged in battle and begun to shine with real edge.

Guided by Mo Hua as their Junior Brother, these disciples banded together into a tight unit, clenching their jaws and battling fiercely in each bout. Most still got knocked out in the Xuan Character Bureau.

Still, they snagged a solid haul of points for Taixu Gate.

Without that, Taixu Gate couldn't have clung to third place.

These unassuming disciples, shaped by the Sword Discussion Conference's trials, now carry a subtle air of "transformation."

The team showing the sharpest "transformation" and top results in the Sword Discussion hails from the Tai'a Sect.

This squad features five brothers all surnamed Ouyang, bearing lucky names: "Fu Lu Shou Xi Cai."

But despite those fortunate names, they grew up in hardship.

They hail from the Ouyang Family, a minor branch through a wedded alliance, originally without the Ouyang name. Sadly, their parents passed young, leaving them to endure struggles from early days, and the family couldn't sustain five growing boys.

Half-adult lads drain their folks dry.

This rings especially true for cultivators, who demand not just meals but also Cultivation resources.

Expenses for techniques, spiritual items, and spirit stones pile up hugely, far beyond what a wedded branch family can handle.

These five brothers boast solid talent too, and letting it go to waste without guidance would be a shame.

Thus, clan elders placed them for adoption into the main Ouyang line, to carry on the line for an elder lost suddenly without heirs.

The Ouyang family's resources and status cover the basics of food and garb for these five easily.

That said, as adoptees, their Cultivation support stays limited.

Luckily, the brothers know tough times well, grasping how rare the chance to pursue the Dao truly is, so they train with focus and grit.

Their natural gifts, paired with brotherly bonds and shared motivation, propel their Cultivation forward at a swift pace. Lacking any elder mentorship, they broke into the Tai'a Sect on pure merit alone, which stunned everyone.

Even so, their roots run shallow, and their base feels thin. Once inside the Tai'a Sect, though they toil hard at Cultivation, they blend into the shadows amid the sect's core genius crowd.

That shifted at the Sword Discussion Conference, when Mo Hua "boosted" the five brothers, handing each heavy armor set and massive sword, along with one clear order:

"Forget everything else—just swing at whoever shows up." From then on, the brothers' paths flipped entirely.

From lowly origins without kin or mentors to lean on, and in the Tai'a Sect swarming with prodigies, they couldn't help feeling a touch lowly

and reserved.

They came off as a bit green and dim-witted.

Elaborate strategies lay beyond their grasp or skill.

But Mo Hua's "just swing at whoever shows up" cut simple, bold, plain, and

direct to the core.

As the five brothers stepped onto the arena, repeating Mo Hua's line, a rush of boundless bravery and battle zeal flooded their hearts, casting aside jitters, dread, doubts, and muddle, zeroing in purely on "swing at whoever shows up."

Regardless of the foe.

No matter the opponent's sect, their gifts, rank high or low, Cultivation strong or frail.

The sole focus: charge ahead and swing.

Beneath the mighty sword's arc, reality unfolds, settling win or loss, survival or end.

Raised side by side, sharing every bite, every breath, every Cultivation step, mastering identical techniques and Taoist Skills, drilling as one, spurring each other on, rising in sync, bound by joys and woes alike—true siblings with ties deeper than blood.

Among the five, their teamwork flows seamless and instinctive.

Upon taking the field, the five hulking, formidable brothers align in formation, clad in thick armor, gripping hefty swords, looking like five matching "War Gods," radiating an overwhelmingly dominant presence.