Hwasan Sect’s Genius Swordsman Chapter 81

Chapter 81

The faded pavilions.

The pavilions of the Wudang Sect, rising through the thin mist, all bore the marks of time.

However, thanks to meticulous care over the years, they exuded a serene atmosphere rather than appearing old.

‘It’s quiet.’

After passing through the Wudang Sect’s gate, Mu Hwi felt a stark difference compared to the Hwasan Sect.

The Wudang Sect felt extremely quiet and static compared to Hwasan. The tranquil atmosphere calmed his mind, which had been stirred by the duel with the Wudang Seven Swords.

“Greetings, Elder Yun Bai.”

Disciples of the Wudang Sect, who crossed paths with Mu Hwi as he walked through the sect grounds, bowed to Yun Bai but couldn’t help glancing at Mu Hwi’s waist as they passed.

‘The Plum Blossom Sword of Hwasan!’

‘Did the elders really lose to him?’

As always, the Plum Blossom Sword hung at Mu Hwi’s waist. Perhaps it was because they were in the Wudang Sect, but the red tassel on the Plum Blossom Sword stood out even more.

Feeling the disciples’ gazes, Yun Bai looked at the red tassel on the Plum Blossom Sword.

‘How long has it been since a weapon other than the Songwen Ancient Sword was seen within the Wudang Sect grounds?’

In the past, Paewangseong Lord had broken through the Sword Unbinding Ground, but he was unarmed.

Moreover, the owner of this weapon was a junior disciple, so today’s event would likely be remembered in the Wudang Sect’s history for a long time.

‘Outwardly, he’s a junior disciple, but he’s already a pillar supporting the orthodox sects.’

How many in the martial arts world could single-handedly break through the Wudang Seven Swords’ Seven Stars Sword Formation?

Even excluding the Emperors, who transcended the realm of ordinary martial artists, the number would be extremely small.

The leaders of the Nine Sects and Three Great Families, the Sect Leaders of the Seven Evil Heaven, and masters renowned across the martial arts world might be capable.

But the number likely wouldn’t exceed thirty.

‘He truly defies common sense.’

Mu Hwi’s martial prowess was so extraordinary that many who hadn’t seen him in person would think the rumors were exaggerated. 

In fact, it was common for martial artists to be exposed as frauds when their inflated reputations were tested.

‘But this child is the real deal.’

There have always been special individuals who, from their junior days, built reputations that would be talked about in the martial arts world for a long time. These individuals often later dominated the pinnacle of the martial arts world or became the number one under heaven.

The current Emperors, and the so-called Three Seats—the Sword Immortals, Changcheon, and the Paewangseong Lord—were such individuals.

‘At this Martial Alliance’s founding ceremony, the entire martial arts world will witness Mu Hwi’s true capabilities.’

As Yun Bai pondered Mu Hwi’s future, they arrived at the path leading to the peak where the Sword Immortal resided.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yun Bai spoke to Mu Hwi.

“This is the path to Tianzhu Peak. Just follow this road.”

“Thank you.”

Having completed his guidance, Yun Bai did not accompany Mu Hwi further, leaving him to ascend the peak alone.

“I wonder how this will turn out… Primordial Celestial Lord.”

Yun Bai believed this meeting would also become a significant moment in the martial arts world’s history.

“It’s ridiculously high.”

Tianzhu Peak, where the Sword Immortal resided, was the highest among the seventy-two peaks of Mount Wudang.

As Mu Hwi ascended, the surrounding peaks gradually disappeared from view or fell below his line of sight.

After climbing for a while, the middle of the peak was shrouded in a sea of clouds, making everything around him pure white.

Breaking through the sea of clouds and reaching the summit, Mu Hwi was greeted by a refreshing, open landscape.

The vast sea of clouds covering Mount Wudang and the tips of the seventy-two peaks piercing through it.

The clear view refreshed even the mind of the beholder.

“Truly one of the Five Great Mountains of Central Plains.”

All the peaks of Mount Wudang lay below Tianzhu Peak, and the sky, always high above, seemed close enough to touch if one reached out.

After briefly admiring the scenery of Tianzhu Peak, Mu Hwi turned and headed toward the thatched cottage at the summit.

Under a pine tree in front of the cottage, a middle-aged man sat alone, playing Go.

The man was deeply engrossed in thought, staring at the Go board filled with black and white stones.

Seeing this, Mu Hwi was momentarily speechless.

‘I heard he’s over a hundred years old.’

But the Sword Immortal before him was not a wrinkled old man but a middle-aged man with taut skin.

The only trace of old age on the Sword Immortal was his long, flowing white hair.

Only one thing came to mind in such a situation.

‘Rejuvenation.’

A phenomenon that occurs when a martial artist reaches the pinnacle of mastery, known as ascending to the peak or absolute realm.

Even the Sword Devil of his past life had not reached such a realm. Watching the Sword Immortal, who had achieved this state, Mu Hwi could only silently observe the man placing stones on the board.

‘What kind of swordplay would someone at that level display?’

Thump, thump!

His heart was beating so fast that even Mu Hwi could hear it.

Imagining the Sword Immortal’s swordplay and the desire to cross swords with him made his fighting spirit surge uncontrollably.

As his right hand twitched toward the sword hilt, he barely restrained himself.

Tap!

The white stone placed on the Go board made a clear sound that echoed beyond the summit of Tianzhu Peak.

Hearing this, Mu Hwi’s competitive spirit and fighting energy, which had been bubbling up from deep within, instantly subsided.

This time, the Sword Immortal, holding a black stone, looked up and gazed at Mu Hwi.

“You’ve arrived. Tianzhu Peak is so high that even martial artists find it taxing to climb. You’ve worked hard.”

The Sword Immortal’s gentle voice welcomed Mu Hwi, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hmm? Ah, yes. Why do you look like that?”

“Huh?”

At the Sword Immortal’s abrupt question, Mu Hwi was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Your face and eyes don’t match. It’s as if two people’s faces were combined. Strange. Your physiognomy shows two lifetimes intertwined.”

Hearing the Sword Immortal’s words, Mu Hwi’s steps halted abruptly. He couldn’t help but be startled by the Sword Immortal’s gaze, which seemed to pierce through his very essence.

The Sword Immortal stroked his beard, lost in thought, then shook his head.

“The martial arts world is vast, so nothing is truly surprising. Sit.”

At the Sword Immortal’s gesture, Mu Hwi sat across from him, the Go board between them.

“Do you know how to play Go?”

“No.”

At Mu Hwi’s blunt answer, the Sword Immortal clicked his tongue briefly.

“Well, at your age, swinging a sword all day isn’t enough.”

After a moment of contemplation, Mu Hwi got straight to the point.

“I heard you summoned me, Sword Immortal.”

“That’s right.”

“May I ask the reason?”

The Sword Immortal, who had been lost in thought for a moment, pointed to the Go board before him. Mu Hwi lowered his gaze to look at it.

Mu Hwi knew nothing about Go, so he couldn’t tell the state of the black and white stones, but he could see they were intricately intertwined.

“It looks intense… It seems White is at a disadvantage.”

“Indeed. Since I was young, whenever I hit a wall in my swordsmanship, I played Go. Through it, I gained many insights.”

The Path is said to be present in all things.

It seemed the Sword Immortal had found the Path and gained enlightenment through Go.

“What insights did you gain?”

At Mu Hwi’s bold question, the Sword Immortal chuckled briefly and continued.

“In simple terms, Go is about not breaking the flow. If the flow is broken, the corners and sides become unstable, and the center loses its rhythm. The large groups die. Maintaining continuity is crucial.”

The Sword Immortal stroked the black and white stones on the board and added.

“Anyone who learns Go realizes this. It’s not a profound insight. But this small realization was the foundation that gave birth to the Sword Immortal.”

Mu Hwi nodded as he listened. The same teaching or insight could lead to vastly different outcomes depending on the recipient.

Even when looking at the same thing, humans perceive it differently.

“When I was young, I saw the sword in this small Go board, but as I grew older, I began to see something else.”

The Sword Immortal, who had been staring at the black and white stones, looked up at Mu Hwi for the first time.

“Now, I no longer see the sword in the harmony of black and white, but people. Not the connection between forms and techniques, but the connection between generations, the bonds of fate.”

Understanding the Sword Immortal’s words, Mu Hwi asked.

“Bonds of fate… Doesn’t the Wudang Sect have a talent like the Soaring Cloud Hidden Dragon?”

“The Wudang Sect’s sword, which must be passed down to the next generation, has been fully inherited by that child. How much he can absorb depends on his capacity.”

The Sword Immortal paused briefly and stared at the Go board again.

“But that child cannot control the flow on this Go board. Sadly, the move that can reverse the situation is not his.”

Mu Hwi nodded.

He hadn’t met the Soaring Cloud Hidden Dragon, but he had heard that the disciple had already lost to the South Sea Breaking Sword.

Even if the disciple was considered a top talent in the martial arts world, it seemed he wasn’t a transcendent talent capable of dominating an era.

“Right now, black and white are in harmony, but the day will come when this harmony is broken. When that happens, I believe you will be the move that reverses White’s disadvantage.”

Tap!

The white stone placed on the Go board by the Sword Immortal.

With that single white stone, the disadvantaged position of White changed.

Of course, Mu Hwi knew nothing about Go, so he only thought he had placed a white stone.

The Sword Immortal stood up and began walking somewhere, and Mu Hwi quietly followed.

Behind the cottage was a large clearing alongside a sharply carved cliff.

“Try to receive my sword to the best of your ability. You’ll gain as much as your eyes can see.”

In other words, the Sword Immortal was imparting the insights he had gained over a lifetime to Mu Hwi.

‘A disciple of another sect, yet he’s going this far.’

The Sword Immortal, who hadn’t missed the slight change in Mu Hwi’s expression, shook his head.

“I don’t think the chivalry and righteousness pursued by Wudang and Hwasan are so different. What does it matter if it’s Wudang or Hwasan? What’s important is maintaining a martial arts world where the Taiji is in harmony, and the plum blossoms release their fragrance when the time comes.”

The old Songwen Ancient Sword in the Sword Immortal’s hand.

The blade slowly emerged from its scabbard.

The sword left its sheath without a sound, exuding a calm, serene light.

“Wudang and Hwasan. Such trivialities are unnecessary. The Sword Immortal’s sword connecting to the Sword Devil’s sword. Let’s just focus on maintaining the unbroken flow.”

If the Wudang Seven Swords had demonstrated the Wudang Sect’s endless continuity, the Sword Immortal seemed to embody the orthodox sects’ endless continuity.

Instead of answering, Mu Hwi bowed deeply, clasping his hands with sincerity.

He understood that the Sword Immortal was concerned about the future of the martial arts world and sought to impart his teachings to him.

Even so, passing on insights that were nearly at the level of the world’s number one to a disciple of another sect for the sake of the martial arts world’s stability was no easy decision.

Recalling the Hero Emperor’s words from the past, Mu Hwi felt that this, too, might be the Sword Immortal’s unique form of chivalry.

“Second-generation disciple of the Hwasan Sect, Mu Hwi. I humbly accept the teachings of the Wudang Sect’s Sword Immortal.”

Swoosh!

After bowing, Mu Hwi slowly drew the Plum Blossom Sword.

As Mu Hwi slowly closed the distance toward the Sword Immortal, he stopped.

Two streams of energy flowed along the blade of the Songwen Ancient Sword.

One energy was white, the other black.

The black and white energies harmoniously intertwined, blending into the sword.

Watching the Sword Immortal, who not only controlled the energies of Yin and Yang simultaneously but also harmonized them perfectly, Mu Hwi smirked.

Among the countless martial arts in the martial arts world, those that simultaneously harnessed the energies of Yin and Yang were rare.

Among them, the divine techniques known as supreme arts were the Sun and Moon Divine Technique of the Sun and Moon Sect and the Two Forms Divine Technique of the Wudang Sect.

‘And the Yin and Yang energies drawn from the Two Forms Divine Technique form the Taiji through the Taiji Wisdom Sword.’

Taiji Wisdom Sword (太極慧劍)

A sword technique paired with the Two Forms Divine Technique, revered as the Wudang Sect’s supreme martial art.

The Taiji sword, dyed in black and white, was pointed at Mu Hwi. In response, Mu Hwi’s eyes sharpened and then calmed.

Just the sword’s intent directed at him made Mu Hwi feel death for a moment.

Yet, Mu Hwi relaxed his tense muscles and lowered his stance slightly, firmly grounding his center of gravity.

The Plum Blossom Sword, aimed at the mid-section, trembled slightly as purple sword energy rose.

Facing the Sword Immortal’s black and white, the Plum Blossom Sword began to glow with a purple hue.

< What does it matter if it’s Wudang or Hwasan? > End

< Is this our sword technique? >