Hwasan Sect’s Genius Swordsman Chapter 98

Chapter 98  

“The Hwasan Sword Devil!”  

The words were barely spat out through the gritted teeth of the Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect.  

Without realizing it, the Young Leader took a step back.  

The Hwasan Sword Devil (華山劍鬼).  

The most outstanding rising star in the martial arts world.  

‘No, calling him just a rising star doesn’t even cut it.’  

His feat of blocking five moves from the Frost Sound Demon King at the Heavenly Martial Competition of the Martial Alliance had already spread far and wide, cementing his fearsome reputation.  

Before the Martial Alliance’s inauguration ceremony, many had whispered that the Hwasan Sword Devil threatened the prestige of the Six Dragons. But now, those whispers had vanished entirely.  

The entire martial arts world now knew better than to dare place the Six Dragons and the Hwasan Sword Devil on the same level.  

Moreover, the Frost Sound Demon King himself, upon returning to the Four Paths Alliance, had openly acknowledged him, leaving no room for doubt about the rumors.  

Within the Four Paths Alliance, Mu Hwi was already recognized as a monster—or at the very least, an extreme master who demanded caution.  

‘Damn it. This bastard and that bastard…’  

The Young Leader turned his head and glared at the man in black martial robes standing before him.  

The Young Leader of the Paewangseong. In the martial arts world, he was known as the Black Dragon, one of the Six Dragons.  

Just like the Hwasan Sword Devil, the Black Dragon had refused to back down even after hearing his background. Instead, he had picked a fight.  

Born into the Extreme Heaven Sect, one of the Seven Extreme Heavens, and raised with every privilege, the Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect was now facing a peer who completely disregarded his status—something he had never experienced before.  

Unlike the Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect, who flinched upon learning Mu Hwi’s identity, the Black Dragon, Yang Man-so, only grew angrier as his eyes gleamed at the sight of Mu Hwi.  

‘The Hwasan Sword Devil!’  

As an invited guest under patronage, Yang Man-so had intended to behave appropriately for the occasion.  

Even if he didn’t plan to fight, he had meant to toy a little with the Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect. But now, an opponent far more interesting has appeared.  

‘And that aura!’  

He had always wondered why a righteous sect member—especially one from an orthodox sect—bore the epithet Sword Devil. Now, he thought he understood.  

A rough, prickly aura, rare among Taoists, swept through the air like a biting wind.  

It was as if sharp blades were aimed at every inch of his body.  

Yang Man-so twitched his fingers, trying to gauge Mu Hwi’s energy, but he saw nothing.  

And with that, Yang Man-so became utterly fixated on Mu Hwi.  

Completely losing interest in the Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect, Yang Man-so stepped back.  

“We’ll meet again later.”  

His voice dripped with competitive fervor. But Mu Hwi only curled his lips in a mocking smile.  

“I doubt it’ll be fun for you.”  

With those words, Mu Hwi brushed past the crowd.  

Yang Man-so responded with an odd smile. Like the Young Leader, he had never been treated with such disregard before.  

His laughter carried a mix of competitiveness, fighting spirit, pride, and defiance.  

“Ha! Let’s just get a taste for now.”  

He had suppressed his rising emotions until now, but after being treated like this by Mu Hwi, Yang Man-so forgot even his subordinate’s advice to restrain himself at the Cheonryu Merchant Group’s banquet.

Clang!  

An iron claw shot out from his right sleeve, fitting snugly into his grip.  

As his fingers moved, the claw twisted, aiming to tear into Mu Hwi’s shoulder.  

“Disgusting.”  

Mu Hwi clicked his tongue, and his sleeve fluttered as the Plum Blossom Scattering Hand Technique was unleashed.  

Twisting his left hand to add rotation, Mu Hwi struck the underside of Yang Man-so’s wrist with his palm.  

The impact forced Yang Man-so’s fingers, which had been tightly gathered around his middle finger, to splay wide open.  

But Mu Hwi didn’t stop at just deflecting Yang Man-so’s technique.  

Unlike other orthodox martial artists who might have politely pushed him back, Mu Hwi had no such intentions.  

In the martial arts world, those who overstepped paid the price.  

Mu Hwi’s fingers, like snakes, slithered between Yang Man-so’s spread fingers, locking their hands together in an interwoven grip.  

Gasp!  

The moment his hand was caught, Yang Man-so tried to pull free, but Mu Hwi’s grip was immovable, like steel pincers.  

Crack!  

Instead, Mu Hwi’s fingers tightened, warping Yang Man-so’s iron claw. And within Mu Hwi’s hand, flame surged like wildfire.  

Mu Hwi’s grip strength, honed through external training, combined with the internal energy of the Purple Sunset Heart Method, bent the iron claw with terrifying ease.  

Grrk!  

As the claw slowly crumpled, the hand inside naturally suffered.  

The agony of his bones breaking piece by piece forced a groan from Yang Man-so, but he still thrashed, desperate to break free.  

“Young Leader !”  

It was obvious to anyone watching—Yang Man-so was being overwhelmed. 

His subordinates, who had been observing, moved to intervene, but Xian Zhu quietly tightened her grip on her sword’s hilt.  

“Don’t move. Unless you want to escalate things.”  

“Jongnam… Golden River Sword!”  

Unlike when she looked at Mu Hwi, Xian Zhu’s eyes now emitted a cold, sword-like light, as if she were ready to draw her blade at any moment.  

Standing guard at Mu Hwi’s side, she blocked the warriors of the Paewangseong from interfering.  

Just as killing intent surged in the eyes of the Paewangseong warriors who recognized her—  

Crunch!  

The iron claw shattered into pieces, scattering to the ground. Yang Man-so clutched his right hand, now visibly mangled beyond recognition.  

Even a glance was enough to tell—it would take months of recovery before he could train again.  

“I told you. It wouldn’t be fun.”  

Mu Hwi sneered, but Yang Man-so only stared back with a twisted expression.  

‘To think I couldn’t even last a single exchange…’  

He had heard the rumors about Mu Hwi, but he never imagined the gap would be this vast.  

The Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect was equally stunned.  

‘He got taken down that easily?’  

The Poison Dragon of the Sacheon Sect and the Thunderbolt Dragon.  

Yang Man-so had defeated two of the Six Dragons. Even among their ranks, he was considered upper-tier. That he couldn’t withstand even a single exchange was nothing short of shocking.  

This wasn’t even a duel. He had simply been toyed with by Mu Hwi’s hands.  

Mu Hwi glanced at Yang Man-so’s wrecked hand and spoke.  

“Be grateful you’re here as a guest. Otherwise, I would’ve taken the whole arm.”  

“Such arrogance!”  

“You bastard!”  

Enraged by Mu Hwi’s words, the warriors of the Paewangseong rushed forward, but Yang Man-so raised his uninjured left hand to stop them.  

Through Mu Hwi’s words, he had realized something.  

If he didn’t stop his men now, they wouldn’t just be subdued—they’d be slaughtered.  

Despite being from an orthodox sect, Mu Hwi had no hesitation when it came to drawing blood. Yang Man-so saw that clearly.  

After glancing between Yang Man-so, enduring his pain, and the dazed Young Leader, Mu Hwi turned away without hesitation.  

Though he walked slowly, no one dared to stop him.  

  ***

The main estate of the Cheonryu Merchant Group, one of the Three Great Merchant Groups, was so vast it surpassed even some noble families’ holdings.  

At its center was a massive pond—large enough to be called a lake.  

A long, cloud-like bridge stretched over it, and at its midpoint stood a watchtower where guests could admire the scenery of the pond and its surrounding gardens.  

On the spacious watchtower, a long banquet table was set, laden with delicacies from land and sea.  

Twelve figures were present—each a protégé sponsored by one of the merchant group leader’s twelve children.  

Among them were young talents like Mu Hwi and Yang Man-so, as well as older, middle-aged figures.  

The gathered guests sipped wine and picked at food, subtly sizing each other up.  

But Mu Hwi paid no attention to the others, focusing solely on sampling the various wines on the table.  

“So, you’re the Hwasan Sword Devil.”  

As Mu Hwi paused mid-sip and looked up, a middle-aged man—the oldest present—took a seat across from him.  

Clothed in the same blue martial robes as the Young Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect.  

Reading the man’s energy, Mu Hwi immediately recognized him.  

“The Sect Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect.”  

“Oh? You knew right away. But your tone is quite grating. Aren’t you from an orthodox sect that values etiquette?”  

As the leader of one of the Seven Extreme Heavens infused his voice with anger, the atmosphere on the watchtower instantly froze.  

“You don’t seem like someone worth respecting. The one sponsoring you must be blind.”  

Deliberately, Mu Hwi refilled his cup alone, drank while staring at the Sect Leader, and then slammed it down.  

The Sect Leader’s thin eyebrows twitched.  

“You’ve grown arrogant because of the Frost Sound Demon King’s backing. That man does have a stubborn, orthodox side. He must’ve gone easy on you because you’re young.”  

The Sect Leader pushed his senses to the limit, trying to gauge Mu Hwi’s strength.  

But he couldn’t pinpoint his exact level—only that he had reached at least the perfected stage of an extreme master.  

‘Hmm.’  

But the Sect Leader wanted more than speculation. He wanted certainty.  

‘I can’t waste this rare chance to catch the Hwasan Sword Devil alone.’  

Though the Seven Extreme Heavens had united under the banner of the Four Paths Alliance, the internal struggle for power was fierce.  

Among the seven sects, no one knew which would rise to dominance and which would decline.  

The Sect Leader saw Mu Hwi as a means to pull ahead.  

He had played a key role in stopping the Guyu Sect and the Bloodshed Clan in Shaanxi, defeated four masters of the Four Paths Alliance, and even withstood the Frost Sound Demon King’s techniques.  

Many factions’ plans had been thwarted by Mu Hwi.  

Within the Four Paths Alliance, the title Hwasan Sword Devil drew more attention than most orthodox masters.  

If the Extreme Heaven Sect alone could capture him, it would not only crush orthodox morale but also elevate their standing within the Four Paths Alliance.  

‘Shall we test him?’  

The Sect Leader had planned this the moment he learned Mu Hwi would attend the banquet.  

Now, all that remained was confirming Mu Hwi’s exact strength and adjusting his plans accordingly.  

“Setting aside sect affairs, as a senior of the martial arts world, let me offer you a drink.”  

The Sect Leader picked up Mu Hwi’s discarded cup and poured the wine himself.  

Glug—  

Into that single cup, he condensed a surge of internal energy.  

The wine poured with an unusually crisp sound, resonating across the watchtower.  

Hearing it, Mu Hwi’s expression shifted subtly.  

Soon, the cup was full.  

“Take it.”  

The Sect Leader didn’t just hand it over—he flicked his wrist as if launching a hidden weapon, sending the cup spinning toward Mu Hwi.  

Despite its rotation, not a single drop spilled.  

A cup filled to the brim by an extreme master’s energy, hurled at close range—it was undeniably threatening. Yet Mu Hwi calmly extended his hand beneath it.  

Whirr—  

The cup halted midair above Mu Hwi’s palm, spinning violently but advancing no further.  

Even then, the wine inside remained perfectly still, its surface barely rippling.  

The onlookers, including the Sect Leader, gasped at Mu Hwi’s skill—halting the cup without even touching it.  

“Hah!”  

“To use pure internal energy at his age? His mastery is absurd. And so refined!”  

“He’s emitting energy counter to the cup’s spin—reverse-flow energy!”  

The cup’s rotation slowed until it finally stopped, dropping neatly into Mu Hwi’s palm.  

He lifted it—but then betrayed expectations.  

Crack!  

As the cup reached his lips, a fissure split its edge.  

“Ruining good wine with shoddy energy.”  

Mu Hwi flung the contents toward the Sect Leader.  

“You’ve spoiled the taste.”  

The Sect Leader’s eyes widened.  

The wine scattered into tiny droplets, each now a deadly projectile infused not just with the Sect Leader’s energy—but Mu Hwi’s as well.  

Despite the Sect Leader pouring his full power into the cup, Mu Hwi had effortlessly added his own, surpassing him in energy control.  

It wasn’t just about quantity—his manipulation was simply superior.  

The droplets fanned out like blooming flowers, hurtling toward the Sect Leader.  

‘Flowers?’  

Seeing the incoming storm, the Sect Leader hastily swung his sleeves to block.  

Bam!  

Though just wine, the impact felt like a powerful palm strike.  

Caught off-balance from rising too quickly, the Sect Leader was helplessly blown back.  

After four stumbling steps, he crashed through the watchtower’s railing.  

Crash! 

Shattering the wood, he plummeted toward the pond below.  

Twisting midair, he kicked off the water’s surface and landed on a nearby rock.  

“……”  

Though unharmed, his legs and robes were soaked.  

“Such humiliation…”  

As he glared up from the rock, Mu Hwi gazed down through the broken railing.  

The height difference between them made the Sect Leader’s cheeks tremble with rage.  

“How dare you look down on this Sect Leader!”  

Mu Hwi, hands clasped behind his back, smiled brightly—as if he had seen right through the Sect Leader’s schemes.  

“Sect Leader, do you understand the gap now?”  

An aura just as fierce as the Sect Leader’s, erupted from Mu Hwi, engulfing the watchtower and the pond below.  

Ripples spread across the water, and the ornamental plants trembled.  

“Behold. This is the distance between you and me.”  

< This is the gap between you and me. > End.  

< The blood never dries on your sword, does it? >