Hwasan Sect’s Genius Swordsman Chapter 83

Chapter 83

At Tianzhu Peak, Mu Hwi was sitting cross-legged in meditation, while the Sword Immortal was sitting a short distance away, watching over him.

‘He said he hasn’t even reached the age of thirty yet.’

It was a very promising time, not even reaching the age of thirty. Yet, seeing such remarkable achievements, the Sword Immortal was pleased.

‘He’s better than I was in my youth.’

In the future, when the leaders of the orthodox sect, including himself, had disappeared, Mu Hwi had the potential to become a new pillar supporting the orthodox sect.

All the Sword Immortal could do was provide a little help so that Mu Hwi could bear the weight a bit more easily.

‘Perhaps the reason I’ve lived this long was due to heaven’s arrangement to meet you.’

Having passed down the legacy of the sword he had built over a lifetime to the next generation, the Sword Immortal now had no lingering regrets.

“Hehe.”

At the Sword Immortal’s hearty laughter, the pine trees on Tianzhu Peak swayed gently.

After meditating for about half a day, Mu Hwi was able to systematize the enlightenment he had gained and open his eyes.

Recalling the traces of the sword from Six Harmonies Sword, he had fully established the true meaning of Six Harmonies and the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

Mu Hwi planned to leave it as a secret manual as soon as he returned to the Hwasan Sect.

“He has fully reached the pinnacle of transcendence.”

The Sword Immortal, who had been watching over Mu Hwi, noticed that the energy fluctuations had become rough during meditation, indicating that his realm had risen.

Mu Hwi bowed his head in response.

“It is all thanks to your generous teachings.”

“If you hadn’t been able to receive it, it would have been useless.”

The Sword Immortal, still seated, looked at Mu Hwi and spoke.

“In the future, when you see the end of your life. Pass on your accumulated merits to the next generation. Even if you turn to dust, let someone who embodies the same martial path as you exist in the martial arts world.”

As the Sword Immortal untied his legs and stood up, Mu Hwi also rose to his feet.

“The orthodox sect is slow because it follows the natural order. But the evil sect goes against the natural order and is fast, and the demonic cult is beyond human principles, so there’s no need to mention it.”

The Sword Immortal and Mu Hwi walked side by side.

The gentle mountain breeze of Tianzhu Peak softly pushed against their backs.

“Nevertheless, the reason the orthodox sect continues to maintain its lineage and protect one axis of the martial arts world is that the accumulated merits of the predecessors are passed down intact to the successors. This is the power of time, the reason why the orthodox sect grows stronger.”

What the Sword Immortal was saying was not just about the process of martial arts being passed down and developed within a sect.

The accumulated merits the Sword Immortal spoke of were not just about martial arts and internal energy, but also about chivalry, beliefs, and will.

It was about the martial path itself that a martial artist must possess.

Even if the sects are different, even if they met for the first time today, if there is a junior worthy of passing on or supporting, they would do so.

This is the connection and opportunity of the orthodox sect.

Today’s meeting between the Sword Immortal and the Sword Devil was also one of the epics that would give birth to an absolute master.

As Mu Hwi listened to the Sword Immortal’s words, a thought occurred to him.

‘What if I had been active in the orthodox sect in my past life, not the evil sect.’

The predecessors do not spare sacrifices and generosity for the successors, and the successors cultivate themselves and show respect for the predecessors.

The reason the orthodox sect particularly values chivalry and etiquette might also be due to this underlying consciousness.

“I have truly entrusted it to you, so take good care of it and pass it on to the next generation.”

In his youth, the Sword Immortal also received an opportunity from a senior whose name he did not know.

Thus, the Sword Immortal also intended to pass on what he had received to another junior.

Someday, Mu Hwi would also pass on the enlightenment he had received to the next generation.

This is also a cycle and flow.

Even if the Sword Immortal dies and disappears, the Taiji he left behind would remain in the martial arts world and flow endlessly.

The Sword Immortal was practicing Taiji not with a sword, but with his beliefs.

“I will do so.”

At Mu Hwi’s firm answer, the Sword Immortal also nodded.

As they walked and talked, they soon reached the path leading down from Tianzhu Peak.

“Go now.”

“I will come again later.”

Mu Hwi paid his respects and descended from Tianzhu Peak, and the Sword Immortal continued to watch until Mu Hwi was out of sight.

“Are you going right away?”

As Mu Hwi descended from Tianzhu Peak, Yun Bai, and the Wudang Seven Swords were waiting for him.

“Yes. If I move diligently now, I think I can reach Wuhan without being late.”

Yun Bai nodded and personally escorted Mu Hwi to the sect gate.

“While you were at Tianzhu Peak, your name was engraved at the Sword Unbinding Ground. I wonder if someone as young as you, who can defeat the Wudang Seven Swords, will appear again.”

Inside the Sword Unbinding Ground, a stone slab the size of a child stood like a monument, with the names and titles of the martial artists who had successfully challenged Sword Unbinding Ground written on it.

Now, Mu Hwi’s title and name would remain in the history of the Wudang Sect until its end.

“Mu Hwi, young hero. It was truly a meaningful time. We will devote ourselves to training, so on the day we ascend to Hwasan, please accept our challenge.”

As the leader of the Wudang Seven Swords, Yin Hu spoke and made a fist salute, the rest of the Wudang Seven Swords followed suit.

“It was a good match.”

“Let’s polish the Seven Star Sword Formation a bit more.”

Seeing the Wudang Seven Swords bow their heads without hesitation and even mention challenging without hesitation, Mu Hwi could vaguely guess the level of cultivation they had achieved.

“Seeing the Wudang Seven Swords, I thought it would be good if our sect also had masters representing the sect like the Wudang Seven Swords. I have learned a lot this time.”

As Mu Hwi, who had exchanged greetings, was about to cross the Wudang Sect’s gate, the Sword Immortal’s voice echoed in his mind.

[It was a pleasure after a long time. If fate allows, we will meet again.]

Mu Hwi quickly turned his head to look at Tianzhu Peak. However, the summit of Tianzhu Peak, said to be the highest in Wudang Mountain, was not visible, hidden by thick clouds from the middle.

‘To transmit sound over such a distance… I can’t even begin to imitate it.’

It would be more accurate to call it Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission or Wise Light Heart Speech, a high-level technique.

“Young hero Mu Hwi?”

Mu Hwi, who was blankly staring at the sky.

A Wudang Sect disciple, finding it strange, cautiously spoke to him, and Mu Hwi, coming to his senses, bowed his head and began to descend Wudang Mountain again.

‘It was good to come to Wudang Mountain.’

Wudang was indeed Wudang, and the Sword Immortal was indeed the Sword Immortal.

***

Hubei Province, Wuhan.

Wuhan was always bustling with tourists from all over the martial arts world who came to see the East Lake and Yellow Crane Tower.

Thus, even on ordinary days, Wuhan was a place crowded with many people.

“It’s really disgustingly crowded.”

But now, it was beyond that.

The crowd was so immense that it formed a sea of people. This sea of people was a sight unseen in both his past and present lives.

Even Mu Hwi, seeing the bustling crowd, couldn’t help but sigh in dismay.

“The Martial Alliance is truly impressive.”

With the establishment of the Martial Alliance, not only did martial artists from all over the martial arts world gather, but also inns, blacksmiths, fabric shops, and other infrastructure and merchants followed.

In front of the Martial Alliance’s main base, which was originally just a flat plain, new shops, and buildings were springing up day by day.

With great difficulty, Mu Hwi made his way through the crowd towards the place where the Martial Alliance’s main base was located, and a huge wall awaited him.

The circular wall, with no end in sight, showed the vastness of the Martial Alliance, and the bright white wall, reminiscent of pure white, shimmered in the sunlight, capturing the attention of the common people.

The huge black gate in the center of the wall and the golden plaque bestowed grandeur upon the martial artists entering and exiting the Martial Alliance.

Mu Hwi looked at the two large flags fluttering on the watchtower above the gate, each embroidered with the characters “正” (Justice) and “盟” (Alliance), and then moved on.

“Next.”

“Hwasan Sect’s second disciple, Mu Hwi.”

The man writing in the guest book at the gate stopped his brush and looked up.

Raising his gaze, the first thing he saw was the handsome face with smooth lines, followed by the plum blossoms embroidered on the robe and the plum blossom sword at the waist.

“Hwasan Sword Devil!”

The alliance member, startled, raised his voice, and the eyes of the martial artists waiting in line to pass through the gate turned to Mu Hwi.

“The Hwasan Sword Devil? The one who defeated two sword dragons?”

“Isn’t that old news? The divine star who single-handedly defeated the Jeonjin mysterious swordsman, which even the elders of the Wudang Sect couldn’t capture.”

“Is that possible for a late-stage foundation level disciple? He must have accompanied the elders of the Hwasan Sect. The Hwasan Sect must have concentrated their efforts for their future hope.”

Indeed, although Mu Hwi had built up many achievements, many considered them exaggerated.

Partly because rumors in the martial arts world tend to be like that, but also because there were often no witnesses when Mu Hwi was active.

“Even if exaggerated, it’s undeniable that he’s a top contender for this Heavenly Dragon Competition.”

“That’s right. He defeated two of the six dragons and reportedly gave the first defeat to the disciple of the Fist King.”

The alliance member quickly wrote down Mu Hwi’s name in the book and, while glancing at Mu Hwi, casually asked.

“Are you participating in this Heavenly Dragon Competition?”

At the question, Mu Hwi merely twisted the corner of his mouth.

“Maybe? I’m not sure.”

Mu Hwi, who had vaguely answered, recalled the reactions of the martial artists he had just heard and moved on.

‘I need to make a strong impression this time.’

Mu Hwi intended to firmly imprint the four characters Hwasan Sword Devil in the minds of the crowd gathered for the Martial Alliance’s opening ceremony.

For martial sects, the most important thing is martial power, but reputation is equally important.

Especially for the orthodox sect, which values honor and face.

In the martial arts world, things often go well not because of martial power but because of reputation.

‘With two Competitions happening, it’s perfect.’

Among the martial artists participating in this Competition, many would be aiming for reputation rather than rare pills.

If they show an impressive performance in the martial competition, the audience would create nicknames for them, and just making it to the main Competition would greatly spread their reputation.

Participating in a competition and winning consecutively is much more effective than numerous martial journeys in making a name for oneself.

‘I need to sweep them all.’

As Mu Hwi steeled his resolve, he briefly admired the towering complex of buildings.

The forest of numerous rising buildings, though the details were unclear, seemed arranged according to the principles of formations to make defense easier.

Though not certain, Mu Hwi’s senses tingling here and there suggested that there might even be hidden mechanisms.

With the necessary infrastructure for daily life inside the walls, they could hold out for quite a long time by closing the gates.

“Daegal, no, Zhuge, was it?”

He had heard that the Zhuge family had led the construction of the Martial Alliance’s main base.

The Zhuge Family.

One of the rapidly rising families in recent times, known for their deep knowledge in strategy, formations, and mechanisms.

But no one underestimated the martial depth of the Zhuge family.

The Zhuge family’s martial artists had personally proven their martial level.

“They say it’s a smart family. They’ve made it quite troublesome to break through.”

As Mu Hwi muttered, a man passing by on the street glanced at him and approached with a smile.

“Haha. Our family members are indeed a bit sharp-minded.”

A man dressed not in martial attire but in scholar’s robes.

Holding an iron fan, the man smiled warmly at Mu Hwi.

“You must be a member of the Zhuge family. I was muttering to myself, so if I offended you, I apologize.”

As Mu Hwi clasped his hands, the man waved them off.

“Not at all. Are you Mu Hwi of the Hwasan Sect?”

While pretending not to, the man looked Mu Hwi up and down and asked, making Mu Hwi curious.

“How did you recognize me?”

“I’ve seen a portrait of Mu Hwi, and when I went to pay my respects to the Hwasan Sect members, only Mu Hwi was absent.”

“Hmm… I don’t know why a portrait of me is circulating when I’m not even a public figure.”

“Hahaha. My apologies for the late introduction. I am Zhuge Myung, the young master of the Zhuge family.”

“I am Mu Hwi of the Hwasan Sect.”

Zhuge Myung chatted lightly with Mu Hwi about this and that, then gradually quickened his pace.

“I must attend the small meeting at Yellow Crane Tower now. Do you know about it, Mu Hwi?”

“What is it?”

“It’s a gathering organized by the Thunderbolt Dragon to unite the late-stage foundation level disciples gathered at the Martial Alliance. If you come and grace the occasion, the Thunderbolt Dragon would be pleased.”

“Hmm…”

Zhuge Myung’s eyes sparkled as he asked, but Mu Hwi openly showed his reluctance.

When late-stage masters gather, it usually ends up with romantic entanglements or meaningless flattery leading to fights.

Such cases were common, so while there might be good wine, he wasn’t interested.

“Perhaps it’s quite different from what you’re thinking. There will be many familiar faces, so why not take a step? You can leave midway if you wish.”

As Zhuge Myung made this request, Mu Hwi became a bit curious about what confidence made him say it would be different.

“I haven’t paid my respects to the elders of my sect yet, so I’ll take care of my duties and come if I have time.”

“Thank you, Mu Hwi. Then, see you later.”

Mu Hwi nodded at Zhuge Myung, who was smiling gently and turned his steps.

***

Mu Hwi paid his respects to the elders, including Baek Yu, and left the main base.

His interest in the small meeting was piqued by the fact that some of his fellow disciples, including Hwasan Four Flowers, had gone to Yellow Crane Tower.

‘What on earth is this small meeting?’

It couldn’t be more than a simple social event.

Yellow Crane Tower seemed to have been entirely reserved, as all five floors were filled with the energy of late-stage foundation level disciples. The closer he got, the more Mu Hwi felt something was off.

Mu Hwi’s eyes narrowed as he frowned.

‘Strange. Why does it only smell of tea?’

It was the moment when Mu Hwi’s expectation that the late-stage foundation level disciples would be drinking and having fun was completely off.

< It was good to come to Mount Wudang. > End

< Isn’t it really funny? >