Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Wait.”

An oddly calm voice filled the air.

Perhaps because it had a hidden sharpness in it.

“… elder?”

Mu Jin was a bit startled by those words and looked at Heo Sanja, but the man didn’t even look at him. He was staring at Baek Cheon who stood on the stage.

‘Righteous Sword of Mount Hua.’

The disciples of Wudang had only heard the rumors about Mount Hua. Even Heo Sanja, who was supposed to lead the Wudang disciples and deal with Mount Hua, didn’t make any plans because they were all just rumors.

So, he naturally looked for as much information as he could get before coming here.

Of course, there was very little information about their skills and strength but there was still information which cannot be overlooked.

‘The first disciple of Mount Hua.’

Every place that came across Mount Hua had said the same thing.

The Righteous Sword of Hua, the first of Mount Hua.

Though there is Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon, his skills and influence placed him more as a figure on the world stage. In reality, that means that Baek Cheon should be the one seen as the representative of Mount Hua.

There were various evaluations, but among them, only one thing caught Heo Sanja’s attention the most.

Genius.

In the past, this man had defeated Jin Geum-ryong, one of the Five Dragons of Murim. He was also reported to have defeated a captain of the Ten Thousand People Clan.

And it was almost certain that he would become the sect leader in the future.

The conclusion was that no matter what title was used, he was someone who could not be ignored. Considering all of this, Baek Cheon would be stronger than the Mount Hua disciples who had fought first.

In that case, Heo Sanja had to worry about something else.

Could they be sure that Mu Jin would be able to defeat Baek Cheon?

Of course, Heo Sanja knew it, too. Mu Jin was strong, and Wudang also expected a lot from him.

Heo Sanja, who had watched all three matches, couldn’t guarantee a win in his head. And if a one-in-a-thousand or even one-in-ten-thousand situation were to arise, Wudang would truly fall into a state of no return.

‘Instead…’

Heo Sanja’s eyes glowed darkly. He slowly opened his mouth.

“Mu Jin.”

“Yes, elder.”

“You will not go this time.”

“… Uh?”

Heo Sanja caught a glimpse of Mu Jin, who looked wide-eyed.

“Mu Ho!”

“Yes!”

“You go.”

Mu Ho asked, seemingly surprised.

“E-elder. You mean me?”

“Yes.”

Mu Ho fell silent.

He also had insight into what was happening, so how could he not understand the situation here? It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in displaying his skills, but this spar would mean he, who was at the bottom of the class, would be stepping up.

“E-elder, the man had requested Mu Jin sahyung.”

“I have ears, too. You think I didn’t hear it?”

“Then why…”

Heo Sanja, irritated because Mu Ho wasn’t stepping forward but was instead looking nervously at Baek Cheon, then said,

“Mu Jin is one of the Three Swords of Wudang and is considered the best among Wudang disciples. It would be out of character for someone like him to fight against the second-class disciples of Mount Hua.”

“Elder!”

Mu Jin shouted, not realizing.

Heo Sanja hadn’t said anything incorrectly, but Mu Jin knew this wasn’t his words’ true intention.

Now, Heo Sanja was avoiding a request. A Wudang elder was doing this.

“It is a battle initiated by the other side. But how can we avoid it? Are you saying you are scared and using someone of lower rank when they are challenging us?”

“You say odd things.”

Heo Sanja smiled.

“Didn’t you speak to Mu Yeon a while back? This is a place for the exchange of martial arts. In this case, wouldn’t it be right for the spar to happen with Mu Ho instead of you, who has nothing more to learn from them?”

“…”

Mu Jin’s body trembled, but Heo Sanja didn’t care.

“There is no need to say anything. Mu Ho is facing that person called Baek Cheon.”

“Elder!”

Mu Jin shouted loudly, but as attention came from around them, he lowered his voice and said,

“It shouldn’t be done like this.”

“What are you saying?”

“Do not do anything unreasonable. Aren’t we the only ones standing here?”

“You fool.”

Heo Sanja coldly said.

“We already lost 3 times.”

And he said,

“If we lose here again, what will the world say about us? Would they praise us for losing despite fighting fair and square?”

“….”

“As if!”

Mu Jin looked into the eyes of Heo Sanja and kept his mouth shut. Regardless of whether the logic was right or wrong, it didn’t seem like words would work at all.

“The purpose of coming here has become impossible to achieve. Those who watched the spar will not forget Mount Hua’s victories. No one can let go of the fact that the first-class disciples of Wudang were defeated by Mount Hua’s third-class disciples twice in a row. And….”

It was even more horrible that one of the Three Swords of Wudang had admitted defeat.

Even Heo Sanja couldn’t say it out loud. He was embarrassed to speak of it.

“But one in a thousand, one in ten thousand…”

Heo Sanja’s eyes were glaring at Mu Jin.

“If you are defeated as well, Wudang’s reputation will fall to the ground. No, it is barely that. The world will start praising the growth of Mount Hua and laugh at the fall of Wudang. And it will never regain its glory.”

“… Elder.”

“You, the leader of the Three Swords of Wudang, cannot be defeated by them.”

Mu Jin looked helpless.

Heo Sanja was someone who was famous for being rational and gentle. But there was nothing like that to be found now.

“… Not this though. Elder, this is….”

“There is no need to say much. This is an order.”

When the word ‘order’ was spoken, Mu Jin sighed and closed his eyes. Heo Sanja was an elder of Wudang. Moreover, the sect leader had granted him full authority upon their departure.

In other words, Heo Sanja’s order was as authoritative as the sect leader’s.

“Go now.”

“I… I obey the orders.”

Gritting his teeth, Mu Jin stepped back.

Heo Sanja bit his lip as he looked away.

Of course, he knew—how could he not—that this was shameful and dishonorable?

This was never the right way. What would be left for them if they avoided taking on an opponent who requested them?

But this temporary humiliation and the consequences would not last forever. No amount of shame he could experience would compare to the world’s evaluation of a Wudang outclassed in skills by Mount Hua’s young disciples.

“Mu Ho, go ahead.”

“…yes.”

Mu Ho let out a light sigh and soon ascended to the stage with slumped shoulders.

“What?”

“That isn’t the great warrior Mu Jin?”

Mount Hua’s disciples began to speak.

Of course, they expected Mu Jin to come up, but the person who actually appeared on the stage was someone they hadn’t seen before.

“Who is that?”

“The other one of the Three Swords of Wudang?”

“Doesn’t seem like it?”

Everyone was shocked at this, and of course, Baek Cheon even more so. He naturally thought that someone worthy of him would come out.

Since Mount Hua had already won two spars, they could not look down on Mount Hua. It was expected that the other side would put in all their efforts.

“Is he a hidden warrior or something?”

“You think so?”

“…maybe not?”

It was obvious.

Compared to Mu Jin, who was standing below the sparring stage and exerting pressure on them, or Mu Yeon, who overwhelmed Yoon Jong, this one who came up felt significantly weaker.

Jo Gul, looking at the Mount Hua disciples in confusion, gritted his teeth and said to Chung Myung.

“Isn’t this what you said earlier?”

Chung Myung, looking at Wudang, nodded.

“Well, I didn’t think they would be this shameless.”

“… they don’t want to win?”

Anger flashed across the face of Jo Gul. As a son of a merchant skilled in calculations, there was no way he couldn’t grasp what Wudang had done now.

Wasn’t this obvious?

Instead of engaging in a tough fight against Baek Cheon and Yu Yiseol, who could be unpredictable variables, they sent weaker ones. They were holding back their strong fighters for a victory over the other disciples of Mount Hua.

If this happens, Baek Cheon would win.

And so would Yu Yiseol.

Then what about the rest?

Was there anyone else in Mount Hua who could go and win against the Wudang disciples?

At best, it would be Chung Myung.

“You can win by just fighting! Why do such a horrible thing…!”

“That is how a prestigious sect is.”

Jo Gul was angry, his voice rising, but Chung Myung was equally annoyed.

“They became a prestigious sect because they are skilled, but in the end, it’s the result and the name of the sect that matter. Those who have been holding onto that name for a long time know it well. The process doesn’t mean a thing to them.”

“So they are being fair?”

“No one said anything about it being fair.”

Jo Gul gritted his teeth.

“This… is the way of Wudang?”

He even glared at the Wudang disciples with a look of hatred. The other disciples who overheard the conversation between the two also glared at Wudang with similar anger.

Chung Myung thought it was foolish to expect justice from an enemy, but at the same time, he understood their feelings.

‘Right, it must be enraging.’

For the current Mount Hua, being like Wudang was both a goal to overcome and an object of envy.

Unlike Chung Myung, who lived in a time when Mount Hua was held in higher esteem than Wudang, they would never have dared to imagine that they could surpass Wudang.

Therefore, in their minds, Wudang naturally had to be seen as elevated and strong.

However, facing them like this felt worse than betrayal.

Chung Myung looked in the direction of Heo Sanja and smiled.

‘Right, you need to let go of the pride and everything, right?’

It was a bold decision.

Usually, those who were obsessed with respect were bound to face more dire consequences because of that. The decision to seek victory in exchange for giving up everything seemed wiser.

“Watch carefully.”

Chung Myung said coldly.

“Discussing agreements and romance is just the leisure of those who aren’t on top. The moment a knife is pointed at one’s throat, everyone’s hidden nature is revealed.”

“….”

Everyone was speechless at those words and just looked at the stage. Chung Myung’s eyes darkened.

‘But..’

Soon, he had a twisted smile on his lips.

‘It remains to be seen whether that will work out how you want.’

His eyes were extremely cold as he looked at Heo Sanja.