Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Next, next!”

“Yes!”

Tang Soso slightly bent her knees, lowering her sword, and her stance, that now resembled a cat ready to pounce, and aimed for the opponent’s neck.

Kakakag!

The opponent’s face showed clear confusion as they barely managed to block the attack. It was not easy to showcase one’s skills in real-life combat. Unlike when swinging a sword with a clear mind, emotions tend to run high in actual combat.

A person’s own sword could either put their life at risk or lead to defeat against the opponent’s sword.

In such moments, maintaining composure was not an easy task. It required a lot of experience.

“Relax your wrists and put strength into your toes.”

“Yes!”

If one could not control their body, at least one should keep it stable. That would be far better than any awkward teachings.

Tang Soso focused on calming her breathing.

“I still have a long way to go.”

The other sahyung and sajaes held their swords from childhood. Just because Chung Myung changed the way of Mount Hua and included her in the training, her basic training wouldn’t disappear.

Un Geom also focused their efforts on the basics, and the training time with the sword was fixed.

However, Tang Soso was in the process of building a foundation with the sword. No matter how talented she was, even with Chung Myung and Yu Yiseol teaching her intently, she still couldn’t catch up with the others.

‘Which is why!’

She didn’t think too much.

Trying to jump over the sahyungs in one leap would be plain arrogance to her and insulting to her sahyungs too. There wasn’t a single disciple of Mount Hua who would neglect their training, and there was no one who wasn’t serious about the sword.

‘Be it 10 years or 20, I will catch up one day.’

Chung Myung once said.

Among the plum blossoms which bloomed on the same plum tree, there wasn’t a single one that bloomed in a similar way.

Some flowers bloomed early, and others bloomed late, but blooming late didn’t diminish their beauty.

Therefore, she shouldn’t feel bad for blooming late.

Tang Soso slowly grasped her sword. Her movements were swift and sharp, and her impatience was fading away.

“Alright.”

Yu Yiseol whispered in a low voice as she widened her stance. Just one step apart. That distance was enough to show her trust in Tang Soso.

‘Sago.’

Understanding the significance of this distance, Tang Soso bit her lip. Protecting her didn’t simply mean staying close to her.

The daughter of the Tang family.

A member of the physician’s guild.

All of these were her, yet at the same time, not her.

‘I am a swordsman of Mount Hua.’

The tip of Tang Soso’s sword began to unexpectedly bring forth plum blossoms. They were not clear or in a sequence. But despite their clumsy appearance, they were undoubtedly plum blossoms.

Even if ten thousand plum blossoms bloomed, no two flowers would be the same. At this place, Tang Soso’s plum blossoms were blooming for the first time, and this made Yu Yiseol’s lips quiver.

A smile so large that it was an unusual sight on her face.

One step.

Shah!

Yu Yiseol’s feet glide on the snow again.

There was no reason to suppress her sword, just to watch the new plum blossoms around her. She, too, was still lacking, and there wouldn’t be many chances to have real fights.

Unlike Tang Soso, her soft and graceful sword flew as if they were embracing her shocked opponents.

Swish! Swish!

Like moonlight shining in the darkness, her sword slowly found the gaps in her opponents.

Simply perfect movement. Her sword was still hers, and yet it was different.

Simple but soft, sharp but flexible.

“Ahhh!”

Her cold iron sword was hastily blocked. Yet her gentle slash climbed up the opponent’s shoulder and cut it.

Slash. Slash.

She ensured that they could no longer fight by slashing away at their wrists and knees. However, her sword didn’t stop there. It was a terrifying yet mesmerizing sight. For those who faced her sword directly, it was pure horror.

A single sword slash.

Yu Yiseol’s cold voice cut through the air, shocking Tang Soso.

“Be on guard!”

“Yes!”

Tang Soso clenched her teeth and chased after Yu Yiseol.

The only one who was there to watch her back was Tang Soso.

“… what’s going on?”

Go Jin-Tak’s eyes trembled.

Were they being pushed back? Not only were they pushed, but it was a one-sided fight.

“How is this possible?”

They hadn’t exhausted their strength running all the way here, so it didn’t make sense to be dominated by a group of young people like this.

But that didn’t mean they were going to be defeated.

They had higher numbers on their side, and since they were human, these children could not defeat them all. However, the fact that a perfect defeat was a real possibility was a shock for him.

‘Was the Mount Hua sect this strong?’

It was a sect that didn’t even have a name for itself. But he couldn’t think of anything further.

Paaah!

There was no way anyone could think of something else when a sword was moving toward their face.

Go Jin-Tak was scared and tilted his head to the side. However, it was impossible to avoid it completely, and his cheek was slashed as blood flowed.

The cut burned as if it was on fire, and Go Jin-Tak corrected his form.

“I am not so weak that you can think about other things as we duel.”

“….”

Baek Cheon fixed his eyes on him with a cold look.

“Before you think of your subordinates, you should think about yourself. If not, you will fall before they do.”

At those words, Go Jin-Tak’s face turned cold.

“This is where you stop being so cocky.”

“With all due respect, I was never cocky. I simply stated the truth.”

“This….”

Go Jin-Tak, who was upset by this, gritted his teeth and summoned his internal qi. Soon, white frost began to form on his sword.

“I’ve changed my mind. Even if you surrender, I won’t spare your life!”

“It seems like nothing will change. I had no intention of surrendering in the first place.”

“YOUUUUU!”

Go Jin-Tak shouted with all his might and swiftly stabbed his sword. Despite his excitement, the sword moved true. Seven sword forms rushed toward Baek Cheon.

They were aimed at his face, stomach, shoulders, and legs.

But…

Shhh

Baek Cheon wouldn’t fall so easily. The tip of his sword swayed, and dozens of plum blossoms soon bloomed in the air.

Kang!

The flowers skillfully blocked the flying sword. It wasn’t showy, and he didn’t aim sharply at the enemy. It was a precise defense without unnecessary movement. It was the most efficient sword technique.

“Kuak!”

Go Jin-Tak’s sword crossed paths with Baek Cheon’s sword without ever considering surrender.

His fierce sword qi tore through the air and Baek Cheon mercilessly, like a raging storm. It could cut, stab, or do anything.

The Cold Sword Breaking Snow.

This was the technique that Go Jin-Tak was most confident in. One of the Twelve Forms of Ice from the North Sea Ice Palace.

The sight of the pale white swords raging fiercely in the air resembled a whirlwind.

However, Baek Cheon’s eyes showed no hint of fear.

‘No.’

No matter how splendid and complex the sword technique was, it didn’t faze him.

Observe.

Like a subtle gust of wind in the dense air.

‘It can’t be like this.’

His sword was different.

There were no gaps, even though his opponent released a sword qi that was incomparable to his. Compared to the despair he felt when facing a sword head-on, this meant nothing.

Baek Cheon firmly thrust his sword forward, fueled by his internal qi.

Swish!

The sword glowed bright white with gusts of sword qi, sharp like sunlight piercing through the clouds.

“Huk!”

Upon seeing the white sword qi rushing towards him, Go Jin-Tak had no choice but to dodge.

After rolling on the ground, he halted to gaze in shock at Baek Cheon. The warrior had evaded Baek Cheon’s sword in a disgraceful manner, but those thoughts were no longer present.

Only questions remained.

‘How?’

He had fought countless opponents before, but this was a first for him. Even when faced with warriors of Kangho, there were instances when his sword was overpowered, but the blade had never been destroyed before.

He swallowed hard and leaped back up.

This wasn’t a friendly spar. Even if he inquired, the other person would not explain, and there was no guarantee that his life wouldn’t be at risk. Completely relinquishing his arrogance towards his adversary, he gritted his teeth and launched an attack at Baek Cheon.

“YOUUUUU!”

Baek Cheon furrowed his brows.

‘The Captain of the Ten Thousand People?’

No, it wasn’t that.

It wasn’t that he was inferior to that man, but this man was simply more untrained.

So….

Pat!

Before Go Jin-Tak could reach him, Baek Cheon’s sword qi rushed again.

Kang!

“Kuak!”

The swift sword struck fast and nearly broke Go Jin-Tak’s wrist.

Kaaang!

Once more!

Kang!

And once more!

Go Jin-Tak’s energy waned, and his run slowed.

Wheik!

The wind roared, and hundreds of plum blossoms filled the air.

“Ah…”

Go Jin-Tak realized that this was the most beautiful sword technique he had ever seen. He was lost in the vista for a moment. This brief moment was not something Baek Cheon would miss.

Swish!

His sword moved like lightning between the plum blossoms. In an instant, Baek Cheon’s blade pierced through the flowers and clashed with Go Jin-Tak’s sword. It flew into the air and pierced itself into the ground.

Puak

Go Jin-Tak looked at the sword stuck in the snow.

“You….”

Crack

At that moment, Baek Cheon pierced through Go Jin-Tak’s shoulder.

His cold eyes met Go Jin-Tak’s bloodshot eyes.

“…”

“I learned well.”

Thud.

As Baek Cheon greeted him politely, Go Jin-Tak knelt down. Baek Cheon raised his sword into the air.

Chak.

The blood on the sword dripped onto the snow. Baek Cheon glanced at the fallen man before moving on.

“Next.”

When Baek Cheon spoke calmly, the other warriors flinched and stepped back.

“C-captain…”

“Strong… he is too strong.”

Having completely overpowered his opponent, Baek Cheon continued forward to finish off the others.

“…”

Chung Myung, who had been observing the disciples from a distance, touched Baek Ah.

“Dong Ryong… won. Yoon Jong and Jo Gul are fighting well… Yiseol doesn’t need to be mentioned, and Soso is fighting well.”

Haha.

Then…

“… there’s nothing for me to do.”

He usually dealt with situations like these, but only if they needed help. Chung Myung would appear there with a flourish.

No, that…

“They had grown too much?”

Chung Myung, a victim of their growth, crouched down and mumbled.

“…I need to find something to eat.”

It would get even colder if he just stayed still.

Ugh, it was so cold.