Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1754

“Ughhhh…” A groan finally escaped from Jo Gul’s lips.

“So, it’s already inside… like I have to grab something I can’t even feel and pull it out.” He muttered, awkwardly swinging his sword again. Then, his face twisted horribly.

He swung his sword in a strange way. He hadn’t swung like that since he was a young boy. Back then, he was just a brat at the Plum Blossom Pavilion, bullying the other students.

“Augh! This is impossible!”

He nearly hurled his sword to the dusty ground of the training yard. His hand tightened around the hilt, then loosened. Even in his fury, throwing his sword felt… wrong. Too childish.

Yoon Jong sighed, a long, drawn-out sound that spoke of endless patience. He turned to Jo Gul, his eyes calm. “Why are you making this so difficult, again?”

“I’m not *trying* to be difficult!” Jo Gul snapped back, his voice rising.

Yoon Jong just raised an eyebrow, a silent expression that clearly said, *’Oh really?’* Jo Gul’s forehead throbbed. He felt the familiar heat of frustration rising in his chest.

“It’s not as easy as you make it sound!”

“I seem to manage it alright?”

“That’s because you’re a senior disciple!”

Jo Gul was so frustrated, he hit his chest. Honestly, this Yoon Jong always underestimated him, making things difficult.

“Look! Can’t you see everyone’s about to go crazy?”

At those words, Yoon Jong wordlessly clicked his tongue with a bitter expression. It was true that even after explaining it as simply as possible, none of the Mount Hua disciples in the training ground could easily draw out their Spiritual Energy.

“It’s already there. You just have to, um…”

“Instead of repeating the same thing, just tell me how!”

“But I am telling you how…”

“Oh, Heavenly Venerable. No wonder the Taoist Sect is failing. It’s not because of anything else.” Jo Gul sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Putting that aside,”

“Hm?”

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean?” Jo Gul looked around.

The Wudang training ground, usually pristine and quiet, was now a scene of chaotic Mount Hua energy. Dust swirled with every clumsy sword swing, and the air was thick with the sound of frustrated shouts and clanging metal.

“Well…”

“Don’t worry about the fact that this is Wudang. It’s not like seeing it once or twice will…”

“No, that’s not it.” Jo Gul sighed deeply.

“I understand that this is necessary, but as you can see, Senior Brother, it’s not something you can master overnight, is it?” Yoon Jong might have learned it quickly, but not everyone could be like him. And in truth, Yoon Jong had desperately come up with the method because his life was on the line. If that hadn’t been the case, it might have taken him even longer than the others.

“What I mean is, with the situation as it is, with the Four Evil Sects possibly attacking at any moment, is it really okay for us to be doing this here?”

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“Well…” Jo Gul, who was about to answer immediately, trailed off. Yoon Jong stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“I know that even if we try from now, it’s unlikely we’ll see any significant results.”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps no one will ever master it.”

“No, but why…”

“Still, isn’t it better than doing nothing at all?” Jo Gul looked around again with a slightly renewed feeling.

He saw people frustrated because they couldn’t draw out their Spiritual Energy as they wished. But on the other hand, this sight was quite familiar.

‘Just like Mount Hua usually is.’ The guys who had been on edge and dying just a while ago now just seemed like their usual selves.

Yoon Jong smiled faintly.

“Right?”

Jo Gul, who was about to retort with a sulky face, ended up scratching his head instead. Yoon Jong said quietly,

“Back in the day, that rascal Chung Myung said that when things get complicated and urgent, you should train.”

“…That crazy bastard, again.”

“I know, right? At the time, I thought it was just some nonsense from a training-obsessed ghost… but when I asked him later, it wasn’t like that.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“He said that for those who have training as part of their daily lives, training is the most normal state. So, just by training, you can regain your normal state of mind, your composure. That’s how the human body works, apparently.”

“……”

“Doesn’t it make sense if you think about it?”

It sounded ridiculous, but the more he thought about it, the harder it was to refute. Just looking at how Jo Gul’s body was subtly regaining vitality proved it. It was different from when he was groaning because of the complicated situation.

Jo Gul let out a hollow laugh, as if he was dumbfounded.

“So… you’re saying we should just ignore the complicated problems we can’t solve right now and focus on the small things in front of us?”

“More accurately, it’s about doing what we can. Even if it seems insignificant, it’s better than standing still.”

…Absurd.

Mount Hua was in complete chaos after the incident with Baek Cheon, like a hornet’s nest that had been poked. Moreover, even seeing Hyun Jong, who should be handling this situation, was difficult.

Outside, the threat of the Four Evil Sects loomed, ready to strike at any moment. In fact, just yesterday, the Four Evil Sects’ attack had caused numerous casualties.

In this situation, a small step?

“What? Do you have a problem with that?”

Jo Gul simply chuckled.

Chung Myung wouldn’t have done something like this. He would have tried something much more practical. Baek Cheon wouldn’t have made this choice either. He was the kind of person who wouldn’t give up on solving bigger problems, even if he knew there was no way.

So, this was clearly a different path from the one Mount Hua had chosen until now, a method unique to Yoon Jong. But…

“Well, if I said I had a problem, would you listen?”

“No. I’d ignore you.”

“…Then why did you ask?” Jo Gul grumbled.

He still wasn’t convinced that this was the right thing to do. It was hard to shake the feeling that they were wasting precious time.

Nevertheless, he strangely felt a bit relieved.

‘Was it… was it so hard to breathe until now?’ He wondered to himself, realizing he had been feeling pressured without even knowing it. Just then, a dark shadow approached at a rapid pace.

Yokyung and Sago were arguing again in the training ground. They were trying to do something, but it wasn’t working.

“Okay, Yokyung,” Sago said.

“Stop calling me that, Sago!” Yokyung snapped.

“But this time is different,” Sago insisted.

“You always say that!” Yokyung rolled his eyes. “You’ve said that ten times already!”

Jegeul Jarin watched Yokyung and Sago argue. They were Hwasan disciples, training in the shaman’s ground. Jegeul Jarin turned to the man next to him and asked quietly,

“Do you think it’s possible?”

Standing beside him was Tang Gunak.

The Jegeul Clan and the Sichuan Dang Clan had originally belonged to the Five Great Clans together. Because of this, Jegeul Jarin was already familiar with Tang Gunak. However, Jegeul Jarin was now much more polite to Tang Gunak than before.

Jegeul Jarin knew Tang Gunak was important now. Being second-in-command of the Cheonwu Alliance was much bigger than being second-in-command of just the Five Great Clans.

“Are you talking about handling the Spiritual Energy?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“If it was easy to get this power, the sects that use magic would not have kept their power for so long. The Clan Leader told me to come here and help with this spiritual energy training. But I’m not sure if it’s really going to work.”

It wasn’t that he doubted Hwasan’s ability to use Spiritual Energy. Yoon Jong had already shown that they could, and if it was Hwasan, they might be able to find more people who could use Spiritual Energy.

But, using most of Hwasan’s people to awaken Spiritual Energy was a big waste. Tang Gunak must have thought about this.

So, there must be something that Jegeul Jarin hadn’t thought of…

But the answer he got was not what he expected.

“I don’t care about Spiritual Energy.”

“Yes?”

“If we can get it, great. But if we can’t, we still have ways to deal with them. Yoon Jong probably knows that too.”

“Then why?”

“Isn’t it a good thing?”

Jegeul Jarin looked doubtful. Tang Gunak pointed his chin towards the front, telling him to look.

“No matter what, Hwasan is the center of the Cheonwu Alliance. And that’s not just because of their strength.”

Jegeul Jarin looked ahead quietly.

The disciples from other sects, who had been in their rooms, were coming out one by one because of the noisy training of Hwasan. They peeked into the training ground. Some even stayed to watch.

It was rude to watch another sect’s training, but they couldn’t stop them from watching the noisy training that was taking up the large training ground. Of course, Hwasan was putting up with it.

“Why are you training without us?”

‘Young Clan Leader?’

Even Namgung Dowi led the Namgung Clan into the training ground as if he was complaining.

“I’m telling you, this isn’t that kind of training!”

“Training is training. What other kind is there?”

“You can’t use Spiritual Energy if you’re not a Daoist. And the Namgung Clan doesn’t need it anyway.”

“Are you saying we can’t join because we’re not Daoists? I thought Yoon Jong was my brother!”

“That would be Baek Cheon, Martial Uncle!”

“Ah, right? Let’s forget about the small details.”

Because of the lively atmosphere, more and more people were gathering in the training ground.

“This used to happen all the time. The Cheonwu Alliance was full of energy back then. I want to bring that feeling back.”

“At a time like this?”

“That’s why it’s important now. If you lose focus, you’ll be easily controlled by others.”

“Hmm.”

Jegeul Jarin slowly nodded.

He was right. In war, it’s more important to use your full strength than to use clever tricks.

“I understand what you’re trying to do.”

But at the same time, Jegeul Jarin’s eyes became sharp.

“But if this is just about making things lively again, is it just a short-term solution?”

Tang Gunak’s face changed slightly when Chung Myung was mentioned.

“If Hwasan is the center of the Cheonwu Alliance, then the center of Hwasan is the Hwasan Sword Saint.”

“So, isn’t the reason why the Cheonwu Alliance and Hwasan aren’t what they used to be because the Hwasan Sword Saint is silent?”

Jegeul Jarin looked at the training ground.

“It looks lively, but I feel like they’re just forcing themselves to smile. Do I feel that way because he isn’t here?”

Tang Gunak sighed.

“I think so too.”

“Then why…”

“Because there’s nothing we can do.”

“Yes?”

“If we could have helped, he would have asked. We’ve already tried to help.”

Tang Gunak knew that Chung Myung had changed. Everyone who knew him felt it.

Was it just because the situation was urgent? No, that didn’t feel right. Chung Myung was the one who led and encouraged others in times like this.

But he is silent now. Even in the chaos of the Alliance.

Something is definitely wrong. Something that others don’t know.

Tang Gunak sighed deeply.

‘My friend. Can’t we help you?’

He looked sad.

“Right now, we can only believe and wait. We have to believe that he can overcome it himself.”

Late at night, in a small, dark room, the smell of blood hung heavy in the air. It was a sour, rotting smell. Chung Myung sat on the floor, his eyes ashen and blank, staring at the black blood coating his hands.

After a long time, Chung Myung spoke.

“Why, damn it…”

He bit his lip. Over the dark red bloodstains, clear drops of blood fell, dotting the surface. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands, a deep sadness in his eyes. What was happening to him?