Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 283

“Oh my goodness…” someone gasped.

A wave of surprise rippled across the leaders’ platform. Heo Do-jin’s eyes widened, and even Master Beopjeong’s calm smile seemed to tighten for a moment. The air itself seemed to thicken with astonishment.

“Isn’t that… the Divine Fist?” one leader whispered, his voice hushed with awe, referring to a famous Shaolin technique.

“He’s so young, but he used the Hundred Step Divine Fist! And so powerfully! Looks like he’s reached a very high level with it,” another leader chuckled softly.

“Master Abbot,” Heo Do-jin said, turning to Beopjeong, his surprise clear, “how did you hide such talent from us?”

Master Beopjeong smiled gently at Heo Do-jin’s words.

“It wasn’t my plan to trick anyone by keeping him secret,” Beopjeong replied calmly. “He’s just a shy boy, and doesn’t like showing off his skills. It just happened this way.”

Beopjeong offered a quiet Buddhist prayer and continued, his voice soft. “I didn’t want to make a big deal if he didn’t want to, you understand?”

“That is true, but…”

Heo Do-jin, unable to hide his surprise, looked down again. The Shaolin monk, left alone on the arena, bowed his head, palms together, towards the audience.

“Is that Disciple Hyeja?”

“Yes, it is. The youngest of the Hyeja generation.”

“The Hyeja generation? That means he’s a first-generation disciple? A first-generation disciple…”

“He is younger than the second-generation disciples, in fact.”

“…Ah.”

Beopjeong smiled, as if in a spot of bother.

“His age is a little confusing in our system, but it was difficult not to let a child who has barely passed his coming of age participate because of it. His disappointment would have been considerable… If there are any uncomfortable feelings, I apologize.”

“No, no. If he is a child who has only recently come of age, he certainly has the right to participate. Age doesn’t matter so much.”

Heo Do-jin quickly shut down any complaints that might arise from elsewhere.

‘I need to keep an eye on that one.’

This martial arts competition is not the end.

Winning and gaining fame is important, but understanding what kind of talent is growing in other martial arts schools is also crucial.

Surely, he couldn’t miss the chance to observe such a monster because of such a small thing?

“Amazing. The Hundred Step Divine Fist at that age.”

“Indeed. I cannot help but be amazed.”

Sounds of amazement, like soft breaths, escaped from the sect leaders’ lips.

But this was by no means flattery. The amazing thing he did certainly deserved such praise.

The Hundred Step Divine Fist.

A fist technique representing Shaolin.

If the Arhat Fist is the basic Shaolin skill, then the Hundred Step Divine Fist is the most important and powerful. It was one of the 72 special techniques that Shaolin boasted to the world and a martial art famous for being incredibly difficult to master.

Shaolin’s martial arts were, quite literally, a case of great talent maturing late.

Wasn’t it known that years of hard training were required to fully understand and master its complex ideas?

Yet, to unleash the most important part of Shaolin martial arts, one of the 72 special techniques, at such a young age…

‘And to such a degree.’

Heo Do-jin’s eyes narrowed.

He had thought Shaolin must have a hidden plan for staging this, but he never imagined they would conceal such an obvious trump card.

This All-World Martial Arts Competition was clearly a stage set for the emergence of that monster.

“Heh heh. Truly remarkable.”

“Not at all.”

Beopjeong humbly disagreed.

“He said he didn’t want to use the 72 special techniques in the preliminaries, but seeing him unleash that fist, it’s clear that the fighter from Hua-Shan he faced was no weak opponent either.”

“Even so, it cannot compare to the Hundred Step Divine Fist.”

Beopjeong simply smiled without answering.

‘With this, the attention focused on Hua-Shan has been diverted. However…’

And he subtly glanced around.

The sect leaders’ expressions were divided into two categories.

Faces of utter dismay and faces deep in thought.

Those dismayed were the ones who lacked confidence in their ability to contend with Hye-yeon’s skill, and those deep in thought were comparing Hye-yeon to their most skilled disciples.

And…

‘Ho-oh.’

There was one person whose expression differed from the others.

‘Hua-Shan, is it?’

Among all the sect leaders, only Hyun Jong wore a relaxed expression, seemingly not worried.

Has he stopped caring so much about winning and losing, or…?

‘Time will tell.’

Beopjeong chuckled lightly and turned his head, continuing his conversation with the other sect leaders.

“W-what was that just now?”

“It just flashed?”

“…That’s not a technique that can be described in such a way.”

People only understand what they already know.

Unlike the other Hua-Shan disciples who merely focused on the result, Baek Cheon and his companions understood just how terrifying that fist technique was.

‘He forcibly reduced its destructive power to avoid harming Baek Sang.’

Baek Sang probably wasn’t hurt in the slightest. It was a strike that killed the explosive force of the fist and only used the power to push him away.

Knowing that defeating someone without hurting them was ten times harder than simply injuring them, they could only stare at the Shaolin monk on the arena with grave expressions.

“The victor is Shaolin’s Hye-yeon!”

A loud cheering erupted from the Shaolin disciples, who had been in a state of complete silence.

“As expected of Shaolin!”

“He even blew away a Hua-Shan disciple in a single strike!”

“That’s right! That’s more like it! It was strange that Hua-Shan was doing so well. The true power of a respected school is only now being revealed!”

“That was an incredible strike! What on earth was that?”

The spectators, too, did not hesitate to shout in excitement.

The cheers that poured out for Hye-yeon were twice as loud as when the Hua-Shan disciples had been performing well. At this, he blushed slightly and scurried off the arena.

“Hua-Shan’s winning streak has been broken!”

“Did you think it would last forever? How could a school like Hua-Shan continue to achieve such results?”

“Isn’t it still impressive that they haven’t lost until now, even in the preliminaries?”

“Luck, it was all luck!”

“How can luck account for all of that? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Tsk tsk. You don’t understand. How can you be called a respected school without power? Unlike Hua-Shan, who brought all their available talent, other schools separate students who are learning from students who are meant to win. Look! They were crushed as soon as they ran into the real thing, weren’t they?”

“…Hmm. That’s true, but…”

“Once the next stage of the competition begin, you’ll see the true power of the famous groups.”

“Hey! Still, Hua-Shan has shown us what they’re capable of so far. I believe in Hua-Shan!”

The crowd began to argue back and forth.

But the Hua-Shan disciples couldn’t hear the noise.

Baek Cheon’s gaze was fixed on the arena where Hye-yeon had descended.

“What do you think?”

“That… Huhu…”

Even Cheong Myeong, the very strong fighter, looked shocked.

“Were you just talking about very talented people or something?”

“Are you trying to say that guy is a real genius?”

“No. That’s beyond the level of talking about very talented people, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon turned to Cheong Myeong with a questioning look. But seeing the grave expression on Cheong Myeong’s face, he shut his mouth.

Cheong Myeong stared blankly at the empty arena, thinking.

‘This is unbelievable.’

Such things are born from time to time in this world.

Things that destroy everything that exists and create new trends. In other words, the things the world calls creators.

For example, Bodhidharma, who founded Shaolin martial arts, and Zhang Sanfeng, who founded Wudang. They were legendary figures who changed martial arts forever.

Compared to these people, ‘genius’ just means someone very talented who appears sometimes.

“No. How could such a guy end up in Shaolin of all places!”

Damn world!

They’re already taking all the talent with what they have! This is outrageous! It’s so unfair!

From Cheong Myeong’s perspective, starting from the bottom with nothing, the fact that Shaolin was nurturing such a monster was simply ridiculous.

“Amazing fighter. Amazing fighter, but…”

If he grows up well, he might become not only the best in the world but also a fighter who will be famous in martial arts history.

Therefore…

“How unfortunate.”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung, a puzzled expression on his face. “Huh? Why are you saying that?”

Chung Myung puffed out his chest, looking proud of himself. “It’s a pity for anyone born in the same era as me. If I wasn’t around, he’d practically be known as the best fighter in the world.”

Baek Cheon frowned slightly.

“Just imagine being the same age as me, living in the same time,” Chung Myung continued. “Too bad for him. He’ll never be more than second best. How unfortunate.”

Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

“What can he do? Life is unfair. He should just accept his bad luck and train harder. There’s no other way,” Chung Myung said with a shrug.

“Just be quiet,” Baek Cheon retorted. He paused, then asked, “But, older brother, shouldn’t we go and pick him up?”

“Pick up who?” Chung Myung asked, pretending not to understand.

“Older brother, I’m talking about Baek Sang, older brother. He’s probably passed out over there by now…”

“Oh no! Baek Sang!” Baek Cheon cried out, alarmed. He quickly ran in the direction Baek Sang had been thrown.

Chung Myung watched him go, shaking his head with a smile. “They’re all a little crazy, every single one of them.”

Of course, Chung Myung wasn’t exactly normal himself.

“Fifteen students entered the competition…” Hyun Jong began, his voice filled with pride.

Silence followed as everyone waited for him to continue.

“Fourteen of them have reached the top group of one hundred and twenty-two for the main competition.”

Hyun Jong’s face lit up with a wide, happy smile. “This is an amazing achievement for Mount Hua, unlike anything we’ve seen before. Today, I can face our ancestors in heaven without shame.”

Someone mumbled quietly, “If only one more person had won, it would have been perfect.”

Baek Sang’s face twisted in pain at these words, and he looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

Suddenly, Baek Cheon turned to Chung Myung and said loudly, “Hey! How can you say something like that in front of him?”

“I’m just saying it’s a pity,” Chung Myung replied, shrugging his shoulders. “A pity.”

“But you even said you couldn’t beat him!” Baek Cheon argued, his voice rising.

“Are you feeling bad about losing now? Why are you making up things I didn’t say, older brother?” Chung Myung teased, a glint in his eyes.

“Anyway, you said he was strong!” Baek Cheon insisted, pointing a finger at Chung Myung.

“That’s right, he is,” Chung Myung agreed, nodding his head. “Baek Sang, older brother, can’t win, even if they fought a hundred times. Don’t worry about it, older brother Baek Sang. It’s just that you need more training. It’s not your fault, and you couldn’t have won no matter how hard you tried, so what’s the problem… older brother?”

Baek Sang, his face red with anger, rolled his eyes back and started to faint, struggling to breathe.

Chung Myung tilted his head, watching him fall to the ground. “Did he hurt himself or something?”

“You’re the one doing this to him, you little troublemaker! You!” Baek Cheon shouted, his face contorted with anger.

“Me? What did I do?” Chung Myung asked innocently, his eyes wide with feigned surprise.

“Please, just be quiet! Please!” Baek Cheon begged, his voice cracking with desperation.

The two argued loudly, while the other Mount Hua students watched them, used to this kind of scene. They had seen it all before.

Wi Lip-san, who had been standing at the back, watching everything unfold, managed a weak smile. *’This is a complete mess,’* he thought to himself, shaking his head slowly. *’A total disaster.’*

What was worse was that Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader (leader of our Mount Hua school), was watching all this chaos with a warm, loving look in his eyes. And so were the other senior teachers! *’Sect Leader!’* Wi Lip-san thought in panic. *’Have you started running a zoo or something? How can you look at this like you enjoy it?!’ Wi Lip-san felt like he was going to faint from stress himself.*

“Alright, alright. Calm down now, everyone,” Hyun Jong said gently, trying to soothe the students. It seemed like he could read Wi Lip-san’s stressed thoughts. Really, only Chung Myung and Baek Cheon needed calming down.

“The main competition will start in two days. I hope we can use this time well, but…” Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with a worried expression.

Chung Myung blinked innocently. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ugh,” Hyun Jong sighed deeply. *’He’s doing so much for us, I can’t even tell him off properly,’* he thought. He wished Chung Myung had even a little bit of Baek Cheon or Yoon Jong’s calm personality. *’Life isn’t fair,’* he thought with a sigh. It was strange to feel both annoyed and proud at the same time.

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung, his face showing a mix of pride and worry, and said with a groan, “Please.”

“Yes?” Chung Myung asked, tilting his head.

“Two days. Just two days! Can you please not cause any trouble for just two days?” Hyun Jong pleaded, his voice laced with desperation.

“Sect Leader, I’m hurt,” Chung Myung said, pretending to be sad. “It’s like you think I’m always causing trouble…”

Hyun Jong’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. “You… you even brought your sword?”

Chung Myung grinned mischievously. “It’s been a while since you used it. Just put it away.”

“Ugh,” Hyun Jong groaned again, giving up. He turned to the other students. “Listen carefully.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!” they replied in unison.

“You have all done so well so far,” Hyun Jong said, a kind smile spreading across his face. “It would be great if you do well in the main competition too, but it will be much harder now. The powerful schools are very strong.”

Chung Myung popped his head into Hyun Jong’s view, interrupting him. “But aren’t we a powerful school too?”

“Haha. Yes, we are. That’s right,” Hyun Jong said, smiling proudly. “Yes. So, don’t be scared. Stand tall and show everything you can do. Winning isn’t the most important thing. What matters is what you learn and gain, right?”

“Yes! Sect Leader!” the students cheered, their voices filled with enthusiasm.

Hyun Jong smiled, feeling happy and protective of his students. *’My job is to protect these children, and to protect Mount Hua,’* he thought. *’The good things Chung Myung has started will grow like a big tree from this tournament, and one day, spread all over the world of martial arts.’* *’I must keep them safe…’*

“Everyone, listen closely to what the Sect Leader is saying and remember it!” Chung Myung suddenly announced, his voice ringing with authority.

Hyun Jong was surprised to hear such good words from Chung Myung and looked at him, a little hopeful. *’Maybe he is growing up a bit…’*

“Winning is the only way to get anything!” Chung Myung continued loudly, shattering the hopeful atmosphere. “Have you ever seen a loser get anything good? Look at Baek Sang, older brother, over there! That’s what happens when you lose! Remember that!”

“Ggg… grrr…” Baek Sang made choking sounds, still passed out on the ground.

“Baek Sang! Wake up, Baek Sang!” Baek Cheon called out, shaking him gently.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Chung Myung clicked his tongue, watching Baek Sang twitching on the ground in frustration. Then, he looked around at everyone. “We are going to win, no matter what! Understand?!”

“Yes!”

“We’ll win!”

“We’ll beat them all!”

Hyun Jong watched his cheering students, a gentle smile on his face. *’Just listen to me for once, you crazy kids,’* he thought fondly.

It was clear that Mount Hua was becoming stronger since the tournament started. But Hyun Jong wondered if this new strength would be a good thing for the world of martial arts.