Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 325

Elder Dojin Heo stood in the middle of the platform where the leaders of each group had gathered.

This spot should have been for Beopjeong, but today, both Beopjeong and Hyun Jong were with their disciples instead of being on the platform.

“Ahem.”

Elder Dojin Heo looked out at the arena, his eyes serious and his gaze heavy with worry.

“Haha, it’s finally the finals.”

“Aren’t they truly remarkable talents? Whoever wins, it will be a good thing.”

Elder Dojin Heo’s eyes narrowed, as if he was displeased by the conversation around him.

‘A good thing, is it?’

What a joke.

No matter who wins between the two, nothing good will come to the Nine Great Sects.

If Hae Yeon from Shaolin wins, Shaolin will become even more powerful. But if Chung Myung from Mount Hua wins, the other great groups will be worried about Mount Hua becoming strong again.

‘This match will determine the next few decades.’

Most leaders from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families didn’t reach the finals. They tried to make this match seem unimportant, saying it was just a contest for young people.

But Elder Dojin Heo couldn’t do that.

‘That can’t be.’

Neither Hae Yeon of Shaolin nor Chung Myung of Mount Hua are ordinary young people.

Hae Yeon is seen as a talent who appears once every few hundred years, even in Shaolin, and the same is true for Chung Myung.

Soon, these two will be very powerful in the martial arts world and will influence everything.

So, this competition will decide the future of the martial arts world. It will also show which of these two future candidates is closer to becoming the strongest in the world.

How can anyone think this is a small thing?

Elder Dojin Heo glanced around. Although the leaders were speaking calmly, their eyes were sharp as they watched the arena.

They will decide which side to support based on the result of this match.

Understanding their gazes, Elder Dojin Heo looked at Beopjeong, who was sitting in front of the arena, with a subtle expression.

‘You must be upset that things aren’t going as planned, Abbot.’

The Nine Great Sects were excluded, and Shaolin won completely.

That was probably what Hae Yeon had planned when he started this competition. And it’s true that the Nine Great Sects were excluded. No disciple from those sects, except for Shaolin, made it to the final four.

But what about a complete victory?

‘It will depend on the outcome of this match.’

If Hae Yeon wins, Beopjeong’s plan will be perfect. It will be even better than he had hoped.

But if he loses?

‘It would be worse than not having created this situation at all.’

If they lose to another of the Nine Great Sects, they can at least save face.

But if they lose to Mount Hua, who had been kicked out of the Nine Great Sects, and give up the championship, Shaolin will be blamed.

Shaolin has drawn a lot of attention to this event. Because of this, they will be blamed if they lose in this final. Shaolin will lose much without gaining anything.

Is that why?

Is that why Beopjeong doesn’t look so happy?

Elder Dojin Heo looked at the arena.

Chung Myung and Hae Yeon.

The two were standing face to face.

‘How amusing.’

I don’t know which of the two will represent the future of the martial arts world. But whoever it is, people will talk about this competition when they talk about their achievements.

The one who loses here will be seen as the villain who made the winner look good.

“That’s what history is.”

So, which of the two will step into the bright sunlight?

Elder Dojin Heo leaned back in his chair, feeling amused.

The surroundings became quiet.

At first, the cheers were so loud that it felt like his ears would burst. But as the two people faced off for longer, the sound slowly died down.

Soon, it became so quiet that it was hard to believe so many people were there.

In that silence, Chung Myung stared at Hae Yeon.

Hae Yeon’s eyes were deeply focused.

The shyness he sometimes showed in the arena was gone. His eyes were so full of fighting spirit that it was hard to think of him as a monk.

‘Is that the look of someone facing a villain?’

I guess so.

From your point of view, it makes sense.

The abbot of Shaolin wants to be the most powerful in the world, and you are helping him. So, even if you didn’t want to, you had to be polite. You couldn’t let the abbot, whom you respect so much, be embarrassed by a young disciple.

What if Chung Myung had seen his granduncle-master or Hyun Jong being scolded by a young disciple from another sect?

That sect would have to close down that day. Chung Myung would be furious and act like a mad dog.

So, I understand Hae Yeon’s position.

Actually…

‘I couldn’t do that.’

Even though I knew I should, I tried to follow the righteousness and justice that my granduncle-master talked about. I couldn’t stop them from putting the world and the martial arts world before Mount Hua.

That’s why Hae Yeon’s current appearance felt strange to Chung Myung.

‘You’re not wrong.’

If it weren’t for this situation, I would have praised you for being excellent.

However…

Chung Myung looked past Hae Yeon to Beopjeong, who was sitting behind the arena.

Beopjeong’s face was stiff.

He couldn’t hide his discomfort, unlike his usual self. Seeing that expression made Chung Myung feel a little better.

‘Don’t look at me with such an angry face.’

Because I’m the one who should really be angry.

At that moment, Hae Yeon spoke first.

“Layman, you have crossed the line.”

Chung Myung scratched his ear, acting as if he didn’t care.

“What was that, baldy?”

After nodding his head, he said in a voice without emotion.

“You’re the ones who crossed the line.”

“Layman!”

Hae Yeon finally looked angry at Chung Myung’s unchanging attitude.

He had tried to be as polite as possible, but this person just couldn’t understand. He couldn’t believe that this person was a disciple of Mount Hua Sect, which used to be a respected sword sect.

“How can you be so rude…”

“Shut your trap, you moron.”

Hae Yeon’s eyes widened.

Chung Myung drew the sword at his waist, including the scabbard.

“You look like you want to say something important, but I don’t want to hear lectures from someone spoiled by living in fancy Shaolin.”

“You disrespectful…”

“Where do you think the words you’re saying come from?”

Doubt filled Hae Yeon’s eyes.

Where?

What does that mean?

Chung Myung’s eyes were as cold as could be as he looked at Hae Yeon.

“If you weren’t a disciple of Shaolin, you wouldn’t even be able to look me in the eye right now.”

The reason you can act so high and mighty is simple.

Because you are a disciple of Shaolin.

The greatest sect in the world, Shaolin.

But you know what?

The reason Shaolin has been able to act so important until now is because of Mount Hua.

You may not know it.

Whether that lecture is right or wrong, it doesn’t matter.

The only thing that matters is this.

“You have no right to lecture me.”

Those who are under the name of the Nine Great Sects must not dare to speak in front of Chung Myung. No, they must not dare to open their mouths in front of Mount Hua.

“You wouldn’t know.”

You don’t know.

You can never know.

Why Chung Myung is so angry.

If even one place.

If even one sect among the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families gathered in this Shaolin had come to Mount Hua first and shown respect, he wouldn’t have been this angry.

Just one place.

If only there had been just one.

But there was no such place.

Chung Myung looked at the platform.

Looking at the leaders of the Nine Great Sects acting important and looking down, anger boiled up inside him.

‘It’s only been a hundred years.’

It hasn’t been long enough to forget. At least those leaders of the Nine Great Sects must know what sacrifices Mount Hua made and what mistakes they made.

But none of them tried to apologize to the returning Mount Hua, even in a formal way.

They completely ignored them and turned a blind eye.

Only after Mount Hua achieved good results did they send gifts as if nothing had happened and try to bury the past.

What really made Chung Myung unable to bear it was that.

What did they die for?

What sacrifices did his senior brothers make?

Did they give up their lives so that those dog-like things could live comfortably?

Chung Myung waited.

Throughout the competition.

For that long time, he forced himself to laugh, joke, and shout.

So that everyone here would know that Mount Hua was here, making noise.

But it was all useless.

Even as stories about Mount Hua spread, as they achieved good results, and as they brought back the lost skills of the past and proved themselves again, they just saw Mount Hua as a sect from the past that was coming back to life.

No one.

No one tried to make the deaths of the Mount Hua disciples meaningful. No one made the sacrifices of Mount Hua valuable.

Just one word was enough.

That the martial arts world could get this far because of Mount Hua.

No great praise was needed.

No tearful request was needed.

Just that one word was enough.

But they didn’t even say that one word. They acted as if it never happened and looked down on Mount Hua as if they were impressed.

That dog-like situation made Chung Myung unable to bear it.

That silence.

For them, closing their mouths would have been a small thing. But that silence made the noble deaths of his senior brothers dog deaths.

Dog deaths…

“…Well, whatever.”

Chung Myung slammed his sword, including the scabbard, into the arena. The hard bluestone cracked and split.

Everyone tilted their heads at that strange action.

‘What is he trying to do?’

And Chung Myung’s next actions were completely unexpected.

He left the sword in the ground and took a step forward.

It was as if he would face Hae Yeon without a sword.

“Layman?”

Chung Myung said in a cold voice.

“I don’t expect you to admit it anymore. Because it will be the same anyway.”

If you don’t want to be nice and bow your head, I’ll make you do it.

“Beating you and forcing you to bow your head isn’t so bad either. My granduncle-master wouldn’t like it, but I never listened to that old man anyway.”

Hae Yeon’s face hardened.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but trying to face me without a sword is foolish.”

“Foolish?”

Chung Myung smirked.

“Draw your sword. And properly…”

At that moment.

Chung Myung disappeared from that spot. Hae Yeon was shocked and tried to sense where Chung Myung was.

‘I found him…!'”

He found Chung Myung. But Hae Yeon couldn’t be happy about it. Because Chung Myung was right in front of him before he could even react.

Chung Myung’s fist hit Hae Yeon’s chin as he threw a punch without thinking.

Hae Yeon was knocked back and rolled across the floor. He stopped by grabbing the edge of the arena after rolling several times.

Hae Yeon looked astonished. His face was completely confused.