Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 625

“Wow…”

“As expected of Senior Brother.”

The Mount Hua disciples clenched their fists, watching Baek Cheon take control of the fight. They were excited to see him doing so well.

This fight was different from the others. Mount Hua had won before, but they usually just defended against Wudang’s attacks.

Wudang had always been the one attacking, and Mount Hua had to struggle to overcome their attacks.

But now, everything had changed. It was clear to everyone that Baek Cheon had gained the upper hand.

“Against that Wudang…”

“…Indeed.”

Everyone was surprised by Baek Cheon’s skill, but some were even more shocked.

“That…”

“No, that’s…”

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong were even more surprised. They had fought Wudang before. They knew how strong Wudang was.

‘He’s going to cut that?’ Jo Gul thought.

‘No, that’s insane. Is that even possible?’ Yoon Jong wondered.

Cutting through sword energy wasn’t too hard. You just needed stronger sword energy than your opponent.

The real problem was Wudang’s special sword energy.

“…It’s like cutting water with a sword,” Jo Gul mumbled.

“That’s impossible…” Yoon Jong replied.

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong stared at Baek Cheon, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Wudang’s sword energy flowed like a river. It never stopped because the sword kept sending out more energy.

Think about it. How can you cut water that keeps flowing?

Of course, you can hit it with a sword. It’s not as hard as steel. But water just comes back together after you cut it, or it flows around anything that blocks it.

But Baek Cheon had actually cut the water. He had cut right through it.

“…Hey, Chung Myung.”

“Huh?” Chung Myung responded.

“Is that even possible?” Jo Gul asked.

“Why not?” Chung Myung said calmly.

Jo Gul looked at Chung Myung, surprised by his calm answer.

“I can’t do it, though?”

“Because he’s a Senior Brother,” Chung Myung explained.

“Can Master Uncle do it?”

“Because he’s a Master Uncle.”

“…”

Jo Gul gripped his sword tightly. Yoon Jong quickly put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

“Don’t do it. If you get hurt again, you’ll really die,” Yoon Jong warned.

“…”

Chung Myung chuckled, seeing Jo Gul’s red face.

“Of course, you can’t cut water.”

“Right!” Jo Gul agreed.

“But is that water? It’s sword energy, isn’t it?” Chung Myung said.

“…”

Chung Myung spoke casually. “Taoist fighting styles just copy nature. Mount Hua talks about blossoming, and Wudang talks about flow. Wudang’s fighting tries to be like water that never stops, but it can never be perfect water. Maybe it could be, but then they wouldn’t be regular disciples, they’d be grandmasters.”

“Of course, that’s true, but…” Jo Gul started.

“In the end, their sword energy connects the flow by slowing down how fast the energy comes out. No matter how well they copy water, there will always be a small break in it,” Chung Myung explained.

Jo Gul’s eyes widened.

“So, he put his sword into that tiny gap?”

“Easy, right?” Chung Myung said.

“…You bastard, it’s easy for you to say, but…” Jo Gul shivered.

He looked back at Baek Cheon on the stage. To put a sword between flows, you need to know everything about the other person’s sword energy.

To try something like that against someone he just met today, something he wouldn’t even try with his own friends?

‘Is he crazy?’ Jo Gul wondered.

Even a small mistake could cause big problems. Even if it worked, it wouldn’t gain much, so who would risk disaster? Wasn’t it foolish?

‘No, no,’ Jo Gul thought.

Jo Gul bit his lip. Baek Cheon had something he didn’t.

He had the confidence that he would never fail, the certainty that he would never make a mistake. Jo Gul couldn’t even imagine having that, but for Baek Cheon, it seemed easy. That’s how far apart they were now.

When he realized how big the gap was, his hands started to shake. He knew Baek Cheon was stronger, but he thought he was getting closer recently.

But Baek Cheon had shown him with one move that the distance hadn’t changed at all.

“…”

Yoon Jong sighed. “He really makes you feel weak.”

“…”

“Right?” Yoon Jong asked.

Jo Gul nodded silently. He seemed more affected than usual. Yoon Jong shook his head slightly.

‘The shock must be much greater,’ Yoon Jong thought.

Baek Cheon wasn’t as important to Yoon Jong. He never thought he could catch up to Baek Cheon quickly anyway.

But it was different for Jo Gul.

‘A genius who works hard is like a demon that steals hope,’ Yoon Jong mused.

Those who chase him must feel like they’re in a race where the finish line keeps moving away. They’re out of breath, their legs are shaking, but the finish line never gets closer.

How could they handle that despair?

Yoon Jong watched Baek Cheon standing confidently on the stage.

He thought Mu-o, who was facing Baek Cheon, was probably the most shocked right now.

“…”

Mu-o’s eyes showed confusion and complicated feelings.

Was it despair? Frustration?

No.

You only feel despair and frustration when you understand what’s happening. But Mu-o didn’t even understand what he had just seen.

His sword energy, which he had worked so hard to gain, had been cut off by a simple move. He couldn’t accept it.

“…This is…” Mu-o muttered.

It must be a mistake.

No, a coincidence. Or both. Maybe Baek Cheon’s sword just happened to hit his sword energy at the exact moment he made a mistake.

He knew it was unlikely, but he couldn’t think of any other explanation. He was lost and confused.

Just then…

“Come,” Baek Cheon said.

Baek Cheon raised his sword and pointed it at Mu-o. His stance was firm and steady. The air around him felt heavy. Mu-o’s mind was racing, but Baek Cheon was calm.

Baek Cheon’s words from before suddenly came back to Mu-o.

“- You are not the only one watching the opponent’s sword.”

Watching. He had said watching.

Did that mean he had learned about Wudang’s sword energy in just a few fights and cut off Mu-o’s sword energy based on that?

‘There’s no way that’s possible!’ Mu-o thought.

‘It’s a coincidence!’

He didn’t underestimate Baek Cheon. He had seen all the fights and knew Baek Cheon was stronger than the other Mount Hua disciples.

But understanding Wudang’s sword energy and using a sword against it was different. If that was so easy, Wudang wouldn’t be a famous clan.

“…I haven’t shown my best side,” Mu-o said.

Mu-o tried to calm himself and stood up. He pointed his shaking sword at Baek Cheon, trying to steady it.

No words were needed now. He glared at Baek Cheon with anger.

Baek Cheon saw the anger in his eyes and felt something strange.

‘Arrogant,’ he thought.

Mu-o wouldn’t want to hear that. He already knew Baek Cheon was better than him. It might seem strange to call a Wudang disciple arrogant for admitting a Mount Hua disciple was stronger.

But Baek Cheon still thought he was arrogant.

Knowing someone is stronger doesn’t make you humble.

Mu-o knew Baek Cheon was strong, but he was trying to fit that strength into what he thought was possible. He was sure that no matter how strong Baek Cheon was, it wouldn’t break his understanding of the world.

This was arrogance and a lack of experience.

Baek Cheon knew for sure that the world was full of unbelievable monsters and geniuses.

And he knew how small he was compared to them.

‘If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have known,’ he thought.

He would never have learned this if he had stayed in Mount Hua, trapped in Jongnam.

Baek Cheon learned about the world by traveling with Chung Myung, and he realized how weak he was.

“I’m going,” Baek Cheon announced.

Now, it was time for Wudang to learn that weakness too.

Baek Cheon pushed off the ground and rushed toward Mu-o.

Mu-o’s eyes widened. He had planned to keep his distance from Baek Cheon, but now Baek Cheon was closing the distance himself.

It was as if distance didn’t matter when fighting him.

“This…!” Mu-o exclaimed.

Angry at being ignored, Mu-o swung his sword hard. His sword energy poured out like a waterfall, covering Baek Cheon in blue energy.

But then…

A red line flashed through the air, cutting through the blue sword energy with a loud boom.

Mu-o had trained hard in Wudang, and he blocked the dozens of stabs with a quick and strong strike.

‘Not a chance!’ he thought.

He was surprised by Baek Cheon’s luck, but he wouldn’t be beaten easily if he stayed calm.

Clang! Clang!

Since Baek Cheon was attacking so many times, he would need to rest soon. If Mu-o could find an opening, he could attack instead of defend.

Clang!

If he could just see one opening…

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Mu-o was confused. He was losing his calm.

‘Why doesn’t it stop…’ he wondered.

Baek Cheon’s sword flashed past Mu-o’s eyes, cutting the tip of his ear. The pain brought Mu-o back to reality.

‘Why doesn’t it stop?’

It’s hard to put strength into one strike, but it’s much harder to keep doing it over and over.

But Baek Cheon’s sword didn’t stop. It was like it was raining stabs.

Unceasing sword energy, this is like…

‘This guy?’ Mu-o thought.

Mu-o’s emotions changed for a moment. Baek Cheon saw the opening and stabbed faster than ever before.

Mu-o blocked it with his sword at the last second, barely saving his neck. But the force of the stab sent him flying backward.

Mu-o crashed to the ground, hitting his head and rolling several times. He finally stopped, scraping the floor.

“Uwaaaaargh!” he screamed.

Blood poured from his mouth. He was hurt inside. But Mu-o looked up at Baek Cheon with shaking eyes, ignoring the pain.

“You… that…”

“The Elder said,” Baek Cheon said calmly.

“That it would be a good chance to see each other’s swordsmanship.”

“…”

“So, I tried learning it once. Not bad, Wudang’s sword is not bad,” Baek Cheon said.

Something broke inside Mu-o.